Ferrari Will Only Get Stronger, Warns Irvine

Dominant Ferrari will run away with Sunday's U.S. Formula One Grand Prix, according to Eddie Irvine.

The bad news for rival teams, and for spectators complaining that Ferrari have turned the sport into "Formula Yawn", is that the Briton also believes the World Champions will be stronger than ever in 2003.

Irvine said that he could not see anyone beating Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, who between them have won 13 of the 15 races so far this year, at Indianapolis. Schumacher took his record-equalling fifth world title more than two months ago and Ferrari have also secured their fourth constructors' title in a row.

Irvine, the 1999 Championship runner-up with Ferrari and now with Jaguar, could not envisage anyone mounting much more of a challenge next year either.

"The guys there (at Ferrari) are telling me that they've made bigger steps for next year than they've made between last year and this, already. It's kind of scary," Irvine told reporters. "Williams are unreliable. They don't do a job anywhere near the level of Ferrari, that's quite clear.

"Ferrari finish races while everyone else is breaking down. And you can't really stop them having a one-two if you're parked on the verge after 28 laps."

Open Battle

Schumacher won this year's title in record-breaking time, also securing a record 10th victory of the season, and has now completed an extraordinary 20 races in a row in the points with 17 successive podiums.

"You should never be too confident," the German cautioned however. "You know racing and you know my statistics and I haven't retired from one race this year. So one day it will hit me. We obviously hope it will not happen, but you know how it goes."

He said that Sunday's race would see an open battle between himself and Brazilian Barrichello for the first time in a year overshadowed by a 'team orders' furore when the Brazilian was forced to give way in Austria.

"Even if I win (in Indianapolis), he would win his second position (in the Championship), so that means it is a free battle for the last two races, which I'm looking forward to," said Schumacher.

He added that Barrichello, who replaced Irvine at Ferrari at the end of 1999, was the strongest teammate he had partnered in his career and could provide a challenge next season.

"I would think so, yes. I don't think, if you go through history, we have had a situation being so close together, so consistently."

Ferrari are on course to emulate McLaren's record 1988 season of 15 victories, needing only to win at Indianapolis and at Suzuka in Japan in two weeks' time. But Schumacher said that record had not been talked about among the team as the season neared its end and other milestones were passed.

"It's not records that drive us," he said. "Our target was to win the Drivers' Championship, the Constructors' Championship, ideally to have Rubens in second position, and the rest is probably cosmetic.

"We still feel very challenged and motivated to go for races and drive for our fans and enjoy ourselves. We work very hard to achieve such results."