After 15 months of intense activity, British American Racing is "cleared for take off". When Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta power their British American Racing-Supertecs down the pit lane for the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix weekend at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne on March 5, the ambitious new team will have reached another significant milestone in its brief but action-packed history. For everyone involved in the British American Racing project, though, this milestone is the "Big One" - the one everyone has been anticipating. It will mark the team's baptism of fire in Formula One. For the first time, British American Racing personnel will be able to see how their team stacks up against its rivals - the other 10 teams that will be contesting the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Talking with several key British American Racing staff members just prior to their departure for Australia, it was clear that optimism, pride and just a little nervousness were the overriding emotions as the team stood on the brink of its first Grand Prix.

"We're proud of what we've achieved to this point," observed Chief Engineer, Steve Farrell. "We'll finally get to see the fruits of our labours in Melbourne and find out how well we've done against our rivals. We're hoping for good things, but at the same time, we're realistic. We know there's a lot of development in the car, and if we keep pushing and improving it, hopefully at the end of the year, we can say, 'yes, we've done a good job in our first season'.

"Personally, I think it's great that finally we have the opportunity to go racing after months of build-up and a tough test programme. I really hope the result in Melbourne will reflect the hard work that has been put in by each member of the British American Racing team."

Farrell's view was echoed by Senior Race Engineer, Jock Clear, the man who carries overall responsibility for the set-up and race performance of Jacques Villeneuve's car.

"The first race, in Australia, will really lay the foundation for British American Racing's season and for what's to come," he said. "It will also allow us to concentrate on issues behind the scenes that concern the whole business of being a team and working together. These are things the fans don't see, but which are critical to the long-term success of any team.

"We're very encouraged by what we've achieved so far, but we're taking a realistic view about the first race. I think we'll be competitive and should do well.

"We've shifted our emphasis in the last couple of weeks to nail some reliability issues and realise the potential of the car to score points. We'll see where we are in terms of both reliability and performance after the first three races, in Australia, Brazil and Imola. If we qualify strongly and run well, we'll be very happy. If we score a points finish, I think that would be an incredible performance. I think collectively the team has accomplished a huge amount, but we have no illusions about the size of the task ahead of us."

It was British American Racing's highly experienced Team Manager, Greg Field, though, who summed the situation up most succinctly. "I'm feeling scared, apprehensive, excited and nervous, all within the space of five minutes at the moment - it's all peaks and troughs," he commented. "We're obviously looking forward to being in Melbourne at our first Grand Prix, so we can say, 'Right, we've finally arrived. Now we can stand up and be counted'. We're looking for a good result, and after the last shakedown and test at Silverstone, I'm optimistic. We know it will be a hard race, but we're up for it."

As for the scene of British American Racing's first-ever Grand Prix, the picturesque 3.294-mile/5.301-km Albert Park circuit in the centre of Melbourne is undoubtedly one of Formula One's more challenging venues. The area's relatively temperate climate means the track will be in good shape, although because it is a street circuit used only for the Grand Prix, the surface is likely to be quite dirty when the cars first start running. Grip levels should increase markedly in the course of the weekend as rubber is deposited.

The key issue for all teams will be to get their tyres working within the optimum temperature range. With that thought in mind, engineers and drivers will strive to achieve a good basic chassis balance for their cars as quickly as possible and then fine-tune set-ups to compensate for the evolving track conditions.

The Australian Grand Prix has a well-deserved reputation for being unpredictable, often with a number of changing factors coming into play during the course of the weekend. The weather in Melbourne, for instance, could be an issue at this time of year with high temperatures and even heavy rain always a possibility. All the teams will be hoping for a useful slice of racing luck in Australia. Whatever happens, though, British American Racing personnel will know that if effort counts, they should be on target for a good result in Melbourne.