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Ferrari to split design focus

Fernando Alonso is contracted to drive beyond 2013, but Felipe Massa only has a one-year deal at Ferrari © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso
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• Stefano Domenicali
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• Felipe Massa

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• Ferrari

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says the team is splitting its focus between its 2013 and 2014 cars.

While aerodynamic regulation changes were dropped by the FIA earlier this month, new engine regulations in 2014 still mark a significant change in car design. As a result, Domenicali told the official Ferrari website that the team would have two different coordinators to ensure work is ongoing on both the 2013 and the 2014 cars.

"As regards the design, we have decided, particularly in light of the unusual demands we will face in 2013, when we will have a completely new project to work on for the future, to have two coordinators," Domenicali said. "Simone Resta, an engineer who has developed his career in Maranello and is very effective, will work on the 2013 car and Fabio Montecchi will deal with the one for the following year. Nikolas Tombazis continues as Chief Designer.

"We must also apply in other areas what we have done at the track, for example in production: as was confirmed by some new arrivals from outside the company, in our "time to market," by which is meant the time from conception to producing the parts and in our long term research."

With Ferrari developing the car in Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne will the Maranello tunnel is rebuilt, Domenicali added that it would launch early in 2013 and called on the team to take a "more creative approach".

"We are well aware that we must start off with a more competitive car, as our President has demanded. Clearly we have only been concentrating all our efforts on the new one from a few weeks before the final race, given we pushed right to the end on this year's. The 2013 car will be launched at the very end of January or the early days of February: as usual, the first one will be just a launch version, while the complete one will be seen in the final days of testing or in Australia, so as to make the most of all the time available.

"We will need to try and push the technical regulations to the very limit while maintaining our strong points from this year, or improving them still further, because the others will not be twiddling their thumbs, but not by almost brushing against illegality, as happened in 2009 with the double diffuser. However we need to adopt a different, more creative approach."

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