Ferrari F2013 F1 car will have cover to hide ugly stepped nose

Fernando Alonso driving the F2012 at Monza

Ferrari will hide the ‘step’ in the nose of its 2013 car, it has emerged.

The FIA has allowed teams to install a “structurally irrelevant” laminate over the unseemly step for this year’s cars, following the public’s reaction to the dubious aesthetics of the 2012 field.

The ‘modesty panel’, however, is not mandatory, even though Valtteri Bottas revealed earlier this month that Williams will take advantage of the new rule for its 2013 car.

Now, a few days before the 2013 Ferrari appears officially, Spain’s Marca reports that the latest Maranello-built creation also has a smooth nose section.

“Visually, there is no step on the nose, but the nose remains high to allow the airflow under the car,” wrote correspondent Marco Canseco.

He added that the 2013 Ferrari’s front and rear wings “may not be shown in detail” at the forthcoming car launch, “to avoid giving clues to its rivals”.

The Marca report also said the new Ferrari will have smaller sidepods, front pull-rod suspension as per the 2012 car, and a Red Bull-style Coanda exhaust layout.

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