SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Preview: 2004 Spanish Grand Prix

Recently appointed managing director of all of the Ferrari Group, Jean Todt is watching his team stroll nonchalantly on to a record sixth constructor's championship this year. The Ferrari is easily the best car on the grid and after San Marino there can be no doubt that it is also the most powerful. This will be of particular use in Spain where the long start finish straight requires decent horsepower. The long straight and broad sweeping turns also puts pressure on reliability but Ferrari seem to have this easily trumped with the team not suffering one mechanical retirement since Germany 2001. Away from the track the FIA have imposed new rules on F1 to be adopted from 2008 onwards (and possibly as early as 2006). These were forced through by Ferrari committing its future to Formula 1 instead of the manufacturer's championship (as had been threatened before). With Ferrari committed to Formula 1 the other manufacturers had no choice but to agree to Max Moseley's proposals in their entirety. This should see the end of traction control and a growth in the number of teams in Formula 1 with one team (Arden) looking to set up as early as next year!

M. Schumacher

Michael Schumacher will be starting his 200th race in Spain. As the runaway leader of the championship and winner of every Spanish Grand Prix since 2000. This race will be Schumacher's 200th in Formula 1 in a career spanning thirteen years so far. Schumacher still has a fair way to go to equal Riccardo Patrese's record number of starts at 256 but with him driving so well there is no reason to suggest that he won't do it! Schumacher is keen to emphasize his comparative lack of testing at Barcelona compared to his rivals and is talking up BAR's chances of beating him in particular. Although BAR certainly are closer to Ferrari and have been setting some phenomenal times in winter testing it seems unlikely that Schumi will seriously be bothered by Button's challenge. An easy pole and win seems a likely and fitting way for Michael to celebrate his two hundredth start.

Barrichello

Certainly less impressive than his team mate so fat this season, Rubens may have had more testing than usual before the season began but he seems less at home in the F2004 than he ever did in the F2003-GA. Rubens is only one point ahead of Jenson Button in the driver's championship and, while his lack of pace is anything but worrying, it does suggest that Rubens is content to trail along in Schuey's wake at the moment. Barrichello probably scored the most emphatic win last season when he dominated the race in Silverstone and his pace in Suzuka made Schumacher look flat footed. This season, however, Rubens has never looked close to challenging Schumacher and has often been struggling in traffic as his team leader has disappeared into the distance. Rubens needs to start addressing this if he is not to be remembered as Schumacher's lap dog.

BMW Williams F1 (Dark Blue and White with Compaq and Allianz graphics)

Relief regarding agreement regarding Formula 1's future has been tempered in the Williams camp by BMW's comments that they are happy to pull out of the formula should it not suit their requirements. Although the Munich company did not suggest that any such move was imminent, it was a very clear shot across the bows of both the FIA and the team. Williams are still struggling to get to grips with their FW26 and the team were frustrated in their testing at Silverstone due to foul weather all week. The car seems to have plenty of grip but not enough turn in (i.e. the car turns in a little as if it were on gravel). This means that although the car does not have a problem in keeping speed through the corner it does wear tires quickly and needs to be absolutely bolted down at the back if its package is to work. In Spain this is likely to be less of a handicap than it was at Imola but it is still something that must be urgently addressed if the car is to develop into a genuine contender.

R. Schumacher

Along with McLaren Ralf Schumacher's performances must be the most disappointing aspects of the 2004 season to date. Ralf has at no stage looked like challenging his team mate or his brother in the races while his qualifying performances have been sporadic at best. Ralf needs a car to be under him before he can make the best of it and it is clear that he does not trust the handling characteristics of the FW26. Considering the driving characteristics highlighted above it is not exactly surprising that neither of the Williams drivers are thrilled by its characteristics and, although the car may well be naturally faster than its rivals, it is an indication of the team's reliance on aerodynamics over driver's feedback that shows the team developing a car that may be fast but can not be driven naturally by the drivers that way (both Ralf and Montoya prefer a looser setup than that currently allowed by the FW26).

Montoya

Still smarting over his being bundled off the track by Schumacher at the start of the San Marino race Montoya is doing the best with what is a very unfinished package. Rather than fight it out with the Ferraris Williams looks more likely to be slugging it out with the Renaults and Sato's BAR this weekend. Montoya is still pretty reticent about his moving to McLaren next year even though the team are facing their least competitive year since 1995. Montoya does, however, realize that this may well be his last decent chance of going for the driver's championship for the next couple of years and as a result is sure to be fired up this weekend. The fact that he does not seem to have a challenge from within Williams this season will no doubt help him in his quest to at least make the championship a bit of a fight.

West McLaren Mercedes (Grey with West graphics)

As mentioned above McLaren's appalling season continued at Imola. Although Kimi Raikkonen finally saw a checkered flag (his first this season) David Coulthard hit the back of Trulli's Renault on the first lap and thereby dismissed himself from any chance of scoring a point, a race he had previously won. McLaren currently have a total of just five points so far this season. The irony is that the car is regularly faster in testing than it ever is in races and also that both drivers say that the car is wonderful to drive and responsive to setup changes - its only real problem being that it is simply too slow! Until the engine can be made powerful and reliable enough to challenge the opposition the team have little hope for progress.

Coulthard

With the McLaren looking worse than useless there is some question as to where Coulthard will go next year. Mark Webber looks sure to be going to Williams or Renault while Ralf Schumacher has the Toyota gig safely in the bag (even though DC is clearly the superior driver this season). Rumors are abounding that Jacques Villeneuve may be returning to Williams next season so it seems there is a good chance of Coulthard taking the second seat there. Jarno Trullil may well be out of a drive at the end of the season as well (if Mark Webber moves to Renault) and his current pace suggests that he will be in contention for a decent seat as well. With seats available at Williams, Jaguar and possibly Toyota it seems as if DC is caught in a game of musical chairs and it will take some smooth negotiating on the part of his manager (Martin Brundle) to pull off a decent seat!

Raikkonen

Despite his first point of the year Kimi is anything but looking forward to racing in Spain. There is no sign of an end in sight to the team's woes and, after the stillborn MP4/18 last year Kimi's faith in the team must be wavering. "Despite my first points finish of the season at the San Marino Grand Prix, we still have some way to go as we want to be at the front of the grid. It will take time, but everybody is working hard towards this. The Barcelona track is probably the circuit where all the teams test the most during the year, this of course helps with set-up for the race during the free practice sessions. The circuit is quite challenging physically, as the fast corners mean your body is under pressure for most of the lap." Kimi will not have to do much to improve on his performance last year. He ran wide in qualifying and his race lasted less than a hundred yards!

Mild Seven Renault (Dark and Light Blue and Yellow with Mild Seven graphics)

After Hungary Spain was Renault's best race last year. Jarno Trulli challenged strongly in several races Alonso's second place in Spain brought the team to life in the eyes of the public (particularly the Spanish public where Renault's market share leaped after last year's race!). The RS24 has been roundly criticized by the drivers this year as being difficult and unpredictable to drive (this is in marked contrast to last year's car which was seen as having the best chassis on the grid). Like Williams and McLaren Renault are not performing as well as many thought they would this season. It was generally accepted that Renault looked to have a good chance of knocking Ferrari off their perch this season but if anything the team has slipped back and they are slugging it out with Williams.

Trulli

Jarno goes to Barcelona in a positive frame of mind. The Italian has been doing a good job of matching his highly regarded team mate and, although the car is not the easiest to drive, he is certainly producing some dogged performances in the races. "I go to every race feeling optimistic, but especially Barcelona. I didn't get past the first corner last year, but the car was very strong, and we know the R24 is very competitive there too. I have had my strongest start to the season since I joined Renault, and we know this is historically a good circuit for our car. Our rivals are very strong at the moment, and the battle is very close, but we will keep pushing to improve our performance."

Alonso

The man of the moment as far as the crowd are concerned Fernando Alonso drove out of his skin to qualify second on the grid and finish second to Michael Schumacher last year. Fernando knows that the car seems less likely to provide a repeat performance this year but is coming from a similar lift from the crowd. "For me, the attention adds motivation not pressure. Obviously, I need to make sure it doesn't disrupt my preparations, but the attention from the fans is definitely a big boost for me. When I am driving, it gives me something extra: somehow, you concentrate more, you focus more. I remember from last year on the last lap, how everybody was stood in the stands cheering — they are fantastic supporters in Barcelona, and the crowd definitely gives me a boost."

BAR Honda (White with Red Lucky Strike roundels)

With a debut second place for both the team and Jenson Button there is little doubt that they are on a roll. Dave Richards' faith in Button in 2001 (when he was having an appalling season with Benetton in their last year before becoming Renault) is now paying off in abundance. Ferrari and Williams are both trying to poach Button from the team while Honda have realized quite how important the business is of winning in Formula 1 and are developing competitive engines rather than merely installing the lumps of metal they were using in 2001 and 2002. Geoff Willis' chassis is a match for the Ferrari (particularly now they have adopted Ferrari's mid mounted wing) and the car is being tested by three very experienced test drivers as Button is vastly experienced and Sato and test driver Anthony Davidson now have many thousands of miles under their belts after both testing for the team since 2001. A good podium is likely and a win is possible.

Button

For the first nine laps in Italy it looked as if the impossible might happen. Jenson Button got away cleanly off the line and resisted Schumacher's pressure until he was forced to pit. Unfortunately it was at this point that Schumacher showed his mastery of the sport, pumping in three devastatingly quick laps around his pit stop window to lead by five seconds as he went over the line. Despite this Jenson's job was highly creditable. Many wondered if Jenson would ever get on the podium but, free to organize his team as he saw fit (subject to David Richards management) Button's side of the garage are working beautifully. Although tempted back to Williams there is no doubt that Jenson will follow Damon Hill's advice and stay at BAR. A debut win in Spain would complete the fairy tale and prove BAR as the second best team on the grid.

Sato

Despite a creditable qualifying effort Takuma was put in the shade again by his team leader. Running fourth in the early part of the race, problems with the Honda engine soon hobbled his charge and he was soon dispatched down the order. Unfortunately for Sato his place in the team seems often secondary to that of Button and even, at times, to that of test driver Anthony Davidson. Sato ended up regularly outpacing the other drivers throughout winter testing and it would be no surprise to see Sato slogging it out with Button in qualifying in the same way he was managing it in Malasyia until he ran wide. Sato is improving as a driver and his pace and general consistency are not denied. He does still try to wrestle with the car however and Takuma is also liable to get a little excited at times. Sato will learn given time and should become a great grand prix driver. With Honda powering BAR for the immediate future there is plenty of patience within the team.

Sauber Petronas (Mid Blue with a yellow airbox, white nose and front wing with Credit Suisse Red Bull and Petronas graphics)

The blue Ferraris had a pretty nondescript race in Imola. Although Fisichella further roved that he was getting a grip on the car through outqualifying his team mate, neither looked likely to get points and ninth and tenth merely went to show how much Ferrari had developed their car from last year's model. Like Ferrari Sauber do not do much testing at Barcelona. Unlike Ferrari this does make a huge difference to their performances at this track and the changeable wind conditions can make a mess of the set up very easily if the car is not adequately prepared to deal with these wind changes. Sauber's main hope for points may come from its tires. Like many of the races so far this season Spain looks likely to be run in far cooler conditions than the norm this year. As the Michelin runners need as much ambient heat in their tires as possible this gives the Bridgestone runners (namely Ferrari, Sauber, Jordan and Minardi) a huge advantage and may even lead to some points for the Swiss team.

Fisichella

Life must be very tough for Fisichella at the moment. Whittled out of the race for the Williams seat almost before he had had a chance to get into his stride this season, Fisichella seems to be stuck in a car which he is not entirely familiar with with a team mate who has been testing exactly that car for over a year. Even so Giancarlo is getting to grips with his job at a rate of knots and is beginning to look more like the special talent that could frighten any driver on the grid from time to time. There is no doubt that Fisico is a good driver but the jury is out as to whether he is a good racer. Like his former Jordan team mate Ralf Schumacher, Fisico needs the car under him before he can put in the mesmerizing performances we have seen in the past. Last season Giancarlo let his head drop due to the appalling state of the Jordan team and this continued in the early races of this year. Luckily it seems that Fisico is coming out of it though Spain will be the real test.

Massa

Outqualified and outraced by his team mate it seems that Massa's honeymoon period with Sauber may soon be coming to an end. Felipe is nothing if not an exciting and quick racer but his unpredictability on the track and his bizarre driving style do not inspire confidence. Massa never looks on top of the car and spins are certainly never far away. Massa lost his wing during qualifying for Sauber in 2002 and the team withdrew from the weekend resulting in Felipe being short of mileage going into this weekend. Massa has tested for Ferrari around Barcelona but this seems to be one track where Felipe will have to work to outpace his team mate and he may well be shown up both in qualifying and during the race.

Jaguar (Green with HSBC graphics)

Jaguar racing head Richard Parry-Jones had both the most to gain and the most to lose from Max Moseley's proposals this week. As the head of the Grand Prix World Championship it was envisaged that he would be in charge should the manufacturers decide to form their own championship. As this hasn't happened the cost cutting measures agreed upon will help Parry-Jones report to his superiors in Detroit (who are most concerned at the cost of the Formula 1 operation). Additionally the new teams will require engines and Cosworth (owned by Ford and managed by Parry-Jones) seems to be the only real customer engine provider on the scene at the moment. Back to the present and Jaguar seem to have struggled recently following a great start to the season. The more closed in nature of both the Bahrain and San Marino tracks did not suit the Jaguars and both drivers struggled relative to the opposition (even though Klein drove a fine race in Bahrain). Barcelona should help the team slightly in being less constrictive. Even so the team's initial visit here showed up inherent problems with the car and there is no guarantee that these have been fixed since.

Webber

The name on everybody's lips as far as the driver market next year is concerned Mark Webber seems to be hamstrung by the demands of his manager Flavio Briatore. Webber is a typical Williams driver with his straight talking and straight driving style. Unfortunately as Briatore is the manager of Renault he has first dabs on who of his drivers he wishes to drive for the team and therefore it seems likely that Webber will be signed replacing Jarno Trulli at the end of the year. While Webber is at Jaguar he is determined to see the team work however. Webber got a couple of points for seventh lace for the team last year and he is hoping to replicate the feat this year. There is no doubt that it will be more tough this year but Webber is a tough customer and the car seems powerful and reliable so points must be possible.

Klein

Flattered by having the input of F3000 champion Bjorn Wirdheim acting as Friday tester for him Christian Klein is adapting to Formula 1 much better than many thought he would. Klein suffered the rookie baptism of fire in having to get used to the curbs around Imola but he produced a decent performance and was around at the finish. For Spain Klein will have the added advantage of having tested the R5 at the venue already. It was at Catalunya that Klein effectively sealed Justin Wilson's fate regarding the team by lapping consistently quickly during testing. The team will be hoping that he can replicate this form in race conditions. For a 21 year old Christian is an incredibly calm individual and his performances seem aggressive and measures in equal amounts. A good performance in Spain could set him up well for the European season ahead.

Panasonic Toyota (Red and White with Toyota and Panasonic logo graphics)

The team may not have anything new and special for Spain but Mike Gascoyne seems determined to get the team firing properly even if it kills them! Gascoyne's real strength within a team comes from his organizational skills (heaven help Formula 1 if he and David Richards ever get in the same team!) and he believes that the fundamental design of the TF104B has very little wrong with it. “Over the last couple of races we have found a good balance on the car and I think that will benefit us in Barcelona. Certainly, we have moved closer to the group of cars in front of us and we now have to try to qualify ahead of that group and subsequently race in front of them. If we can do that, I am pretty confident we can pick up some points, which has to be our aim for this weekend."

Panis

Like his team mate Panis knows that there are likely to be more drivers going after Toyota seats than there will be seats available next year. Also like his team mate he knows that this season has not met expectations so far but is at least upbeat coming into this race. "I must have done thousands and thousands of testing kilometers around Barcelona. The circuit has traditionally been good for Panasonic Toyota Racing. We were very competitive at last year's event, running in the top six all weekend. For this year's race we should hopefully be a little bit better than at the first four races of the season. The TF104 is better at handling high speed corners compared to last year's TF103, so we'll be pushing as hard as ever to close the gap on the teams in front and perhaps we could score our first points."

Da Matta

Christiano has been hoping for a change in luck this season. So far da Matta has had problem after problem during his weekend preparations and he is very aware of how precarious his position within the team is. Even so he seems buoyant ahead of the Spanish race."We don't have any major new parts for the Spanish Grand Prix but what makes me excited about going to Barcelona is that our car has run better in testing there than all the other tracks we have been at so far this year. The TF104 suits the Circuit de Catalunya quite well, so I hope we can perform a little bit better there than we have been at the other races so far this year. Last year, I scored my first ever F1 points at Barcelona when I finished in sixth place, so I will be looking for a repeat performance this weekend."

Jordan (Yellow with BandH graphics)

Two engine related expires in San Marino did the struggling Slverstone team no good. The team have admitted that they will struggle to keep Nick Heidfeld in his seat this season as they may not have the money to run him and would therefore be forced to take a paying driver in the second seat. Jos Verstappen has already been mentioned in conjunction with this and is due for a seat fitting prior to a test for the team on June 1st. Coincidentally Jos has resolved issues with his personal sponsor (and Jordan sponsor) Trust after their abortive attempt to get him in a Jordan seat fell through just before the start of the season. The team have tested extensively in Barcelona so it is hoped that this may provide more of a baseline for the team and propel them up the grid as they desperately search for funds.

Heidfeld

Despite having a fantastic reputation within the team and having shown himself as a keen and able driver Nick Heidfeld may not see out this season with Jordan. It is a sad fact but Nick has no personal sponsors so therefore drives for Jordan for free. Eddie Jordan is pushing Heidfeld at Williams for next season as he is known as a quick and reliable driver who is not afraid to do the donkey work. More importantly with Ralf Schumacher leaving the team it is no secret that BMW would prefer a German driver in one of their cars and Heidfeld is the only German driver on the grid apart from Ralf and Michael Schumacher. Some tidy result are sure to help him further but it would be no surprise to see a Villeneuve and Heidfeld combination at Williams next year.

Pantano

A more competitive race from Pantano allowed him to finally prove that he was not racing at Jordan for the money he brought alone. Pantano has spent a worrying amount of time splitting the Minardi's so far this season and it is hoped that Giorgio's impressive testing performance at Barcelona before the season started. Pantano has plenty of sponsorship to last the seson with the team which is why it is the better performing Heidfeld who is likely to make way for Verstappen instead of Pantano. Unfortunately this looking at budgets over performance does illustrate just how dicey Jordan's financial position is. The monies raised by agreement in Monaco last week is sure to be a pivotal factor in determining if the team survives long enough to see the changes take effect.

Wilux Minardi Cosworth (Black, white and Wilux written in Light Blue on White
on Sides and rear wing)

Minardi is still slow but reliable. The team may well move ahead of Jordan in the constructor' championship for no other reason than they finish more races! Minardi look likely to lose most from the new proposals if they are adopted purely because their worth is mostly based on the fact that they are in Formula 1 to start with. To do away with the $20 million deposit and other entry costs will allow other teams to enter the Formula more easily and therefore dilute Minardi's worth. Paul Stoddart does not seem concerned however. Happy that his team can survive more easily than has been the case in the past few years, Stoddart is relying on the lower overheads to allow the team to spend more on developing the car and getting off the back of the grid where Minardi traditional end up.

Bruni

Very quick in a Minardi, it is a pity that Bruni seems to have attracted no interest outside of the little Italian team. Bruni seems a better fighter than a qualifier and has put in some exciting battles when he has been in a position to fight with the lower midfield (that said his qualifying lap at Imola was something pretty special with the skill shown not really emulated until we got to the final few runners). With Barcelona being such a power and aerodynamics circuit it seems unlikely that Gianmaria will be in a position to exploit his skills as a racing driver this weekend and will instead rely on luck rather than the car to get him in amongst the rest of the field, even during the pit stop windows (which is when Bruni usually makes his mark).

Baumgartner

To be fair to Zsolt he is not quite as painful to watch in a Minardi this year as he was in a Jordan last year. The more limited setup options offered by the black, white and red cars means that Baumgartner can not make any errors regarding how he wants the car to feel and he is at least tidy in getting out of the way for the other runners. It just seems a pity that Baumgartner is driving for Minardi while Justin Wilson (who could score points for the team on a god day and lap at least three seconds quicker at most circuits) is left out in the cold. Last place qualifying and last place race — at least he'll probably see the checkered flag.

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