The topic most discussed before a new season is the name of the new car and the date of its launch. The launch date is fixed now, it’s February, 1st 2013 and the location should be Maranello again. The name is still a secret but rumours or opinions are not really innovative – the most are going for F2013 – what a surprise!
Another question will be, if the design shows the duckbill-nose again or if the Scuderia as well as many other teams will follow the McLaren-style design of a flat nose.
Very clear became the forthcoming “politics of tires” today. Pirelli presented the four slicks and the two tires for wet conditions today. They all will become more soft than the 2012-range. Pirelli expects the teams to pit at least two to three times a race to get new tires. In agreement with the organizers of the F1-Series they want to assure more strategic options during a race. The structure of the tires has become more flexible whilst the tire shoulders are stiffened. A change in colours will come for the “white” and the “silver” marked tires. The silver ones will become orange to assure a better identification for the public during the race.
Let’s be curious, if the Scuderia will make the interaction between the car and the tires more successful than in 2012.