Updated Ferrari is new car

The media-pleasers at the Barcelona test this week were McLaren and Honda's wacky wings. But the real revolution roared out of the Ferrari garage, according to the more astute members of the press; including Germany's Sport Bild.

The magazine quoted Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost as observing: "What Ferrari is testing is basically a new car."

Most obviously, the revised F2007 - strictly not a 'b'-spec, according to team sources - features a noticeably reshaped engine cover and smaller sidepods.

The controversial under-body, meanwhile, has been totally redesigned to withstand the FIA's new flexibility tests.

But it is the engine's cooling system that is the newest, allowing Maranello based engineers to run a more aggressive bodywork setup and dominate the opening three days of the ultimately four day test.

"We are at least half a second faster than before," Bahrain Grand Prix winner Felipe Massa stated.

Sport Bild estimates that Ferrari's advantage over McLaren ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix may have blown out to more than one second per lap.

Source