Ferrari sets launch date

As has been the case for two of the past three seasons, the team will not actually race its latest machine until the fourth round of the world championship, preferring to rely on its tried and tested 2004 chassis for the opening 'flyaway' races in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain. After the launch, the 2005 Ferrari will undergo a concerted testing programme to ensure full reliability before it races.

The changes to the technical regulations for the new season mean that although Ferrari will initially be entering a year-old car, even this machine will be substantially different to the chassis seen at the end of 2004. The hybrid car, designated the F2004 M, has been running with a distinctive 'baby wing' added to the lower part of its front wing in recent tests, along with various other modifications required by the downforce-slashing rule changes.

Ferrari has won the last six constructors' championships, and even though the team has appeared to struggle for pace in recent tests it is unlikely that drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello will be anything other than victory contenders in the team's latest car.