Race teams reveal their 97 formulas

BIRMINGHAM: Scotsman Tom Walkinshaw has unveiled the new Arrows A18 Grand Prix car with which world champion Damon Hill will attempt to defend his title this year -- and Tom believes that Hill can win races.

The TWR team is one to benefit from the arrival of Bridgestone tires in Formula 1, joining Goodyear.

"There'll be tracks where one tire has an advantage over the other," Walkinshaw said, "and when it's our (Bridgestone's) turn, _ genuinely believe we can win."

Meanwhile, at a snow-covered Maranello in Italy earlier this month, Ferrari unveiled its 1997 Grand Prix car. The Ferrari F310B is, in fact, an evolution of last year's F310, V10-powered car, which Michael Schumacher took to three Grand Prix wins.

The revised car uses the same seven-speed transverse gearbox as the 1996 car, but the engine spec and particularly the aerodynamics, are considerably changed. Unkind observers have noted that the car looks rather like a red Williams.

On the commercial front, having dumped the McLaren team, Marlboro takes an increased role in the team, a change most visible in both on-car livery and the drivers' race suits.