Japanese Grand Prix 2000
Suzuka, 6th - 8th October

Race

Jaguar Racing Press Release, 8th October 2000: Johnny Herbert and Eddie Irvine finished in seventh and eighth places respectively in a Japanese Grand Prix which saw Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher crowned as World Champion. Eddie was running as high as fifth place in the early stages of the race after a rapid start from seventh place on the grid. Johnny held eighth position for most of the race from his starting position of [10th]. He finished one place higher at the end - once place away from a World Championship point.

Johnny's comments:

"I had a good start to the race but my first set of tyres were not quite right. The back end of the car felt very loose so it was difficult to be consistent around each lap. During the second stint, my car felt much better and I put in my best pace at that time. 

"It was good to get past Eddie after the second stop but I didn’t know he was so close until I saw the highlights! I was able to pull away from Eddie after that and was catching Villeneuve but didn't have the pace to get close enough. It's yet another seventh place for me but it was good to see the team up there with the best of the rest. 

"Well done to Michael and Ferrari - it’s been a long time coming!"

Eddie's comments:

"I made a great start and got past Button and Barrichello. My first stint was OK - the car behaved very well and I was able to maintain a good pace. My second stint was slow because the rear end was very loose. In the third stint the car didn't work as well on new tyres as I was hoping. 

"If we had been able to make the car handle as well as it did on Friday or in qualifying, we would have been in the points for sure. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and this goes down as another missed opportunity after a weekend when we really deserved to pick up points. As I’ve said before, when we put it all together we will be up there challenging on a regular basis. We’re building, but the foundations are not yet complete. 

"Well done to Michael and Ferrari, Italy will be the place to be tonight!"

Gary Anderson, Technical Director, Jaguar Racing:

"Johnny drove very well to come from [10th] to seventh. He pushed quite hard after his second stop and very nearly rewarded with a point. Eddie got by Rubens (Barrichello) and (Jensen) Button at the start. He was holding onto fifth place on merit but unfortunately we couldn’t find the pace in the car during the second and third stints to make it pay at the end.

"Congratulations to Michael. It's good for Formula One and good for Ferrari. They've worked hard and spent a lot of pennies. I'm pleased that our former driver Rubens has made a big contribution to the success."

Results from AtlasF1:

1. M Schumacher Ferrari 1hr 29:53.435 
2. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes + 1.837 
3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes + 1:09.914 
4. Barrichello Ferrari + 1:19.190 
5. Button Williams BMW + 1:25.694 
6. Villeneuve BAR Honda 1 Lap 
7. Herbert Jaguar Cosworth 1 Lap 
8. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth 1 Lap 
9. Zonta BAR Honda 1 Lap 
10. Salo Sauber Petronas 1 Lap 
11. Diniz Sauber Petronas 1 Lap 
12. de la Rosa Arrows Supertec 1 Lap 
13. Trulli Jordan Mugen-Honda 1 Lap 
14. Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1 Lap 
15. Mazzacane Minardi Fondmetal 2 Laps

Qualifying 

Jaguar Racing Press Release, 7th October 2000: Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert will start tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix from 7th and 10th positions on the grid respectively.

Johnny's comments:

"I wasn’t happy with the balance of my car this morning so we took the decision to go back a step on set up and it was much better straight away. We couldn't quite dial out all the understeer which is a shame as you need a flowing car here to carry the speed through the lap, especially through the esses. On my best lap I got stuck behind Jos (Verstappen) in the last section but nevertheless I’m happy to be in the top 10. It would have been nice to get an extra tenth to take me up to eighth but we're definitely in the ballpark."

Eddie's comments:

"I’m really pleased it all came together today. I don’t think I could have found any more time in the car. I was on the limit on my quickest lap to the point where the car was sliding around a bit. Maybe a perfect lap would have given me a couple of tenths but there’s no such thing as a perfect lap around here. We’ve now got to cash in tomorrow and end the weekend with a points finish. We’ve got through a lot of positive work over the last two days and we are due a reward for those efforts."

Gary Anderson, Technical Director, Jaguar Racing:

"Both drivers have worked hard at improving the car progressively so it's not surprising that we have got both cars in the top 10. We had a good test at Silverstone last week where we found about three tenths through aerodynamic developments, That has meant we arrived here confident of a good race. We have also stuck to the plan we had mapped out for Friday and today and a trouble-free run has enabled us to complete that programme in preparation for qualifying. As for the race, we're in the hunt for points which is how we want to end the season."

Times from AtlasF1:

1. M Schumacher Ferrari 1:35.825 220.302 km/h 
2. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1:35.834 + 0.009 
3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 1:36.236 + 0.411 
4. Barrichello Ferrari 1:36.330 + 0.505 
5. Button Williams BMW 1:36.628 + 0.803 
6. R Schumacher Williams BMW 1:36.788 + 0.963 
7. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth 1:36.899 + 1.074 
8. Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:37.243 + 1.418 
9. Villeneuve BAR Honda 1:37.267 + 1.442 
10. Herbert Jaguar Cosworth 1:37.329 + 1.504 
11. Wurz Benetton Playlife 1:37.348 + 1.523 
12. Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1:37.479 + 1.654 
13. de la Rosa Arrows Supertec 1:37.652 + 1.827 
14. Verstappen Arrows Supertec 1:37.674 + 1.849 
15. Trulli Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:37.679 + 1.854 
16. Heidfeld Prost Peugeot 1:38.141 + 2.316 
17. Alesi Prost Peugeot 1:38.209 + 2.384 
18. Zonta BAR Honda 1:38.269 + 2.444 
19. Salo Sauber Petronas 1:38.490 + 2.665 
20. Diniz Sauber Petronas 1:38.576 + 2.751 
21. Gene Minardi Fondmetal 1:39.972 + 4.147 
22. Mazzacane Minardi Fondmetal 1:40.462 + 4.637

Friday Practice 

Jaguar Racing Press Release, 6th October 2000: Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert finished in 11th and 18th positions respectively in today’s free practice sessions for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Johnny's comments:

"I didn’t have a very nice day today as the balance of the car was poor and it was developing a lot of rear-end instability which we never quite got on top of. We'll have a good look at the data tonight to try and improve it. It looks like a number of people ran new tyres at the end so from that point of view we should be taking aim at the top 10 tomorrow."

Eddie's comments:

"I expected that we would perform well here because the car is at its best in 'grippy' conditions. I also like the circuit and am familiar with its foibles. I was reasonably content with what we achieved today. The top 10 should be our starting point tomorrow. If we can improve the balance of the car further and find more traction in the slower sections, then we have a sensible chance of qualifying well."

Gary Anderson, Technical Director, Jaguar Racing:

"We have made a pretty good start to the weekend. As usual for a Friday we concentrated on race set-up, plugging away at improving the traction. The key to a good lap here is to make the car work effectively through the Esses - if you can have the car well balanced for the Esses and maintain a good line you can pick up a lot of time. We saved our tyres today so Eddie conceded a couple of positions towards the end of the second session. Johnny lost his way a little on set-up but feels there is plenty of time to come." 

Times from AtlasF1:

1. M Schumacher Ferrari 1:37.728 216.012 km/h 
2. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1:38.339 + 0.611 
3. Barrichello Ferrari 1:38.537 + 0.809 
4. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 1:39.010 + 1.282 
5. Button Williams BMW 1:39.111 + 1.383 
6. Trulli Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:39.261 + 1.533 
7. Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:39.529 + 1.801 
8. de la Rosa Arrows Supertec 1:39.547 + 1.819 
9. Villeneuve BAR Honda 1:39.669 + 1.941 
10. Zonta BAR Honda 1:39.887 + 2.159 
11. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth 1:40.014 + 2.286 
12. R Schumacher Williams BMW 1:40.166 + 2.438 
13. Diniz Sauber Petronas 1:40.328 + 2.600 
14. Heidfeld Prost Peugeot 1:40.403 + 2.675 
15. Salo Sauber Petronas 1:40.431 + 2.703 
16. Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1:40.520 + 2.792 
17. Verstappen Arrows Supertec 1:40.523 + 2.795 
18. Herbert Jaguar Cosworth 1:40.824 + 3.096 
19. Wurz Benetton Playlife 1:40.985 + 3.257 
20. Alesi Prost Peugeot 1:41.014 + 3.286 
21. Gene Minardi Fondmetal 1:41.670 + 3.942 
22. Mazzacane Minardi Fondmetal 1:45.238 + 7.510

Preview

Jaguar Racing Press Release, 29th September 2000: The penultimate round of the 2000 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Japan. The Championship battle is blazing at the top of the tables whilst the rest of the teams fight for the remaining points.

The Jaguar Racing team has been hard at work at Silverstone preparing for the race in Suzuka. Eddie Irvine was at the wheel of the sole R1 for the two-day test. The team is looking forward to heading off to Suzuka. Jaguar Racing’s Technical Director Gary Anderson explains...

"We’re reasonably happy with what we achieved at Silverstone. The weather wasn’t very good but we managed to do a lot of wet weather running, which is very useful in the run up to Japan. We concentrated mainly on running the Suzuka-spec tyres. Suzuka is a good circuit, a real driver’s track. Car set-up is critical as you need good balance through a whole range of corners but the driver can really make a difference there. Hopefully we’ll be able to stay focussed and get the best out of our package."

This will be Johnny Herbert’s 10th [and last] Japanese Grand Prix. He enjoys racing at Suzuka where his best placing was third in 1995...

"Suzuka is definitely one of my favourites. It’s always been a great circuit and is a big challenge. It’s demanding for the driver, the car and the whole team as set up is very difficult there. There are a good variety of slow and high speed turns, the best being 13OR which is a real bravery test! There is certainly no time for a rest during a lap of Suzuka. I hope we are more competitive than we Were in Indianapolis as I have always gone well in Japan."

Eddie Irvine also relishes his return to Japan...

"Naturally, I am looking forward to the Japanese Grand Prix. I think everyone knows it is my favourite race and that I consider Suzuka to be the most challenging track on the calendar. Suzuka is a special circuit for me. I have driven thousands of kilometres here in racing and testing and it was also the scene of my Formula 1 debut back in 1993. I have finished a Japanese Grand Prix in every points scoring position from sixth to second. Suzuka is a difficult track, not only to drive well, but also to set the car up for, as you need a lot of traction to power out of the slow corners and plenty of power for the fast straight sections. There are some really challenging corners, especially the 130R, a left kink which needs all your concentration if you are going to take it flat."

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Last updated 8th October 2000