rpm.espn.com: Drivers to Watch

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Wednesday, August 29
Drivers to Watch
ESPN.com news services

Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Budapest.

Rubens Barrichello
Did his part in helping Michael Schumacher clinch his fourth Formula One championship and securing Ferrari its third straight Constructors' title with a second place finish at Hungaroring; now is aiming to capture second place in the standings to make Ferrari's success complete in 2001; Ferrari technical director assessed Barrichello's contribution to the last two years' success as 'fantastic' and admitted the team always believed in his talent on the racetrack; the Brazilian was proud and not shy in expressing the role he played since replacing Eddie Irvine at Ferrari: "I don't think it's just coincidence that when I joined the team we won the whole time. It's something that I'm very proud of, something that the team deserves and Michael deserves."; finished on the podium in four straight grand prixs and nine of 13 this year; with 46 points, is five behind David Coulthard in the standings and two ahead of Ralf Schumacher.

David Coulthard
Gratiously admitted defeat after his rival Michael Schumacher clinched his fourth championship with a victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix; finished third behind Michael and Rubens Barrichello after a slow getaway at the start; will battle for second place in the remaining four races with Barrichello and Williams' Ralf Schumacher; has 51 points, five more than Rubens and seven ahead of Ralf; the 30-year-old Scott won the Belgian Grand Prix in 1999, leading from wire-to-wire; last year he was fourth; victories this year were captured in Brazil and Austria, with five other podium finishes.

Mika Hakkinen
The fifth place finish in Hungary was just his sixth points result of the year; only victory of the season was the British Grand Prix; has not finished six of the 13 races; collected a total of just 21 points, good for fifth place; won for the first time in Belgium last year, although he has performed well at Spa over the years; second in 1999 and third the previous two years; also was second in 1994.

Michael Schumacher
Clinched his fourth FIA Formula One world championship and equaled Alain Prost's all-time win record of 51 with a victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 19; it was his seventh grand prix win of the year and Ferrari sealed its third consecutive Constructors' title; the German proved that not only is he the best driver of his generation but perhaps the best in Formula One of all-time; by the time he retires, Schumacher will likely smash all the remaining records in the history of the sport; next in the season's last four races, will be another victory which will put him first on the all-time win list with his 52nd grand prix; has generously promised to help teammate Rubens Barrichello capture the second place in the standings in the last four grand prixs: "I hope I can repay Rubens by ensuring he gets second spot, because that's the way teamwork has to be. Rubens is a very important part of the team and as he said, it's not by luck that since he arrived in the team we have won two championships."; in addition to the seven victories, he finished runner-up four times and failed to complete only the San Marino and German GPs; in the last 17 grand prixs, including the last four in 2000, he has won 11 times and finished second four times; five-time winner at the magnificent Circuit de Spa but was once disqualified (1994) for failure of technical inspection of his car; made his grand prix debut at Spa in 1991 and claimed his first Formula One victory in 1992; a precision driver and record of consistency at the longest track on the circuit, always makes the German the man to contend with; a victory for Schumacher will equal the great Ayrton Senna with five at Spa; last year he finished second behind Mika Hakkinen.

Ralf Schumacher
Had a close duel with Mika Hakkinen at the Hungarian GP, and pulled a fourth place finish ahead of the Finn; having the best season of his Formula One career; the Williams BMW driver is fourth in the drivers' standings with 44 points; over the last six races, he has done better than David Coulthard with two wins and a second while Coulthard has two third-place finishes; of the last four tracks starting with Spa, three are high-speed circuits which could prove to be an advantage for his BMW-powered racer; his three wins this year came at San Marino, German and Canadian GPs, which showed the car's speed; finished third in last year's Belgian Grand Prix and was fifth in 1999.

Jacques Villeneuve
Circuit de Spa is his favorite circuit on the grand prix calendar; the 1997 F1 champion had a third place finish in 1998 for his best result in Belgium; a disappointing season for the Canadian with only three points paying finishes; third place in Spain and the German Grand Prix were best showings.

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