Hungarian Grand Prix 2000
Hungaroring, 11th-13th August

Race

Jaguar Racing Press Release, 13th August:

Eddie Irvine finished a hot Hungarian Grand Prix in eighth position after a tough race that Saw him gain a place at the start and overtake Jenson Button a few laps into the race. Four laps behind Malt Gene’s lapped Minardi did nothing for his race for points. Johnny Herbert also made a good start, gaining two places, hut was again thwarted by a gearshift problem which eventually ended his race on lap 70 out of 77. There was drama for Johnny before the start of the race when it was thought that his race car had a water leak. He came back for the T-car but, after further checks were made, it was decided that he would stick with his race car. 

Johnny's comments: 

"Yet again I had gearshift problems which developed around lap eight and continued until the end. The spins I had with Villeneuve and Verstappen happened because when I went for the downshift it would slam into gear and snap the rear end around. It’s very difficult to drive at a consistent pace when you’re having shifting problems. Unfortunately it’s another non-finish which isn’t very enjoyable."

Eddie's comments: 

"It’s probably one of the best races I’ve ever driven without reward. I had a lot of fun out there. It was very entertaining, a good workout. We lost time for various reasons throughout the entire race. I had to pit early because we had a fuel pressure problem and then had to carry extra fuel for the remainder of the race as insurance. I got caught behind a Minardi at a crucial time in the race when I was dicing for seventh place. That cost me about 20 seconds and ultimately two places. I feel that we are getting there. If we package up a good qualifying session, a good start and a good race, there is no question we can challenge for points."

Gary Anderson, Technical Director, Jaguar Racing: 

"Eddie made a good start and Was able to set a good pace on his first Set of tyres which gained him a couple of places. But in the end, a Minardi hogging the road for four laps Cost him any chance of a points’ finish. We don’t understand why the blue flags were not waved because it Was plain for all to see. He had a fuel pressure problem just before his first pit stop which meant we had to bring him earlier than scheduled and he lost speed because we had to run with more fuel than he needed, It Was always a struggle for Johnny from where he started but eventually his race ended with a gearbox problem.

Race results:

1. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1h45:33.869 
2. M Schumacher Ferrari + 7.900 
3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes + 8.400 
4. Barrichello Ferrari + 44.100 
5. R Schumacher Williams BMW + 50.400 
6. Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda + 1:18.000 
7. Trulli Jordan Mugen-Honda + 1 Lap 
8. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth + 1 Lap 
9. Button Williams BMW + 1 Lap 
10. Salo Sauber Petronas + 1 Lap 
11. Wurz Benetton Playlife + 1 Lap 
12. Villeneuve BAR Honda + 2 Laps 
13. Verstappen Arrows Supertec + 2 Laps 
14. Zonta BAR Honda + 2 Laps 
15. Gene Minardi Fondmetal + 3 Laps 
16. de la Rosa Arrows Supertec + 4 Laps

Johnny went out on lap 70 after suffering from gearbox problems which caused him to spin twice. 

Qualifying

Jaguar Racing Press Release, 12th August 2000: After a hot qualifying session at the Hungaroring this afternoon, Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert will start tomorrow’s Hungarian Grand Prix from 10th and 17th places on the grid respectively.

Johnny's comments: 

"I always really enjoy driving here but this weekend has been difficult as for some reason we’ve had the most understeer we’ve had all year. It’s very confusing and it’s going to make driving a 77-lap race tomorrow very difficult. From that far back on the grid it is going to be tough in the race. There is little chance for overtaking because the track is so tight and twisty. All I can hope is to make a good start and capitalise should incidents dominate the race."

Eddie's comments: 

"I think we did all we could today. We were out at the right time. I was out on a quick lap at the same time as Michael’s best time so, if that’s a yardstick in terms of running when the track was at its best, we were on the mark. I improved from my time this morning but a few tenths extra would have put us in better shape for what is going to be a very tight scrap for a single point In the race tomorrow"

Gary Anderson, Technical Director, Jaguar Racing: 

"We inherited some understeer during the session which we are a bit mystified about. Eddie put in a reasonably quick first flying lap when the track conditions were favourable but was unable to improve in his subsequent runs. Johnny was struggling with understeer which we could not get on top of. We made a lot of set-up changes on both cars during the session but nothing we tried seemed to help the situation. As for the race, we have an outside chance of a points finish from tenth position. It will all come down to pit-stop strategy and keeping free of trouble."

Qualifying times: 

1. M Schumacher Ferrari 1:17.514 184.612 km/h 
2. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 1:17.886 + 0.372 
3. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1:17.922 + 0.408 
4. R Schumacher Williams BMW 1:18.321 + 0.807 
5. Barrichello Ferrari 1:18.330 + 0.816 
6. Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:18.523 + 1.009 
7. Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1:18.607 + 1.093 
8. Button Williams BMW 1:18.699 + 1.185 
9. Salo Sauber Petronas 1:18.748 + 1.234 
10. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth 1:19.008 + 1.494 
11. Wurz Benetton Playlife 1:19.259 + 1.745 
12. Trulli Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:19.266 + 1.752 
13. Diniz Sauber Petronas 1:19.451 + 1.937 
14. Alesi Prost Peugeot 1:19.626 + 2.112 
15. de la Rosa Arrows Supertec 1:19.897 + 2.383 
16. Villeneuve BAR Honda 1:19.937 + 2.423 
17. Herbert Jaguar Cosworth 1:19.956 + 2.442 
18. Zonta BAR Honda 1:20.272 + 2.758 
19. Heidfeld Prost Peugeot 1:20.481 + 2.967 
20. Verstappen Arrows Supertec 1:20.609 + 3.095 
21. Gene Minardi Fondmetal 1:20.654 + 3.140 
22. Mazzacane Minardi Fondmetal 1:20.905 + 3.391

Friday practice

Jaguar Racing Press Release, 7th August 2000: Eddie Irvine finished 10th fastest and team-mate Johnny Herbert 20th at the end of the two flour-long Free Practice sessions in preparation for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Johnny's comments: 

"An uneventful day really. I was hampered by the car understeering which is usual at this track but unfortunately didn’t make as much progress as we would have liked. We’ve got to be more competitive than we have been today as a good grid position is so important here. We’ve got a lot of work to do tonight but I’m confident we’ll come up with something for tomorrow."

Eddie's comments: 

"The car feels reasonably good round here, much like we expected it would, given it works well in high downforce trim. The set-up changes we made improved the balance which is the key to a good qualifying lap on a twisty circuit such as this. I'm confident we can take aim at the top six for qualifying but it’s going to be very tight among the mid-grid runners. Qualifying is so important at Hungaroring much the same as Monaco, because the race can be very processional with little chance of overtaking."

Gary Anderson, Technical Director, Jaguar Racing: 

"During the first session, like most people, we completed an installation lap and then sat back and waited for the 'roadsweepers’ to do their work. Because the track is so rarely used it takes a while for the dust to be wiped away and for the grip level to build up so you don’t learn a lot running while the track is ‘green’. 

"We got through quite a bit of work on set-up and achieved a pretty good balance. We proved in Monaco that the car is effective in high downforce aerodynamic configuration so we’re optimistic about a good qualifying spot tomorrow." 

Combined practice times:

1. David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes - 1:18.792
2. Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes - 1:18.943
3. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari - 1:19.138
4. Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari - 1:19.896
5. Jarno Trulli, Jordan-Mugen Honda - 1:20.104
6. Giancarlo Fisichella, Benetton-Playlife - 1:20.304
7. Ralf Schumacher, Williams-BMW - 1:20.307
8. Jenson Button, Williams-BMW - 1:20.343
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jordan-Mugen Honda - 1:20.443
10. Eddie Irvine, Jaguar - 1:20.713
11. Nick Heidfeld, Prost-Peugeot - 1:20.803
12. Mika Salo, Sauber-Petronas - 1:20.872
13. Jean Alesi, Prost-Peugeot - 1:20.878
14. Jacques Villeneuve, BAR-Honda - 1:21.243
15. Pedro Diniz, Sauber-Petronas - 1:21.323
16. Alexander Wurz, Benetton-Playlife - 1:21.381
17. Pedro de la Rosa, Arrows-Supertec - 1:21.400
18. Jos Verstappen, Arrows—Supertec - 1:21.803
19. Marc Gene, Minardi-Fondmetal - 1:21.972
20. Johnny Herbert, Jaguar - 1:22.015
21. Ricardo Zonta, BAR-Honda - 1:22.169
22. Gaston Mazzacane, Minardi-Fondmetal - 1:23.774

Race preview

Jaguar Racing Press Release, 7th August 2000: Round 12 of the 2000 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at the Hungaroring, a high downforce track near Budapest, Hungary. The Championship is hotting up as, for the first time in years, four drivers are all in With a chance of grabbing the 2001 crown.

The Jaguar Racing team had a tough race at Hockenheim and is hoping for better fortunes at the Hungaroring. The Jaguar R1 is more suited to the high downforce tracks so the team is confident of a better result and has been working hard at a three-day test in Valencia, Spain. The test concentrated on work on the brakes which are crucially important on the twisty Hungarian track, along with aerodynamic and suspension work. Neil Ressler, Jaguar Racing Chairman and CEO, continues...

"Earlier this year, the R1 has been more competitive in high downforce trim and, as the Hungaroring is a high downforce track, we would expect to fare better there. We're working hard for improvements, looking forward to running the Cosworth project 2 engine again this weekend and have high hopes for Hungary."

Johnny Herbert is also looking forward to returning to Hungary...

"I like the Hungaroring. It's a challenging track and is one of those that is very dirty when we start running on Friday but improves as you creep towards qualifying so you are always having to adjust the car to suit the track. It's a very tough track as well because it is normally very hot there and you have to work hard to get through all those corners. It's a bit like Monaco in that there is no time to rest during a lap. I have good memories of Hungary, the best being from 1997 when I finished third in the Sauber, ahead of Michael and Eddie in the Ferraris. Definitely one of my best races!"

Eddie Irvine got more than his fair share of bad luck in Germany so is happy to put that race behind him and move on to the next round in Hungary...

"I must say I really enjoy driving at the Hungaroring. It's one of my favourite tracks of the season as it reminds me of barrelling round a kart track. The constant changes of direction keep you on your toes and you can get into a good flowing rhythm especially around the back section of the track. Overtaking isn’t exactly easy, so you have to keep your concentration and not get frustrated and just try and pick the right moment to get by. Obviously, a good qualifying position is vital here. Hopefully the fact that it is a high downforce circuit should suit the R1. Last year I missed out on pole by a whisker. I'd like to think I can get somewhere near the front again this time around."

Every effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but
no responsibility is accepted for this information
 Jaguar-Racing material used by kind permission
Last updated 13th August 2000