Ferrari Confirm Launch Date for 2019 Challenger

Ferrari will reveal its 2019 challenger on 15 February, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said on Thursday.

The Italian attended an awards night presented by the Italian magazine Autosprint amid rumours of a rift between Arrivabene and his technical deputy Mattia Binotto.

The late “Sergio Marchionne was planning a more important role for Binotto,” a Ferrari source told Sky Italia.

“We do not know exactly what it would have been, but there is not much harmony now between him and Arrivabene.”

Arrivabene, though, is looking ahead, pinning Ferrari’s hopes for 2019 on number 1 driver Sebastian Vettel.

“He is a guy who has yet to express the best of himself in Ferrari, but I am sure he will be able to do it next year,” he said.

“This year we lost in the semi-finals, but we never gave up. Obviously, we need to take one more step. We must understand all the mistakes we made together.”

Arrivabene announced that the 2019 Ferrari will be seen publicly for the first time on 15 February, shortly before the winter test season.

“We are in an advanced stage of production but the real results we will only have in Barcelona when we compare ourselves with the others on the track,” he said.

“I saw the new car just two weeks ago. I have been more committed to the budget and the Concorde Agreement but the boys are doing their jobs well.

“As for Seb, he can teach (Charles) Leclerc so much. We have great confidence in him, he is a talent but we have to protect him and make sure that his arrival does not burn his talent,” said Arrivabene.”

Hopefully, the 2019 challenger will be able to put up a better fight to Mercedes than its predecessor.