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

With another dominant season behind them there is only one thing that is still on the game plan for the Scuderia — to finally give Rubens a win at home! Although no one is admitting it there is a groundswell of support for Rubens within the team and, should Schumacher be leading Barrichello prior to their final stops, a few slower laps may well be evident in order to give Rubens track position! Ferrari stopped work on their 2004 challenger several months ago and it is of note that their rivals are still some way behind the dominant red cars. With Ferrari in the best position to deal with the upcoming changes in regulations it seems clear that another soporific year can be expected unless Michelin can get its act together.

M. Schumacher

The poor result in China was more than atoned for in Japan where a dominant win from pole position illustrated just what Schumi can be like when he is on it. Although Schumi crashed out here last year he has won in Brazil several times before, first winning here in 1994. The prospect of rain at the weekend is sure to help Schumi though his interviews recently have alluded to his being prepared to help his team mate to the top step of the podium on this occasion. As far as next year goes Schumacher's settled atmosphere within his team contrasts with those up and down the pitlane and the fact that the drivers are being chosen by the team rather than allocated by lawyers should certainly help!

Barrichello

All the recent talk of Rubens being helped has belittled Rubens' driving skill in the run up to the grand prix. Although it is good of the team to want to give their number two driver his dream of a win at home it is worth remembering that Rubens can win on his own without help from Schumacher and team tactics. Barrichello's first non-finish of the year in Japan prevented what was looking like a certain podium place and Rubes is one of the best drivers in the best car. At least Rubens is planning some time at home after the race with his wife and son on their farm. One fact that often escapes the media regarding the Brazilian race is that Rubens has almost as many detractors in Brazil as he has fans! It is doubtful that many of these will be attending the race however!

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

The final race for both of their drivers.

R. Schumacher

Like his team mate Ralf has just this race and then he departs for pastures new. Unlike his team mate this is not going to be at the front of the grid! Although Ralf's move to Toyota is sure to be highly lucrative, the fact that the team are still lurching along with even their team principal admitting that he hasn't done a very good job. Ralf likes a car that is set up for a around him and Trulli's extra mileage is sure to put him on the back foot. That said Ralf is rested and his third place in Japan showed that this rest had done him good though his blanking of his brother (and Michael's blanking of him) after the race in Japan are sure to be a source of paddock gossip.

Montoya

Montoya must be feeling a little strange going into this race. Juan Pablo was test driver for Williams back in 1998 when he was competing in Formula 3000 and remained under contract ever since, eve including his Indy 500 and Champ Car titles with Chip Ganassi racing in the US. This weekend will see JPM leave the team that h has been signed to for 6 years for a new start at McLaren. Montoya is desperate to reward the team for all their hard work and faith in him with a final win after what has been a pretty dismal year. After this a disciplinary hearing at the FIA follows (for missing a road safety appearance in Costa Rica) before McLaren beckons and Montoya will be facing a whole new regime in Kimiland!

West McLaren Mercedes (Grey with West graphics)

Despite a marked upturn in mid season McLaren are still fighting it out with Williams for forth and fifth in the constructor's championship. Next year's car has to be better that this year's dog and, considering last year's machine was so canine that it never even got used in anger, a great deal is resting on the design for 2004. The wet race last year saw an impressive performance by McLaren and their suspension certainly looks impressive over Brazil's bumps but to overtake Williams they need to outscore them by seven points and this looks like just too much for the boys from Woking.

Coulthard

Still without a drive for next season, David Coulthard goes into his last grand prix for McLaren in reflective mood. Coulthard has driven one hundred and fifty races for the team (a record number for one driver with one team) yet he has never really looked like a champion in the making. DC's two year Jaguar contract is now not worth the paper it is written on and Coulthard must be wondering if this is his last race. With Trevor Carlin heading up Midlands Racing in Aldershot next season DC may well be asked to drive for the new operation (doing a Jacques Villeneuve and having a sabbatical before returning to the fold). That said given his lack of results in such a competitive car it is difficult to see many teams wanting to stump up Coulthard's impressive salary demands.

Raikkonen

For once overshadowed by his team mate, Kimi drove a sensible race for the most part to accumulate more points for the team. Raikkonen has said that Montoya's impending arrival at Woking doesn't bother him. To prove his point Kimi is spending the three weeks immediately after the Brazilian grand prix taking a belated honeymoon with his new wife! Kimi was originally awarded the win following last year's grand prix due to some poor FIA officials (one of them having awarded a stream of poor decisions over the years and still managing to hold his post despite resigning a few years ago!). Kimi had to wait until Belgium this year to claim his second win. A settled routine at McLaren and a less revolutionary car next season should see his third win come in a far shorter time period.

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

With the mess surrounding Williams, BAR and Jenson Button's appearance in front of the Contracts Recognition Board distracting many of those concerned Flavio Briatore thinks that the time is right to strike for second place in the constructor's championship. Renault are currently sixteen points behind BAR so it seems a tall order for the team to take a 1-2 or 1-3 and neither BAR driver to score yet that is just what will be required to wrest the position away from the team. Briatore has admitted that he will be trying adventurous tactics in order to secure the best position possible for the race so expect pole position to go to Alonso. Whether the team can manage a win is anybody's guess.

Villeneuve

A poor return for Jacques has seen him finish outside the points in both his previous two outings. Towards the end o the race in Suzuka Jacques was lapping three seconds a lap slower than Alonso. Although the lack of setup time (resulting in chronic understeer) and the lack of familiarity with the car are sure to be contributory factors, there is no doubt that Jarno Trulli (who outqualified both Renaults) would have done a better job. Jacques has this one last chance to impress in the Renault before he moves to Sauber. With a weight of expectation on his shoulders Jacques really has to perform in order to justify his drive next season.

Alonso

Brazil will not hold happy memories for Fernando.Alonso was heavily censured by the FIA last year after failing to slow or yellow flags caused by Mark Webber loosing control of his Jaguar in the wet conditions. Fernando accelerated away from the last corner and caught the accident at full speed smashing his Renault an Webber's Jaguar to pieces an wounding his leg. Saying he could not see them was no excuse and Alonso was lucky to escape without a race ban from his home grand prix after the FIA's disciplinary hearing. For this race Fernando is likely to experience similar conditions though he will be trying his utmost to win so another non finish looks possible!

BAR Honda (White with Red Lucky Strike roundels)

David Richards made a point of congratulating the BAR team on their performance this year in spite of the distractions following on from Jenson Button's signing for Williams. A win would be the perfect way to capitalize on what has been a great year for BAR. Although Williams, McLaren and Renault are sure to provide more of a fight for the team next year there seems no reason why BAR with Geoff Willis designing the car and Honda providing power should not continue to develop next season (whether Button is with them or not).

Button

Now officially stuck at BAR for another season after the Contracts Recognitions Board rules that his contract with BAR was watertight Jenson Button has sacked the man who got him into this mess in the first place — his manager John Byfield. Button has said he will be moving to Williams in 2006 resulting in a similar position to Montoya has had at Williams this year. Button has come out of this whole episode very poorly indeed and Williams may be forced to run the pairing of Pizzonia and Webber next season. Other options for Button's seat are David Coulthard and Nick Heidfeld. Whatever happens you have to wonder if Button is really worth all this fuss?!

Sato

With two fantastic races for Taku behind him at Suzuka the fourth place finish Sato managed seemed to be a little bit of a disappointment. The team asked Button to move over for Sato early on as they were running on different strategies. Despite this (and his new spec Honda engine) Sato was unable to build a decent cushion over Jenson resulting in his emerging from the final pitstop behind Jenson and was then hit by neck pains to finish the race twelve seconds behind his team mate. Brazil is unlikely to help Taku's neck much. As the only grand prix apart from Imola to be run anti-clockwise the long left hand turns are sure to test the Japanese driver's endurance and his race may well turn into a battle for stamina rather than pace.

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

At the end of the team's most competitive season (they have had more successful seasons - 2001 being a prime example) but never had one where they have done better on pure pace and not because of a design tweak or the poor performance of a manufacturer team. Sauber has never had the glitzy media friendly image that Jordan has yet the team has made steady progress since they burst onto the Grand Prix scene in 1993. Now Jordan and Minardi are facing extinction it is Saubder alone who is carrying the baton for the independent teams. With Jacqus Villeneuve joining the operation next year it is hoped that the team can make further progress though it seems strange that Villeneuve was signed over David Coulthard.

Fisichella

Fisico must be wondering what is wrong with the operations at Renault after Trulli and Villeneuve's recent inability to extract serious points out of the car. Under Briatore Renault and Benetton both have had problems producing two competitive cars and, although Fisico knows the team well, he must also accept that the Renault he is walking back into is very different from the Benetton he left at the end of 2001. Returning to the scene of his one and only grand prix victory so far will be strange for Fisichella. At the end o the race his car was in flames in the pits and his initial jubilation at his first win was quickly reduced to frustration at merely finishing second thanks to the inept FIA stewards. A good result is very possible as he will be on Bridgestones on a wet track and a podium is possible.

Massa

Although Massa has not really outshone Fisichella consistently this season, he has produced some great performances. Fourth place in qualifying in China has to be the high point so far but, unlike during his original season at Sauber, you get the impression that there might be more to come. Massa's style is still hairy to watch but he doesn't seem quite so out of control as he did in 2002 and he has made far less mistakes than he did two years ago. A contract for next year means that he can measure himself against a former world champion though Massa will have to take a lesson from Riccardo Rosset who virtually destroyed his career during his two years as Villeneuve's team mate at BAR.

Jaguar (Green with HSBC graphics)

As more information is leaked regarding Ford's decision to pull the plug on Jaguar so the decision becomes more clearly political an less clear top understand. Apparently Ford's media department have been only forwarding the more positive European press reaction to Ford's directors in Dearbourne and it was this that led to Eddie Jordan's vociferous outburst last weekend. Jaguar Racing took up 0.5 per cent of Jaguar car's PR budget at the time when it was canned (by contrast Toyota's F1 project takes 3 per cent of the car maker's total operating profit). It is clear that Richard Parry-Jones and the management at Jaguar have created a strong an team framework and one which should go forward well. Unfortunately for the team time is running out as any potential buyer has less than a month to finalize a deal and the number of potential buyer's is reducing due to the Makhtoum family deciding to go it alone with their F1 project and the Russian money defecting to Midlands Racing.

Webber

A final goodbye to Jaguar from Webber in their last grand prix and Mark will be hoping for a slightly more positive result than the inglorious ending to his last outing with them! Running the car too low resulted in the "plank" bottoming out as the car ran over the bumps. This in turn led to friction building up under Mark Webber's seat which resulted in the Australian suffering from quite bad burns to his bum by the time he retired! Although these burns were sufficiently bad to break the skin it is understood that Webber is now out of pain and ready to give the team his all in an effort to score some much needed points before he heads to his new home at Williams. A new home which will see wins come his way and may even see him challenge for a championship or two.

Klein

While Webber heads to Williams a less secure future faces Klien. Secure in his Red Bull sponsorship (despite a lacklustre season this year) Klien will have plenty to offer Minardi or Jordan should they survive and he be forced to drive there next season. What Klien and Red Bull want is more ambitious, however. Red Bull has now been in talks with Ford over buying Jaguar for more than a year but, although the team is up for sale and could be destroyed if not bought, Ford are sluggish at best in committing themselves to such a sale. General Motors is also understood to be interested in the team and it says something for the blinkeredness of the senior management that they would rather loose the team to a rival than they would selling it to a disinterested party.

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

The most bizarre rumor since Japan has been that suggesting Alain Prost may step in as Team Manager at Toyota. Prost Grand Prix collapsed amid acrimony and back stabbing at the end of the 2001 season and at the time Alain said that he was don with Formula 1 for good. Although Prost most recently competed in the Andros ice racing trophy in a Toyota it seems a huge leap of imagination to suggest that he would want to be lured back into the Piranha Club of Formula 1 team management. What is more scary is that the board members o the car giant may be thinking that Prost was any good as a team manager. A sure sign, if one were needed, that the people making the decisions regarding the Formula 1 project know nothing about the sport!

Zonta

Toyota's game of musica; chairs continues as Riccardo Zonta takes over Olivier Panis' seat for the final race in Brazil. Put in the car purely because of his nationality Zonta is unlikely to do particularly brilliantly this weekend. Although Zonta has done a solid enough job in Friday testing all this year, his races while stepping in for Christiano da Matta after his scapegoat sacking were less than impressive. Zonta will be looking to do something impressive this weekend though his main chance for a race drive next season will be if one of the minnows of the paddock (Minardi or Jordan) end up with Toyota engine next season and the management gives him a drive as a reward for his efforts this year.

Trulli

Outqualifying the Renaults in Japan was a great result for Trulli for his first race for his new squad and, coupled with a disappointing run for Villeneuve, Jarno showed that he was a valuable signing for Toyota. Despite this Trulli's race pace was not that impressive and he put this down to lack of setup time “The main hindrance in Japan was the lack of running we completed prior to qualifying and the race, so I hope we can get straight down to business at Interlagos on Friday. We have to get the TF104B set up properly in the practice sessions to give us a chance in the race itself.”

Jordan (Yellow with BandH graphics)

Eddie Jordan was in a feisty mood in Japan over the weekend. Now Toyota have said that they do not believe they will be able to supply the team with engines next season due to the timing of Ford's pullout “To say I am disappointed with Ford is an understatement,” said Jordan in an interview with The Guardian newspaper. “I have been trying to keep my total dismay under control. I am angered that after a long relationship I should get seven minutes' notice that they were pulling out. It's now almost too late to build a sophisticated car around a new engine. We already had an agreement and we'd agreed to design and build a car for next year. Ford said they would find a way of making an offer. And do you know what they suggested? They doubled the price for engines, which were not going to be subject to any development. You cannot believe their behavior and believe me, I am only scratching the surface. Ford have behaved appallingly, I kid you not. I can't get an appointment to talk to anybody to talk about it. This is a very sad state of affairs."

Heidfeld

At the end of a pretty taxing season by all accounts Nick Heidfeld faces an uncertain future. Heidfeld scored a memorable second here in 2001 so not surprisingly he is looking forward to returning to the circuit where Jordan won last year. “Interlagos is one of my favorite circuits because I like the track and also it has the great memory when I scored my only podium so far. I hope the circuit is not as bumpy as it has been in the past. They are always trying to improve it so we’ll see how it is this year and hopefully it’s better. The Ferradura corner is one of nicest in the whole F1 calendar in my opinion."

Glock

Another race in the deep end and Timo's lack of experience is beginning to tell. Glock is too inexperienced to tell the team which way to go on setup and the EJ14 is certainly very sensitive to setup changes. Not surprisingly Timo in Brazil. “Starting out in Brazil is going to be similar to China and Japan for me as I haven’t been there so it’s another new circuit. My last race was hard and I know I can continue to improve in Brazil. Definitely, I am hoping for rain because we saw in Japan two weeks ago that our car is relatively competitive in wet conditions. My plan is to do a good job and compete with my teammate. It’s also nice to be racing in the last Grand Prix of 2004. I’ll do my best and hope for a good result.”

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

Although Jordan look to be on the verge of pulling out of Formula 1, Paul Stoddart has said that he will continue in Formula 1 even if he has to lug the engines over to Australia next year on his back! This may be a little extreme but it is at least proof that Stoddard and Minardi are in it for the long term and not about to be drummed out on Bernie's say so. That’s the good news, the bad news is that, with engines likely to be no more than developments of this year's and a chassis design that seems flawed in the extreme Minardi are likely to be even slower than they were this year relative to the rest of the field.

Bruni

After a poor season Gianmaria Bruni can look forward to the rest of his career in sportscars or a similar type of racing. Bruni is very similar in style to another former Minardi driver Pierluigi Martini. Both seemed relaxed and too laid back when they should have been focusing on the task in hand and both have talent in abundance. Unfortunately for Bruni, while this approach was acceptable even in the late 80s and early 90s when Martini competed, it is not acceptable now and his lackadaisical attitude coupled with an unimpressive car have stalled Bruni's grand prix career before it has really had a chance to get going.

Baumgartner

In direct contrast to his team mate Baumgartner has really come on this season. Minardi may well keep Baumgartner for another season after some impressive grit has been shown by the Hungarian. Although Baumgartner is certainly not the most talented driver on the grid he is good enough and Minardi could use the money if they are to be supplying their own engines next season. Brazil is just the sort of circuit where Minardi and Baumgartner could pull a surprise result.

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