The F2004 was officially presented today by Jean Todt who called for Luca Badoer, Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher to unveil the the single-seater which, Todt said, "will fly the flag for Italy, the Group and our team in the F1 World Championship.’ The drivers duly drew back the shiny red drape giving eager tifosi their first glance at the car which carries their hopes for 2004.

There then followed a series of technical presentations lead by Ross Brawn. The teams are faced with a number of new regulations. The size of the engine cover and the size of the rear wing endplates have been increased to create more space for sponsorship (!). The rear wing has been limited to two elements to provide a small reduction in downforce. The gearbox must now be operated manually and automatic starting systems have been banned.

Most significantly, they are limited to one engine for the duration of the whole event, practice, qualifying and the race and this requires engines with twice the life of a 2003 engine. The practice and qualifying schedule has also changed, meaning that Friday will now be a car set up day.

The car represents a further evolution of the concepts already seen in the F2003-GA. However, every element of the car has been completely redesigned in an attempt to create the best environment to get the most out of the new 053 engine and the Bridgestone tyres. The aerodynamic configuration has been fine tuned in the light of changes to the technical regulations, improving the efficiency of the package. Furthermore the car boasts a lower centre of gravity, while weight distribution has been improved as regards the chassis and the engine.

The front and rear suspension have been revised in order to improve the vehicle’s dynamic handling, which leads to a greater efficiency in terms of getting the most out of the tyres, while also optimising the performance of the aerodynamic package. New materials have been used in the engine and transmission in order to reduce its size and weight.

The transmission is once again mounted longitudinally to maintain the same layout as on the F2003-GA. It is a completely new design, providing a reduction in size and weight. The titanium gearbox has seven speeds (plus reverse) and, because of changes to the technical regulations, is operated directly by the driver.

In keeping with a trend initiated by Ferrari back in 1997, which is now standard Formula 1 practice, the car features high-level exhausts, but compared with previous versions, they are mounted nearer the car’s centre line.

Ross Brawn confirmed that Ferrari have been testing for several months using many major components from the 2004 car such as cooling systems, transmission components and engine components. The new car will run at Fiorano at the end of this week with Michael driving. The programme will then continue for the whole of February at Fiorano, Mugello and Imola.

However, he then revealed: "The car we'll race in Melbourne will look different in many areas to the one that you see here". This could be a reference to the front wing area where the Williams development has caused some interest.

Analysis of the 2003 season highlighted the areas where Ferrari were strong and those where they were weak. Brawn stated that Ferrari did not react aggressively enough to the opportunities presented by the 2003 regulation changes and have worked to ensure that they will not make the same mistake again.

He concluded with "2003 was an extremely challenging year and many difficult questions were asked of Ferrari. We faced these challenges and answered these questions with the spirit of which we are all proud. We cannot guarantee to win, but we can guarantee to always try our best."

We wish the team success in their pursuit of an a unprecedented sixth consecutive Constructors' Championship and Michael's seventh drivers' title.