Preview - Austrian Grand Prix 2001.

This weekend the F1 circus goes to the A1 Ring in Austria and while the usual drivers will be competing for the ultimate honours surely it cannot be much longer until will see Mika Hakkinen on the top step of the podium. In Barcelona he was dreadfully unlucky - breaking down on the last lap - and the law of averages says that such awful luck will surely end sometime soon. So a Mika Hakkinen win this Sunday I think is more than likely and if you fancy a bet you could do worse than opt for the Finn.

Despite this though as has been the case now for god knows how long - Michael Schumacher and Ferrari will also be right up there and so far the German is looking good for a fourth title. Last week the Ferrari team was testing at Fiorano and unlike most teams, which did three or four days Ferrari as usual went for a five-day test to maximize the time available and to try and maintain their lead at the top of the drivers' and constructors' championships.

During the Fiorano test Michael Schumacher refused to write off rival Mika Hakkinen. He said: ''There is still a long way to go in the championship and with twelve races remaining, anything is possible. Mika (Hakkinen) can get back in the game and as I have always said, I still regard him as my main rival. We will have to see what happens in the next two or three races. We want to be as prepared as possible for the Austrian Grand Prix. In Barcelona, we acquired a lot of useful data on electronics and we want to develop a few ideas which came out of that.''

As for his teammate Rubens Barrichello after retiring in Spain with suspension problems the Brazilian is hoping to do better this time out. He said: ''We have been working hard in Fiorano and I hope the problem from the last race is behind us now. We have some new things to try on the car for Austria which will hopefully keep us well up in the development race between the front running teams.''

That then now brings us to McLaren-Mercedes and Mika Hakkinen. Hakkinen points tally so far this year has not been far short of a disaster and on Sunday the Finn will need maximum points if he is to have any chance of challenging for the title in 2001. It's not got to the stage yet where he has to win but it isn't far off. Looking ahead to the weekend Hakkinen who won the Austrian GP in 2000 said: ''Over the past three years, I've had a good record at the A1 Ring with three podium finishes, two as race winner. I enjoy driving at the circuit, which has similarities to a karting track with its short length and tight corners and it also offers numerous chances to overtake. Although I had a unsatisfactory end to the Spanish Grand Prix, I have not lost my belief that I can win the Drivers' World Championship and I am looking forward to getting back to the racing in Austria.''

Fighting talk then from the Finn and as for his teammate if he hopes to continue his title challenge he will have to do better than his fifth place in Spain. David Coulthard said: ''We proved in Barcelona that the car is quick in race conditions as I was able to pass people on a track that is not famed for its overtaking opportunities, whilst working my way up from the back of the grid into a points position. Now we have to go out in Austria and try to secure the desired result. I have finished in the top six in every race so far this season, I believe I am the only driver to have done so, and I intend to continue this consistency at the A1 Ring.''

Consistency then might just be DC's best way of achieving his first world championship but the Scot will have to sort out any disagreements with his boss first. The whole 'brain fade' situation between himself and Ron Dennis will have done his cause no good what so ever and while DC was within his rights to fire back at his boss it wasn't exactly the wisest of moves.

Over at Williams the team struggled in Spain with it's traction control system and this weekend it will be interesting to see if the Grove based team have sorted it all out. Providing they have and the Michelin tyres run well then the team will once again be strong. Montoya's second place finish in Barcelona will have done him a lot of good and now if the Colombian can sort out his performance in qualifying expect great things. He said: ''I am going to Austria in a confident mood, especially after my second place in Spain. It is frustrating when you don't finish races, so I just wanted to make it to the chequered flag, and a second on top of that was the icing on the cake. I am looking forward to going to Austria because I have good memories of the A-1 Ring. I have raced there twice in F3000 - winning in '97 and coming second in '98. On paper it doesn't look a good track for the team, as our results over the last couple of years have not been very good, but in reality we have definitely improved our entire package and we are looking forward to demonstrating that on that circuit. We have had a positive test in Valencia (last week) and I hope we can see the results of this in Austria.''

His teammate Ralf Schumacher continued: ''The track is not very demanding on drivers, nevertheless racing here has always been quite exciting. Unluckily in the last years I didn't have that much luck and I hope this time it's all going to change. I will do my best to get a good result.''

Gerhard Berger BMW's Motorsport Director added confidently: ''The A-1 Ring should be quite a good track for us. It is very demanding on engines and requires more full throttle than on any other Grand Prix track, which is positive for us. A well-functioning traction control system will be an advantage here so hopefully after the test in Valencia we should be a step ahead compared to Barcelona. Michelin tested at the A-1 Ring with the development car last year so with all these factors combined we are assuming this should be a positive race for us.''

If Williams are expecting a positive race so too are Jordan. So far this year they seem to have established themselves as the better of the two Honda teams and this weekend they will be keen to maintain that trend. Looking ahead to the Austrian GP Jarno Trulli said: ''I have strong memories, good and bad, of Austria. 1997 was my debut season and I was leading the Grand Prix when I stood in for (Olivier) Panis at Prost, until the engine failed. Austria is a beautiful place and I think we can do well there. In the past I have experienced problems during the race so hopefully this year we can get it right.''

His teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen added: ''I really like Austria. The food is great and I have a lot of supporters there. The A1 Ring isn't the challenging circuit that it used to be. There are only three kerbs where you can really go for it, but apart from that, there are many slow corners which upset the rhythm for the drivers.''

British American Racing then will be gunning for Jordan this time out and after grabbing their first podium courtesy of Jacques Villeneuve in Spain the BAR team will be keen to maintain the momentum. BAR boss Craig Pollock said: ''After the excellent result in Barcelona we are very much looking forward to Austria. We again had a very productive week of testing at Silverstone and Vairano and we were able to collect some valuable data with positive results.''

''Last year we had a strong showing at this circuit so we will be looking to improve on that and continue to be in a points scoring position with both Jacques (Villeneuve) and Olivier (Panis). As a team we are just remaining focused on our plan for the rest of the season, there is still a lot of work to do.''

That then brings us nicely to Sauber-Petronas and what can you say about this team? So far they have done more than most people would have dared imagine pre-season and if the team can keep it up perhaps they can strive for fourth place in the constructors championship. It is a tall order and although unlikely going on their recent form anything is possible and for Peter Sauber to beat the Honda powered teams would be a major coup.

Heading to Austrian this weekend Nick Heidfeld said: ''I like the A-1 Ring and I think it is the kind of track that will suit our car. This is like a home race for me, so I hope I can keep up our point-scoring form.''

His teammate Kimi R?ikk?nen will have to learn a new track again in Austria but the Finn is not worried. He said: ''The A-1 Ring will be another new circuit for me, but I think I have proved so far this year that learning new tracks is not a problem. I'm looking forward to being able to push hard for more points.''

Away from these teams you are left with Jaguar, Prost, Arrows, Benetton and Minardi. Jaguar seems to be making little progress. Team boss Bobby Rahal was disappointed with the teams showing in Barcelona. He said: ''We're naturally disappointed with the result of the Spanish Grand Prix but on the other hand, I am very encouraged by the team effort that was demonstrated over the weekend. Mark Ellis who recently joined us as chief race engineer is bringing leadership and experience into much needed areas. Both drivers have worked hard in the run-up to this race and our four-day test in Valencia went well.''

Number one driver Eddie Irvine added: ''I'm looking forward to Austria, not least because I missed this race last year as I had to be flown back to London for tests after suffering with abdominal pains. It's difficult to say what sort of result we can expect, but I do know that the four days of testing I did in Valencia were very positive. We managed to generate good mileage, most of them productive. So far this year, like most of the teams, we have concentrated on tyre and engine development. Last week, while continuing with this we also got down to some serious set-up and car balance work and I feel we have made progress and learnt a great deal about the Jaguar R2. Coming to Austria this early in the year, there is a good chance of bad weather and that will mean a more representative test of all the new electronic aids on the car that we used in Barcelona for the first time. Although we didn't have an easy time in Barcelona two weeks ago, one thing I was pleased about was that, while other teams seemed to have problems, we had a trouble-free time with our traction and launch control and all the other electronics developed by Cosworth and Pi Electronics. The team did a great job and I won't be too worried if it rains here.''

Pedro de la Rosa will be competing in his second race for Jaguar this weekend. He said: ''My debut race for Jaguar Racing was a nightmare! Not only was I forced to qualify 20th on the grid because I qualified in the T-car, but I was then forced out of the race by Heinz-Harald Frentzen after only a handful of laps. Our four-day Valencia test, however, was productive in that we learnt good things about set-up and balance - something we haven't done too much of because of tyre testing duties. We found improvements in the set-up and the handling. We also tried wet weather tyre compounds and I'm encouraged about the results we generated. The tyre war is getting very tight now and it will be interesting to see how it manifests itself in Austria if the weather is bad. On the other hand, we are expecting aero improvements to the car in the next couple of races and that should, I hope, allow Eddie and I to qualify further up the pecking order. We are desperately in need of points and being further up the grid makes that challenge a more realistic one.''

Over at Prost the French team was testing in Valencia as well last week and with some new developments coming soon the outfit is hopeful for the future and this weekend. Luciano Burti said: ''Last week's test has been very useful for the team and personally very productive as I'm getting more familiar with the team. I have worked a lot on my car's set up. The Austrian Grand Prix will be for sure always special to me, since it's where last year I ran my first Formula One Grand Prix (in replacement of Eddie Irvine). It is still a good memory although my debut was somehow hasty. It was so unexpected that my helmet was not even ready! The A1 Ring is a fast, low grip track, where it is difficult to find the limit, especially on qualifying. Even though racing there once was not enough for me to learn the circuit, I enjoyed it, and after testing with the team in Valencia, I feel ready and confident.''

John Walton - Prost's Sporting Director - added in regard to the test: ''Despite changing weather conditions during the whole session, both Jean (Alesi) and Luciano (Burti) did a very productive and complementary job, sharing duties on the intensive technical programme we had planned. We continued the development and optimisation of the new electronic software, and conducted some important tests with Michelin, especially on wet tyres, mainly in view of the Austrian Grand Prix. The team also successfully tested some development parts which will be introduced very soon.''

Arrows, Benetton and Minardi seem to be three teams going nowhere fast. Arrows driver Jos Verstappen had this to say about the A1 Ring. He said: ''Qualifying is always interesting. The whole grid is always very close together time-wise so it's possible to get a good position for the start of the race. The circuit has a lot of slow corners, so heavy braking is required along with good acceleration. It's also a very low grip track, which lessens tyre wear, but can cause understeer. Overtaking is possible at the A1-Ring, so it should be an interesting race.''

New teammate Enrique Bernoldi is looking forward to Austria, and hoping to get a good finish on a circuit he knows from his F3000 campaigns. He said: ''I raced at the A1-Ring twice in F3000, so I know the track quite well. There are more slow corners than fast ones, so it's hard to keep up a steady rhythm throughout each lap. I'm hoping to have a better race than I did in Spain, and I'm happy to be going to Austria as it's a very nice country and it's good for me as I live nearby.''

Team principal Tom Walkinshaw added: ''It was good to get Jos' car home in Spain, so we were pleased with the new parts we put on the car,'' he said, ''The test team have been hard at work running at Silverstone last week to get some more miles on the parts to support our package, so hopefully we can have a good weekend in Austria. We were had a positive race there last year, so you never know.''

At Benetton the team knows that Austrian GP will again be a tough race since developments will not appear on the car until around the French GP. Mike Gascoyne - Benetton's Technical Director - backed up this view when he said: ''In some respects Austria will be as difficult as the last few races because we have no major improvements to the chassis or engine. As we have said before, we just have to be patient for the improvements that are in development. We have been testing in Valencia, conducting tyre tests with Mark Webber in the B200 and some wet weather testing with the Michelin rain tyres. The tyres have been slightly inconsistent over the last few races, so we hope to have a step forward there, as it could easily be wet over the weekend in Austria.''

''We have had restricted running again in the B201 due limited engine availability and this has not helped our electronic systems and chassis development work. Our aim for the Austrian Grand Prix is to gain reliability with both the car and the engine to be able get the two cars to the finish and to have a more competitive weekend than we had in Barcelona. In Barcelona we made the wrong choice of tyre, so we have to make sure that that does not happen this weekend. On the positive side each race brings the planned improvements closer and both drivers and the team are doing a professional job over the weekend.''

Finally we come to European-Minardi and while the team did test last week it was only for one day at Fiorano. Since then they have losted their technical director Gustav Brunner to Toyota and Paul Stoddart's outfit will not be helped by the departure of one of their biggest assets. Another weekend then for Tarso Marques and Alonso Fonso fighting it out at the tail end of the grid seems virtually guaranteed.

So another Michael Schumacher win come Sunday? - possible: but surely Mika Hakkinen is due a win? We will have to wait and see...