Running up to Brazil

Storming Starters

by Jo Howard

Last year McLaren had five weeks to get their season back on track after a disastrous start at Melbourne. This season they have just two weeks to do it before they have to qualify for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. At a circuit that is notoriously hard on the engines, it will be a true test of the reliability of this season's cars. The sell-out crowd saw Brazilian, Rubens Barrichello, finish second in his first race for Ferrari. With the car being practically bullet-proof last season, does the F1-2000 have the same reliability?

For McLaren the season starts here, and hopefully they will get both cars to the finish. The new engine is fuel-efficient, and appears to still have the edge over Ferrari. However, reliability was a huge problem for the team last season, and the gremlins look as though they have not been exorcised from the 2000 car. If they can solve this problem the season will begin to look good for them again. However, Ferrari are hoping to make an impact before McLaren can solve this problem: they spent most of the off-season in the wind tunnel trying to minimise the gap to their rivals. This goal has definitely been reached, although it is not quite clear which of the two teams has the better car. Ferrari were expected to take pole position at Melbourne but failed to hook everything up correctly. Brazil provides a chance to rectify this situation. Michael Schumacher has extreme confidence in the car and the lift the team received from taking the Constructor's title last season is visible. Rubens Barrichello is going to his home track and is hoping to give the home crowd something to shout about. Last season he led in the Stewart before suffering an engine failure, but the noise round the circuit was phenomenal- the atmosphere definitely not one to be missed.

The Jordans looked strong in Australia before being hit by engine problems. Like McLaren, if they can have the luck to finish the race then they are strong enough to give the top two teams of last season a shock. This season's car looks to have the ability to win races and finish on the podium. Rivals Williams have already finished there, with a magnificent start to their the season. There is still plenty of work to be done on the BMW engine before it can expect to win championships, but the car is a vast improvement on that of the past two dismal seasons. Jenson Button will be starting his second race and must be wishing for a decent bit of luck in his qualifying session! After proving that he was not a complete menace to every driver on the circuit, he will be looking to keep that reputation. To finish the race would be a reward for the driver, and provide him with race-experience which is what he needs.

Jaguar had an appalling start to the season, completing just six laps last race. Although the colour-scheme of the car must place it up with Ferrari as a team to drive for, they are beset by problems. Apparently these are largely due to the oil management system they are using in the car. If the last race is any indication, it may take them a while to finish a race - and then maybe only on a track where the engine is not under huge stress to perform.

Arrows had an impressive start to their season, and their straight-line speed advantage demonstrated you do not have to have a huge budget to make a big impact. This improvement over last year's car saw both drivers in the top ten before they were forced to retire at Albert Park. It bodes well for a strong battle at the lower end of the grid for qualifying, even if the race does not go according to plan!

Prost had a dismal start to the season. Qualifying was not a huge success, although they can take some consolation from the fact that they actually finished the last race. Fortunes will hopefully reverse later in the season, as their problems look like it will take a race or two to solve... whilst Sauber will be wanting to show their car is competitive this season, and avoid the embarrassment of another disqualification. Mika Salo looked strong in the car with great confidence - he certainly benefited from his successful time at Ferrari. The team looked good to score in Melbourne, and can certainly expect to challenge Benetton, showing an improvement on the 1999 car.

BAR have finally scored a point, and will save themselves a fortune in travel expenses for next season. The car looked a lot more reliable this season, and Jacques Villeneuve must surely be grateful that he has finally managed to finish a race in points-scoring position. Ricardo Zonta gained his first Formula One points with the disqualification of Salo. The car is looking a lot better this year and the season definitely brighter! The Minardi team similarly could cause a few scuffles at the back of the grid. Despite being expected to be relegated to the back row, the car appears to have the ability to cause a few upsets on circuits where engine power is not the most important concern. Their car also looks a lot brighter this season, and the team may soon be moving from Italy to Spain if the deal with Telefonica is completed: this might well interfere with their season.

The season got off to a fantastic start in Melbourne, providing great momentum for Barrichello as he goes to Brazil. McLaren want desperately to get their season's campaign started and remind Ferrari that they are not going to have everything go their way. Many other teams also did not have a good start in 2000, and will be hoping for better fortunes in Brazil. The capacity crowd will be wanting to see something special, as will fans glued to television sets... The question now is, will the teams manage to kick the reliability bug for Brazil and show the critics that racing battles are not a thing of the past?

Brazilian Grand Prix Weekend