Ferrari team boss, Stefano Domenicali, believes that the move from Bridgestone to Pirelli rubber will be the key to the forthcoming season.

After fourteen seasons, Bridgestone left Formula One at the end of last year, replaced by the Italian manufacturer Pirelli which last June was awarded a three-year contract to be the sport's sole supplier.

At his team's traditional media event in the Italian Alps, Domenicali told reporters that the return of the Italian tyre company will have a marked effect on the forthcoming season, particularly when it comes to qualifying.

"This year, qualifying should not be as important as it was last season," he said. "Last season was very interesting and competitive but there wasn't a lot of overtaking. This is a fundamental aspect which must be worked on.

"The results of the first test we ran at Abu Dhabi last November are positive," he continued, "and clearly it will be very important for the designers and race engineers to find the best balance of the car. I feel we will go in a different direction to last year, with tyres maybe exhibiting greater degradation which will make for more changeable racing.

A"t the moment, the real unknown concerns the handling of the cars in the wet," he admitted, "but we can expect it to rain at some point during the fifteen days of testing, so we should get a clear picture of the situation."