No team orders at Ferrari?

New signing Rubens Barrichello has always said that he will not be playing the same number two role to Michael Schumacher that Eddie Irvine performed for the past four seasons.

Now it appears likely that Ferrari will go along with his wishes. At their traditional pre-season press event on 11th January the team are set to announce that neither driver will be given preferential treatment until their championship positions demand team orders.

Whether this will apply in practice is not known. Schumacher has always been keen for his team-mate to be a clear number two.

However, this policy contributed to Ferrari losing the championship in 1999. When Schumacher was injured at Silverstone, Eddie Irvine became the team's main title focus. Had he not been forced to cede points by deferring to his German team-mate earlier in the year, it is likely that the Irishman would have beaten Mika Hakkinen to the title.