The F60 is a celebration of Ferrari's 60th F1 anniversary
Source: ITV F1
Ferrari has ushered in Formula 1's radically new era of technical regulations by becoming the first team to unveil a bona fide 2009 car.
The reigning world champion squad released studio pictures of the car it is calling the F60 via an online launch on Monday morning, with the challenger getting its track debut in the hands of Felipe Massa at Mugello later in the day.
The car has been given the type number F60 in deference to the fact that Ferrari is contesting its 60th consecutive season of F1 in 2009, the only team to have participated every year since the inception of the world championship in 1950.
As will become a common sight on the first cars to be designed under the new technical framework, aerodynamic downforce has been drastically cut back on the new Ferrari and the chassis appears much cleaner without the plethora of aero appendages that have sprouted on cars in recent years.
The most visible differences on the new-look car are the wings, with the front wing much wider than previous year’s designs and the rear wing both narrower and taller, and the slick tyres that are being reintroduced in 2009.
Thanks to a regulation change thought up by the Overtaking Working Group, the front wing now features a flap that can be adjusted by the driver from the cockpit to offset the loss of front downforce when following other cars.
The diffuser has been moved rearwards, the suspension is less enclosed than before and the transmission and overall layout have been substantially revised to optimise weight distribution and aerodynamic efficiency within the new rules.
A Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) – developed in collaboration with the team's electronics partner Magneti Marelli – is centrally mounted on the engine and was fitted on the car for its shakedown run.
The Scuderia admitted before Christmas that it was behind schedule with its KERS programme, however, and was drawing up contingency plans in case the system wasn't ready to use at the opening race in Australia.
Ferrari heads into the 2009 season looking to defend its eighth constructors' championship success over the past decade, with Massa and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen both intent on claiming the drivers' crown.
