Blundell's View: Australian Grand Prix and 2002.

Hi everybody, welcome to 2002 and the new Formula One season which gets under way this weekend...

Well first up looking ahead to 2002 in general I would anticipate that you're going to see the same people winning as last year.

Michael Schumacher and Ferrari will be strong and I think David Coulthard and McLaren will also be very good. I think Williams and BMW will pull some wins off as well, but the main two contenders are Schumacher and Coulthard in terms of title honours. At this point in time the reliability stakes, are falling towards Ferrari more than anyone else. Although McLaren have upped their performance chassis wise they still have a couple of unknowns in the new Mercedes engine design and the Michelin tyres, and that may take time to get use to.

Last year Kimi Raikkonen was the given the honour of being the rookie of the year and for 2002 it will be interesting to see which one of the rookie's adapts best to F1. There are a few guys out there that could make a big impression. I think Felipe Massa looks good in terms of pure speed, maybe a little bit too eager at the moment, he's been off the roads a few times [in testing] but he's obviously getting use to a F1 car and learning the limits. People like Mark Webber even, might make a big impression at Minardi as well, all in all I think there are a number of candidates out there and we will have to wait and see. I think it will be very interesting to see who establishes themselves as the 'Raikkonen' of 2002.

Toyota's Allan McNish is also one of the F1 rookies and if he consistently beats his team-mate [Mika Salo] then he will put himself in a strong position to continue. If he doesn't do that, then there will be some second thoughts for the future. But he has got a great opportunity and it up to him if he's going to use it.

Moving on to the Australia I think it's a special GP - why? Well obviously it kicks off the season, but it's also the first real leveller for everybody to turn up and see where they stand. A lot of people have done very little testing against each other, McLaren I don't think have and Ferrari have obviously done a lot of testing at there 'home' tracks. So it really is the season kick-off and very much an indication of where the season is going to go. A great atmosphere to kick it off with, a huge, huge event in Australia and a great bunch of dedicated race fans - so it's a really nice place to start the season.

Michael Schumacher is going to be tough to beat no doubt about it this year and Ferrari are going to Australia with last year's car. It will be a big advantage in some ways as they will know it's reliable, they will know the car like the back of their hand and they will know how to set it up. In contrast the other teams will be struggling to dial in their cars and that could give the Pranching Horse an advantage.

Whether the F2001 [last year's car] is going to be quick enough we will have to wait and see, but if we go on the performance of it in testing it should be plenty strong enough. Durability is going to be crucial and I think they are going their to make sure they score points and they want to make sure Michael Schumacher takes maximum points in his bid to win his fifth world title.

Rubens Barrichello will be strong but he's really in a situation now where he has to come 'out of the shadow' [of Michael Schumacher] and make a big impression if he wants to keep his job at Ferrari. Although he might go into the season not thinking there's much pressure on his shoulders, I think there's quite a lot.

Over at McLaren I don't think Kimi Raikkonen will be quite as strong at the start of the season as his team-mate DC. I think DC might be able to maximise the car a little bit better, especially in qualifying. He knows McLaren better, so you've got to expect, that it will take a bit of time for Raikkonen to adjust to McLaren's way of doing things.

McLaren will also have to adjust to Michelin tyres, it looks like the Michelin tyres are good for one out and out lap, then they kind of peter-off and then stabilise. It will be interesting to see then which one of them maximise that performance in qualifying and the one that does will elevate themselves up the grid. Raikkonen will be strong but more and more so as the season progresses and not strong enough to have a go at the championship.

At Williams-BMW it should be an interesting battle between Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher at Oz and in 2002 in general. There was obviously a lot of friction there last year and as the season got under way both had a point to prove. Both won Grand's Prix - Schumacher three and Montoya one at end of year - so driver line-up wise the team looks very strong. In terms of engine power, the BMW should be very, very good. There was a couple of instances last year when the performance wasn't there but this year they will have another season under there belt and it should go well. It will also be interesting to watch the battle between them and McLaren and see who establishes themselves as the top Michelin shod team. Williams have a bit of an advantage here, simply because they worked with Michelin last year and McLaren didn't.

As for the 'midfield battle' Sauber look like they will be very strong. They have already been very quick in testing. Obviously they seem to have made a nice step forward with the car, it's nice and driveable and consistent. They also seem to be going into the season with a lot of confidence following their fourth place finish in the Constructors' Championship last year. So they need to aim for one level above that this year, but in reality if they remain in the same performance area as last year and do the same job then they will have done an outstanding job.

Nick Heidfeld should go well and although Felipe Massa hasn't got a huge amount of experience he's got lot of talent and it will be interesting to see how they both perform in 2002.

Between Jordan and BAR, I think Jordan, might still be on the same level as last year, where they can put some strong performances in, in qualifying but not so good performances in the race. It will be interesting to see how Takuma Sato goes and I expect Giancarlo Fisichella to be strong following his form last year, especially at the Belgium GP. Again it would be nice to see him do well, it would be nice to see the whole Jordan team make a stride forward but I don't think it will happen. I expect they might stay where they are and the same goes for BAR.

The battle between the two Honda teams will be just as intense this year as last. Jacques Villeneuve obviously isn't a happy bunny with Craig Pollock going, and with David Richards at the helm, and it will be good to see if he gives the team a new impetus. Everybody down the pit-lane is waiting with bated breath to see how that works out. Olivier Panis did a solid job last year and I think again he will create some issues and pressures for Villeneuve.

At Renault I think they could be winning Grand's Prix by the end of the year based on their performance and the rate with which they improve last year. Obviously the likes of the Renault name is big and as such that is good for F1.

As for the drivers, Jenson Button needs to get his head down and get it together. He has to make sure his on-track performances speak for him and if that's the case, he's got a long career ahead of him. There are doubts about him and with Fernando Alonso hanging about in the background the better the start he gets to the season, the better it will be.

Jarno Trulli had some great qualifying performances last year, he lacked a little bit sometimes in the races, but if he can get to the front of the pack, I am sure he can put in some exceptional performances over the course of the season. I don't think there is anything wrong with his driving, despite media reports to the contrary. I think it might just be that he didn't get the car dialled in for the race last year, and if you look at last 2001, when Trulli was at Jordan, a lot of their drivers also struggled in the race. Let's see what happens with the Renault, the car in 2001 looked very consistent at Spa and if that's the case in 2002, it will be interesting to see if Trulli can make that count.

Over a Jaguar I don't think it will be a good year if pre-season is anything to go by. In testing they haven't done a lot, in terms of strong results in the times and they've already had issues with this year's car, which has been quite public. They don't have a technical director to lead the way before the season kicks-off [following Steve Nichols' exit] - so already they've had some destabilising factors in place and it will be difficult to catch up. Basically going into the season with issues like this is not good, so I don't expect the team to turn it around and their performances won't be much different from last year.

As for the drivers Eddie Irvine is on the last year of his contract. If he can function and beat his team-mate consistently which he didn't do that well last year in some respects then I think he will be ok for the future. For me he needs to stop worry about what else is going on and just do the best job for Jaguar and putting everything in perspective, it's always interesting to see the 'second best driver in the world' as he terms himself not getting the second best results. And that's something that's got to be dealt with.

Pedro de la Rosa is good guy, he had some good performances last year, but didn't really get shouted about and if he gets in a situation when he is consistently beating Irv, then I think that will stand him in good stead.

I think Arrows have the biggest opportunity to leap forward in terms of results. They've got the Cosworth [engine], the car, which is heavily penned by Sergio Rinland, who did a good package with the Sauber. So if all those elements come together there should be a car there that is reliable, consistent and also if they do, do well that's another nail in the coffin for Jaguar, as they will be using the same engine package. With Heinz-Harald Frentzen there as number one they have a solid driver, someone that is a known quantity in many respects, we know he can win Grand's Prix and we know he can get the job done. Enrique Bernoldi might make a step up in 2002, he had a couple of races which, weren't too bad last year. Sometimes his races are little bit more famous for other things, rather than the results but I think overall Arrows have got one of the best opportunities of making one of the best impacts during the season, elevating themselves up to the middle level.

As for Jos Verstappen's sacking obviously there's reasons for that whatever they might be. Arrows obviously don't feel he was up to it getting the job done, over and above Frentzen by the look of things. Maybe there was some financial elements in there whereby they had to go that route, they must have evaluated all their options and decided that is the situation, and the best way forward for the team.

I think Toyota will come in with a bang. Toyota never do anything in a small way. Mika Salo, we've seen some good performances from him in the past. Obviously he's had a year out, just testing, so he is going to have to get back in the rhythm quite quickly. Allan McNish has done some sportscar racing, so he is kind of up to speed, but still hasn't had any F1 experience of actual Grand Prix racing, I know he's done plenty of miles of testing now in that and other cars. Both have a point to prove in the cock-pit though for different reasons and obviously the situation is, Toyota has come in and it's year one. So we are not going to expect fireworks but because of the size of them and the resources, and other things, other known quantities such as Gustav Brunner, then there is going to be a certain level of expectation. So I think they will have some strong top ten finishes but I don't see them making a huge impact, such as turning up and putting a car in a podium position.

Minardi, you have to pay tribute that they are back here for the second year and this is a testament to Paul Stoddart and his team for continuing and putting together a stronger package that what he had last year. They are going to turn up with a lot more expectations than they had last year. Obviously there will also be a lot of support, with him being Australian and turning up with an Australian driver, and going to Malaysia after Melbourne they will again get a lot of attention due Alex Yoong [Malaysia's first ever F1 driver]. So a lot to contend with in this first two Grand's Prix. They also have Asiatech on board, new engines and Minardi as a whole look like they have a lot more funding to go racing with it.

Mark Webber is a rookie but has a good pedigree behind, and in testing certainly looked like he has a turn of speed. Alex Yoong is still looking to get to grips with F1 a little bit more. He needs a couple of strong races, to get some more confidence with the car and with F1. He may have some potential as the season goes on he but he will certainly have his work cut out with likes of Webber stepping in.

As for the loss of Prost Grand Prix, it is a great loss, a great shame they won't be on the grid. F1 is just fortunate that Toyota has come in to keep numbers what they were in 2001 but it would have been fantastic to see the grid growing back up to 24 cars. It wasn't that long ago we had pre-qualifying and cars getting sent home. And now were only at 22 cars, and that for me is the biggest loss, yeah Prost is gone that's not good that's bad, but also the big loss is that F1 is two cars down.

Tyre war wise, Michelin did a great job in year one, to be winning grand's prix in their first season is no mean feat. However Bridgestone will not have been resting on there laurels, they will have been just as busy in the off-season and looking for improvements. It is interesting that McLaren has switched to Michelin. So I think it's going to be a little bit more closer, a closer run thing than it was last year. On balance though I think it might be Bridgestone pulling off overall honours as a whole, but we will have to wait and see.

So then to sum up... ... I hope it's going to be a year when we see the title go to the wire rather than finish off a bit early. I think it is going to be a good year, an interesting year with lots of things happening on and off the track.

So enjoy....

MB.