Villeneuve the man with the most

THE Grand Prix season opens next Sunday with Irish eyes firmly focused on the performances of Eddie Irvine and the Eddie Jordan team. The hope is that this is the year they will finally deliver. The fear is that time is running out for both men if they want to take their place amongst the sport's greats.

Jordan, after a 20-year journey through the sport, runs the fifth best racing team in the world - but it's not enough. "I want to win - always have," says Jordan. He also knows the maths don't look too good - winning is confined to two or three teams every year and to become one of those elite is a Herculean task.

While many of his Irish fans fully understand his achievement, there are no shortage of those quick to say that things aren't much better than they were at the end of his first season in 1991.

Realistically, what are his team's prospects? On the face of it you could shrug your shoulders and say the same as last year - if they are lucky. Or you might say that this car appears a whole lot better - the engine certainly should be better - and the driver line-up of Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella is very exciting.

The Jordan team has new ingredients besides their drivers. The engineering setup is new. "It's much bigger," says Jordan. But the drivers are the really exciting part of the package. Both were stars in Formula Three. Fisichella won the daunting Macau World Cup race in 1994 and Ralf Schumacher followed in 1995.

In more general terms, the question is can any team break the stranglehold of Williams. While the Frank Williams-led team have lost their designer and Renault will shortly be stopping any development of their engine, the form still says Williams all the way. But motor racing is unpredictable.

Anything can happen and there is a wild card this year in the battle for tyre supremacy. For the first time in a decade there will is a tyre war in Formula One Bridgestone, the biggest tyre company in the world, versus the long-time king of Formula One, Goodyear. The top four teams and Jordan all stay with Goodyear, while Stewart and Ligier lead the Bridgestone challenge.

In this battle, the tyre makers will rapidly change constructions and compounds to keep ahead of the other guy. This can create huge problems for the teams. Cars that work brilliantly with one tyre can be hopeless, even dangerous, on another. Suspensions, in particular, must be in harmony with the tyres. This year there will be winners and losers as the tyre makers slug it out.

It's hard to see Williams being anywhere but at the fore. Of their drivers, Harald-Heinz Frentzen has always been nervous in the limelight - a crasher - so Jacques Villeneuve must be odds-on favourite to take the drivers' championship. Ferrari have had poor winter test results, but new chief designer Rory Byrne is already making an impact. "He's great," says Eddie Irvine, "he's making a real difference."

The team is sure to be very strong by Imola in May. While Michael Schumacher is unquestionably the team leader, Irvine will be a lot sharper if his current testing rate keeps up. Reliability is the key. "It was disaster last year," says Irvine, "but we are now in year two of the V10 and we will not run any new engines until they're well sorted."

Jordan will have to keep a host of wannabes at bay. Unfortunately, world champion Damon Hill made a big mistake not retiring and ending his career on a high. His move to Arrows is not going to work; the Yamaha engine is a very weak link.

Prost arrives at Ligier for what should be a transition year. Nothing great is expected, but if Bridgestone prove strong, Prost could surprise. The new Stewart-team is the one the outsiders would love to see do well. He has a great driver line-up; Barrichello is quick if the team conditions are right, while Magnussen is champion material. Ford's reliability could prove strong at a venue like Monaco. Minardi, Tyrrell, and Lola will be doing a great job to survive. The Irish dream for 1997 is for a Jordan or Irvine win. It's unlikely, but for 17 Sundays until October there will be a chance.