FEBRUARY 28, 2003

Badoer crashes new Ferrari

Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer crashed the new F2003-GA Friday while testing the car at the Jerez circuit in Spain. The Italian escaped unscathed after leaving the track and hitting a barrier, but the car suffered damage that could not be repaired at the circuit. The team will return to Maranello to examine the car.

The accident occurred under braking, and the team has initially traced the cause to a mechanical problem with the left rear of the car.

The team will not be using the F2003-GA in Melbourne next weekend, but will use an evolution of last year's championship winning F2002 until the new car can be proven reliable, the same strategy the team used successfully last year.