Preview - Brazilian Grand Prix 2001.

Formula One is all about winners and losers. After the opening two races it seems pretty clear that Ferrari - for the early part of the season at least - are going to be doing most of the winning. Michael Schumacher heads to Brazil with a 10 point lead over David Coulthard and a 19 point lead over Finn Mika Hakkinen - what is almost certainly his two biggest rivals for the title.

Despite this though several questions remain to be answered - Was Williams' and Ralf Schumacher's third place in qualifying in Malaysia a fluke? Can Arrows maintain the momentum shown in Sepang? Has Sauber peaked already in 2001? And are the Ferrari's of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello unstoppable?

Well, to answer the latter question at the very least Ferrari is again looking good for this weekend's GP. In testing in Barcelona last week the Maranello outfit topped the times on all four days and the team is looking the best it has been for a long, long time. After testing Michael Schumacher said: "I think we will be competitive in Brazil, just as we were in Melbourne and Sepang. I can't see any reason why we shouldn't be." His rivals had better take note if Ferrari are as competitive in Brazil as in the opening GP's then the rest may as well go home now.

Schumacher Senior heads to Brazil then looking for his seventh successive win and well the law of averages says this cannot go on forever don't be surprise if he wins again on Sunday. McLaren have said they won't be truly up to speed until the first European race but personally I can't see the tides changing until the Spanish GP when traction control is officially allowed back in. This might just upset the balance of power.

There has been much made in the press and media of Ferraris' 'legal traction control system' after the ho-ha caused by Heinz Harald Frentzen - some sort of engine mapping to all those with out a degree in Engineering or whatever it is you need - but whatever the reality the team that best exploits the rules is the one that's going to be on top. In recent years it has been Williams and then McLaren and now it seems Ferrari. One can only congratulate the people in Italy for a job well done and wish the rest the best of luck in catching them up.

Last year the Brazilian race was won by Michael Schumacher with Giancarlo Fisichella second and Heinz-Harald Frentzen third. Qualifying was also disrupted when advertising hoardings fell on to the track during qualifying causing scenes, which embarrassed the F1 fraternity and could have led to serious accidents. This year Bernie Ecclestone will be watching closely to make sure there is no repeat and if there is the organisers will probably have more to deal with than just a hefty fine.

Heading to Brazil Schumacher said: "It will probably be another tough race for us and the cars. It can be very hot in Brazil combined with the humidity, although not as bad as Malaysia I hope. We have proven the cars reliability in two tough races right at the start of the season, which is encouraging going into the Brazilian race."

"You can never be sure of finishing a race at any time of the season, but the team have done an incredible job with this year's car which has survived not only the rigors of racing on the track but also off it as well. Nobody likes to race in the wet as it makes things a lot more risky, but if we do get a wet race it's nice to know that the car is so strong in wet conditions."

His teammate Rubens Barrichello will be go to Brazil his home race with a lot of expectations on his shoulders. The crowd will be cheering for their hero and wouldn't it be nice if we had a repeat of Germany 2000 when Rubinho crossed the line first.

Rubens has elected to sport a new helmet this weekend reflecting the colours of Brazil. Yet the last time he did this in 1995 it all went pear-shaped lets just hope it doesn't happen again. If the pressure though wasn't enough for Rubens of appearing in front of his home ground he's also created storm after criticising Michael Schumacher. Not the ideal way to prepare for a GP even if the home crowd is supposedly worth a second a lap according to ex-GP hero Nigel Mansell.

Rubens said: "It would be the dream of a lifetime to win my home race and I will certainly doing all I can to beat Michael to the chequered flag. When you have your whole country behind you it certainly adds to your motivation and determination to do well. It's a lot of extra pressure, but a positive one."

"I had a disappointing result last year when an engine problem put me out early in the race. My first goal is to make it to the finish, to be the first one there will certainly be a welcome bonus."

McLaren meanwhile have to stop the rot. Team Boss Ron Dennis said: "At both Australia and Malaysia we have seen the capability of the MP4-16, through both reliability and speed, and we aim to show that the work carried out in testing will enable the team to harness the maximum potential of the car at Interlagos."

Mika Hakkinen added: "We always enter a race weekend with the intention of winning and this is the key target for Brazil. The West McLaren Mercedes team and myself are working as hard as possible to secure the desired result. I enjoy racing at Interlagos as the Brazilian fans have a real passion for the sport and the atmosphere is always fantastic."

Teammate David Coulthard continued: "Interlagos is a greater physical challenge than some of the other tracks, and it demands a high level of fitness, which I have been focusing on over the winter, the circuit also offers genuine overtaking opportunities, in particular through the first corner, adding to the interest of the race. Historically the Brazilian race has been successful for the McLaren team and I hope we can continue this trend in 2001."

Much is often made then of the "greater physical challenge" at Interlagos (as DC highlights) and the fact the track is ran anti-clockwise in direction but don't expect this to make any difference to the top men - Schumacher, Coulthard, Hakkinen and so on. The people it is most likely to hurt are those new to F1 - the likes of Kimi Rakkionen and so on.

Williams meanwhile are really starting to re-discover their form. Ralf Schumacher said: "The Brazilian Grand Prix is amongst the most demanding races of the F1 calendar. The lnterlagos track should be a really good one for us, a bit like Malaysia. Usually in Brazil it's very warm, which helps our tyres and doesn't affect our engine, which is very good anyway. I see problems only if it should rain, because on a wet track or when it's drying out, we still have some gaps. I hope that the track surface has been really improved, because in the past years I experienced a real pounding so much so that after a few laps I already had a headache. Otherwise I am very pleased to enjoy again the great Brazilian steaks!"

Juan Pablo Montoya added: "The Brazilian GP should be a positive race weekend, as lnterlagos is a good track for us. But theoretically Malaysia wasn't supposed to be a good track for us and we were pretty quick so, you can never tell. I've never been there but I have fond memories of Brazil because I've raced in Rio de Janeiro with the Champ Cars and I won there. It should be pretty exciting, as this is the closest race to my Country. I expect to see lots of Colombian fans there and this will be a really great sensation."

Frank Williams continued: "I am really looking forward to this race to be competitive once again. A good long straight presents very good passing opportunities beyond the pits. I've always thought lnterlagos provided a fine track for exciting racing. Let's hope we're part of the action."

Of the rest Jordan and BAR are the two to watch. "Third in the Championship is where the team wants to stay," commented Jordan's boss, Eddie Jordan, "The first two races have gone well for us, but we are up against stiff competition. Heinz-Harald (Frentzen) has finished third in Brazil for two years running, so if we can maintain that form and see Jarno (Trulli) in the points too, it would be perfect."

"Interlagos is a very nice circuit, but it is technical and tough and very twisty," commented Jarno Trulli, "I always like driving in Brazil as the circuit suits my driving style and I have always been strong there, so I hope for more good results. Last year we scored our first points at this race so I would like a repeat performance."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen added: "I enjoy the circuit and we have seen some good races there in the past with good overtaking manoeuvres. The track was re-surfaced before the 2000 Grand Prix, which reduced the lap times, but the bumps are still quite bad. This is a circuit where no tooth-filling is safe!"

British American Racing meanwhile - are fast becoming the number two Honda team. They now trail Jordan by zero points to five. After testing last week BAR Chief Engineer Steve Farrell said: "There has been a huge effort by all at BAR Honda to deliver two race cars straight from Malaysia to Barcelona so that we could provide both drivers with cars to prepare for the Spanish GP. Having not tested since before Melbourne we had a long list of development work to try out and we have achieved our objectives. At the end of this test we are happy with the progress and feel that we are in a good position for Brazil."

BAR driver, Jacques Villeneuve has yet to score in 2001 and is aiming to do so this weekend. He said: "I hope I can finish the race. I also wish that our two cars finish in front of the Jordan's and better still, in front of the Williams. If my car is reliable, I will also gain points. The Brazilian track is very physically demanding and finishing the race is not easy. It's a very physical track and since I am very fit, I hope I will have an advantage".

Next up based on the performance in Sepang is the OrangeArrows team. In Malaysia Jos Verstappen was flying he said: "I am still very motivated after Malaysia which was great and last year's race here was quite good too. I was running in third for a while so hopefully we can make the car a little bit better and have another good race. I had trouble with the strain on my neck last year but this time around I'm a lot fitter so I'm not expecting any problems."

Enrique Bernoldi heads to his home race in Brazil eager to perform well too. He noted: "It's the third race of the year and my home Grand Prix. Obviously I want to finish the race this time, especially as it will be in front of my friends and family. I like the Interlagos track very much. It has a good combination of fast and slow corners but is physically very demanding."

Team Principal, Tom Walkinshaw concluded: "We've been testing for four days in Barcelona, working on various set ups and have learned more about the car, so hopefully we can do well for the race. The team's very upbeat after Jos' performance in Malaysia, so we're hoping to continue the good form and get both cars to the finish, perhaps in the points if we have a bit of luck."

Meanwhile at Benetton the team is still struggling with the new radical Renault engine and the whole package. Mike Gascoyne Technical Director said: "Malaysia was obviously a tough race with high temperatures, but we were pleased in general with the reliability of the cars which was a step forward from Australia, the first race of the season."

He added: "We have been testing in Barcelona for four days. Mark Webber drove the B200 working on tyre work and electronic systems, whilst Jenson (Button) and Giancarlo (Fisichella) ran in the B201 looking at performance work. We tested a new bodywork package with several major updates and this will be incorporated on the cars in Brazil. The new aero package gave us positive results in testing and so we hope it will help us improve our performance in comparison to our competitors."

Pat Symonds - Director of Engineering - continued: "The Interlagos circuit is challenging for both drivers and engineers. From a drivers point of view it is a further race in reasonably hot and humid conditions and the fact it is an anti-clockwise circuit, which puts strain on drivers back and neck muscles, generally makes this one of the toughest circuits for drivers to handle. The track offers some overtaking opportunities both into turn four at the end of the back straight and particularly into turn one at the end of the pit straight where many good overtaking manoeuvres have been seen in previous years."

"The engineers need to cope with a number of different challenging corners and the cars need to be set up to use the curves well in the low speed corners and also ride the bumps which, although less than in previous years, can cause problems."

"The possibility of heavy rain is always present in Brazil and can be similar to that seen in Malaysia last week with little warning and very heavy downpours, over the years this has led to some exciting races. Last year was a good race for both our drivers with Giancarlo qualifying fifth and finishing second in the race, Jenson, in only his second race, qualifying ninth and gaining his first point."

Talking of rain the weather forecast for the weekend puts the chances of a downpour at 50:50. So perhaps this might just help the lesser teams if a few of the 'big boys' fall by the wayside. Jaguar will certainly be hoping for a helping hand.

Bobby Rahal team principal said: "I'm reasonably pleased with the progress we are making, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us. As I said in Malaysia, we must make better use of track time during Free Practice sessions, that in turn will help optimise the set-up of the Jaguar R2 in qualifying and race trim. Eddie has been missing the luck of the Irish during the first two races and given the rate at which we are meeting our reliability targets, I'm obviously keen to see both our cars race without interruptions from other drivers."

"We know Interlagos is a very challenging track and the heat will certainly help dictate the outcome of this race. Reliability will subsequently play a key role and our efforts to address this have so far been pleasing. We've just finished a three-day test in Barcelona with all three drivers and I'm pleased with what we addressed and achieved. With regard to recent media speculation about the immediate future of Luciano, I can only reiterate my words from Malaysia in that Eddie and Luciano are our drivers."

Eddie Irvine added: "My track record in Brazil isn't exactly brilliant. My only points' finish from seven starts was a sixth place in 1999. The Interlagos circuit is very demanding. Physically it is tough, partly because of the fact it is left-handed and also because it is very bumpy. I hear they have resurfaced a lot since last year, but I'm not holding my breath, because the last time they did that, it seemed to make it worse! If the track is something of a car breaker, then that might just do us a favour as the R2 seems a strong car. At last week's testing in Barcelona, we concentrated on traction control work in anticipation of the Spanish GP, but we also tried a few new aerodynamic modifications and hopefully these might up our general performance level in Brazil."

Teammate Luciano Burti had this to say: "I don't know Interlagos I've only raced their once in Formula Ford. When I was young, I also remember watching races from the grandstand and to come back as a driver in front of my home fans is something I can't wait for. In addition to my race duties, I am also anticipating a very busy weekend off the track dealing with media speculation concerning my future with Jaguar Racing. This is yet another example of media speculation gone wild.''

Sauber too head to Brazil with a point to prove - true unlike Jaguar they have at least scored points already: with a brilliant two finishes in Australia - but the Switzerland based outfit needs to prove it was no one off and that they can keep up the development something the team traditionally struggles to do.

Sauber's Technical director Willy Rampf said: "Interlagos is quite a different track to Melbourne and Malaysia, so it poses special challenges. There are two long straights: past the pits and along the back of the circuit. Then there is also the tight infield complex followed by the long climb to the start finish line. It's quite difficult to strike the right compromise there, especially as you need very different set-ups for qualifying and for the race. For qualifying you need high down force to handle the infield, but for the race you need high top speed so you can overtake on the straights. You also need to pay a lot of attention to mechanical set-up, with the springs and roll bars, to find the most suitable means of dealing with the circuit's serious bumps."

Nick Heidfeld added: "Team Red Bull Sauber Petronas have shown so far that the car is competitive. I am definitely looking forward to racing at Interlagos. It's a different sort of track so it's difficult to predict how we will go. The weather is due to be as warm and sunny as it was in Australia and Malaysia, but the climate could also bring some rain. Interlagos is interesting too for tyres as the track is renown as to be bumpy. I also wish to find the quickest combination for qualifying. I kept my physical level up since the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix as driving through the bumps is very uncomfortable: you get some very hard shocks on your whole body. Also usually muscles on the left of your neck are not as strong as on the right-hand side."

Kimi Raikkonen noted: ''Interlagos is another new circuit for me to learn. It doesn't worry me to know that it is anticlockwise and considered as one of the toughest of the year in the calendar. The track is difficult because it is very bumpy. It is a lot of work to find a special set up for that, unlike any other track in the F1 calendar. I'm looking forward to driving there, and to challenging again for some points."

Finally we come to Prost and European Minardi. What can you say about these two teams other than they will be in for another tough weekend languishing at the back of the grid? At least Minardi though go to Brazil knowing things are finally changing. The announcement that Loic Bigois has joined the team to boost the Aerodynamic department really is good news. It's just a shame the same can't be said for Prost.

Tyres wise Michelin man Pierre Dupasquier summed up the situation best when he said: "We're still a long way from optimising all the parameters involved in this sport, but Interlagos should help us to gain a clearer understanding with a view to providing drivers with better products before the end of the year. But we don't expect miracles in Brazil. The little time available to the teams between Asia and South America doesn't leave much room for innovation."

So expect Bridgestone to be on top, expect a Ferrari win, expect McLaren to continue to play catch up closely followed by Williams, Jordan and BAR and expect Schumacher to head to Europe looking for his eighth successive win. Ascari record in sight we shall see!