Barrichello Won't be Released before 2006

The team's sporting director Jean Todt has paid tribute to the contribution that Barrichello made to the team, but has said that will have no impact in ensuring the Brazilian sees out his contract with the outfit.

"We leave each other with affection: he contributed in marking an important era in our history," Todt was quoted as saying in Gazzetta dello Sport. "We had highs and lows like every couple, but the highs surpass the lows."

When asked whether he would allow Barrichello to test for BAR before January, Todt said: "No. He is a Ferrari driver until the end of the year."

Ferrari's firm stance on Barrichello comes at the same time that former World Champion Jackie Stewart has tipped the Brazilian to get the better of his future teammate Jenson Button.

"I rate Jenson very highly as a driver but I think Rubens is much more together right now," said Stewart in an interview with The Mail on Sunday. "Rubens has got the peripheral lifestyle right, the focus, commitment and knowledge.

"And he has won races, so he had broken that barrier. Both are desperate to be World Champions but Rubens knows how to be World Champion better."