Fernando Alonso drives first laps in the Ferrari F150

2011 F1 testing

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Fernando Alonso shook down the new Ferrari F150 following its launch this morning.

Alonso drove the car around the team’s Fiorano test track.

He said he expects the new car to suit him better than last year’s F10 having now spent a year with the team:

When I arrived in 2010 I found a very different car compared to the one I had driven before. This year I contributed and I think that also my driving style had an influence on the development. Now I also know the people in my team and I’ve got a good relationship with them and I’m always putting them under pressure.
Fernando Alonso

Ferrari F150 first laps – pictures

Ferrari F150 first laps – video

Teams are not allowed to conduct private testing but they can run their cars for promotional purposes on a limited number of occasions per year.

Image © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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85 comments on “Fernando Alonso drives first laps in the Ferrari F150”

  1. Thats a very Williams-Ish Nose dont you think?

    1. Maybe but compare it to the Ferrari F2000

      1. very Redbullysh chassis, those radiators and the high position of riding really seem to be an adaptation of redbull anyway Ferrari always makes nice and beautiful cars; with bad colour schemes, Santander please ***

      2. Maybe but compare it to the Ferrari F2000

        Wow! Thanks for pointing that out – it actually looks very similar! :)

    2. that coke bottle shape is getting a bit too common, despite new regulations teams are quickly reaching standards, i hope other cars will be different.

  2. Just to say its been 1 year since I have been using this website so Keith thank you for the contributions.

    1. Same here actually! Thanks Keith.

      1. +1
        Awesome site!

  3. Onboard video for advertising purposes? :)

    1. Now it’s there.

  4. The helmet looks just light blue from the front, and I have to admit I prefered last year’s one. By the way, the red stripe on the visor is ugly, should have been light blue like the one of 2010: http://www.anf1blog.com/wp-content/gallery/2010-f1-helmets/fernando-alonso-2010-helmet_right.jpg

    1. Interestingly, Massa still has the yellow strip as last year.

  5. So they stuck with push-rod suspension and seem confident.
    Will this year be between Vettel and Alonso?

    1. Yes. And Webber, Hamilton, Button, Schumacher, Rosberg, Kubica, and perhaps even Di Resta, Maldono or Massa. Good innit? :D

      1. I think it’s a bit optimistic to say the least to expect di Resta and Maldonado to challenge of the championship in their first season…

      2. I think you are missing Karthikeyan and D’Ambrosio

  6. What are the restrictions on how much you can run current cars outside of official test days?

    1. There’s the rule preventing new parts from being tested in filming sessions. The whole car is new so it shouldn’t have been allowed?

  7. The car looks short with its low role hoop.

  8. maybe it’s just me, but the car doesn’t look all that .. sometimes a car arrives and makes you go [technical description] hyyyyaaabughhhh.. i’m sure it’ll look better in Bahrain in race spec or at least in the later tests when they aren’t hiding everything.. but often cars that have ‘the look’ seem to perform well and vice-versa.. Earth Honda, Red Williams etc etc

    1. Weal, didn’t think the F10 looked all that, seemed to be a mish mash of some of the previous years best bits. Possibly this is the ferrari way, Quick but super solid base that can be developed.

  9. Alonso’s got a rather glum face on hope thats not because of the car.

    1. An vice versa :)

      I wonder if can know already, a few champions talk about taking the car they win the championship out for it’s first spin and thinking i’m gonna have a shot this year, this is it.

      It’d be facinaiting to know what he’s saying to his engineers, wonder if he knows it’s capable of delivering yet.

      1. Was thinking the same thing about the glum look on his face. Doesn’t help either that think it was Domenical emphasizing that times at the start don’t matter. We know they don’t but just the fact he said it. Maybe either that’s just the sandbagging line & Alonso’s look is the poker face one…

        1. Only smiles when his just won something, or about to say something enourmously self congratulatory, apart from that he hasn’t smiled in over 17 and a half years. I wouldn’t do to muc on his expression.

          Besides it’s an evolved version of last years car, which we all know was good so, I assume it felt pretty fine.

          THe more I look at the car the more it scares me in fact.

          1. ”Only smiles when his just won something, or about to say something enourmously self congratulatory”
            haha, yep apparently the reason he wasn’t happy was because he wanted them to change the name Ferrari F150 to Fernando F150 before he give it the first test drive.

          2. Well if you want Guy Smiley, support Button. If it’s talent you’re after, Alonso’s your man.

          3. yep, guess you’re right, if only Button had have been beaten by a rookie he could have turned into mister frowny too.

  10. You can see right along the floor straight clear out through the rear. Actually looks really good.

    I’m guessing it’s not any more tapered than normal but they’ve just designed everything to be out of the way.

  11. Any idea how many laps he did???

  12. What tyres are those on the car? Pirelli intermediates or wets?

    1. Look like wets.

    2. definately wets… intermediates aren’t cut that deep

  13. good to see ferrari bending the rules as ever

    1. bending the rules? are you serious?

    2. I agree with you Dave. Cheater as ever. lol

    3. The teams are allowed a shakedown.

    4. I think dave is right. These secret 10 laps before testing starts, will be the key to who wins the championship.

  14. I like Alonso’s evil moustache ;)

    1. He looks like one of the three Musketeers.

  15. Since its a promotional run are they forced to run treaded tires so as not to gain information?

    1. They were forced to use wets because the track was wet.

      1. I can see that it is wet, but I was just wondering if in general are they given a special tire for promotional events. Guess I wasn’t too clear.

        1. That’s not a bad idea actually. Make one that’s so hard it’s impossible to drive the car at any speed. Like the Comfort Hards in GT5 ;)

          Incidentally, from this angle https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/alon_ferr_2011_fior-3.jpg it looks like someone’s forgotten to bolt the engine in. When there’s a V4 in the back instead of a V8 the back end of these things is going to be seriously oddly-shaped…

        2. Yes. If the promotional session is dry, special hard tyres are issued specifically to prevent data collection from being of use to the team doing the running.

          1. Cool, thanks for that info!

  16. The front wing looks higher off the ground!

    1. lol, I think cause it’s not going fast enough or turning :)

  17. just got a feeling that it’s a lemon. It looks very basic. Maybe it’s all underneath the skin, e.g. KERS unit that weighs less than anti-matter.

    I predict a red bull catch up again this year and Mclaren will be next, then Ferrfarti.

    1. Anti-matter weighs the same as matter.
      Just goes bang pretty easily.

  18. in fact, its so chubby in the middle it may already be gestating next years effort.

    ugly motor indeed!

    If ugly cars are fast why are Ferrari road cars so pretty???

  19. The car looked nice in the studio pictures, but on track it looks pretty blocky. But chances are it’ll be competitive.

  20. Votes for Keith putting this link at the end of each article?

    http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/technical_regulations/

    :D

  21. They say they were running the car “for promotional purposes”, however they also used some data-collecting devices. You can see the red laser point on the asphalt in this photo:

    https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/alon_ferr_2011_fior-18.jpg

    It’s also more or less visible in some other photos. Similar testing devices are also being used by WRC teams – see: http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5143/026zxl.jpg – but I’m not sure what particular data do they collect.

  22. Thank you mate for this wonderful site………..have to say the car does look beautiful on the track

  23. just cant wait for the other cars to showcase ……….

  24. Hah, forget the bar code, that’s some serious Marlboro-like stuff with that new “Scuderia Ferrari” logo on the engine cover :D

    The car looks very… vanilla. But I expect it to be good. We’ll see. I’m looking forward to the RBR7.

  25. Does anyone else think Alonso’s head is a bit a high up? defeats the point of the raised headrest.

  26. Hearing the sound of an F1 engine again after a long winter is like music to my ears.

    The car is an evolution on a fairly good 2010 car, so we can expect it to be challenging for wins more often than not. Fernando himself is looking in good shape, has the backing of the team and is as hungry as ever.

    I know it’s very early in the year, and we’ve still yet to see the other 11 teams unleash their beasts, but the prancing horse is gonna be a tough machine to beat this year. Roll on Bahrain.

  27. Didn’t think i would say this but maybe it would better with a shark fin? It’s definitely not a looker, f10 looked good, but this.. i’m really not sure, alonso’s head seems too big for the car as though it’s a plastic toy he’s driving, can’t explain it but it doesn’t look fast..

  28. I think it’s just bland, not particularly ugly just nothing that makes you go wow and in my case say “what a beast” surely part of the Ferrari brand is to make the car pretty..

  29. I’d like to be the first to congratulate Fernando’s eyebrows on the birth of their son, he looks fit and healthy and is settling into his new home under the nose very well.

    1. Hahahahaha!

  30. Interesting to see the movable rear wing in action. As I was hoping, it is a significant enough difference to the normal position that one should be able to spot when it is being used at least in the television pictures.

    Some interesting lines and shapes in this car, and for what it’s worth, I find the new team logo a lot less intrusive visually than the barcode design.

  31. OFF TROPIC

    There was so much between Schumacher & Ferrari, so will Ferrari ever allow Schumacher to enter in their F1 section in Maranello?

    1. yes, once he retires from active racing and when he is not part of any other F1 team.

  32. i think it’s like force india nose, mercedes engine cover, mclaren sidepots.

  33. After looking at this car a lot more i have to say i really like it :) its beautiful. Can’t wait to see the others

  34. I’m with all the doubters, the car just doesn’t look fast. Its clearly going to be 5 tenths off the pace of the Renaults let alone the RBRs because I mean.. just LOOK at it !! Looks are everything and I am an expert !! Ferrari say it will look different between now and the first race, I don’t understand why they don’t slap everything on the car right now for everyone to see. And further, they are some serious cheats, it doesn’t matter if they don’t have Pirelli rubber because no one does yet right ? Or did they somehow get wet Pirellis AND still have the gall to not only record all this but upload it for all to see !?!? Thats just downright unethical, F1 would be better off w/o Ferrari.

    *sarcasm off*

    1. i’m not sure how you can say it’s going to 5 tenths slower than Renault, we have not even seen Renault yet :-/

    2. HaHa classic :)

  35. I like the back end of the car more.I think KERS is an advantage for them.

  36. Is it just me or is it ever such a teeny weeny different shade of red? Not much else to note at present.

    McLaren deffo had the best KERS at the end of 09, but I think that William’s are now the experts in that field.

  37. I’ve heard from a guy who’s cousin works for the red team..but apparently apart from the sidepods monocoque are and role hoop,the f150 we’ll look largely different by the time the lights go of in bharain.word has it that there more to it than wat meets the eye,with a lot of hidden changes.but let’s wait n see.I think the car looks good.but to those who think it doesn’t,all I gta say is that..unlike a good lookin girl,a good lookin car isn’t always fast.

  38. Alonso looks much more manlier than Hamilton or Massa with that moustache of his.

  39. It just came to my mind, weren’t the Ferrari drivers running behind each other A LOT in practice in Abu Dhabi 2 months ago? Did anyone think they were trying out the new wing device back then?

  40. “We also improved the radio button a lot. Fernando can now bitch and whine much more often, and much easier than last year. Also, Massa can now let him pass much quicker.”

    1. but massa can try the adjusting the rear wing magic on the last lap on Alonso. that will be so funny to see.

  41. Hrmmm i don’t like it so much now having seen it out on track.. looks a bit ‘origami’ to me :\

  42. for me it looks good, looks small for a car that will run a full race without refueling, with KERS… damn where did they put all those things? :D but that is the advantage hidden underneath the skin. Looking forward to see this car with the new wings in practice.

  43. Any idea where’s Chris Dyer?

  44. 1992 Peugeot Talbot Sport (@peugeot-905-92-93-le-mans-winner)
    30th January 2011, 13:03

    No pictures of the diffusor? The spyshots of the renault R31 gives no blown diffusor on the R31

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