Brawn Confident About New Ferrari

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn says he is "as confident as one can be" with the reliability of the new F2003-GA after the team decided to race it at the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend.

The new car, which was unveiled before the start of the season, is yet to race after suffering several mechanical problems, including two major crashes for Italian test driver Luca Badoer, during testing.

But Brawn believes now is the right time to introduce the car and said: "We are happy to have overcome the running-in problems which prevented us giving it its debut in Imola.

"This week's testing went very well and I am as confident as one can be when running a new car. The F2002 was a fantastic car but it has reached the end of its development cycle. Now we are ready to use the new car in a race. It has already shown itself to be quicker and we have some further improvements in mind for the rest of the season."

The team delayed the car's debut in Imola because of concerns over its reliability but believe it has now proved it can survive the Barcelona race after running three successful race distances this week. Engine director Paolo Martinelli is also confident the new car will not break down in next weekend's race.

"We have signed off the 052 engine in reliability terms having successfully completed all the bench and track tests," he said. "Badoer has completed three Grand Prix distance simulations at Mugello without experiencing any technical problems. Now the new engine is ready to face a race weekend and we are already working on further steps for later in the year."