F1: Scuderia Ferrari SF71H F1 Challenger Revealed

Following up the reigning world champions, 2017's second closest contenders for the title - Scuderia Ferrari, has revealed their 2018 challenger in Italy. The new Ferrari SF71H builds on the basics of last year's SF70H, but with a host of revisions, upgrades and changes to meet the new regulations. Drivers Sebastian Vettel and iceman Kimi Raikkonen will be reprising their duties this season as well, as the Italian team aims to convert its close second finish from last season into a world championship this year.

At the outset, the biggest change on the 2018 Ferrari SF71H is a return to the all-red livery on the car, which also includes the Halo cockpit safety device. The new car is also the first since 2009 to not sport the Santander branding, given the Spanish financial company's decision to end Grand Prix sponsorship deals.

Scuderia Ferrari SF71H F1

The chassis has also been revised on the 2018 challenger with the car getting a longer wheelbase over the 2017 version, and a more aggressive sidepod design. A revised cooling system and upgraded aerodynamics are also part of the changes SF71H. The suspension remains the same with push-rods at the front and pull-rods at the rear, but the team says the design has been updated based on the experience gained during the first season running Pirelli's wider tyres.

Ferrari had an extremely competitive run in 2017, most it had in recetn years, with as many as five wins through the season. Vettel even came close to winning the championship, but a host of reliability issues and crashes ended its run prematurely. This year though, the team is said to have built on SF70H's performance while the engine too is an evolution of last year's power unit. Much like Mercedes, Ferrari too has worked on improving the durability of the motor due to the stringent regulations.