Ferrari presents the F138 Formula 1 car in Maranello

Ferrari has presented its F138, the car with which the Italian squad hopes to return to championship glory in the 2013 Formula 1 season.

The car, whose name is a combination of the current year and a tribute to the V8 engines that will be used for the last time this season, is the 59th grand prix single-seater produced by the Maranello-based squad.

The F138 has been developed in the Toyota windtunnel in Cologne following Ferrari's decision to shut down its own unit in order to upgrade it.

Ferrari described the F138 as an 'evolution' of the F2012, with pullrod suspension retained at the front and rear.

It has however made changes at the rear of the car to allow the exhaust layout to be changed. The air intake above the cockpit and the sidepod intakes have also been revised to boost the car's aerodynamics.

The car is the product of two distinct design groups: one group working on the F138, the other on the team's 2014 car.

Ferrari is seeking to hit the ground running with its new car after a dismal performance by its predecessor when it made its testing debut last year.

Despite that, the historic Italian outfit managed to stay in the championship fight until the end of the year, with Spaniard Fernando Alonso losing out to Red Bull rival Sebastian Vettel in the final race of the season in Brazil.

"The key objective that we must have is of immediately delivering a competitive car to our drivers," team boss Stefano Domenicali acknowledged.

"Unfortunately in recent years we have at the beginning of the winter not been able to be right on top of what we are doing.

"We have tried to look at our organisation to be much more effective in the preparations over the coming week."

Two-time world champion Alonso will be partnered by Felipe Massa again this year after the Brazilian secured a one-year contract extension thanks to his resurgence in the second half of the season.

Massa will be tasked with driving the F138 for the first time next Tuesday at Jerez.

2013 pre-season dates

Car launches

Team          Date 
Lotus         January 28 
McLaren       January 31 
Ferrari       February 1 
Force India   February 1
Sauber        February 2
Red Bull      February 3 
Mercedes      February 4 
Toro Rosso    February 4 
Caterham      February 5
Marussia      February 5

Williams      February 19

Testing

Venue         Date 
Jerez         5-8 February 
Barcelona     19-22 February 
Barcelona     28 February-3 March

Keep checking AUTOSPORT for the latest news from our reporters at every 2013 Formula 1 car launch, plus comprehensive galleries and in-depth technical analysis of the new cars

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