The Auto Channel--Brazilian Grand Prix preview

BRAZILIAN GP PREVIEW

Williams Set For Battle Royale

(as sons fight it out in round 2)

By: Nicholas Frankl

Damon Hill goes into this week ends Brazilian Grand Prix knowing he must build upon his fragile four point World Championship lead over team mate and now arch rival Jaques Villeneuve. The British ace who has been runner up in the last two years is understood to have been severely rattled by the Indy Champs sparkling performance in Australia earlier this month and is reported to have already requested that he be given full team support and No1 driver status within the Williams team. After Villeneuve pitted first in the Melbourne race, normally a clear indication of No 2 status, Frank Williams denied that their were any team orders, stating clearly that "no driver would be shone preference until one or other was in a Championship winning position." However before leaving for Sao Paulo Hill told the Auto Channel "my concern is that the rivalry ( between us ) might damage the teams chances in winning the Championship and defeating Schumacher and Ferrari, ! wher e he has first call on equipment and has the team behind him."

In the mean time, Villeneuve would not be drawn on the issue, deciding instead to travel to Brazil early to pay his respects to the national hero and former 3 time World Champion Ayrton Senna, whose spirit will be fore most in the minds of all the competitors and spectators over the weekend and on whose Birthday (21st March) Villeneuve coincidental arrived in town on.

For the rest, most of the gossip surrounds the decision by Tom Walkinshaw and his company TWR to purchase out-right the beleaguered Arrows team. Details are due to be announced over the week end when a press conference is scheduled. But this development is seen by most as a real turning point for a team which has long suffered the familiar F1 tale of excess talent, though not always in there drivers, and little cash flow for research and development. TWR whose turn over last year from Touring Car and manufacturing activities was over 300 million is expected to plug in serious sponsors and engineering talent, some of which will no doubt be sourced from the equally unwell Ligier team, where Walkinshaw has been team manager for the past year or so.

All the teams will be taking modified and hopeful - for their sakes - improved cars to South America, fore Argentina follows-on next week and although the results from recent testing at Silverstone were, in the most part, inconclusive due to rain and general rubbish weather once again Williams proved fastest. Test driver Boullion putting in a best of 1m28.09, 0.86s faster than second-placed Alain Prost's McLaren-Mercedes, which Prost reported was "much improved" in both set-up and balance after their abysmal performance in the first race.

Benetton are to use revised air boxes in an attempt to cure their lack of horse power and Ferrari are taking last years gearbox along with new software which it is hoped will prove more reliable even if it is slightly slower on shifting. One man who wouldn't agree is the World Champion, who lapped the Fiorano test track faster last week than at any time before in the new F310 and who still denies that he has any chances of a third Championship this year.

Anyhow, all will be revealed, at least in-part, by tomorrow's (Friday) preliminary sessions around the bumpy, hilly and shanty town sandwiched Interlagos circuit.

If I were Villeneuve, I would drive it, ride it, walk it and roller blade it all day and night, because the new boy is at a distinct disadvantage at a track, like eleven of the others, that he has no prior experience on and where he won't be getting too many tips from his red misted team mate. The honeymoon is most definitely over.