F 310 B

• First Ferrari which was painted in Rosso Sscuderia
• 2nd place Constructors World Championship with 102 points.
• 2nd place Drivers World Championship by Michael Schumacher with 78 points. Schumacher was deprived of all drivers points because of the famous “Schumacher/Villeneuve” accident .
• 5 Grand Prix victories by Michael Schumacher

07.01.1997: The F 310 B launch at Fiorano

The F310B, the car that Ferrari will race in the next Formula One Championship, was presented today at the Fiorano circuit. The Chairman of Fiat, Cesare Romitii, the Chairman of Ferrari, Luca di Montezemolo, the Team Principal, Jean Todt, the drivers Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine and the Engineers John Barnard and Paolo Martinelli took part in today’s presentation. Montezemolo underlined the importance of 1997 for Ferrari. “In life and even more in sport, it’s important to proceed with your feet on the ground,” said the Chairman of Ferrari. “This year there are a lot of new things, but we also have consistency: we have a unified team and a car that is an evolution of the 1996 car. It’s very important that the car is ready two months before the start of the season. We aim to win more races than last year: in either 1997 or 1998 we want to win the World Championship.” Dott. Romiti commented on the role of Fiat as the major shareholder of Ferrari: “Ferrari is considered part of our group. As shareholders we have a great responsibility, both to help and sustain the team, but we leave the management of the company to Ferrari.” The Chairman of Fiat was optimistic for the 1997 season: “I expect a lot, because we now have everything in place to satisfy the fans.” Jean Todt also underlined the importance of presenting the car at the beginning of January: “We have more than six weeks to undertake extensive testing of the car, before the new season starts in Melbourne. 1997 will be a very important year: we must make progress, both in the way the team functions and in results.” John Barnard, designer of the F310 B, described the principal characteristics of the car: “It’s a very conventional car, with new aerodynamics, designed to ensure the best stability. Reliability is a decisive factor, and so we have retained the gearbox and the rear suspension used on the F310. During the season we plan numerous modifications to improve the car’s performance.” Paolo Martinelli, the head of the Engine department, discussed the new Engine, called the 046/2: “It is an evolution of last year’s Engine, the 046/1. Whilst maintaining reliability, we must improve the driveability and performance. The external dimensions remain the same. At the end of January we will decide the final specifications for the Australian Grand Prix.” Tests of the F310 B will start tomorrow at Fiorano. Testing will be carried out first by Michael Schumacher and then by Eddie Irvine and will last until Sunday 12th January. Then there will be three tests at Jerez in Spain: between the 19th and 22nd January, the 7th and 10th February and from the 17th to 19th of the same month.

16.01.1997: Ferrari begins testing in Jerez

Jerez, 16th January – This was Ferrari’s first day of testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Driving the F 310 B, Michael Schumacher completed a total of 37 laps, setting a best time of 1m 24.16s. The program was aimed at acquiring information on the handling of the new car without seeking to improve the set-up. In the morning, at the same time as the track was hit by rain, the test was temporarily halted because of a problem with the engine which was changed. The second part of the test was run in poor weather conditions: the best lap time in the wet was 1m 44.90s. “I am satisfied with the work we have done today,” declared Schumacher at the end of the day. “Considering we ran without any special settings, the car’s handling is not bad. Last year we managed just ten laps in ten days. This year the situation is very different.” The German driver will continue testing until Sunday, handing over to Eddie Irvine who will start driving on Monday, bringing the session to an end on Tuesday