Formula One 2012 Preview: Ferrari

The 2012 Formula 1 seasons starts in Melbourne, Australia. This time next week it will all be over. How are the teams looking ahead of the new season?

Here we look at the legends: Ferrari.

Ferrari had a good car in 2010, but has struggled to keep up with Red Bull and McLaren since. Last year, they failed to get onto the front row of the grid until the Canadian grand prix, which was round seven.

There's nothing to suggest 2012 will be much different.

The positive is that the problems with the 2012 car are understood to some degree. Put bluntly, they are struggling to get the most out of the Pirelli tyres.

The employment of Hirohide Hamashima, a former Bridgestone development director, should be beneficial. But the other engineering changes that Ferrari made through 2011 will bear the main responsibility of putting the Maranello team at the head of the pack.

Fernando Alonso is a stunning Formula 1 driver, some say he's the best and his form in 2011 showed us just what he can do. His starts in both Barcelona and Monza were perfect, on both occasions he exploded from fourth on the grid to lead into the first corner.

This was pure racing instinct and shows that Fernando has lost none of his speed and precision as he's aged over the years. Now 30, he's not won a championship for five seasons. He's been close, but it's the winning that matters. The Spaniard has chosen Ferrari as the team that can give him a car to add the one more championship he needs to equal his hero Ayrton Senna's three.

With Ferrari's current form, he's only likely to gain the seven podiums he needs to equal Senna's tally of 80.

Felipe Massa is on borrowed time at Ferrari. He had a brilliant season in 2008 but a difficult car and his big accident at Hungary in 2009 stopped his run of success in its tracks.

His best result last year was fifth while his team-mate scored ten podium finishes. Many were surprised that Massa was given one more year but perhaps he was saved by the lack of suitable alternatives.

Ferrari have rarely put inexperienced drivers in their cars, indeed after Massa's crash in '09 they looked to Michael Schumacher, Luca Badoer and then Giancarlo Fisichella as replacements.

Maybe the team needs to look seriously at drivers like Sergio Perez and Paul di Resta as possible replacements for next year.