Formula One Heats Up
Formula One racing begins a wide-open season this weekend, and one thing’s certain: Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher can’t stand each other.
Villeneuve won the F-1 title in a Williams car in the final race last season, surviving a crash with Schumacher’s Ferrari - a desperation attempt by the German to keep the Canadian from winning his first title.
Villeneuve continued Williams’ dominance this decade, while Schumacher is still grudgingly regarded as the circuit’s best driver. That could be changing, however.
McLaren cars dominated Formula One in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and appear to be back in contention this season. In early testing, McLaren Mercedes drivers Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard were the quickest with an updated V-10 engine, regarded as the sport’s most powerful.
Regulations this season have made Formula One cars narrower and grooved tires will make them slower and tougher to handle. That’s prompted the most extensive technical changes in a decade.
McLaren seems to have gotten an early advantage with a car designed by former Williams engineer Adrian Newey. McLaren has also switched from Goodyear to Bridgestone tires after the American manufacturer announced last fall it was leaving Formula One after the 1998 season.
Bridgestone showed signs last year of being quicker than Goodyear.
“No one is in the same league as Michael (Schumacher)” said Ron Dennis, McLaren managing director. “Our task is really to provide our drivers with a technological advantage.”
The first test comes Sunday in the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, where Villeneuve and Schumacher can renew their feud.
Schumacher received a slap on the wrist by the sport’s governing body after he admitted the crash with Villeneuve was deliberate. He is still defending his tactics in the final race at Jerez, Spain.
“In the past that was the way you did it,” said Schumacher, talking about trying to take out Villeneuve. “If you wouldn’t have done it you would have been criticized the other way around.”
Villeneuve, with little to prove after adding last season’s championship to the 1995 IndyCar title in North America, fired back at the two-time champion.
“Under stress, Schumacher stops thinking and only reacts,” Villeneuve said. “That’s when he shows his character in its true light. I am not interested in getting to know him. I cannot relate to anything he does.
“I never really trusted him, but now I’ll never trust him again,” he added. “I admire him for his speed as a driver, but that’s about all.”
The Williams team is unchanged with Villeneuve and German Heinz-Harald Frentzen, although the car is red instead of blue to reflect a new cigarette sponsor.