F2005 to be Ready by End of February

The Ferrari F2005 will be ready by the end of February next year, according to chief designer Rory Byrne, but the new car will not be raced when the 2005 season begins, the South African said.

"In the last few weeks we have been defining the 2005 car, concentrating on the aerodynamics and carrying out simulations on the vehicle's dynamics," Byrne told Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport. "Some parts - like gearbox and chassis - are well advanced, while others, like the monocoque, haven't been designed yet because we gave precedence to the aerodynamics.

"The objective is to have the car on track by the end of February. We could already have it for the first race of 2005, but we are not in a hurry as we want to deepen research and design so that the car can be close to perfect on its debut, which we expect it to be between the third and fifth race."

Byrne said the World Champions will bring to the opening round of the season, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, "an interim version of the F2004, over which we'll try to include a good part of the new car's aerodynamics. The engine will be the current one, but updated to be able to run two consecutive Grands Prix. The gearbox remains the old one, while the monocoque will be adapted to the new anti-intrusion safety regulations."

But the South African expected the new car to be quite different from the 2004 challenger, which won a total of 15 Grands Prix this season.

"[It will be] different from the F2004, but in the evolutionary sense, with some areas very different, which will be recognizable on sight," Byrne said. "There will be a new engine, non interchangable with the current one. Same goes for the gearbox.

"By the end of November we'll be finished with the suspensions and we hope to test them on a 2004 car in the Jerez tests or, more likely, in Fiorano. It will be something very innovative in building terms."

World Champion Michael Schumacher tested a hybrid car in early October at Jerez, and Byrne paid tribute to the German's contribution to the design of the new car. "Michael is very good at identifying a car's areas of improvement, so he explained what he wanted in terms of drivability, traction and steering management," Byrne told the newspaper.

"He has the rare ability to carry out tests always on the limit, and he immediately tells you whether a solution works or not."

Byrne said the F2005 car will be an improvement on the F2004 but said the measure of success will depend on the progress made by team's rivals.

"Competitiveness is relative, as it depends on how strong the rivals are," the South African said. "I was surprised to see in the first race in Melbourne [in 2004] how the others made minimal progress...

"So the new car will be another big step forward, but its level of success will depend on our rivals."