The team presented the car infront of the 600 world media and VIP guests in an extravagent unveiling at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

The car has been running in an extensive testing plan from last Tuesday, one week before the officila launch. Spaniard Fernando Alonso was the first to get his hands on the evolution of the 2004 car. He had positive feedback on the performance and set the third fastest time.
The perfromance of the car was good but the reliability still needs some work as the team only managed a measly 16 laps, as technical faults blighted the test.
New signing, Giancarlo Fisichella, was also on track but he was runing in the old R24.

The R25 has been announced as an evolution on last years R24, which saw the team to thrid in the constructors standings and a win in Monaco. The appearance of the car is particularly similar to that of lasts year's challenger. Of course the aero package has had to be modified to comply with this years new rules.

Technical Director, Bob Bell said this:

"The philosophy behind the car is very much one of evolution, and we hope the R25 will be a package capable of fighting for race wins. Our focus has been on optimising each detail to improve stiffness, reduce weight and package the components very tightly to give our aerodynamicists as much freedom as possible.
Last year, the mechanical architecture of the car was compromised by the late change of engine angle, and the new RS25 engine has a lower centre of gravity, and a much stiffer installation than we were able to achieve in 2004."

The aerodynamic changes made during the last part of 2004 have led to a few changes to the car but Bell insisted that the R25 is an improvement on the R24 of 2004. He said:

"We allocated wind tunnel resources as soon as the regulation changes were announced last July. That decision was a risk, and it cost us performance at the end of last season, but it was undoubtedly the right one. We have made a big step forward from our initial downforce loss of approximately 25 per cent.
The R25 is certainly the best-integrated car the team has produced so far. We have worked very closely with the engine factory in Viry to optimise the engine installation, and the aerodynamic improvements from our initial starting point are beyond what we would normally expect under stable regulations. I am confident that the numerous gains we have made will translate into a concrete step forward in competitiveness on track."

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