New Ferrari has been pushed to the limit

Ferrari are heading into the 2012 Formula One season hoping to be competitive from the very first race of the new championship.

Ferrari had a poor season by their own high standards in 2011, Fernando Alonso did win in 2011, but was never in contention for the championship lagging a long way behind both Red Bull and McLaren.

From the mid-way point of 2011, Ferrari pretty much gave up on the season and concentrated on the new 2012 car and Ferrari will be hoping that they can target a championship run this season.

“We came very close in 2010, a long way off in 2011 and we want to win it in 2012, That’s easy to say, but harder to do, but we have an extraordinary sense of determination to get it done. We will launch the new car on February 3 and my hope, and that of all our fans, is to have a car that is competitive right from the start.” Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali told formula1.com.

“Winning is our primary objective and I believe we are preparing ourselves in the right way for this, Everyone is working hard on improving the performance of the car, paying great attention to every little detail. It is definitely different, because it represents a clear break with the past in terms of the design philosophy.

'It’s not that pretty, because the shape defined by the technical regulations does not leave much scope, but, and this is what counts really, our hopes are that it is at the very least quick! I asked our engineers, as far back as last summer to look into every little nook and cranny of the rules to push it to the limit.”

The first instance of the technology battle over the winter has been the argument over the idea of a reactive ride-height system.

Under Article 3.15 of the F1 Technical Regulations, if drivers were changing the car's ride height under braking it would be a breach of the regulations, however Lotus [Renault] have led the way in regards to the new system which has been deemed legal by the FIA as their system is not adjusted by the driver.

Ferrari are hoping to not be too far behind with their own version, but other teams could be forced into a game of catch-up if they have not developed their own system.

The reactive ride-height system aims to improve stability during braking by a hydraulic cylinder on the front suspension.

The change in the cars ride height during breaking is only measured by a matter of millimetres, but it can have a major influence on the cars aerodynamics through a corner and it is thought that the system could be worth at least two tenths of a second per lap.