Ferrari to Debut 2011 F1 Car on February 28

Ferrari confirmed via a press statement that they will unveil their 2011 Formula One challenger, for the time being still code-named 288, on February 28, at their Maranello headquarters. And while that is no big news, considering that the Scuderia had previously announced they will launch their new car in the last week of February, it seems that the car will make its track debut sooner than its other 2011 competitors.

According to Ferrari's website, the new car will be taken to the track – we don't know if by Fernando Alonso or Felipe Massa, but our bets lie with the Spaniard – that same day, on the Fiorano venue. The car is scheduled to stay on the track for some 100 km (62 miles).

But how can a team that is forbidden to test its car prior to the official winter testing kick-off take its new challenger to the track anyway? The answer is quite simple and the solution has been successfully used by all F1 teams for the past couple of years: the 288 chassis will be driven for filming purposes, due to the debut of a new logo and livery.

Additionally, it seems that the running will only take place if the “weather is permitting.” As mentioned above, there is still no info on the person getting the first taste of the new car. What we can be certain of is that Alonso will be the first driver to officially test drive the 2011 Ferrari in Valencia, during the first two days of action.

Felipe Massa will only drive it during the third day of the Ricardo Tormo test, after which the roles will be reversed at the next test of the winter, in Jerez. In the remaining 2 tests of the winter, Barcelona and Bahrain, track time will be split equally between the two.