Ferrari is looking for glory for the 2010 season with their F10 car.

It’s a radical break from the F60 and it needed to be. The F60 could only manage one win and Ferrari had to freeze development, lick their wounds and focus on making a much better car for the following season.

It won’t be known until testing if the Ferrari is up to the task of delivering the title but at least the Italian squad is now on the right lines.

Technical director Aldo Costa said:

“We think this new car is a good step forward in aero development, car settings and also engine – and we are pretty much convinced we have taken a big step forward.”

Speaking on the issue of the double-diffusers Costa stated:

“We have adopted the concept, and this is something that was not possible during the last championship when the car had already been designed.”

This will be a big boost and will mean the car design will not be compromised like it was last season. This will give them a solid foundation to work from and there will be a lot of upgrades to the car throughout the season.

Chief designer Nikolas Tombazis said of the F10:

“We are very much satisfied with the work we have done, although we are very aware of the fact that we will see on track if we have worked enough…We are confident this car represents a step ahead and we look forward to seeing the first races.”

The wheel base is clearly longer due to the larger fuel tanks but Ferrari should be able to get a good understanding of optimizing fuel use by working close with partners Shell.

Ferrari did seem to lose out on the power battle with the Mercedes easily being the better block. The engine freeze will not have helped matters but getting to grips with the ban on refuelling should aid them greatly.

Massa also had big words for the occasion.

“Felipinho was born in November and it was an incredible feeling. I’m so proud and happy. This here today is a different child: the F10; we have to let it grow rapidly and lift it to a higher level. What we can see here today is the result of many months of hard work on the car, let’s hope that we’ll be competitive right from the start”

There’s a feeling of optimism but also an acknowledgement that there will probably be some hard work left still to do. However, this isn’t like last year where Ferrari had to suffer on track and privately develop a separate car. They can keep moving forward with this design and hope to reap the rewards sooner rather than later.