Fashioning the stuff from which legends are made, Formula One is witnessing the birth of a pride of new lions. Poised to take on the mantle of World Champion, these young pilots are talented, well-paid and — in the savage commercial world of today’s F1 — brave in an entirely new way.

Once again demonstrating that change is the essence of Formula One, today's F1 drivers are fashioning the stuff from which legends are made. From Villeneuve to Mika Hakkinen and former Irish bad boy Eddie Irvine (together with Giancarlo Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher and Alexander Wurz) these new lions were talented, well-paid and — in light of the savage commercialization of today's F1 — brave in an entirely new way as well.


Not that controversy and politics have been eliminated, however. They actually began in earnest again in 1994, where Michael Schumacher was stupidly shown the black flag at Silverstone for "overtaking" on the pre-race parade lap, and then slapped by FIA with a two-race suspension for allegedly ignoring the flag while Benetton's Flavio Briatore argued with the stewards. The shenanigans escalated at the Hungaroring that season, where Schumacher was disqualified on technical grounds after the wooden undertray plank on his Benetton was judged too thin under the regulations.

They peaked at Adelaide — the last gasp for a fun-filled Australian GP F1 venue — where Damon Hill, second in the race and the world championship, desperately dove for a small gap and Schumacher shut the door, breaking the Williams' front wishbone and securing the win and season title.
And controversy continued into 1995, where Hill, superficially appearing confident in the superior Williams FW17 of Patrick Head, collided into Schumacher at Silverstone, spun out while leading at Hockenheim, and made a general mess of things as Schumacher handily won his second title. (This included a fantastic victory in the 1995 European GP at a refurbished Nürburgring, where "Schumi" adroitly managed rain tyres and pit strategy to pass Jean Alesi with three laps to go to take the win, while Hill crashed once again attempting to catch the German.)

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With most of Europe in the grip of a fierce heatwave, we're in for a hot time at Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix this weekend and the first of two back-to-back races, with Hungary to follow just seven days later.

Temperatures are forecast to be in the high 30's Celsius when practice gets underway on Friday and although it may be a little cooler over the weekend, we're hoping Ralf and Jarno will be making things hot for our rivals on the track.

"We did well in France and we should get another strong result on Sunday," says Ralf who is looking forward to racing on home soil again.

"It's always nice to come back to Hockenheim. The atmosphere is really good with plenty of noise from the fans in the stadium section."

Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli know all about the perils of the Monaco street circuit. Last year Ralf hit the barrier during qualifying whilst Jarno’s ambitions overtaking manoeuvre cost him any chance of points. With the new rules mixed in for 2006, both drivers are expecting a tough weekend.


Ralf Schumacher has enjoyed many successes over the years on the narrow street circuit, as well as many lows including a number of accidents and missed opportunities.

“I have always been quick there and I've taken pole position and a podium in the past. Last year I made the points and we will hope for more this weekend.” Nevertheless Ralf is pleased to be back in Monaco. "From a driving point of view it's great to drive at Monaco and a challenge to be quicker than everyone else round the narrow streets.”

Ralf also pointed out the perils of the Monaco circuit as well as reminding us that anything can happen from qualifying to race.

“The barriers are closer than anywhere so you need to adapt your approach slightly. But that is something we have all got used to down the years. The first challenge is to secure a good place on the grid and then to try and finish the race without mishap.”

Tyres will once again be an important factor this weekend, with the TF106B also making its debut, Ralf is hoping for a positive weekend.

"Tyre choice is always tricky because the track changes so much during the weekend. But if you have a driveable car here it's fun so I'll be looking forward to trying out our new TF106B."

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