Formula One news
Willis cautious on Ferrari challenge
24 May 2004 |
| Button and Willis (far right) |
World champion Michael Schumacher must be beaten for a second time in two races at the European Grand Prix before his rivals can start to believe they can regularly take the fight to his Ferrari team, according to BAR-Honda technical chief Geoff Willis.
Schumacher saw his five-race unbeaten run come to an end in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix when Italian Renault driver Jarno Trulli claimed his maiden Formula One victory as Schumacher posted his first retirement in 19 races. Despite dominating all the pre-race practice sessions, Schumacher and Ferrari were out-performed by Renault and BAR in qualifying.
The German five-time Monaco winner admitted after the race that he had little chance of catching and passing Trulli had he not been taken out in a collision with Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams. But Willis, whose team claimed second with Briton Jenson Button, believes the turnaround in fortunes could be shortlived."There is a sniff there but I still say that the Ferrari are very strong," he said. "We will just come to each single race with a determination to try and win it and certainly get on the podium. There are a number of races coming up which may be more suited to our Michelin tyre than to the Bridgestones used by Ferrari."
The championship is heading into one of the most intense runs of races in recent years with five races in the next seven weeks. And, if Michelin do hold an advantage in some of the circuits, the currently one-sided championship table could look significantly different by
the time the end of the long run is reached at the British Grand Prix on July 11.
But Willis and BAR are still refusing to believe that Ferrari, whose lead in the championship was closed to 36 points after Sunday's race, are close enough to catch and are simply aiming to get back on terms of fellow Michelin runners Renault in the next few races. "There is certainly a hope for a season-long fight between us and Renault in the constructors world championship," said Willis. "They are 12 points ahead of us so we just need to finish two cars as regularly as possible to close up. I still think we are slightly faster.
"It was a very good drive by Jenson but here on the day we weren't just quite good enough. It was a well-deserved podium position and that's four in five races. You are going to ask me when he will win. We go to every single race and try just as hard."
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