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Tristans F1 2000 PreviewWinter testing is well underway, so now seems a good time to take an eager look forward to the season ahead.
McLaren have stuck with their tried-and-tested driver line-up of Mika and David, and at the season openers David really needs to get the best of his team-mate if he is to have a crack at the title this year. The man who needs to watch out is going to be Rubens - I believe he has grossly underestimated Mr Schumacher. Will Ruben's recover from the shock of Michael's pace when they are finally on the track together? I hope for his sake he does, he's a very likeable guy - although he really must give up the pastle coloured pull-overs! It'll be nice to see Jaguar on the starting grid next month - in British Racing Green ( well, OK, maybe not your actual British Racing Green, but we'll call it that). The hope is that this team can get the following from the British that Ferrari have from the Italians. A sea of green at Silverstone in April would be nice to see, so lets support our British team. It would also be good to see BAR rising up the grid, we need drivers like Jacques at the front, challenging Michael and Mika, he's a demon racer and afraid of no-one.
So, roll on March and Melbourne, and good luck to the men in green. It's shaping up to be a great season. |
There aren't too many moves at the top on the driver side of things. Eddie
Irvine and Rubens Barichello have swapped seats - Eddie to Jaguar
(previously Stewart-Ford) and Rubens To Ferrari. Whether it's Luca Di
Montezemolo or Jackie Stewart who have got the good deal here only time will
tell. Alex Zanardi, the two-time ChampCar champion, has been unceremoniously
sacked from Williams, whether this came from Williams or BMW (their new
engine partner) I do not know. The good news for us Brits though is that
young Jensen Button is going to replace him. With only two or three years of
racing cars behind him he may find it all a bit scarey come Melbourne when
he has 20 other drivers trying to get past him in 200mph 750bhp monsters!
The long and short of it is that this year is likely to see a straight fight
between Michael and Mika with the odd surprise from Ralf, Frentzen and I
think Johnny Herbert (although Jaguar are currently off the pace in
testing). The title is ultimately going to go to Michael, and we'll see the
best of him as he pulls his Ferrari past the McLarens - remember Malaysia?