Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne has admitted his team pushed until the very end in 2015, which resulted in them getting a delayed start on their 2016 car.
The Italian team secured three wins last season and a string of podiums, ensuring they remained in the running for championship victory, until Mercedes made it mathematically impossible come round 15 in October.
However Ferrari vowed to push on until the end, which Marchionne now admits delayed progress on their 2016 chassis.
“Maurizio [Arrivabene, team principal] will tell you we delayed some things to allow for the 2015 car to be finished,” said Marchionne.
“Hopefully he will not bitch about this. We pushed back the start of some of the work on the 2016 car, delayed it a bit.”
However the Italian-Canadian businessman doesn’t expect it to impact their competitiveness and fully expects them to challenge Mercedes for the championship.
“We have had adequate time and adequate financial resources to do the right thing given the rules,” he stated. “So I’m confident we will give Mercedes a run for their money.
“We approached the ’16 car with a very clear idea and very clear interpretation. It is incredibly unlikely that the car will not offer Mercedes a proper challenge.”
