Preview - San Marino Grand Prix 2001.

F1 heads to Imola this weekend for the San Marino Grand Prix and with it the European season kicks off. It now seems as if we have three potential teams that could win races and six different drivers - something that hasn't been likely in F1 for some time.

Williams' performance in Brazil heralded the return of the Wantage based team and this weekend it will be interesting to see how the whole package performs and if they can continue to keep pace with the Ferrari's and McLaren's.

Last year Michael Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix followed by Mika Hakkinen in second and David Coulthard in third. This year he will again be the bookies favourite closely followed no doubt by the McLaren duo of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard (little changes over the course of a year). The big change though is Williams and they will be the dark horses for the top step of the podium although a lot will depend on the tyres and if Michelin gets it right.

After testing at Fiorano last week Michael Schumacher said: ''This week's testing has been very positive. We worked principally on the tyres and the development of several aerodynamic solutions. I am sure that at Imola we will more competitive than in Brazil. This year the battle for the championship will be between three teams: I think Williams will be up front also at Imola.''

Schumacher's Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello goes to Italy on the back of some rather suspect performances. True he finished third and second in the opening two grand's prix but his tendency to collide with people will mean that he will be looking for a more convincing performance this time out or at least one that's less controversial or doesn't involve any contact.

After the Brazilian GP he said: ''This was definitely not my lucky day. On the formation lap there was a problem with my car, which stopped at the side of the track. I ran back to the pits where the mechanics did a great job to adapt the spare for me, as it was set up for Michael. The car was almost perfect and I am grateful to the whole team for giving me the chance to start my home race. They really worked miracles and I am proud of them.''

''I did not make a very good start, but then I soon got into my stride. I was behind Ralf (Schumacher) when he suddenly changed line, probably to pass another car and he braked in front of me. I did not expect this and the collision was inevitable after that. These things happen in racing.''

The only problem of course is that in the last three races these things have a tendency to happen when Rubens is around and if he doesn't watch it he may end up with a lot more than (Jos) Verstappen or Hakkinen did in Interlagos (both were fined) and a race ban or a suspended ban looks a strong possibility.

McLaren of course are still the major threat to Ferrari's hopes of retaining both titles. David Coulthard seems to have the upper hand on Mika Hakkinen at the moment but things can change very quickly in motor racing and the Scot needs to continue finishing as he has done in the opening three grand's prix to keep up his hopes of winning the drivers' title in 2001.

After winning in Brazil he said: ''I'm really happy with today's result and it couldn't have happened without the hard work put in by the entire team these past couple of weeks. When you start a race from fifth you don't expect to win, which makes today's result even more special. It was a race where we used the right strategy and took a good decision with the set-up. We were certain that it was going to rain and set the car up for this, which meant it was not working to its optimum in the dry conditions at the start of the race. We still have some work to do and are expecting to improve the car and engine even further for San Marino. I can't wait.''

Mika Hakkinen will also be eager to get to San Marino and get his championship challenge back on track. One point from three races while Schumacher has netted 26 and his teammate 20 really shows how much ground he has lost. The Finn though is by no means out of it and was in a similar situation last year and he still managed to take the battle for the drivers' championship down to the penultimate round with Michael Schumacher in Japan.

Ron Dennis, McLaren team principal, of course was quick to praise David after his win in Brazil. He said: ''Of course, it goes without saying that this was one of David's best drives. He and his engineers did a great job at optimising the car for the different weather conditions that we predicted prior to the race. His pace in the rain was sensational and his discipline once in the lead was extreme. In the end the points speak for themselves. Mika's clutch problem effectively eliminated him immediately. The pit lane entrance being so far from the start line made it impossible for the mechanics to restart his engine. There are still 14 races to go and you only have to look at last year to appreciate that this championship is still wide open.''

Away from the top two is Williams, which seem set to make it a top three. What can you say about there performance in Brazil? Other than it was sensational. In qualifying Ralf Schumacher was right up there and in the race Juan Pablo Montoya finally got to show what he was made of. The Colombian seemingly justifying all the pre-season hype and let's hope such performances continue.

Team boss Frank Williams said in the build up to this weekend's GP: ''Following the promising race in Brazil I feel that Imola will present the team with another opportunity to see if we really can close that gap between the cars currently leading the championship and the rest of the field. The team had a positive test in the rain at Magny-Cours. All the performance components of the car are improving in unison and there's reason to be hopeful again of a good result at this particular circuit.''

Ralf Schumacher added: ''I think that we are well prepared for the Grand Prix of San Marino. So I am looking forward to travelling to Italy, as I love Italian food and the fantastic atmosphere around the racetrack. I hope that I can finish my race and collect as many championship points as possible.''

Talking about the track he noted: ''The Imola circuit is interesting to drive as it has some blind corners. The kerbs invite the drivers to use them as part of the track, which does not work very well. The combination of fast and slow corners is very attractive. On the other hand, overtaking was very difficult in the last couple of years.''

His teammate Montoya concluded: ''It's nice to go to Italy, there's nice people, nice food, the fans are quite ecstatic and the overall feeling is good. Imola should be a good track for us. Unlike the other circuits, which hosted the first three Grand's Prix of this season, I have raced in San Marino before in F3000. I cannot say though that this is the most familiar track to me because my race there lasted about five laps before I crashed out! After the performance in Brazil I think we definitely proved what we can do and I am looking forward to giving it another go in Imola!''

Of the rest Jordan and British American Racing - the two Honda powered teams - will go to Imola both eager to try and make the top three a top four. It's a high target though and although Jordan have 7 points in the bag to BAR's 3 there is still very little to choose between them.

''We've scored points in each of the first three races'', commented Eddie Jordan, Chief Executive, ''and it's the hard work and commitment of the entire team at Jordan and Honda that has made this possible. We've worked hard with Honda over the last few weeks to resolve some of the early season hitches and feel confident that Jordan will continue to be a strong challenger to the top teams.''

Heinz-Harald Frentzen continued: ''It's good to go to San Marino, as it's the start of the European season, which is good for the teams and drivers. Italy, the tifosi and the circuit always remind me of my first win in 1997. This track is a roller-coaster ride for the drivers but it has special flair.''

Jarno Trulli added: ''Everyone assumes that Imola is my home race, which is true because I am Italian, but I haven't actually raced in Italy very much. I feel good about going to Imola. My supporters in Italy are hoping for a good result and I would like to give them that.''

Trevor Foster, Managing Director concluded: ''Bad fortune has caused San Marino to traditionally be one of the less successful races for Jordan. We have been in some good point scoring positions in the past at Imola, but the cars have unfortunately not crossed the finish line. This race is therefore very important for us to rid ourselves of this tradition.''

BAR will be hoping 'tradition' continues eager to close the point's gap on Jordan and establish themselves as the top Honda team. Olivier Panis is fast showing up his Canadian teammate at the moment and Jacques Villeneuve will be out like Hakkinen to prove a point and get his 2001 campaign on course.

Villeneuve said after testing last week: ''I've been testing in beautiful, freezing Silverstone. The car has been very quick so I'm very excited about the next race at Imola. The end result in Brazil wasn't very good but the car was very quick in the race, especially in the wet, which is very promising. Now we just have to work on qualifying.''

Throughout 2001 the BAR team has been outperformed by Jordan in qualifying. Indeed while Jordan have qualified fourth, seventh, fifth, ninth, seventh and eighth in the opening three Grands Prix, BAR have been eighth, ninth, seventh, tenth, eleventh, and 12th. Something Honda is no doubt aware of and something Craig Pollock's outfit will be out to put right this weekend.

After Brazil Pollock said: ''I think it is probably one of the most interesting races that I have seen for a long time with all the different scenarios that took place. Yet again the opportunity was there and we didn't manage to capitalise on it which means that we have to look at our own systems. I feel extremely sorry for Olivier because P3 was easily there to be had. It is a great shame because both cars were very reliable and competitive today.''

Sauber go Imola following some top performances in the first three races culminating with a third place finish in Brazil with Nick Heidfeld. The big question though - is can the team maintain this momentum throughout the year?

Sauber like all the other teams - except Minardi - were testing last week. Kimi Raikkonen said: ''I felt a little bit tired today; I guess I know what travelling is all about after my first three Grand's Prix! But it didn't affect my driving, and I really enjoyed learning the track (Magny-Cours).'' He added: ''I'm really looking forward to Imola, and to challenging for some more points.''

Team boss Peter Sauber continued referring to Brazil: ''For the whole team this was a fantastic result, and confirms all the promise we have shown so far this season. For the team it was a difficult thing to advise the drivers on tyre choice, but Nick Heidfeld made a very good decision to inform us that he preferred intermediate tyres in the conditions. Both he and Kimi Raikkonen drove strongly all race, and were in points-scoring contention throughout.''

Scoring points is something the Jaguar team has so far failed to do despite the backing of Ford. Bobby Rahal said: ''Although we should have been blessed with better luck, I was encouraged with the progress the team made in Brazil. The Jaguar R2's reliability is getting even better and we should have capitalised with some points at the last race. Eddie's drive up to sixth position highlighted the potential we have and I am pleased by improvements we are making to the package.''

''The on-going challenge for us is to find more pace and our two-day Jerez test focused on developing new front-end aerodynamic parts. The feedback was positive, but we'll have a far better idea of our competitiveness when we roll out at San Marino alongside the others. As we have seen from the races so far this season, qualifying times will probably come down at Imola compared to last year's. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the circuit lap record is smashed this year. The tyre development war is certainly making it's presence felt but it will be interesting to see what happens to lap times after Imola with this being the last race before traction control becomes legal again.''

Eddie Irvine added: ''It sounds like a clich?, but it will be great to be racing back in Europe, after spending more time in the air than Superman on a busy day! On top of that, I really love going to Imola. It's an interesting track, still challenging, even if it's been tamed with too many chicanes. That means it's hard on the brakes particularly. The fact we can't test there means you approach it with a fresh mind. The atmosphere is fantastic, the crowd are nicely crazy and after the hot and sticky conditions of the first three races, it will make a pleasant change to experience some cooler weather. Michelin have not tested there, but new circuits don't seem to present them with much problem so far.''

His teammate Luciano Burti continued: ''Apart from the premature retirement, the Brazilian Grand Prix was pleasing in that I was very close to Eddie all weekend. It's healthy to have both cars fighting so closely and I hope we can carry that momentum through to Imola. I don't know this track, but it doesn't strike me as being too difficult to learn as far as the layout is concerned. Getting through the chicanes well and understanding how to tackle the kerbs is important at Imola. We haven't yet got the outright speed that we need and our ability to produce a good set-up will be critical to make progress.''

''I was pleased with what we learned in Brazil and the team achieved good results from the aero work we conducted in Jerez leading up to this race. Eddie finished seventh in Imola last year and it would be great to have that level of competitiveness again. With this, however being a transitional season for Jaguar Racing, it's very difficult to predict Imola until we go out for Friday Free Practice. Nobody tested here in the run-up to the race and as has been the case since the beginning of the season, the tyres will undoubtedly play a fundamental role for all concerned.''

Over at Arrows the team will be praying for rain so that Jos Verstappen can repeat his performance shown in Malaysia. He said: ''Imola is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar as it's a real challenge. It's hard on the brakes and has lots of slow speed chicanes so to do a quick lap here you need a car that can jump the kerbs well. Luckily the A22 can do just that so I'm hoping for a good race. Last year's race started well for me but I had a problem that caused me to do an extra pit stop so I lost a lot of time. It will be nice to be racing in Europe again and hopefully we will get a good result.''

Although Enrique Bernoldi has raced at Imola before, it will be his first F1 race there. He added: ''I raced at Imola back in 1996 in Formula Renault and won the race so the track holds fond memories for me. It's a challenging circuit and I've always enjoyed racing at Imola so let's hope I can score my first Formula One finish there.''

Team Principal, Tom Walkinshaw, is eager to see the results of recent developments to the A22s. He concluded: ''Everyone at Arrows and Asiatech has been working hard to improve the performance of the A22. We tested at Magny Cours and Lurcy Levis last week to get some mileage behind a few new ideas so we are hoping all this work will pay off. Ideally we'd like both cars to reach the finish with at least one of them in the points. We'll try our best and hope for a good race.''

That then brings us to Benetton, Prost and Minardi. Don't expect anything much from these teams this weekend. Benetton still have a long way to go. The new revolutionary Renault engine is proving a massive liability at the moment and the drivers, Jenson Button and Giancarlo Fisichella will have their work cut out all weekend. The only thing that should be concerning Button is that he needs to beat his teammate something he hasn't done in the last two grand's prix in qualifying.

Over at Prost people are starting to question if the pace in testing was done using a legal car and unless they pull something out of the hat this weekend most people will conclude that it was all a ploy to pull in new sponsors. Rumours are still going around about Gaston Mazzacane but why anyone would want to join the Prost team at the moment is a bit of a mystery - racing for them is akin to torture.

At Minardi - the team still hasn't been testing so with all the other teams moving forward Paul Stoddart's team looks set for another weekend at the tail end of the field. It's nothing new though is it? And this looks to be the case throughout 2001.

Tyres wise Bridgestone go to Imola with the more data, the more experience and consequently the better chances. Michelin though will still be there or there abouts and hopefully the Williams team can show what the Michelin tyres can do if they are used by a decent team. Presently the big problem for Michelin is if Williams drop out no one else can pick up the flag and carry on.

Overall then another Ferrari win then come Sunday evening is likely but far from assured and with Williams looking so competitive we will be set for a fascinating Grand Prix and the last before the re-introduction of traction control. Here's to a great race.

** PS. Did you know?

If Michael Schumacher claims pole position for this weekend's Grand Prix on Saturday the German will have achieved eight consecutive pole positions and will match the record set by the late Ayrton Senna. Schumacher has been on pole for every race since the Italian GP in September last year. Senna set the record for eight consecutive poles back in 1989.