From GMM
The prestigious Scuderia Ferrari will "soon" forgo developing its current formula one car in favour of preparing for next year's world championship tilt.
The defending 2008 constructors' champions are now nearly 80 points behind in this season's teams' battle, while the highest placed Ferrari driver is Felipe Massa, who has 16 points compared with Jenson Button's 64.
"I am confident that we can improve our performance into the next race," president Luca di Montezemolo is quoted as saying by Germany's RTL.
"But it is going to be difficult if not impossible to dramatically change the car within this season without any tests," he said.
"Soon we will concentrate fully on next year's car," Montezemolo explained, confirming that the F60's successor will not feature a KERS system.
Montezemolo has also stepped away from hinting that Ferrari could field a works prototype in next year's famous 24 hours Le Mans race.
At the height of the FOTA teams' power struggle with the FIA, the Ferrari president officially started June's fabled Le Mans event and hinted that sports car racing is a real alternative to formula one for the Italian marque.
But with the battle now receding, Montezemolo has explained that Le Mans would be a difficult project to spearhead alongside Ferrari's ongoing F1 foray.
"To race at Le Mans you have to concentrate for many, many months to prepare, to test and develop a car, and I think this today is quite impossible to do at the same time as racing at the maximum level in F1," he said.
photo:Ferrari
The prestigious Scuderia Ferrari will "soon" forgo developing its current formula one car in favour of preparing for next year's world championship tilt.
The defending 2008 constructors' champions are now nearly 80 points behind in this season's teams' battle, while the highest placed Ferrari driver is Felipe Massa, who has 16 points compared with Jenson Button's 64.
"I am confident that we can improve our performance into the next race," president Luca di Montezemolo is quoted as saying by Germany's RTL.
"But it is going to be difficult if not impossible to dramatically change the car within this season without any tests," he said.
"Soon we will concentrate fully on next year's car," Montezemolo explained, confirming that the F60's successor will not feature a KERS system.
Montezemolo has also stepped away from hinting that Ferrari could field a works prototype in next year's famous 24 hours Le Mans race.
At the height of the FOTA teams' power struggle with the FIA, the Ferrari president officially started June's fabled Le Mans event and hinted that sports car racing is a real alternative to formula one for the Italian marque.
But with the battle now receding, Montezemolo has explained that Le Mans would be a difficult project to spearhead alongside Ferrari's ongoing F1 foray.
"To race at Le Mans you have to concentrate for many, many months to prepare, to test and develop a car, and I think this today is quite impossible to do at the same time as racing at the maximum level in F1," he said.
photo:Ferrari