Ask Nigel Roebuck: May 19

Dear Alvaro,

A chink in Ferrari's armour, perhaps, but only a tiny one. It's a fact that Button and Trulli managed to lead Schumacher through the first stint of the last two races, but that was only by virtue of Michelin's 'first lap' advantage. The Bridgestones simply take longer to 'come in', that's all, and at both Imola and Barcelona Michael was plainly up to speed by the second lap, and merely waiting for the guy ahead to make his first stop. At that point, with a clear track, he'd put in a lap or two at banzai speed, make his own stop, and come back out without losing the lead. Simple.

Ross Brawn talked about this in Spain. "Our problem is that if we don't get in a strong position at the start, we can't use the car - as we saw with Rubens [Barrichello] at Imola. Our Bridgestones are fantastic in terms of consistency, but Michelin are able to produce this first lap advantage. Then they start to fade, and if we can't get ahead at the pit stops it's very frustrating. It does, of course, tend to make the beginning of a race pretty exciting - the Michelin guys know the importance of getting ahead on the first lap.

"At Monaco it will be absolutely crucial. We've a lot of testing to do before then, to find a tyre that's strong for the first lap - even if that means a bit less consistency. The Michelins are very fast on the first lap, but then they fade, and we're furiously trying to do models, to see how we should run the race if we get stuck. That's the high priority for us: to produce a tyre as consistent as what we have now, but with that first-lap performance."

Sad to say - if you're a racing fan - my understanding is that Ferrari's pre-Monaco Bridgestone testing has been extremely successful, and that all in the team are convinced the 'first lap' problem has been overcome. If Schuey is in the lead at Ste Devote on the opening lap, Sunday afternoon could be a very long one.

Still, there are possibilities. The trend this season has been very much towards the ultra-short first stint, and it's a fact that, to go for the pole, you will obviously need a very fuel-light car. You can argue that pole is traditionally worth more at Monaco than anywhere else, given the impossibility of overtaking, but in fact I wonder if it may be less crucial now than before. If you run a very short opening stint, bringing you into the pits after eight or 10 laps, chances are you will not have built up enough of a lead to keep it through the stop - in which case, you will rejoin 'in traffic', and inevitably lose time that way.

Strategy at Monaco this year just could be rather different from years past, with pit stops - now in the new 'faster' pit lane, of course - more crucial than we have seen before. Anyway, that's the hope I'm clinging to! That said, would I bet against Michael? I would not...



Dear Rupert,

To be honest, I think the gap between Ferrari and the rest is less to do with the likes of Renault and Williams 'being conservative' than the fact that they simply can't keep up! The inherent pace of the F2004, together with Bridgestone's big step forward, has taken everyone by surprise, and although at different times BAR, Williams and Renault have vaguely threatened Schumacher, there has been no significant challenge to him, nor a consistent one, either.

Undoubtedly, the most potent car-engine combination facing Ferrari at present is the BAR-Honda: an excellent chassis from Geoff Willis, and - now that Honda has finally stepped up to the plate again - perhaps the most powerful engine in the business, well the right side of 900 horsepower. Its Michelins lack the consistent pace of Ferrari's Bridgestones, though, and Jenson Button, while acquitting himself superbly as a team leader for the first time, is not the equal of Michael - let's face it, nobody is.

Button is still improving, however, and BAR is very much a team on the up. At the moment, Renault have a superb car, but not enough horsepower, and, as a package, the Williams-BMW FW26 is not quite there. I can see the gap to Ferrari closing over the season, but it's difficult at this stage to envisage anyone beating Schumacher in a straight fight.



Dear Chris,

Glad to be of assistance. The lever you're talking about was there to adjust the McLaren's roll-bar settings.