Maranello, 1st February –It’s not the first time and it certainly won’t be the last that snow has put in an appearance on the eve of the launch of a new Ferrari Formula 1 car. However, it seems that this year, the weather gods really want to have their say. From late yesterday morning, Maranello has been hit by snow, with no sign of a let up. Work to set up the structure that will host the launch ceremony is still going ahead, even if it is not proving straightforward. The forecast is not exactly comforting, as snow is set to continue falling at least until tomorrow morning and the temperature will continue to drop, getting down to the -10º mark, which will make for icy roads.

The situation is far from simple, as can be seen from the fact that the Maranello local authorities and those surrounding it (including Modena) have announced the closure of all schools at all levels up until Saturday 4 February.

It now looks as though there is little chance of carrying out the planned promotional filming featuring action shots of the car at the Fiorano track: even if the snow was to stop it’s hard to imagine that the escape roads could be cleared of their blanket of snow which is gradually building up.