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Ferrari F1 launch: 2018 SF71H design revealed at Maranello

Ferrari has unveiled its latest grand prix racing car, the SF71H, ahead of the 2018 Formula 1 season.

The halo-fitted new car was shown off at Ferrari's Maranello base on Thursday, four days before the start of F1's pre-season testing at Barcelona.

It features Ferrari's traditional red livery, with the colour white mostly absent from this car in contrast to its immediate predecessors.

The SF71H is the first Ferrari F1 challenger since the 2009 machine not to feature Santander branding, following the Spanish financial giant's decision to end its F1 sponsorship deals.

Ferrari heads into the season with an unchanged line-up of its most recent F1 drivers' champion Kimi Raikkonen and four-time F1 title-winner Sebastian Vettel, paired for a fourth straight season.

Both were present at the launch, alongside the team's new development driver Daniil Kvyat and Ferrari-backed Sauber reserve Antonio Giovinazzi.

The 2018 car's predecessor, the SF70H, was Ferrari's most competitive F1 offering in years, helping Vettel to five race wins.

It sustained a credible title challenge against the hybrid era's dominant team Mercedes for most of the season, before late-campaign accidents and engine reliability woes allowed the Silver Arrows to break away.

The 2017 Mercedes and Ferrari were notably different design concepts, but Ferrari made clear at its launch that this year it has moved towards the longer-wheelbase philosophy favoured by its key rival.

On the engine side, Ferrari will start the season with an evolution of last year's design. It is thought to have focused on reliability in particular, given last year's problems and with F1 moving to a limit of three engines per season.

Zdroj: autosport.com