2016 Car Launch and Pre-season Testing

Well, honestly, it’s not like it really matters whether you find it weird or not—but if you do, I get it. It’s not necessarily strange, just a little bit unusual for the moment since they haven't used that specific color scheme in quite some time.

Does that bulge behind the airbox suggest they might be creating a secondary intake, similar to what we've seen over the last few seasons?

If so, let's hope this is just them playing their cards close to the chest rather than a sign they're worried about cooling such a tightly packaged Engine.

mellowtiger83 said:Man, they really crammed everything in there. It's an incredibly tight, compact rear end. I'm starting to wonder if it'll be such an easy ride for Lewis Hamilton.

McDonald's had a similarly tight and compact setup last year.
We all know how that turned out.

The aero looks pretty ugly, honestly.

I still find it a bit strange, honestly. I’m not saying it’s bad, just that I’ve grown used to seeing them with more red on them. No need to get worked up about it right away.

mellowtiger83 said:Damn, they really squeezed this thing tight—super narrow and compact rear end. Honestly, I’m starting to worry Lewis Hamilton might actually struggle in it.

Lucky he isn't sitting behind someone better than Sebastian Vettel, or he'd be seriously sweating. 🙂

P.S. Say hi to Tibi for me. 🙂

You think it's lucky he has Nico Rosberg on the team with all that help from Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, and Toto Wolff? It's not luck, it's just avoiding having a real driver or bosses who'd actually allow him to put up a fight...

Lewis Hamilton is so mediocre my grandma could do better, let alone some actual pro in a car with an Engine that actually competes with the Bear...
Let's be real, this is the guy who used to get bullied by Felipe Massa. Seriously, Massa...
A guy like Kimi Räikkönen would eat him for breakfast, not to mention anyone else out there. 🤦

Fine, whatever, maybe this new kid and Pastor Maldonado wouldn't be able to grab it either. 😁

Furkan is looking better than expected, though. 👍

@tibi, see you at the season opener, haha. One person is going to be absolutely livid—I already know who it is, but you won't find out until

That car looks absolutely stunning. I’m honestly predicting that white livery is going to turn jet black from all the smoke pouring out of that Engine. It actually looks a bit too tight in certain spots, so they might need to open things up just a touch to let it breathe. All in all, though, it's a gorgeous little machine put together by Allison, Rest, and Rory 🎉

Looks like "size zero" is the move. The real question is who’s going to pull the rabbit out of the hat first...

They certainly did a nice job with the paint job. By the way, how much is Alfa Romeo paying to have their logo slapped right on the rear end? And why there, specifically?

steelmaker83 said:It seems like going "size zero" is the strategy here—now we just have to wait and see who pulls the rabbit out of the hat first...

They certainly gave him a fresh coat of paint! By the way, how much does Alfa Romeo pay to have their logo slapped right on the rear end? And more importantly, why there specifically?

Well, it's pretty simple: Fiat needs to market Alfa Romeo to help boost those sales numbers.

It’s looking a bit sluggish...

stormybadger8 said:You think he’s lucky? He’s just sitting there with Rosberg in the cockpit, backed by all that constant support from Lauda, Wolf, and Lowe. It’s not like they have a real driver or bosses who would actually let there be even a hint of a fight...

Hamilton is honestly so mediocre my grandmother could outdrive him, let alone some actual talent in a car and Engine that stands a chance against Germany...
Let's be honest here. This is the guy who used to get pushed around by Massa. I mean, seriously, Massa...
A guy like Kimi would eat him for breakfast, not to mention anyone else out there. 🤦

Fine, maybe this new kid and Maldonado wouldn't stand a chance either. 😁

Ferkan is actually looking better than expected. 👍

What is wrong with you?
Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you should go around talking nonsense in public.

steelmaker83 said:It seems like "size zero" is the move. The real question is who’s going to pull the rabbit out of the hat first...

They certainly gave it a nice coat of paint. By the way, how much does Alfa pay to have their logo slapped right on the rear end? And why there, specifically?

That's because Ford built that Engine, not Ferrari, but Ford!!!.

The Ferrari looks absolutely hideous—it’s ugly as sin... last year the car was fantastic, but this year they’ve completely mangled the design. That nose on the front end...
it looks way too much like that ridiculous model from 2014....

Either way, they went for a radical redesign compared to last season, and my gut feeling is that Ferrari is going to fall flat on its face this year...
I’m predicting something similar to what happened back in 2011... maybe one win if half the grid decides not to show up...
Kimi will probably start complaining after just two or three races that the car doesn't suit his driving style, while poor Seb will have to grit his teeth—literally—just to maintain those forced smiles he uses to keep the team's morale up. Try thinking positively, I guess...

My final verdict:👎👎👎... a total flop...

It's pretty rare for a car that looks ugly at first glance to actually be successful, let alone win championships...
And this new Ferrari is just plain ugly...
Design-wise, it even reminds me a bit of that 1993 car—and we all know what a complete disaster that thing was... absolute bottom of the barrel...

Even reading the posts from the die-hard Ferrari fans, you can tell they're disappointed with the new look. Instead of just being blunt and saying the new Ferrari looks like garbage, they wrap their disappointment in fancy little layers of politeness...

According to them, the car "looks strange, compact, unusual"...
Well, damn, you can't have it both ways...
Just be brave enough to say the car is junk and accept that Seb might have to wait another year for a title with Ferrari...

It’s a shame, though... I was actually hoping Seb and Lowe might go toe-to-toe this year...
Hamster is looking for his third straight title, assuming he doesn't spend all his money on Rihanna and Kendall Jenner...

You know what Einstein—or some other genius—once said? He said, "Great minds think alike."

ruggedhawk20 said:That livery is giving me major 1993 vibes.

swiftmaker12 said:And honestly, the design totally reminds me of that car from '93 too.

stormybadger8 said:You think it’s just pure luck having Rosberg on the roster with all that constant backing from Lauda, Wolf, and Lowe—instead of some actual heavyweight driver and leadership that might actually allow for even the illusion of a fair fight...

Hamilton is honestly so mediocre that my grandmother could outdrive him, let alone some legitimate talent in a car and Engine that’s actually remotely competitive against Germany...
Let's be real here—this is the guy who used to get pushed around by Massa. I mean, seriously, Massa...
Someone like Kimi would eat him alive for breakfast, not to mention pretty much anyone else out there. 🤦

Alright, fine—maybe this new kid and Maldonado wouldn't be able to touch him. 😁

Ferkan is actually looking better than expected. 👍

😒🍿🤣🎉👏🐔

swiftmaker12 said:The Ferrari looks absolutely hideous... last year was such a great car, but this year they’ve completely mangled the design. That nose piece on the front end...
it looks more like that total disaster from 2014....

Anyway, they went for a massive change compared to last season, and my gut feeling is that Ferrari is going to totally tank this year...
I’m predicting something similar to 2011... maybe one win if half the grid decides to sit out...
Kimi will probably start complaining after just two or three races that the car doesn't suit his driving style, while poor Seb will have to grit his teeth and force a smile just to keep the team's spirits up... gotta stay positive, right?...

My final verdict:👎👎 👎...a complete flop.....

It’s pretty rare for cars that look ugly at first glance to actually be successful, let alone win championships...
And this new Ferrari is just plain ugly.....
Plus, the design reminds me a bit of that 1993 car, and we all know what a total wreck that was... bottom of the barrel.....

Even looking at the posts from those die-hard Ferrari fans, you can tell they're at least a little disappointed with how the new Ferrari turned out. Instead of being blunt and saying the new Ferrari looks like garbage, they wrap their disappointment in fancy packaging....

According to them, the car "looks strange, cramped, unusual"....
Give me a break—you can't be tight and still let off steam!
Just be brave enough to admit the car is a junk heap and accept that Seb might have to wait another year for a title with Ferrari.....

It’s a shame, though... I was actually hoping Seb and Lowe might go head-to-head this year...
Hamster has three titles in a row, unless he spends all his money on Rihanna and Kendall Jenner.....

You're really overthinking this... I mean, was the SF15 really that beautiful when it only managed three wins? If Red Bull had a Ferrari engine, they wouldn't have won a single race, and Ferrari would be sitting right where they've been for the last 5 or 6 years: in third place. It seems like based on some of these posts, they should have just stuck to their old ways—playing it safe and conservative. They aren't Williams after all...

Actually, if you ignore the awful livery, this year's car is gorgeous. It's way better than that McLaren junk from last year that put all its eggs in one basket. The rear end is incredibly narrow now (to get more airflow to the diffuser), the sidepods are among the smallest on the grid (meaning cooling is excellent), and the gearbox has been completely redesigned so it practically "floats" (just look at the space under the gearbox at the back), which creates a huge domino effect for the rear aerodynamics. They've got a new nose (which might even change?), a redesigned Engine, and they've moved the MGUK and intercooler toward the center of the chassis for a better center of gravity.

Bottom line: it looks like the Italians did a great job. You can tell they took advantage of that loophole with Haas and the 24-hour wind tunnel access because those cuts are so fine and aggressive. I'm predicting they'll be about .2 seconds behind Mercedes in Melbourne. Quote me on that.

swiftmaker12, you’ve certainly covered a lot of ground here—you really have! I have to agree, though, the car looks absolutely stunning; everything about it is gorgeous, except maybe for that nose design... but hey, I'm sure there's some brilliant engineering logic behind it that we just don't grasp yet.

We'll just have to wait until Monday to see how it all actually plays out.

Did anyone else catch that Budweiser logo on the car?
Just a little something to get Kimi pumped up.

Honestly, who cares what the livery looks like as long as the thing is fast and reliable?

mellowtiger83 said:@Tibi, see you at the season opener lol. One of us is gonna be pretty salty. I already know who, but you'll find out soon enough.

We can argue about this all day, but let's be real: Alexander Hamilton is taking the title. No doubt about it.
Good grief, even Maldonado would walk away with championships driving a beast of a car like that...

Matthew Murphy91 said:What are you even on?
Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you get to spout nonsense in public.

What part of this is nonsense?
Maldonado and Alexander Hamilton are basically two sides of the same coin out there...
The big difference is that Hamilton was driving elite-tier cars, while Maldonado was stuck in a completely different league entirely...
Plus, the FIA was always breathing down Maldonado's neck for every little thing, whereas they let Hamilton slide more often than not...
But at the core, they're the same: floor it and ram whoever happens to be in front of you.

Looks like Tibi totally blew it... 😂