Schumacher prepares for 2005

Technical director Ross Brawn explained: "We've been running a muletta changed to where we think we'll be next year. The test drivers have been working with it and have got used to it and we've also had Michael Schumacher drive it. On his first day he found it quite exciting and quite difficult but he adjusted.

"You have to appreciate that a car that is 2s slower will not have as much grip, downforce, braking capability or traction but, despite all that, Michael still wasn't very enthusiastic when he first drove it. But, when we made some changes and started to work on it, he adjusted to the programme. We were at Jerez last week and had a good test."

Speaking of the loss of downforce due to the aerodynamic changes, Brawn said: "We are back to less than a 20% reduction compared with this year and my estimation is that we will end up with a 15% loss and so a 1.5-2s increase in lap time, which is on target for the aero package."

On the further '05 changes, Brawn added: "We haven't achieved a two-race engine yet, but we're getting there, and we've done some work with the tyres but that is probably the biggest challenge."

In 2005, teams will have just two sets of tyres, forcing them to use a single set in the race.

"At some circuits it won't make a big difference," Brawn explained. "Take Canada for instance, and we could practically do a whole race on the tyres we had this year because it's a very low wear circuit. But take somewhere like Barcelona, where you use three sets in terms of wear, and it will be a big challenge."