With just a week to go before the 1998 Formula One Championship kicks off Damon Hill and Alain Prost see difficulties. Alain Prost's first Formula One car is fast but still suffering from reliability problems. Prost said: "The biggest concern was the gearbox. We know we are going to a have a tough time and that we have just entered a difficult period that will probably last about two months."

Olivier Panis, the number one driver for Prost, stated: "Even if the first race in Australia looks like it will be difficult, I know the car is competitive."

Damon Hill also played down his chances in next weeks race: The first race is always the hardest. I would not like to make predictions about our performance. People keep asking me if I can win in Melbourne and I would say it is a long shot. That does not mean we should not go to Australia looking for victory."