OMEN
03-26-2006, 01:46 AM
THE heat is on Australia Formula One driver Mark Webber to fire on his home track.
And as far as his Williams' team is concerned, the hotter things get, the better.
For Webber, the biggest question for next Sunday's Foster's Australian Grand Prix is the weather.
He knows it needs to be hot for the Bridgestone teams, including Williams and Ferrari, to rattle the Renaults on their Michelin tyres.
"Melbourne could be interesting on the tyre situation," Webber said.
"It has traditionally been a good track for Bridgestone, but we need some heat."
Despite Webber's optimism, no one in the F1 pitlane is looking past Renault for favourite as both Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso are running hot.
Team blue has blitzed the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Malaysia and its rivals are either relying on updated parts - from fresh engines to aero tweaks - or Bridgestone-friendly weather to try and bridge the gap.
Michael Schumacher got close to world champion Alonso in Bahrain thanks to his incredible talent and hot-track Bridgestone tyres, but finished back in the pack in Malaysia because of engine failure.
He is waiting for engine improvements from Italy and the weather report for Albert Park to know if he will be a contender.
Jenson Button is next best in the championship chase behind Alonso and Fisichella in his Honda, but admits Renault has a speed break.
"We are the closest, but they still have an advantage," Button said.
The F1 cars have already landed and are being stored at Avalon Airport until the bump-in at Albert Park tomorrow, with the drivers expected to land in Melbourne from later today.
BMW driver Nick Heidfeld should be first off the plane, fresh from a week of intensive testing in Spain.
Webber's Williams team was also in Spain, looking for pace and a solution to the problem that caused the Cosworth engine failure in the car of his rookie teammate Nico Rosberg.
The car was driven by veteran Alex Wurz, who will also be the Friday test driver for the team in Melbourne.
All teams will have fresh engines for Albert Park as F1 regulations force teams to used a single motor - the new-age 2.4-litre V8s - for two race meetings.
But Williams and Ferrari expect to have more power and reliability.
"We have an engine upgrade coming for Melbourne," the technical director at Williams, Australia's Sam Michael, said.
"All the teams will have improvements for Albert Park.
"This is the most interesting time of the year, as there are always things on other cars you want to try."
Fisichella, the defending race winner and last-start winner in Malaysia, is confident the Renault R26 engine can handle any conditions.
"The package is good," he said.
"I think the Renault R26 is working well everywhere. I am looking forward to the race."
But teammate Alonso, who leads the championship after a win in Bahrain and second in Malaysia, is not getting too cocky.
He is keeping an eye out for Schumacher and Ferrari.
"We will see," Alonso said.
"I think they will have a slightly different car and we see how they go.
"Maybe in Australia they can come back."
Sunday Herald Sun
And as far as his Williams' team is concerned, the hotter things get, the better.
For Webber, the biggest question for next Sunday's Foster's Australian Grand Prix is the weather.
He knows it needs to be hot for the Bridgestone teams, including Williams and Ferrari, to rattle the Renaults on their Michelin tyres.
"Melbourne could be interesting on the tyre situation," Webber said.
"It has traditionally been a good track for Bridgestone, but we need some heat."
Despite Webber's optimism, no one in the F1 pitlane is looking past Renault for favourite as both Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso are running hot.
Team blue has blitzed the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Malaysia and its rivals are either relying on updated parts - from fresh engines to aero tweaks - or Bridgestone-friendly weather to try and bridge the gap.
Michael Schumacher got close to world champion Alonso in Bahrain thanks to his incredible talent and hot-track Bridgestone tyres, but finished back in the pack in Malaysia because of engine failure.
He is waiting for engine improvements from Italy and the weather report for Albert Park to know if he will be a contender.
Jenson Button is next best in the championship chase behind Alonso and Fisichella in his Honda, but admits Renault has a speed break.
"We are the closest, but they still have an advantage," Button said.
The F1 cars have already landed and are being stored at Avalon Airport until the bump-in at Albert Park tomorrow, with the drivers expected to land in Melbourne from later today.
BMW driver Nick Heidfeld should be first off the plane, fresh from a week of intensive testing in Spain.
Webber's Williams team was also in Spain, looking for pace and a solution to the problem that caused the Cosworth engine failure in the car of his rookie teammate Nico Rosberg.
The car was driven by veteran Alex Wurz, who will also be the Friday test driver for the team in Melbourne.
All teams will have fresh engines for Albert Park as F1 regulations force teams to used a single motor - the new-age 2.4-litre V8s - for two race meetings.
But Williams and Ferrari expect to have more power and reliability.
"We have an engine upgrade coming for Melbourne," the technical director at Williams, Australia's Sam Michael, said.
"All the teams will have improvements for Albert Park.
"This is the most interesting time of the year, as there are always things on other cars you want to try."
Fisichella, the defending race winner and last-start winner in Malaysia, is confident the Renault R26 engine can handle any conditions.
"The package is good," he said.
"I think the Renault R26 is working well everywhere. I am looking forward to the race."
But teammate Alonso, who leads the championship after a win in Bahrain and second in Malaysia, is not getting too cocky.
He is keeping an eye out for Schumacher and Ferrari.
"We will see," Alonso said.
"I think they will have a slightly different car and we see how they go.
"Maybe in Australia they can come back."
Sunday Herald Sun