Formula One news

Ferrari to drop 2009 development?

The Ferrari team has suggested that, whilst enduring a tough 2009 season, it may cease development of its F60 to concentrate fully on the design and construction of its 2010 car. After eight races of this year's seventeen-race championship, the reigning Champions are placed fourth and seventy-nine points behind leaders Brawn GP.

Di Montezemolo admits that catching in 2009 is practically 'impossible'

Like Honda in 2007 and 2008, Ferrari may elect to put further advancements for this season's car aside with approximately three quarters of a year remaining until the start of the 2010 championship. "I am confident that we can improve our performance in the next races, but having said that it is quite difficult - if not impossible, really - to dramatically change the car during the season without tests," admitted company president Luca di Montezemolo, who also stressed that next season's car will not include KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and will therefore not be built around this component.

"Unfortunately we started the season with grey rules," he continued. "It is difficult to give a correct interpretation and the proof is that the three teams that have won the last F1 World Championships - like Ferrari, McLaren and Renault - have made the same interpretation of the rules and they are not as competitive as before.

"This is one of the reasons in our battle - to have more stable, clear and transparent rules - we made the car with KERS; it means that more weight is on the car and a lot of other teams have not done KERS. So if the federation (FIA, governing body) wants to introduce KERS, it has to be the same for everybody. Now I think it is time to go back to clear rules."

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