Ferrari considers switching focus to 2012

The time is nearing when Ferrari might decide to write off the 2011 championship, team boss Stefano Domenicali has admitted.

The 150 Italia car has shown improvements in the past races, but Fernando Alonso is now almost 100 points behind the leading Red Bull with just seven races down.

“Ferrari is at a crucial moment of the season,” boss Domenicali admitted to Die Welt newspaper.

“In the next races until after the British grand prix we will decide whether we continue to push for the world title or work already for the next season,” he said.

The Italian insisted he is “confident” about Ferrari’s progress recently but added: “Also I’m not from the moon.

“Red Bull is a very tough opponent.

“F1 has changed dramatically.  Previously, the largest teams could work almost without limits, with no limitations on testing etcetera.  For a team like Ferrari, it is more difficult to work under the new conditions.

“But we have to see that Red Bull has built an outstanding car; so good that in a victory the car is usually listed first as the winner before the driver.

“When we dominated, it was always Michael Schumacher first and then Ferrari.  Now it’s Red Bull and then Sebastian Vettel,” he charged, obviously crediting designer Adrian Newey for the young German’s runaway lead.

Domenicali, meanwhile, was left to defend Ferrari’s situation, including the recent ousting of technical director Aldo Costa.

“There was no other solution,” he insisted.  “It was a necessary step to re-motivate the team and show them that there are no excuses, only consequences.”

© RIF | GMM