BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Formula One

By BBC motor racing correspondent Jonathan Legard

Three times a world champion and three times a winner of the British Grand Prix, Niki Lauda had no doubts where the balance of power lay after Sunday's race.

"Ferrari is the best on all the different circuits," said the former Ferrari and McLaren driver.

"Normally when they win a championship, they rest on their laurels. But they have done a better job this year than last."

"McLaren have had their problems but it is the brilliance of Ferrari that has been the real surprise."

"You can tell (Michael) Schumacher now that he is world champion. It is just a question of how he finishes the next couple of races."

Lauda was speaking from the heart and from personal experience.

He faced a constant battle to keep on top of the political manoeuvrings at Maranello.

Michael Schumacher at Silverstone
Schumacher is close to securing the championship

He won two world titles for Enzo Ferrari, in 1975 and 1977, but departed in frustration after four years in Italy.

Schumacher, by contrast, shows no sign of leaving Formula One's most charismatic team.

On the contrary, the key players so painstakingly assembled by sporting director, Jean Todt, since 1993 are contracted until 2004, their eighth year together.

By then who knows how many races they will have won and how many championships they will have amassed.

But Ferrari's remarkable consistency shouldn't obscure Mika Hakkinen's startling return to form.

His first Silverstone success in his eleventh season was as crushing as any of his championship victories.

And Schumacher knew it.

His reaction after the race suggested he'd almost missed his old rival while he was hamstrung by malfunctioning McLaren machinery.

The congratulations he offered were genuine and heartfelt.

Of all his opponents down the years, Hakkinen appears to command the greatest respect.

Think of qualifying in Japan last year when the pair pushed each other to the limit in a duel which scattered the rest to the winds.

Think of Belgium last year when Hakkinen, baulked once before up the hill from Eau Rouge, completed a 200mph move on the inside of Schumacher and Ricardo Zonta just before the road tapered into a zig-zagging chicane.

It was almost as tight when Hakkinen swooped past the champion through the 160mph corner at Maggotts, snatching the line as Schumacher struggled to keep his car on the road.

Mika Hakkinen celebrates his victory at the British Grand Prix
Hakkinen commands great respect

If Hakkinen can repeat his resurrection as spectacularly as he did 12 months ago when winning in Austria, Schumacher may find himself waiting to break Alain Prost's record longer than he imagined after moving to within one win a fortnight ago.

Hakkinen and McLaren, however, would be wrong to assume they had necessarily turned a corner.

Their car does appear more competitive - and about time too - but the BMW Williams package looks set to relish Hockenheim's power-hungry layout at the next race.

Monza in September could be another Williams success story, depending on how well Michelin have countered Bridgestone's significantly improved performance.

Search for rivals

"Bridgestone have a good tyre," said Williams's technical director, Patrick Head over the weekend. "Michelin need to react to it."

Williams also need better reliability, be it tyres, engine or chassis. Ralf Schumacher's Silverstone failure emphasised the gap that still exists to the front two.

So much so that BMW's director of motorsport, Gerhard Berger, has revised his championship schedule.

"We are not going to be title contenders next year," he said.

"We need to be consistent on every track and in all conditions. Only in 2003 will that be possible."

That should cheer McLaren, and Hakkinen in particular.

His obvious delight in winning again after so long proved his appetite remains undiminished.

Coulthard may not welcome that but Schumacher's pursuit of excellence would surely thrive on another confrontation with an old, but favoured, rival.