MOTOR SPORT/Formula One news: Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher will cut short his holiday and resume testing with Ferrari next week, the Formula One team said yesterday.
A spokesman said it would be the first time since 1998 that the German had reported back to work between the end of the season and the New Year but denied there were any special reasons.
"He said to us that he was available and we thought it would be helpful," he said. "It's nothing major."
Schumacher will test in Jerez on December 15th and 16th. Ferrari's new car is not due to be formally unveiled until the second half of January.
Ferrari have just had their worst season since Schumacher joined in 1996, ending a run of six consecutive constructors' titles with third place overall behind champions Renault and McLaren. The dominant team of 2004, with Schumacher winning 13 races, won just once this year - the 36-year-old German leading a six-car procession at the US Grand Prix after Michelin-equipped teams pulled out.
The engine rules are changing next year, with the old V10s replaced by V8 units, and teams have a heavy testing workload before the season starts in Bahrain on March 12th.
Test driver Luca Badoer said at the Bologna motor show at the weekend that Ferrari had plenty to do.
"We are already at a good point with the development of the V8: performance and reliability are good already, and we have also done several race simulations," he told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
"As for the tyres . . . we haven't yet solved some problems, but we are on the right road, there are still months of development ahead and now we have Toyota and Williams to lend a hand," he added.
Ferrari have been joined on Bridgestone tyres by Toyota and Williams after being the only top team with the Japanese manufacturer this year.
Meanwhile Scott Speed will become the first American to race in Formula One for 13 years after the new Scuderia Toro Rosso said that he and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi would be their 2006 drivers.
The Italy-based team, formerly Minardi and renamed after being bought by Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz's Red Bull energy drink brand, said 21-year-old Swiss Neel Jani would be their test and reserve driver.
The last American to compete in Formula One was Michael Andretti, son of 1978 champion Mario, who had an unhappy 13-race stint at McLaren in 1993.
Liuzzi (24) is the only one with previous grand prix race experience, starting four times for Red Bull Racing this year and scoring a point on his debut at Imola in April.
Austrian Christian Klien will partner Briton David Coulthard at Ferrari-powered Red Bull Racing next season, the Formula One team said yesterday.
Red Bull, who finished seventh this season, have signed top designer Adrian Newey from McLaren as well as switching from Cosworth to Ferrari power.
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