F2002 the right choice, says Rubens

The Brazilian is convinced that the new car is faster, but he believes that it still needs development and that the greater reliability of the F2002 makes it the right choice for Interlagos.

"I had a good impression of the new car after this first drive," said Barrichello. "The car was definitely faster that the F2002 which is a good sign, but it still needs some development. Because of that, I am happy to take the old car to Brazil, where it won its first race last year.

"The new car is better but we are at a stage where reliability is very important and even if the F2003-GA ran well all day, taking the older one to Interlagos is the right decision."

The Brazilian also downplayed talk of a crisis at Ferrari after the team scored just one podium finish in the first two races. "If it had not been for the special circumstances in the first race, we could have picked up a lot of points, and I came second in the last one, so we just need to keep on trying," he said. "People talk of a Ferrari crisis, but I don't see it that way at all. We expected Malaysia to suit our competitors, but now I am looking forward to doing well at home in Brazil."