Thursday April 20th, 2000

By Timothy Collings

Michael Schumacher and Ricardo Zonta, both victims of major crashes at the same Silverstone bend, return to the circuit this weekend for the British Grand Prix.

Race organisers have extended the tyre wall at Stowe corner, scene of Schumacher's broken leg in last year's race and Brazilian Zonta's accident in testing last week.

Other safety measures were already in place before Zonta's BAR took off, cleared fencing and smashed across a concrete retaining wall into an enclosure. The driver escaped with only a cut finger.

Schumacher's Ferrari suffered a brakes failure at Stowe last July and the double world champion spent much of the rest of the season on the sidelines.

Zonta's accident affected Schumacher more than his own. ~I was more emotional about seeing Zonta's crash than remembering what happened to me on that corner,~ he said last week in a call, now heeded, for further safety improvements.

Schumacher, unbeaten in the three races to date this season, has established a vice-like grip on the championship as he tries to give Ferrari a first world drivers' title in 21 years.

Mika Hakkinen has only six points to Schumacher's 30 and needs to turn the tide in his McLaren if he is to hang on to his crown.

But Schumacher knows that another win in this year's British race, being staged three months earlier than usual, would be a repeat of his feat in his first title-winning year of 1994 when he took the opening four events.

"I really believe we have a great chance of getting pole position here in qualifying and then winning the race," said Schumacher last week after impressing in testing. "The times prove it to all of us.

"But I am not making any predictions, not at this early stage in the season. I have been around long enough to know the game is not over yet by a long way.~

Hakkinen has taken pole in all three races but victory remains elusive. His McLaren is regarded as the quickest, but Ferrari with Schumacher in the cockpit appear to have a stronger racing and tactical package.

Both Schumacher's team mate Rubens Barrichello and McLaren's David Coulthard, last year's winner, should have some influence on the outcome.

Williams could shine in the improbable event of failure by both Ferrari and McLaren because their Silverstone record is impressive. Like McLaren, they regard the circuit as 'home' and have won there 10 times to Ferrari's 11.

A surprise victor would certainly not be unusual at Silverstone where Hakkinen has yet to triumph and Schumacher has won only once, in 1998. In 1994 he was stripped of a possible triumph by a black flag and disqualification.

In recent years, the British race has gone to Coulthard, fellow Britons Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. It it rarely predictable.