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Wednesday, March 14
Drivers to Watch
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Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Rubens Barrrichello
The third place on the podium in Australia was the start expected in the season for the Ferrari driver; also finished third in Malaysia last year in the season finale; was one of his nine podium finishes, including his first career Formula One victory at the German Grand Prix; other wins are expected this year, but will be more of a role player in helping Ferrari top driver Michael Schumacher defend his Championship Drivers' title.

David Coulthard
Started the 2001 season with a runner-up finish at the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago; a better start than McLaren teammate Mika Hakkinen, who Coulthard has been in the shadow of the past three seasons; spent several vacation days following the race and considers himself fit and ready for the humid conditions in Sepang; will be one of the main contenders throughout the season, but likely be short of championship potential; finished the 2000 Malaysia GP in second place to Michael Schumacher, the Formula One champion; had 11 podium finishes last year, including three victories and finished third in the World Drivers' championship with 67 points; survived brush with death in a plane crash near Lyon, France prior to the Spanish Grand Prix.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen
After a disappointing 2000 season, the fifth place finish in Australia must be a positive outlook; bad luck was a factor in nine non-finishes last year, but that looks to be behind the German driver; top results were third-places in the United States and Brazilian GPs; team Jordan has improved its equipment and the package should provide enough strength for podium finishes; in 1999, he finished third in the points standings behind Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher.

Mika Hakkinen
Looks to avoid the start from last year when he did not earn points until the third race, allowing Michael Schumacher to an early points lead that turned out to be key in the end; in Australia, the Finn retired while running second from a rear suspension failure on lap 22; team McLaren has fixed the problem and that has Hakkinen looking forward to a good performance at Sepang and its fast straightaways; finished fourth in Malaysia last year and had initially been awarded the victory at Sepang in 1999 when Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine were disqualified, but later reinstated; became a father in the offseason; this is his 10th season in Formula One; recorded wins in Spain, Austria, Hungary and Belgium last year and had second places in San Marino, England, European GP, France, Germany, Italy and Japan to finish second with 89 points in the standings.

Juan Montoya
His debut race in Formula One in Australia was cut short due to a reliability problem (faulty pipe connector of the oil tank and engine); Team Williams indicated it has corrected the problem and the cars should be ready for both Montoya and Ralf Schumacher; the Colombian driver reached as far as third place in Australia before the problem forced him out on lap 40; the former CART champion is set for the big challenges of the demanding Formula One circuit; he and Ralf do not have the best of relationships, but will push each other for good performances.

Kimi Raikkonen
The Sauber driver earned his first point in his first Formula One race in Australia despite driving with a slight understeer; in fact, Sauber had both racers in earn points with Nick Heidfeld taking fourth; an impressive start despite many showing concern the young Finn could be a danger not only to himself, but other drivers as well due to lack of experience; his super license necessary for Formula One competition is provisional, but if things continue well the provisional will be suspended.

Michael Schumacher
The reigning Formula One champion is also the defending champ of the Malaysian Grand Prix and is a favorite to defend that since Ferrari won both races at the Sepang circuit; looks to score his sixth consecutive victory dating to end of last year (the record is nine by Alberto Ascari between 1952-53); had already clinched the title before the season-ending race at Sepang last year (a race moved to second event in 2001); it was the first Drivers' title for Ferrari since Jody Scheckter in 1979; Ferrari also won the Constructors' championship; Ferrari won both races at Sepang thus far (Irvine in 1999); is within reach of becoming the all-time winner in Formula One; has 45 wins, six fewer than Alain Prost; last year he won the first three races of the season and the last four, with two more in between.

Ralf Schumacher
Is fully recovered from the trauma of his crash in Australia with Jacques Villeneuve that caused the death of a 52-year-old race worker hit by flying debris from the cars; apt and ready for one of the more difficult races on the schedule due to the hot temperatures and humidity; is the younger brother of Michael and a talented racer in his won right; the competition with Williams teammate Juan Montoya is expected to be healthy; their relationship off the track is rather tense; finished fifth with 24 points in the standings last year; had three podium finishes last year, all third-place.

Jos Verstappen
The Dutch driver had a solid run in Australia but was not satisfied with the ninth place finish after running as high as seventh early in the race; last year's race at Sepang looked good until a hydraulic problem caused him to drop down the field to an eventual 10th place; scored five points in 2000 with a fourth place finish in Italy and and a fifth in Canada.

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