A busy December for Ferrari
Two busy weeks are lying ahead of the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro on and off the track, with some of them extremely nice. At the Motorshow Bologna the official Scuderia test driver Luca Badoer did several laps behind the wheel of the world Champion F2008 in front of thousands of spectators. Bologna is already a traditional event at the end of the Formula 1 season and is a great opportunity for many fans to get close to Ferrari.
Luca did not only drive "his" single-seater, he also got behind the wheel of a Fiat 500 Abarth, the Fiat's racing version, which will start in the single-marque racing series as of the upcoming year at the same time as the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli.
The F2008 will be on the track on 9th December at Jerez de la Frontera for the first three official test days for the upcoming season. There will be two cars at the box, but considering the limited mileage only Kimi Raikkonen will go out on the track while Felipe Massa will reach the team on 10th December. The technical program has three main goals: working on the engine's reliability, because as of next year the engine has to run many more miles, checking the slicks from Bridgestone and investigating the best possible set up solutions for the car.
On 12th December Kimi and Felipe will be at Monte Carlo for the FIA prize giving: there will be also Team Principal Stefano Domenicali, who will receive the Costructors' Cup, won by the Team this year. On 13th December the Team will meet at Maranello for the traditional Christmas lunch, while in the evening they will attend a show at the Palamalaguti Bologna offered to the employees and their families. The drivers and Domenicali will participate in the prize giving of the "Caschi d'Oro" - the Golden Helmets - organized by the Italian magazine Autosprint - another traditional moment for Ferraristi in December. Sunday is kids day: at the Fiorano circuit steering pad the kids, all the children of Ferrari employees, will celebrate Christmas together with the official drivers.
On 15th December the tests start again at the Parc Algarve circui at Portimao in Southern Portugal. There will be two cars for this last test session in 2008: one driven by Felipe Massa the other by Luca Badoer. Eventually a very intense year will draw to an end and the work will stop also at Maranello or a couple of days: the 2009 season is approaching an we can't relax too much.
