Ferrari, Force India launch 2013 F1 cars

MARANELLO, Italy (dpa) – Ferrari said it was keen to get off to a strong start to the 2013 season as it Friday unveiled the car it hopes will unseat Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel as Formula One champion this year.

Ferrari were not competitive at the start of the 2012 season although Fernando Alonso won a rain-affected Malaysian Grand Prix, the season’s second race.

The Italian team hope the F138, launched at the team’s works in Maranello, will build on the reliability which enabled Alonso to finish second in the championship.

Meanwhile in Silverstone, England, Force India unveiled their car while it remains open who will be the second driver alongside Paul di Resta.

Alonso, who lost out on the 2012 title by three points, said that with fewer regulation changes he expected the leading teams to dominate from the start – unlike last season when the first seven races produced seven winners from seven different teams.

The F138 is the 59th car to be built by Ferrari, which is the only team to have competed in every year of the Formula 1 world championship.

Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa will be in a car which has a smoother-looking nose section in a change from the 2012 version.

Motorsport federation FIA has allowed teams to hide the ugly-looking “step” nose, which was featured by several teams last year, under a laminate panel.

The F138 name is a combination of the current year and the number of cylinders in their V8 engines.

Ferrari described the car as an evolution of the F2012 with a number of changes to improve aerodynamic performance.