8 out of 10 in 1999
Every
year, the much respected annual review of the F1 season by Autocourse
rates the Top 10 Drivers of the Year. The 1999 Top 10 and the feature on
Johnny is below.
1999
Top 10 Drivers:
-
Heinz-Harald
Frentzen
-
Mika
Hakkinen
-
Ralf
Schumacher
-
Eddie
Irvine
-
Rubens
Barrichello
-
David
Coulthard
-
Jacques
Villeneuve
-
Johnny
Herbert
-
Giancarlo
Fisichella
-
Jarno
Trulli
NB
It is Autocourse editorial policy to exclude any drivers who failed to
compete in all, or nearly all, of the rounds of the World Championship -
hence neither Michael Schumacher nor Mika Salo have been included
Johnny
Herbert
Johnny
Herbert was originally hired by the Stewart-Ford team for his dependable
qualities rather than any expectation of out-and-out speed. This was the
season in which he celebrated the tenth anniversary of his Grand Prix
debut at the wheel of a Benetton at Rio de Janeiro, a decade marked
largely by flashes of promise rather than any consistent demonstrations of
virtuoso brilliance.
From
the outset the easy-going Englishman seemed to be shaded by Barrichello’s
presence in the other car, and continued unreliability on Herbert’s car
during the first part of the season gave rise to suggestions that the
Brazilian was being overtly favoured. This was hard to believe and this
line of speculation gradually faded as the season unfolded and Herbert
duly picked up the pace.
Fifth
place after an energetic tussle with Eddie Irvine’s Ferrari at Montreal
gave a hint of what could be expected from Herbert once he was satisfied
with the car. He should have been in the points at Hockenheim only to
retire in the closing stages of the race, but the incorporation of a more
user—friendly hydraulic differential from Austria onwards made the car
easier for Johnny to handle.
Eventually
Johnny’s persistence and dedication were rewarded when he scored the
Stewart team’s maiden Grand Prix victory at the Nürburgring. It was a
success achieved through canny foresight, consistent driving and a dash of
the good fortune which all-too-frequently has tended to desert this
35-year old Fl veteran.
As if
buoyed by public confirmation of his winning potential, Herbert again rose
to the occasion in the Malaysian Grand Prix where he struggled to battle
Mika Häkkinen’s McLaren- Mercedes for third, only being overtaken by
the Finn in the closing stages of the chase when he made a slight error.
Herbert did a good job restoring his credibility and status during the
1999 season, preparing the way for a fighting partnership with Eddie
Irvine in the Jaguar squad into the 2000 season. How this all-British
partnership will unfold is anybody’s guess.
Feature
from the 1999/2000 issue of the Autocourse Annual
With thanks to Autocourse ©. All rights
reserved.
This page prepared 27th December 1999.
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