Ferrari offered a first close-up glimpse at their new F2004 M chassis at Vairano yesterday, the 'interim' car that they will use for the opening races of the Grand Prix season, as they bid for a record seventh consecutive constructor's title.

Heavily revised from the title winning F2004 car, the car must now conform to sweeping new rule changes. These new regulations, aim to 'spice up' the rather dull action of last season.

Ferrari adapting to sweeping new 2005 F1 regulations

These changes will firstly see downforce reduced, estimated to be by up to 25 percent, although drag will drop by a little as 4 percent. This will be achieved via a heavily revised aerodynamic package, that will include a reduction in the height of the diffuser, a raised height nose and front wing, bringing the position of the rear wing forward, and subtle changes to the car's bodywork just in front of the rear wheels.

Fewer tyres will also be allowed during the course of the Grand Prix weekend. Like last year the driver will be able to chose from two compounds, but he will then be limited to two sets, one for Friday and Saturday practice, and the second for qualifying and the race itself.

These two sweeping changes will be coupled to a requirement for a 'long life' engine, which will now be capable of last for two weekends, which adds up to a distance of around 1,500 km.

Schumacher and Barrichello test at Barcelona

Last week turned out to be a very busy week for the Scuderia. Michael Schumacher got proceedings rolling on Tuesday, when the German kicked off testing at Barcelona, while the new F2004 M received its shakedown on Thursday at Fiorano, at the same time that dramatic news was breaking that Ferrari had just signed a further extension to the long-standing 'Concorde' agreement.

At Barcelona, the team conduced four days of testing, Schumacher running on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Rubens Barrichello got into the cockpit for the first time this year when he wrapped up the test on Thursday and Friday. Ustilising an F2004, the two drivers tested a succession of new components and electronic solutions, while the team's tyre supplier, Bridgestone, brought more than 1,000 tyres in 15 different compounds, as they in turn seek to keep ahead of rival firm Michelin.

Ferrari were joined on the 4.628km Catalunya track, home to the Spanish Grand Prix, by three other Grand Prix teams: Williams-BMW, Toyota and the new Red Bull outfit (formerly Jaguar).
 

At the end of the four days the Italian champions posted the fastest times of the test, although with teams running in different stages of '2005 specification', and Toyota were present with their new TF105 chassis, times were not representative. Schumacher ran 228 laps and set an unbeaten 1:15.461, while Barrichello covered 133 laps and set a 1:16.131, just over six tenths adrift. Best of the rest was David Coulthard in the Red Bull R5 with a 1:16.134, ahead of Antonio Pizzonia and Mark Weber in the Williams-BMWs, who posted a 1:16.230 and a 1:16.627 respectively.

On Thursday Ferrari caught everyone totally by surprise when the news broke that they had come to agreement, with the FIA and Formula One Management, and had signed an extension to the Concorde agreement, the document that governs the distribution of F1 money, to cover the period 2008-2012.

Shakedown for the new Ferrari F2004 M at Fiorano

At the same time as the F1 world was digesting this news, Andrea Bertolini was giving the 'interim' F2004 M chassis its shakedown at Fiorano. In cold damp, conditions, the Ferrari-Maserati Group official tester ran 21 laps on the short course, using wet weather tyres, his fastest a 1:04.287.

First glimpse of the F2004 M as testing moves on to the Vairano straight

After systems checks on the F2004 M on Friday, the Scuderia's testing schedule continued continued unabated, as yesterday, Bertolini and the new car moved on to the Vairano straight to begin a weekend of straight line testing.

The Vairano proving ground near Milan is owned by leading Italian automotive magazine Quattroruorte, who regularly use the 1.2-mile straight to measure the acceleration of cars that they are putting through their paces. Vairano is also a popular testing choice with the Formula One tests when developing aerodynamic solution for medium to high downforce circuits like Malaysia of Suzuka. Ferrari were last at Vairano at the back end of November, while Sauber, Jordan, Toyota and BAR all have recently used the track to good effect.

Yesterday Bertolini ran no less than 287 km of testing down the straight, and today the Italian and the F2004 M are both back in action, as Ferrari continue to test and develop their new aerodynamic package.