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Formula One - The Scene before the Spanish Grand Prix

© Anand Janefalkar

The Formula One scene enters its most interesting phase this weekend when the Spanish Grand Prix kicks off. The circuit called as Catalunya in Spain has been a happy picture for Mclaren so far with three consecutive one-two finishes from the last 3 years. With David Coulthard at the top of the Championship points tied with Michael Schumacher, Mclaren are expecting a good result which will catapult David Coulthard and Mclaren both into the lead in Championship points. Mika Hakkinen has also shown great expectations from the circuit as he has been the winner here from last three years in a stretch. Last year, Hakkinen had scored his first win here and had put himself back into contention for the Drivers' Championship for the season. Though the Finn has just 4 points from his first 4 races, he hopes that the situation is pretty similar to the one last year and that he will bounce back in a couple of races.

With Williams BMW putting in a very strong performance in the last two races, all eyes are set on them with both drivers proving that they are very much into the reckoning. Ralf won the race last week at Imola while Juan Pablo Montoya almost had his first win at Interlagos, Brazil, until he had to retire following an accident with Jos Verstappen. BMW will ensure that this season is not just a fight between Ferrari and Mclaren for Championship honours. On the other hand, Bennetton have fallen to the bottom of the charts as their car and engine isnt competitive enough. The team will be taken over by Renault next year and hence this is just a testing season according to many. So BAR, Jordan and Sauber will be battling it out for the fourth spot in the Constructors' Championship. Sauber currently lead the race with superb performances from Nick Hiedfield and debutant Kimi Raikkonen. Kimi Raikkonen was awarded with his superlicense which will increase his confidence in this race and Sauber can expect a better result from the young Finn.

The Spanish Grand Prix sees the re-introduction of traction control systems in the cars after a long gap of 7 years. This would be interesting to see as no one has the exact feel of how the electronics of the car will perform under race conditions. The speeds are expected to fall but at the same time, the safety and manouvering of the car will be much more efficient. The wear and tear of the tyres of the car is also expected to reduce with the traction control systems. While many drivers have welcomed this re-introduction, some feel that this would mean fall of speeds and lesser driver control on the car in some areas. The performance of the system at the race will tell the true story.

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