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Ferrari slated to reveal revised FF on Lake Como next month

Ferrari is reportedly gearing up to present a new version of the FF. Initially introduced in 2011, Maranello's all-wheel-drive shooting brake is now the oldest model in the lineup. But it won't be for much longer. The Italian automaker reportedly sent out a notice to select customers recently, inviting them to the debut of a V12 grand tourer with 2+2 seating. While it didn't explicitly name the model, those parameters could only apply to the FF. The reveal is slated to take place on February 15 at Villa Erba, the estate neighboring Villa d'Este on Lake Como that also hosts part of the Concorso d'Eleganza each year. That event is not slated to take place until May, but Ferrari is apparently renting it out for the event. Expect the updated FF to make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show the following month. We predict revised styling to the front and rear fascias and new head- and taillights more in keeping with the company's newer models. The 6.3-liter V12 will likely carry over, but where the current model packs 651 horsepower, the revised version could step up to around 700 to bridge the gap to the more potent F12 Berlinetta with its 730 hp – or 769 in the F12 TdF. Don't expect any turbochargers – at least not on the V12 – as Ferrari doesn't plan on applying them to its 12-cylinder models. A hybrid version could be in the cards. Rumors have also suggested that a lower-priced V8 version could be offered as well, though that could end up encroaching too closely on the California's territory. One way or another, the part-time all-wheel drive system is likely to stay – as will the four-seat layout. Plus, a more tapered roofline could help the revised FF cut a more elegant silhouette. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2013 Ferrari FF: Review View 35 Photos News Source: Motor AuthorityImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Geneva Motor Show Ferrari Coupe Hatchback Wagon Supercars ferrari ff

2016 Ferrari FF mule sounds super snarly in Fiorano testing

There are innumerable advantages to a company having its own test track on premises like Ferrari has with Fiorano. The Scuderia may not be able to test its Formula One machinery much on the track these days, what with the limitations placed by the FIA, but the factory can still use the circuit to wring out the road-going machinery it has under development – to say nothing of opportunities for visiting customers, journalists and VIPs. But it also means that the paparazzi know where to look to see what the company has in the works. In this case, supercar videographer extraordinaire Marchettino caught a Ferrari FF prototype running some hot laps around Fiorano. But to what end, exactly, we don't know. With the 458 expected to be updated shortly, the twelve-cylinder, four-seat, all-wheel-drive FF will soon be the oldest model in the company's lineup (introduced as it was in 2011), which would ostensibly put it next in line for a refresh. There've been rumors of a more elegant roofline to replace the hatchback, and even an eight-cylinder version to bring the model down-market slightly – although that might bring it too close to the California T. We'll have to wait and see what Ferrari has in store for its first and only all-wheel-drive model. But as you can hear for yourself in the video above, the exhaust sounds pretty raunchy, even by Maranello standards.

Lewis Hamilton on pole in France, Sebastian Vettel only seventh

LE CASTELLET, France — Lewis Hamilton seized pole position for the French Grand Prix in track record time as Mercedes, chasing their 10th successive win, swept the front row of the grid in dominant fashion on Saturday. The Formula One world championship leader was 0.286 seconds quicker than team mate Valtteri Bottas. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified third with team mate Sebastian Vettel a distant seventh on a distinctly off day for the German. The pole, in a time of one minute 28.319 seconds, was a record-extending 86th of Hamilton's career and his third of the season. "I'm happy that I got the potential out of the car, the team did a fantastic job," said five-times world champion Hamilton, last year's winner from pole at Le Castellet's Paul Ricard circuit. "We've just been chipping away at improving the set-up of the car," added the Briton, who is 29 points clear of Bottas after seven races — all won by the pair. Hamilton also triumphed in the last two of 2018. Bottas was fastest in the second phase of qualifying but could not match Hamilton's sizzling pace when it mattered in the final shoot-out. "The wind changed direction and there was a couple of corners my line didn't work and I had to work it out but Lewis had a better lap," said the Finn. Mercedes have looked to be in a class of their own all weekend, with Hamilton or Bottas fastest in every practice session with Leclerc, rather than Vettel, consistently the best of the rest. Vettel struggled, backing out of his first hot lap and then failing to string together all the sectors smoothly on his second attempt. "I don't know what happened, I lost so much momentum there was no point to finish that lap," said the German, who starts behind the Renault-powered McLarens of British rookie Lando Norris (fifth) and Spaniard Carlos Sainz (sixth). "Some laps it felt good and others it didn't. I didn't get the best out of the car but it was difficult for me, but some laps I didn't have he grip I had before." Vettel's time of 1:29.799 was eighth tenths of a second slower than Leclerc's best. Leclerc, who starts with Red Bull's Max Verstappen alongside, asked the team over the radio to get Vettel to speed up but the Monegasque said his lap had not been compromised. Australian Daniel Ricciardo starts eighth for Renault and Red Bull's Pierre Gasly lines up ninth for his home race with Italian Antonio Giovinazzi 10th for Alfa Romeo.