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What next for Stefano Domenicali?

Ferrari is a team that's used to being on top. It does, after all, have more world championships to its name - 15 drivers' titles and 16 constructors' - than any other team in the history of Formula One racing. But despite having some of the best drivers and resources at its disposal, it hasn't won a championship in over five years. Someone had to take the blame for that, and that someone turned out to be Stefano Domenicali.
The team principal who took over after Jean Todt stepped back to focus first on the running of the entire company and then the FIA, Domenicali has presided over the driest spell in the team's history since Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn arrived in the late 90s to bring Ferrari back to its winning form. Whether that ultimately proves to have been Domenicali's fault or not, the buck stopped on his desk and he resigned a couple of weeks ago, making way for Ferrari's North American chief Marco Mattiacci to take the reins. At least for now, anyway, as rumors circulate of a longer-term solution that could bring Ross Brawn back into the fold following his recent departure from Mercedes.
The big question now, however, is what Domenicali will do next. The latest intel suggests that he could leave four wheels behind but stay in the field of competitive sports to coach an Italian basketball team. The rumors are fueled by reports that Domenicali has been in touch with Giovanni Petrucci, head of the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro - Italy's national basketball federation. The organization runs two professional basketball leagues within Italy as well as its national team that's won eight international championships, two gold, four silver and four bronze medals in the European league and two silver medals in the Olympics.

Ferrari CEO confirms hybrid model will be revealed this month

Ferrari confirmed it's going to reveal a hybrid supercar before the month is over in its Q1 2019 financial call. CEO, Louis Camilleri made the statement. "The second model will be presented at the end of this month, with the world premiere held here in Maranello. As we have stated previously, it will be a top-of-the-line hybrid with supercar performance and a true beauty," Camilleri said. The Motley Fool posted a transcript of the entire earnings call online, and Motor1 initially reported the news. We knew a hybrid supercar was on its way, but now we know it's for sure happening this month from Maranello. The most recent rumors and reports concerning this car was that it would be a twin-turbo V6 with a combined system output of 723 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque. A V8 hybrid powertrain in a different model is also expected to be revealed at some point, but that's reportedly going to come after the V6. Camilleri went on to say that this car "will be above the 812 Superfast. So it's not a 488 replacement per se." The 812 Superfast has supercar performance from its 6.5-liter V12, but it's more of a grand tourer in the Ferrari lineup. And the F8 Tributo was just released as the 488 GTB's successor, so it's more likely to be similar to the 812 with a different powertrain. Sitting above the 812 Superfast is no small chore, though, as that car makes 789 earth-shattering horsepower and 530 pound-feet of torque. Ferrari has dabbled in a hybrid powertrain before with the LaFerrari. That car had a 6.3-liter V12 supplemented by a HY-KERS unit, providing an extra 161 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque from its electric motor for a grand total of 950 ponies and 715 pound-feet of torque. This hybrid Ferrari will certainly be less powerful than that, but we don't know exact layout or function of the new system Ferrari is going to use yet. Watch out toward the end of May for this electrified Ferrari to finally make its debut.

Weekly Recap: Ferrari pens a provocative F1 car of the future

Scuderia Ferrari unveiled its vision of the future for Formula One this week, revealing sketches of a sleek, muscular racecar. Called the Concept F1, Ferrari is showcasing the design to start a conversation about the next generation of Formula One cars and spur interest in the sport, which has been maligned for its unattractive racecars in recent years. The Concept F1 was penned by the company's in-house studio, Centro Stile Ferrari, with input from its aerodynamics department. Though the sketches look futuristic, the company says the design could be executed without changing F1 regulations. From its beginning, Ferrari's racecars have had both form and function, winning on the track and turning heads with everything from the 250 Testa Rossa, 330 P3, Michael Schumacher's single-seaters from the early 2000s and many others. That lineage led the Scuderia's leaders to survey the paddock, wring their hands and come up with the Concept F1. As Ferrari said on its website: "Our challenge was to create something that was – to put it short – better looking." It's a philosophy that was implemented for this season's car, the SF15-T. While not groundbreaking in appearance, Ferrari cleaned up the design, particularly up front, and the racecar now has a more attractive nose that delivers better aerodynamics. It's more of the same in back, where a tighter design creates more downforce. "This year's car is certainly an awful lot better looking than last year's car," Ferrari technical director James Allison said in a video on the Scuderia's website. The updates come as Ferrari, and all F1 teams, get a better handle on the extensive 2014 rule changes that brought back turbocharged engines and altered the aerodynamic regulations for the series. Less dramatic changes also are going into effect this year. Ferrari, which is coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish in the World Championship, is obviously looking to the future. Appearances have always mattered for the red cars. We'll see if they bring the Scuderia success this season and beyond. Other News and Notes Next-generation Chrysler Town & Country spied Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is hard at work on the next-gen Town & Country minivan, and our spy shooters have captured heavily covered prototypes during testing on the road. We can't tell anything about the exterior design, though we see glimpses of an instrument panel (which looks vaguely Dodge Charger-esque) and infotainment screen inside.