British GP - 14 July 1996
Red Bull Sauber-Ford Press Release

It is always a good feeling for me to come back to Silverstone and race in the British Grand Prix, but this year it was a bit more special because I had won there the previous year. As usual there was a terrific crowd and a great atmosphere with lots of fans shouting out encouragement.

Unfortunately, I knew my chances of repeating that victory this year in my Red Bull Sauber Ford were pretty remote, if not impossible, but I still felt good and positive - and determined to make up for the disappointment of the French Grand Prix. Well, it was a bit better but not good enough and I ended up looking back on one small mistake on the opening lap which cost me dearly in the final analysis.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen, my team-mate, had decided to go for a one-stop strategy, while I had chosen a two-stop. This meant I had to make the most of the first set of tyres and build up some lead over him. Since I was starting the race a row behind him on the grid, in 13th position to his 11th, it also meant I had to pass him on the first lap it it was to work.

Well, I think I nearly did it, but not quite. I got a really good start and ran well down to Copse and managed to get past him, but I went six inches too far over the kerb and bottomed out. The wheels lifted off and I could do nothing as he got me back as we came out of the corner. After that, there was no way past and I knew I had lost the potential advantage I had hoped for with my tactics.

When I did manage to pass him later in the race, it did not really matter much because I had lost the chance to build up a gap. I had a few laps where I got held up and I lost important seconds - if that had not happened, I might have just about done it. This was apparent when I came out after my second stop and I was only two seconds behind Heinz-Harald. I caught him up, but I could not get by and so I finished ninth, on his tail, at the finish.

It would have been nice to have beaten him because I need to show people that I can compete. Heinz is being linked with other teams, including a drive for Williams, in the media and I know that if I show I can stay with him and beat him that it will show I am doing a good job. Anyway, while it did not work out, I am sure I did enough to make sure people noticed.

It was a pretty straightforward race in lots of ways, but I had one really massive moment when I struck a kerb at Becketts. I lost it and I went very sideways and had a few tank-slappers before I got going again! Once I settled down after that I got back into a rhythm and cut Heinz-Harald's lead over me from four seconds, but could not get by. It was a shame because earlier in the race, when I had passed him, I was lapping a second a lap quicker, but it was too late for me to build up the advantage I needed for my strategy to work.

Looking back, I felt that if I could have got in front of him on the first lap and stayed there, I would have finished ahead of Mika Salo and finished seventh. Still, I think ninth in the race from 13th on the grid is not too bad and really we are back where we should be again after a run of disappointments. I still feel we can improve, but there are a lot of things to work on and we need to do the testing and fit the new parts to do that. We are due to go testing in Nogaro in France after Silverstone, but we shall have to wait and see how much progress that helps produce for the team.

I feel that we need to get a bit more out of everything - the car and the engine - to go forward, particularly in qualifying. On Friday, for example, in practice, the car felt okay, but we were losing time in the slow-speed corners and on Saturday, in qualifying, I felt we were a bit short in out-and-out speed altogether. I was also disappointed with myself a little too on Saturday for messing up my final lap in the last section where I think I lost about three-tenths. It was all a bit frustrating, but typical in some ways of our season. Nothing has been easy.

It was nice anyway to be back in England and to see so many people again. Not having tested at Silverstone this year, it was my first opportunity to get back and I enjoyed that... even if the result was not perfect. Now, it is off to Hockenheim in the next race and it will be Heinz-Harald's turn to be at home. It is not my favourite track because I think it is a bit boring, with long straights and silly chicanes, but it always has a big crowd and lots of atmosphere. It would be a good place for our luck to change.

With thanks to Johnny, Red Bull Sauber Ford and Bob Herbert
This page prepared 16 July 1996. All rights reserved.