Ferrari launch: Old car still option

It emerged late last year that Ferrari's F2001 could be used in place of the all-new F2002 for the start of the season. But despite the new car being labelled 'the best grand prix car ever' at its launch on Wednesday, the Scuderia is keen to avoid losing points through unreliability and could therefore take both cars.

Brawn said: "There is always a case for taking both cars. We would have the security of points because of reliability with the old car. It could go both ways. We haven't made a decision because we haven't got the facts, but it is possible."

According to Brawn, the reason Ferrari is considering using the last year's car is because development of the 2002 machine was extended to ensure enough progress was made over its rivals.

Brawn said: "I felt we hadn't made a big enough step, so we continued the development of the 2002 car, for a longer period than we would have done normally, because we had the security of using the old car.

"However, the old car will not remain competitive forever. I'm sure some people have made progress with their new cars. While our old car may be a choice for the first few races, it is certainly not the choice for the season."