Lots of enthusiasm for Alonso in the chat

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Another day in red for Fernando Alonso after the Wrooom week in Madonna di Campiglio, while he came to Maranello for several meetings with the technicians.

Fernando even had the possibility to see the chassis 281 for the first time, which is about to be assembled at the assembly area of the Scuderia.

During a break the Spanish driver connected to Ferrari.com, chatting with the fans directly from Maranello, as it had been announced last week. At 3pm Fernando started to answer the fans’ questions from all over the world for about 40 minutes online.

Lorenzo.cloud asked at what stage the new car is and if there is the possibility to fight for victory: “It’s almost ready. I’m here in Maranello today to prepare the seat and other things connected to the debut on the track. I think that the Ferrari will be competitive and I really hope to bring the Drivers’ Title here to Maranello."

Oldfarmhouse wanted to know from Fernando what it is that makes Ferrari so different from the other teams and what impressed him the most at the first impact: " What impressed me the most was the atmosphere. Everybody here lives and breathes racing and has the passion for it. And then I really like that people talk to each other here and they don’t write emails although they sit right in front of each other.”

Vassilis asked the uncomfortable question, if Fernando had changed his mind to when he criticized Ferrari. Fernando defended himself by saying: “I don’t think that I’ve ever said anything tremendous regarding the team. It’s true that on some occasion in the past there has been some discussion with someone, but these things can happen when you’re fighting for the world title. In the end we’re human, not robots!" To Spoli, who asked if Fernando is worried to deal with angry Ferrari fans, the Spanish driver said: "I don’t think that they criticised me that much in the past. Naturally when you’re the competitor it’s different, but I’m sure that I’ll have the Ferraristi’s support."

Many questions were asked regarding the strongest competitor in the fight for the title and Fernando said the same as in Madonna di Campiglio, although he added a sweet introduction: “The ideal would be if my fiercest competitor was Felipe: that would mean that we’re the best team. Although I think that McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes will be very competitive and hard to beat."

There were also many questions regarding Fernando’s first impact with the world of Ferrari. To Uch and others he replied: "I can only say positive things. They are all giving it all to make me feel at ease, which is very important for me. I already feel to be part of a very special family."

Meanwhile Fernando won’t be part of those racing in rallies, which seems to be en vogue these days amongst the drivers. “For me Formula 1 is the top," he said to Nix and other fans. "I can’t see myself anywhere else. I always wanted to race in F1 since I was a child. Nascar? I like to play it on my Playstation."

To the classical questions (“what’s our preferred race track?; who’s your idol as a driver?) Fernando gave some unsurprising answers ("My preferred track is Sepang, followed by Spa and Monaco. My preferred driver is Ayrton Senna"). To the question by noncsi120, where the place is he would love to go, Fernando said: “Mount Everest”. We already knew that he’s a driver, who’s always aiming at the highest goal.

North American Debut for the Maserati GranCabrio

North American debut at the 2010 NAIAS and at the presence of the CEO of FIAT and Chrysler Groups Sergio Marchionne for the Maserati GranCabrio, which will be marketed in the United States with the name of "GranTurismo Convertible".
Sergio Marchionne has stated "We have invested on Maserati and results have arrived: now Maserati has a credibility and a position that it had never enjoyed in the past".

Ferrari 599XX on display to celebrate the Fiat-Chrysler partnership

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Although Ferrari will not officially take part in the 2010 North American Auto Show in Detroit, the company will display a 599XX on the Chrysler stand to celebrate the historic Fiat-Chrysler deal.

The 599XX is an extreme, high-performance berlinetta and is packed with innovative technology. The car is not homologated for the road, being aimed only at non-competitive track use, and is reserved for just 20 select clients.

This “laboratory” model is the result of extensive research in both the road car and Formula 1 fields. It brims with new solutions in terms of aerodynamics, electronic controls and chassis dynamics, with many being proposed together for the first time ever on a car and, of these, several are unique to this model. As is usual with Ferrari’s advanced research projects, the experience gained with this car will be used as the basis for developing future road cars with extreme high-performance characteristics.

The 599XX is also an example of Ferrari’s exclusive and limited production. All Prancing Horse cars are designed, engineered and developed entirely in-house in the company’s factory in Maranello and incorporate all the latest specialist technologies that can only be applied to low-volume production like Ferrari’s.

The official track debut of the 599XX for the client test-drivers is at Homestead in Florida in March.