According to a press release from the Maranello squad, the new 2010 car will be codenamed Ferrari 281 and will be test driven by both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa on the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.
The new car promises to be a front-runner from the early days of the testing season, as Ferrari have switched development for it from the very mid-season last year. Following the disastrous performances of the Ferrari F60 last year, the Italian team decided to fully focus on the 2010 challenger from mid-season on, aiming for a quick comeback into the championship's elite.
Last year's title holders Brawn GP, now rebranded into Mercedes GP Petronas, also announced it would launch the 2010 car – codenamed Mercedes Petronas RB1 – in late February, back in Stuttgart. Other teams that will bring their 2010 cars to the Valencia test, as confirmed via press releases, are McLaren, BMW and Williams (although Frank Williams' team announced it won't hold a media event for that).
Red Bull confirmed it won't bring the RB6 for testing in Valencia, while the newly-entrant outfits will most likely have their challengers ready by the first week of February. US F1 is the only team granted to start the off-season testing in the US, being that their base is in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The month of February will have an overall 3 tests in Europe, all on Spanish soil: Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona.
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