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Ferrari steering wheel may hold key to rocket F1 starts

Ferrari's brilliant getaways at the Australian Grand Prix were key to its early victory challenge – and could well be the result of a unique approach to new start restrictions that Giorgio Piola has uncovered. Although Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid in Melbourne, it was a sensational getaway from Sebastian Vettel that helped the German swoop into the lead by the first corner. As team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said: "The start was super. I have to say both of the drivers, they start like two rockets. After that they were able to take an advantage, and that was good for us." Such great starts from Ferrari are nothing new – just look at Hungary last year – but as Piola's exclusive drawing reveals, the team may well have taken things to an all-new level in ensuring it does not miss any detail in this area. In-built advantage As early as pre-season testing, rivals had been alerted about what Ferrari was capable of by monitoring data from Barcelona. Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: "We saw that in pre-season testing their starts have been really strong." Even ahead of the race, there were rumours that Ferrari knew it would excel in this area. Its decision to not do a second run in Melbourne's Q3 was mainly fuelled by its desire to save a set of super soft tyres for the race. But another suggestion also emerged – that the team knew just how good its starts were so securing the second row of the grid was good enough for it to believe it had a shout of the lead on the first lap. A single paddle As Piola's comparison of Ferrari's 2015 and 2016 steering wheel arrangement shows, the team has been the most aggressive in changing its clutch configuration for this year. New rules mean that drivers can only use a single hand on a single clutch paddle for the race start – even if teams choose to keep a double-paddle arrangement for emergencies. Ferrari has opted for something totally different to its main rivals by abandoning a double paddle arrangement (see red arrows on above left image). Instead, it has a single 'rocker' paddle that stretches all the way across the back of the wheel. Investing in such a dramatic design change clearly points to it having unlocked a decent performance advantage. The exact reasons for this configuration are unclear, but it may be that it allows the driver a greater feel for the clutch bite point – and means he is better able to judge how to deliver the perfect getaway.

Ferrari planning six-cylinder Dino revival?

Ferrari swore up and down when it was developing the California that it wouldn't be an "entry-level" model. Whether that ultimately proved to be the case or not is up for debate, but it seems that the Prancing Horse marque is now preparing to launch a properly more accessible model in the near future. According to Motor Trend, Maranello is working on a new six-cylinder sports car to serve as the point of entry for new customers – especially in China. Tax implications there could mean the V6 would displace less than 3.0 liters, but likely pack a pair of turbochargers to ensure that output and performance live up to the Ferrari standard. Tipped to arrive in 2019, the six-cylinder model could materialize as a revival of sorts of the Dino line. Named after Enzo Ferrari's first-born son, the Dino sub-brand used mostly six-cylinder engines to take on the Porsche 911 on and off the track. The Dino 206 GT emerged in 1968, evolved into the larger-displacement 246 the following year and ultimately gave way to the very different, eight-cylinder, four-seat 308 GT4 in 1973, later to be rebadged as a proper Ferrari once the Dino brand was put to rest in '76. It's worth noting that Ferrari developed the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 for the Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte, which would presumably serve as the basis for the new entry-level Ferrari. Though FCA typically endeavors to keep its brands from competing directly with one another, Maserati is due to release a production version of the Alfieri sports car concept within the next couple of years, powered by that same engine, and could share its underpinnings with the Ferrari model in question. The six-cylinder Prancing Horse could carry a price tag of around $180,000 to take on the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo, Mercedes-AMG GT, Audi R8 and the Sports Series which McLaren just kicked off with its new entry-level 570S. Related Video: News Source: Motor TrendImage Credit: Newspress Ferrari Coupe Performance v6 ferrari dino

Ferrari 458 Speciale is our Frankfurt fantasy [w/video]

This is the Ferrari 458 Speciale, and while its name might underwhelm, its performance and lineage more than make up for it. The successor to the proud line of hot, higher-performance, mid-engined Ferraris like the 360 Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia, the 458 Speciale is blessed with a 596-horsepower, 4.5-liter V8 and the ability to skip to 62 miles per hour in three seconds. It also comes with a not-so-subtle racing stripe, which we like.
Thanks to a scarcely believable curb weight of 2,844 pounds, special Michelin Pilot Sport cup 2 tires, and a few tweaks to the electronic diff, the Speciale is quite a dancer as well. Naturally, Ferrari is showing off the newest member of the scuderia at Frankfurt, and we made it a priority to see it in person. We've got a full gallery of live images above, a video and stock photography from Ferrari down below, and our original coverage of the car, from August, right here.