The 1999 Austrian Grand Prix
23rd-25th July

Race screenshots

Sunday - Race

STEWART-FORD NOTES & QUOTES

Race distance: 71 laps

Weather: Overcast

(Ambient temperature 18 deg C, track temperature 22 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello retired on lap 55 with an engine failure while in fourth place. He was running second until his first pit stop.

Johnny Herbert lost his rear wing after being hit from behind by Mika Salo at the second corner of the opening lap. After having a new wing fitted he was able to re-join the race - four laps behind. He finished 14th - setting the second fastest lap of the race.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

After being quick throughout the weekend it must be frustrating to encounter problems on the opening lap?

'Both Rubens and I made good starts but I got boxed in a bit by Frentzen coming into the first corner. I could see Hakkinen and Coulthard coming together and backed off. Unfortunately I was hit from behind by Salo and lost my rear wing.'

How do you keep motivation high when joining at the back of the field - four laps behind?

'It can be hard and you just think 'is there really a point continuing?' In a way the pressure was off so I was able to enjoy myself while still pushing hard. My car was excellent even though there was some damage to the floor. I was able to maintain a quick pace throughout the race.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Given that you ran strongly in the race, it must be annoying that it ended like it did?

'I got a good start and was enjoying the race. I wasn't able to make much ground on David (Coulthard) early on but I just had to keep pushing to hold second place. The car felt good and my pace was consistent. It's frustrating when you get the chance for points and they disappear like that. We have lost points too often this year when we have been well placed.'

How important was race strategy and tyre wear?

'After the pit stop, the car didn't feel as good on the new tyres. I think the guys who stayed out a little longer before stopping had the advantage because it took a couple of laps for the new tyres to work effectively on heavy fuel.'

PAUL STEWART, SGP Chief Operating Officer

'Unfortunately we came away empty-handed when there was the real prospect of points for both cars. Johnny was taken out through no fault of his own but responded well to the challenge of rejoining the race four laps down. It was a terrific performance by him to set the second fastest lap of the race. Rubens ran strongly in second place before his pit stop and was holding down fourth position before his engine failure. He proved once again that we can run at the front on merit.'

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

'After such a strong performance in qualifying it is extremely frustrating to leave Austria without World Championship points. Rubens was running strongly in second place until his pit stop and then suffered an engine failure while in fourth on lap 55, our first failure since April. We mustn't allow Rubens' performance to overshadow that of Johnny. Sidelined by the opening lap incident he then turned in one of the best drives of the entire race and lapped consistently at front running pace.'

Johnny's race

After qualifying 6th, his best grid placing for Stewart, Johnny had another one of those days on Sunday. When Coulthard clipped his team-mate at the second corner, the field slowed up to avoid Hakkinen's car. Unfortunately, Ferrari super-sub Mika Salo didn't slow as much as the rest. He collected Johnny's Stewart, dislodging the rear wing. It took four laps to replace before Johnny was able to rejoin. Ironically, this was one race Johnny's car made it through to the end (team-mate Barrichello's engine expired mid race), albeit too far down to be in with a chance of a point. Small consolation - in the closing laps, Johnny set second fastest race lap.

Saturday - Qualifying

STEWART-FORD NOTES & QUOTES

Weather: Overcast with sunny spells

(Ambient temperature 18 deg C, track temperature 21 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello will start tomorrow's Austrian Grand Prix from fifth position on the grid. Next to him will be his team mate Johnny Herbert who qualified sixth - the first time both Stewart-Ford cars have been in the top six.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Time: 1.12:488 Position: sixth

Sixth place, your best qualifying position of the season - how does it feel?

'It has taken me and the team a bit longer than expected but now we are in the top six it’s a big relief. Considering I was fourth quickest this morning I'm a little frustrated not to be one or two places higher up.'

You have been consistently quick all weekend - what do you attribute this to?

'First of all the testing we did at Monza last week has been very beneficial. My main problem this year has been to put in a quick lap on low fuel. The car felt great and I was able to be a bit more aggressive than usual. This is also my first trouble-free start to a weekend so I felt more relaxed for qualifying. My final run was hampered first by the yellow flags and then I was held up by traffic, so I could have gone quicker.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1.12:342 Position: fifth

You seemed to be struggling a little this morning, how did you turn things round for qualifying?

'I had a problem with turn-in oversteer this morning and I felt like a passenger at times. But we improved the car's handling and mechanical grip as the session went on and the car felt very good by the end. I think fourth was probably the best I could have done. I left it a little late for my last run and caught some traffic. I owe a lot to my engineers and mechanics who gave me a nice car this afternoon.'

What are your prospects for the race?

'There are chances to overtake under braking here so I expect to be challenging for the podium if I can get a good start and our race strategy works out. We have improved the car in race trim at the last couple of tests and the Silverstone race proved that we can run competitively at the front, so I'm confident for tomorrow.'

PAUL STEWART, SGP Chief Operating Officer

'To fill the third row of the grid for the first time this year is a tremendous achievement. For Johnny in particular this is a satisfying result. We now have a good opportunity to pick up points with both cars in the race and improve our championship standing. All the modifications we have made to the cars, including the introduction of the Series 3 engine, have worked well so far.'

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

'Having both cars in the top six is an excellent performance by the whole team. We experienced no major problems and it marks a solid race weekend debut for the Series 3 engine. As a precaution we changed the engine in Rubens' car after Free Practice.'

Qualifying times from RTL TV coverage:

Morning free practice times from F1Today:

Friday - practice

STEWART-FORD NOTES & QUOTES

Austrian Grand Prix: Free Practice

Weather: Cloudy, overcast, sunny spell (Ambient temperature 17 deg C, track temperature 24 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello finished tenth fastest after today's Free Practice sessions for the Austrian Grand Prix. Johnny Herbert ended up 11th quickest.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Time: 1:14.008 Position: 11th (47 laps)

How were the track conditions today?

'It was quite dirty to start with which is always the case at the A1-Ring. As the day wore on it stabilised and there was a lot more grip towards the end of the second session. If there is no more rain before qualifying I think we are in pretty good shape.'

What improvements were made to the car today?

'We found a nice balance at the end of the second session. I felt much more at home in the car. We managed to reduce the understeer I experienced this morning but there is still some way to go. The new exhaust system we have fitted on the cars has made the engine run smoother and has improved the driveability.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1:13.923 Position: 10th (35 laps)

Are you pleased with the progress you made today?

'We made a big change to the car after the first session which cost me a bit of track time during the second hour but we still managed to get through quite a lot of set-up work. I'm not totally comfortable with the way the car feels just yet. I would like to be able to attack it a bit more.'

Are you still on course to better last season's fifth place in qualifying?

'I think top six is a realistic target if its dry but if we have any more rain like yesterday's torrential downpour I'm sure I can sneak into the top four. Based on today's times it looks like there will be quite a tight battle for the top 10 positions.'

PAUL STEWART, SGP Chief Operating Officer

'Both drivers went through comprehensive set-up changes and the times are very close at the top. It's re-assuring that all the modifications we ran at the Monza test proved reliable in their first race weekend outing today.'

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

'Both Rubens and Johnny used the Series 2 engines today and we experienced no problems. However for the rest of the weekend both cars will be fitted with the new Series 3 engine which will improve top end performance and provide a wider spread of power.'

Practice times from F1Today:

Race Preview from Stewart-Ford

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

• The Stewart-Ford team completed four days of testing (13-16 July) at Monza last week, The testing programme focused on engine and exhaust system modifications which will be run over a race weekend for the first time in Austria. The team also evaluated the aerodynamic efficiency of the SF3 in low downforce trim for the races ahead.
• The workload at Monza was shared by Johnny Herbert and Stewart Racing's Formula Three driver, Luciano Burti. Both drivers produced competitive times over the four days.

JOHNNY HERBERT, Car 17 (SF3-05):

Following last week's test how do you rate your chances this weekend?

"I left the test in a very positive frame of mind. Monza was the first time I had run the new exhaust and aerodynamic package together. There was a noticeable difference in performance with the modifications we tested. I'd say the new exhaust system made the engine run a lot cleaner. I will be aiming to be at least in the top eight in qualifying which will give me a solid base for the race. If you look at Silverstone, I was running on the verge of points until the stop-go penalty, at Imola I was fifth until my retirement five laps from the end and I finished fifth in Canada. If I can get a race finish in Austria, I would expect to be in the points again."

What is the key to a quick lap at the Al-Ring?

"Because there are no real high-speed corners at the circuit, it's important to find time in the middle sector. This starts at the entrance to Remus Kurve, which is a very tight second gear 40mph turn, where you're pulling about -3.5g under braking. You have to have the car well balanced because you can experience big understeer here. The sequence of turns which follows starts with Gosset, a double right-hander (2nd gear, 50mph) and takes in Niki Lauda and Power Horse which are 90-100mph turns. You can lose or gain lot of time through this section. Putting it all together here can make or break your lap."

RUBENS BARRICHELLO, Car 16 (SF3-04):

Fifth on the grid for Stewart-Ford In 1997 and 1998. How do see qualifying this year?

"I'm very optimistic. The improvement we have found in the car's aerodynamics and the extra power from the engine add up to a much better package this year. I went home to Brazil for a break after Silverstone. I've been doing a lot of gym work and running, so I feel refreshed - my batteries have been re-charged. I'm expecting to qualify well. With Michael (Schumacher) not racing this weekend,  the way will be open for other drivers to take advantage."

What distinguishes Austria from other races?

"From a driver's point of view, there are chances to overtake under braking which makes a nice change from other circuits. There is a quite a lot of load on the front tyres so tyre conservation and race strategy are important. Because the track is surrounded by mountain ranges, the weather can close up very quickly and rain can appear from nowhere which can make strategy a bit of a gamble."

GARY ANDERSON, SGP Technical Director:

"At Silverstone we proved that we can run two cars at the front which has been our target all season. Rubens' puncture and Johnny's stop-go penalty for overtaking while the safety car was out deprived us of points. However, we have to recover from those setbacks and aim to qualify both cars well in Austria. We took a significant step forward in the Monza test. If we can run reliably on Friday and Saturday and stay clear of trouble in the race, we should add to our points tally."

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director Ford Racing Europe:

"We had a very successful test at Monza last week during which we carried out reliability testing on several new engine specifications. We completed a simulated race distance on the new Series 3 specification of engine and as a result we will introduce it at the Al-Ring this weekend where we intend to practice, qualify and race it. This engine specification gives improved top end performance and a wider spread of power to help acceleration. Apart from internal changes within the engine, the most obvious external difference is the adoption of a new exhaust system, featuring a short tailpipe exiting through the top bodywork. This new system was the result of close co-operation between Cosworth Racing and Stewart Grand Prix and, after months of dyno development work, we have jointly produced a system that is good for both the engine and chassis."

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Last updated 24th July 1999