Ferrari resources "90-95 per cent" focused on 2022

Ferrari

Ferrari resources "90-95 per cent" focused on 2022

Despite its strong start to the season, Ferrari remains focussed on future success

Sam Hall

Saturday 8 May 2021 11:30

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Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies confirmed the Italian manufacturer has moved "90-95 per cent" of its resources to focus on the all-new aerodynamic regulations set to be introduced next year.

Last year Ferrari endured its worst season since 1980, finishing sixth in the constructors' championship with only three podiums to its name.

The Scuderia has not tasted championship success of any kind since claiming the constructors' title in 2008 and its drought in the drivers' championship extends one year further to 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen.

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Despite showing strong pace in the opening three races of the current season with Ferrari currently fourth in the standings trailing McLaren by just 11 points, the team is laser-focused on the opportunities presented by the new regulations that could bring glory back to Maranello.

“We are pretty much already in full switch," said Mekies. "It is already the case for us.

"If you want to put a number to it, you call it 90-95 per cent but it is pretty much where we are.”

Team principal Mattia Binotto recently claimed Ferrari was "only focussed" on 2022 but subsequently contradicted himself by commenting, "We will have still some development on ’21 but that is not our priority."

Clearing up any confusion, Mekies added: “This is very clear to us. Mattia made it very clear already. We are focused on 2022.

"The fact that the field is tight and you may need a few hundredths or two-tenths to switch from sixth to third will not change our strategy.

“The focus is on next year. We have switched the large majority of our resource to it already.

“It doesn’t mean that some details will not change on the car from now onwards but the focus is on next year, even if the field is tight. For us it is a clear decision.”

With 20 races remaining including this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, Mekies believes a lack of upgrades will force Ferrari to improve as a team rather than rely on new parts to unlock pace from the SF21.

He said: “It comes with some good news with the race team because your progress as the race team is always somehow blurred by the developments that you bring relative to the competition which you never know [the effect of] for sure. You never know for sure how much you have progressed."