Ferrari has become the first Formula 1 team to confirm the launch date for its 2019 challenger.
Its 2019 car, which has yet to be given an official title, will be unveiled on February 15, a team spokesperson confirmed to Motorsport Week.
That is three days before the first pre-season test is scheduled to begin at Spanish Grand Prix venue Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Formula 1 teams have typically undertaken low-key launches in recent years, with most unveiling their new cars during the days before – or morning of – the opening test.
Ferrari enjoyed its most competitive year for a decade in 2018 as it won six Grands Prix with its SF71H, and was widely praised for gains made with its engine.
But it fell short of dethroning Mercedes as development issues after the summer break, driver mistakes and a few strategy blunders hampered its prospects.
Ferrari will enter 2019 with a revised driver line-up of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, following the decision to promote the Monegasque youngster after just one year in the championship.
Vettel placed runner-up to Lewis Hamilton for a second successive season while Leclerc impressed during his rookie campaign with Sauber, scoring points at 10 Grands Prix.
Ferrari will continue to act as engine supplier to both Haas and Sauber, which will retain title sponsorship from the marque’s sister company Alfa Romeo.
Formula 1 will also welcome revised technical regulations in 2019, with the profile of the front and rear wings tweaked in a bid to reduce the impact of aerodynamic turbulence.
It is hoped that this will enable drivers to follow each other more closely, acting as a short-term solution before yet-to-be-defined overhauled regulations are introduced in 2021.
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