Vettel upbeat as Ferrari unveil new F1 car

Ferrari, runners-up last year, have unveiled the new racing car they hope will end a decade-long Formula 1 title drought for the impending 2019 campaign.

Ferrari's new SF90

Ferrari hope their new SF90 car can make a successful F1 title tilt this season. (AAP)

Ferrari turned a page on their recent past as they unveiled the Formula One car designed to end an era of Mercedes domination and shatter Lewis Hamilton's dreams of a sixth championship this season.

The sport's oldest and most successful team, who last won a title more than a decade ago and finished runners-up last year, presented the SF90 with plenty of fanfare at their Maranello factory.

"I'm looking forward to this year. I think the team is on the right path and hopefully we can continue improving," four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, winner of five races in 2018, assured the audience.

The German has a new teammate in Charles Leclerc, replacing 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, and a new principal following the departure of Maurizio Arrivabene and appointment of Mattia Binotto.

"I'm extremely excited to start this new adventure," said Leclerc.

"It is a very proud day for me. I'm not nervous.

"It's a dream since childhood. I've always been looking at the red cars, hoping to be one day in this car, so it's a very emotional day for me."

Ferrari chief executive Louis Camilleri said the team was entering a new era.

Noting that Ferrari had enjoyed their best season in 10 years, he said they had still fallen short of their objectives in a setback that was "never easy to swallow.

"I can assure you that we look ahead with strong commitment and determination," he added.

Binotto said there were a lot of positives to take from 2018 but the new car was a step up.

"We simply tried to raise the bar, raise the level, tried to be as extreme as we could," he added. "Certainly we tried to push very hard, being innovative.

"In terms of engine installation, power unit installation, packaging, a lot of effort has been done and I think the final shape is the result of all these efforts."

Testing starts in Spain on Monday with the first race in Australia on March 17.


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Source: AAP



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