Ferrari first to launch 2009 car

Champions Ferrari will be the first Formula One team to reveal their 2009 car with an unveiling scheduled for their Maranello factory on Jan. 12, the Italian team said this week.

Brazilian Felipe Massa, runner-up to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in last year's drivers' World Championship, will be the first behind the wheel at the team's nearby Fiorano track later in the day.

The wraps will come off Hamilton's new McLaren at that team's Woking factory in England on Jan. 16, a day after Toyota launch their challenger on the internet.

Red Bull, however, have decided to unveil their RB5 in February.

The new car is set to make its track debut at the Jerez de la Frontera track on February 9.

"Our strategic plan has always been to take full advantage of the later start to the 2009 season and we are using the time to ensure we have optimised the car as much as possible, within the regulation changes, to start on the grid in Melbourne," team principal Christian Horner said in a statement.

Sebastian Vettel, who replaced David Coulthard at the end of last season, will in all likelihood be the first to drive the new RB5 as his team-mate Mark Webber is still recovering from a broken leg.