A round-up of the Ferrari news as F1 2020 kicks off in Melbourne
Thursday 12 March 2020 08:18, UK
Sebastian Vettel has continued his long-standing F1 tradition by naming his new Ferrari car before the Australian GP - and the four-time world champion hopes 'Lucilla' is a 2020 title contender.
Vettel, the four-time champion, revealed the name of his SF1000 to Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz in Melbourne - with Lucilla following on from his previous Ferrari's: Eva, Margherita, Gina, Loria and Lina.
"I think it fits in many ways," said Vettel, who traditionally settles on a name during a pre-race dinner with his team of engineers and mechanics.
"I'm not disclosing all the inspirations that were on the table and all the names that were suggested! But there's a bit of fun behind it.
"So let's see if Lucilla is behaving well this year."
Vettel's tradition dates back to his first season in F1 when he called his 2008 Toro Rosso 'Suzie', while his Red Bull's had exotic names such as Kate's Dirty Little Sister, Luscious Liz and Kinky Kylie.
Lucilla is a classier moniker for Seb, who is looking to bounce back in F1 2020 after finishing fifth in the standings last season.
"I think we are as prepared as we can be," added Vettel of Ferrari's hopes. "Whether we are as fast as we wanted, time will tell. But I think the car is a step forward, that's what we feel, that's what we measure.
"The question really is how much the others improved because in the end it all depends relative to all the others where you are."
Charles Leclerc insists he "trusts" Ferrari and the FIA over their engine settlement despite protests from seven other F1 teams.
The seven teams who do not run Ferrari engines issued a joint statement last week saying they "strongly object" to the FIA's decision to enter into a private settlement with the Scuderia after long-running investigations into their 2019 power unit.
But Leclerc said: "I fully trust my team, that's for sure. And I trust the FIA for making sure it was all OK. So for me, it's done and now I look to the future.
"Do I understand [their protest]? Yes and no.
"I think they should also trust the FIA for doing their work and I think it's completely understandable that they don't explain absolutely everything because there's a lot of work for us on all the parts, and if you make all of this public then you make all of the work the team has done public."
