12/01/2011
NEWS STORY
Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali is confident that the return of KERS this season could give his team an advantage, especially at the start of the season. He also shared his opinion on the 2013 engine rules and moveable rear wing.
"We hope it could constitute an advantage, at least in the early part of the season," he said of the return of KERS. "We have continued to work on this system, trying to improve it especially in terms of weight, even if the rules regarding its useage have remained unchanged."
Asked about the costs, he replied: "I have read some figures, but what I can say is that one has to look at how they were calculated. For example, as far as Ferrari is concerned, the costs relative to research and development are down to us and are not passed on to our customers."
OOf the - new for 2011 - moveable rear wing and the 2013 engine rules he said: "In recent weeks there have been some clarifications from the FIA, but clearly until it is actually used on track, it will not be possible to give an overall assessment of this system.
"As for the engines of the future, the decision of the FIA World Council clearly set out the design and obviously, we are already working on it, because time is pressing. It is not the solution in terms of the split we would have preferred, but we respect the decision. However, we have to analyse the costs carefully, taking into account that today in Formula 1, there are four companies supplying all the engines and, in the current economic climate, we have to be cautious and make sure no one pulls out, which could put the system under pressure, before getting preoccupied at the thought of new arrivals.
"One priority that needs to be considered is the sound of the engines as it's important for race fans should not be underestimated. Let us not forget that if Formula 1 ought to have a link to industrial production then Ferrari is on the front row on that topic, but we also have to take into account the unique values that are dear to our hearts."