Ferrari engine development already underway.

Not content to rest on its laurels, Ferrari is already musing possible revisions to its all-new 050 engine in case of fierce competition this season.

The engine was launched in the back of the new-for-2001 F2001 at Maranello this morning, and is expected to receive its first real track test in the back of the car on 1 February at Fiorano. With team boss Jean Todt tipping Ferrari to face opposition from both McLaren and 'those teams which have progressed in the recent past', however, the Scuderia is leaving nothing to chance.

"In terms of performance, the development will be continuous," stressed Paolo Martinelli, "Two evolutions are already planned, and we will be ready to meet the new [electronic aid] regulations, especially in the area of electronic management, in conjunction with Magneti Marelli. The support of our technical partners will be of paramount importance in terms of development throughout the season.

"As usual, the exact horsepower figure will not be revealed, but I can assure you that all Ferrari's engine staff have worked in a determined and methodical fashion to ensure that it is 'sufficient', and delivered in a driveable and reliable manner, in order to reach our objectives for the 2001 season."

Despite speculation to the contrary, the team would only go as far as saying that the engine boasted a 90-degree V10 layout, preferring instead to concentrate its revelations on the fact that it has strived to improve the basic parameters of last year's engine in the development of the new unit.

"Performance, reliability, weight and compact dimensions, driveability and fuel consumption have all been addressed," continued Martinelli, "The engine project was developed alongside that of the car, in a very integrated fashion, thanks to the tight-knit nature of our team.

"The 050 engine project has three main targets, as follows. Firstly, we have tried to maintain all the strong points of the 049 power unit used in 2000, evolving from its final qualifying version, the 049c.

"Secondly, in order to achieve the step forward in terms of quality necessary to be successfully competitive in 2001, we have nevertheless revised the entire structure of the engine, so that its main components are new. The engine block was produced with a refined micro-casting process, the heads are more compact and lowered, and the camshafts and crankshaft have been redesigned from a clean sheet of paper.

"Finally, we have introduced some innovative materials, employing them where best suited to specific applications. This has resulted in an overall [weight] reduction of eight per cent when compared with its predecessor. One specific evolution concerns the fuel and engine oil and was arrived at in collaboration with Shell."