Formula One news

Rossi must do more testing - Ferrari

Valentino Rossi must commit to several months of F1 testing if he seriously wants to make a four-wheel switch. That's the insistence of Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who has reportedly offered the dominant MotoGP champion a future at the Italian team.

Rossi, 26, has already tested several times in Ferrari's single seater, triggering intense speculation that he is lining up to race in Michael Schumacher's place from 2007. Montezemolo said in Maranello on Thursday: "If he should decide to come and test with us for at least a few months in succession, we can see whether he will be successful in F1."

Who will drive for Ferrari beyond 2006 is definitely an issue for the scarlet team, which admits that it must up its game. After all, Schumacher might retire, Rossi might stick to motorcycles, and Kimi Raikkonen might decide that he doesn't want to join up. "We did not do a good job this year," the president admitted. "We did a bad job of interpreting the new rules."

Luca is therefore a definite fan of the 2006 rules, including the return of tyre-changing, and the unique qualifying shake-up. "The drivers and the car should finally count for more," Montezemolo said, referring to his criticism of what he had described as a 'tyre' world championship.

"And in 2008 the rules will change yet again, to reduce costs," Luca also explained, "which is absolutely correct."

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• 04 Jan.
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• 03 Jan.
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• 02 Jan.
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• 01 Jan.
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• 31 Dec. '08
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• 30 Dec. '08
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• 29 Dec. '08
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• 28 Dec. '08
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• 27 Dec. '08
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• 26 Dec. '08
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• 25 Dec. '08
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• 24 Dec. '08
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