LEAD: Ferrari gets ugly for new Formula One season

Feb 3, 2012, 15:37 GMT

Berlin - Ferrari admitted Friday its Formula One car for the 2012 season would not win any prizes for beauty but its engineers hope a radical design change will give it the speed to break the dominance of Red Bull.

The Italian team, which usually prides itself on style, conceded that several major changes included an ugly-looking nose, partly brought about by new F1 rules on the front-section chassis height.

'The nose has a step in it that is not aesthetically pleasing: with the requirement from the regulations to lower the front part, this was a way of raising the bottom part of the chassis as much as possible for aerodynamic reasons,' the team said.

Snow forced Ferrari to cancel a live launch at at its headquarters in Maranello, with the presentation taking place via internet.

Ferrari believes the F2012 car will provide drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa the means to compete with main rivals Red Bull, who launch their 2012 car on Monday, and McLaren, who unveiled their MP4-27 on Wednesday.

The team was a disappointing third behind Red Bull and second-placed McLaren last year.

'Practically every area of the car has been fundamentally revised, starting with the suspension layout: both the front and rear feature pull-rods, aimed at favouring aerodynamic performance and lowering the centre of gravity, ' Ferrari said.

Alonso said the F2012 was 'very different' to the model of the past two seasons, while Massa said the car looked 'really aggressive.'

'I like the creative shape of the new car,' Alonso said. 'From the beginning, the first feeling has been very good. When a car surprises you with the first look, that's always a positive thing.'

Further evolutions are planned in the front wing area while the car is due to undergo a very intensive development programme over the first part of the season, especially on aerodynamics.

Chief designer Nikolas Tombazis said Ferrari had little 'carry over' from previous designs and had reviewed most of the car.

'In previous years it's clear our results have been disappointing so we have had to analyse the reasons for that and fundamentally change the philosophy behind the project,' he said.

'We have been too conservative in our approach and so have been much more aggressive this year.'

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said 'It's a very different approach, both from a mechanical and an aerodynamic point of view.

'I will only be happy when I see that this car is competitive. There are a lot of expectations but we need to control that and make sure we stay focused.'

Testing begins in Jerez, Spain next week, with the first race in Melbourne on March 18.

The Force India team also unveiled its 2012 car at a presentation in Silverstone, England attended by drivers Nico Huelkenberg and Paul di Resta.

'It looks aggressive and fast but we don't know know where we stand until the others appear,' said German driver Huelkenberg.

Like Ferrari and the Caterham racing team, the Mercedes-powered Force India VJM05 has a distinctive dropped nose design.

Force India technical director Andrew Green said he expected most teams would opt for the 'platypus' nose design despite the McLaren's MP4-27, launched on Wednesday, not featuring the drop nose.

'We think most will follow our philosophy,' Green told Sky Sports News.

Force India is aiming to narrow the gap to the leading teams after finishing sixth in the constructors' championship last year.

Meanwhile India's Narain Karthikeyan has joined Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa at HRT for the new season.