Ferrari on Friday revealed a "sexy" new race car it is hoping will get the Scuderia back to winning ways after a miserable spell for Formula One's most glamorous team.
The SF15-T is the first car launched since Fiat Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne took over from Luca de Montezemolo and the first that will be driven by four-time world champ Sebastian Vettel, who replaced Fernando Alonso at the end of last season. Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene is happier with what he feels is a nicer-looking car this year: "Enzo Ferrari said a long time ago that the best car is the winning car, but last year we had an ugly car and it was a non-winning car on top of this.
"I like the car this year in terms of the aesthetics. I don't know about the performance, but it is really sexy".
German ace Vettel, who will be the best-paid driver in the history of the sport, will be the first to drive the SF15-T when he takes to the wheel for the season's first winter test which starts in Jerez on Sunday.
"It's a new experience, the car looks beautiful," Vettel said.
"It's always a special moment and I can't wait to get it on the track to see how it performs," he said.
"I'm not here to come second," Vettel said.
The famous Italian marque endured a troubled season last year, finishing fourth in the constructors' championship and scoring only two podium finishes.
The SF15-T, where the SF stands for Scuderia Ferrari and the T for turbo, was spotlighted in an online-only presentation with the hashtag #RedRev2015.
Ferrari are looking to recover from some difficult seasons after signing Vettel from Red Bull to partner Kimi Raikkonen following Alonso's departure for McLaren.
But new Chairman Marchionne has warned Ferrari are unlikely to challenge for the title this year because of the "disastrous" recent management of the team after ending Montezemolo's 25-year stint in charge in September.
Vettel, however, said he was aiming higher.
"We need to be realistic, there have been a lot of changes.
It's important to work well in the winter testing, to start the progress," said the German ace.
"If the situation had been that of 2014, it would be tough to vie for victory.
"But that's our goal now".
Unlike Vettel and like Marchionne, team chief Arrivabene was less bullish about the season's prospects: "I am just realistic, no one has the magic to change things when things are unchangeable," he said. "We found the car was ready in December and we applied certain modifications that in our opinion are quite interesting.
"I don't want to say that we are going to win the world championship, but for sure we are committed to win at least two races".
According to Ferrari, "The most striking visual difference between the SF15-T and its predecessor is the lowering of the front end of the car in accordance with the change of regulations for the 2015 season. In one of its sexier attributes, the car has "a much more tightly packaged rear end".
This is not for aesthetic reasons, however - it "allows more downforce to be extracted from the critical surfaces around the rear of the car".
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