In this week's column, Ann Bradshaw talks about the success of the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix, about Michael Schumacher's luck, about the sale of the Jaguar team, and about what it takes to keep Jacques Villeneuve happy...

The colour red is lucky in China, but there was not a lot of luck for Michael Schumacher in the first Chinese Grand Prix. Strange this as Michael is one of the luckiest drivers I have ever known. He has escaped pitlane fires and various spins only to continue and win the races. However, his luck ran out on Saturday afternoon when he spun on his qualifying lap, so making sure his Sunday afternoon was going to be tougher than usual for him.

I believe Michael is the ultimate professional. I also believe his desire to win is as fierce as ever. However, even before I heard an interview with Takuma Sato's race engineer, Jock Clear, I had this niggling doubt in the back of my mind that this didn't seem to be the sort of mistake Michael would usually do.

Jock was quite blunt about what he thought. "It was a very strange place to spin," he said. He then went on to suggest it was deliberate as he felt the only challenge left for Michael was to win from the back. Whatever the reason, he didn't win from the back, he spun again and the only driver who got the red luck in China was his teammate, Rubens Barrichello.

Jock certainly should know what he is talking about as he was the race engineer for Jacques Villeneuve. He must have been delighted to see his former driver, and still close friend, Jacques back where most people believe he belongs – behind the wheel of an F1 car. Jacques did not have the dream return. He soon found that a year is an awful long time in Formula One and things have moved on. The cars are very different and he admitted it took him too long to get in the rhythm. I was a bit surprised as I remember when he first arrived at Williams in 1996 he didn't need any warming up period. He was straight on the pace. It was Melbourne and he took pole, led for a handful of laps and on his way to second scored the fastest lap. He was soon winning and his battle for the Championship with his teammate Damon Hill went down to the wire in Suzuka.

I know he is a bit older now, but I hope this is just a temporary glitch and we will soon find him back in front. Mind you I suppose one thing I should point out here in his defence is that in 1995 he was racing full time in the CART series, and in preparation for the 1996 season the team took him to as many F1 circuits as possible to test at and he must have covered thousands of miles over that winter. This time he has not sat in an F1 car since September 2003 and his preparation for the Shanghai race was just a short test round Silverstone.

From the comments that came out of China, Jacques was a new man compared to the one who left BAR in a sulk after Indianapolis last year, when the team announced he would not be driving for them this year. He was smiling, laughing, joking, nothing was too much trouble when it came to talking to the press and anyone wanting an autograph just had to ask.

This reminds me of the Mr Smiley I worked with in 1996. By the way, that was the nickname I gave him and he responded to back then. I liked him and very quickly realised that if I made sure his overalls were hand washed with no fabric conditioner, and that as soon as he got out of the car I was there with a glass if ice cold milk and a bar of chocolate we would get along well. He has this thing about fabric conditioner and I spent quite a lot of time sniffing his newly laundered overalls to make sure the dreaded substance had not been used. He was also paranoid about new clothes. He would not wear anything that had not been washed. I remember him forgetting his socks and when he asked his manager, Craig Pollock, if he could borrow a pair of his, refusing the brand new ones still in their packet he was offered. He preferred cold feet to this.

The news from China was of a very successful race. There was a sellout crowd of 160,000 despite tickets costing the equivalent of a month's wages for the locals. The team's offices looked great. They were built on water and I am sure there was everything inside any member of an F1 team could wish for. However, it was interesting to hear the comments from the drivers change once they got onto the track in their cars. Sadly it was just another Herman Tilke circuit, and despite the German's reputation and monopoly on building new F1 tracks, he doesn't seem able to build tracks that give good racing. We did see some overtaking manoeuvres but they were not that many and the drivers were not heaping praise on his head.

I am about to go and see another new track, the Dubai Autodrome, where the final rounds of the FIA European Touring Car Championship will take place in early October. This has not been designed by Mr Tilke and so it will be interesting to see what it is like. I understand it is excellent and that no expense has been spared. I have two very good mates who were at Silverstone, Hamish Brown and Brian Palllett, working there and if they don't know how to help put a successful racing circuit together then no one does.

The last time I went to China the driving standards were suspect and that was mainly from those on bikes. From the comments and the happenings over the weekend it seems now the population has turned to motorised transport the standards are not any better. I clearly remember the bike riders ignoring any highway code and just going where they wanted despite the other road users. I was told then, nearly 20 years ago, that there were many fatalities. Rubens Barrichello was heard to comment that it would not be long before there was a Chinese F1 driver as they all drove as if they were on the race track.

Sadly for my friends at Williams, a local proved how dangerous they are by crashing into the van taking the marketing team consisting of Jim Wright, Chris Styring, David Owen and the Queen's grandson, Peter Phillips, to the track on race day. Luckily there were no serious injuries, but it was bad enough to keep Chris there still and Jim insisted on travelling home on Sunday night despite suffering from very bad cuts and bruises. I have often been horrified by driving standards of motor racing fans as many of them drive to and from the circuit pretending they are on the track. From what I was told this happened here, but the problem was the driving was not unusual for that part of the world.

Since my last column the fate of the Jaguar F1 team has been sealed and the Ford Motor Company has proved the rumour mongers who suggested there was simply going to be a brand change wrong. They think so little of the sport that they are not prepared to have any of their marques represented on the grids in 2005. F1 is costly and I suppose I can understand the Ford philosophy as they were being beaten on a regular basis by the likes of BMW, Mercedes, Honda, Renault and Toyota. These are all companies who are in fierce competition for car sales and I can understand that it is not a good marketing ploy to let your customers witness such a whitewash every other weekend.

"Racing improves the breed" is a slogan I have seen used, but I do not think it can be used in this case. If I was about to go out and buy a new car and had just watched a Grand Prix I am sure I would think twice if the top of the range model I was considering buying had a losing image. I am sad to see another team go and worried about the implications for Jordan and Minardi if no buyer can be found for the Cosworth engine company, who are supposed to supply their engines next year. I do hope a buyer can be found as this has even wider implications for motorsport with the company supplying series in America as well as F1. Hopefully a manufacturer will see the wisdom of buying this company that has been one of the sport's cornerstones for many years.

About the author:
Ann Bradshaw - Annie - began her motor racing career as a teenager, helping out her brother in local rally races in England, where she grew up. In the 1970s she organised motor racing events in England, and was later the press officer for the RAC MSA - the motorsport governing body in Britain. In mid 1980s, she became press officer to team Lotus, where she worked with Ayrton Senna. Shortly after, she moved to the Williams team and was working there for several years, when once again she found herself working with Senna. She worked with Damon Hill after the Brazilian's death, and moved with the British Champion to Arrows. She also worked with the Panoz team in the United States, before becoming a freelance press officer, now working with BMW among others. Annie joined Atlas F1 as a regular columnist in April 2002.

Contact the Author Contact the Editor