F1: Ferrari and McLaren pushing to catch Mercedes
Ferrari ran the entire Australian Grand Prix with electrical issues, which meant that both Alonso and Raikkonen were unable to run the F14T at full pace. Despite the issues, the engines still provided enough performance and was reliable enough to drive Alonso and Raikkonene to a comfortable 4th and 7th respectively. That said, 4th and 7th aren’t exactly Ferrari’s targets. Their aim, is to improve the performance of both the chassis and powerplant to make their challenger as competitive as the works Mercedes. According to James Allison, the F14T was a phenomenal car in the high speed bends, but was compromised by the unstable braking systems and the lower top speed. McLaren are striving to play catch up too. Despite spending most of last season sketching the MP4-29, the car lacked some top end performance and grip, meaning it has less pace than the Mercedes W05. The McLaren team claimed a double podium finish in Melbourne, but it is evident that on one lap pace at least, they were still lagging behind the Silver Arrows. With 2 potential race winners in both their cars, the pressure is on to deliver a chassis worthy of their drivers.
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Ferrari Land To Be Developed In Spain
PortAventura Entertainment S.A.U., a subsidiary of Investindustrial, has signed a licensing agreement with Ferrari to build Ferrari Land, a new Prancing Horse theme park, inside the PortAventura resort and theme park outside Barcelona in Spain.
Ferrari Land will cover 75,000 square meters and include a variety of new and exciting attractions for Prancing Horse enthusiasts of all ages, including Europe's highest and fastest vertical accelerator. The first Ferrari-themed hotel is also to be built inside PortAventura and will be a luxury five-star establishment with 250 rooms, restaurants and driving simulator.
Geneva World Premiere For The California T And Its Revolutionary V8 Turbo Engine
Ferrari came to the 2014 Geneva International Motor Show with a unique combination of sportiness, exclusivity and versatility in the form of the elegantly-designed and highly innovative new California T, and a more versatile version of the revolutionary FF four-wheel-drive four-seater with boosted in-car comfort and integrated CarPlay Apple technology.
The new mid-front 8-cylinder car is exceptionally practical, thanks to its retractable hard top (RHT) and the signature 2+ concept which provides additional versatility for using the cabin space. Alongside the California T was the FF which was presented at Geneva with new, more comfortably-designed and easily-accessible rear seats thanks to front seats that slide further forward.