@ScuderiaFerrari unleash the #SF1000 at spectacular launch in Reggio Emilia. #F1

Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc unveiled the team’s 2020 contender, the SF1000 at a spectacular launch at the Romolo Valli Theatre in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

After a thrilling introduction featuring an orchestra, choir and ballet dancers, along with speeches from Ferrari Chief Executive Officer Louis Camilleri and Team Principal Mattia Binotto in-front of a titantron showcasing Ferrari’s history in Formula 1, the car was unleashed.

The SF1000 – the name of the team’s challenger is to celebrate the year in which the Scuderia will compete in it’s 1000th Grand Prix – with the car being an evolution of last season’s SF90 racer, which came second to Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport in the 2019 Constructors Championship standings – as the technical regulations for 2020 have remained relatively stable before the sport’s major overhaul of the rules in 2021.

“The starting point was the car of last year, the SF90,” explained Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto. “But certainly we have been extreme on the concept as much as we could… It may look similar to last year but it’s completely different to the one of last year, and a lot of the concepts are very extreme on [the SF1000].”

Binotto said it’s main focus for the Scuderia in 2020 was to improve it’s reliability as well as overcoming the wrongs of last season, which saw Ferrari outscored 739 points to 504 by the Silver Arrows.

“The [technical] group is still young,” Binotto continued. “We still have to grow, we have to learn from our mistakes, we have to capitalise on this and concentrate on reliability, which was one of the weak points last season.”

“At the same time we have the 2021 project that… is the greatest change that has ever occurred in F1 since the beginning. We have to be ready for this.” Binotto concluded.

The SF1000’s nose is an extreme development from it’s SF90 predecessor and features a bigger overhang of it’s structural components that support the front wing. It is aimed at improving aerodynamic downforce.

Compact packaging and weight reduction was another emphasis placed on the SF1000 racer, with elements of the cooling system lowered and also helped further lower the car’s centre of gravity, which contributes to the cars performance.

The rear body work of the SF1000 is more tight-fitting compared to it’s SF90 counterpart, thanks to the work on optimising it’s shape and layout of components under the engine cover.

The more tight bodywork helps to increase aerodynamic downforce by cleaning the airflow towards the rear wing. The gearbox casing was reduced in size for this extreme bodywork shape, whilst still producing the same amount of cooling as the SF90, despite the reduction of space available.

The bargeboards on the SF1000 are more complex in shape than the SF90, which highlights the pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency from every part of the car.

Vettel and Leclerc’s mission with their new SF1000 is to recapture the Constructors Championship for the first time since 2008 – while both driver’s battle to claim the Scuderia’s first World Drivers’ Title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

The SF1000 will hit the track in a week’s time at the Circuit De Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain when Formula 1’s pre-season test gets underway from February 19-21.

@MercedesAMGF1 announce principal partnership with @INEOS, unveils W11 livery. #F1

What’s new for #F1 in 2020? @F1 Rules & Regulation Changes.

@HaasF1Team first to reveal 2020 challenger, the VF-20. #F1

#F1 2020 Car Launch, Pre-Season Testing & Race Calendar Dates

Opinion: Tamiya F1 RC cars – Why #F1 fans should own one.