Formula OneSeven-time world champion Michael Schumacher (38), will come out of retirement to test Ferrari's title-winning 2007 Formula One car in Barcelona next week.
"It's half for pleasure, half for technical reasons," said a spokesman.
Formula One's technical rules are changing next year, with traction control systems and other so-called driver aids being removed.
"Michael has a big experience in driving cars with no traction control and no electronic aids, so it makes sense for him to give his input," said Schumacher's spokeswoman.
Schumacher is to test next Tuesday and Wednesday at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Robertson Delieghted with win
Snooker: Neil Robertson had plenty to smile about after making the last 16 stage of the Northern Ireland Trophy.
The Melbourne potter recorded a 5-1 victory over England's Jamie Cope at Belfast's Waterfront Hall. "It's just nice to have won for a change," said the world number seven. "That's the best I've felt all season."
Earlier, Ding Junhui made a strong start to the defence of his title. Ding, who beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in last year's final, enjoyed a 5-2 win over Joe Perry to book a last-16 meeting with Scotland's Stephen Maguire.
Former UK and European Open champion Maguire defeated David Gray in the other morning match.
Pickering may pick rich pickings
Boxing: British super-bantamweight champion Esham Pickering is aiming to beat Bernard Dunne to the punch for a shot at Kiko Martinez's European title.
Pickering was beaten by Dunne at the Point in Dublin in November 2006, but the English puncher has won his last three fights since that reversal.
He faces Sean Hughes on the Carl Froch/Robin Reed undercard next Friday and will then target Martinez.
Dunne's lost his European crown and had to put his World title dreams on hold after he was sensationally stopped in the first round by Martinez at the Point in August.
Martinez is due to meet Wayne McCullough at the Kings Hall, Belfast on December 1st in a non title fight.
Henin has to work for victory
Tennis: World number one Justine Henin began the defence of her WTA Championships title with a 6-1 7-6 win over Russian Anna Chakvetadze yesterday.
The 25-year-old Belgian top seed rattled through the first set
in just 24 minutes, but had to resist a determined fightback by her
opponent
before winning her opening round robin match in the yellow
group of the
$3 million end-of-season tournament. The win extended Henin's
winning streak to 21 matches.
"It's good to win the first match especially in a round robin," she said. "It is very important and gives me a lot of confidence."
Tendulkar says no to captaincy
Cricket:Sachin Tendulkar has said he does not want to take on the job of India's test captain again at present.
"Tendulkar has conveyed to Sharad Pawar (board president) that he was not in a position to accept the captaincy of the Indian team for the tests," the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement yesterday.
Indian selectors are due to name Rahul Dravid's successor as test captain tomorrow.
Batting great Tendulkar, (34), and one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni were in the frame for the job after Dravid relinquished the post two months ago, saying he wanted to focus on his batting.
