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2000 British GP News 
21 - 23 April 2000   

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Will McLaren put a halt to Michael Schumacher and Ferrari at their home Grand Prix or will the Ferrari dream run continue ?

If testing is anything to go by, then Ferrari appear to have the upper hand however the times set in testing are nowhere near lap records so testing is not a real indication. Another factor that must be considered is that we will probably see the first wet race of the season and if that is the case then we all know Michael Schumacher's capability in the wet but we also cannot forget Coulthard's performance in the wet in 98 at Silverstone when he actually passed Michael Schumacher. How will the other teams perform ? Will BAR's latest specification Honda engine make them closer to the top 2 ? Will Jaguar find the reliability and speed ? Will Williams and Jordan continue to struggle with reliability ?

In simple terms, the race should be an exciting one, wet or not. It is clear that Ferrari and McLaren are very close and that ensures an exciting race. The decision to ban pit lane speed limiters has been modified and now they are allowed but sensors will only be mounted on the front wheels so pit lane speeding penalties will not be expected to play a role in the outcome. So how are the teams expected to do at Silverstone ?

McLaren: They appear to have fixed most of the reliability issues and with a new engine specification being introduced here, they might achieve the 1-2 finish that David Coulthard is promising. They must get their strategy right and they have done that in the past but they are not as good as Ferrari in this area. Mika Hakkinen appears to have the upper hand, he is more determined than ever and will give Michael Schumacher a good fight. David Coulthard might still surprise us at his home Grand Prix.

Ferrari: Michael Schumacher is very confident of pole and winning this race and why shouldn't he be, a perfect start and fastest in testing despite it being the first time at Silverstone since he broke his leg. Still it will be tough for him to make 4 in a row especially at Silverstone but it is possible. Rubens Barrichello was disappointing at San Marino and let us hope that he bounces back here, otherwise he will run as support for Michael Schumacher and that is the last thing spectators want to see.

Jordan: They better fix the reliability problems they have otherwise 3rd place in the constructors championship will be considered something of the past. Testing still showed that they have reliability problems and that will most probably carry into the weekend. With reliability problems you lose precious time to focus on performance and hence the other teams will catch up and pass them. Strong rumours regarding Jordan having works Honda engines next year could give them a boost but only for next year. At San Marino both Heinz Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli struggled so we cannot tell how they compare on the track with the other teams but I will be surprised if they finish right behind the top 2.

Jaguar: The sad news regarding Paul Stewart's colon cancer will not help, reliability is still shaky even though both cars finished at San Marino they were not competitive. Eddie Irvine surprised a lot by qualifying very well and doing well in the race until a problem caused him to lose a few places. Johnny Herbert continues to struggle bringing rumours that he will be replaced by test driver Burti.

Williams: When both Williams retired at San Marino, no one was surprised, it is the opposite that surprised everyone as BMW are new entrants and problems will occur. Expect to see a few engine failures over the weekend however a wet race will help save the engines as 100% power is not needed. Ralf Schumacher continues to show that he is one of the best young drivers on the grid continues to score maximum points whenever he can and Jenson Button is impressive given his inexperience and age. If the car lasts they could be right behind the top 2.

Benetton: A disastrous showing at San Marino reminded us of the moody Benetton of last year where it will do wonders on high downforce circuits but will struggle on medium and low downforce circuits. Whatever Fisichella and Wurz do, if the chassis does not help they will be at the back. Unless it rains, Benetton will not shape here but if it does and it is expected to, then Fisichella might surprise everyone.

Sauber: If the form at San Marino is anything to go by, then they appear to be making progress and have potential to fight for 3rd place behind McLaren and Ferrari. Mika Salo appears to be getting the best out of the car while Pedro Diniz is not far behind.

Prost: If either car finishes at Silverstone, that will be an achievement. During testing they have struggled and it does not appear that they are close to fixing all their problems. The potential of Jean Alesi and Nick Heidfeld is hidden behind those problems. If it rains then expect a blistering performance from Jean Alesi and let us hope his car can last.

Arrows: Their drivers are still making mistakes, this appears to be their main problem as the car appears fast at stages of a race but not the whole race. Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa are both good but need to be fit and consistent which they appear to be missing.

Minardi: The only hope they have is for a wet race where they could challenge the rest of the field for position, otherwise they will qualify at the back and with good reliability finish in the top a lap or 2 down.

BAR: The massive accident at Silverstone last week put a damper on an otherwise impressive testing session by BAR. The new specification Honda engine is said to be excellent and will enable BAR to get ahead of the rest and closer to Ferrari and McLaren. I certainly hope that BAR manage to determine and fix the front suspension problem that appears to have caused Zonta's crash. Had the accident occurred on the race weekend, spectators could have been hurt and that is not acceptable. BAR need to find the cause as we don't want them to pull out of the event either. Jacques Villeneuve drove superbly at San Marino to grab 5th place and he should be able to collect some more points here. Ricardo Zonta struggled and made mistakes at San Marino, he needs to improve.

If it is a dry race then it will most probably be Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen fighting it out with David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello with a small chance but if it rains, it could be anyone's race.

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