Talking with confidence, Ralf seemed excited by the prospect of having a winning car. "Of course it is still very early, but the new car felt really good," says Ralf. "Obviously, the power is lower but it is still a very driveable engine, with a nice torque curve. I am happy with the new Bridgestone tyres as well, but we have a full programme of pre-season testing and development to continue making improvements to our package."

"It is an intensive schedule with a lot of work to cover before the first race, but that is where we can benefit from having our car ready so early," Ralf added. "We learned that last year and saw the gains. It helped us a lot in the first few races, and that's what we are aiming for again."

Ralf’s 2005 season got off to a slow start last year, but since the introduction of the TF105B during the last 3 races of last season, and the consent testing of the TF106 during the winter, the German looks to be right at home and looks set to now be capable of challenging his teammate Jarno Trulli.