Michael Schumacher is again hoping for a podium spot: "In principle, we'll still be behind the Williams for sure and Benetton I don't know. My target here is to get on the podium. I'd be quite happy with a third position. (...) The points difference isn't that big so everything is still open. I'm still optimistic for the championship ... but it's obvious we have to change things to get at least equal with the Williams performance."

Ross Brawn will help Ferrari back to the top: "I can't change things overnight. But what I think we can do is go from black to grey to white. And this has been accepted. Rory and I were five years together at Benetton and have our own way of working. Our new programme is already in place and under way -- and no-one has complained so far. But it is difficult for me to judge how we are doing overall because I cannot refer to Ferrari's performances last season. I can only judge on what has happened this year.

We still have a lot of work to do to improve some of the systems and one or two of the team's general approaches. But it has helped a lot to have the technical direction based in Maranello because people have a reference point. Despite the best intentions, it is not practical to have a design-technical group in one country and a separate racing team in another.

I suppose, too, it has been easy for me to come in and change things a little because no-one at Maranello was doing this job before. It is a new position. There are no predecessors to worry about. Long-term planning, for example, was something lacking at Ferrari. We are trying to put this in place. But our day-to-day objective is, obviously, to be competitive though our long term goals of good planning are a key factor at the same time. But I have initiated a system on the pit wall and I am much more comfortable with that. But there are things in place at Ferrari which I am just assessing, to see what happens. As with anything, there are some things I think are good and some I think are not.

What I feel I can give to Ferrari is to see the right direction, maybe when others can't. This can be mid-race, altering a planned pit-stop or something concerning future planning. I always found it easy with Michael because he likes the work and so do I. That is the same for Eddie, too, but he has a rather different outlook on other aspects of his life."

Brawn thinks Schumacher is still by far the best driver on the grid: "That has not changed. There is no other driver to compare with him. And as far as I can see, he is not easing off at all. He seems to work just as hard, or harder, and he is as fit or fitter than ever before. He has reviewed and revised all his regimes in his life, completely. He has a new fitness routine more particularly directed to his needs. Also, he is still very much a tremendous worker. He had enormous stamina. When he is in the car and I am talking to him, he speaks as you and I are speaking now. There is never any sign of physical stress from him - Never - That is remarkable. He is a great asset to Ferrari and everyone knows that."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is doing everything he can to improve and get to know the Williams car. He had to face bad critisisme after his failures during the first Grands prix this season: Nobody likes bad rumours, especially if they are not true. I am not prepared to lie to defend myself. I came to Williams as the new boy. I am open to ideas and want to develop my experiences. My philosophy is to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible."

He added: "Everyone is too quick to form an opinion. They tell me I can't hold the pressure, that I am a weak egg. There are so many stories flying around, but the people who are telling them don't know me. What can I say? If I say I am going to win a race or a championship, people will say I am arrogant. If I explain what happens when things go wrong, they say I am making excuses. I can't win."

"There is still the feeling that there is something in the car which is a secret to me," Frentzen said. "It was a question that was bothering me as I was driving during the first two races. I work methodically, step by step, but I can't use the car as I want. It is as if the things I want to find out have disappeared into some sort of Bermuda triangle."

The Tyrrell-Ford team has made some aerodynamic changes into the Argentinean Grand Prix. Wind tunnel tests have showed some major improvement in car's performance especially in down-force, which is going to be a major problem for many teams in Buenos Aires. New rules for the 1997 season prohibit aerodynamic 'centerwings' but Tyrrell has managed to solve this minor rule problem. Mika Salo still thinks their chances for scoring points is quite slim, although he feels more confident than in Brazil. The new Ford ED5 engine will be ready at Imola (Italy).

photo by Tyrrell

Salo commented: "I knew that there will be new things to our cars, but they didn't tell me anything specific. I only knew that our cars will have more wings and it'll show somewhat different that it used to."

provided by Jukka Saarikorpi and Pekka Ranta from Finland

The Television coverage during the last Grand Prix in Brazil was very poor. RTL Television Germany have had contact with FIA boss Bernie Ecclestone. The result of this contact is that there will be a co-director, Austrian Fritz Melchert, present during the Grand Prix in Argentina.

Bridgestone technical director Hirohide Hamashima commented on their success before the Argentinean Grand Prix: "Before we started this engagement in Formula One we just wanted to score a few points. We got them now. I fear the Central Office now wants more."

Rothmans, sponsor of the Williams-Renault, have broken open their contract with the team to extend it with one year. The amount of the deal was not mentioned.