Ross Brawn says that Mercedes has already made 2011 its priority, in effect writing off the rest of the season in terms of closing the gap to the teams ahead.
Brawn made a similar call with Honda in 2008, which ultimately made a large contribution to the championship-winning form of his eponymous team last year.
“I think our priorities are clearly with next season,” he said in Friday’s press conference at Spa.
“We have not had as good a year as we want.
“We don’t realistically have any chance of competing for the championship this year, so we are pretty strongly focused on next season to make sure we can get into a more competitive position for next year.
“We have got a little bit of development on this year’s car. We’ve got a few things we want to put right for the remaining races, but in terms of development very little, and the major work is for next season.”
Brawn admitted that the team hadn’t maintained the sort of development pace that it wanted to: “Not really, no.
“We saw some interesting technologies on other cars and it was difficult to understand how much they were worth.
“We followed those paths and they are worth performance, but it wasn’t enough to make the real differential up [between] ourselves and the front of the grid.
“I think during the season, some races we get back to where we think we ought to be and other races we’re not so good.
“I think we’ve had a very deep analysis of our performance this year.
“I think we understand where we need to make improvements and I can see already with next year’s package we’re making those improvements because the fundamentals are all the same.
“You need a lower centre of gravity, you need less weight, you need more aerodynamic downforce, you need to use the tyres properly, you need a structurally stiff car.
“The basics always count, and I can see from the progress that we’re making with the basics for next year that we haven’t done a good enough job this year.”
Brawn said he had no qualms about voicing his thoughts about the flexing wings seen on other cars.
“I’m not sure I was the one who started it, but certainly I gave my opinions,” he said.
“There was a clear obvious effect on the track between certain cars that was not explainable and we sought some clarifications on how the rules were to be applied.
“When we talk about the process that’s gone on through the years, that is the process that we all do, that is the nature of Formula 1.
“I know that some of the teams involved were not very happy with comments I made, or McLaren made, but then I was not happy about comments they made about the double diffuser last year.
“It is the nature of Formula 1. That’s the way we are and that’s the way we work, and if we see something we don’t like on another car, we will challenge it with the FIA, and if the FIA eventually say ‘no, that’s the way it’s going to be’, we join the club.
“It’s just that process that happens all the time.”
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