Maranello, 2 February – There was no let up from the snow last night, which continued to fall on Maranello and the surrounding area and the situation does not appear to be changing this morning. The forecast is still bad both in terms of predictions of more snow fall and of a further drop in temperature.

Therefore, the decision has been taken to cancel the presentation ceremony for the new car, which was to have taken place at 10.30 tomorrow. The decision was taken because of the weather conditions and because of the difficulties that would have faced the 300 or so people due to attend from the team partners, the authorities and representatives of the media in their attempts to get to Maranello.

Photographs and all technical information relating to the car, along with exclusive interviews, will be available to all on www.ferrarif1.com.

Maranello, 1st February – The wheels on the Ferrari Formula 1 car that is being launched in two days time at the Fiorano Track are made by OZ, an Italian company that is a world leader in the world of competition and the motor industry in general and in the field of alloy wheels.

The wheels will wear the famous logo of the company from Padua, featuring the colour yellow, which harks back to the one used in the early Eighties. The agreement is for a three year period.

“We are proud to welcome OZ to the group of Suppliers to the Scuderia,” said Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali. “The brand from Padua is synonymous with quality and reliability and along with these characteristics comes the ability to meet the demands of its customers who, in an environment as competitive as Formula 1, are always looking for maximum performance. This collaboration in Formula 1 will further strengthen the ties that have linked for many years the Prancing Horse and OZ in the world of road-going cars.

Maranello, 2 February –Special conditions call for special measures. Unusually, there has been so much snow falling on Maranello these past few days that, this afternoon, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso each had a special vehicle to get around in. They were the first two examples of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, the quickest and most powerful Jeep ever built. The cars were handed over to the Scuderia Ferrari drivers by Beth Peretta, Director Marketing and Operations SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC.

The two cars had a special trim, bringing some exclusive styling details and the unmistakeable Rosso Corsa colour which is a distinguishing feature of the cars from the Maranello marque. The two Grand Cherokke SRT8, personalised for the Scuderia Ferrari champions are the first of the new high performance version of the Jeep flagship to hit Europe, where it will go on sale this summer.

“We are excited and proud to be able to hand over the exclusively personalised “Ferrari-style” versions of the most powerful and fastest Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 of all time to two of the most talented drivers in the world,” said Beth Peretta. “We are sure Fernando and Felipe will feel perfectly at home at the wheel of these cars that take styling cues from Ferrari with Rosso Corsa bodywork and that represent the pinnacle in terms of performance for the Jeep brand. Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 offers all who love driving, a unique combination of the amazing capacity of the Jeep on road and track, with the pinnacle of personalised style and technology.”

Maranello, 1st February – It’s not the first time and it certainly won’t be the last that snow has put in an appearance on the eve of the launch of a new Ferrari Formula 1 car. However, it seems that this year, the weather gods really want to have their say. From late yesterday morning, Maranello has been hit by snow, with no sign of a let up. Work to set up the structure that will host the launch ceremony is still going ahead, even if it is not proving straightforward. The forecast is not exactly comforting, as snow is set to continue falling at least until tomorrow morning and the temperature will continue to drop, getting down to the -10º mark, which will make for icy roads.

The situation is far from simple, as can be seen from the fact that the Maranello local authorities and those surrounding it (including Modena) have announced the closure of all schools at all levels up until Saturday 4 February.

It now looks as though there is little chance of carrying out the planned promotional filming featuring action shots of the car at the Fiorano track: even if the snow was to stop it’s hard to imagine that the escape roads could be cleared of their blanket of snow which is gradually building up.

Maranello, 31 January – At the Fiorano track, preparations are underway for the presentation of the new Formula 1 car and in Lanzarote in the Canary Isles, the training camp is coming to an end for Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Jules Bianchi and Davide Rigon.

The four drivers, along with the physiotherapists who look after them throughout the season, have spent the past few days tackling different sports, ranging from mountain biking to football, from tennis to ping-pong, not forgetting canoeing and working out in the gym or on the beach. All of this has taken place in very different conditions to those in Maranello, as the drivers enjoyed average daily temperatures of 20 °C.

The Lanzarote course was not only aimed at improving physical condition, which is absolutely vital in a demanding sport like Formula 1, but it was also an important exercise in team building, both because the competitive nature inherent in all the drivers spurred them to work even harder and in the right spirit and also because, spending time together reinforces the friendship between them.

In a few days, all four of them have important appointments. Jules will make a lightning visit to Maranello, before flying to England to start a new adventure as reserve driver for Force India, while, on 3 February, Fernando and Felipe will be taking part in the launch ceremony for the car they will be driving as from the Jerez test (7-10 February.)

Davide, who has recently extended his agreement with the Scuderia for two more years, will also be in Maranello: a lot of work awaits him in the simulator, in support of the development of the car that will see the light of day for the first time in a few days.

The programme has been established for the drivers in the three test sessions which take place prior to the Australian Grand Prix: in Jerez, Felipe will begin the development work, with Fernando closing the test; at the first Barcelona test, (21-24 February) it will be the Spaniard who drives for the first two days, with Felipe taking over for the final two; at the second session at the Catalunya Circuit (1-4 March) the driver order will again be reversed. Meanwhile the weather forecast for this week in the Maranello area is not very encouraging, with predictions of snow and very low temperatures. This means there is a real doubt as to whether it will be possible to carry out any promotional filming at the Fiorano track prior to heading for Jerez de la Frontera. It’s a very long way from Andalusia to the Emilia region and the departure of the car transporter with the racecar on board cannot be delayed any later than the afternoon of the fourth.