Ferrari Launch the F2005 in Maranello

Ferrari have launched their 2005 car, the F2005, in Maranello today.

As in 2002 and 2003, the car will not debut at the first round of the season. Instead it is scheduled to make its racing debut at the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

The F2005's chassis is lighter, despite having to meet more stringent crash tests, while the shape of the chassis has been revised, with modifications to the opening of the sidepods and the area around the turning vanes, the sidepods accommodating a new cooling system.

The engine cover and sidepod winglets have also been redesigned, with a second wing added to the engine cover near the roll hoop. Meanwhile the layout of the exhausts is significantly different, now almost entirely integrated within the bodywork.

The rear end, including the rear suspension, has been revised to maximize the use of a smaller gearbox made from titanium and carbon fibre, as well as improving the car's use of its tyres and improving the rear end's aerodynamic efficiency. The floor of the car has also been substantially redesigned to integrate with the smaller gearbox and comply with new regulations.

The 055 engine is new, although much of the internal componentry derives from the last version of the 053, which is currently fitted to the F2004M, the car Ferrari will begin the season with.

Ferrari are aiming for their seventh consecutive Constructors' Championship this season, while Michael Schumacher will be trying to clinch his eighth drivers' crown, his sixth in a row, while battling his teammate Brazilian Rubens Barrichello along the way.