A New Start...

You get the feeling that 2008 took quite a lot out of Ferrari; losing the driver's championship at the last turn of the last race must have hurt badly. Then came 2009, a car burdened by a simple lack of time put into it - Ferrari didn't spot the double diffuser loophole. Then came Massa's accident and the ill-fated Badoer incident, the removal of Raikkonen and the 'treason' of Michael Schumacher.

The win in Belgium may have spared blushes but the report card for the season would have read: C, distinctly average - must do better.

So, to 2010. This morning, the worlds press got to see the new F10 in all its glory.

At first glance, the new car doesn't seem as radical a departure from its predecessor as I expected. However, the more I look at it, the more I can see just how refined this car appears to be. The sidepods are neater, smoother and tighter. The nose is sleek and elegant but yet purposeful. The wheelbase is longer, of course, but this is to accommodate the bigger fuel tank required this year. There are humps on top of the nose - emulating the design of last year's Red Bull and the overriding impression is efficient.

The colour scheme is that of all Ferraris; red - but there has been thought given as to how best to advertise (new sponsor) Santander and the final look is that of a car which is maybe more grown up than the 2009 model.

How do I think it will run?

It certainly seems that this year Ferrari have concentrated on what they want the car to do. They won't have been sidetracked by KERS and the double diffuser should be bigger and better integrated into the design of the car (rather than just an add on). It is not the most beautiful car I have ever seen and I doubt that it will be the cleverest design out there this year. This may be a good thing though - remember, at the end of last year the gap between the top and bottom teams was tiny (roughly 1 second). If Ferrari have made a car as efficient as it looks then it should be very drivable for Alonso and Massa - not to mention easy to set up. This bodes well for the races.

So, my overall impression is that of optimism (if you are a Ferrari fan); I can see this car winning races and being in the hunt but I'm not sure whether it is exciting enough to be the overall champion. This car is a very sensible revolution for the Ferrari team; a good base to improve upon but 'sensible' isn't very Italian - where is the passion. True racing is all about passion.