Ferrari take aggressive approach for 2012

Over the past couple of months Ferrari's attentions have switched from the current Formula One season to next year.

They of course wouldn't admit that the title race for the 2011 crown was over until it was mathematically certain, but it was painfully obvious from an early stage that Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel would successfully defend his Formula One World championship this year.

With Ferrari being the third best team on the grid on a consistent basis, Ferrari have gone through some backroom changes already this season and they have opted for a different approach in the design for their 2012 car.

'I hope the results will speak for themselves when we launch the car and more importantly, as we tackle the first few races on the calendar, A more aggressive approach has come about as the result of the analysis we carried out of the defeats we suffered over the past few years.' Ferrari's chief designer Nikolas Tombazis told their official website.

That aggressive approach may indicate that Ferrari have followed the Red Bull model of designing a car based heavily on the aerodynamic side of the car.

For example, despite creating a dominating machine, Red Bull have struggled on occasions with the KERS device. Their KERS often overheats, which gives them a disadvantage when it comes to cooling the KERS to enable it to charge and function at optimum performance.

But the disadvantage that brings didn't outweigh the overall performance and speed of the car and Red Bull have shown that a good aerodynamic package is the way forward.

'We realised we had been a bit too conservative and had closed our minds to some strands of development. So for next year's car, we have sanctioned a much more aggressive approach on the aero front, which has required a much closer working relationship with those developing the structure of the car.

'It might make it harder when considering other aspects of the car, but it allows more room for aerodynamic development. Tombazis added.

The 2012 design is already in production and Ferrari might test different aspects of the design over the final few races of the season.

The full package will obviously not be seen until the new season with Ferrari claiming its appearance holds a wow factor.