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Formula One: Ferrari announce launch date for 2018 car

By Alex Herbst

MONTMELO, SPAIN - MARCH 01: Members of the Ferrari team pull screens across the back of the car as Sebastian Vettel of Germany drives the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF70H back to the garage during day three of Formula One winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya on March 1, 2017 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
MONTMELO, SPAIN - MARCH 01: Members of the Ferrari team pull screens across the back of the car as Sebastian Vettel of Germany drives the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF70H back to the garage during day three of Formula One winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya on March 1, 2017 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /
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Scuderia Ferrari, in traditional holiday fashion, have officially confirmed the launch of their 2018 Formula One car just in time for Christmas.

For fans of the red dragon in Formula One, Christmas came about a week early this year. As is tradition for the Maranello-based team, Scuderia Ferrari announced their launch date for their 2018 championship challenger at their Christmas lunch, well before any other F1 team has confirmed when they will unveil their cars.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne confirmed on Monday that the new 2018 Scuderia Ferrari ride will be launched on February 22, 2018. This comes just four days ahead of the first pre-season test for the series at the Barcelona circuit, where many of the other remaining teams are expected to unveil their rides. While in previous years Ferrari has done a “soft launch” by showing off their latest F1 machine online earlier in February, it is unclear if that will occur again in the new year.

Williams Martini Racing was the first team to unveil their new F1 car in 2017, releasing schematics of the machine ten days before the season-opening test. No other team beyond Ferrari has announced when they will show their new car to the public, though most can expect to be revealed in the month of February.

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The biggest challenge for designers heading through the offseason development process will be the new mandatory halo around the cockpit. Beyond its questionable aesthetics and challenges for line of sight, it also must withstand considerable force through a Grand Prix, even if it were not to be contacted by another car, part, or the ground. Certainly, Ferrari could provide the first talking points about the halo device with the debut of their new car.

In 2018, Scuderia Ferrari will return the same lineup of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen to pilot their red dragon machines. Vettel had a resurgent 2017 that saw him serve as the chief championship combatant alongside Lewis Hamilton, and will look to grow from coming so close to his fifth F1 title.

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Kimi Raikkonen, too, made steps forward in the last year, and will look to break a long winless drought heading into 2018, and perhaps create a stiffer fight within the Maranello team as well.

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