Schumacher Wants Reliability before F2002 Switch

World Champion Michael Schumacher says his Ferrari team will not take the F2002 chassis to the Brazilian Grand Prix unless the new machine proves to be reliable.

After having used a revised version of last year's F2001 at the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix, Ferrari are carrying out a test with both chassis at the Barcelona circuit this week, aimed at deciding which machine to take to Brazil next week.

Schumacher and teammate Rubens Barrichello finished on top of the timesheets at Barcelona on Thursday, but the German said that they want to be sure the car is reliable before making the decision.

"The F2002 is faster, and for us it would be important to be able to use it in Brazil already if it was reliable," Schumacher told Gazzetta dello Sport. "This is exactly the point: we first have to be sure that it won't break down. On Saturday, after the tests, we'll have a better idea."

Despite his promising pace at Barcelona on Thursday, Schumacher suffered a mechanical problem late in the afternoon.

"It wasn't an engine problem, I don't know what happened, but I exclude it was an engine failure," he added.

Schumacher and Barrichello continue testing at Barcelona on Friday, while the team's test driver Luca Badoer will be again at the wheel of the F2001.