Ask Jonathan: February 27

Dear Richard,
Eddie Jordan would probably admit it himself, but Jordan are not going to have the easiest of seasons in 2002. Just three years after that amazing 1999 season, when Heinz-Harald Frentzen emerged as a dark horse for the world title in the closing stages, the wheels appear to have fallen off Jordan's charge to the top and it is going to take some serious head scratching to move things back in the right direction.

The real cause of the problem though is nothing to do with EJ's ability to run a team - it is far more to do with the way Formula 1 has gone in the last three to four years.

The rise of the big money manufacturers has not only seen competition become increasingly intense on the engine front, but it's meant that costs for the teams have spiralled out of control. For outfits like McLaren and Williams, where there is full-on manufacturer support, it's not such a problem - for teams like Jordan and BAR, where the manufacturer is not linked so strongly with the outfit, it is. Without the money to take on the best, what chance do the midfield runners have?

The new EJ12 will eventually be a quick car and should on its day, especially in the hands of Giancarlo Fisichella, cause a few worries down the pit-lane. At the moment, however, it needs sorting and I would not expect too many great things in the early part of the season. We will, however, probably see it qualify much higher up than it will be able to race.

Honda too also have work to do. Their all-new engine has not drawn rave reviews from the drivers, but the Japanese car company are only in F1 for one thing - winning. If they start the season outclassed by the majority of the opposition, expect serious hard grafting in Japan.

Jordan's problems are not helped by a lack of complete cohesion in the design office. The future of Eghbal Hamidy looks uncertain and, while there is no doubting his abilities as an aerodynamicist, his organisation and management skills are understood to not be among the best. This is likely to have been a factor in the early problems of the EJ12.

I would not expect Jordan to be able to get near to Ferrari, McLaren and Williams in the constructors' championship this year, but I expect them to be in the fight just behind Sauber and Renault. Their season is likely to be one of intense highs, when Fisichella and Sato do get the car to their liking, but one of intense lows as well. I would not expect them to leave Melbourne on Sunday night completely happy with their form.



Dear Jan,
However much the headlines in Australia will be grabbed this weekend by whether Ferrari did the right thing in bringing their old car to Melbourne, I don't think we will be able to give a definitive answer until the Japanese Grand Prix in November.

It is likely that if Ferrari score just a handful of points here in Australia, and McLaren and Williams enjoy a performance advantage and come home ahead, the world champions will be on the receiving end of much criticism about the decision.

However, I think you have to look at the flip side of such an outcome - if those points scored with the old car are enough to win them the championship come Suzuka, then it has to be seen as the right decision. After all, Ferrari may well have been quicker with the new car, but it could have broken down and left them with nothing.

Ferrari's decision to bring the old car was made after testing at Mugello, where the team were hit by their first mechanical dramas with their revolutionary new transmission and gearbox. The Scuderia's machinery has traditionally been bullet-proof - with mechanical failure the exception rather than the norm - and they probably felt that they could not afford to risk a failure and score non-finishes at the start of the season.

The title fight is likely to be very close this year, especially with the added problem for Ferrari that both McLaren and Williams are on Michelin tyres, and that makes scoring points at the start of the season all the more important.

There have been rumours that Ferrari have not brought the car because of fears that elements of the new transmission may be exploiting 'loopholes' in the regulations, following Ron Dennis's comments at the McLaren launch that at least one team was going down that route. However, sources have revealed that the sport's governing body, the FIA, are happy that nothing within the new Ferrari systems goes anywhere near breaking the rules.

As far as Ferrari's competitiveness goes, I would not rule out a Michael Schumacher victory in Melbourne this weekend, but I would not expect it. The F2001 has been quick in winter testing, but without the new Ferrari engine and new parts that will have been tried out earlier this year, the team cannot expect to be outpacing McLaren and Williams. I believe Schumacher will finish on the podium, but I think David Coulthard goes into Australia favourite to win.



Dear Matt,
Jenson Button has changed a lot in the last 12 months - and thankfully it has all been for the better. This time last year he was bullishly confident about his chances at Benetton - and he probably had every reason to be after a brilliant debut season with Williams in 2000.

But Button was unable to deliver what he expected - and what the rest of F1 demanded. I think the brilliance of 2000 went to his head slightly over that winter and he perhaps did not give as much dedication to the job as he needed to.

He had also had it a little bit too easy at Williams. He had been given a fairly sorted car, with a very experienced team to help him learn the ropes, and he had found it easy to excel.

At Benetton, he was driving an uncompetitive car, with a team that got more and more frustrated with him the more team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella excelled in those difficult conditions. Button had trouble gelling with a few individuals, team boss Flavio Briatore made clear his frustrations at times, and he also had the press on his back - feeling he was enjoying life too much for a man struggling at the back of the field. Matters were not helped when his new yacht 'Little Missy' was moored right by the entrance to the paddock at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The middle of last year was difficult for Button, but he somehow managed to turn things around. He got more focused on the job, he sorted out his off-track image and he decided that he needed a clean break in off-track affairs by splitting with his long-time management team of David Robertson and Harald Huysman.

By early 2002, things had been patched up with Briatore, he felt more comfortable with the Renault team and in testing he has been a match for new team-mate Jarno Trulli, one of the quickest men over one lap in F1.

I think Button will impress this year. The Renault may not be able to regularly challenge for victory, but Button knows that he has to do the job this year. He simply cannot afford to be outclassed by Trulli or else his F1 career is likely to be over.

Button is still under contract to Williams for 2003 and it would appear from the outside that he would stand no chance of going there with Ralf Schumacher already confirmed and the team having little reason not to take up their option of Juan Pablo Montoya. I still, however, would not rule out Button racing there next year and with a Colombian team-mate.