This week's Grapevine brings you information fresh from the paddock on: Inside the F2003-GA Head Games

Inside the F2003-GA

Following the Australian Grand Prix, and Ferrari's first non-podium finish since '99, there was immediate speculation that the team would be rushing to bring out the new F2003-GA - only for Michael Schumacher to stand up and state that he believes the F2002 is still a winner, and up to the job. In the face of it, just from the speed with which Ferrari have cleared up the speculation, it is clear that there is a good reason for playing down the arrival of the new car, and it doesn't take much digging to find out what that is: for despite stunning looks and remarkable speed, the thoroughbred is fragile.

Testing has demonstrated a pace that validates Ross Brawn's claim, at the launch, that this is the biggest step forward Ferrari have taken. In back-to-back testing, despite limited experience setting the new chassis, it has proven to be close to a second quicker to the old chassis on similar fuel and downforce. However, like most revolutionary steps forward, there have been a number of teething troubles getting it all to come together, and there are still more worms being dragged out of the woodwork.

Identifying areas where the F2002 could be improved was a challenge, and it has required Ferrari to stretch technology to the limit. Obviously, improving the engine involves finding the optimal balance between weight reduction, power gain and fuel economy. Once dimensions were set for packaging, faced with a choice between making the engine more efficient or more powerful, the team took the traditional Ferrari approach (don't spare the horses), and made this car slightly longer, to incorporate a larger fuel tank.

The longer car allows the aerodynamicists more scope to play with the bodywork. This means the new car, inherently, has slightly better aerodynamic stability and downforce than the old, improving predictability. The extra horsepower from the engine more than covers the cost in drag from the extra surface area, and that's before looking at improving the aero efficiency. The increased length also reduces some of the packaging headaches for systems around the engine - electronics, oil and water pumps, and so on; they can be placed lower, which is also good news for the aerodynamicists. So, the new car offers better weight distribution, power and aerodynamic grip than the old.

Weight distribution remains the same (it's directly related to the ratio of area of contact of the front and rear tyres), and the new engine is marginally smaller than its predecessor. Weight savings have been made throughout the chassis by improving the construction of the monocoque and suspension members; overall weight is fractionally down compared to the F2002, increasing the ballast available to the engineers for balancing the car.

Looking at the downside, lengthening the wheelbase has an affect on handling, as it reduces the response at turn-in; restoring that characteristic has required good use of ballast, and improving the response from the suspension - which is where Bridgestone's continued involvement is vital, as tyre construction is the dominant influence.

Building this car has been challenging. Ferrari have taken the time to get the design right, so it has come together late in the day. Then, the new construction methods do not always produce perfect components - which, with tolerances so tight, means that even the smallest of defects can lead to failures on the car. In testing to date, there has been a series of problems with chassis members fracturing (and failing) at speed, and cracks forming in the wing mountings. Getting it right means improving the technology to allow Quality Assurance to identify ever smaller defects, improving the construction process to prevent them occurring, and putting lots of testing miles in to prove the components work in the real world.

Unlike the early introduction of the F2002, taking the F2003-GA racing now would be a liability, as odds are currently against a race finish, especially in the hot and humid climate at Sepang, or at the ultra bumpy Interlagos circuit in Brazil. Even if the F2002 doesn't win at either circuit, it is still competitive and scoring points - and if there is any lesson to be learned from recent years, winning championships is about consistently finishing races in the points, not just winning races.

Head Games

When Jacques Villeneuve suffered 'radio problems' in Australia, and pitted right in front of his teammate, it caused some raised eye-brows up and down the pitlane: BAR have made a pigs ear of most things at some point in their short existence, but they are not known for queuing their cars up for no reason during pitstops.

Apparently, Villeneuve's radio became problematic shortly into the race, with the signal breaking up and communication becoming difficult. This lead to the misunderstanding, as the driver was unable to hear the team calling him in to pit for fuel and tyres. After touring at the limit of his fuel for a couple of laps, Villeneuve decided the message he was struggling to make out was 'pit' and did so.

As the story of a faulty radio as cause spread, any number of knowing looks were passed between teller and listener - the call to Villeneuve to pit should have offered Jenson Button a chance to pass the Canadian. In getting it all wrong, and 'happening' to pit when Button was called in, that chance was definitely denied the Briton. It seems that most of the paddock is not prepared to credit Villeneuve with the official version of the story, rather believing that the error was deliberate, and it is leading to a heap of conjecture about what Dave Richards can do to sort out the escalating breakdown between the drivers.

Publicly, the radio story remains, and the team had a strong weekend, let down only by poor fortune - and perhaps race strategy - during the race. Villeneuve has apologised to Button for messing with his pitstop, but as 'neither car was going to score points' there is 'no harm done.' And it is all supposed to be dead and buried by the time the teams get to Malaysia. However, it seems that behind the scenes, Richards has had an interesting discussion with Villeneuve, which can be paraphrased as 'you could read the pit-boards. If this happens again, we'll short fuel your car. Even if you are winning.'

The new BAR is clearly performing ahead of the expectations of the media - when Villeneuve put it in to third place in Friday qualifying, essentially on his first hot lap of the weekend, it really got some attention on the grid. Could Honda have finally delivered an engine that lives up to their reputation? And BAR put together a decent chassis at the same time? Well, if nothing else, they certainly made a big step in the right direction. Now all they need, is plenty of television coverage to please the sponsors, and some solid results to validate Richards' tenure at the top. Having drivers fighting amongst themselves is good for media coverage, but it doesn't impress the sponsors, and if it costs points, then it is going to present a real problem.

Want to bet he'll be as good as his word with Villeneuve?