Ferrari not ready with McLaren-type air system

With Sauber preparing to try a McLaren-style air inlet system in Melbourne, Ferrari has revealed it is not ready to race a similar innovation on its F10 car.

Designer Nikolas Tombazis told Turun Sanomat that he thinks the knee-operated system contravenes the spirit of the rules, but nonetheless praised it as an "ingenious solution".

"We are building a similar one, but we do not know if or when we will finish it," he is quoted as saying by the Finnish publication.

Pioneered by McLaren, the British team's MP4-25 was controversially cleared to race by stewards in Bahrain two weeks ago.

Some observers were surprised that Sauber had managed to so quickly design and implement a copy, but the Swiss team's driver Pedro de la Rosa on Thursday admitted that he knew about McLaren's incoming system when he left the British team as test driver.

"I knew basically what they (McLaren) were thinking about," said the Spaniard, "but this is our system. It is a different, Sauber system."