Alonso Will Debut 2011 Ferrari in Valencia

Fernando Alonso will be the first driver to take Ferrari's 2011 challenger to the track when the testing season kicks off in Valencia next month. The information is not official however, but was revealed by Spanish newspaper Marca during the course of this week.

A few days after Ferrari confirmed it will launch their new car in the last week of January, Marca notes that the Scuderia will present their challenger to the world during a media event held in Maranello, between January 25-29. Shortly after, the car will be sent to Valencia, where the Ricardo Tormo circuit will witness the beginning of the 2011 testing in Formula One.

It seems that Alonso will have the privilege to drive the car first, as he's scheduled to take it to the track in Day 1 and 2 or the Valencia test, according to Spanish radio Cadena COPE. Last year, it was Felipe Massa who started the ball, being the first Ferrari tester of their 2010-spec F10.

Spain will get to see plenty of Ferrari and Fernando Alonso through the month of February, as Valencia's Cheste circuit will only provide the base for the first test of the winter. Out of the 15 days of testing in February and March, 11 are to be held in Spain, Valencia being succeeded on the testing calendar by Jerez and Barcelona.

The last action of the off-season testing kicks off in March, in Bahrain, only days before the season opener, scheduled for March 11-13.