Formula 1
Rivals need to catch Ferrari up
Ferrari made it clear in the opening race of the season that its rivals need to play catch-up to the scarlet cars' performance. Some were dismayed at the Scuderia's dominance in Melbourne, fearing a repeat of 2002 when the team had the championship ...
Published: Mar 9, 2004, 9:20 PM
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Ferrari made it clear in the opening race of the season that its rivals need to play catch-up to the scarlet cars' performance. Some were dismayed at the Scuderia's dominance in Melbourne, fearing a repeat of 2002 when the team had the championship sewn up half way through the season. But as technical director Ross Brawn pointed out, Ferrari is just doing it's job, as it always has, and it's up to the rest to improve.
Race winner Michael Schumacher.
Photo by Ferrari Media Center.
"As a team we've got to do the best job we can and that's what we do," he said. "There's nothing we can do really to help McLaren and Williams be more competitive -- it's really up to the others to catch up and make it more competitive at the front."
The Australian Grand Prix has usually been a strong race for Ferrari but come Malaysia there should be resurgence from other teams. Ferrari's Bridgestone tyres may struggle in the heat, while the Michelin runners enjoy the sweltering conditions.
"I think Malaysia will certainly be different and I don't think we'll see us doing this in every race this year," Brawn commented. "On Sunday the temperature was perfect for our tyres but we'll see in Malaysia which I think will be quite a different story."
Williams technical director Patrick Head also believes the situation will be different in Malaysia. The Michelin teams had problems with tyre graining in Australia -- sliding on the track produces small balls of rubber on the surface of the tyres, which in turn causes loss of grip and more sliding.
"It sounds like an excuse but the cold temperatures meant that these tyres did not work so well," Head said. "It's not the best start but at least we got both cars home in the points, so we are still second, but a rather weak second in the constructors. I'd be surprised if we're not far more competitive in Malaysia."
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