Q&A: Alan Jones.

Can it really be 20 years since Alan Jones brought the Formula One world championship back to Australia?

The former Williams star was awaiting another momentous event -the birth of twins to him and his partner Amanda -when he took time out for a look ahead to the 2001 Qantas Australian Grand Prix.

Q:
Alan, apart from the number of dollars in his pocket, would life for the 2000 world champion be much different from what it was for the man who won it in 1980?

Alan Jones:
In some ways yes, in others no. Life for the modern Formula One driver is different in one major respect, and that's the fact that he has a lot more corporate responsibilities to look after - the price he pays, I suppose, for the fees that they pay him. There's such a lot of off-track work, and that's something I personally could never stand. Nowadays, there's almost as much for them to do outside the car as in it. On the other hand, if you're a racer - and someone like Michael Schumacher most certainly is -then the minute you slide your bum into the cockpit there's only one thing in your mind, and that's to beat everyone else.

Q:
Speaking of Schuey, he and Ferrari took both titles last year for the first time since 1979. Can they hang on to them in 2001?

AJ:
Well, thanks for reminding me! Back in 1979, Ferrari's drivers Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve were the only ones that finished in front of me! But seriously, sometimes being desperate can cloud your approach a little. I'm not saying Ferrari were desperate, necessarily, but that pressure must have told at some stage. Now that they've done it, they'll relax, and maybe they'll do the job more easily for it. Yes, I think they've got a good shot at both titles again this year.

Q:
We have an interesting new development with an Australian taking over the newly-renamed European Minardi team. Do you think they've got any realistic chance of doing much, and how good is this for Australian F1 interest in the first place?

AJ:
There's no question,- it's terrific. But I think we have to say that they've got no real chance of accomplishing much by way of results. But it's always great to have Australian participation in Formula One, and I'm just sorry it isn't at the driver level. But even so, this sudden arrival of an Italian-Anglo-European outfit with Australian ownership will certainly raise the level of interest here, and that can only be a good thing. Let's not kid ourselves, though: Paul Stoddart faces an enormous task. Minardi are great triers, but they're also consistent backmarkers. Look at someone like Eddie Jordan: he came in a long time ago now, over a decade in
fact, and it's taken that time to turn that team into the slick organisation it now is.

Q:
You would have been pleased to see your old mates at Williams fighting back to third place overall last season. Sir Frank has said he wants to do better, and win the odd race this year. Can they do it?

AJ:
Absolutely no question about it. In fact I think that statement is a classic case of Frank and Patrick Head, his technical director,
playing it down. Some people come out with all guns blazing, but the people who've been around long enough always play their chances down. But when you've got the expertise of a man like Patrick, combined with the obvious ability of BMW, who are no strangers to race-winning engines, then you have the sort of combination that's bound to end up going places. Theirs is one
of the most interesting driver combinations, too. I think Ralf Schumacher is still at the stage where he thinks he's better than he really is, while Juan Pablo Montoya has all the self-confidence and arrogance you need for F1.

Q:
You just mentioned Jordan. Eddie cancelled the team's Christmas party last year because they had slipped back from third to sixth and he felt there was nothing to celebrate. Do you think they will have a party to look forward to this year?

AJ:
I think they will, but I think that's just one of the absorbing things as we get ready for the new season. I think it's going to be an
exciting year.

You've got Renault, who are no slouches when it comes to building grand prix racing engines, coming back in force. They now own Benetton and there's another new engine to bed in there, so it will be fascinating to see how that develops.

Then you've got Honda, with the benefit of being able to throw so much mud at the wall that they just need to wait and see what sticks, then mount it in a chassis and get on with it.

And then there's BMW and Ferrari who have already given us convincing proof of their ability to build a powerful car.

As for Mercedes, I wonder if they might not just be panicking a bit? There seem to have been rather a lot of breakages in all their pre-season testing, so maybe they're just stretching the elastic band a bit too tight.

Last but not least, the tyre war will be intriguing too. Michelin is a name you have to put right up there with Renault and Honda - they have a proven track record at the highest level. There are so many permutations, it's going to be fascinating.

Q:
One of the most fascinating things about the first race of the year is the crop of new, young drivers. How do you see their prospects?

AJ:
I simply don't know! They've all more or less snuck in from left field. I follow motor sport quite closely, I reckon, but there are so many formulas these days there just isn't time to monitor them all as intimately as you might like to. What I will say is that it makes a bit of a nonsense of the superlicence thing -- it seems the rules are there to be bent when they need to be.

Going back to your first question, I find it interesting that, whenever I reflect on that 1980 championship-winning year, I always feel it doesn't seem all that long ago. But a man of 20 wasn't born then -and now there's every chance he's going to be sitting on the Melbourne grid!

On a more serious note, there are some of them who could find themselves a little outgunned when they have to dive into that first right-hander at Albert Park. I think it could be a bit of a baptism of fire for a few of them. But let's give them a fair go and reserve judgement until after we've seen what they can do in a Formula One car.

Q:
You obviously have a fair bit on your mind at the moment, but does that mean you will miss out on the 2001 Qantas Australian Grand Prix?

AJ:
No way! I will be there, not least of all because I've been asked to wave the chequered flag at the end of the grand prix. Jones's Law will no doubt dictate that the twins are born the instant I take off from Coolangatta [on Queensland's Gold Coast] and I won't hear about it for another two hours, but I'll be there. I remember winning the Argentine Grand Prix and taking the flag from Juan Manuel Fangio, and what a thrill it was. I'm not saying Michael Schumacher will consider it much of an honour to take the flag from me, and I'm certainly not putting myself on the same shelf as Fangio, but it is indeed a great honour to me and I wouldn't miss it.

Q:
So Schuey is your tip for Sunday's race?

AJ:
He's on the crest of a wave, and so are Ferrari as a team, aren't they? You don't have to be Einstein to work it out. From what I can gather the new car is going very nicely, so I for one would find it hard to pick against him.

[Courtesy www.grandprix.com.au]