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Formula One 2001, just about there.

© Anand Janefalkar

With the new season just around the corner, everyone is anxious to see the drivers and teams getting back to action. The first race of the season , the Australian Grand Prix is scheduled on 4th of March. This sparks off the season 2001 of Formula One which promises to be better than ever. The teams are looking good, geared up with all new engines. The new entrants have also shown that they are not here to waste time but to get to winning ways right away.

The month of February in Formula One showcased the new cars unleashed by all the teams. Many have new engines and faster cars. Due to the new regulations imposed by the governing body, the FIA , all cars have a raised front wing which is expected to increase air friction and reduce speed. Many new techniques like traction control have also come under the scrutniy of the FIA . The body has been consistently finding new methods of reducing the risk of accidents in the sport. The superior engines for the new season definitely assure a faster and more thrilling experience to fans. The soaring ticket sales are a proof of the ever increasing interest of the fans. The ticket are being sold online on many links that accompany this topic.

With all teams going in for new engines and improved fabrication of cars, the competition will be far better, unlike just versus Mclaren and Ferrari as the case was last season. Amongst the new engines, Ferrari seems to be the best in terms of reliability and power output with Mclaren closely following with the quickest till now. Other impressive cars are from Williams BMW, Jaguar and Bennetton . Mclaren have been facing reliability problems from the last season and their worries continued even with the new MP4/16, their challenger for the 2001 season. The new car gave in to gearbox problems before completing the planned number of laps just after its release. Ferrari had a better release of their new car with positive results in testings that followed.

The overall performance in the testings have shown that Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard still lead the drivers ratings with Oliver Panis, Ralf Schumacher, Jaun Pablo Montoya closely behind them. New kids on the block, Kimi Raikonnen and Alonso also look good and prepared for the races. These drivers battled it out at the circuits of Valencia, Estoril and many more venues to get the perfect combination with the cars' performance, manovuerability and compatibility. Technicians and experts have put in tireless efforts to get the cars going in the way the drivers and the Formula One standards demand. The final showdown on the 4th of March will reveal it all. Their work doesnt end here as they have to be ready for any trouble-shooting during the initial stages of the tournament and make up for the failures in the coming races.