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Ferrari first to launch 2009 F1 car

NEW BREED: Ferrari's F60 is named in honour of the manufacturer's 60th season in motor racing. Pic. Unknown.
NEW BREED: Ferrari's F60 is named in honour of the manufacturer's 60th season in motor racing. Pic. Unknown.

Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2009 car ahead of a season that heralds the biggest Formula One rule changes for 25 years.

Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2009 car ahead of a season that heralds the biggest Formula One rule changes for 25 years.

The team's F60 car employs a raft of features to meet the new regulations, including an energy recovery system and aerodynamic changes to aid overtaking.

Felipe Massa, who was runner-up in the 2008 drivers' championship, ran the car for two laps at the Mugello test track.

He said: "I expected it to be big, but it's small like a Formula Three car."

The Brazilian revealed he had been "a little surprised" by the car's design, adding: "I expected it to [have] huge [front] wings like they were 10 years ago."

Massa became the first F1 driver to experience a definitive 2009 car when he put the F60, named in honour of Ferrari's 60th season in the sport, through its paces at Mugello.

The team had been due to debut the car at their traditional testing venue, the Fiorano track at their base in Maranello, but snowy conditions forced a change in venue.

Ferrari will enter the this year's season as the top constructor after beating McLaren to last year's crown by 21 points.

F1's teams are preparing their machines for the new season, which starts in Melbourne, Australia, on March 29. - BBC

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