Preview: Flyaway season-opener up for grabs

The bumpy Sao Paulo track will be a difficult baptism for many of the promising rookies who have graduated from Formula 3 this season, including British champion Antonio Pizzonia (Petrobras) and his German series counterpart, the Italian Giorgio Pantano (Astromega).

But the most likely winners this weekend will come from the ranks of drivers with previous F3000 experience. Australia's Mark Webber must start as the odds-on favourite, after finishing third with European Aviation last year and switching to the top notch Super Nova squad for this season.

The Benetton test driver's team mate is former British F3 champion Mario Haberfeld, who has struggled to get to grips with F3000 and faces a make-or-break year. In fact, in front of his home crowd, the likeable Paulista's season could hinge on this race in terms of his confidence levels.

Although a British driver has never won the series, it has two likely candidates in the shape of Justin Wilson (Nordic Racing) and Darren Manning (Arden Team Russia). Neither has won a race in the category, but both have come close and should pose a season-long threat for wins. For an in-depth insight into their chances, see Autosport magazine's F3000 preview.

Of the rest, Belgium's David Saelens needs to prove that he's a timebomb waiting to go off, rather than an accident waiting to happen. He had too many crashes for Super Nova's liking last year but possesses the pace get the job done by stepping into Webber's shoes at European Minardi.

Outside bets for victory include Sebastien Bourdais, the Frenchman a last-minute addition to the DAMS squad which has under-achieved in recent years, and Nordic's Tomas Enge. The driver from the Czech Republic took a fortuitous victory at Hockenheim for the McLaren Junior Team last year, but that had more to do with tyre choice than anything.

Keep an eye out too for Spain's Antonio Garcia at the Red Bull Marko team, who graduates as Formula Nissan champion just like Fernando Alonso did last year. The two are good pals, and the team has won the championship in the past, so he might be a good long-shot to nick a win.

Race distances have been slashed from 120 miles to just 90, so expect the action to be even more frenzied than usual. Qualifying is tomorrow (Friday) and the race is broadcast live on Eurosport across Europe on Saturday evening.