Massa to Test for Ferrari this Week

Sauber driver Felipe Massa will return to his former team Ferrari at Jerez on Wednesday in the first of several planned "loan" moves to the Italian World Champions this season.

Brazilian Massa, who was one of Ferrari's official test drivers last year, made his Formula One debut for Sauber in 2002 and has re-joined them to race alongside Italian Giancarlo Fisichella this year.

But Ferrari, who supply engines to Sauber and also use the same Bridgestone tyres, will call upon Massa and Fisichella for tests throughout 2004 to help out the team's long-term test driver Luca Badoer.

"We will be testing at Jerez from Wednesday until Saturday and Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa will be in the car," a Ferrari spokesman confirmed. "Michael Schumacher will not be back until the third week of January."

World Champion Schumacher has not tested a car since he won his sixth Formula One title in Japan last October and has spent Christmas relaxing on holiday in Norway with his family.