Ferrari will continue developing its 2020 car for the duration of the year regardless of results, CEO Louis Camilleri says.
The Italian team head into this season eager to respond after a tricky 2019 saw them only win three times and finish 235 points behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ standings.
At the same time, however, every team is already diverting some attention to the rule changes coming for 2021, but even if championship success isn’t attainable this year, Ferrari won’t just simply change focus.
“We never give up and our ambition is to win, therefore, I don’t think we’ll put our foot off the pedal in terms of Formula 1 in 2020 or beyond,” Camilleri said during a conference call on Wednesday.
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That’s not to say Ferrari is not keen on trying to get a head start on the 2021 car, but with a budget cap coming into effect also, Maranello is happy to bear the costs of two simultaneous programs.
“In terms of Formula 1, in 2020 we are sort of doubling up because we have to work on a totally brand new car as opposed to developing one,” Camillieri continued.
“The new technical regulations that will come into force in 2021 will entail the development of a very substantially different car, which will obviously require additional resources and expenditures already this year.
“So, you should assume that in 2021 and thereafter, the Formula 1 cost should come down, not least of which because of the budget cap for a big portion of the car itself.”
Already, in the build-up to the launch of the new Ferrari next Tuesday, there has been speculation of problems with the 2020 car as the Scuderia try to address the lack of downforce from last year.
Earlier this week, however, one Italian media report suggested the outlook was now much better and that has been echoed by insider Leo Turrini.
“The indications of the last week are more encouraging. So far it’s not all smooth, but as I explained already, there is still time, he wrote in his Quotidiano blog.
“Apart from the results, the goal is to have a simpler machine which is not exposed to sudden changes in performance depending on the tracks,” he added.
Heading into 2020, there is also a focus on Ferrari’s power unit after FIA technical directives appeared to reign in a performance advantage the team had held all season.
“At Maranello, they are convinced that they have no problem with the performance of the power unit,” Turrini commented.
“(Mattia) Binotto is very sure at least that it is not inferior to Mercedes and Honda.”