Ferrari May Introduce F2005 Earlier than Planned

Ferrari are considering changing their early season plans and bringing the new F2005 into action much earlier than originally anticipated because of concerns that the interim F2004M may be too slow at the start of the year.

Ferrari had planned to use the F2004M for the first four races of the year, before switching to the F2005 from May's Spanish Grand Prix, but that was before they became clear about just how fast some of their rivals' new cars were.

And amid suggestions that the F2004M is not quick enough to currently match the Renault and McLarens on a single lap - as well as suffer from balance issues that make it difficult to preserve its tyres for consistent race-long pace - Ferrari said they may choose to bring in their new car early. That could mean a debut as soon as the Bahrain Grand Prix - the third race of the 2005 Championship.

"If the 2004M is not competitive then we can bring [the F2005] forward," Ferrari's technical director Ross Brawn said in the team's launch today. "We plan to introduce the car in Barcelona but depending how it tests, [an early introduction] could be anticipated.

"The logical race to do it is Bahrain, because of the engine regulations. It would not be easy to do it in Bahrain and it would be a very tough decision, but technically it is possible but it depends on how the interim car is going.

"If we are competitive with [the F2004M] I would much rather do it in Barcelona. In Bahrain, we would not have the spares and infrastructure to support it as well as we would like."