Ex-Ferrari Foe Believes They Will Learn from 2008 McLaren Battle to Reign Supreme Next Season

McLaren and Ferrari are currently fighting for P3 in the constructors’ championship. The Woking-based team are leading their Italian rivals by 15 points in the title fight. Alpine technical director Pat Fry, who was at the McLaren, during the late 2000s, mentioned the title fight between Red Bull and Mercedes is similar to their 2008 championship fight with Ferrari.

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McLaren and Ferrari fight reminiscent of their 2008 battle

As reported by racingnews365, Fry mentioned the similarities between the 2008 and 2021 season seasons. He stated that both the seasons have intense title fights and regulation changes at the end of the season.

“This year reminds me a bit of when Ferrari and McLaren fought each other in 2008,” said Fry.

“We (Fry was still at McLaren at the time), had a championship to win. The new McLaren for 2009 was therefore only in the wind tunnel for the first time in October.

You could see that other teams were taking advantage of this. Ferrari and McLaren were well behind,” said Pat Fry.

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Other teams that are not so focused on this year can make big strides: Pat Fry

The Alpine technical director has mentioned that due to the regulation changes, the teams have shifted their focus on the next season. He also stated that teams fighting for top positions will have less time to develop their 2022 car.

“ I think Ferrari started earlier than anyone else and they have taken the pressure off themselves in a good way. The fight between Red Bull and Mercedes makes them spend less wind tunnel hours and less time on CFD models.

Other teams that are not so focused on this year can make big strides,” said Fry.

“In addition, the resources (to develop a car, ed.) are limited, which is a challenge for everyone, anyway. The big teams have a lot of work to do and the earlier in the season you start with that, the more space and time you allow yourself,” said Pat Fry.

Can Ferrari get on top in the 2022 season? Let us know.