"The car feels very comfortable, said Rob. "The left-hand drive is definitely a positive move, and the engine felt very good throughout the test. As a whole, the car feels a lot smoother and tighter. It also feels more responsive to changes. In terms of the development we have done over the winter months, and which is on-going, I feel we are constantly taking the car forward.

"Although it's hard to evaluate a car purely on a straight line, I think the car's aerodynamics are greatly improved followed that test and that in the windtunnel at MIRA which followed the shakedown test. Now I'm really looking forward to having my first proper run in the car next week."

Rob and his teammates Alain Menu and Nicola Larini will commence a winter circuit test programme, which starts at Brands Hatch on February 21st and 22nd. The week after Brands Hatch the team will go to Albacete in Spain and then to Magny Cours in France in early March prior to the first race which takes place in Monza, Italy on April 2nd.

2006 Calendar

2 April	Monza, Italy
30 April	Magny Cours, France
21 May	Brands Hatch, Great Britain
4 June	Oschersleben, Germany
2 July	Curitiba, Brazil
30 July	Puebla, Mexico
3 September	Brno, Czech Republic
24 September	Istanbul, Turkey
8 October	Valencia, Spain
19 November	Macau, China