 Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg) 2002 preview.
Story by Andrew Frampton.
The Austrian Grand Prix celebrates its fifth year of racing at the A1-ring after making its return to the F1 scene in 1997. Previous to that, the country had gone without a Formula One race for ten years, after the plug was pulled on the famous Osterreichring, the Spa-Francorchamps of Austrian racing, in 1987. It may not have the nostalgic feel of the old track, but the A1-Ring often provides superb races, with a series of long straights and tight corners, which make overtaking much easier than on other circuits.
Michael Schumacher won here last year for Ferrari, but only after Rubens Barrichello forfeited a certain victory to help his team-mate's title challenge. However, with Schumacher so far ahead in this season's championship, it seems unlikely a repeat would happen this season. Schumacher's lead in the driver's championship now stands at 21 points, and the German has taken four victories from the five races this season. The latest came at the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago, when he blitzed the field to win by over 30 seconds. Barrichello could have offered a challenge to the 2001 champion, but gear selection problems meant he failed to move off on the green-flag lap. This was another in a series of problems that have hit the Brazilian this season, and he has only recorded one finish so far - a second place at Imola.
Williams will be hoping to claw back some of Ferrari's Spanish advantage. The team is currently seven points behind in the constructor's championship, and will be hoping that they can repeat the pace shown here last season, when Juan Pablo Montoya was leading, before losing time with a collision. The Colombian currently holds second place in the driver's championship; three points ahead of his team-mate Ralf Schumacher. After incident packed encounters in Malaysia and Brazil, Montoya has calmed down and racked up eight points in the last two events, without a hint of a collision with Michael Schumacher! Ralf Schumacher failed to finish in Spain, after first running off the road while in second position, and then succumbing to engine failure two laps from the end. Despite this, he is the only other driver to have taken a victory aside from his brother, with an excellent performance in Malaysia. While Barcelona was very much a Ferrari circuit, Austria is pretty neutral, and Williams will be hoping to close the gap.
Although McLaren hold third position in the constructor's championship, they have been nowhere near the pace of the top two teams yet this season. David Coulthard took third in Spain, but the Scot was far from convincing, spending much of the race in the shadow of Jenson Button (Renault). However, with the demise of the Renault, Coulthard's third cemented McLaren's position ahead of Renault and Sauber in the constructor's championship. Once again, Coulthard was out-qualified by team-mate Kimi Raikkonen; the Finn signed from Sauber at the end of last season. However, his only points finish so far this season was a third in the opening round in Australia. Last time out, a rear wing failure forced him out after four laps. The team will need a considerable improvement to finish above third this season and they will need to keep an eye on Renault and Sauber behind them.
After a disastrous season in 2001, the Benetton team was renamed Renault for 2002, and the team has made a bright start to the season - currently holding fourth in the standings. Jenson Button's series of points finishes (two fourths and a fifth) came to an end in Spain, when he suffered hydraulic problems at half distance. Although the Brit soldiered on, he fell out of the points positions, and eventually retired with five laps remaining. Even more unlucky has been his team-mate Jarno Trulli. The Italian was on target for fourth position in Spain, but mechanical problems robbed him of a finish two laps from the end. For poor Trulli, this has become a regular occurrence this season, and despite running in the top six at some point at most of the events, he has yet to make the points. Trulli will he hoping to at least make the finish in Austria, and he has shown his pace here before, when he led in a Prost before his engine blew, on the circuit's debut in 1997.
Spain saw a return to form for the Sauber squad, with Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa taking fourth and fifth positions. This year has been one of contrasting form for the Swiss team, with the only other points this season obtained when Heidfeld led home his team-mate for fifth position in Malaysia. Heidfeld, overlooked by McLaren in favour of his team-mate Raikkonen to replace Mika Hakkinen, has been impressive once again this season, often making the top ten in qualifying, while Massa has not been far behind.
In contrast, Jordan's season has been one of problems, with neither Giancarlo Fisichella nor Takuma Sato making the points so far this year. Rarely have the cars been on the top half of the grid. In qualifying, in Spain for example, the two cars lined up only 12th and 18th. Their race performances have been far from startling either, with the 'yellow perils' more likely to trouble the marshals than the race leaders. Their season has been ridden with mechanical problems, the most recent, a recurring hydraulic problem, putting Fisichella out after just five laps in Spain, while Sato spun out at twice that distance.
Unlike Jordan, BAR's season has shown signs of improvement, with Jacques Villeneuve taking seventh position in Spain. After a dismal start to the season, a series of personnel changes have resulted in a turn-around of form of late. Villeneuve has shown flashes of form, while team-mate Olivier Panis has had his year disrupted by mechanical problems. Although he qualified ahead of Villeneuve in Spain, the latest in a run of five successive mechanical problems hit the Frenchman. This time it was an exhaust problem that forced him out, although he had at least completed half the race distance. If the team's improved form continues in Austria, they could be in contention for points.
The Spanish event was a problematic one for the Toyota team, although both cars did make it to the finish, albeit in seventh and eighth positions, one lap behind the leader. In the first three rounds, the Japanese machines had proven to be reliable if not exceptionally fast, with Salo reaping the rewards with sixth place finishes in Australia and Brazil. Meanwhile, Allan McNish has shown his pace, and was unlucky not to make the points in Brazil. Although he has yet to show the same speed as his team-mate, his seventh position in Spain will have been enjoyed, after he failed to get of the line in the previous round when his transmission failed. Once again expected to run in the mid-field, they could be in with a chance of points given a high retirement rate.
Jordan and BAR are the only teams yet to score points this season, after Arrows got off the mark in Spain, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen's superb sixth place finish. Coming off the back of a superb battle with the Saubers of Heidfeld and Massa, it proved the team had the reliability to match their qualifying pace. Often knocking on the door of the top ten in qualifying, Frentzen and team-mate Enrique Bernoldi can now work without the pressure of gaining that first point. If their Spanish form can be continued throughout the season, more points could be on the cards, although that does seem unlikely given the competition. History shows that the team goes well in Austria - Jos Verstappen scoring the team's only point of the season here last year.
The Jaguar team continues to struggle, with neither Eddie Irvine nor Pedro De La Rosa making it to the finish in Spain, the latter racing at his home event. The team does have three points to its name, however, after Irvine took fourth position in Australia, making the most of a first corner accident that eliminated nearly half the field. De La Rosa has generally been the stronger of the two this season, especially in qualifying, but he spun out after just two laps in Spain, while Irvine, after being put to the back after fuel irregularities, succumbed to hydraulics failure at just over half distance.
Spain was a disaster for the Minardi team, after three wing failures in practice and qualifying led to the decision to withdraw the team from the event. The team hopes that these problems will be cured for Austria (another track where heavy downforce is exerted on the cars) and that Alex Yoong and Mark Webber will have trouble free races. Although Webber has shown his pace this season, including a fifth place finish in Australia, a result anywhere near the points would be an achievement.
Driver's Standings:
1. Michael Schumacher 44pts
2. Juan Pablo Montoya 23pts
3. Ralf Schumacher 20pts
4. David Coulthard 9pts
5. Jenson Button 8pts
6. Rubens Barrichello 6pts
Constructor's Standings:
1. Ferrari 50pts
2. Williams-BMW 43pts
3. McLaren-Mercedes 13pts
4. Renault 8pts
5. Sauber-Petronas 8pts
6. Jaguar-Cosworth 3pts
2002 F1 season calendar
03/03/2002 - Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
- Australia circuit by JR
- Australia preview by AF
- Australia grid by JR
- Australia review by AF
- Australia lap-by-lap by JR
17/03/2002 - Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang)
- Malaysia circuit by JR
- Malaysia preview by AF
- Malaysia grid by JR
- Malaysia review by AF
- Malaysia lap-by-lap by JR
31/03/2002 - Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo)
- Brazil circuit by JR
- Brazil preview by AF
- Brazil grid by JR
- Brazil review by AF
- Brazil lap-by-lap by JR
14/04/2002 - San Marino Grand Prix (Imola)
- San Marino circuit by JR
- San Marino preview by AF
- San Marino grid by JR
- San Marino review by AF
- San Marino lap-by-lap by JR
28/04/2002 - Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)
- Spain circuit by JR
- Spain preview by AF
- Spain grid by JR
- Spain review by AF
- Spain lap-by-lap by JR
12/05/2002 - Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg)
- Austria circuit by JR
- Austria preview by AF
- Austria grid by JR
- Austria review by AF
- Austria lap-by-lap by JR
26/05/2002 - Grand Prix de Monaco (Monaco)
- Monaco circuit by JR
- Monaco preview by AF
- Monaco grid by JR
- Monaco review by AF
- Monaco lap-by-lap by JR
09/06/2002 - Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
- Canada circuit by JR
- Canada preview by AF
- Canada grid by JR
- Canada review by AF
- Canada lap-by-lap by JR
23/06/2002 - European Grand Prix (Nürburgring)
- Europe circuit by JR
- Europe grid by JR
- Europe review by AF
- Europe lap-by-lap by JR
07/07/2002 - British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
- Britain circuit by JR
- Britain grid by JR
- Britain review by AF
- Britain lap-by-lap by JR
21/07/2002 - French Grand Prix (Magny-Cours)
- France circuit by JR
- France preview by AF
- France grid by JR
- France review by AF
- France lap-by-lap by JR
28/07/2002 - German Grand Prix (Hockenheim)
- Germany circuit by JR
- Germany preview by AF
- Germany grid by JR
- Germany review by AF
- Germany lap-by-lap by JR
18/08/2002 - Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)
- Hungary circuit by JR
- Hungary grid by JR
- Hungary lap-by-lap by JR
01/09/2002 - Belgian Grand Prix (Spa Francorchamps)
- Belgium circuit by JR
- Belgium grid by JR
- Belgium review by AF
- Belgium lap-by-lap by JR
15/09/2002 - Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
- Italy circuit by JR
- Italy grid by JR
- Italy lap-by-lap by JR
29/09/2002 - American Grand Prix (Indianapolis)
- USA circuit by JR
- USA grid by JR
- USA lap-by-lap by JR
13/10/2002 - Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
- Japan circuit by JR
- Japan grid by JR
- Japan review by AF
- Japan lap-by-lap by JR
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