Like Sauber, it is believed Force India is also close to finishing an ’f-duct’ air inlet system similar to the controversial one cleared to race this year on McLaren’s 2010 car.
"I hope that they don’t see quite as much laptime performance as we believe we get from it," said McLaren’s chief engineer Phil Prew, ahead of Friday practice in Melbourne, during which Sauber is expected to test its prototype system.
"It was inevitable," he added when asked about the copies.
"Hopefully we will be able to continue developing it and further exploit it one step ahead of the rest."