Smart money on Schumacher

Schumacher has to be the man to beat

By BBC motor racing correspondent Jonathan Legard

Australia. Malaysia. Brazil. Three continents in little over one month. The opening rounds of Formula One's world championship provide a dizzying climb back into competition after four months' hibernation.

As one seasoned figure put it: "It's like going up Everest!"

Maybe that should be Michael Schumacher's next challenge.

McLaren aim to expunge the memories of a frsutrating 2001

It might give the rest a chance in Melbourne, Sepang and Sao Paulo.

After all, former Grand Prix driver Ukyo Katayama has managed to go up and down the world's highest peak - without oxygen as well.

Clearly the German's goal is to defend his and Ferrari's place at F1's summit, currently cemented after successive championships.

The champion team's decision to start the season with their title-winning car from 2001 while they work up the reliability of their "radical" 2002 model is understandable, if also surely ominous for their rivals.

In the words of Sir Frank Williams, "Last year's car was bloody quick and the testing times so far this season are remarkable."

Which, unremarkably, again marks out the Schumacher-Ferrari combination as the one to match and catch.

Fangio in sight

Ignore the record-breaking for a moment and consider that between them, Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello - still wrestling with the trials of the job as the champion's team-mate - scored a podium finish at every race last year.

No other team came remotely close, hence Ferrari's massive margin of victory.

Seemingly Schumacher is already tiring of the references to Juan Manuel Fangio as he closes in on the Argentine's grand haul of five titles.

But wait until the lights go out in Melbourne, signalling the start of his record equalling assault, and see if the thrill of the chase has paled.

Montoya faces a tough battle with team-mate Ralf Schumacher

I say you'll wait in vain. If brother Ralf, Juan Pablo Montoya or David Coulthard want even one title of their own, they're going to have to earn it the hard way.

That said, their mission is not impossible. But it could be complicated now that McLaren have changed from Bridgestone tyres to Michelin.

While Ferrari have the undivided attentions of Bridgestone in the quest for added performance, how will McLaren and Williams fare at any circuit that proves to be Michelin-friendly?

Point-scoring could become a four-way battle which could cost one or other or both significantly in a title run-in.

Then there's the in-house competition at both teams: Montoya's latin brio versus Schumacher's reserved determination to live up to the demands of a team expecting renewed success.

At McLaren, which has an adventurous new car with doubts about the power from its engine, there's Coulthard's increasingly spiky attitude versus Raikkonen's budding self-belief.

McLaren spur for Heidfeld

Early results could provide telling clues about who's hot and who's not.

Renault's name-change from Benetton would gather momentum if their plans to rattle the leading three come off. They finished last season on the up, remember.

For Jenson Button, there would be nothing like a first F1 podium early on to set the stall out against new team-mate Jarno Trulli and to prove a point or four to last year's doubters.

Sauber already look as if last year's startling rise to fourth on the grid was no flash in the pan.

Frentzen hopes for a revival of Arrows' fortunes

The under-rated Nick Heidfeld will need only a glimpse of Raikkonen's new team colours to give his Suzuka-spec Ferrari engine a thorough workout.

Behind them, another under-powered Honda engine suggests another year of underachievement for BAR and Jordan.

Jacques Villeneuve's new boss, David Richards, has promised changes at BAR in time for the first European race in April.

Whether that convinces Villeneuve to stay around long term is debatable.

Jordan's first priority has to be reliability, particularly with a Grand Prix novice like Takuma Sato now on board. Last year's record was wretched.

Jaguar's pre-season technical troubles have yet to persuade many that the R3 is an improvement on the much-criticised R2.

Jaguar look poised for another disappointing season

And if there's no quick fix, that could spell the end of Eddie Irvine's F1 career. Bad car, bad prospects of a new contract, through no fault of his own.

How long Ford put up with Jaguar's persistent failure will be one of the season's key talking points, especially if Arrows new signing Heinz-Harald Frentzen can put the team's new Cosworth engines to good use and show up Niki Lauda's team even more.

Toyota's F1 debut has been carefully underplayed after unseemly disagreements over winter testing. Pride not points will count in year one of their multi-million pound investment.

Avoiding F1's wooden spoon will be a useful start as likely rivals, Minardi, bid to make their move up the field, albeit with a vastly inferior budget.

Almost a decade on from being Benetton test driver for Michael Schumacher, Allan McNish will become the 139th British driver to line up for a Grand Prix when the lights go out in Melbourne on 3 March.

Whether he sees much of his former colleague is another matter. But he's in good company in 2002. That's the challenge for the whole grid.