The 1999 Japanese Grand Prix
29th - 31st October

Sunday - race

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

Weather: Overcast (ambient temperature 18 deg C, track temperature 19 deg C).

Johnny Herbert and Rubens Barrichello finished seventh and eighth in the final race of the 1999 season at Suzuka - securing the Stewart-Ford team's fourth place in the Constructors' Championship.

JOHNNY HERBERT, Car No.17 (SF3-06)

A mixture of disappointment and satisfaction?

'I was fighting to keep up with the pace for most of the race because I couldn't find enough low speed traction. I got in front of Jean Alesi after the first pit stop and found a bit of breathing space. However, for the second stop, I came in right behind one of the Arrows. The crew seemed to be caught out which meant that the stop was slow and I lost the advantage I had over Alesi and he rejoined in front of me. It was frustrating not to get a point but the main task was to hold onto fourth place in the Championship which we did. We have made a big improvement this season and laid solid foundations to be able to take a further step forward with Jaguar Racing next year.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO, Car No.16 (SF3-04)

What are your thoughts on the time you have spent with the team?

'It's been an absolute pleasure working with everyone in the Stewart-Ford team and I want to thank each and every one of them for the effort they have put in and for the belief they have shown in me. I want to say a special thanks to my engineers Andy Miller and Robin Gearing for the car they have given me this season. My aim was to help the team finish as high as possible in the Championship and I'm pleased that with the support of everyone in the team I was able to get the job done. I leave the Stewart-Ford team with nothing but sweet memories.'

PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer

'In the race, Johnny was poised to pick up a point by staying ahead of Alesi at the second pit stop but unfortunately the stop didn't quite work out as planned. However, the most important goal for this race was to secure fourth place in the Constructors' Championship which we achieved. That makes me immensely proud of the whole Stewart-Ford team and everyone involved in this effort. To have accomplished this in only our third World Championship year is quite outstanding. Rubens has been an integral part of the team from the very beginning and has played a major role in lifting the team to where it is today. We wish him well in the future. This was the last race for Stewart-Ford and we look forward to an exciting new era with Jaguar Racing.'

JOHN VALENTINE Chief Engineer, Ford Racing Research and Vehicle Technology

'Obviously we would've liked to finish in the points today but we still managed to maintain our fourth position in the Constructors' Championship. Stewart Grand Prix, Cosworth Racing, Visteon and Ford Racing have worked very hard this year to improve our overall performance and reliability trends. We are also very pleased with Rubens and Johnny for giving extra effort throughout the year. We are sorry to see Rubens leave the team and wish him all the best. As an organisation we are looking very much forward to build on the success this year in our new association with Jaguar for continuous improvement in the new millennium.'

Race results from Atlas:

1. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1h 31:18.785 
2. M. Schumacher Ferrari + 0:05.015 
3. Irvine Ferrari + 1:35.688 
4. Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda + 1:38.635 
5. R. Schumacher Williams Supertec + 1:39.494 
6. Alesi Sauber Petronas + 1 Lap 
7. Herbert Stewart Ford + 1 Lap 
8. Barrichello Stewart Ford + 1 Lap 
9. Villeneuve BAR Supertec + 1 Lap 
10. Wurz Benetton Supertec + 1 Lap 
11. Diniz Sauber Petronas + 1 Lap 
12. Zonta BAR Supertec + 1 Lap 
13. De La Rosa Arrows TWR + 2 Laps

Saturday - qualifying

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

Weather: Sunny (ambient temperature 23 deg C, track temperature 28 deg C)

Johnny Herbert will start Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix - the final race of the 1999 season from eighth place on the grid. Rubens Barrichello will line up in 13th position.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-06)

Time: 1:39.706. Position: eighth

Are you satisfied with eighth position?

'I thought a spot in the top six was within reach, but we didn’t seem to be able to find as much improvement from this morning as some of our rivals. In some cases that was half a second. I was struggling for grip in the low speed corners which is where I lost time. From a team perspective, it’s important that I’m ahead of Ralf Schumacher given the Championship points standings. I have been happy with the way the car has worked in race trim so it’s going to be interesting tomorrow. We could have done without the two Prosts finishing ahead of us but all credit to them.’

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1:40.140. Position: 13th.

A very eventful session?

'I did not get one clear run during the whole session. On my first run I caught yellow flags after Ralf Schumacher went off. On my second the car developed a water leak and I had to go out in the spare car which was just not working anywhere near as well. When I went back out for my final run in the race car. I had to slow because of Alesi and Hakkinen spinning in front of me on my last flying lap. With the time I did this morning I was confident of a time around 1:39.00 which is where we thought we should have been all weekend. I really wanted to make my last qualifying session with the Stewart-Ford team a special one. I am upset for the whole team that things didn’t go my way today.’

PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer

‘Rubens wasn’t able to get any flow going during the session given the problems he had. Johnny did a good job in finding time as the session progressed. We still have a chance of scoring points from this race – which was our objective this weekend.’

TYRONE JOHNSON, Technical Manager, Ford Racing Research and Vehicle Technology

'From a Championship perspective the good news is that Johnny qualified in front of Ralf Schumacher's Williams. However we had hoped to have both cars in the top six for the final race of 1999. Fresh Series 3 engines will be fitted overnight and everybody in the Stewart-Ford team will be hoping that we can maintain our fourth place in the 1999 Constructors' Championship.'

Qualifying times from F1Today:

Friday - Practice

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

Weather: Sunny (ambient temperature 21-23 deg C, track temperature 29-330 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello was fifth fastest in today's Free Practice for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. Johnny Herbert finished the session 20th.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Time: 1:44.179. Position: 20th. 29 laps

Why were you only able to set the 20th fastest time today?

'I expected to make an improvement when I went out on new tyres at the end but the engine cut out and a sensor warning light came on. The car is very nervous at the rear and we tried several setup changes to try and calm it down. We improved it towards the end of the session. The track is quite dirty particularly at 130R. However, looking at Rubens' time today I'm optimistic for qualifying.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1:42.529. Position: fifth. 34 laps

What did you concentrate on today?

'Suzuka is such a complicated layout and you need to find a balance to make it work well through the Esses, the high speed corners and the chicane. You have to have the car working in harmony in all three areas so you tend to do a bit of juggling on the set-up. We made a big step forward on set-up towards the end of the second session. There is still some work to do and I'm confident that we are heading in the right direction.'

PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer

'We made a lot of changes to set-up on both cars although we still haven't got it quite right yet. We are not too perturbed about Johnny's time because of the problem he had with his car on the new tyres. It was a typically busy Friday.'

TYRONE JOHNSON, Technical Manager, Ford Racing Research and Vehicle Technology

'Both cars were running Series 3 engines and we will continue using this specification tomorrow. A sensor on Johnny's car showed a fault causing the engine to cut out towards the end of the second session and even though he managed to restart and make it back to the garage it was too late for him to put in a quick time.’

Practice times from F1Today:

Race Preview from Stewart-Ford

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

The Japanese Grand Prix marks the last race that the team will compete as Stewart-Ford. From the 2000 FIA Formula One World Championship season the team will race as Jaguar Racing. Stewart-Ford enters the Japanese Grand Prix in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship with a three-point advantage over the fifth-placed Williams team.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Can you maintain your good end-of-season form at Suzuka?

‘In lots of ways Suzuka is similar to the Malaysian circuit, a challenging track with a variety of turns. We’ve proven that the car can adapt quite well to a flowing type of track layout so we should be able to qualify well again. My aim is to get close to the McLarens again. The fact that both cars are going well has strengthened our hand.’

Are you disappointed not to have held onto your revised second place in Malaysia?

‘It would have been nice for our promotion to second and third places to stand because our performance over the entire weekend was impressive. However, we accept that the Ferrari appeal was upheld, based on the evidence which was put forward at the appeal hearing in Paris. It’s a shame that we missed out on the extra points, it makes our task of clinching fourth place in the Championship that little bit more difficult.’

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

This is your farewell race for Stewart-Ford. Sum up your feelings.

‘It’s going to be very emotional when I step out of the car for the last time on Sunday. I am really keen to get a good result for the team in Suzuka. I desperately wanted to do well in Malaysia and I’m just as determined to go out on a high in Japan. My goal was to leave at the end of the season having helped the Stewart-Ford team to the top four in the championship. I’ll be doing my utmost to make our fourth place secure this weekend. That will be my way of repaying everyone in the Stewart-Ford team for their terrific support during my time with them.’

Suzuka is one of your favourite circuits. Why? 

‘It’s a real drivers’ track – a mixture of slow and high speed corners, long straights and off course the Crossover which is unique. Because of the undulations of the layout you have to keep very busy in the cockpit. It’s not a circuit which offers much respite for a driver but that adds to the challenge. Set-up is crucial – the car has to be well balanced to respond to the special demands of the circuit.’

PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford, Chief Operating Officer

‘We are looking forward to the final Grand Prix for the Stewart-Ford team. Having moved ahead of Williams in the Championship standings, we will be aiming to consolidate our fourth position. The most satisfying way of doing that would be to add to our points tally in Suzuka. It’s Rubens last race for the team and we hope to make it a good one for him. We are also confident that Johnny’s recent upturn in performance will continue.’

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

‘We are all hoping for a good end to the 1999 season in our last race as the Stewart-Ford team. The Malaysian Grand Prix was very encouraging since we were among the top three teams throughout the whole weekend and we moved into fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. Japan will therefore be crucial to our ongoing development. Suzuka is a circuit with every type of corner so it presents a real challenge. For the engines, good power is essential for the long straights and for acceleration out of the two very slow corners, while driveability will also be vital to help traction and to get the best from the double-S.'

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Last updated 31st October 1999