18/03/2005
NEWS STORY
Ferrari technical Ross Brawn has admitted that the Ferrari F2005 could appear at Bahrain, the round of the 2005 World Championship. Originally it was intended that the car would make its race debut in Spain, the fifth round.
"We have an option to bring it to Bahrain," the Englishman admitted today. "A lot will depend on this weekend and a lot on next week, which is the first week the racing drivers will get to drive the car because Luca Badoer has been driving it in testing so we don't have an opinion.
"He is very positive about the car," he continued, "but I would like to hear what Michael and Rubens say about the car before we make a decision. So, we are testing next week.
"We could if wanted to stretch it take it to Bahrain and it will depend on our competitiveness this weekend whether we feel the new car could have made a difference to whatever results we get this weekend and what the drivers say about the car next week," he added.
"Around the middle of next week, we will have to make a decision because the car will have to leave for Bahrain next weekend. So, there could be a scenario this weekend where we are not competitive, but the car would not have made much difference because, obviously, tyres are so significant and if we are a long way off on the tyres this weekend, I am not sure the car would make a difference. If we lose the race, and feel the difference could have been made up by the car, then it could accelerate the introduction of the car so we will see what happens this week and then see what the drivers think of the new car and then make a decision."
Asked if this was the reason the team had opted not to change the engine in Michael Schumacher's Ferrari, following his retirement from the Melbourne race, Brawn replied.
"Partly, yes. It's because, obviously, if we had changed it, it would have made it more difficult. We wouldn't have had the option to take the new car for him to Bahrain. But the engine that got a little bit warm when stuck in the gravel.. it was nothing too severe..
"All the engines of all the cars got hot because of the restart so the temperatures in the gravel were no worse than they were at the second start in Melbourne. So, we weren't particularly bothered. It could have been an option. So, we didn't do it, to give us the option to run the new car in Bahrain.