The 1999 Belgian Grand Prix
27th - 29th August

TV Screenshots

Sunday - Race

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

Spa-Francorchamps (44 laps). Weather: sunny and hot (ambient temperature 21 deg C, track temperature 24 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello finished today's Belgian Grand Prix in 10th place. Johnny Herbert retired on lap 27 after going off the circuit with brake problems caused by wheel bearing seizure.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Why did you go off the circuit?

'I went off on the grass at Pouhon because of a brake problem. I pumped the pedal and it all seemed fine but at the next corner Fagnes I lost the brakes and went straight on into the gravel trap and hit the barrier backwards. Before that I was bothered by understeer and a general lack of grip.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

You have been further off the pace than expected in Spa. Why?

'I have suffered from lack of mechanical grip all weekend. I managed to nail one lap in qualifying and that was my weekend's moment of glory. I was having a real problem with grip during the race. All I could do was to keep it on the road and go as fast as I could.'

PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer

'Not a race we can be proud of. We had hoped for a better performance in Spa but we were never really competitive at any point during the weekend. We must find the reason on our return to the factory and remedy the situation before Monza.'

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

'Although a disappointing result at least Rubens got home in the top 10 despite a scare early in the race when the telemetry showed us we had a potential air-valve problem. This was successfully rectified at the first pit stop. Once again Johnny was unlucky in the race.'

Race results

Saturday - Qualifying

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

Rubens Barrichello qualified seventh for tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix. Teammate Johnny Herbert will start the race from 10th position. The qualifying session was stopped twice after separate accidents at Eau Rouge.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Time: 1:52.164. Position: 10th

Did you lose out because of the session being stopped?

'I was just about to start my flying lap when Villeneuve had his off and the red flag came out but I was on old tyres so it didn't affect me at all. I got the lap back anyway.'

You have been looking quick all weekend. Are you satisfied with 10th?

'After being in the top seven during yesterday and today's practice I had expected to start the race from the third row. However the car seems to be in good shape and I'm hoping for a good race tomorrow.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1:51.974. Position: seventh

You were a long way back until the very end. How did you find the time?

'I think it was a combination of the tyres I used for my last run helping the balance of the car and the fact that the pressure was on me to produce something special at the end. On my first three runs the car was not handling well at all particularly in the slower sections.'

You abandoned your third run - why?

'I had a bit of a moment when my foot slipped off the brake pedal onto the throttle and I went straight on at Malmedy. All in all it was a pretty eventful session. I'd like to be higher up but I'm satisfied given the way the weekend has been going for me so far.'

PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer

'There was a mild sense of relief with Rubens posting a good lap at the end and Johnny did well to stay in the top 10 but we have to admit that we thought our package would have enabled us to be higher placed. We will have to determine where we lost pace relative to our rivals.'

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

'We were hoping for better today following our good form at the Silverstone test session last week and Johnny's pace this morning. Still, we encountered no problems today, and we remain confident of a good performance tomorrow.'

Qualifying times from F1Today

Friday - Practice

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

Weather: Cloudy, sunny spells (ambient temperature 18 deg C, track temperature 21 deg C).

Johnny Herbert set the seventh fastest time in today's Free Practice for the Belgian Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello finished the day 11th.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

Time: 1:54.975. Position: 7th (26 laps)

You seem to be in good shape for qualifying tomorrow?

'I'm happy with the balance of the car and managed to put in a good time towards the end of the second session. We are still missing a bit of mechanical grip but I'm sure we can find that in time for qualifying. I must say I really like Spa and I'm confident that I can qualify in the top six.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1:55.484. Position: 11th (26 laps)

You appeared to be struggling a bit today - what was the reason?

'The car feels very strange at the moment. I was battling with instability at the rear and a lot of the set-up changes I made didn't work out. The car is good in the high speed corners but I'm losing time in the low speed corners through lack of traction. I'll be spending a lot of time with my engineer to find a better balance for tomorrow.'

PAUL STEWART, SGP Chief Operating Officer

'We struggled a little in the first session for pace but by making several set-up changes we were able to improve the balance. We also carried out some tyre evaluation to find a direction for tomorrow. It's nice to see Johnny reasonably well placed at this stage of the weekend. Rubens feels he has some work ahead of him to improve the balance of his car.'

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

'An uneventful day from an engine point of view where we experienced no problems. Both cars will be fitted with new engines overnight.'

Friday Free Practice - Accumulated Times from Atlas    

Pos  Driver        Team                 Time                  
 1.  Coulthard     McLaren Mercedes     1:53.577  220.862 kmph
 2.  Hakkinen      McLaren Mercedes     1:54.021  + 0.444     
 3.  Fisichella    Benetton Supertec    1:54.066  + 0.489     
 4.  Frentzen      Jordan Mugen-Honda   1:54.678  + 1.101     
 5.  Hill          Jordan Mugen-Honda   1:54.892  + 1.315     
 6.  R.Schumacher  Williams Supertec    1:54.899  + 1.322     
 7.  Herbert       Stewart Ford         1:54.975  + 1.398     
 8.  Salo          Ferrari              1:55.032  + 1.455     
 9.  Irvine        Ferrari              1:55.242  + 1.665     
10.  Alesi         Sauber Petronas      1:55.271  + 1.694     
11.  Barrichello   Stewart Ford         1:55.484  + 1.907     
12.  Wurz          Benetton Supertec    1:55.486  + 1.909     
13.  Panis         Prost Peugeot        1:55.541  + 1.964     
14.  Zanardi       Williams Supertec    1:55.743  + 2.166     
15.  Badoer        Minardi Ford         1:56.090  + 2.513     
16.  de la Rosa    Arrows TWR           1:56.263  + 2.686     
17.  Diniz         Sauber Petronas      1:56.310  + 2.733     
18.  Villeneuve    BAR Supertec         1:56.429  + 2.852     
19.  Takagi        Arrows TWR           1:56.749  + 3.172     
20.  Trulli        Prost Peugeot        1:56.765  + 3.188     
21.  Gene          Minardi Ford         1:56.855  + 3.278     
22.  Zonta         BAR Supertec         1:57.717  + 4.140     

Race Preview from Stewart-Ford

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

Spa Francorchamps, the scene of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, is one of the most challenging circuits on the FIA Formula One World Championship calendar.

Nestling in the Ardennes forest region, 30 miles south-east of Liege, Spa is known as much for it’s long, sweeping turns and the super-fast Eau Rouge kink as it is for its heavy rain.

A torrential downpour before the start of last year’s race made driving conditions hazardous and led to a multi-car pile-up on the first corner. Rubens Barrichello was among the 13 cars caught up in the incident. He sustained an arm injury and was unable to make the re-run of the race after the first attempt was abandoned.

Barrichello and Johnny Herbert finished second and third fastest respectively at the Stewart-Ford team’s Silverstone test last week. The team ran some revised suspension components and carried out set-up work in preparation for Spa.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05)

How difficult is it for a driver in wet conditions at Spa?

‘Spa, as we all know, is notorious for rain. Because of the hilly nature of the circuit in parts, the rain tends to ‘hang’ in the trees which can reduce lateral visibility. There is no real secret to driving in the wet at Spa you just have to use the white lines as your guide particularly when you are catching the spray from a car in front.’

Why is Spa such a favourite with drivers?

‘It is one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar because it presents such a challenge. You can nail the fast sections of the track and then throw it all away by missing your braking point at the Bus Stop. The layout has long sweeping corners, quick straights, tight turns and tricky kerbs. Every aspect of a driver’s expertise is tested at Spa.’

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

What is so special about Eau Rouge?

‘I first encountered Eau Rouge in my Lotus Euroseries days in 1990 and for me it’s one of the most exhilarating corners I have ever driven. Because Eau Rouge is no more than a kink, albeit a lightning fast one taken at about 165mph, you carry a lot of your speed at the entrance which is downhill and hold that through the exit which is uphill. The g-force, the compression on your body, is incredible.’

What memories do you have of last year’s race?

‘I was caught up in the mayhem at the first corner. I seemed to be hit from all directions and the car was completely wrecked. When I got out I could see someone’s nose cone embedded in the side of the chassis. The impact injured my left arm. I ran back to the garage but my arm was quite painful. The team decided that it was best that I didn’t take the re-run in the T-car. I hope to make amends this year.’

PAUL STEWART, SGP Chief Operating Officer

‘We found further improvement in the car’s handling characteristics at the Silverstone test last week. To finish the test second and third fastest over the three days was encouraging. There was improvement in stability in the faster corners which bodes well for Spa. Reliability will be the crucial factor as we aim to add to our World Championship points tally.’

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

‘The Stewart-Ford team completed three days of testing at Silverstone last week working on car set-up and engine development. We ran both Series 3 and Series 4 engines during the test. Spa has a number of quick corners and a very long drag up the hill to the Les Combes and a lengthy run towards the Bus Stop chicane. This layout puts a premium on engine performance and during the test both drivers made progress with driveability. Both cars will be running Series 4 engines for Friday's Free Practice.’

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Last updated 29th August 1999