Michael Schumacher tested his new Ferrari for the first time on Wednesday in a hurried effort to get the car into action and improve on his poor start to the season.
”My feelings are good,” Schumacher said after driving 50 laps in the new car. ”I realised immediately that the F-2005 is fast. I can already say that it’s a step forward and I am without a doubt satisfied.”
Ferrari is desperate to ready the car for the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 3, or the San Marino Grand Prix on April 24. Using a modified version of last year’s car in the first two races, the dominant team in formula one have become also-rans.
Schumacher was seventh in Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, more than a minute behind Renault’s winner Fernando Alonso. Teammate Rubens Barrichello failed to finish, retiring on the 50th lap.
That left Ferrari with 10 points from two races — 16 behind Renault.
On Tuesday, teammate Rubens Barrichello completed 95 laps — about 500km — in the new model before hearing something wrong with the engine and calling it a day.
”It is better in every area than the F-2004 and faster,” Barrichello said.
Ferrari said on Wednesday that there was no ”specific” problem with the engine that Barrichello used after performing a complete check of the machine.
Schumacher used a different engine for his tests.
In the past several years, Ferrari have waited until the fourth or fifth race to debut their new car. This season, the move backfired with off-season rule changes making the old car nearly obsolete. — Sapa-AP