F1 Update: March 5th 2007

1600 BMW have claimed they are the third best team going in to the new season. Having shown to be a dark horse in pre-season testing, both drivers had regularly broken into the top six on the timesheets. BMW are a contender for race wins this season, if not for the World title. And that's a sentiment echoed by team boss Mario Theissen. "So far, Ferrari and McLaren look like the strongest teams," he told the team's official website. " Both teams have top drivers such as Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa." " I'm pleased to say that these two teams are followed by a group of teams including us."

Mean while over at Williams they to are hoping for greater things this year. Having suffered their worst result since 1978 in the 2006 season, they are eager to prove that they can again mix it again with Formula One's heavyweights. " We don't think we are small; we certainly don't think that we are puny and incapable and we will take on all comers. I hope we go on forever," insisted Sir Frank Williams. As for this season, Sir Frank said cautiously: "We are looking for a better future than last year." "We would rather understate than overstate. We want the car to do the talking." " But I would hope for total reliability and a useful number of places higher in the constructors' championship - without specifying a number."

At McLaren, Fernando Alonso described himself as "a completely new man" and believes that the team has been revitalised over the winter and is ready to end its title drought in 2007. The squad heads in to this season on the back of its first winless campaign in a decade. Fernando is confident about the team's exciting new driver line-up of himself and young gun Lewis Hamilton, along with the new sponsors such as Vodafone, which seems to have given McLaren fresh drive to return to the very front of Formula 1 this year. "I've high expectations, with the target to be world champion again - not just me, but the team," he was quoted as saying by ITN. "What I have felt at McLaren is good professionalism, a team that is very determined and focused on the championship." "With the new sponsors and the expectations they have, there is a new atmosphere within the team." "I saw that when I went to the factory and met all the people. They are so excited." "They really think that after a few years without success, this is the year to come back." "No-one has doubts."

The Spanish driver announced that his next career goal was to join the list of F1 greats by winning a third drivers' title. In a warning to his rivals ahead of Australia next week, he says he starts this season feeling fresher and more determined than ever. "That, (McLaren atmosphere), was a complete surprise to me, yet from my point of view, it was great to see all that optimism, and I feel more ambitious now - a completely new man," he said. "I want to be in the car. "I feel like when I arrived in Formula 1 six years ago. "I just want to drive... While we clearly have strong opponents, I feel very positive and optimistic." Staying with McLaren, Lewis Hamilton neither wants nor expects any favours from Fernando Alonso this season. Hamilton concedes his aim for this year "is simply to do a solid job for McLaren," but you know he would love to savour a race victory.

" It's important to understand how tough a challenge it's going to be," conceded Hamilton. " But I feel I'm absolutely ready. I had a fantastic season winning the GP2 Series against some very experienced drivers, but I have nothing left to prove." " I know that F1 is going to be much tougher, but teaming up with Fernando is the best solution for me because I can learn so much from him." "At the end of the day I'm such a strong competitor. Whatever I do, I want to be up against the best and to beat the best," insisted Hamilton. " As I'm sitting next to the best, I'm able to compare myself to him, to learn from everything he does, to eventually trying to beat him." " But I'm very realistic. At the end of the day he is a two-time world champion and he is expected to be at the front." " Clearly if we're in a competitive car, and he has some problems, then for sure there'll be an opportunity to win." " But I'd prefer to be ahead of him, rather than him have a problem and me overtake. I'd rather be quicker than him, at the front and win."

Test driver Pedro de la Rosa was also on hand to comment and believes McLaren will fight Ferrari for this year's World titles. Ferrari has been topping the timesheets at the recent Bahrain test. However, Pedro believes Alonso and team-mate Lewis Hamilton can give Ferrari a run for their money. " I'm sure that our cars will be fighting for victory. I think we can beat anyone," he told Spain's EFE news agency. " I've worked very well with Fernando and Lewis (Hamilton). It seemed as if we had been working together for a long time." The Spaniard is also confident that McLaren have put the reliability issues behind them. " Reliability has been good all winter," he added. "This allowed us to carry out the planned work smoothly, and all the improvements that came from the factory have meant a constant improvement." " The problems that we had were always related to using components that were close to the end of their useful life and that's normal because we have to use them until they break in order to know their actual endurance."

And lastly to Honda who are to introduce an upgrade to its RA107 car ahead of the race two in Malaysia. The team has conceded that it is not in a position to gain victory in the season-opening race in Melbourne next week, in all winter testing they have been outpaced of Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and BMW Sauber. Senior technical director Shuhei Nakamoto revealed to autosport.com that improvements to aerodynamics and other mechanical changes would be made for the pre-Malaysian GP test at Sepang. "There will be a big upgrade at the Sepang test, and also a revision to the suspension," he said. Honda had found more speed in Bahrain over the past two weeks after introducing a newer aerodynamic package.

However although both its cars proved reliable, the team's best lap time was still some way off the ultimate pace. And Nakamoto admits Honda are not among the front-runners at present and may struggle to get a car into the top-10 shootout in the first qualifying session of the new season. "At the moment we are ahead of Red Bull and Toyota, but behind the rest," he told the website. "I know BMW have been using a non-2007 wing (in testing) so they lose one or two tenths, but we will still be behind." "It will be a massive struggle to get into Q3."

Teena B © enterF1.co.uk