NOVEMBER 29, 2004

Why Ferrari will not accept a restriction in testing

The new Ferrari F2005 will not make its debut next year until after the first three or four races. The team will instead rely on an updated version of the all-conquering 2004 car. The team intends to have the new car finished by the end of February and will then embark on a serious testing programme before the car is raced. This helps to explain why Ferrari is so fundamentally opposed to a testing restriction during the F1 season. The move will mean that the new car will be fully reliable before it goes racing and thus avoid any unforeseen glitches which could cost the team points in the early races. The team says that the new car will be another leap forward in terms of performance but whether it is competitive or not depends more on how the opposition does this winter. The car will be an evolution of the current model with a new engine which will be different to the current unit. The car has been developed under the watchful eye of Aldo Costa who is seen as the man most likely to take over the chief designer mantle when Rory Byrne retires at the end of 2006. Byrne says that definitely retiring in 2007 and plans to build a holiday village on a property he owns in Thailand.