Ferrari’s new car a disaster (Update)

Engine man Mattia Binotto is head of technical development. We all know how that is going to turn out

UPDATE (GMM) Insiders are playing down rumors Ferrari's 2017 campaign is already in trouble, long before a single winter testing lap.

Eyebrows were raised in Turin earlier this week, when representatives of other F1 teams attended a launch event by tire supplier Pirelli.

Maurizio Arrivabene was conspicuously absent (he was probably on the phone with Aldo Costa begging him to come back to Ferrari).

"I am not far from Maranello, but I could not come because we have a lot to do," Italian media reports quote Arrivabene as explaining by video message.

It triggered rumors that Ferrari has fundamentally erred with the design of its 2017 car, amid a battle with Mercedes and Red Bull over alleged 'trick' suspension systems.

What is clear is that Ferrari is having an extremely low-profile winter period, having brashly declared a year ago that it would challenge for wins and the title in 2016.

"I do not think Ferrari is as bad as it is being painted," an Italian media source told the Spanish daily Marca.

Also being played down are rumors of aerodynamic problems with the 2017 Ferrari. According to the rumor, the team is already working on a 'B' car for Barcelona.

"It is not a B chassis," the Marca report insisted, "but rather an important evolution as they discover the possibilities of the new aerodynamics."

Ferrari spokesman Alberto Antonini said: "It would be inappropriate to talk about expectations. The regulations have changed and the car will be completely different.

"We know our abilities and what kind of car we have built. In the team the results are in line with expectations, but we need to wait for the tests in Barcelona to compare with the others," he added.

02/10/17 This is what happens when you put an engine guy in charge of the overall car development. Rumors out of Italy say that the latest information coming from Maranello is that they realized that the car originally conceived will not be particularly competitive with the new, high-performance Mercedes W08 and, therefore, it was decided to try to make any substantial last minute changes during the construction phase.

They brought on Rory Byrne to save the day after James Allison left, but although Rory Byrne gets credit to Ferrari's success in the Schumacher days, in reality it was Aldo Costa, working under Byrne, who was the real brains behind that operation (Costa now designs for Mercedes).

Apparently the new car is seriously lacking in downforce.

To try to compensate rumors suggest that Ferrari is pushing engine development to the limit that could become critical to Ferrari in the first part of 2017 to limit damage.

In conclusion, the latest information collected on the Italian team is not at all positive and indeed the situation that is taking shape is worse than expected. We shall see if Rory Byrne can work a miracle.