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Colin Kolles was one of the more colourful characters on the F1 scene during his tenure as team principal of the outfit we once knew as Jordan. He was in charge through its various changes of name to MF1 Racing/Midland, Spyker, and finally Force India.

At the end of last season he left when Vijay Mallya shook things up, but now he’s bounced back as team principal of Campos, having seen an opportunity and convinced new boss Jose Ramon Carabante that he’s the man to kick start the operation.

Founder Adrian Campos, and his managing director Daniele Audetto, are now out of the picture. “I’m very tired physically and mentally,” Audetto said in an email this afternoon. “I need a break!”

Kolles has spent the last couple of weeks rushing around and trying to revive a project that had ground to a halt, and which appeared to have very little substance behind it. He’s almost had to start from scratch, and he’s probably even more knackered than Audetto.

“For two weeks I’m sleeping two hours a night,” Kolles told me earlier today. “It’s the most incredible time. I push more and more, and I’m not giving it up until I’m there.

“I want to succeed to bring the team on the grid, and to survive the year and to stabilise it and then to build it up.”

If two Dallaras really do make the grid in Bahrain, by all accounts it will represent a remarkable effort.

“My role is to clean up the chaos! They had basically nothing, only chaos. The only department which is basically existing is a software department, with eight guys who never saw an F1 car in their lives, and who are doing software simulation programmes. And then there are two or three engineers with F1 experience, and that’s it. The real story is a crazy story, you understand.

“We will have two cars in Bahrain. I don’t know how we will have them, and I don’t care, but we will have two cars on the grid. If this is going to be achieved, I think this is one of the most amazing things, I tell you. They had nothing. They had one empty workshop with nothing inside…”

As reported earlier, work has now restarted at Dallara. The team will operate from there for the opening flyaways, so presumably the Cosworth engines and Xtrac gearboxes will be delivered to Italy so that the cars can be built up.

“It will be based in Spain as an HQ, but for now we will operate from Dallara, for the first race, and we’ll see. On the mid-term it will definitely be in Spain. The team will be based in Murcia. We have to build up a state of the art factory, wind tunnel, and everything.”

The chances of fitting in any kind of shakedown before Bahrain are slim, Kolles admits. Meanwhile, he has to put a race team together.

“There are things which will be last, last minute, because to do a team in two weeks is not easy. It’s only possible because I have the infrastructure. I have people working for me like Mike Krack, who was chief engineer at BMW for example. Geoff Willis is a kind of consultant at the moment, and we’ll see how we’ll proceed with him.

“I have a big network, but this is the smallest problem, the mechanics and engineers and so on. This is almost sorted out already. There are other issues.

“About everything, you have to find agreements with Cosworth, Dallara, Xtrac, all the other suppliers, discussions with drivers, with Bernie. You have to eliminate the ‘race stoppers,’ that’s the point.”

Tonight’s official press release said that the line-up would be announced ‘in due time.’ There was no mention of Bruno Senna, who signed a contract with Adrian Campos, although one presumes that doesn’t necessarily mean that that the Brazilian won’t remain involved. However Kolles says the team needs drivers with sponsors to supplement the budget. US F1 refugee Jose Maria Lopez is obviously on the list, pending confirmation of his funding, while Karun Chandhok has been looking for a seat.

“It’s very clear that we need a budget to rescue the team… And that’s it. In Jordan [in 2005] we also had to start with pay drivers, and then it developed. After four years you have full professional drivers. When the team is performing and the team is efficient, that is on a second page.”

With Campos gone, it would be pointless to keep his name above the door, but changing it may not be the work of a moment, as the FIA and FOM would have to approve it. However, clearly the plan is to change if possible.

“It will be a different one… Let’s wait.”

Still with a Spanish flavour?

“I don’t think so. Maybe with an American flavour,” he said mischievously. “Maybe with an American-Spanish flavour!”

It is expected to be confirmed later today that former Midland, Spyker and Force India boss Colin Kolles has put together a package to rescue the Campos Meta team – and thus guarantee that two Dallaras will be on the grid in Bahrain.

Kolles is expected to take on the role of team principal, working on behalf of team owner Jose Ramon Carabante. Not surprisingly, it seems that there will be no ongoing role for either team founder Adrian Campos or his managing director, Daniele Audetto. The team is likely to be renamed before the first race, although that will require the permission of the FIA and FOM.

YouTube founder and erstwhile US F1 investor Chad Hurley could yet become involved, although it seems that no deal has been agreed as yet.

Kolles has engaged Geoff Willis as a consultant, and it would logical for him to move former BMW Sauber chief engineer Mike Krack – who already works for him – into a key role on the F1 project. Kolles has been busy over the last two weeks putting the pieces in place and dealing with key suppliers Dallara, Cosworth and Xtrac. Work has started again at Dallara after being put on hold when Campos Meta failed to make payments.

It’s not yet clear who will drive, and while Bruno Senna signed a contract with Campos, the team clearly needs extra funding from its drivers. US F1 refugee Jose Maria Lopez has been in contact over the last couple of days and could agree a deal if he still has his backing from Argentina, while Karun Chandhok confirmed this week that he has been talking to Campos. Belgian Bertrand Baguette, whose name has also been mentioned, is not thought to be a contender.

Further to my last posting, events are moving along quickly and it seems that a deal that sees the Campos Meta team rescued – and Jose Maria Lopez installed alongside Bruno Senna – could be announced as early as Friday. When I tried to get hold of Lopez Thursday night, via a third party, he was in a London pub. Was he celebrating a deal?

As reported earlier, Lopez and his advisor Felipe McGough have been in London for the past two days, and have met with Bernie Ecclestone and others at the offices of Formula One Management. Bernie is obviously keen to see the Campos project reach the grid and has it seems given his blessing to a marriage of convenience that involves Lopez, original Campos investor Jose Ramon Carabante, and former Midland, Spyker and Force India boss Colin Kolles. Kolles of course runs DTM and LMS teams, and can thus quickly put together a crew to run the team’s Dallara-Cosworths. Nevertheless making it to Bahrain in time is not going to be easy…

YouTube founder Chad Hurley, who has washed his hands of the US F1 project, may also be a part of the deal. His advisor Parris Mullins has been in London this week and is party to the negotiations.

Kolles would not elaborate when I spoke to him on Thursday evening, but said he had had a busy day, and hinted that we might get some news sooner rather than later. His view was supported by a report on an Argentinian website – one with links to McGough – indicating that the deal had been agreed in principle.

Meanwhile there has been no word from US F1. One might speculate that Bernie’s next project will be to find to way to ensure that Stefan GP makes the grid, quite possibly by taking over the American team’s paperwork and thus its entry.

The recent addition of Jacques Villeneuve to the list of possible Stefan drivers would certainly give Bernie even more reason to support the Serbian-owned outfit. There is after all a Canadian GP in approximately four months’ time.

The next few days are going to be interesting…

Jose Maria Lopez and his advisor Felipe McGough have spent a second day with Bernie Ecclestone in London, as the F1 boss tries to sort out a 2010 seat for the Argentine driver.

Lopez was told by Peter Windsor earlier this week in Charlotte that US F1 would not make the first race in Bahrain. Having made commitments to his sponsors the former GP2 driver immediately began looking for an alternative, and travelled to Europe with McGough, his father, and his touring car team boss, former F3 driver Victor Rosso.

Meetings have taken place today and yesterday as Bernie tries to broker a deal that will presumably see Lopez join Bruno Senna at a reorganised Campos Meta team.

A close associate of Lopez told me today: “US F1 hadn’t finished the car and we had promised everyone that we would be in the first race in Bahrain. That’s why Felipe decided to reorganise everything, because we can’t miss Bahrain. The only thing we want is that ‘Pechito’ drives in F1. Everything else is not important for us.”

Chad Hurley’s advisor Parris Mullins is also still in the loop, and it remains to be seen whether the YouTube founder brings some much need financial support to the Campos project. There has been no response from US F1 to yesterday’s revelations that both Lopez and Hurley have left the team.

It was all smiles when Peter Windsor and Jose Maria Lopez posed with Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, on January 25

The twin sagas of the US F1 and Campos Meta teams have been dragging on for months now, and with FIA technical checks due to take place in Bahrain just three weeks from Thursday, matters have finally reached a head.

A source close to the US F1 team has confirmed what we have all suspected for some time, namely that there is no money, the outfit is nowhere close to being ready for the start of the season, and that it has neither complete cars nor engines.

Peter Windsor gave the bad news to Jose Maria Lopez, his father and his manager/advisor Felipe McGough this week. Lopez is already in Europe trying to salvage a seat with the help of Bernie Ecclestone. As Argentina’s F1 TV producer, McGough is well connected, and knows Ecclestone well.

It’s a complex situation, and Bernie is juggling a lot of balls in the air as he tries to ensure that both Campos and Stefan GP make it to Bahrain in some form or another.

Last week at least three potential saviours were in contact with Dallara about taking over the car designed for Campos. They included none other than US F1 investor Chad Hurley, who apparently realised last week that the game was up, and decided to explore other avenues. He sent close associate Parris Mullins – with former Red Bull man Gunther Steiner acting in an advisory role – to check out the Dallara project. The car is nearly complete and is said to have potential, although obviously work has been on hold of late.

The Campos Meta team, now led by original investor Jose Ramon Carabante, has since confirmed that it still wants the Dallara, and Hurley and other potential customers have been thanked for their interest. It seems that Hurley is still in the frame, and there remains a scenario where both he and Lopez could get involved with the Campos Meta project.

However, sources suggest that although he sees some value in Grand Prix racing Hurley may be so disenchanted after the US F1 debacle that he’s not sure he wants to pursue it. “I think he doesn’t know what to do,” says one insider. Logic suggests that his money might be better spent on a more established outfit, and no doubt several are already chasing him.

Meanwhile Stefan GP is waiting in the wings, and the team could yet find its way onto the grid in Bahrain. Two complete cars are in Cologne, awaiting possible shipment to the Middle East, and Kazuki Nakajima has been busy in the Toyota simulator. A test is planned for Portugal later this month, but there are question marks about whether Bridgestone is willing co-operate with the team, unless it becomes a bona fide entry.

While everyone would agree that having 12 or even 13 teams on the grid would be good for the sport – that is after all why the FIA launched its campaign to bring in more entries – the problem now is that if either one or both of the Campos and Stefan teams is to make it to Bahrain, everything is going to have to happen way too fast, and with either insufficient testing, or none at all. It could all be very embarassing for F1, and the FIA will be keen to see that things are done properly.

There’s one matter that should not be overlooked. With due respect to car builders Dallara and Toyota, the circumstances may also compromise safety – and no doubt both companies are well aware that their reputations could be at stake.

I’ve been writing about Michael Schumacher since he contested the Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival in 1988, and in the run up to his comeback race in Bahrain it seemed a good time to take a look into the past of the biggest name in the sport. 

One of the most unusual events in Michael’s career came at Monza in 2000, where he equalled Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 wins. In the TV unilaterals after the race he stunned the world when he broke down in tears, causing rival Mika Hakkinen to put a reassuring arm around his shoulders. Nobody had ever seen Michael like this before – and indeed, we’ve never seen such a public display of emotion from him since. 

After a run of bad weekends Monza saw Michael get his title challenge back on track, as he moved with two points of Hakkinen. The race also saw the death of a fire marshal, hit by a wheel torn from Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s Jordan – although Michael himself didn’t know about the tragedy until after the press conference. I wrote this short column a couple of days after the race.

The tracks of Michael’s tears (First published: September 2000)

Michael Schumacher’s tearful reaction in the post-race TV interviews at Monza came as shock to just about everybody. One thing is certain; at that stage he did not yet know that a marshal had been killed. He only learned the news during a much later interview back in the paddock, whereupon he immediately stopped proceedings and went back to the team motorhome.

So what was it all about? One can only guess at what sort of emotions were stirring around in Michael’s head after the race. He never hides his enjoyment on the podium, but this time he did seem a little bit more expressive than usual, staying on after Mika Hakkinen and his brother Ralf had gone to enjoy the moment for a little longer. Obviously he must have been seriously affected by winning at Monza in front of the tifosi for the third time in five years.

In so doing he ended his drought after suffering through so many disappointments during his recent string of bad weekends. That included the first corner crashes in Austria and Hockenheim, and being passed by Hakkinen in Hungary and – most humiliatingly – in his personal kingdom at Spa. Monza was also important because he finally equalled Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 victories, leaving only Alain Prost ahead of him in the record books.

Schumacher won at Imola on the day that Ayrton was killed, and since then he has rarely talked about the Brazilian. Usually he professes to have no interest in statistics, but clearly the mention of Senna’s name by the interviewer in the already hyped-up circumstances pushed Michael through some kind of barrier.

Something else could have played a part. What few people outside his immediate circle knew was that at Monza he learned that an old friend had suffered a stroke. Willi Bergmeister was the garage owner in Kerpen who first employed him and gave him his mechanic’s apprenticeship, and helped to fund the teenager’s early racing exploits. Although Bergmeister is apparently out of danger, the news obviously affected his former protégé, who started making phone calls as soon as he heard.

There’s nothing wrong with a few tears from a bloke, and we saw Hakkinen having a private blub after spinning at this very race last year, although he thought he was away from prying eyes and was unaware of the helicopter hovering above. More than once, after a hard race or even a particularly tense qualifying session pole, Mika has struggled to find the right words in a press conference. But that was nothing compared with Rubens Barrichello’s amazing and affecting outburst of pure emotion on the podium in Hockenheim.

We often see Olympic champions cry on the rostrum when the national anthem is played, but this was something extraordinary. Rubens made no secret of the fact that Senna was on his mind. But what made Monza so notable was that this was ice man Michael Schumacher. Only rarely have we seen the German lose his cool, and then in very different circumstances; the most dramatic example was at Spa in 1998, when he marched off to David Coulthard’s pit after their collision in the rain.

One Ferrari insider admitted that the whole team was stunned by the Monza tears, but added with a cynical grin that Michael is not known for being ‘a very original guy,’ and that Barrichello’s Hockenheim performance may have somehow freed him up. It’s certainly true that he is noted for picking up habits or ideas from those around him, not least his team mates.

“I don’t really understand where it came from,” said Ron Dennis, who always studies the post-race interviews. “But it obviously was genuine. I don’t know what part of the question got to him, but it certainly got to him. I am not surprised with anybody showing emotion. When you do have success in difficult circumstances sometimes the adrenaline which has controlled your emotions suddenly isn’t there any more, and everything floods over you. I’m sympathetic to it, but from where it came, only he can tell.”

But will people treat him differently now? There are two schools of thought. On the one hand Michael may well have won over a few non-believers through showing that he is, after all, human. On the other some of his hardcore, cap-wearing, beer-swilling fans may be a little confused by his sudden display of ‘new man’ sensibilities.

And what of his rivals? Dennis must surely have taken some comfort from Michael’s reaction. Psychology plays a large part in any sport, and here for the first time were clear, unavoidable signs that McLaren’s relentless pressure in recent weeks had hit the target.

“Absolutely. Don’t make any bones about it, we’re going to put him under massive pressure. And we’re still leading.”

Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton at London's O2 Arena on Saturday night

I share my passion for 60s music with Ross Brawn, although the Mercedes GP boss has the advantage over me of having been there to hear it all first time around!

It doesn’t take long for any conversation to drift around to the subject of concerts we’ve been too, although these days Ross barely has time to catch his breath, never mind have a night off. When I spoke to him last week he was struggling with a cold and had spent the previous weekend hosting meetings at his home. So much for that idea he once had about early retirement…

He has got a soft spot for Eric Clapton, and thanks to the guitar legend’s connection with Ferrari – he’s a regular Maranello customer and has even played the company’s Xmas party – Ross has had a chance to get to know him a bit.

Back in 2005 I think I made Ross’s year (it wasn’t a great one on the track) when I got him tickets for the Cream reunion at the Albert Hall. He flew over from Italy with his wife Jean, went to the show, and was back at work later the next morning! That night was the first proper concert by Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in 37 years, and it was a memory to treasure.

Despite his friendship with F1 nut George Harrison, until recently Eric’s only trip to a Grand Prix had been Suzuka in 1989 or thereabouts, and I heard he didn’t enjoy the crowds. But in recent years he’s become matey with Bernie Ecclestone, having bought a boat from the FOM boss. He is now something of a regular visitor, especially in Bahrain, and is a big fan of Felipe Massa.

Although his love for fast road cars is well documented, I was amazed to learn – from a recent video interview on the Ferrari website – that like George, his interest in motor racing goes back to his fifties childhood. At one time he even entertained thoughts about becoming a racing driver.

“As a boy I was crazy about motor racing,” he said. “From my earliest recollections at the  age of five or six I remember Mike Hawthorn and Fangio. Then it was very simple, motor racing was Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Auto Union [although they actually stopped six years before he was born!].  The cars were massive cars, V12, V16 engines, and very raw. If the car broke down, the driver would push the car. It was an incredible world. I suppose I had a fantasy to be a racing driver…

“For me the car that summed everything up was the Ferrari, it was the number one car. The interesting thing for me is that as a kid, Ferrari was number one, and it’s the only one that’s lasted through all of this time. Mercedes is back, but for a long time Mercedes wasn’t there. Of all of the cars, Ferrari is the only one that’s stayed number one all the way through.” 

Eric was in action last night at the O2 Arena in London, playing one of the nights made vacant by the unfortunate demise of Michael Jackson. I ended up sitting next to EC’s physio, who it turned out counted Mika Hakkinen as a previous client. What’s more, his son-in-law works in the McLaren composites department! Small world…

The show was opened by Jeff Beck, the man who replaced Eric in The Yardbirds in 1965. Another car fan and an occasional Goodwood visitor, Beck joins Clapton and Jimmy Page as members of the exclusive little club of British guitar legends whose career longevity makes Michael Schumacher like a beginner. Bizarrely, Beck still has the sixties hair style he sported in the cult swinging London movie Blow Up – although I think the jet black colour may have had a little help – and a bit like Keith Richards, he has refused to grow old gracefully!

I’d never seen him live before. His jazzy approach, backed by a string section, might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he got some amazing sounds out of his Fender Strat. Things got a little more interesting when a barefoot Joss Stone came on and belted out a couple of songs with him. You could almost hear the entire audience whisper, wow, she is tall!

Eric then did a set with his band, before Beck returned and joined them for the last third of the show. Until they did a few dates together in Japan last year these two had only ever shared a stage at the odd charity gig, so it was a privilege to see a couple of legends – who are both fast approaching 50 years in the music business – trading guitar licks.

Their joint set included a version of Moon River like you’ve never heard before, and which surely would be a worldwide hit if someone stuck it on the soundtrack of a Hugh Grant movie.

When they came back for the one-song encore a smiling Beck said: “We’re going to spoil a perfectly good evening. Eric wants to do this!”

And so they launched into Hi-Ho Silver Lining, a song that has followed poor Jeff around since he recorded it in 1967, and which will  no doubt still be played at Xmas parties and wedding receptions long after he’s gone.

It’s still hard to believe that had he turned his ambition and quest for perfection in another direction, Eric Clapton could have become a god of motor racing, rather than music. The Ferrari interviewer hit the spot. If he could travel back to the thirties would he rather see a Robert Johnson gig, or drive with Tazio Nuvolari? Eric had the perfect answer.

“Maybe we could drive with Tazio Nuvolari to a Robert Johnson gig…”

Clapton on a recent visit to Maranello

Today in London the new Lotus team will be announced, and Jarno Trulli will be one of the focal points. A few months ago many folk probably thought that the Italian would not be able to find a job after Toyota. The fact that he has done so is good news, because he remains a thoroughly decent man who is also a bloody quick racing driver.

Of those on the 2010 grid, only Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello started their F1 careers earlier than Jarno. He has now outlasted many of his contemporaries, and that got me thinking. So I’ve dug out a story I wrote at the start of 1998, when I compared the fortunes of the previous season’s bumper rookie crop. In retrospect there were some good names in that group, several of whom were around for a long time. However none came near to winning a World Championship, or finding a place among the all-time greats.

I can’t remember writing this article (or even where it was published!), but looking at it now, much of it still stands up, and my assessments weren’t too wide of the mark. Especially the bit about Ralf Schumacher’s personality…

The Rookie Class of 1997 (First published January 1998)

This season brought forth a bumper crop of young F1 drivers, and if you ignore poor Vincenzo Sospiri, left in the lurch after the first race, we saw eight fresh faces vying for attention. The fact that three of these guys got on the podium and another led a race gives some idea of the impact made by the new boys.

There’s every reason to suspect that several members of the Class of ’97 will be around for a long time, and it could be said that this is the most exciting generation to come along in 20 years. Back in 1977-’78 future stars such as Riccardo Patrese, Gilles Villeneuve, Patrick Tambay, Bruno Giacomelli, Didier Pironi, Rene Arnoux, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg all made their debuts. Their influence was felt well into the nineties. This year’s group is arguably as strong as any seen since, with the possible exception of 1984, which produced Ayrton Senna, Stefan Bellof, Martin Brundle and Gerhard Berger.

But let’s take a look back at ’97. Who really got the job done, and who was flattered by circumstances, by getting themselves into a good car? Five of the eight were genuine F1 rookies (Ralf Schumacher, Jarno Trulli, Shinji Nakano, Norberto Fontana and Alex Wurz). Jan Magnussen had done a single race for McLaren in 1995, while both Tarso Marques (two starts) and Giancarlo Fisichella (eight) had appeared for Minardi in ’96, but still had very few miles under their belts.

If you accept that anyone with less than half a season under their belt is eligible, then the unofficial Rookie of the Year honours went to Fisichella. The Italian racked up 20 World Championship points, beating Jordan team mate Schumacher, who scored 13. They had an enviable opportunity to display their talents; the car clearly had the potential to win races. Both faced a steep learning curve, and nowhere was it more apparent than Argentina, where they managed to collide.

After that they generally stayed out of each other’s way on and off the track – except at the Nurburgring, where they tangled at the first corner and took Ralf’s brother with them…

Giancarlo seemed to fall asleep in some early races, but over the course of the season he had the upper hand, proved more technically adept, and matured considerably. He had a brilliant drive to second at Spa, and was third in Canada. But he really made his mark at Hockenheim, running second and leading briefly.

Ralf was the more erratic of the two. You could almost guarantee that he would spend some part of Friday in the gravel, and he often had moments in the races. It became fashionable to slag him off, but that was inevitable. He’d had an easy run to F1, and his personality rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way. He won few friends in the paddock, and that still counts for a lot in F1. He was set up for a big fall, and would have had to perform miracles to avoid criticism…

All this worked in Giancarlo’s favour, and both inside and out of the team he won the popularity vote. Ralf still has a lot to learn, but on occasion the raw speed was plainly evident. But he really has to deliver this year against Damon Hill.

It will be a fascinating contest, as will Fisichella’s battle at Benetton with the other rookie to get a podium finish, namely Alexander Wurz. The lanky Austrian’s progress from no-hoper to man-in-demand was quite stunning, and a textbook example of how to make an instant impression on the insular F1 world (author: M Schumacher). In F3 and the ITC he had been unspectacular.

Wurz proved once again that a list of FF1600, Opel/Lotus, F3 and F3000 titles does not a GP driver make; if you have friends in high places and you get in the right F1 car at the right time, and make a big splash, then you’re set no matter what…

A1 sponsorship got him the Benetton testing deal, and like many before him, he could have sunk without trace. But everything fell into place. He quickly won over the team’s technical staff, and showed a confidence which belied his youth and the relative lack of hard results on his CV. When Berger became indisposed, he stepped in. He’d done a lot of miles, he knew the car, and had the team fully behind him. In three attempts, he twice beat Jean Alesi in qualifying, and finished third at Silverstone.

It seemed to matter not that the gaps were small, or that Alex had a heavy crash in qualifying in Montreal, and slid off in the rain in the race at Magny-Cours. He’d made himself into the man of the moment, and the world took note. After that he just had to sit on the sidelines, and wait for confirmation of his fulltime drive for 1998. He joins that elite group of drivers who get straight into a top team without the pain of a difficult apprenticeship. Does he deserve it? Only Fisichella can settle the debate.

Jarno Trulli didn’t make the podium, but he showed considerable flair when he led in Austria. Stepping straight from F3 with just a handful of testing miles behind him, Jarno had a tough job. It ain’t easy to get noticed in a Minardi, and all he could really do was outpace team mate Ukyo Katayama. When the Prost drive became vacant, he was the most mobile of the drivers with current experience.

But now the pressure was on; Olivier Panis had demonstrated that the Prost had race-winning potential, and it was a case of show us what you can do, kid. At first, he struggled. Perhaps the team lost its way, or perhaps, as some suggested, team mate Shinji Nakano was being given a leg-up by Prost’s Japanese suppliers. At Hockenheim Jarno was a strong fourth, but without that fine race in Austria he might not have held onto his drive.

Articulate, smart and an extremely pleasant young man, Trulli has a lot of great deal of potential. He could yet prove to be the best of the bunch.

Nakano was the other rookie point scorer. Arriving in F1 with very little fanfare – even in Japan he had a low profile – he proved to be more competent than expected. But the Prost was a pretty good car, and in a Minardi or Tyrrell he would have sunk below the waves. Without a big sponsor behind him, he now seems to be stranded.

Three years ago Jan Magnussen had a mega reputation, and his debut for McLaren at Aida in 1995 was impressive. Sustaining that ‘next Senna’ momentum was never going to be easy, and in the ITC and his brief interlude in CART, his career stalled out slightly. But no one expected him to struggle at Stewart like he did in the first two thirds of this season. Jan’s main problem was lack of mileage. The engines broke often, and more worryingly, so did the suspension; the Dane suffered several failures which did his confidence no good.

Meanwhile Barrichello was driving out of his skin, which made Jan’s performances look all the more average. He was under far less pressure than he would have faced at a Benetton or Williams, and perhaps needed a kick up the backside, as JYS eventually realised. He got his act together by season’s end, but of this little group he arguably has the most to prove in 1998.

Our final pair had nightmare seasons, as far removed as possible from Wurz’s blissful experience. Norberto Fontana was a man on the up, doing pretty well in Japan, until he stepped into the Sauber. Despite his nominal title of test driver he’d done no running in the new car, and he floundered. When the team boss gave him a public bollocking it was clear his F1 career was all but finished before it started. An amiable bloke who might have thrived in a different environment, he has missed the boat.

Tarso Marques is in danger of doing the same. Called into Minardi to replace Trulli, he had little chance of doing anything except make up the numbers. He appeared to get shoddy treatment from an uncompetitive team with limited funds, and the thing broke nearly every time he got in it. But the talent is there, and if steered into a decent test drive, he could yet make it.

The next group of supersubs is now waiting in the wings, and it includes the likes of Ricardo Zonta, Juan Pablo Montoya, Pedro de la Rosa and Nick Heidfield. Who’ll be the first to get a big break?

If you have any thoughts or would like to see more stories with a historical focus, do let me know via comments!

Kimi is excited by his new career. Will he ever come back to F1?

As we all get pumped up about F1 testing and this year’s stellar line-up in the top few teams, let’s spare a thought for the World Champion who got away – Kimi Raikkonen.

Squeezed out of Ferrari, admittedly with a nice parting gift in his bank account, Kimi preferred the jump into the world of rallying to any possible alternatives in F1. His fulltime WRC career gets under way in Sweden today.

I spoke to him about the transition a few weeks ago, and you may have read the resulting feature in Autosport. He had no reason to make himself available during his winter break – there was no team or sponsor telling him to do so – but purely as a favour he found the time to call me back, and later even sent an email asking to see the story. And no, he didn’t request any changes!

I’ve been lucky enough to spend a bit of time with Kimi away from the track, and I would always argue that contrary to popular belief, he is one of the most interesting drivers you could meet. He is great fun to be with, and is also a decent human being. Many of his rivals, at least those who occasionally hang out with him, would agree with me. Just ask Pedro de la Rosa, his former McLaren team mate. You couldn’t meet two drivers with such different public personas, and yet Pedro regards Kimi as one his closest pals in the sport.

I didn’t have space to include everything Kimi said in that Autosport interview, but with the WRC about to kick off it seemed like a good time to return to the recording and scoop up the best outtakes for your consumption. One thing he has certainly done right is get himself the best possible equipment in the form of the Citroen, which is a huge step up from the Abarth he played around with last year.

“The only option for me was in rallies, and I wanted to have at least a competitive car,” he told me. “The Fiat was definitely not a good car, everybody knows it, so if I go there I want to have a good team and good car. So at least I give myself a chance if I learn quickly and get it right I have a good car and team behind me.”

There’s no doubt that he’s deadly serious about getting decent results, and podium finishes are his target. “That’s why I want to have a good car, because in the end I want to do my best and try to get as high up as I can. I have no interest to go there and just drive around, it’s definitely to try to get good results.”

When I asked what type of surface he expected to do better on, he had no doubts about where he would feel most at home.

“I would say the tarmac should be the easiest one, I did a little bit with my Fiat on asphalt. For sure you can read the road more easily just because you’ve done so much on tarmac in F1, it gives you a better feeling. Snow is the most difficult thing. I’ve done most of my rallying in the snow, but it’s still the most challenging thing.

“You’re doing some places 200 between the trees and for sure it’s different than F1, but that’s part of the whole sport. You can get hurt, so you’d better stay on the road!

“I need a lot of time in the car, and on rallies. Like I said it’s the most difficult thing I have done in my career so far, the biggest challenge. But I enjoy it and it’s good fun, it’s a new thing.”

This year of course he’ll be watching F1 from afar. Having given up the chance to drive the McLaren, he’ll certainly keep an eye on how Jenson Button, the man who eventually took the seat, will perform: “For sure it’s interesting. I’m pretty sure that Lewis will beat him.”

He saved his best answer for when I asked whether he was concerned about being forgotten by F1. “I don’t really stress much about those things.”

Kimi, I think we’d figured that one out… 

Kimi starts his fulltime WRC career in Sweden today

Former Force India team principal Colin Kolles has refused to confirm that he is part of a possible ‘rescue’ attempt at Campos Meta, despite sources close to Dallara confirming that he is among several contenders trying to get involved. Kolles would not admit to being party to any negotiations over Campos.

“I have no contract or anything,” he told this blog on Thursday morning. “I know for whom I’m working, for what I’m working and why I’m doing it. People seem to be all of a sudden interested in me. To be honest with you, maybe you know more than I know.

“Let’s see what is going to happen. I do a lot of things, I try to help some people in whatever way. But I’m not Mr Teixeira, saying I’m buying this or that or taking over, because this is not the case.”

When I asked if he’d already booked his ticket to Bahrain, Kolles said: “A clear answer, no. But you can book it quite quickly…”

The Spanish media has reported that Kolles has joined forces with original Campos Meta investor Jose Ramon Carabante to ensure that the team doesn’t collapse, and has reported that – with Adrian Campos presumably out of the picture – the team will be renamed. However suggestions that there is a future connection with Volkswagen would seem to have come from cloud cuckoo land. And speaking of cuckoos buying Sauber might be a more logical route for the German manufacturer should it ever get off the fence…

Interestingly Kolles does have connections with Dallara, because the Italian company was contracted to design a car for Midland. He is also friendly with Campos, who was an occasional visitor to Silverstone when Kolles was in charge of the former Jordan team.

Kolles has focussed on his Audi Le Mans and DTM programmes since he left his role at Force India, although he turned up in the paddock at Abu Dhabi last year and made it clear that he had unfinished business in F1.