Preview - British Grand Prix 2001.

Formula One will arrive at Silverstone this weekend for the eleventh round of the championship and the British Grand Prix. After last year's race Octagon Motorsports and the BRDC - British Racing Drivers' Club - will be hoping for a non-controversial weekend and now the race is back to it's traditional July slot hopefully the organisers can lay to rest the memories of 2000 - the scene's which were like something out of a 'Carry On' film and all that mud.

So: Who are the favourites? Well if it's dry only six drivers realistically have a chance of winning the race on Sunday. Michael Schumacher is of course one of these and after winning in France and at the Nurburgring the German will be out to take his 51st win (and in the process equal Alain Prost's record) and of course score three back-to-back wins. The German is starting to look unstoppable in the Drivers' Championship and with a 31 point lead it will be interesting to see if his nearest challenger - David Coulthard - has anything left in the bag.

After winning at Magny-Cours the German said: ''I am too realistic to think about the championship. Until it is mathematically impossible for me to lose, I will keep fighting, but this is a very comfortable lead. However, there are still seven races and 70 points available.'' Cautious words then but don't let this fool you Schumacher is in a commanding position and his fourth world title looks all but assured. A further ten points this weekend will do his cause no harm whatsoever.

His teammate Rubens Barrichello is unlikely to cause him problems on Sunday but if the German does slip up or break down the Brazilian just might grab that second win - to add to last year's one at the German Grand Prix. If he is leading though with two laps to go and Schumacher is second - surely Ferrari will instruct him to move over? The big question is though - will he?

As for the rest out of the other four potential winners - Scot David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher probably have the better chances. DC needs a win if he is to start reeling in Michael Schumacher and anything less than 10 points won't be good enough for the Scot or McLaren's hopes of winning the drivers' championship in 2001.

Looking ahead to the race DC said: ''Winning two consecutive Grand's Prix at Silverstone has to be one of the highlights of my career and I am aiming to continue this form at the 2001 race. There is always a fantastic atmosphere at the race; the amazing support that the West McLaren Mercedes team gets from the home fans definitely acts as a motivational force. The circuit offers a number of challenges for the drivers, which adds to the satisfaction when you put in a quick lap.''

His teammate Mika Hakkinen had another hard time at Magny-Cours - his race ending before it had even begun and the Finn could do with a win this weekend to help ease the horrors of the last ten Grand's Prix. He said: ''I am looking forward to Silverstone and the home Grand Prix for the West McLaren Mercedes team, its an enjoyable circuit to race on and has a number of complexes that are exciting for the drivers and fans alike.''

Team boss Ron Dennis was pleased with the team's level of performance last time out particularly in qualifying where the team was a lot higher up the grid than has been the case throughout much of the year. He added: ''It was encouraging to see the competitiveness of the MP4-16 that was demonstrated at Magny-Cours, and there is no doubt that we have the potential to challenge for victory, and this is what we are looking to achieve at the home Grand Prix for the West McLaren Mercedes team. Its also an opportunity for the members of the team who work behind the scenes at our Woking Headquarters to see the race team and the cars in action.''

As for Williams the team has done well this year but the level of performance this weekend will again be dependent upon the competitiveness of the Michelin tyres. Ralf Schumacher who has already won at the San Marino GP and in Canada this year will be out to take his third. He said: ''The circuit is quick and challenging, but unfortunately it is very difficult if not impossible to overtake here. Bridge and Copse are corners where there is very little run-off area so you have to be careful not to go off at either of these places. However, the safety at Stowe has been improved since my brother, Michael, had his accident there in 1999. It is always a great atmosphere at Silverstone and I am looking forward to being there as it is one of our team's home races.''

His teammate Juan Pablo Montoya will be going to a track he is familiar with this weekend - unlike some of the others he has raced on this year - and hopefully after his storming drive in France the Colombian can again notch up a good finish. He said: ''It is a track that I know pretty well. Silverstone is a bit of a question mark on the tyres, but it seems everywhere we go the tyres are working really well when it counts. We have new parts since the last time we tested there, so we should be quite good. I have only raced twice on the Grand Prix circuit, but have also raced on the shorter National circuit.''

Of the rest three teams look likely to be fighting for the remaining points - namely Sauber, Jordan and BAR (and probably in that order). The Sauber team has done amazingly well so far and with only the little blip at the Monaco GP there is no reason why they cannot add to the 16 points already scored.

Nick Heidfeld, who now has nine points to his name this season, is confident that another score is possible this weekend after his sixth place at the French GP. He said: ''I was really happy with the progress that we made in the race at Magny-Cours. Since our car also went well in Barcelona, which is another high-speed track where aerodynamics are important, I'm hopeful that we will be able to run strongly at Silverstone, because it has similar characteristics.''

For once, too, teammate Kimi Raikkonen will not be at a disadvantage to the rest of the field, as Silverstone is one of the few tracks on the schedule that he has raced at before. He noted: ''I don't have any problem learning new circuits, but it will be nice to race at Silverstone because I know it very well. I like its high-speed corners, and I'm sure the C20 will be well suited it the track so that we can challenge for further points.''

Jordan will be praying though that they fall by the wayside so that Heinz-Harald Frentzen or Jarno Trulli (or preferably both) can notch up some points to overtake Sauber in the Construtors' Championship. Jordan presently trail Sauber by one point but they will have to be careful that in setting their sights on Sauber they don't let BAR get the jump on them both. Jordan like most of the British team's will have a lot of support this weekend and both drivers' in the 'yellow corner' are looking forward to the weekend.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen said: ''I really like Silverstone, and it's possibly one of the best circuits we race on. There is a nice mixture of quick and challenging corners with high-speed straights, but also the slower and twisty grandstand section at the end of the track. A lot of Jordan staff and family members come to this race, and it's a great atmosphere with everyone cheering us on.''

For Jarno Trulli, the British Grand Prix marks another opportunity to take his EJ11 into the top six, having come fifth at the French GP two weeks ago. He added: ''It feels good to come to Silverstone having scored points in France, and it would be great to perform well at this circuit, particularly as it is quite technical and difficult. Being so close to the team's factory, nearly everyone from Jordan comes to the circuit over the weekend and it feels great to have that support behind you.''

British American Racing will be hoping for points on Sunday too so that they can catch up with Jordan and Sauber. Jacques Villeneuve knows though that if the Ferraris', McLaren's and Williams' finish there will be no chance of that. He said: ''I expect to be as good as I've ever been. We have had some new bits on the car but if the Ferraris and McLarens finish and if the Williams have the tyres then we will be behind those teams. That cuts us out of the points even if we have a good weekend, so it is going to be difficult.''

Jaguar is probably next up in terms of the pecking order and 'The Cat' will be keen to do well this weekend. Team boss Bobby Rahal is happy with the team's progress. He said: ''I'm pleased at the rate at which we continue to move forward but there's a fair way to go. We are pushing forward at a relentless rate and compared to this time last year, we have come on leaps and bounds. You only need look at our recent performances to see the progress that's being achieved by everybody in this team.''

''We finished right behind the top three teams at the Nurburgring two weeks ago. Then at Magny-Cours last week, Eddie drove a storming race to the extent that we would never have been able to overtake the BARs and Jordans in a straight fight earlier this season. He then marched forward into 7th place to within 0.3 seconds of Nick Heidfeld's Sauber before a technical glitch sidelined him. The message, however, is clear - we are on target to meet our objectives for this season and our goal now is to qualify higher up the order.''

Eddie Irvine is less optimistic though. He said: ''I don't think Silverstone will turn out to be one of our better tracks. Nonetheless, you can't but help absorb the terrific atmosphere and come race day, there will be over 200,000 'mad-for-it' Brits making their presence felt. Amongst them will be many friends, family and of course, the workforce from Jaguar Racing. While a podium finish is a very tall order here, I intend to race in the same aggressive manner that I have done so far this season - it should be quite entertaining for the British fans.''

Irvine's teammate Pedro de la Rosa who has so far had a pretty poor time with 'The Cat' continued: ''I know Silverstone quite well because of the testing hours we spend here. Although it is not one of our best tracks, there have been several improvements to the car recently that have given us the edge we need to race competitively. The team is working hard to extract the best from what we have and also developing new aero parts. It is important for us to qualify well but we also know how hard this track will make it for us.''

Of the rest you can virtually say beyond doubt that the European-Minardi's of Tarso Marques and Fernando Alonso will head home empty-handed. Of the other remaining three teams - Benetton, Prost and Arrows - they too will be hard pressed to take anything away. Benetton show no sign of improvement and the only positive Jenson Button can take out of the weekend is if he out qualifies his teammate - Giancarlo Fisichella - something he has consistently failed to do all season.

As for Arrows and Prost - Prost Grand Prix are having a topsy-turvy season and after the highs of Monaco and Montreal appear to be slipping further back into the doldrums - Can they bounce back? We will have to see. Arrows may figure early on in the race - if Jos Verstappen runs his now usual light fuel load but like all the teams - except McLaren, Ferrari and Williams - the chance of them scoring points depends on others having misfortune.

So don't expect any big upsets this weekend. Michael Schumacher looks set to continue what is fast becoming a cruise to his fourth world title and David Coulthard seems to be slipping further and further behind. Can he put a stop to that on Sunday? Can he win his third British GP and equal Jim Clark's record? Let hope so... or we can all take a glass and toast Schumacher on a job well done and his fourth title. Let's hope it rains...