Rivals Surprised by Ferrari's Top Speed

Ferrari's top speed at qualifying today left rivals Williams surprised and in awe, however engine manufacturer BMW ruled out the possibility that the Italian team have made a leap in engine power.

Ferrari set the top speed in qualifying today, with 325.4 km/h set by Rubens Barrichello, followed by Michael Schumacher with a 322.2. This, compared to 316.4 by Kimi Raikkonen in a Mercedes-powered McLaren, 315.6 by Olivier Panis in a Toyota, 314.4 by Nick Heidfeld in a 2002-Ferrari powered Sauber and only 313.4 by Ralf Schumacher in a BMW-powered Williams.

Initially, Montoya admitted the new F2003-GA, which made its racing debut this race, was not as fast as he had expected it to be. "I don't think the Ferrari is as quick as everybody thought it was going to be," he said today at Barcelona. "It is quick, but it's not massively quicker than anything else. You know, I think if you put [their] last year's car, it would have been as quick as that.

"But the Ferrari top speed is amazing. I don't know if it's [due to] the engine or chassis, I don't know. They are 10km/h quicker than us on the straight. Now, define 10kms - where is it coming from? It's not [coming from the] wings, is it? You'd need to take a lot of wing off. I think their engine is very strong; it has to be very strong to get to that speed."

But BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen ruled out the possibility of Ferrari increasing engine power, despite speculations in the paddock that the Maranello-based team have managed to break the 19,000rpm barrier - set last year by BMW.

"The only reason I can see [for their top speed] is aerodynamic efficiency," Theissen said. "If I thought it was the engine, I wouldn't take the time to sit here now. And, you have other examples in the field where you can see that aerodynamics or chassis can make a big difference - Renault, for instance. So I wouldn't rule out the possibility that it's due to aero efficiency."

Ferrari have qualified both cars on the front row of the grid today and are considered favourites for tomorrow's Spanish Grand Prix.