A spokesman billed the gathering at the team's Fiorano test track on Sunday as 'more of a press preview', with the car still being put together ahead of a planned debut in the hands of Brazilian Felipe Massa on Monday.

The unveiling of a new Ferrari grand prix car was once an eagerly-awaited highlight of the Italian social calendar, with a throng of celebrities, VIPs and assorted beautiful people in attendance.

Not any more. Last year's launch was every bit as functional, even if there was at least a car to contemplate with now-retired Michael Schumacher lapping the Mugello circuit in near-freezing conditions while his bosses talked about the challenges ahead.

January is the month when teams talk up their chances and try to impress sponsors with their shining new cars and upbeat assessments of the year ahead. Toyota kick off the annual ritual on Friday.

Sometimes, even when there is a car it is not what it seems.

BAR unveiled a hastily re-painted version of the previous year's car, minus engine, in 2001 after Canada's former champion Jacques Villeneuve crashed the real thing in testing the previous week.

That did not stop them suggesting a victory was in the pipeline -- a recurrent theme over time at a team that failed to win anything in seven seasons before being taken over by Honda at the end of 2005.

HELD HOSTAGE

Super Aguri started last season with a modified four-year-old Arrows A23 car, one of which had been repainted in Minardi colours and was on display at Melbourne airport until Minardi boss Paul Stoddart sold it on.

The secret of Formula One launches, at least for team bigwigs, is to sound positive while never holding oneself up as a hostage to fortune.

Months down the road, those bold declarations of success and utter confidence in a driver's ability may turn out to be prescient indeed. More often than not, though, they are best forgotten.

In 2002, Jaguar declared the R3 was their first 'proper' Formula One car.

Fast forward a year and newly-ensconced team boss Tony Purnell was telling reporters that the R3 was in fact a dog that should never have been allowed out of the factory.

The cars' true strengths or failings become apparent soon enough when the racing starts in Australia in March.

Sometimes it is safest just to put on an all singing and dancing show, as McLaren did with the Spice Girls in 1997, and make sure the sponsors get plenty of nice photographs in the newspapers.

An alternative is to latch on to a milestone in the company's history.

Toyota will do just that in Cologne, celebrating the Japanese manufacturer's half a century in motorsport as they unveil the TF107.

McLaren, with a new young image to show off, are unlikely to be accused of being grey and boring after Monday's promised extravaganza in Valencia.

Expect to see circus tricks, plenty of celebrities and double world champion Fernando Alonso deafening and delighting his home fans in a show to be carried live on Spanish television.

Alonso will have to wait to get to grips fully with his new toy, however, with BMW Sauber having the Valencia circuit booked for their exclusive use on the following day.

1

2