Massa welcomes another "baby"

Published: 10:36AM Friday January 29, 2010 Source: Reuters

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New father Felipe Massa welcomed another "baby" to the family on Friday with the launch of Ferrari's 2010 car, but team-mate Fernando Alonso said there were teething troubles with the steering wheel.

Massa, fit again after suffering head injuries in July's Hungarian Grand Prix and missing the rest of the season, became a father to Felipinho in November.

"We have another baby that arrived today," the Brazilian joked at a news conference after the unveiling of the F10 car in Ferrari's northern Italian factory.

"We've got to make it grow but it must grow quickly, not like a baby."

Ferrari finished fourth in the constructor's championship last year and have hired double world champion Fernando Alonso to replace Kimi Raikkonen and try to win the title back.

"We worked in November and December to simplify things slightly. Compared to others, it seemed the steering wheel was a bit more complex but now we are ready for the season," Alonso said.

The Spaniard is also struggling to get used to the new points system, where the top 10 drivers this season rather than eight will be rewarded and race winners will receive 25 points instead of 10.

"I'm a bit more traditional. You lose a bit of history that was always in Formula One," said Alonso, ahead of February's official tests and the first race in Bahrain on March 14.

The ban on full testing until next month continues to rile Ferrari and Massa's plans to take a trip in the new car for a promotional video was thwarted by icy conditions on Friday.

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