The 1999 German Grand Prix
30th July - 1st August

Race screenshots

Sunday - Race

STEWART-FORD NOTES & QUOTES

German Grand Prix: Race (45 laps). Weather: Sunny and hot

(Ambient temperature 29 deg C, track temperature 38 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello retired from fourth place after six laps with hydraulic failure.

Johnny Herbert finished his race five laps from the end, after fighting his way up from 17th to fifth, when his car developed gearbox problems.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Another slice of bad luck when running in the points again?

'Yes, it's very frustrating. We should not be having mechanical problems at this stage of the season. We just have to bang our heads together and get it fixed very quickly. I must have done something really bad to someone up there. It does get you down. But rest assured, I'll keep on fighting.'

Starting from 17th you must be pleased to have worked your way up to fifth?

'I got a clean start and picked up several places in the first few laps. The car felt good and I was able to run at a good pace. I was holding Panis off at the end. He was gaining on me slightly in The Complex but the only way he was going to pass was if I made a mistake so I was confident of finishing fifth.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

You must have enjoyed the first few laps?

'It was great while it lasted. I enjoyed the overtaking and I felt like I had enough power to challenge for third place with the two stop strategy I was on. My aim was to make a good start and gain as many places as I could - that part of the plan worked out fine. In the end I had no throttle and no gearbox.'

Your podium finish in Magny Cours must seem a long time ago?

'I've been running in the points in the British, Austrian and now the German Grands Prix and have nothing to show for it. Yet again this was a loss of valuable points. We can't afford to hand over points with silly things like this and give the advantage to our Championship rivals.'

PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer

'At this stage of the season we expected to have far more reliability. We have had too many problems of this nature over the weekend. It is confusing because we had a good four day test at Monza in preparation for this race without any difficulties. The team's focus must now turn to improving reliability for the rest of the season.'

JAC NASSER, Chief Executive Officer & President, Ford Motor Company

'It was very disappointing to be so competitive today, yet score no points. I feel especially sad for Johnny, who drove superbly to fight his way into the top six from 17th on the grid within 20 laps. To break down, with gearbox problems, only five laps from home in fifth position was a blow for Johnny and for the team. More than anybody, he is due some good fortune in Hungary in two weeks time'

Fantastic race by Johnny - until his luck ran out with 5 laps to go

From 17th on the grid, Johnny drove superbly up as high as fifth and he was within sight of at least one point when, cruelly, his gearbox failed with only 5 laps to go. Rubens Barrichello stopped just five laps from the start with hydraulic problems.

When the red lights went out, Johnny made a great start, gaining several places on the first lap. For once, luck was with him when the race began as he came within a whisker of being collected by Diniz's Sauber and Villeneuve's BAR as they came together on the run down to the first corner.

By lap 6, Johnny was up to 9th, right on the tail of Damon Hill. As they entered the stadium, Johnny braked very late and took 8th from the Jordan, but Damon was able to follow a better line and grabbed the place back. A few laps later, Hill retired with brake problems and joined gained another place.

For much of the race, Johnny had to fight off the hard charging Prosts of Trulli and Panis which were competitive all weekend. The TV coverage featured several entertaining dices between them. It was Johnny who had the upper hand once the pitstops unwound and he looked to have the measure of Panis for fifth when the Stewart-Ford's gearbox let go. At least this week his luck had lasted for 40 laps...

Race results

1. Eddie Irvine, Ferrari
2. Mika Salo, Ferrari
3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jordan
4. Ralf Schumacher, Williams
5. David Coulthard. McLaren
6. Olivier Panis, Prost
7. Alex Wurz, Benetton
8. Jean Alesi, Sauber
9. Marc Gene, Minardi
10. Luca Badoer, Minardi
11. Johnny Herbert, Stewart (+5 laps)

Saturday - Qualifying

STEWART-FORD NOTES & QUOTES

Austrian Grand Prix: Qualifying. Weather: Sunny and hot

(Ambient temperature 27 deg C, track temperature 32 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello will start tomorrow's German Grand Prix from sixth position - continuing his unbroken run of top seven qualifying performances this year.

A number of problems on Johnny Herbert's car during this morning's practice limited his running and restricted his set-up time. As a result he was only able to qualify 17th.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Time: 1:45.454. Position: 17th

You only managed a few laps in this morning practice - what happened?

'In the first practice I was just about to start my first timed lap when I had to stop with an electrical problem. Then I had a rear wing failure in the second session and went off the circuit. There was some damage to the car and I also hurt my thumb. As a result was playing 'catch up' during qualifying and was unable to clock a good time.'

How difficult will it be starting so far back on the grid?

'I haven't even thought about race strategy yet, but starting from 17th is going to make things tough for me. I have only got 30 minutes tomorrow morning, probably just 10 laps, to get the car in some sort of race trim.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1:43.938. Position: sixth

Are you satisfied with qualifying sixth?

'Well, at least I have kept up my average for the year. My target was the second row but I guess we didn't improve as much as our rivals in the afternoon. After this morning I was expecting to be closer to the front.'

What are your prospects tomorrow?

'The car has run well on heavy fuel loads so I think we're in good shape for the race. It's a long race so anything can happen.'

PAUL STEWART, SGP Chief Operating Officer

'We're pleased that Rubens is on the third row. Had he not encountered traffic on his final run there was the prospect of a higher qualifying position. Johnny's lowly starting position is all down to the problems he had this morning which were not of his own making.'

JAC NASSER, CEO & President, Ford Motor Company

'It's fabulous to be at a grand prix again, and I'm certainly planning to spend more time at Formula One races in the future. We're satisfied with Rubens' qualifying position, although I know he was hoping for a top four grid spot. Johnny has had more bad luck - the poor guy really is due for a change in fortune. We ran the new Series 4 Ford Cosworth CR-1 engine for the first time in qualifying, and Rubens reported a useful improvement in power and driveability.'

Qualifying times from F1Today

Pos	Driver / Team	Time	Gap
1	M. Hakkinen West McLaren Mercedes	1:42.950
2	H. Frentzen Benson & Hedges Jordan	1:43.000	+0.050
3	D. Coulthard West McLaren Mercedes	1:43.288	+0.338
4	M. Salo Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro	1:43.577	+0.627
5	E. Irvine Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro	1:43.769	+0.819
6	R. Barrichello Stewart Ford	1:43.938	+0.988
7	O. Panis Gauloises Prost Peugeot	1:43.979	+1.029
8	D. Hill Benson & Hedges Jordan	1:44.001	+1.051
9	J. Trulli Gauloises Prost Peugeot	1:44.209	+1.259
10	G. Fisichella Mild Seven Benetton Playlife	1:44.338	+1.388
11	R. Schumacher Winfield Williams	1:44.468	+1.518
12	J. Villeneuve British American Racing	1:44.508	+1.558
13	A. Wurz Mild Seven Benetton Playlife	1:44.522	+1.572
14	A. Zanardi Winfield Williams	1:45.034	+2.084
15	M. Gene Fondmetal Minardi Ford	1:45.331	+2.381
16	P. Diniz Red Bull Sauber Petronas	1:45.335	+2.385
17	J. Herbert Stewart Ford	1:45.454	+2.504
18	R. Zonta British American Racing	1:45.460	+2.510
19	L. Badoer Fondmetal Minardi Ford	1:45.917	+2.967
20	P. de la Rosa Arrows	1:45.935	+2.985
21	J. Alesi Red Bull Sauber Petronas	1:45.962	+3.012
22	T. Takagi Arrows	1:46.209	+3.259

Friday - practice

STEWART-FORD NOTES & QUOTES

Weather: Sunny (Ambient temperature 28 deg C, track temperature 38 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello set the fifth fastest time in today's free practice for the German Grand Prix. Team mate Johnny Herbert finished in 18th after experiencing a series of problems.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Time: 1:47.985. Position: 18th. 20 laps

Why were you restricted to just 20 laps today?

'In the first session my car had a broken exhaust and then in the afternoon we grappled with a handling problem which meant that it wasn't worth running towards the end.'

How do you explain your lowly position on the time sheets?

'The car bore no relation to the car I drove at the Monza test in low downforce trim. It was nervous at the rear and very twitchy even in a straight line. It was impossible to make it work effectively. A lot of the day was wasted.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1:46.418. Position: fifth. 31 laps

What area of the car do you have to improve?

'I worked through various settings to try and improve the car's traction and the rear stability under braking. I see those characteristics of the car as being crucial for this weekend.'

Are you confident for tomorrow's qualifying?

'I'm still along way from an optimum qualifying set-up. I don't feel as if we have quite got the balance right. I will sit down with my engineers and discover where we can improve because I feel I can make up time, particularly in the Complex, which will be the key to a good grid position.'

PAUL STEWART, SGP Chief Operating Officer

'We have a problem with Johnny's car which we have not sourced yet but it appears it was damper related. As a result he was unable to make a lot of progress today. Rubens worked through a set-up programme to try and find a direction for the race. Both drivers feel there is some work ahead before qualifying tomorrow.'

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

'We experienced no problems with the engines today. After successful running on the dyno at Cosworth Racing's Northampton base the new Series 4 engine will make its debut in both cars tomorrow.'

Practice times from F1Today

Race Preview from Stewart-Ford

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

The Hockenheim circuit, scene of this weekend's German Grand Prix, is characterised by long, fast straights punctuated by tight chicanes. Drivers will reach speeds in excess of 210 mph on the straights. By contrast, the final sequence of turns before the entrance to the main straight, known as The Complex, is the slowest on the circuit. Drivers negotiate these second gear corners at 60mph. Cars are set up in low downforce aerodynamic configuration so as to reduce drag in high speed.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

How physically demanding is Hockenheim?

‘The G-force loads are not that severe because we are running low downforce even though Senna Kurve for instance is about –3.4g. I find it more mentally demanding. Concentration is crucial because you are travelling in a straight line at full throttle for long periods. You have to guard against your mind wandering off. I always try to visualise the chicanes at the end of the long straights to keep my concentration level up.’

What is the most crucial part of the circuit?

‘The Complex is very important. It comes at the end of the lap when the tyres are hot due to the high speeds that have been generated during the lap. Traction is crucial because you’re not carrying much wing and you can’t rely on aerodynamic grip to get you in and out of the slow corners quickly. A little mistake at The Complex can make a big difference to your lap time.’

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

What challenges do the chicanes present?

‘They place a high importance on braking and throttle technique. At the chicanes you have to be very precise with your braking point. With the grooved tyres, the car tends to slide around a bit more under braking. At Jim Clark Kurve, for example, you’re coming down from over 200mph to 60mph so timing is vital. You also have to get the power down at the critical time on the exit. It’s very satisfying when you get it right.’

How do recover from the type of setback you experienced in Austria?

‘I’m a pretty positive sort of guy. You can’t dwell on the past because Formula One moves at such a pace. I’m more concerned with studying the data and finding out where I could have improved my times after my pit stop in Austria in preparation for this race. Our rate of development has been very good this year. We have improved a different aspect of the car and engine package at every single race. I know we are not far away from the day when everything comes together.’

ANDY MILLER, SGP Race Director

‘Despite Austria and Germany being back to back races, it’s not the logistical nightmare you might think if you have a trouble-free race in Austria. The race team personnel stay on in Austria on Sunday night to fit new engines, fire them up and check that the management systems are working. New suspension and rear ends are fitted and by Sunday night they have become Hockenheim race cars. We have been pleased how the cars have performed in low downforce configuration at the Monza test, so we are confident of doing well this weekend.’

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

‘The Series 3 version of the Ford Cosworth V10 CR-1 engine made its debut at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix and, depending on the outcome of tests on the dyno at Cosworth Racing's Northampton base, we are already looking to introduce the Series 4 for Rubens and Johnny to use in qualifying at the German Grand Prix. With the long straights and the often high ambient temperatures Hockenheim puts a lot of strain on Formula One engines. The Series 4 engine runs to an even higher rev limit and underlines Ford's continuing desire to push the development of its new engine as fast as possible.’

Every effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but
no responsibility is accepted for this information
Last updated 1st August 1999