Marc Gene, test driver for Ferrari, had disputed claims that Ferrari are already showing signs of struggle in the post-Schumacher era. Kimi Raikkonen has struggled with form recently, and has yet to top the testing time sheets. He has also seen several problems with his new 2007 car.
Gene said “Even without Schumacher, Ferrari is still Ferrari and Raikkonen is a great driver. Some things have changed but I don’t think this will make it easier for the others. At this time last year we were not in as good a position as we are now, so we are hoping to start the year level with the new competition and then we have much room to improve after that.”
The Spaniard has also gone on to say he feels Formula 1 could potentially use diesel power in the future. Gene recently got to test the new diesel-powered Peugeot 908 , which he will be racing at Le Mans later in the year. “After not really knowing what to expect,” he commented, “I can sat that this is a proper racing car that you can compre in some respects with an F1 car, including the power output. After driving the Peugeot, I believe that diesel is feasible for Formula 1.”
Audi won Le Mans last year with it’s R10 which is powered by diesel. There are strong claims that diesel technology has better fuel consumption whilst still producing the same sorts of power and torque. Formula 1 has already been toying with the idea of using biofuels in the future, so maybe diesel power isn’t such a wild idea after all.
