Will Brazil Rise Again?
	by Emily Wheeler, USA

Let's not compare him to Ayrton Senna. That seems to sound a death knell for many young drivers (Jan Magnussen and Rubens Barrichello immediately spring to mind). And anyway, it's just too cliched. Since the great driver's death in 1994, it seems that every young driver coming out of Brazil is "the next Senna." BAR's Ricardo Zonta deserves closer scrutiny than this pat comparison allows. Indeed, it seems the only things Zonta has in common with his famous forebear are his nationality and his speed. His quiet determination and cautious, wait-for-the-right-moment style are in direct contrast with Senna's brash, take-no-prisoners approach. But Senior Zonta is young yet. If his first testing sessions with BAR are any indication, Zonta's Formula One future is very bright indeed. On January 23, his first day out at Jerez, he finished less than two seconds behind his World Champion teammate, Jacques Villeneuve. The next day, he finished less than half a second behind Villeneuve. By the third day, however, he finished third overall - and ahead of Villeneuve. On the fourth and final day, he clocked the fastest time overall. This performance led BAR's chief engineer, Steve Farrell, to comment, "With only limited F1 experience, Ricardo has shown himself to be well and truly up to the task. He is going to be a real asset to the team." Of course, testing is one thing and racing quite another - something the entire BAR team kept reminding itself during a rather turbulent winter. But Zonta's highly successful career prior to Formula One points to ongoing success. Yes, BAR's spotlight seems to shine continually upon Jacques Villeneuve. Given Villeneuve's history, this is entirely appropriate. But it might not be too long before Villeneuve has to share that spotlight with his ambitious young teammate. Ricardo Zonta's early days read like a trite cliche from racing lore. His father, Pedro, raced on the local dirt tracks in their hometown of Curitiba during the early 1980's. While watching his father, little Ricardo was possessed by his racing demon. His obsession was fueled further by the great Brazilians making Formula One headlines around the same time: Fittipaldi, Piquet, and Senna. Ricardo's fate was sealed when Pedro gave his ten-year-old son a go-kart. The following year, the boy won his first race. By the age of 15, he had captured the title for his home province of Parana, Brazil. It wasn't long before Zonta's speed and talent were noticed, and his ascent through the junior formulae began in 1993. Within two years, this exceptional young man captured the Brazilian and South American Formula 3 championships. Then, in 1996, Zonta was off to Europe to race in the Formula 3000 series with Italy's Draco Engineering. He won two races during his first year. Ricardo had taken to his chosen career like a duck to water, as he took the European Formula 3000 championship the next year, edging out Juan Pablo Montoya (who, incidentally, has taken over the 1999 Champ Car seat left vacant by Alex Zanardi). Zonta's impressive performance attracted the attention of Eddie Jordan - always well-known for his ability to recognize young talents. Zonta was invited to a week-long testing session in August of 1997. During his first drive at Silverstone in Jordan's prototype, he was second only to McLaren's Mika Hakkinen, a shock to many of the F1 faithfuls. Despite his amazing performance - capping off a pretty amazing young career - Zonta kept a cautious, level head, wanting to ensure success rather than simply a rapid rise up the racing ladder. When asked whether he was looking for a Formula One drive for 1998, he only said, "It is like a dream for me to race in F1, but I don't want to make a step that is too big for my legs. I want to be a test driver for next season, so I can learn a lot." Zonta got his wish, and then some: he not only earned a Formula One test drive with McLaren-Mercedes for 1998, but also a seat beside veteran Klaus Ludwig with AMG Mercedes' FIA GT team. It was the GT series' inaugural year, and there was something quaintly nostalgic in the relationship between Ludwig, racing his final season, and the up-and-coming 21-year-old. The disparity between Zonta and Ludwig's age and experience was certainly no detriment to their performance. Zonta took pole after pole, including the final round at California's Laguna Seca, where they led the other AMG Mercedes team of Bernd Schneider and Mark Webber by only four points. They had trailed this pair for the first half of the season, and much of the credit for their turnaround goes to Zonta for taking four consecutive poles and contributing to three straight victories at the end of the season. Zonta's perfect balance between blinding speed and good judgment was showcased at the Laguna Seca finale. Ludwig drove the first hour of the race flawlessly, leaving Zonta with a nine-second lead for the beginning of his ride. Due to Schneider's team's clever pit strategy, and a mistake that resulted in a stalled engine for Zonta, the other silver Mercedes CLK-GTR gained a 20-second lead. By the second set of pit stops, however, Zonta had regained a 16-second lead - largely due to the fact that he had stopped only for fuel, and did not replace his tires. Zonta's crew chewed their nails down to nubs as they watched their lead dwindle to less than nine seconds. The other silver Mercedes, now piloted by Mark Webber, steadily ate away at Zonta's lead as the Brazilian's tires wore thinner and thinner. However, Zonta knew exactly what was going on around him. The moment his lead was reduced to exactly eight seconds, Zonta coaxed his worn tires - which he had skillfully preserved by sacrificing his lead-time - to set a new lap record, extending his lead to 10 seconds. He managed to preserve this lead until the end of the race, and clinched the title for himself and Ludwig. This brings us back to Zonta's inaugural year in Formula One this season. Some have questioned Mercedes' decision to let him get away to BAR, to which Ron Dennis has responded, "We invested a lot in him, and it would be foolish of us not to have some rights. But they are not derogatory to the objectives of BAR." Even Mercedes' continued confidence in him is evidence of his stellar potential. Of course, many extraordinary young hopefuls have made their way to Formula One, only to fade a few years later into the disappointing haze of obscurity. It takes the perfect combination of car, team, luck, and talent to result in success. Most recently, drivers like Ralf Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen have some stories to tell about this fact. But maybe, just maybe, Ricardo Zonta will get the equation right. Here's hoping, anyway.

Emily Wheeler	© 1999 Atlas Formula One Journal.
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