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100 Grands Prix -
April 1997
 There was
a time when I thought my 100th Grand Prix was going to
give me a podium finish - but unfortunately that feeling
lasted less than a lap!
We went to Imola buoyed by a
good test at Fiorano, our first since Barcelona prior to
Australia. I actually broke a long-standing record at
Fiorano. We were running from nine in the morning until
8.15 at night, and on the Friday I did 115 laps. People
were very excited, because that was one more than the
previous best set by Mario Andretti, way back in 1972!
Right from the start, the Sauber-Petronas has had a
good feel to it. Oddly enough, the best Formula 1 car
I've driven - after the turbocharged Benetton B187 I
tested at Brands Hatch in late 1987 - was probably the
old Lotus 102. That was a real dog in many ways,
especially as it was such a lash-up in all its various
guises. It had awful aerodynamics, but that was probably
why the handling was so brilliant. No matter what angle
you got it to, you could always bring it back. Great fun!
The 107 was also pretty good, but because it was a nice,
efficient car, that was good to drive, like the Tyrrell
018 I drove a couple of times in 1989. They were some of
the fun cars.
After the Benetton B195 - which was probably the least
rewarding car I ever drove, even though it gave me my two
Grand Prix victories - driving last year's Sauber C15 was
like waking from a nightmare. And it's interesting to see
how Benetton struggled when it no longer had Michael
[Schumacher], who seemed to be the only driver in Formula
1 who could cope with its knife-edge handling.
In Brazil, in fact, I was quite chuffed when Ross
Brawn publicly acknowledged that I hadn't really got a
fair crack of the whip that year, as far as testing and
time in the car were concerned.
The C15 was very good, but lacked horsepower. The C16
is even better. We knew
that the engine was going to be very good, and so it has
proved - I can't describe what a wonderful feeling it is
to have horsepower again. But the team has also done a
very good job with its aerodynamic improvements. Of
course, it shouldn't be a surprise that we we've improved
because the whole grid has gone appreciably quicker than
it did last year. But it's still a good feeling!
I'm feeling pretty cheerful. Of course, I wanted a
better result after Australia, where I really thought we
would have a good race - a for a few seconds, I was
thinking it really would be a good race after the start I
made. But then we came to the bumpy tracks in Interlagos
and Buenos Aries, and quite honestly, our car wasn't that
good over such surfaces in qualifying trim.
 If I'd qualified better in Brazil we would
have got some points, while Argentina indicated to me
that we can consistently be in the points this year. But
I was disappointed with only fourth place there. My whole
career has been about fourth places, it seems to me at
times. They go down one leg and up the other!
I was expecting more [in Argentina]. The car was very
good on my first set of tyres, but then a master switch
problem began to cut out the engine whenever I used the
kerbs, and in Argentina you really have to use them to
get a good lap time. Then there was a brake problem
towards the end.
 A lot was made about Imola being my 100th
Grand Prix, and Sauber had a bit of a party and invited
the British press on Friday evening. That was a nice
touch. There's nothing quite like feeling wanted!
I suppose 100 races is a little achievement in itself.
It shows that I wasn't written off years ago - they can't
get rid of me! But it's a good milestone after the
problems I've had: my feet, getting back into F1, the
problems with the end of Lotus and then that year at
Benetton. And it feels bloody good to have those two
wins. The only problem is that doing 100 races makes you
feel old!
I made a great start at Imola, and could keep up with
Ralf Schumacher without problem, and when he stopped on
lap 18 was just thinking about podiums when my car
hiccoughed at Piratella, then cut out and coasted down to
Acque Minerali. It was some sort of electrical failure,
because the dashboard went out too, and no amount of
fiddling with the reset button could get the thing going
again.
I'd like to congratulate Heinz.  I know how it feels to
win your first GP and he deserved his. I'm looking
forward to my third, to repay Sauber-Petronas and to
silence the snipers who suggest that I finished first in, rather
than won, the other two. Here's to the next 100!
With thanks to Johnny, Red
Bull Sauber-Petronas and Bob Herbert
This page prepared 6th March 1997. All rights reserved.
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