Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri has confirmed that the 'Mission Winnow' branding will be absent when Ferrari's 2019 season begins next week in Melbourne.

Australian and Italian authorities are investigating whether the branding is in fact clandestine cigarette advertising for Ferrari's title sponsor Philip Morris.

Camilleri is a former Philip Morris CEO.

He said at the Geneva motor show: "They (the logos) will not be there at the first race, instead we will arrange a surprise for the fans."

Explaining why the Mission Winnow logos will be removed in Melbourne, Camilleri added: "There were difficulties with their health department even though it has nothing to do with tobacco.

"It is not a brand, it is about the transition from cigarettes to electronic, but we and Philip Morris did not have the time to find another solution," he said.

Camilleri said Ferrari is basically happy with its 2019 car.

"The car was fast from the very beginning. It has an excellent balance and the drivers are happy, even if it is difficult to understand where the others are," he said.

"We have the most ambitious goals of course, but we need to continue to work on improving reliability," added Camilleri.