Jordan

1999: 3rd. Engine: Mugen Honda. Past Drivers' Titles: 0. Past Constructors' Titles: 0.

The Jordan EJ10 has so far been something of a firecracker, and while it's no surprise that Jordan will, this year, represent the major threat to the McLaren/Ferrari hegemony, what is intriguing is just how close Jordan appear to have come to matching the top two. In testing in Barcelona recently, Heinz-Harald Frentzen demolished Mika Hakkinen's time by more than a second. Third place seems assured, but while they'll surely push hard the runner-up prize may yet be a bridge too far.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Ger)

1999: 3rd. Age: 32. GP starts: 90. Total points: 142. Best result: 3 wins (last Italy '99). Best qualifying: 2 poles

Frentzen has found a spiritual home in Jordan. Two wins, at Magny Cours and Monza, and a pole position at the Nurburgring, showed he was fast and brimming with confidence. But it was the other 34 points he amassed that showed his true worth. Frentzen is calm, composed and hardly ever makes mistakes. The return of Schumacher will make it more difficult to break into the top two and with four seasoned and eminently capable drivers ahead of him the task may just be beyond the highly talented Jordan number one.

Jarno Trulli (Ita)

1999: 11th. Age: 25. GP starts: 46. Total points: 11. Best result: 2nd (Nurburgring '99). Best qualifying: 3rd.

Damon Hill's replacement at Jordan. Much is expected of the young Italian. A solid drive to the Nurburgring podium via the comedy of errors that was last year's European Grand Prix showed that he has the composure to cope with pressure, but making the jump from middle order anonymity to the intense expectations of top flight performance could prove a tall order.