Ferrari cancel F1 car launch

2012 F1 season

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Snow has forced Ferrari to cancel its launch ceremony

Ferrari have cancelled the launch ceremony for their 2012 F1 car tomorrow.

Heavy snow in Maranello has forced the team to rethinks its plans.

Ferrari announced on Twitter: “It is still snowing heavily here in Maranello. Therefore, the launch ceremony of the new F1 car has been cancelled.”

Ferrari added they will release images and technical details of their new car tomorrow.

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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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74 comments on “Ferrari cancel F1 car launch”

  1. Shame, it would have been fun in the snow!

    1. I agree. Get a snowplough in there, scrub down the surface and set the car up, and it would make some fantastic shots.

          1. The size of those rear tyres <3

    2. They really missed the chance to do a fun and original launch. It is understandable though as no one would be able to make it to the event.

      ‘If a Ferrari is launched in the snow but no one is around to see it, does it really exist?’

      1. At least it would show up in the snow, being red! A lot better than having a Sauber launch in the snow :-)

      2. At least they could photoshop some photos for tomorrow.

  2. I’m surprised by this. Considering the shape of the post-2008 front wings, they could’ve simply used the new cars to shovel all the snow away.

    1. If you look at it like that, it’s a shame they banned the hot blown diffuser for 2012 ;)

  3. I find it hard to believe that it could be snowing anywhere at this time of the year. It’s so mind-blowing for me to think it could be cold somewhere in the world right now!

    I’m disappointed though. They could have just launched it indoors and fired it up later. Or they could have launched it outside in the snow for a truly spectacular display!

    1. Well it is winter in the northern hemisphere. Though where I am, it still hasn’t snowed this winter :(.

      1. Well Slr.. Brace yourself.

        According to the Beeb Weather forecast, The white stuff is imminent (assuming that you are in the UK of course)

    2. @damonsmedley I had minus 24°C outside this morning :)

      1. I wish it snowed here. I’ve never witnessed snow falling from the sky. It must be magical.

        1. The strangest thing about snow is not visual but auditive: everything sounds smooth. The overall acoustic landscape is changed ! Imagine an empty room, and then the same with carpets all over the place and sofas: the sound is so drastically different.

        2. This morning we had -22C, it’s freezing and now the wind started blowing and snowing, i only walked 15 minutes and i have wound on my hand coz i forgot my gloves and my skin just fissured. Also my lips are pretty broken… So trust me… you don’t miss anything

        3. @damonsmedley It looks nice but it’s a terrific pain in the backside. The UK seemingly grinds to a halt and I fall over so many times that my backside turns into one big bruise. Keep away for your own safety!

        4. Well, @damonsmedley, as @adrian_debian and @andrewtanner write, it looks nice, but having below -10 at day is REALLY cold.

          Ferrari called it off partly because airports and highways are only partly functional with the heavy snowfall. Making it a pain for everyone to actually travel to Maranello. At least they will show real pictures instead of renders.

        5. I’ve seen snow, Mt Bulla…. Also I think when I was about 6 is snowed…

          Which was a miracle and a half.

          But I can’t really remember it.

          I wouldn’t trade Aus weather for anything though.

      2. UNeedAFinn2Win
        2nd February 2012, 9:29

        -32C out up here… one the very, very few times I’m glad i have an office job.

        Anybody else watch scarbs on the flying lap with peter windsor last night, they went over the MP4-27 with a comb, fascinating stuff…

      3. I don’t think I could survive sub-zero temperatures like that. It seldom gets below zero here, and only barely if it does. I’m finding it pretty cold today, and it’s 18C at the moment.

        1. Wow, me too.

        2. To be honest once it gets under 0C it all feels the same

    3. Ha! Loving reading this convo about snow, I’ve seen at fall once at a ski resort in Victoria. But I prefer summer, 28 degrees C today – bare feet and no worries.

    4. @DamonSmedley : I wonder if you’ve heard of anti-freeze in car radiators! I also wonder if Ferrari have. Imagine if they crack an engine bock in this cold weather!

      1. Sorry to tell you but here its around -35 to -40 with the wind for 3 weeks now with 3-4 feet of snow everywhere, im in canada. and I can say that after a week over -35 you doesnt f eel its cold anymore.

        1. I lived in Canada (Edmonton) for four years and found those -40oC January colds bearable, you simply put more layers on and you are fine. Then I moved to Texas and there is absolutely nothing you can do when it’s +40oC, even if you could take your skin off, you’d still sweat like a pig. Of the two extremes I definitely prefer cold.

          1. I’m with you. I’ve always said, you can always put on more layers, but you can only take so many off. Texas weather sucks. I’ve had the misfortune of attending not one but two weddings in muggy Houston, and it’s no fun wearing a suit in that weather. Give me three feet of snow any day.

  4. I don’t get why they can’t just do it inside. In the UK when it rains at a BBQ you just go inside. Same thing really

    1. Cooking burning meat and launching a new F1 car? I often get the two confused during the summer months, but that might be the alcohol!

    2. They banned exhaust blown BBQ’s for 2012.

      1. lol.. the MP4-27 was launched indoors? why can’t they do the same for the Ferraris?

        1. People are struggling to reach the venue, including journalists and Ferrari crew. No jokes.

    3. I don’t get why they can’t just do it inside.

      Ferrari’s launches usually involve the car being started for the first time and doing a lap or three of Fiorano.

      1. Just put chains on it

    4. I think they could of turned it into a really fun event, even if it was less about the car and more about enjoying themselves.

  5. maybe mclaren’s car made them go :O

    1. Luca got angry: ‘McLaren don’t have an ugly car, how is this possible? Now start photoshopping!’

  6. Typo – ceremnony in the picture caption.

    1. @Casanova Got it, thanks.

      1. @keithcollantine any reason comments are off for the latest round-up?

  7. At least we still get pictures tomorrow and there is the FI launch. :-)

    1. Honestly, I’m more excited for the Force India launch. We more or less know where Ferrari currently stacks up in comparison to everyone else. But Force India really made a push at the end of last year, and if they can carry that momentum over into 2012 – the extra $100 million from Sahara will certainly help – then they may even be able to threaten Mercedes. The launch of the VJM05 wil be the first indication of how much progress they have made.

      1. @Prisoner-Monkeys But how we will know if the car is going to be any good simply by looking at it? I’m excited to see what the cars look like, and that’s all. For all I know, of the cars launched so far, the Caterham could be the quickest.

        1. @damonsmedley because I am sure people within F1 know whether a car is at least going to be decent from just looking at it. They are incredibly clever people and know a good idea when they see it.

          It would be good if that Caterham was fast though!

        2. But how we will know if the car is going to be any good simply by looking at it?

          As Martin Brundle said during commentary last year: i a car looks like it will be quick, then it probably will be quick.

          1. Nobody saw the Brawn GP 001 coming though, did they?

            The majority of previews for 2009 talked about whether it would be able to beat the usual back-markers in the Constructors’ Championship…

          2. Dobin, That because nobody saw it ;-) it was clear from the final test it was the car to beat

        3. If not the quickest but definitely the current front runner for the ugliest.

          That nose to comply with the new regs is awful. McLaren have designed around it!

  8. No way!! Just press images?

  9. Congratulations Keith on being one of the few websites to carry this news so early and, as far as I can see, the only one with a piccy of the snow in Italy.
    SCOOP!!

  10. Perfect for the snowplough front wings :-)

  11. @Keithcollantine Didn’t they say they would still stream an online launch though?

  12. They could at least let Di Montezemolo burry a California in a snow-bank and then show how the FF can tow it out.

  13. That’s a shame. Would have been a great backdrop.

  14. Snow… serious sh** :D

  15. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    2nd February 2012, 12:51

    It’s clear the ICEman is back in F1

    1. Yeah, just in a different team.

  16. As usual, Ferrari don’t fail to dissapoint.

    1. They’re still revealing the car, so what’s so dramatic? o-O

  17. “Ferrari – The snow is faster than you, do you understand?”

  18. It has heavily snowed here in Italy for the past two days. Today (in Milan at least) it has stopped, but before the snow melts a few days will pass, and only if the temperatures rise (the forecasts say the opposite will happen, bringing dangerous ice sheets everywhere.

  19. rob from inverness
    2nd February 2012, 14:46

    The web site F1-Direct ( close to the Scuderia ) suggests that it will have pictures of the new Ferrari at 1900h UK time tonight.

  20. Well I’ve been building up all week to tomorrow, I’m kinda disappointed. At least there’ll be some photos…

  21. The real reason for the cancellation is that the they ran out of colors to identify the new Pirelli studded snow and ice tire.

  22. sid_prasher (@)
    2nd February 2012, 17:52

    Scarlet on white would have looked pretty! Can’t wait for the photos…

    1. http://joesaward.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/120023_new.jpg

      The sucessor to the Ferrari F150, the Ferrari Grand Cherokee.
      ;)

  23. When I saw the heading, I immediately though that Ferrari is doing a rush job to change their Catherham-like ducknose into something more like McLaren’s :-). But I am willing to concede that snow could be a reason too.

  24. Keith, I have a suggestion, Why dont you have a like button on comments just like facebook or a recommended button which Planetf1 offers.It would be fun.

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