From Autosport.com
Ferrari’s
vice president Piero Ferrari believes Kimi Raikkonen will be favourite
to win the title in 2008 after his maiden crown last year.
"Yes, definitely," Ferrari told Gazzetta dello Sport
when asked if Raikkonen was favourite for next season. "In the first
season he broke the ice, found confidence and belief in the team.
"He
will have a car that better suits his driving style, because I think
that was the problem at one time last year: his style did not suit the
F2007 and viceversa."
Raikkonen
took the title in surprising style in the final race of the season in
Brazil after overcoming a 17-point difference with two races remaining.
The
Maranello team will kick off their 2008 preparations today, unveiling
their new challenger before it begins testing on Monday.
Ferrari believes the F2008 will be a significant step forward compared to last year’s machine.
"The
F2007 wasn’t always the fastest car nor the most reliable," Ferrari
added. "But Ferrari did a perfect job in the last race and that’s how
we won.
"The F2008 must be more reliable, because to get the titles you need to finish the races. I’m less worried about performance."
Ferrari also reckons few things will change now the Stefano Domenicali has taken over Jean Todt as head of the Italian squad.
"I
think there will be little change. Everyone has his own way of dealing
with things, but at the top there’s a solid organization as could be
seen last year. In 2008 there are fewer new people, so I don’t expect
any traumas."
I Know What The Team Wants From Me – Kimi
Kimi Raikkonen expects to be stronger in 2008 following his title-winning season with Ferrari last year.
"Without a doubt I’ll become better," said Raikkonen during the launch of the F2008 car at Maranello.
"Because now I know what the team wants from me. But as long as you’re not racing, you don’t know what will happen."
Raikkonen joined the Italian squad from McLaren last year and had a
difficult time adapting to the new car at the start of the season.
As the year progressed,
however, the Finn became stronger and went on to win his first title in
the final race of the year. Raikkonen believes Ferrari and McLaren will
again be the main protagonists in 2008.
"Ferrari and McLaren will be there," he added. "Renault had a
difficult year last year but it might be a completely different story
this year but nobody really knows after the first couple of tests and
we get some kind of idea where everybody is. And then there’s BMW.
"It will be a difficult year. It’s my second year at Ferrari. I can
feel that everything is going really well. I know the people I am
working with and I really like the team.
"We need to always look at what others are doing but the main thing
is that we keep pushing hard as a team and we keep improving we should
be in good shape."
The 28-year-old added that he’s not thinking too much about his future beyond his current Ferrari contract.
"That’s quite difficult to tell now. I have still two years left and
if I go on having fun, I’ll stay here. I really like Formula One and I
have a brilliant team. We’ll see.
"We want to start really well into a great season. We want to win
again the world titles and we want to avoid retirements. This is the
main feature to win against McLaren. That is how it was and that is how
it will be in the future."
Kimi Expects Fun Season in 2008
World champion Kimi Raikkonen expects a fun season this year with
more overtaking given Formula One’s new rules outlawing traction
control. Other enforced changes include gearbox and driver protection
innovations which mean Ferrari’s F2008 car, unveiled at their base in
northern Italy on Sunday, is heavier this year.
The weight distribution and wheelbase have also been altered after
lessons learned from the performance of the Bridgestone tyres last year
while there is an almost completely new aerodynamic design which will
be developed further.
But the lack of traction control and the potential for more crashes
is the biggest issue for the world champions ahead of the first race in
Melbourne on March 16.
"Now traction control is not going to help you but for me it will be
a lot more fun. I think there will be an easier chance to overtake as
people will make more mistakes," Raikkonen told a news conference.
"The sport is dangerous anyway. It doesn’t matter if you have
traction control or not. If you think it is too dangerous you probably
shouldn’t be in the sport. It is more tricky for sure, you need to be
awake more of the time."
Despite the pressure of being world champion, Raikkonen said this
season would be easier as he was more used to the team and they were
more comfortable with him in his second year there.
He will take out the new car on Monday and is keen to get back to
action, saying a Formula One driver’s Christmas stocking is rather
empty.
"I don’t really need anything. I’m happy to get over Christmas. It’s quite boring really," he said.
F2008 Unveiled | Download the video of the F2008’s launch!
From Autosport.com
World
champions Ferrari on Sunday unveiled their new car for the 2008 season,
the F2008, with which they hope to defend the titles won last year.
The
car, codenamed internally as the 659, has been designed for the new
regulations coming into play in 2008, with no driving aids allowed. As a result of the new rules, the car is now heavier.
The
F2008’s aerodynamics have been completely revised, although Ferrari
said the current package will be very different once the car races in
the first race of the season.
Ferrari’s
new car has been designed under the guidance of technical director Aldo
Costa. The F2008 is scheduled to run for the first time at Fiorano on
Monday.
F2008: Description and technical specifications
Maranello, 6th January 2008 – The F2008 is the fifty fourth
single-seater built by Ferrari specifically to take part in the Formula
1 World Championship.
The design, codenamed internally as the 659, represents the
Scuderia’s interpretation of the regulations in force in 2008. A major
new element of these is the introduction of a new electronic system to
be used by all teams, known as SECU (Standard Electronic Control Unit)
and produced by MES (McLaren Electronic Systems.) It consists of a
single control unit and a software system, the development of which
ends as the season begins. Other areas affected by rule changes are:
gearbox, which must be used for four consecutive events; safety, with
the introduction of higher side protection around the driver’s helmet;
materials, with a limit to the type of composites that can be used. As
a result of these rules, there has been an increase in the weight of
the car. All aerodynamic surfaces have been completely revised, however
the current version will be replaced by a completely different
configuration in time for the first race. In fact, an intensive and all
encompassing development programme is planned to run throughout the
season. The monococque has been further cut away under the driver’s
legs and the side pods and engine cover are more tapered. The
suspension system has been reworked and developed around the new
aerodynamics.
The wheelbase and weight distribution have been adapted to meet the
challenge of the new regulations and on the basis of lessons learned
last year in terms of the performance of the Bridgestone tyres. Changes
to the technical and sporting regulations in terms of electronics,
alongside the introduction of the SECU, have led to the removal of a
host of a driver aids, such as traction control and engine breaking and
the electronically assosted starting system, and also mean that
management of the differential, engine and gearchange are much simpler.
The gearbox casing is produced in carbon, while the transmission
continues to be mounted longitudinally. For the second consecutive year
the gearchange is fitted with a quick shift system, adapted to the SECU
software and further speeded up. In dealing with the reliability aspect
of the new regulations, Shell has played a key role in defining the
lubricants for the gearbox. The braking system has been updated with
new callipers and innovative concepts regarding cooling.
The 056 engine is mounted longitudinally and continues as a load
bearing element. Its basic structure remains unchanged compared to the
unit homologated at the start of last season, while its auxiliary
systems, air and fuel intakes have been further developed. The
technical regulations also call for the use of fuel corresponding to
European Union norms, with a content of components derived from
biological sources equal to 5.75%. As usual, during the design and
development stages of the entire car, our technical partners played an
important role. Apart from previously mentioned significant input from
Shell, also worthy of note is the contribution of the Fiat Research
Centre, especially in providing simulation systems and Brembo for its
work in developing the braking system. As is now traditional, a great
deal of attention was paid to the performance and optimising of the
materials used at the design stage and through quality control,
striving to maximise performance levels while attaining the highest
possible safety standards.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Chassis
Carbon-fibre and honeycomb
composite structure
Ferrari longitudinal gearbox
Limited-slip differential
Number of gears: 7 + Reverse
Semiautomatic sequential
electronically controlled gearbox
quick-shift
Ventiled carbon-fibre
disc brakes
Independent suspension,
push-rod activated torsion
springs front and rear
Weight (with water, lubricant and driver) : 605 kg
BBS Wheels (front and rear) : 13”
Engine
Type: 056
Number of cylinders: 8
Cylinder block in cast
Aluminium: V 90°
Number of valves: 32
Pneumatic distribution
Total displacement: 2398 cm3
Piston bore: 98 mm
Weight: 95 kg
Magneti Marelli digital electronic injection
Magneti Marelli static
electronic ignition
Fuel: Shell V-Power ULG 64
Lubrcant: Shell SL-1098
FUCK ISRAEL 