Red is the colour again this season

"But I'm still anxious for everything to start. I have an excellent car and cannot wait to measure myself against my rivals to see where we and they stand. I want to race and fight on every circuit.

"I think it will be another great duel between us and McLaren."

Ah yes. There is a certain ring of familiarity about the likely top contenders.

Of course when Schumacher says "us", he refers exclusively to himself, since Rubens Barrichello once again has the largely thankless job of being the uber-driver's bagman.

Last year, the role brought him his first grand prix win in 124 outings, in Germany, and he outqualified Schumacher twice. But at other times he seemed to be used as a guinea pig for race tactics, and was ordered to hang back in second place in Montreal in support of the team's principal driver.

McLaren still officially has no principal driver, but David Coulthard has his work cut out if he is to dismantle the impression that he is a natural No2 to Mika Hakkinen.

Of late, his busy private life has grabbed the headlines, but if attention is to be diverted back to track achievement then a repeat of last season's disastrous start will hardly help.

Neither of the McLarens finished in Australia, while Coulthard's disqualification in Brazil meant McLaren drew a blank there too.

With a fraction of the season gone, Schumacher had a 20-point advantage over both his chief rivals, and Hakkinen's additional mid-season slump ultimately cost him dear.

It is only beyond the two front rows of the grid that matters become less predictable. Williams finished third in the constructors table last year, and in characteristic style Sir Frank promptly loaned out his boy wonder signing Jenson Button to Benetton.

The arrival of Juan Pablo Montoya in his place has been received with undisguised coldness by teammate Ralf Schumacher.

Montoya is a proven winner, having captured the ChampCar title in America at his first attempt in 1999, but then the last time Williams poached a ChampCar winner in 1999, Alex Zanardi managed not a single point.

"Formula One cars are very complex to understand and learn," explained Sir Frank. "You need to accumulate a huge mental database about your car and it will take time for Juan Pablo to do that. But he is a quick driver and very hard-headed. He will do very well in F1."

Hard to believe that just 18 months ago Eddie Irvine was doing just that, challenging for the world title in a Ferrari.

But in his first year at Jaguar, he scored in just two out of 17 races.

Now he has managed to earn himself a rebuke from team chief Bobby Rahal before the season has even begun. Rumour had it that Irvine came close to dismissal for his over-frank assessment that the new car is "too slow" and the team too understaffed for any improvement. Irvine never changes.

One British newspaper last weekend described him as "the reluctant playboy" - baffling, since any reluctance is in distinctly short supply.

BAR's second season on the grid last year at least expunged their points-free debut of 1999. But a podium has yet to materialise, and Jacques Villeneuve's patience will not endure beyond 2001.

At least the 1997 world champion will have a better team-mate this year in Olivier Panis, who could have earned more had he accepted Ron Dennis's offer to stay as test driver with McLaren.

Poor reliability did for Jordan last season, a dismal follow-up to their third place of 1999. Eddie Jordan displayed his displeasure by cancelling the team's Christmas party.

His outfit will be hard-pushed to recapture that form of two years ago, although Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli should be more competitive when the equipment permits it.

The one certainty about 2001 is that it will be Murray Walker's last season shrieking into the microphone.

So there can only be so many times left for the veteran to wheel out his favourite slogan, that "any-thing can happen in Formula One, and it usually does".

Of course his idea of "anything" might not be quite so exciting as some people's.

But if Formula One is your thing, no matter how similar this year may appear to last, the new season cannot start too soon.