Since that time the team has had the opportunity to put many hundreds of kilometres on the new car working on the cars setup in readiness for the start of the Formula One season in Australia.

The conclusion reached by both full time drivers for the team, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, is that the car has shown that is has considerable potential.

Juan Pablo Montoya spoke of the new car saying that it gives him a feeling of confidence. On the BMW WilliamsF1 web site Juan Pablo said: “This is an excellent car as it reacts well to the set-ups and it seems to be very competitive. This gives me great confidence about the coming months.”

Ralf Schumacher added: “The car handles very well and, without going into detail, I can say we are definitely on the right track.”

With the extensive test programme yet to be completed prior to Melbourne, the team is still working hard to further understand the new car and work on its reliability. This situation is very different to what it was like in 2003, where the team struggled to get the FW25 competitive prior to the start of the season. This year the development of the car is well underway.

Juan Pablo said: "The situation we had at this time last year compared to now is hugely different. “I can already say that with this car we'll be able to fight for the championship.”