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

Another easy win for Schuey and the championship seems to getting closer all the time. The team were under fire after the US race for refusing to allow the cars to race. Although Schuey and Barrichello were close all weekend (and Jean Todt claimed that the cars raced fairly) there did seem to be a moment around the second pit stops when Rubens was noticeably slower than his team leader. Schumacher not surprisingly took the lead and the race was over. Considering Rubens had been easily faster than his team leader all weekend this seemed surprising. For Magny-Cours the team will expect to do well. Magny-Cours will play to the strengths of the F2004 — most notably its powerful engine and wonderful balance. Ferrari's only weakness this weekend will be their lack of grip away from the slow speed corners at the Lycee and Adalaide Hairpin. Politically the situation is less clear. FIA president announced on Thursday that he is to step down from his post in October and has repeatedly nominated Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt as his successor. Should Todt accept this position it seems possible that the Ferrari Dream Team may well come apart at the seams.

M. Schumacher

Michael Schumacher admitted that even he is surprised by how easy this year has been for him. Schumacher has countered the idea that Formula 1 is boring with his dominance of the sport by suggesting that his annihilation of current F1 records is interesting in itself. This is certainly true but Ferrari are missing the point. Watching cars scrap and overtake is exciting while watching Schuey claim yet another win is interesting. Unfortunately for all concerned it is excitement that the public like not interest when they are watching grand prix. That said it does seem more likely that we may get a little more excitement this time out. This year's leading teams (BAR and Renault) have both made silly mistakes to hand the baton to Ferrari and Schumacher can expect Renault to be highly fired up at their home race this weekend and BAR to be similarly enthusiastic for the race at Silverstone next weekend.

Barrichello

Unflustered by his ceding the history in America to his team mate Rubens has been explaining his somewhat erratic form this season due to his braking style having changed. Barrichello spent until the start of this season braking with his right foot (as people do when driving a car). As clutches are hand held most drivers brake with their left feet as this is more reminiscent of karts. Rubens is just changing back to braking with his left foot and as such has found difficulty in balancing the car. In recent races Barrichello has said that he is getting more used to this method of braking and this has been seen in his catching Schumacher, particularly in qualifying. As Rubens can now balance the car by accelerating and braking at the same time (the major advantage with left foot braking) he can expect to be even more competitive than at the end of last season and the second half of the season looks very good indeed for the amiable Brazilian.

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

Like many teams on the grid Williams will be introducing a raft of changes to this season's challenger at the French Grand Prix. The question of team mates for next year seems to be continually on the minds of the press and it was interesting to note how long Jacques Villeneuve in particular spent around the Williams motorhome at Goodwood despite saying that he had had no formal discussions (something Patrick Head then repudiated!). David Coulthard is said not to be in contention for either seat now but, following the injuries to Ralf Schumacher in America (see below) this seems an excellent time to try to get a new driver on board so that he may be tested ahead of any formal signing for next season. Villeneuve would be the obvious choice for this but there are also rumors that Mark Webber may move sooner rather than later with an obscene amount of money being paid to Jaguar in return. Watch this space...

Gene

Possibly the single biggest piece of news since America was Ralf Schumacher's being forced to take the next 12 weeks off due to doctors having discovered that the German had fractured his back in his tremendous accident in America. The earliest Ralf will be looking at returning to a race car will be in Italy but it may take even longer than that for the German to be fully fit again. Add in Ralf's leaving the team at the end of the season and his being unfit and unlikely to deal with the bumpiest of F1 tracks at Interlagos for the season finale and it begins to look unlikely that we will see Ralf Schumacher in a Williams again. For this race tester Marc Gene will take over Ralf's Williams. This will be Gene's 37th F1 start having enjoyed some success with Minardi. Last year Gene subbed for Ralf in Italy and showed his talent by keeping Montoya honest on the way to a 5th place finish. Marc will be hoping to outperform Montoya this weekend as his extra testing is sure to help him due to Montoya still not being entirely happy with the car.

Montoya

Speaking before he heard of his team mate's injuries Montoya seemed upbeat about the rest of the season. "It is important to always look ahead in this business. The French Grand Prix marks the start of the second half of the Championship but there are still plenty of points to collect. In 2003, Ralf and I qualified first and second respectively at Magny-Cours, and we crossed the line in first and second. This might be difficult to achieve again this year, but we know we usually perform well at this track. We are also taking some new parts out to France which should make the car more competitive. We must now return to form and make up for the points we've lost as a result of factors unrelated to our track performance." Montoya will be closely watching the progress of the MP4/19B this weekend as this will be a far closer reflection of the ability of the McLaren team to make a competitive car than the MP4/19 used so far this season is. Montoya just lost out to Ralf at this race last year and his frustration with the team for forcing Ralf through hat day led to his signing for McLaren immediately afterwards. With no Ralf around Montoya will be expecting red carpet treatment.

West McLaren Mercedes (Grey with West graphics)

After Darren Turner ably showed off the MP4/17D at Goodwood over the weekend the team return to normal business at Magny-Cours this weekend. McLaren have confirmed that the new MP4/19B will be racing at Magny-Cours and the team are said to be highly enthusiastic about the advances in pace that this design seems to bring. The car features a new nose that is more recessed into the front wing, more curled bottoms to the sidepods that will prevent the aerodynamics from "stalling" in high speed bends and a remodeled rear suspension to allow the car more progressive and responsive pitch control. Unfortunately for all concerned the car will still be powered by the same underpowered and unreliable Mercedes powerplant that Ilmor have been struggling with all season. Aerodynamics are pivotal to a decent time around Magny-Cours and, as long as the team can achieve a decent set up with the car, they can hope to be competitive.

Coulthard

Coulthard seems quietly optimistic ahead of the race. "I am looking forward to the Mobil 1 French Grand Prix, partly because it is an event that I particularly enjoy, but primarily because we are using the MP4-9B for the first time. After the two North American races, we returned to Europe to continue our test program at Jerez with the MP4-19B. It was my first opportunity to get behind the wheel and it was a constructive couple of days. As with the rest of the team, I feel it is a positive move and I am looking forward to seeing how it goes this weekend. Similar to circuits such as Monaco and Nurburgring, Magny-Cours is more of a technical circuit than a full power track, This characteristic tends to suit my driving style and I have had some excellent battles here that were hopefully as enjoyable for the fans as myself! My victory in 2000 is without a doubt one of my career highlights. The circuit itself has a very smooth track surface, this allows low ride heights and therefore leads to low mechanical grip." Unfortunately looking to the future Coulthard's future does not look so rosey. A deal for the Royal Bank of Scotland to replace HSBC as a primary sponsor for the Jaguar team (something that was being brokered by Jackie Stewart) seems to have fallen through with RBS deciding to go with Williams whose existing blue and white colors are more in keeping with their own logo. This has had a detrimental effect on Coulthard's attempts for a Jaguar drive there — a move not made easier by the team's sudden interest in Anthony Davidson.

Raikkonen

Kimi is a huge fan of Magny-Cours. The Finn nearly won his first race here in 2002 and seems very strong around the track. With the MP4/19B due to be raced there for the first time it is not surprising that the Finn is buoyant ahead of the race. "Following the United States Grand Prix, myself and the team again felt that the result of the race didn't fully demonstrate our potential, but that is racing. We are now focused on the Mobil 1 French Grand Prix, where David and myself are racing with the MP4-19B. It has run well in testing and I hope that it will run as reliably in the race as it did at Jerez. Magny-Cours is a mix of low speed hairpins, fast chicane and medium speed corners. There is one main high speed section, from Estoril to Adelaide. It's crucial to drive the long, fast sweep of Estoril flat out without lifting, so that you have as much speed as possible as you swing round onto the fast section to power towards the hairpin in order to get a quick lap time. It is also a great corner to drive, as it allows you to really push the limits."

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

Renault is celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of their first win in Formula 1 this weekend. The original race was won by Jean Pierre Jabouille and this also marked what would be the first win of many for a turbo charged car (turbos were eventually banned in 1989). Ironically the race that day in Dijonb is, however, most famous for the battle for second place in the dying laps. Gilles Villeneuve and Patrick Tambay fought tooth and nail for lap-after-lap banging wheels and overtaking each other time and again before Villeneuve just emerged triumphant. Tambay was reunited with his car at Goodwood last weekend while Jacques Villeneuve turned up to drive his father's car — the only time the former world champion said he would do so. For this weekend Renault will be looking to take the fight to Ferrari and to outshine BAR. The RS04 does not look as good a car as the BAR in terms of handling but the team management and engine seem to be making enough of a difference to allow the team to still be beating them by 8 points.

Trulli

In his race preview Jarno claims that Magny-Cours "it is exactly what I would call a technical circuit. You have all types of corners around the lap, and the car needs to respond well everywhere. In order to be quick, though, you need responsive handling and a good change of direction — especially through the fast sections at turns 2 and 3, turns 6 and 7 and 11 and 12. This can mean the car is not ideal in the slow hairpins, but we have to drive round that because the high-speed areas are critical for lap time, and also to make sure you do not get overtaken in the race. This is a significant weekend for me — it is like a second home race. I have always enjoyed wonderful support in France, and I would like to repay my supporters with a strong performance. Plus, of course, the race is very important to Renault, as their national grand prix. I will just be aiming to drive as well as possible, and get the most out of the car and myself in qualifying and the race. It would be a fantastic boost for me and the team to win this race." A win would be wonderful but, looking at Ferrari's pace and reliability, it would be highly unlikely! A podium does seem a realistic proposition, however.

Alonso

As Fernando says Magny-Cours does demand many different aspects of the car. "Magny-Cours is a strange circuit, because you need to get different things out of the car on different parts of the track. There are very quick corners, where you want a stiff car for good downforce at those speeds, but also the very tight hairpins at turn 5 and before the final chicane, which need good traction and confidence under braking. You need to find a compromise, and that can be difficult. The other important factor here is the tires — the temperatures can change a lot on the track, and it is very important that you do not get caught out by that with tire choice." For tire supplier Michelin (as well as for Renault itself) this will be a home race and, given the amount of testing that Michelin does, it will be likely that their tires should have an advantage this time out.

BAR Honda (White with Red Lucky Strike roundels)

A surprisingly poor series of results has, nevertheless, seen the BARs finish on the podium in both of the recent races. Team principal David Richards says that many new innovations are likely to be seen on the BAR in the second part of the season with some of these likely to form several talking points during the rest of the season. The team's only real weak spot at the moment seems to be the reliability of their Honda powerplants. Button suffered his first retirement in America while Sato's engine let go in Canada. With finishing pivotal in modern F1 scoring Honda's problems in getting their cars to the finish is providing a serious problem in BAR's quest to catch Renault in the constructor's championship.

Button

Fresh from some surprisingly unimpressive doughnuts at the Festival of Speed Jenson immediately put his finger on the main problem that faces the team. "I am really looking forward to racing in France. The Michelins should work extremely well in Magny-Cours and I am confident that our strong package should definitely enable us to fight for a podium finish. Our car felt fantastic in Indy last week so it was disappointing that I was forced to retire from the race. We need to focus on getting both cars to the end of the race and well in the points if we are to challenge for second place in the championship." Sato's lack of reliability this season was of no more than casual interest to Button as his car had, until the last race, been bulletproof. Now Button has suffered what the team called a gearbox failure (this was only a gearbox failure in that something made by Honda and attached to the gearbox was about to fail!) the importance of reliability allied to the undoubted speed of the car has been drilled home and it seems less likely that either driver will retire from lack of reliability in France.

Sato

Only the second Japanese driver to stand on the podium (the first being Agoru Suzuki in the Larrouse in 1991). Sato is rapidly living up to his reputation as "best Japanese driver ever". Most F1 followers seem to think that Satoru Nakajima is probably the most talented driver to compete in F1. "After having such a good race at Indy and achieving my first podium, I am really looking forward to the next Grand Prix. Magny-Cours is a unique circuit, where the track surface is incredibly smooth and the temperatures can range from being extremely hot to quite cool, so it is always produces an exciting race. This week we have been testing in Jerez where it has been very hot indeed, but we are happy with the tire program that we have chosen for France. Magny-Cours is Michelin's home grand prix, so I am looking forward to us performing strongly next weekend." Takuma now seems to just about have the measure of Button and Tau will certainly be aiming to have a more solid second half to the season following a pretty wild and woolly start to the year.

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

Reflecting on his team's most successful year in F1 since they brought the twin keel design and Kimi Raikkonen to F1 in 2001 he said. "I think that, all things considered, we can be highly satisfied with the results of the first nine races. We´ve scored 15 Championship points — clearly more than at the same time last year — and are now ranking sixth in the Constructors´ Championship. We´re only two points behind McLaren-Mercedes, but clearly ahead of Toyota, Jordan, Jaguar and Minardi." Peter Sauber is ever the master of under statement. In a year when Jordan ad Minardi have shown that they are unable to keep up with the current manufacturer teams Sauber has proved itself to be the exception to the rule, pushing forward to challenge McLaren and Williams despite being a private team without a formal manufacturer engine deal. Of course Ferrari's more than ample help is a factor but even so Sauber have done something many other teams with "familiar" chassis designs have not managed in the past and that is understand the car and improve it in their own way.

Fisichella

Fisichella has never seemed particularly at home at Magny-Cours in the same way that he has always looked good in Canada. Surprisingly the Italian agrees that Magny-Cours is his bug bear track. "Magny-Cours has tended to be a difficult track for me, and I crashed heavily there in practice and missed the 2002 race. It´s a smooth track, but to be honest you don´t really notice that when you´re driving. You just take it for granted. It makes it slightly easier to set up the car on one hand, but its sensitivity to temperature has the opposite effect. It´s hard on tires, and it´s very important to have good traction. The C23 has that, and as we will have some more new aerodynamic parts for the race I think we can do well." The aerodynamic parts Fisichella is mentioning is foremost a new front wing assembly. The team have a number of improvements coming up including a new airbox design for the British Grand Prix so an increase in pace in the next few races can be anticipated.

Massa

Given his driving style it is not surprising that Massa too struggles at Magny-Cours. Massa's 2002 race was nothing short of comical with several Mr Bean moments taking him out of any chance of a point and turning his weekend into a frustrating test session. "For sure you need lots of downforce as there are several slow corners, and it´s important to find the best tire choice as the tire degradation is very high. It´s a difficult circuit on which to overtake and it has a strange surface: In the dry it eats tires, in the wet it is very slippery. I had my worst race of 2002 there; I jumped the start by accident, so I am hoping to do a lot better this year and to break the run of bad luck I´ve had in the past few races." The team's use of Bridgestone tires may well be their best chance of scoring a point Although Michelin are expected to have the upper hand, an optimistic choice of tire on their part may see their principal rivals' tires blistering which would enable Sauber to pick up more points ahead of their competitors.

Jaguar (Green with HSBC graphics)

Like Jordan below Jaguar has lined up rather a special guest driver for their trundle down Regeant Steet on Tuesday. Former Zakspeed, Benetton, McLaren, Ligier and Jordan driver and the new voice of Formula 1 t millions Martin Brundle has agreed to give last year's R4 a go. Brundle won Le Mans with Jaguar as well as winning the World Sportscar Championship with the same team.Outside of this things are not looking so rosey for the team. Team director David Pitchforth has said that he can not guarantee Jaguar's continued presence on the grid next year while team supremo Richard Parry-Jones suffered the embarrassment of stuffing a Ford Focus WRC rally car into some hay bales whilest appearing in the Festival of Speed! Williams may well inject some much needed cash into the operation should the team decide to allow Mark Webber topart company with the team to replace Ralf Schumacher.

Webber

Mark Webber is certainly at the center of the rumor mill surrounding Williams drives for next season. Having failed to wrench Jenson Button away from BAR the team want the Australian to replace Ralf Schumacher as a precursor to driving for them next season. Webber will not be drawn, however."Clearly there is interest out there. At the end of the day, though, if you've got four supermodels lining up, you've got to make a choice. It's got to be the one with the best package... But still looks good when she gets a bit older." For France Webber just has to keep his head off the attention surrounding him and get on and drive his best. The Cosworth engine has plenty of poke so with any luck a chance to fight further up the field than of late will present itself.

Klein

Christian Klein has had a torrid couple of weeks since the US Grand Prix. In addition to managing to chop off the top of his finger off on a fan he has been roundly criticized by the team management for his performances. The team seem deeply unimpressed with Klein and have made the original decision of revealing that they never wanted him as a driver anyway! Apparently the team were keen to continue with Justin Wilson for this year with Klein as the team's test driver. Red Bull said that this was not enough and that they would take him and their money elsewhere should Klein not be given a race seat. With Webber seemingly off to Williams sooner than the team had hoped for it seems possible that Justin may in turn be bought out of his contract and return to the leaping cat — whether he would want to come back is another matter but stranger things have happened.

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

The team with the largest presence at Goodwood with no less than four F1 cars on display Toyota seem to be turning their season around after a disappointing start. The revised car will be out at Hockenheim but in the mean time both Toyotas have looked pretty respectable at both the North American races. The team seem to be getting more familiar with the car's handling properties and the engine seems to be coming on well. The team will be fielding Olivier Panis at his home event for what may possibly be his last time and the team will be hoping that Panis will be able to repeat his breathtaking form at Magny-Cours. As mentioned in earlier previews there has been little development on the car ahead of the B spec version being released at Hockenheim and, with new developments from the other teams, Toyota should slip back slightly though it is hoped that Mike Gascoigne will have worked his magic in the mean time.

Panis

Like everyone at Toyota Olivier Panis seems to be viewing the B spec of the car as the revelation of the season in terms of improving the car's performance. Even so Olivier seems fired up at returning for his home race. "I'm very happy to be going back to Magny-Cours again as it is particularly special for me to race in front of the French fans. I really want to get a result for them, for me and for the team because the fifth place we achieved in Indianapolis was extremely positive. We simply have to keep going in this direction. Realistically, it may be harder to score so well in Magny-Cours, but last year we were quite competitive there, so we have a chance. My approach in France will be no different to anywhere else — I'll be pushing as hard as ever. Silverstone is another circuit that is not too bad for us, and it's quite important to score points in these next two races, so it will set us up well for the arrival of the updated car at Hockenheim."

Da Matta

Far from appearing downhearted at Goodwood da Matta seemed full of the joys of spring. He not only raced last year's TF104 but also demonstrated the Lola Toyota CART car he won the CHAMP car world series with in 2001. Da Matta summed up his chances thus "The US Grand Prix at Indianapolis was easily our best race weekend of the year so far — our pace was such that we could score points without depending on anyone else's bad luck. But to do the same in Magny-Cours or Silverstone, I think will require a little bit of help. Magny-Cours is a high downforce circuit, so that doesn't really suit our car at the moment, but we should be helped by the fact that the tarmac is very smooth. Panasonic Toyota Racing made a point last year so we'll be aiming for a repeat top eight performance."

Jordan (Yellow with BandH graphics)

Eddie Jordan scored a massive coup for the team when he persuaded Nigel Mansell to drive for the team in the parade down Regent St on the Tuesday before Silverstone. Nigel Mansell had previously tested for Jordan before the 1996 with half an eye to returning with the team but in the end he realized that the car for that year was not the best and wisely stayed out of it. (Martin Brundle eventually took the second seat alongside Rubens Barrichello and both drivers endured a season with a car almost entirely devoid of downforce which eventually resulted in Brundle's retiring at the end of the season). Mansell has had his seat fitting and is said to be enjoying the experience of a modern F1 car. For the more pertinent point of how the team will actually perform in the races the answer is uncertain. There is no doubt that the EJ14 is not the easiest of cars to handle but at the same time regular points finishes in the last few rounds seem to be propelling it ahead of Jaguar towards the bottom end of the manufacturer teams.

Heidfeld

Despite a dearth of results at the French track Nick Heidfeld is looking forward to the French race. "I like the Magny-Cours circuit quite a lot, probably more than many drivers who say it’s a modern and boring processional track. I really enjoy it, especially the two quick chicanes. It was disappointing for me not to finish the last race (at Indianapolis) because there was a good chance to score points and I’m hoping for a better result at this race.” Heidfeld seems to not be on many team's radars for next season despite his sterling work with Jordan this year. With Jaguar in trouble there seems a good chance that Jordan could take over official Ford backing from next season with Ford buying into the company and Heidfeld sitting pretty as a works Ford driver (the only works drive Nick has ever had was with the appalling Peugeot engines for Alain Prost's now defunct F1 operation in his first year in 2000).

Pantano

Despite still not having scored a point yet Giorgio Pantano seems as keen as ever to make an impression in Formula 1. It must be depressing for Pantano to have not scored a point when Minardi no-hope Zsolt Baumgartner managed to score at Indianapolis. Even so Pantano is hoping for better things in the next few races. “Now F1 returns to Europe and tracks that I know, which I’m glad about! I won the F3000 race at Magny-Cours last year, and the year before that I came second. It’s one of the circuits that suits my driving style. I always find a good balance and rhythm and really enjoy driving here. Finding the limits of this quite technical, fast-corner circuit seemed to come quite easily so I hope it will be the same experience in F1. After a few races with car problems and then missing Canada, I feel I’ve got some catching up to do and I’m eager for a good result. It would be great to score my first points here."

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

Under powered and with a notable aerodynamic deficiency compared to the other teams Minardi are still hanging on in there. Owner Paul Stoddart has admitted that Minardi are fielding their least competitive car for a long time but has also cited fan support as being the main reason that the team carries on. Stoddart cited Minardi as "everyone's second favorite F1 team" and there is no doubt that most people want Minardi to do well — even Bernie Ecclestone forwent the Ferrari celebration to be at the opposite end of the paddock to celebrate Minardi's first point since Mark Webber's 5th place in Australia 2001. Minardi are unlikely to get a point this time out and are very unlikely to finish the Friday session 1-2 as they managed here last year (due to a freak rain shower just before qualifying). Even so the team are hanging on in there and new sponsorship stickers seem to be appearing on the car at every race.

Bruni

Ouch! After Baumgartner got the team a well deserved point for a no nonsense drive in the States team principal Paul Stoddart wasted no time in criticizing his supposed number 1 driver. "The difference between our two drivers is that Zsolt finishes races. If you never bring the car home you're never going to score," Stoddart told Autosport. "Zsolt listens to what the car says and he is a worker. Gimmi was unlucky (in the US GP) but the car did not need to be switched off, it was capable of continuing. If he had carried on he would have been fighting for that point. No one more than him will know that he could have taken that point. That is something the team has to discuss with him, but it is not the first time that the car could have continued this year." With Bruni's reputation clearly suffering as a result of a feeling of lack of dedication from the talented Italian Bruni will find his drive under pressure if his results and motivation do not improve in the second half of the year.

Baumgartner

Do you ever get the feeling that Baumgartner was happy?! "It's a great feeling to score a point — it's like a miracle happened today! On the first lap, I tapped the back of one of the Jordans when it braked hard to avoid an accident at Turn 2. Fortunately, there wasn't any serious damage and I was able to carry on. After that, the race settled down and I was able to set very consistent lap times, which were not so far off my qualifying time, so I was really pleased with that. There was some big pressure in those last few laps when I knew we were close to getting a point, and then I saw the Sauber slow and Paul came on the radio and told me I was in the points. We were close in Monaco, and now we've scored here, so I couldn't be happier. It's also great for the whole team, as everyone has been working so hard all season and deserves this result." It is a pity that the amiable Hungarian is unlikely to score points again. By all accounts Zsolt is affable and polite even when jet lagged after the transatlantic trip back in economy! Baumgartner deserves credit for his point and, although this is more due to being there rather than pure speed, it is more than BAR scored in the whole of 1999 or Alex Zanardi scored when he returned to Williams that year!

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