#Australian Grand Prix#
-----------------------

March 3, 2002
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Albert Park
South Melbourne, Australia
Race 1 of 17 in Grand Prix series

Laps: 58
Track length: 3.27 miles
Race length: 191.12 miles

DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) -- The No. 2 driver at Ferrari once 
   again played his role to help top pilot Michael Schumacher 
   win his fourth Formula One World Championship in 2001; his 
   second season with Ferrari was even better than the 2000 one 
   even though he did not win a grand prix; was runner-up in 
   five events and third-place in five more; ended up third in 
   the championship standings with 56 points, nine behind second
   place David Coulthard; finished 2nd and third in the last 
   two Australian Grand Prixs.

David Coulthard (Scotland) -- Remained the top driver at 
   McLaren-Mercedes after Mika Hakkinen decided to sit out 
   this year; this will be his seventh consecutive season 
   with the British based team for which he has won 11 grand
   prixs; finished second in the standings behind champion 
   Michael Schumacher last year with 65 points, a distant 58
   back; says he is more motivated than ever, "I am still aiming
   for that goal of winning the World Championship. During the
   winter break the focus was on Formula One and victories.";
   new teammate is another driver from Finland, young Kimi 
   Raikkonen; Coulthard had two victories last season in Brazil
   and Austria; scored points in 13 of 17 grand prixs; won the 
   1997 Australian GP and was second in 1998 and again last year.

Eddie Irvine (Northern Ireland) -- Returns to Jaguar for a third
   straight season alongside Pedro de la Rosa of Spain, who 
   joined the team last May; Irvine is confident the new Jaguar 
   Cosworth R3 will be quicker in 2002, he said it will take a
   few races before comparisons can be made with other teams,
   "The weight has gone down, the center of gravity has gone
   down, the downforce has gone up and the power has gone up."; 
   spent much of the offseason in Miami where he worked on an 
   intense physical fitness program; de la Rosa spent time at 
   home in Spain with his new bride.

Juan Montoya (Colombia) -- Finished in the points in just five 
   grand prixs in his debut Formula One season last year, but 
   one was his first career victory in Italy, and three other 
   results were runners-up; also won three pole positions; 
   started last year with four DNFs including in Australia; won 
   the American-based CART championship in dominating fashion 
   in 1999.

Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) -- Steps in the cockpit of the McLaren 
   team in place of countryman Mika Hakkinen, who is taking a 
   year's sabbatical; joined the team after an impressive rookie 
   season with Sauber-Petronas in 2001; is not concerned about 
   following in the footsteps of the two-time world champion, 
   "I will just do my best.  I don't need to follow in his steps.";
   he hopes to score at least one victory; finished in the points 
   positions in four races last year for nine points including a 
   sixth-place result in his inaugural grand prix in Australia; 
   won the Formula Renault championship in 2000 with seven wins.

Michael Schumacher (Germany) -- 2001 was a year that saw Ferrari
   and Michael dominate from round one in Australia to the season 
   finale in Japan, both wins by the German driver; in-between,
   he won seven other races and finished second four more times;
   wrapped up his fourth Formula One title in Hungary with four
   grand prixs to spare; is the record holder of the most grand 
   prix victories with 53, surpassing Alain Prost and has Juan 
   Manuel Fangio's record of five world titles in his sights, 
   Schumacher will begin the 2002 season in what is expected to 
   be yet another dominating campaign for Ferrari; the 123 points
   earned was the most of any driver has obtained in a single 
   season; before the end of his career, he is likely to smash all
   remaining records in the history of the sport.

Ralf Schumacher (Germany) -- The younger brother of four-time 
  world champion Michael led the Williams BMW charge on Ferrari 
  and McLaren last year with three victories; first win was in 
  April at San Marino, followed by triumphs at the Canadian and 
  German Grand Prixs; finished fourth in the championship standings 
  with 49 points, seven behind Rubens Barrichello in third; will
  wear glasses during races which he tried on in the off-season,
  "My eyesight is fine.  But, I tried driving with glasses last
  week and it seems to be much better, It just allows me to see
  things a little better and in Formula One that is essential."
  Finished third in Australia in 2000.

Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) -- The 1997 Formula One champion did
   not have a particularly strong season in 2001; started the 
   year with four DNFs before a pair of third place podium 
   finishes in Spain and Germany; scored points in two more grand 
   prixs.

Mark Webber -- The 25-year-old Australian signed with the Minardi 
   AsiaTech team and will make his Formula One debut at the Albert
   Park track; worked six years to reach this level of competition;
   will be first Australian since David Brabham in 1994 to race in
   Formula One; is the first driver in recent history to make his
   Formula One debut in his home grand prix, on a track he competed
   in 1996 at the inaugural Melbourne Australian Grand Prix in a 
   Formula Brabham race; native of Queanbeyan, New South Wales.

2001 Finish
-----------
 1. Michael Schumacher (Germany), Ferrari
 2. David Coulthard (Scotland), McLaren
 3. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil), Ferrari
 4. Nick Heidfeld (Germany), Sauber
 5. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany), Jordan
 6. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland), Sauber

Past Champions
--------------
2001 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2000 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
1999 Eddie Irvine, Ferrari
1998 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes
1997 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes
1996 Damon Hill, Williams
1995 Damon Hill, Williams
1994 Nigel Mansell, Williams
1993 Ayrton Senna, McLaren
1992 Gerhard Berger, McLaren
1991 Ayrton Senna, McLaren
1990 Nelson Piquet, Benetton
1989 Thierry Boutsen, Williams
1988 Alain Prost, McLaren
1987 Gerhard Berger, Ferrari
1986 Alain Prost, McLaren
st 02-28-02 19:21 et