McLaren Surprised by Ferrari's Strategy for 2010

McLaren Mercedes are quite surprise that their rivals from Maranello have already switched focus towards the 2010 campaign. As confirmed by Ferrari's team principal Stefano Domenicali and also Kimi Raikkonen (following the Singapore Grand Prix), the Scuderia decided to forget all about the 2009 season and put most of its efforts into the next year's car.

Although they are still very much alive in the battle for 3rd place in the constructors' standings – where they rival McLaren Mercedes in the closing stages of the ongoing season – Ferrari's development work is focused on the successor of the struggling F60. According to Mercedes' engineering director Paddy Lowe, that approach is odd for at least one reason.

“It has struck me from the outset as quite a strange policy to announce because in formula one development is continuous, particularly without track testing,” said Lowe during McLaren's pre-race teleconference.

Shortly after the Singapore race, Raikkonen told the reporters that the Ferrari F60 has remained the same as “a couple of months” ago. Lowe's argument is that, while focusing on the next year's machinery, a team would better use the remaining F1 races to test new aerodynamic devices (or components).

“We are nearing the end of that migration, and it is slightly surprising for Ferrari to announce that they've shifted 100 per cent so early,” added the McLaren engineer, who admitted that his own team is using the Friday practice sessions to test new components for the 2010 package.