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Formula 1 news, results and statistics when you need it |
2002
European Grand Prix Race Preview |
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Formula 1 news, results and statistics when you need it |
2002
European Grand Prix Race Preview |
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Download the NewsOnF1.com |
Drivers Championship
Constructors
Championship
Return to domination for Ferrari ?Ferrari managed to match Williams in Canada so one would
expect Ferrari to dominate here. Last year Michael Schumacher won for the second year running.
Ralf Schumacher in the Williams was able to stay close to his brother but a
mistake exiting the pits and crossing the white line cost him a 10 second
stop-go penalty and ruined his race. Juan Pablo Montoya instead managed to
finish second although he wasn't close to Michael. This year with the strong Ferrari package, it is unlikely that Williams will be too close to challenge. Last week, most of the Formula 1 teams were testing at Jerez while Ferrari were also testing at Mugello alongside the Sauber team. Kimi Raikkonen smashed the lap record at Jerez in the McLaren while Michael Schumacher broke the Mugello lap record. Ferrari: It is hard to imagine any team getting
close to them here. Only Williams may have a small chance. Drivers: Michael Schumacher won here for the last 2 years and he could easily make it 3 in a row. His main worry would only be reliability and that hasn't been much of an issue for him so far this season. Michael has finished on the podium in every race so far this season. Rubens Barrichello didn't have the
right strategy in Canada and suffered because of that. He once again showed
that he could struggle even in a superior car as he couldn't overtake
Coulthard who was driving a slower car. Williams: Surprisingly are running
into what seems to be a bad patch of engines, or are they pushing them beyond
their limit ?. If they don't run into problems, they will be second behind the
Ferraris although we could see a surprise from Montoya in qualifying again. Drivers: Ralf Schumacher wasn't impressive in
Canada being stuck behind Kimi Raikkonen while his team-mate took both of them
at the same time. Juan Pablo Montoya could surprise us again and qualify ahead of one or both the Ferraris. In the race however, it will be difficult once again but if the Michelin tyres are good he could challenge Michael. With Montoya, anything is possible, from a win to a retirement!. McLaren: Were surprisingly stronger than expected in Canada. There speed during testing is another plus so we may see them closer to the top 2 teams. On the other hand Renault could be strong here and close to McLaren. Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 8.5/10 Drivers: David Coulthard drove an excellent race in Canada and managed to finish second after starting from 8th. He finished last year on the podium and while it is possible to do it again, with both Ferrari and Williams in the race, it will be hard. Kimi Raikkonen qualified superbly in Canada and drove an impressive race as he managed to keep Ralf Schumacher behind. He had to slow down following his pit stop as he had less fuel than he should've. A top 6 finish is likely now that he has finally managed to finish a race (in 7 attempts!). Renault: Didn't have a good race in Canada as it was clear they were down on power. They are expecting to perform strongly here and challenge McLaren for some points. Reliability 7.5/10 - Speed 8.0/10 Drivers: Jenson Button retired in Canada with 5 laps to go (was still classified 15th). Providing his car lasts, he'll do better here. A points finish is possible. Jarno Trulli finished in the points for the second race running. He should do well here. Like Button a points finish is possible. Sauber: They seem to be going through the period where the other teams are catching up to them. Canada didn't suit them and they should be more competitive here but the tyres will play a major role if they are to have a stab at scoring some points. Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 7.5/10 Drivers: Nick Heidfeld had another bad race in Canada after suffering problems with his speed limiter and was penalised twice for speeding!. He should have a better race here. A top 10 finish is likely. Felipe Massa finished 9th and had he not been penalised (also for speeding in the pitlane), he may have had a chance at a points finish. He should finish in the top 10. Points if cars in front fail. Jordan: In the points for the 3rd
race in a row. They are improving their reliability and Fisichella is driving
superbly. They will get more competition here from Renault and Sauber though. Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella finished in 5th place for the last 3 races. He must be on a roll!. The latest Honda engine will be used in Qualifying and that should help him in getting a good starting grid position. It will be harder for him to finish in the points here though. A top 10 finish is more likely. Takuma Sato hasn't been able to demonstrate his talent so far and his time will be running out!. If he finishes, it'll be behind Fisichella by a number of places. Jaguar: They didn't do well at all in Canada (not that they expected that!). Don't expect any better here. They are still targeting the British GP to introduce their long awaited new aero-package. Reliability 6.5/10 - Speed 6.0/10 Drivers: Eddie Irvine retired in Canada, if he doesn't retire here, he'll finish outside the top 10. Pedro de la Rosa in a similar situation to Irvine. . Minardi: Lets hope their financial problems get resolved and they remain in the series. Reliability 7.0/10 - Speed 5.5/10 Drivers: Mark Webber surprisingly managed to mix it with a number of cars from other teams in Canada despite having a car that is down on power. He'll do better here in qualifying and possibly in the race. A top 10 finish will be hard though. Alex Yoong is in Formula 1 just because of the sponsorship and Minardi needs him at these times. He was almost 2 seconds behind his team-mate in qualifying. Still finished the race in 14th though!. Toyota: Didn't have a good weekend in Canada. They should do better here but they appear to be developing their car at a slower rate than the competition - Reliability 6.5/10 - Speed 7.5/10 Drivers: Mika Salo retired from the Canadian GP with brake problems as expected. This track is less punishing and if his car holds he may make it into the top 10. Allan McNish is not having a good debut season. Canada was his second retirement in a row due to a driver mistake. There are a lot of rumours about replacing him at Toyota for next season. He needs to lift his game. A top 10 finish is possible if he doesn't spin again! Arrows: They weren't competitive
in Canada but should do better here. A number of key personnel are joining
other teams and that must be having an impact. Drivers: Heinz Harald Frentzen had a bad race in Canada but should bounce back here as he know the track very well. Expect a top 10 finish with an outside chance for points. Enrique Bernoldi retired yet again. It seems that his first finish of the year in Monaco was a one off!. His retirements have mainly been car related so he will eventually see the chequered flag.. BAR: Remain the only team without points and they will have to be very lucky to score some here. The new Honda engine will only be used in qualifying so that won't help them a great deal. Reliability 6.5/10 - Speed 7.5/10 Drivers: Jacques Villeneuve failed to finish his home Grand Prix yet again although he managed his best qualifying position this year. He has done well here in the past winning the race twice. If he manages a points finish he'll be happy! Olivier Panis has finally finished a race for the first time this season. If his car holds yet again he may just finish in the top 10. Join
6 'n' Pole and see how your predictions stack up against the others.
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