Domenicali also expressed his views on the lack of in-season testing that will be implemented from 2009 onwards, and the effect that may have on teams who are not fully up-to-speed come the start of the campaign Down Under in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix on 29 March.

“This is one of the most important points of the upcoming season,” the 43-year-old underlined. “When we're heading for Australia we can't modify much. On Friday we can test what we want to use over the weekend; we might have to risk much more. If our car is competitive right from the beginning, it will be a decisive element in understanding where we are.

“The new approach will lead to a completely different interpretation of the race weekends. The drivers might have a more important role – if the systems work at 100 per cent, the drivers will have an extremely big delta performance, which will find its expression in tenths of a second.

“There will be new tyres and the engine speed will be different – we have to understand how to deal with that in the best possible way – and then there are the new wings the drivers have to get used to. The drivers are facing a season in which they might have to give a bigger contribution, I think.”

Meanwhile, the Maranello-based concern's technical director Aldo Costa has stated that there will be no knee-jerk reaction when it comes to potential redundancies, despite there expected to be in the region of 100 at each of the sport's major teams in the light of the cut backs on testing and engine and aerodynamic programmes.

“The rules have changed only recently,” the Italian explained, “so before taking decisions too quickly, like reducing the number of staff, we need to pay close attention to our working methods and then not take too radical decisions.”