The 1999 Spanish Grand Prix
28th-30th May

Race screenshots

Sunday - Race

Barrichello excluded from race results

Autosport 30th May: Rubens Barrichello has been scrubbed from the results after finishing eighth in the Spanish Grand Prix. Stewards said his Stewart-Ford did not comply with article 3.13(h) of the technical regulations and a fastener used to hold the skid block in place was too large. The ruling said the stewards were 'quite concerned' at the size and weight of the fastener which, they said, could be 'extremely dangerous' if it came loose.

Team comments

Johnny Herbert, Car No.17 (SF3-03):

"It's frustrating to notch up my fifth straight non-finish. As I was coming in for my first pit stop, I felt the gear shifting was a little strange. Just before my second pit stop, I felt something break and attempted to crawl back to the pits but I just couldn't make it. We decided to change our pit strategy from three stops to two because I found myself mixing it with the pack early in the race and it was the only way I was going to be able to stay in touch. It's been another tough weekend - even my change of helmet design didn't bring me much luck!"

Rubens Barrichello, Car No.16 (SF3-04):

"I had one real chance for sixth place towards the end but overall the performance of the car during the whole weekend did not measure up to what we have achieved in the previous races. With the second set of tyres, I was able to push and regain the time I lost with the backmarkers and the blue flags. But with the third set the car became very unstable. I was pushing hard and was able to catch Trulli but I lost downforce as often happens here and I wasn't able to overtake."

Paul Stewart, SGP Deputy Chairman:

"We expected a better result today but a points finish looked unlikely after Rubens got a poor start. Even when the chance arose towards the end of the race it was always going to be difficult to get by Trulli. What we have to do now is get together at the post race debrief, regroup and identify the areas in which we can improve the car to regain our early season performance."

Martin Whittaker, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

"This weekend has been difficult and the team's first real test of the year given our performances to date. Nevertheless, everyone has taken to the task throughout which will serve us well in the future. The engines ran reliably at the higher revs all weekend and we are now looking forward to next week's test at Silverstone."

Johnny's race

Johnny started well, snatching three places at the start and running strongly in 11th during his first stint. Rubens started badly and dropped to 10th. After 40 laps, Johnny' bad luck struck again and his car coasted to a halt with no drive.

Race results

Saturday - Qualifying

Stewart-Ford notes and quotes

• Rubens will start tomorrow's Spanish Grand Prix from seventh position on the grid after an eventful qualifying session today. He switched from his race car to the spare car after detecting a vibration on his first qualifying run. He reverted to his race car for the remainder of the session.
• Johnny qualified in 14th position. He was making good progress throughout the session but had to slow for yellow caution flags on his last flying lap and was unable to improve on his earlier time.

Johnny Herbert, Car No.17 (SF3-05):

"I felt had made a big improvement from yesterday and felt comfortable with the car during qualifying so I was disappointed not to have finished higher up the grid. I guess it was a case of not getting my sector times quite right for the whole lap. I also caught yellow flags on my last flying lap when one of the Benettons had a problem, which didn't help my chance of improving. I've made it difficult for myself in the race starting from where I am. What I have to focus on now is to run reliably and hope that my race strategy works out because the times are very close."

Rubens Barrichello, Car No.16 (SF3-04):

"There was quite a lot happening for me during the session so I'm reasonably happy with seventh position on the grid. I switched to the spare car for my second run due to a vibration but because the car is set up for Johnny, I had difficulty adjusting to the throttle pedal. I went back to my race car after one lap and just had to give it all I could to move up the time sheets. The crew did a fantastic job switching me from car to car. I'm satisfied with my tyre choice and I expect to run a strong race so another points finish is not out of the question at all."

Paul Stewart, SGP Deputy Chairman:

"All thing. considered, the whole team did a great job today. Rubens and the crew held it together amid the confusion in the garage over car choice. We were perhaps expecting a better performance in qualifying given the pace we were setting during recent tests in Barcelona. We were hoping that our testing performance would translate into quicker qualifying times today but it didn't turn out that way. The unusual track conditions yesterday hampered our efforts to be in optimum shape for qualifying. Johnny was poised for a better qualifying effort but was held up by yellow flags at the start of his last quick lap."

Martin Whittaker, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

"Both engines ran reliably throughout today although Rubens complained of a vibration after his first run. As a precaution, the team elected to put him out in the T car. However, examination of the engine data did not reveal any obvious cause for a vibration and he duly returned to his race car for the remainder of the session. Rubens set his fastest time with this car and neither he, nor Johnny, experienced any downturn in engine performance."

Practice times (from TV coverage)

Friday - practice

Team comments

Johnny Herbert, Car No.17 (SF3-03):

"I think everybody is struggling a bit because the times seem to be slower than they were during the test. The wind seems to be coming from a unusual direction which is affecting the behaviour of the car but at least we have a base to work from to improve the balance of the car. I only used the one set of tyres so I'm not too concerned with my position at the moment."

Rubens Barrichello, Car No.16 (SF3-04):

"I'm not entirely unhappy but we do have some work to do to understand the track conditions a little more if they stay the way they are. Still tomorrow is another day and I'm sure we will find the right balance in time for qualifying. The track today is lot different to how it was during last week's test which explains why we didn't get the car to work as well."

Paul Stewart, SGP Deputy Chairman:

"Both drivers are not entirely happy with the handling or the car. We worked through a number of set-up changes in an effort to find an improvement in that area in both practice sessions today. Rubens improved towards the end of the second session but we are clearly not performing as well yet as we have done in previous tests in Barcelona. We will continue our set-up programme tomorrow in an effort to be in the best shape for qualifying."

Martin Whittaker, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

"Both Ford Cosworth V10 CR-1 engines ran reliably throughout today apart from an inlet system glitch which affected Johnny on his last lap. New engines will be fitted overnight - the engines we are using here will be the same specification as those raced in Monaco."

Practice times

1. Eddie Irvine, Ferrari - 1:23.577
2. H-H Frentzen, Jordan-Mugen Honda - 1:23.790 (+ 0.213)
3. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari - 1:23.895 (+ 0.318)
4. Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes - 1:23.982 (+ 0.405)
5. Alessandro Zanardi, Williams-Supertec - 1:24.312 (+ 0.735)
6. Damon Hill, Jordan-Mugen Honda - 1:24.318 (+ 0.741)
7. David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes - 1:24.339 (+ 0.762)
8. Rubens Barrichello, Stewart-Ford - 1:24.347 (+ 0.770)
9. Jacques Villeneuve, BAR-Supertec - 1:24.458 (+ 0.881)
10. Ralf Schumacher, Williams-Supertec - 1:24.559 (+ 0.982)
11. Jean Alesi, Sauber-Petronas - 1:24.642 (+ 1.065) 
12. Pedro Diniz, Sauber-Petronas - 1:24.823 (+ 1.246)
13. Jarno Trulli, Prost-Peugeot - 1:24.957 (+ 1.380)
14. Olivier Panis, Prost-Peugeot - 1:25.140 (+ 1.563)
15. Giancarlo Fisichella, Benetton-Playlife - 1:25.448 (+ 1.871) 
16. Johnny Herbert, Stewart-Ford - 1:25.667 (+ 2.090)
17. Alexander Wurz, Benetton-Playlife - 1:25.901 (+ 2.324)
18. Mika Salo, BAR-Supertec - 1:26.323 (+ 2.746)
19. Pedro de la Rosa, Arrows-TWR - 1:26.595 (+ 3.018)
20. Tora Takagi, Arrows-TWR - 1:27.296 (+ 3.719)
21. Marc Gene, Minardi-Ford - 1:27.506 (+ 3.929)
22. Luca Badoer, Minardi-Ford - 1:27.763 (+ 4.186)

Wednesday pre-race comments

E-mail from Johnny 26th May

Hi all,

I am sorry I have not sent you as many messages as I have wanted, but I promise that I will soon. I am in the process of buying a video camera so I can send messages this way, which will make it easier for me to keep you all informed.

As to this coming weekend, I was happier with my performance during the three day test. As usual, we had development and set-up work to get through. On day one, I had to do a race distance, after many red flags, and then had to finish the engine mileage on the morning of day two. This was again achieved and gives us all good feelings for the reliability of the Ford engine.

As for me, as I have said I was happy with the progress made with the set-up, especially the feeling on new tyres, plus a much better feeling with the throttle pedal.

So I am sure this time my qualifying will be my best performance thus far!

Will be in contact again soon.

Johnny

Race Preview from Stewart-Ford

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

• The Stewart-Ford team completed three days of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya last week in preparation for this weekend's race.
• Johnny's highest finish in the Spanish Grand Prix was second place in 1995 while Rubens' best was fifth in 1998 at the wheel of the SF2.
• Both Rubens and Johnny will be attending the UEFA Champions League Final on Wednesday evening at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium as guests of Ford - an official partner of the UEFA Champions League.

JOHNNY HERBERT, Car 17 (SF3-05):

"I like going to Barcelona for several reasons. It is a great city and the circuit is a real driver's circuit characterised by fast corners which are very challenging. Because there is a mix of fast corners and slow corners, it's important to find the right set up for the car. We have experienced increased reliability from the engine recently which is very satisfying for the whole team and for Ford. As this year's car is a big improvement we have every reason to be confident. I am looking for my first race finish of the season and if I achieve that I expect to be in the points."

RUBENS BARRICHELLO, Car 16 (SF3-04):

"The test went quite well last week though I would have liked to complete a race distance on the final day. Nonetheless, we got through a lot of miles on the first two days working on set-up for the race and we believe we have a very good package for the weekend. The track surface is very abrasive so it's vital to have good performance from the tyres because degradation can be quite severe. We have proven at this circuit that we can be quick. I have qualified in the top six for every race this year and will be aiming to keep my record intact."

ANDY MILLER, SGP Race Director:

"Our aim in Barcelona is to translate our qualifying performances in the first four races of the season into a strong race finish for both drivers. We have continued a programme of aerodynamic development since Monaco which should enable us to remain et the sharp end of the grid. Our testing in Barcelona since the start of the season have illustrated that the car is well adjusted to the demands of the circuit. Previous Barcelona tests have shown that we are well on the race and we have now added reliability we are in good shape for the weekend."

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director Ford Racing Europe:

"We completed three days of testing at Barcelona last week with the aim of accumulating more race distances on the engine at the higher rev limit we used successfully at Monaco. Further testing aimed at improving the driveability of the engines was also undertaken. As a result of the test we have identified further performance gains which we can now evaluate at the dyno and at future tests."

Every effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but
no responsibility is accepted for this information
Last updated 31st May 1999