F1 - 2001 Season
Special Details
 Pre-Season
 Do you know that
 each driver can use up to 12 laps to set his qualifying time?
each driver can use up to 40 tyres during a race weekend?
Minardi's Fernando Alonso starts this Season beating Jenson Button at least on one point: Alonso is the 3rd youngest driver in F1 history (after New Zealand's Mike Thackwell and Mexican Ricardo Rodriguez).
Brazilian Minardi's Tarso Marques was the 5th youngest driver in Grand Prix history when he first drove for Minardi in 1997.
Sauber's Kimi Raikkonen starts up as the most inexperienced driver ever to race in Formula One: just 23 car races in a single-seater, and no previous F-3 or F-3000 experience.
On the Australian starting grid, we'll see:
6 teams that are yet to win a GP (Arrows, Minardi, Sauber, BAR, Prost (9 wins as Ligier) and Jaguar (1 win as Stewart).
8 drivers that are yet to score a point (Montoya, Burti, Bernoldi, Alonso, Marques, Heidfeld, Raikkonen, and Mazzacane).
Since 1999:
Minardi and Prost have not scored any point (in fact, in the last 5 years, Minardi managed one single point).
Ferrari and McLaren have won every GP (since Sept'99, when Stewart won the Nürburgring GP)
Arrows holds a record of 354 GP's without a victory.
Fisichella and Verstappen are the most experienced drivers starting the 2001 without a F1 victory: 74 races each. Will they manage to win a GP this year?... [ See entry on Fisichella as the Spanish track record holder ]
M.Schumacher (3 times World Champion) and Hakkinen (twice World Champion) start the 2001 Season with 144 and 145 GP's (respectively) under their belts, since their debuts in 1991.
M.Schumacher has the edge in GP wins, however: while he has won 44 races, Hakkinen has won 18 races.
Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna were all multiple champions, totalling no less than eight F1 world titles between them.
Counting all their grand prix victories, and the single wins of Rubens Barrichello and the late Carlos Pace (Moco), Brazil totals 80 grand prix wins, standing second only to Great Britain in the all-time winners table.
This Sunday, in Australia, the McLaren-Mercedez partnership will celebrate 100 GP's.
Last year's fastest lap in the Australian GP: 1'31"481 - Barrichello.
Lap record for the Australian GP: 1'30"585 - Frentzen - 1997.
In the last 11 years, the winner of the Australian GP has 9 times gone on to win the world championship (exceptions: Coulthard and Irvine). Will 2001 follow the trend?...
Finally, here's the number 1 F1 cliché, which every F1 driver nowadays seems to have to include in just about every interview he gives: "to be honest"! We'll probably be hearing these words more times than there are laps to cover on the race tracks this year, as well.
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Australia
At qualifying, while M.Schumacher pulverized the 1'27 barrier to lap the track in 1'26"892, Tarso Marques (who had his first lap in a Minardi during the Friday practice--in fact his first lap in a F1 car since 1997) did not manage a time within 107% of the pole sitter, to qualify for the race. Quite exceptionally, he was allowed to race on Sunday, however.
Burti (Jaguar) shared the last row on the grid (21th place) with Marques (22th), as a result of a heavy crash that pitched his Jaguar into the wall and red-flagged the qualifying session for twelve minutes: his Jaguar apparently suffered another rear suspension failure (the scene resembled that of Herbert's crash in last year's closing race--Malaysia). Fortunately, Burti was unhurt in the accident.
After the race, a Jaguar spokesperson confirmed that a suspension failure had caused Luciano Burti's crash during qualifying. Jaguar says they have now identified and rectified the cause of this problem. [ See further reports on Burti, regarding both the Australian and the Malaysian races ]
This was Schumacher's 33rd pole in F1, though his first in Australia--in 11 attempts.
With this pole, 3"664 quicker than last year's (Hakkinen's), Schumacher has equaled Jim Clark and Alain Prost in number of poles, and is only behind Ayrton Senna's amazing record of 65 poles.
Last year's victory was Schumacher's first in Australia.
The Australian grid had an all-red front row: Barrichello started right beside M.Schumacher.
The McLarens did not manage better than 3rd (Hakkinen) + 6th (Coulthard) on the grid.
The Jordans are back in business: 4th (Frentzen) + 7th (Trulli) on the grid.
R.Schumacher (5th) was the only Michelin runner to make the top ten on the grid--the next best placing was Montoya's 11th, on the other Williams-BMW.
In the BAR team, Villeneuve (8th) had a hard time outqualifying Panis (9th), which he just managed near the closing of the session.
The Benettons struggled for a disappointing 16th (Button) + 17th (Fisichella) on the grid.
The four German drivers currently in F1 made the top 10: M.Schumacher 1st, Frentzen 4th, R.Schumacher 5th, and Heidfeld 10th--his best qualifying in F1.
The rookies did not disappoint in the qualifying session: Raikkonen (Sauber) 13th, Bernoldi (Arrows) 18th, and Alonso (Minardi) 19th--a real feat, considering that the Minardis barely managed to get built in time for this GP. Bernoldi might have made a little higher up, were not for technical problems that stole track time away from him.
(Neither Montoya nor Marques are included above: both have raced in the Champ Car Series, and are therefore more experienced than the drivers just mentioned.)
Irvine (Jaguar) managed to start 12th, Alesi (Prost) 14th--though Mazzacane on the other Prost managed no better than 20th--and Verstappen (Arrows) 15th.
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The race, itself, ended in a sad and tragic tone: sidetrack marshal Graham Beveridge, 53, from Queensland State, lost his life (wounded in the chest by a wheel that had flown loose) and seven spectators suffered what was described as minor injuries. They were all hit by debris from Villeneuve's car, which had just crashed into the back of R.Schumacher's Williams and gone airborne, as a result.
The pace car was out for some ten laps, while the injured marshal was given emergency medical assistance. He was taken to the hospital but unfortunately did not survive his injuries.
This was the second time in less than one year that there is a fatal casualty at a Formula One race: Italian marshal Paolo Gislimberti lost his life in last year's Monza GP, likewise hit by flying debris.
There had been no fatalities in Formula One racing since the deaths of Austrian F1 driver Roland Ratzenberger (30 Apr.1994) and of Brazilian F1 triple world champion Ayrton Senna (1 May 1994), in Imola (a sad weekend which also witnessed Brazilian Rubens Barrichello survive a horrific crash that left him with a problem in his rib cage, only surgically corrected last year). [ See Alboreto's Profile | Alboreto and trial following Senna's death | the Spanish Grand Prix ]
Formula 1 has cost the lives of 27 drivers, 31 spectators and 4 marshals (2 in the last 5 races), since its inception in 1950. The 1961 Italian Grand Prix, which took place at Monza, on September 10, witnessed the tragedy possibly of largest magnitude among these, as Wolfgang Von Trips lost control of his Ferrari, while trying to protect his lead from Jim Clark. This horrific accident, by the way, appeared in the film "Grand Prix." [ See entry on Alboreto | alboreto_f1.html#alboretovon" target="new">Enzo Ferrari on Von Trips and Alboreto ]
This was M.Schumacher's 45th F1 victory, and his 5th consecutive win, all 5 from pole position--M.Schumacher won the 4 last races of the 2000 Season.
While M.Schumacher won also last year's Australian GP (a double-win for Ferrari--Barrichello taking 2nd place), this is the 3rd year in a row that Hakkinen failed to finish in the Season-opening race.
The much discussed inexperienced Kimi Raikkonen (Sauber), whose admission to F1-racing Villeneuve had declared "ridiculous", proved that he was anything but inexperienced and must have silenced those who opposed his being granted a super licence: he has already scored his first point today.
Raikkonen had brought his Sauber home in 7th place, being reassigned 6th place after the race [see below].
Ironically, no one other than the experienced Villeneuve was unfortunate to clip the back of R.Schumacher's Williams, during an overtaking attempt that resulted in the tragic accident that saddened this racing event.
Today's maneuver brings to mind another of Villeneuve's, this one in last year's Canadian GP, when he coincidentally crashed against the same R.Schumacher.
One is left wondering what comments Villeneuve might have made, had it instead been Raikkonen--or Michael Schumacher, whom Villeneuve often criticizes--the unfortunate driver to clip the back of R.Schumacher's car in the Australian race...
Another young rookie was Michelin's top man today: Luciano Burti (Jaguar), who finished an honorable 8th, having started from the back row of the grid (21st place).
Though the tragedy witnessed on track would call for utmost sobriety and tact, three-time world Formula One champion Niki Lauda (presently chief adviser with Jaguar) was reportedly quoted by the SID German news agency: "You can never totally control the human factor. An investigation must determine what Jacques Villeneuve did wrong." [ See statement attributed to Lauda after the Brazil GP ]
Frentzen (Jordan), who had already touched wheels with Coulthard (McLaren) before the first corner, locked the door when Barrichello (Ferrari) moved to overtake him, and went into a spin--Barrichello's Ferrari touched the rear-right side of his Jordan, as Frentzen suddenly swerved to the right to close the door.
Frentzen was later quoted claiming that "Barrichello hit me from behind whilst trying to overtake me," apparently failing to mention that the two cars touched as a result also of Frentzen's suddenly closing the door on Barrichello's bold move and squeezing the Ferrari toward the grass.
On his web site, Frentzen provides the following account of this racing incident (italics added): "Schumacher and Hakkinen were edging away in front and I was more worried about keeping Barrichello behind me after he had moved ahead of Ralf on lap 2. I saw him chasing hard for the rest of the lap and going into turn one on lap 3 he tried a move down the inside. I didn't even know he was there when I turned into the corner. I felt a bump in the rear and the car went around on me. I bounced across the gravel trap and was lucky to keep it all going and stay in the race - by this time back in 16th place without any apparent damage."
Being more worried about keeping Barrichello behind him, and seeing Barrichello chasing hard for the rest of the lap, as stated above, how are we to construe that Frentzen didn't even know Barrichello was there when he, Frentzen, turned into the corner?... [ Check on an analogous incident, in Spain, involving Frentzen and de la Rosa, just Frentzen on the reverse role, this time ]
The videotape is there, though, to describe more accurately than any account.
Frentzen managed to recover and cross the line in 6th place, being promoted to 5th after the race [see below].
Heidfeld's 4 points scored today were his first F1 world championship points ever.
Shortly after the race, Sauber filed a formal complaint against both BAR's Olivier Panis and Arrows' Jos Verstappen, claiming that these drivers illegally overtook Nick Heidfeld while the race was under yellow flags--after Bernoldi Kiesa's accident on lap 2. The protest was upheld by the race officials.
Panis, who had finished 3rd was deprived of his 3 points, as a result of Sauber's protest: he dropped to 7th place, with the addition of 25 seconds to his race time (25 seconds is a rough equivalent to the time a pilot loses in a 10-second stop-go penalty).
Heidfeld, who crossed the line in 5th place, was then assigned 3 points for 4th place, Frentzen 2 (instead of the single point he would have gotten for crossing the line in 6th place), and young Raikkonen could this way repeat Pedro de la Rosa's (1999) impressive feat of finishing his F1 debut race in the points. More impressively, in Raikkonen's case, is that this is his 24th race in a single-seater.
[ back to the entry on Raikkonen | on Frentzen, above ] [ Check a similar issue involving the BAR and Sauber Teams, after the Austrian GP. ]
After these changes to the original result of the race, Sauber now has 4 points--an impressive result: in a single race they got 2/3rds of their total tally of world championship points last year.
Arrows' Jos Verstappen was given the same 25" penalty as Panis, after a similar infringement with Heidfeld.
As a result, Verstappen (who had crossed the line in 9th place) dropped one place down to 10th.
Though not scoring points, the Prost team also benefitted from Sauber's protest: Jean Alesi, who had crossed the line behind Verstappen, in 10th place, was thus moved up to 9th.
Jenson Button (Benetton) was given a 10-second stop-go penalty because team mechanics were late leaving the grid before the formation lap.
As Sauber is powered by 2000 Ferrari motors, as an engine manufacturer, Ferrari can boast 18 points in a single race.
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Malaysia
For the second consecutive time this Season, there is an all-red front row.
Michael Schumacher lapped at 1.35.220 to guarantee his place in the history books alongside Alberto Ascari, with his sixth consecutive pole positions.
This is M.Schumacherh's third consecutive pole from three attempts, in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Bernoldi Kiesa was forced to start the race from the back of the grid because his car failed to comply with the technical regulations.
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David Coulthard made an excellent start, moving up to 4th, while Mika Hakkinen dropped back to 8th.
Rubens Barrichello was slow starting and saw himself challenged in a bold move by Ralf Schumacher, who later came to regret the move after contact with the Brazilian, which resulted in R.Schumacher's spinning.
This is the second race in a row that Barrichello has had a collision with a driver shortly after the start. The two drivers involved were later quoted in reference to this incident:
R.Schumacher: "I thought I had closed the door on him and it was good enough for me to come out in front but he obviously didn't think so. The collision with Barrichello at the first corner is hard to understand, because usually the car that is in the front has the priority on the corner."
Barrichello: "I had no vision on my left hand side. Ralf Schumacher braked very late and came round the outside. When you fight for a corner you must give the other driver some room, but he did not and we touched." [ Check on akin rear-end incidents involving Williams' cars this Season & news on the Williams' brake system, which the Team has not cast suitable light on: Montoya in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Brazilian GP | Williams' brake system and related unconfirmed off-season news | R.Schumacher in the Spanish GP - (these related entries are all interlinked, so you'll be able to return here) ]
Both Ferraris lost their 1-2 lead on lap 2, as they went off the track, one right after the other, skidding on a combination of spitting rain and oil spilled from Olivier Panis's BAR, which had just gone in flames.
The two Ferraris went into the pits for intermediate tyres nearly simultaneously, as the rain fell more heavily, and ended up queued one behind the other for well over a minute, finally emerging 10th (Barrichello) and 11th (M.Schumacher).
Later on Ross Brawn shared that he had been responsible for the mix-up.
Ferrari is the only team that has won the Malaysian GP, since this race was included in the F1 calendar.
The Scuderia can still boast further regarding the Malaysian Grand Prix: Ferrari has always had their two drivers on the podium.
This was Ferrari's first one-two finish since last year's American Grand Prix.
M.Schumacher won the race in his spare car.
Had Barrichello remembered his overtaking maneuver on M.Schumacher in the 2000 Spanish GP (May 7), would the Brazilian driver have failed to celebrate the Ferrari one-two with M.Schumacher and looked glum on the Malaysian podium this year?...
After the race, Barrichello was reported as being "a bit sad" for M.Schumacher's overtaking move on him (shortly after they were both out of the pits on intermediate tyres). Barrichello was additionally reported to have commented that a team-mate should keep composed and wait for the better placed team-mate to make his move.
Wouldn't the rule of thumb for good team-mates likewise include that they manage eventual differences out of the press' eyes and ears?
In the 2000 Spanish GP, Barrichello made a move on M.Schumacher, leaping from 5th to 3rd place, right when his German team-mate was fighting his own brother for 3rd position. Barrichello took clever advantage of this dispute in order to overtake both Schumacher brothers at once. (This seems hardly different from M.Schumacher's taking advantage of Barrichello's loss of momentum as the Brazilian intended to overtake Trulli in this year's Malaysian GP.)
As a result of his move in Spain, last year, Barrichello finished the race 3rd, and M.Schumacher 5th.
M.Schumacher elegantly made no comment about Barrichello's overtaking move--at least not publicly--even though this move cost M.Schumacher not only one (or two) places at the final flag but also a wrangling with his brother.
In the post-race conference, Barrichello commented that "Michael is a hell of a driver but I wish I could have a little bit of his luck as well...I think when he went off he didn't collect as many stones as I did so I had to stop once more to clean everything."
Certainly luck plays its role (New Zealander Chris Amon, for one, was famous for the mismatch between his great driving skills and poor luck).
A champion of course counts on a more complex combination of factors, which includes as well a special spark, or attitude--whatever name can best describe this extraordinary endowment.
Barrichello could benefit from his partnership with Schumacher to invest on this aspect of his career, glints of which have surfaced now and then, and more especially in his sensational maiden victory in last year's German Grand Prix (Hockenheim)--a race which Barrichello had started from the back of the grid. Senna, whom Barrichello's heart holds fondly, could also be a wonderful source of inspiration regarding this special spark.
Regarding M.Schumacher's winning streak [see below], Brown was quoted in Malaysia: "Michael is certainly in very good form at the moment and really looks capable of anything. But Rubens is pushing him and if someone is to end his run of wins it would be very nice if he [Rubens] did it."
Surely it is at the wheel where Barrichello can gain due recognition and respect. Could it be done at the microphones, Eddie Irvine, for one, would have been champion many times...
Incidentally, Irvine was quoted in Malaysia: "When I was with Ferrari in 1999, I won in Australia because Michael retired, at Spielberg (Austria) and Hockenheim (Germany) because his leg was in plaster and finally in Malaysia because he let me win. I doubt very much that I could have won anything in 1999 if Schumacher had been there fighting for the
title. When Barrichello won at Hockenheim last year, the German went off at the first corner. That just goes to prove that when he's in the race, no team-mate can beat him."
Would Irvine have included these same comments when he negotiated his contract with the Jaguar Team?...
After the Malaysian GP, Rahal revealed that the Jaguar team had loaded far more fuel on Burti's car than he needed during the race, thus definitely putting him at a disadvantage in Malaysia.
In Luciano Burti's words: "We did have technical problems in Malaysia and Australia. Even Bobby said we struggled a lot with the brakes in Australia on Friday, Saturday and in the warm up. We just sorted that out for the race. In Malaysia I had an engine that was not good for qualifying, and in the race when I pitted we put 20 kilos too much fuel in the car. So I had a difficult time with that."
In Australia, it was only on race day that Burti's car was fitted with the same type of brakes that Irvine had enjoyed since the practice and qualifying sections. Difficulties with the brakes ended up costing Burti a spin off the track in one of the practice sections. Burti gracefully referred to this brake situation as problems that were just sorted out for the race.
The following race (Malaysia), Burti endures a similar situation, just this time involving his engine.
On the Australian weekend, Burti's car furthermore suffered a suspension failure that slammed him into the tyre wall [see above]. Following this incident, he was not only denied by Jaguar the spare car for attempting a good qualifying placement, but also had to live with being labeled accident prone by some news media that were obviously not aware of what had been going on in Burti's car.
All an unfortunate sequence of mistakes?...
Certainly a strong dose for a young rookie, who nevertheless has bravely managed times pretty close to the team's first driver. [More on Jaguar and Burti, in the section for the Spanish Grand Prix]
If M.Schumacher wins in Brazil, he will have cleared past the triple champions' elite represented by Jack Brabham, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.
M.Schumacher will also be closer to Alain Prost's record of 51 victories. (M.Schumacher has already passed the Frenchman's total of 41 fastest race laps at the recent Australian Grand Prix.) [ Back to Brown's quote, above ]
By the way, Prost is a winner of four titles, Juan-Manuel Fangio standing alone with five titles between 1951 and 1957.
It is of course impossible to know how many more titles, pole positions and fastest laps Ayrton Senna would have conquered had he not been killed in Imola, midway through his career.
At any rate, comparison will never do any of these great drivers enough justice. Each should be remembered on his own and valued by his great skills and conquests.
It has come out in the Brazilian press that, for this coming Brazilian Grand Prix, the native musician João Parahyba has composed a special piece to be played at the podium cerimony. João Parahyba is reported as saying that this piece includes all the instruments that characterize a Samba School (large groups that parade and compete at Carnaval time), and that these musical instruments were reprocessed to sound as a "Technosamba School".
Parahyba is further reported as explaining that the idea does not presuppose the nationality of the race winner, but the country that is organizing the Grand Prix.
A final comment was added, though, that if Barrichello could win the race, and do the "samba dance" with which he has at times celebrated his podium finishes, of course this would make Parahyba's musical contribution all the more special.
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Brazil
Michael and Ralf Schumacher start on the front row.
This is the first time that two brothers have filled the front row on the grid, and the first time for R.Schumacher on the front row.
The last time Williams had a car on the front row was on the Italian Grand Prix in 1998.
Michael Schumacher's 7th pole leaves him one short of the record eight in a row achieved by the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna in 1988-89.
Seven straight wins from seven poles has never been done in the history of F1, a record that Schumacher has the chance to claim this record this Sunday.
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David Coulthard won a race filled with incidents and controversies.
Brazil's was David Coulthard's 110th Grand Prix.
It was the 20th Grand Prix for Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld and Gaston Mazzacane, as well as BMW-powered Williams.
Since 1993, the winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix has gone on to win the world championship. Will the tradition hold this year, as well?
Hakkinen failed to start, his car stalling on the grid.
Montoya made a sensational move as he overtook M.Schumacher, and went on to lead the race comfortably for many laps, until the Colombian driver was surprisingly knocked out of the race by Verstappen, who had just made way for the Colombian to drive past.
The Dutch driver, who claimed that Montoya braked earlier than expected for the corner where the collision occurred, was later fined US$15000 by the Stewards for this accident.
It is interesting to note that, in all three races of this Season, the Williams cars have encountered a similar fate four times, each time the crashing driver commenting that the Williams car ahead had braked unexpectedly early for the turn: R.Schumacher rammed by Villeneuve in Australia and by Barrichello in both Malaysia and Brazil, and Montoya rammed by Verstappen in Brazil.
Mere coincidental?
Eoin Young, who has a column at Planet-F1, has commented on these series of similar crashes staged against the back of a Williams car: "In each case the Williams was hit from behind in an accident that didn't seem to make any sense. Does the Williams-BMW perhaps have unusual under-car aerodynamics that destabilises the car in its immediate slipstream?
I ran it past Chris Amon. In terms of sucking people up? No I don't think so--but it could be something about how quickly the Williams is going away from the car behind that they don't think he's going to brake that suddenly." [ Check on akin rear-end incidents involving Williams' cars this Season & news on the Williams' brake system, which the Team has not cast suitable light on: Montoya in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Malaysian GP | Williams' brake system and related unconfirmed off-season news | R.Schumacher in the Spanish GP - (these related entries are all interlinked, so you'll be able to return here) ] - [ Read Eoin Young's entire article ]
Regarding Montoya's sensational overtaking manoeuver, M.Schumacher was later quoted as saying that "Montoya doesn't have any respect for other drivers, which I didn't have either when I started. And that is right."
Would M.Schumacher hold the same viewpoint regarding his own team-mate, just as well?
Contrary to his hopes, and the hopes of the Brazilian fans, Barrichello failed to win his home Grand Prix.
More unfortunately yet, Barrichello was soon out of the race, following a crash with R.Schumacher.
In all three races this Season Rubens Barrichello has been involved in a corner incident that results in another car spinning off the track. Just this time he also spun out of the race, R.Schumacher having slightly better luck, as he managed to return and score the fastest lap.
Oddly enough, Verstappen's crash onto the back of Montoya's Williams took place on the same spot--though a more violent smash-up which made the Dutchman's Arrows shortly lift off the track, luckily to land on its wheels on the gravel trap.
After the race, differently from Verstappen's fate [see above], Barrichello and R.Schumacher were admonished by the Stewards to watch out for their driving conduct in the coming races. [ Check on akin rear-end incidents involving Williams' cars this Season & news on the Williams' brake system, which the Team has not cast suitable light on: Montoya in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Malaysian GP | Williams' brake system and related unconfirmed off-season news | R.Schumacher in the Spanish GP - (these related entries are all interlinked, so you'll be able to return here) ]
The fine imposed on Verstappen generated some controversy, in addition of course to the Dutchman's claiming it unfair that Villeneuve (who had a more violent crash onto the rear of R.Schumacher's Williams) had not been imposed a similar sanction in Australia, nor was Barrichello in Brazil (whose crash was the least violent of the three in question--his car being the only one not to lift off upon contact). The Dutchman also made reference, in contrast, to the penalty readily given Zonta last year, for a fairly light crash, as compared to those merely called racing incidents this year.
Eddie Irvine, known to lip his mind off with ease, has reportedly declared that he finds it annoying that Ricardo Zonta was handed a stop-go penalty last year for contacting Michael Schumacher (who had allegedly braked early into the first corner), whereas Barrichello has done the same more than once, but no punitive action was taken.
Irvine was cited as complaining further: "When it happens to Michael, something gets done. When it happens to me, or anyone else, nothing gets done" (this is possibly an allusion to Montoya's pushing Irvine off the track shortly after the start in Australia).
Irvine is reported to have ended these series of remarks by stating that "if Ferrari are so much better than everyone else, as their race times seem to indicate, then why can't they be treated to the same rules as the remainder of the field?" [ Check on Zonta's accident with M.Schumacher, last year ]
Three-time world Formula One champion Niki Lauda (presently chief adviser with Jaguar) has reportedly declared that Barrichello should be penalized with a race ban.
The above statement and that attributed to Lauda regarding Villeneuve [see Australian GP] after the opening race...have they been accurately reported? or accurately attributed? Within the Jaguar context, one would imagine Eddie Irvine a more plausible source of statements on issues beyond one's own concern, than the F1 legend that Lauda came to be. [ More above on the incidents involving Verstappen and Montoya | Barrichello and R.Schumacher ]
As remarked by Eoin Young [see above], the Williams cars' similar fate for four times in these first three races, gives room for wondering whether there could be a common cause underlying these accidents, none of which "seem to make any sense."
Each time the crashing driver has alluded to the Williams car ahead braking unexpectedly early for the turn. Mere excuses? Or indeed descriptions of an identical situation preceding each accident?
In addition to Eoin Young's conjectures [see above], there has been speculation regarding the Williams' cars brakes (see the next main entries).
[ Check further on akin rear-end incidents involving Williams' cars this Season & related comments: Williams' misfortunes in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Malaysian GP | related unconfirmed off-season news on the Williams' brakes | R.Schumacher in the Spanish GP - (these related entries are all interlinked, so you'll be able to return here) ]
Williams' chief designer, Geoff Willis, has reportedly brushed off rumours that their team has an unusually effective braking system: "I can't think of a reason why you'd get towed up to a Williams than any other car, he said. We were certainly running high fuel loads in both Melbourne and Brazil, which would naturally result in an earlier braking point than usual. That may be related to it."
On the videotape of the race, it is possible to see that, on the lap he was rammed by Verstappen, Montoya did brake slightly earlier than on the previous lap.
Whether or not also R.Schumacher braked earlier, the videotape of the race clearly shows that R.Schumacher had taken all the way to the left of the track as he exited the previous turn, and remained on this side throughout that straight. This move allowed Barrichello room to advance, which of course he did. Shortly before braking for the turn where the crash occurred, R.Schumacher then swerved to the right side of the track (where Barrichello had been pushing on).
Despite Williams' denial of any ultra effective braking system [see above], it may be worth noting a detail:
During the off-Season the Williams Team had been reported as developing a revolutionary braking system. Word went that this new development would help them gain up to a second a lap.
Whether or not this was more than a rumor, the odd fate that seems to have plagued the Williams Team with four rear-enders in three races has now lead to speculation on whether this would not bear some connection with the braking system of their cars.
Do the off-Season unconfirmed reports regarding some sort of revolutionary braking system have any bearing with the in-Season reality?
Alternatively, could the Williams cars have been set up with significantly lower downforce in all these races? (This would increase straight line speed at the expense of speed on the corners and evidently of braking distances, as well.)
Or were the four rear-enders merely coincidental? (A coincidence [1] including a particular type of accident, [2] involving the same type of car ahead, and [3] resulting in identical accounts--the car ahead braking unexpectedly early--from the drivers in the cars behind, these crashes thence caused by inadequate driving on their part?)
Will we ever see true light cast over this issue? [ Check on akin rear-end incidents involving Williams' cars this Season & news on the Williams' brake system, which the Team has not cast suitable light on: Montoya in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Malaysian GP | Williams' brake system and related unconfirmed off-season news | R.Schumacher in the Spanish GP - (these related entries are all interlinked, so you'll be able to return here) ]
Another controversy ensued from this race, this one involving H.H.Frentzen and the German drivers powered by Ferrari Motors (Heidfeld and M.Schumacher), in addition to the Scuderia and the F1 governing body.
This was due to the following remarks Frentzen put up on his web site:
"Heidfeld was the next car ahead and even though I managed to catch him quite quickly, I knew passing him would be another matter. I don't know if traction control comes as a factory option with Ferrari engines, but every time I got close in a slower corner he would pull away under acceleration, which was strange as I could hear the engine misfiring!" (dated April 3).
As flames broke out following this remark (according to Frentzen, because the "German tabloid paper Bild-Zeitung copied only parts of my assumptions from my home page while it ignored other parts like the aspect of a traction control being legal or illegal which has often been discussed") Frentzen subsequently added the following to his initial comments: "It's got to do with traction control. This term is extremely unspecific and it means everything or nothing.
The only thing which is certain is that between 1994 and the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix, this technical detail which aims at preventing spinning wheels is basically illegal. But that's the way things are: If something is not permitted, it gives an extra incentive to smart engineers to circumvent these rules. This is very typical for Formula 1 in particular.
And now I give you an unconditional statement: In the past 18 races, I had plenty of opportunity to trail behind Ferrari cars or machinery powered by Ferrari engines. And one thing was particularly remarkable: out of tight corners, these cars had a pretty stunning acceleration, combined with a misfiring engine.
For me, it is beyond doubt that somehow Ferrari managed to develop an engine software which reduces the power by a certain margin to the extent that the driven wheels don't spin.
It cannot be ignored that something like that exists, there is simply no room for a discussion about that. On the other hand, however, you can discuss if the device that exists is legal or illegal. I believe that Formula 1--thanks to its brilliant engineers--progressed into an area which is hard to be defined even by the FIA. And this is exactly why the FIA opted for the right consequence to change the rules in order to legalize traction control in the future." (dated April 10)
Frentzen concluded these appended comments by adding that "At the end of the day, this is quite unfair towards Nick who is blamed to be cheating by Bild-Zeitung," the German news source which Frentzen claims to have misquoted his web page. (dated April 10)
Finally, Frentzen was quoted as explaining that "I have never indicated that I was talking about illegal traction control but was merely discussing a form of legal traction control to explain to my fans some things about Formula One. I was commenting on my views as a driver following Ferrari powered cars around the track. Recent comments made by Max Mosley support my views and I hope that anything that may have been written about this should be ignored."
Mosley's reaction, in turn, was quoted as: "We [at FIA] disagree, and we are better placed than Heinz-Harald Frentzen to know what the various teams are doing. It is, however, a fact that some teams are able to tune their engines so that wheelspin becomes unlikely and more manageable. This is not the same thing as traction control."
Heidfeld is reported to have commented that "Our car is legal and that's it. I am not sure what Frentzen has said, but it is very difficult for me, the team, or Ferrari to say anything which makes us look better again."
Meanwhile, M.Schumacher has reportedly reacted to Frentzen's comments as follows: "To make this stupid comment is completely unfair, he should rethink what he is saying."
"I know he does not say it is illegal but then he has to say that we have done a very good job, not say that it is dubious what we are doing."
"Everyone at Ferrari is very unhappy, all the tifosi are unhappy because we not only have a very good engine but we have two very good drivers."
"He should concentrate on his own car and his own performance and not say the others do something wrong."
"Basically I think he puts Formula One into quite a lot of dispute."
"If he feels there is something strange he has the right to make a protest to clarify it."
"Just to make a rumour like he does brings the sport into a lot of disrepute and bad criticism."
Frentzen, it may be interesting to note, has been behind Heidfeld in championship points since the start of this Season. After the Brazilian race, Frentzen totals 5 championship points against 7 from Heidfeld.
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San Marino
While Imola saw McLaren secure their first front row double since Canada last year (2000), for the first time since last year's Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari did not have a car on the front row of the grid for the San Marino Grand Prix.
M.Schumacher did not manage to equal, in Imola, Ayrton Senna's record of eight consecutive pole positions. Nor did he have a good race, finally dropping out of it with car problems.
R.Schumacher, who had last won a single-seater race way back in 1996, in the All Nippon Japanese F3000 Championship, dominated at Imola to achieve his maiden Grand Prix victory and also set the lap record in lap 27: 1'25"524.
This was Williams first Grand Prix win since October 1997 (Jacques Villeneuve, in the Luxembourg Grand Prix)--after a 54 race drought.
It was likewise the first by a team using Michelin tyres, since the French manufacturer returned to Formula One this Season, after an absence of many years.
As to BMW, their last win was in Mexico, in 1986. Interestingly, the driver was Gerhard Berger, now BMW Motorsport Director.
Paying homage to the victorious Schumacher's siblings, a bit of F1 genealogy has been added to this Section. (From there, you'll find a link to return here.)
Imola saw Coulthard's 11th career pole and Hakkinen's best finish of the Season thus far: fourth. Hakkinen now has 4 points to his name, 22 behind the present leaders (M.Schumacher leading Coulthard due to the number of victories).
Coulthard is the only driver to have scored points in every one of the races so far. In fact he's been on the podium every time.
Alesi, whose Peugeot-powered Prost car suffered from reliability last Season, has finished all the Grands Prix this Season, albeit not in the points so far (9th place in Imola).
Bernoldi, in turn, was happy for his first finish (10th place, right behind Alesi).
team-mate Verstappen, who had been outqualified by Bernoldi, had to stop after a mechanical failure.
Among many other cars who dropped out of the race after a mechanical failures of all sorts (including M.Schumacher's car--his first retirement after 10 successive race finishes), for the first time this Season neither Minardi crossed the finishing line.
Only 12 cars went past the checkered flag: outside the points came Heidfeld (Sauber Petronas), Panis (BAR Honda), Alesi (Prost Acer), Bernoldi (Arrows Asiatech), Burti (Jaguar Cosworth) and Button (Benetton).
Montoya, who performed another splendid overtaking move (this time on Trulli), was unfortunate to endure a disastrous second pit-stop, while running in fifth position:
first the fuel nozzle got stuck on his Williams; then the car stalled as Montoya attempted to pull away. The team mechanics finally managed to fire the car up, and Montoya roared away, after over a whole minute had gone by in the pits, only to retire with further problems in the following lap.
Montoya, who seemed on his way to victory in Brazil (before his Williams was rammed by Verstappen's Arrows) is the only of the newcomers this Season who is yet to finish a race.
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Although the week following a Grand Prix can be fairly uneventful, this time the F1 world was stunned by Gaston Mazzacane's replacement by Luciano Burti (at Prost), who was in turn replaced by Pedro de la Rosa (at Jaguar). [ See information on change of drivers and F1 pertinent regulations ]
The Prost-Jaguar deal possibly caught everyone by surprise far more by the speed in which it was accomplished than by the change of drivers that it entailed.
After all, Mazzacane had been long rumored to be on the verge of losing his seat at Prost, whereas Burti had officially been reported to be losing his seat to Pedro de la Rosa for the 2002 F1 Season.
Gaston Mazzacane (dismissed by the Prost-Acer team after the race in Imola) was the first Argentinean driver, since Carlos Reutemann, in 1982, to make it beyond his first F1 Season.
Oscar Larrauri, Norberto Fontana and Esteban Tuero, all raced for just one year.
Previous to Mazzacane's dismissal, the Argentinean press had reported that PSN was disappointed with the sponsorship they had provided to Mazzacane/Prost.
It is yet to be seen if the change of drivers will accomplish the needed difference.
Mazzacane is now rumored in the Argentinean press to be in the likelihood of replacing either Brazilian Tarso Marques at Minardi or Brazilian Bernoldi Kiesa at Arrows, within a month or so.
Whether these rumors bear any foundation or are but a mere endeavor in getting even (considered that Mazzacane's former seat is now occupied by a Brazilian driver), it remains to be seen.
Likewise, it remains to be seen is who's really getting the best deal: Prost or Jaguar? Burti or de la Rosa?
The latter driver had surprisingly relinquished his newly started testing duties with the Prost team in behalf of a similar role with Jaguar, at the start of this Season--in other words, he would have been Mazzacane's natural substitute, had he remained with Prost.
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Formula One will be coming to Barcelona in mourn:
on Wednesday, April 25, former F1 ace Michele Alboreto lost his life in a horrific accident on therecently-built Eurospeedway in Lausitz, near Dresden, Germany, during the last of a three-day testing session for the coming Le Mans 24-hour.
Alboreto's Audi R8 was going down a straight section of the circuit, when the car suddenly spun off the track, hit a fence and somersaulted several times before finally coming to a halt. Though a likely mechanical failure, the precise cause of the accident was not promptly identified. Audi oficials, baffled by Alboreto's accident, initially referred to it as an "incomprehensible tragedy." On April 30, the news finally came: some extrenal sharp object perfurated his left-rear tyre, causing it to burst.
Ferrari immediately expressed their great sorrow, following the arrival of the sad news in Italy. On April 29, Jordan's Italian driver, Jarno Trulli, dedicated the fourth place he conquered in the Spanish GP to Alboreto's memory. [ See more on Michele Alboreto ]
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Spain
The Catalunya circuit stages the Spanish Grand Prix, a race covering 303.323Km (191 miles) in 65 laps.
The Spanish track where the race will be taking place is used for both pre and mid season testing. In other words, although a challenging track, all drivers and teams are pretty familiar with it. Weather conditions may be the surprise factor, though, in addition to the wind, which plays its role on this track, some cars being pretty sensitive to it.Although the Barcelona track was built especially with Formula One in mind, as compared to England and Brazil (the top two countries in F1 victories), Spain can hardly be said to have any F1 tradition: only nine Spanish drivers have competed in Formula One so far, five of which have managed to score 15 points altogether. No Spanish driver has ever won a F1 Grand Prix, De la Rosa and Marc Gené (presently Williams' test driver) sharing the highest number of starts: 33.
The Spanish track being one of the toughest tracks on tyres, though traditionally there are a lot of finishers in this race. Certainly, the Bridgestone x Michelin competition and proper choice of tyres can play a special role on the result of this race--in addition to the weather. Pit stop strategy should likewise give the race a special interest--besides of course all the action on the track, itself--and (who knows?) influence the final outcome of the race, as it has happened now and then, especially regarding the Ferrari team.
Last year, the Spanish Grand Prix saw Hakkinen's resurgence after a miserable start of Season. Will the same take place this year?
Hakkinen, who has been absent from the podium for five races now, finished first in the last three Spanish races, in addition to having conquered pole both in 1998 and 1999 (he started second on the grid, last year).
Coulthard, in turn, has never won in Barcelona and finished the last three Spanish races second to Hakkinen. Coulthard raced his last Spanish Grand Prix just a few days after he and his fiancee had survived a plane crash that killed the two airplane pilots. This year, he comes to Spain shortly after having broken M.Schumacher's run of wins and pole positions, and reportedly believes that it is now his turn to score 10 points in Spain.
The entire McLaren Team must have fond expectations for the coming Barcelona race, a track where they have achieved a one-two finish for last three years.
M.Schumacher, who took pole last year (2000), counts 2 wins in Spain (1995 and 1996), in addition to having finished every Spanish GP in the points, since the German driver raced there for the first time (1991). The last time M.Schumacher made it to the Spanish podium, however, was when he achieved his last victory in 1996.
M.Schumacher is said to have recently pointed four possible F1 world title candidates this year, in addition to himself, of course: Coulthard, Hakkinen, team-mate Barrichello, and brother Ralf.
Montoya's non-inclusion in the list is reportedly attributed to M.Schumacher's not rating the Colombian driver a match for brother Ralf, though conceding that WIlliams' new boy has the potential for success in F1.
Time will tell...
Neither R.Schumacher, who has scored his maiden victory and is now reported to have declined an invitation from Niki Lauda to join the Jaguar Team in 2002, nor J.P.Montoya should be forgotten as strong competitors, along the McLarens and Ferraris. Williams usually run strong in Spain: in the past 20 years, they have taken six wins and have been used to finishing in the top six.
R.Schumacher finished fourth last year (between Barrichello in third and M.Schumacher in fifth). In 1999, R.Schumacher finished in fifth place.
Montoya, who's yet to finish his first F1 race, has already left his mark, with splendid overtaking moves in the last two races. When driving in F3000, Montoya won on this track. After his comfortable lead in Brazil, Montoya cannot be ignored, even though most attention is likely to fall on his team-mate at the moment, due to the recent victory achieved.
A win from one of the Williams' drivers this Sunday would represent Williams' first back to back victories since 1997 in both Austria and Nürburgring, when J.Villeneuve came first, driving a Williams-Renault.
The Jordans could also surprise. Trulli has always finished at Barcelona; and if he maintains the tradition, the question may be whether he will score points, which is likely, and how many. The Jordan team has made it to the points in every race, so far--in contrast with their Honda-powered rivals (BAR).
With the reinstatement of traction control in this coming race, it is impossible to tell who may have a heading start in this parallel electronic race--so, it's a wait and see situation... Meanwhile, we must remember that, like Hakkinen and Montoya, the Jordan drivers are avid for good results.
At the BAR Team, Panis outqualified his famous team-mate both in Brazil and in Imola, and has scored the only points for the Team so far.
Although Villeneuve has a name and a WM title, Panis is someone to keep an eye on, fighting for every inch of asphalt since he returned to the racing scene.
Though Fisichella holds the Spanish track record (1'22"242), it is unlikely that much can be expected from him this coming weekend. The Italian driver, who is yet to score his maiden F1 victory [see related entry], must be craving for a more competitive Benetton, even more so after watching his former team-mate at Jordan (R.Schumacher) be the first to take the chequered flag in the San Marino Grand Prix.
Button, who likewise would surprise everyone with a good result in Spain, must be itching to be able to display some of the good competitiveness that he amazed the F1 world with last Season.
Sauber's duo of young drivers must not be forgotten either. The Team's impressive opening to the season has not waned. Rookie Kimi Raikkonen with team-mate Nick Heidfeld look eager for more.
Luciano Burti (who has just worked out a friendly departure from the Jaguar Team) and Pedro de la Rosa are both likely to be the focus of attention in Spain, as a result of their debuts with Prost and Jaguar, respectively. Everyone will be curious to see how each fares in the new seat.
For this coming Grand Prix, more is expected of de la Rosa, who has done extensive testing with the Jaguar Team and is therefore well acquainted with the car.
Burti, in contrast, has scarcely had two laps to derive an impression of his new car before the coming race. Of his new Prost-Acer, one may say that Burti starts the weekend familiar with no more than the Michelin tyres that shod the car (Jaguar also uses Michelin). Admittedly, this is not much of an asset.
Further disadvantages facing Burti (as compared to de la Rosa's situation) are that the Brazilian rookie will be interacting and functioning with entirely new personnel and working styles, and will moreover have to endure some discomfort in his new car, due to lack of time for adequate seat-fitting before this racing event. In addition to these, Burti must also get used to not having the power-assisted steering, which has been made standard in the Jaguar since Irvine joined the Team (then Stewart)--the Ulsterman was used to this extra ease at Ferrari. Not counting on this technical aid can make it quite difficult at first for a driver who's got used to having it on board, especially in the fast corners. [ See see Burti's first day with Prost ]
De la Rosa, lining-up on the grid the first time this year (albeit having tested with Jaguar since the start of the Season), will be sharing a special deference with Minardi's 19-year-old Alonso: they are both home boys, de la Rosa actually being a local native. At this GP, de la Rosa will additionally have the honors of the Spanish F1 driver who has been most often on the starting grid--34 times (Marc Gené is a test driver this year and cannot therefore prevent de la Rosa from overtaking him for this record--both drivers had been on the grid the same number of times so far).
De la Rosa has reportedly shared that he hopes to be able to finish his home race, for if he does, he is sure he will get the checkered flag within the top ten. [ See see de la Rosa's first days with Jaguar ]
Let's see what happens on Sunday.
The return of traction control, launch control, and automatic shifting (all banned in 1993) involves numerous changes in the management of the engine, gearbox, differential and clutch.
The Spanish Grand Prix should allow an idea of how the different teams have been tackling the many different alternatives at hand so as to achieve an ideal setting for their cars and optimize their overall performance.
Although the starts are likely to become less exciting as a result of all the technological aid that has been reinstated, who knows Spain won't reserve some sensational surprise, with a team or two unexpectedly having the edge on the first grid line-up where the cars will be roaring with new electronics on board?...
Moreover, until the teams have come to grips with the new technological aids and the different alternatives that these open, and until the drivers, themselves, are sufficiently comfortable with the use of these new aids, there is always the risk of a driver jumping the start (which would buy him a 10-second penalty), as well as the risk of someone being left behind on the grid, just as it happened to Hakkinen in Brazil (for reasons other than these, evidently). Anyhow, either possibility may bring some unexpected excitement to the race--especially this first one after the electronic aids have been introduced. Let's wait and see... [ Check on drivers who may not to start with the aid of launch control ]
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Brazilian soccer (football) star Rivaldo, who plays for the Spanish Barcelona team, has been spotted in the Ferrari pits, wearing a red shirt, of course.
McLaren, in turn, mong other famous guests such as the couple Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas, has enjoyed the visit of two motorcycle stars who race with the West Honda Pons Team, in the Motorcycle 500 cc Grand Prix World Championship: Italian Loris Capirossi and Brazilian Alex (Alexandre) Barros, accompanied by team boss, Sito Pons--a former motorbike champion twice. Though facing divided loyalties due to their national heritages, both riders graciously promised to root for the Silver Team.
Finally, the visit that was most effusively appreciated all over the paddock: former Jaguar's team chief Paul Stewart, looking healthy and happy, as he greeted his old friends.
The Toyota Team, who will only be racing next Season (when they'll be entitle to a place in the paddock), has once more discretely shown up for a Grand Prix, using a small motorhome just outside of the F1 paddock, near the Formula 3000 area. They made their first appearance in Imola, and are said to be coming to all other GPs in Europe. They are reportedly attending these racing events (even though they will only race and have their place in the paddock in 2002), so as to gain Grand Prix experience. Sounds like they are up not to missing any detail, as they get ready for next year.
After the Friday practice, which Eddie Irvine closed with the second lap-time of the day, he told reporters that the Team had made one step forward this weekend: this race in Spain marks the first time in which the Jaguar Team has really focused on working with two cars throughout the weekend. Irvine attributed their faster pace to this.
That is to say, previously the Jaguar Team privileged only one car with due attention. And certainly this one car must have been Irvine's, not Burti's. In view of the situation that Irvine has let transpire, it appears that Burti has done a heck of a job at Jaguar for a rookie, since his lap times have consistently been close to Irvine's.
To corroborate the above, Irvine has reportedly commented that, in his view, "Luciano did a fantastic job, he worked very well within the team. To be honest, he was very impressive."
Luciano Burti, in turn, mentioned on the Friday Press Conference that every one in the Prost Team was "very very nice" (Burti's words) and he felt so very welcome that it felt to him almost as if he already knew the Team, even though he had just briefly been in contact with the Prost-Acer Team for two days before this weekend (one day trying out the car for a couple of laps, and the other visiting the Prost factory).
It sounds like Burti will be able to enjoy now the kind of focus on his car that he had been short of (according to Irvine's comments, above).
The Brazilian rookie has been too discrete in this regard, keeping silent about any difference of treatment as it has now slipped through Irvine's tongue.
Indeed, Burti has only made references to "our" mistake or about "our" managing to sort out for the race the different problems that have plagued his car during practice and qualifying sessions. [ See Jaguar's series of errors on Burti's car | including 20 Kg too much of fuel in Malaysia! ]
When interviewed shortly after his move to the Prost-Acer Team, Burti gracefully made a point of mentioning that he will always be grateful to the Jaguar Team for the opportunity he had of driving their car, and mentioned as well that he would miss the many friends he had made at Jaguar.
Considering the degree of discretion that Burti has displayed so far, we should not expect him to add that, in contrast, he wouldn't miss the little attention that Irvine has breathed Burti's car had been entitled to, at Jaguar. (Nor should we ever hear that Burti has most likely missed the Stewarts, who valued his driving since Burti's days in their Junior Team.)
But it is not difficult to imagine that the Brazilian rookie will feel happier with the Prost Team. If this will have an effect on his drive, so much the better for Prost-Acer, where Jean Alesi has been fairly lonely on track so far, in this Season.
Indeed, despite all the initial difficulties that were already predicted [see above], Burti looked like a renewed man in the beautiful blue that bepaints the Prost-Acer overall, as he was interviewed by a TV reporter. (Could it be that the blue suits him better than the green? Or would the seeming difference rather flow from the driver's soul?)
Incredibly relaxed for the roll down of events that he has come through the past week, the Brazilian rookie gleamed a misture of sober optimistic and gratification, as he answered the reporter's question:
"How was the first day for Prost Grand Prix?"
Here's Burti's reply, in full:
"Oh, very very good, I have to say. The best thing for me is that I've felt very welcome since the first time that I came to the team, and that really helps, you know. I'm comfortable here, I feel happy. Of course, the performance, we knew that it would be very difficult, because I have never really driven the car before, I don't have a set up for my style, I'm getting used to the seat, the steering, the pedals...er...the car doesn't have power steering, so it's quite heavy, compared to what I'm used to. So, really, Barcelona is going to be a case of getting used to the whole thing, er...myself to get to know the team and they get to know me better, and hopefully after a few days in Valencia, we should be able to have a better performance." [ More on Burti's serene contentment ]
On Friday, Burti clocked a time that was 1"012 behind Alesi's, who lapped in 1'22"843, achieving 15th place.
At the end of the Saturday practice sessions, Luciano Burti was only 0"060 behind his French team-mate.
Finally, the Brazilian rookie surprisingly outqualified Jean Alesi by 0"016, clocking 1'20"585, to take 14th place on the grid, alongside no one other than his former team-mate at Jaguar, Eddie Irvine.
The Prost-Acer Team must be delighted with their 14th and 15th on the grid.
In addition, they probably feel that they have plenty justified Mazzacane's dismissal and replacement.
Alain Prost has reportedly commented, at the end of the qualifying session: "Our cars times are very close and we have managed to do comparative tests with both drivers. We feel ready and optimistic for tomorrow's race, with both cars well placed on the grid. On behalf of the whole team, I would like to congratulate Luciano for the great job he has been doing in his first weekend with the team."
Pedro Diniz, who bought a share of the Prost-Acer Team before the start of this Season, is reported to have commented the following, regarding Luciano Burti: "It was a good debut. He had driven the car very little. Everyone in the Team was impressed with him."
Finally, former boss and Triple World Champion Jackie Stewart, while graciously praising Pedro de la Rosa, reflected that the loss of Luciano Burti to Prost is a great shame for Jaguar. Stewart being right, so much the better for Four-time World Champion Alan Prost to have secured the Brazilian rookie. "
Triple World Champion Niki Lauda, in turn, must have thought nothing special of Burti's driving, considering how readily Jaguar seemed to let Burti go from his contract, so he could sign with the Prost-Acer Team."
A detail has come to mind: Stewart has known Burti since his early days in Formula 3; whereas Lauda, according to what has been on the news, had to ask "who's that guy?" when he first crossed paths with Burti in Australia. Could Lauda have been hasty in his judgement?... Of course, time will tell.
At any event, Luciano Burti has probably made history in a very unique way: he's most likely the first F1 rookie ever to have drawn the attention of and enjoyed many observations all at once from three World Champions who exhibit ten World Titles among themselves!
The Brazilian press has insinuated that Burti would have confided to a close friend that even when he did a good job at Jaguar, he was left with a restless feeling that he should have done better; and that now, with the Prost Team, they allowed Burti the necessary serenity to do his job, and the results are already emerging."
Considering that a good friend would not break the trust of a confidence, this could easily be a rumor, flowing perhaps from that spark of contentment and the ease that were evident in Burti as he was interviewed by a TV reporter, after the Friday free practice sessions [see above].
De la Rosa, in turn, ended the Friday practices at the wheel of his Jaguar 1"431 behind Irvine, who became the sensation of the day at the last minute, when he managed the second fastest time, 1:20.615.
In the Saturday practice, however, the story was totally different, suggesting that whatever Jaguar had done to their cars the previous day was unreal...
Irvine ended 17th, clocking 1:21.289, while De la Rosa was 21st, after having crashed into a wall with some techincal failure. The Spaniard's best lap turned out to be 1'007 slower than the Ulsterman's best, in that session. (De la Rosa walked out of the crash unhurt.)
In the qualifying session, the Spaniard's best lap was 1"012 behind Irvine's, who starts the race from 13th on the grid, alongside of Burti (14th). De la Rosa starts from 20th, only ahead of Button and Marques, having qualified with the spare car. [ See de la Rosa's aspirations above ]
Alonso (Minardi-European), in 18th, is surprisingly the local boy who is best placed on the grid. He was delighted to qualify ahead of both Benettons and a Jaguar, he is reported to have commented later.
M.Schumacher once more placed his Ferrari on pole (lapping 2"773 faster than his own pole in last year's Spanish GP). He was followed by Hakkinen (Mclaren-Mercedes), who turned off traction control at the last minute and leapfrogged team-mate Coulthard, who seemed to have conquered a place on the front row.
This is M.Schumacher's fourth pole in five races, this Season, and the thirty-sixth in his F1 career--a number that places his only behind the late Ayrton Senna, who had conquered 65 poles by the time that tragic accident in Imola prematurely took his life.
Barrichello (Ferrari), who had clocked the second fastest time in the practice section, just 0"040 behind his German team-mate, lines up in 4th (on the second row), alongside Coulthard, with a gap of 0"473 to M.Schumacher's pole position time. This is the largest time gap on the grid between the two Ferrari drivers in this Season.
The winner of the last race, R.Schumacher (Williams-BMW), turned off traction control to qualify 5th, just ahead of Trulli (Jordan-Honda), who continues to outqualify his team-mate, Villeneuve (BAR-Honda), who managed to outqualify Panis this time, Frentzen (Jordan-Honda), Raikkonen, Heidfeld (both Sauber-Petronas), Panis (BAR-Honda), and Montoya (Williams-BMW).
Behind these, come the already mentioned trio formed by Irvine (Jaguar-Cosworth), Burti and Alesi (both Prost-Acer), followed by Bernoldi, Verstappen (both Arrows-Asiatech), Alonso (Minardi-European), and Fisichella (Benetton Renault).
De la Rosa (Jaguar-Cosworth), Button (Benetton-Renault) and Marques (Minardi-European) close the grid, as already observed.
It is interesting to note that rookies Raikkonen and Bernoldi (not to mention now Burti, in his debut race with the Prost-Acer Team) have again outqualified their more experienced team-mates.
Heidfeld, like de la Rosa, qualified using the spare car, though, and was on the track just close to the end of the section. In these circumstances, Heidfeld's 10th position on the grid was an excellent result for the young German.
Except for R.Schumacher (5th), Michelin's best place on the grid is 12th, with the other Williams-BMW driver, Montoya.
Conversely, Bridgestone appears to have the edge for this race, taking all other places between 1st and 12th--the only exceptions to their supremacy in qualifying being the two Arrows-Asiatech cars, in 16th and 17th--both cars starting from the same grid positions as the last two races, and Brazilian Bernoldi Kiesa starting from 16th place for the third time in a row.
Should this seeming tyre superiority be interpreted as an indication of what is to come in the race?...
Keep an eye on Villeneuve, when the red lights go off on the grid: the French press has reported that the Canadian driver, who is famous for his bold and productive starts, will not be making use of launch control in Spain. Team-mate Panis is said to be thinking over whether or not to turn off launch control as well, as a special strategy to make up places right on the start.
The Minardis are also using a manual start system. [ Check on the electronic aids allowed from this Grand Prix on ]
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The Spanish Grand Prix turned out to be a dramatic race, with plenty of events from start to end, literally.
As the red lights went off, M.Schumacher blasted away, to hold the lead for two thirds of the race. Hakkinen was right behind, in second. Barrichello did not make the best of getaways, but made up the lost ground at the first corner, emerging in third.
The two front runners started at a very strong pace, just 1.5 seconds away from each other. Around lap 20, they had a six-second lead, ahead of Barrichello in third.
By lap 40, or so, M.Schumacher had managed a four-second lead over Hakkinen, who continued pushing hard, though, and getting signs from the McLaren pits where the word "PUSH" was clearly visible (albeit the British press later quoting Hakkinen: "I was going so well and was not pushing and in fact I was cruising").
Pit-stop strategy was to play its role, M.Schumacher getting the better deal out of the first, whereas Hakkinen out of the second, when the Finn came out a couple of seconds ahead of his German rival (who had already made his final pit-stop), and began to push away, increasing the gap.
After the race, M.Schumacher revealed that, following his last pit stop, he had started feeling strange vibrations from the wheels, and thought the tyres were delaminating. So he had to lift off a bit and, especially on the straights, could no longer go flat out, for fear of a tyre being about to blow out.
Evidently this unexpected problem totally destroyed the race strategy that Ferrari had worked out for M.Schumacher's pit stops, leaving him at the mercy of an ever pushing Hakkinen.
So, when Hakkinen went into the final lap, he was leading M.Schumacher by 40 seconds and looking all set to take his first win of the season, and a memorable fourth in succession on the Spanish track.
But the gremlins were to intervene once more...this time even more mercilessly...
And suddenly disaster strikes: there was smoke coming out the back of his McLaren.
Hakkinen still tried to make it to the finish line, but finally had to resign into pulling over the side of the track.
And M.Schumacher took the highest place on the podium.
After the race, M.Schumacher graciously walked over to comfort Hakkinen and express his sorrow for the Finn's poor luck, which he, M.Schumacher, was the greatest beneficiary of--along with Montoya and Villeneuve (the former obtaining his first points and the latter BAR's first podium). Additionally, M.Schumacher commented after the race that such are not circumstances in which he enjoys winning.
With this victory, M.Schumacher enjoys an eight-point Championship lead over second-placed Coulthard, who came in fifth, also beneficiary of Hakkinen's astonishing last-minute withdrawal from the race.
The race was over with Hakkinen stranded by the side of the track.
As Alesi drove by, on his way to the pits, the Frenchman pulled over to talk to Hakkinen (possibly to offer him a ride?).
Then came Coulthard, who stoped and gave his team-mate a lift back to the pits, Hakkinen sitting on his side pod of the Scot's car and waving to the crowd. The public waved back, whistled and blew their air horns.
Hakkinen was eventually classified 9th.
Montoya made the best start of all, climbing 6 places on the first lap, to 6th (he started from 12th).
Frentzen's Jordan, in contrast, only managed to move away from the grid after a good number of cars had already zoomed past, the German dropping 10 places to 18th.
Frentzen was soon very busy trying to make up places, when he crashed with de la Rosa on lap 7, both cars ending up in the gravel trap.
Frentzen had come up on the inside of a turn, de la Rosa later claiming not to have seen the Jordan. As the Jaguar driver turned in, the two cars touched, and the Jordan's rear wheels climbed over the Jaguar's front wheels and into the air.
Frentzen's maneuver over de la Rosa which resulted in their crashing called to mind that of Barrichello's over Frentzen in Australia, which likewise resulted in a crash between the two, albeit a crash of a lighter sort (today, Frentzen's rear wheel actually drove over de la Rosa's front wheel, both cars dropping out of the race, in the gravel trap; whereas Frentzen's earlier incident with Barrichello was a mere contact out of which only Frentzen spun, recovering still to finish the race in the points).
Coincidentally, Frentzen made the same claim then, in Australia, as de la Rosa's, today: not having seen the approaching car. (Is it the blind spot? a form of mitigation? If the former, can't they compensate for it in F1? F1, afterall abounds in technologies...hasn't anyone thought of doing away with the blind spot? I've done it in my own cars, using a special little mirror glued onto the original mirror.)
Although Frentzen found himself in the reversed role today, in Spain, as compared to the situation in Australia, both incidents have reportedly led him to claim the other driver at fault. (Frentzen's alleged claims after the crash in Spain have come out in the British press, with an added quote: "It was clear that it was my corner.") [ Check on the analogous incident during the Australian race ]
If the above has been accurately reported--we can never be 100% sure of all that comes out in the media--then what criteria are we to make out should determine a driver at fault? (The one who delivers the charges first?...or louder?... My personal feeling is that there has been enough finger-pointing this year.)
Or, as the usually bold Villeneuve commented somewhere at the start of the Season, corners are fought for, not given away in courteous interplays--and it is therefore petty to get caught in fault-finding, while there is always something to learn out of each new experience?
(For the sake of fairness, as soon as I can make the time for it, I'll check what Frentzen will have written on his web site, once his motor and head have had the chance to cool off. If his comments on this last race's incident are any different from what has been initially reported, I'll add them here. Meanwhile, you can go check it out on Frentzen's web site, if you'd like to. It's a very nice site--pleasant looking and swift loading.)
What Villeneuve did not add to his appraisal is that F1 is a sport where cause and consequence do not necessarily bear a linear connection: small misjudgements may potentially result in great tragedies, as history reveals.
Thus, the boldness that may inflame the public and deliver a memorable result needs to be wisely tempered by respect for human life.
The big challenge lies in growing that wisdom, so as to be able to sort out the proper recipe (i.e., the proper balance between boldness and respect) upon every single new corner situation, for none are ever totally alike. Certainly, this challenge is huge in F1, in view of the speeds at which corners are taken and fought for! [ Here's another link to the incident in Australia, involving Frentzen and Barrichello ]
At the start of the weekend, Lauda had been quoted declaring that "hopefully we can make an improvement this weekend because we have got the drivers to do that now."
Unfortunately for de la Rosa, his first race this Season and debut with the Jaguar Team, moreover his home race, was over very quickly. The Spaniard looking very disheartened as he walked back to the pits after the crash with Frentzen.
Luckily, to the delight of the local crowd, the other home buy, Alonso, put up a brave fight with Fisichella during the race, finally to make it home in 13th place ahead of the Italian--not to mention Button and team-mate Marques, who closed the list of race-finishers, behind Fisichella.
Brazilian Burti, competing for the first time with the Prost-Acer Team, drove his car home, finishing the race in 11th, right behind team-mate Alesi in 10th.
The 26-year old Brazilian admitted that finishing was his main goal and was reportedly pleased with the result.
He should indeed be very pleased: his first race for his new team resulted in one of Luciano's best F1 performances to date--if not the best--grid and finish positions taken into account and added to Burti's impressively outqualifying a more experienced team-mate in his debut race.
Undoubtedly an auspicious debut.
Though admittedly not a great result with either driver, the French Team must be equally happy for both their cars having not only started but also finished one behind the other for the first time this Season--and ahead of 5 other competitors.
The Team seems to have what to look forward to: They are said to have a few new developments to test before the next race, which should help increase performance--this year they have already conquered the reliability that was missing in the last Season.
Moreover, Burti's car should also be properly adapted to his driving style as well as to his body (Luciano reportedly ended the weekend with hurts and bruises on his hands and back), and the Brazilian rookie should start finding the lack of power steering less strenuous, once he has had the chance to test the car. Logic prevailing, this should translate in better performance.
Not that Burti is any big star--at least not now...time will tell--but, from all the news that has been wired, it looks as if the Brazilian came to the Prost-Acer Team decided to make the best out of the opportunity and placed his heart at the job, giving it his all. This sort of thing is contagious.
Burti's disposition, in turn, together with Prost-Acer's presumed itching to get further up the grid, not to mention the frantic urgency of adjusting their car to a new driver, the chemistry of all these factors blended together appears to have played a definitely positive role in the team's morale, albeit Alesi's realistically expressing dissatisfaction once more at their performance level.
Of course, morale, on its own, cannot make up for what may be missing in aerodynamics. But if they do have how to improve the car, as the Team reports claim, they may have found the boost to start their way up, however modestly. At times, in life, all it takes is that tiny "magic click" that makes all the difference. The Team may have found it this weekend. Yes, early days...so let's wait and see what next.
Closing these observations, is a remark worthy of note. It has been reported that Alan Prost had initially thought of hiring a more experienced driver to replace Mazzacane: Zonta, Wurz, and de la Rosa, himself, are allegedly drivers whom Prost would have offered a drive, before hiring Burti (how accurate these reports are, we cannot know).
But supposing they are true, would any of the three good drivers named have come with the same enthusiasm and "gas" that Burti seems to have brought along with his personal driving gear?... With all respect for Zonta, Wurz, and de la Rosa, all of whom would also be worthy partners for the talented veteran Jean Alesi, I'd be ready to bet that, under the present circumstances, the answer to the question is no. If I am right, fate (or whatever you wish to call it) has generously given the Professor Prost a hand in making the best choice for and at the moment.
What do you think?... (Feel free to e-mail me your impressions)
Coulthard, who was tied for the lead with Michael Schumacher in the drivers' championship--with the same number of points, though behind in number of victories--had a blow to his ambitions even before the race got started:
The Scot had to start at the back of the grid, as his McLaren stalled before the formation lap, his car being restarted by his mechanics when everyone had left the grid.
On the first lap, Coulthard ran into the back of Bernoldi Kiesa's Arrows, as the Scott attempted to make up places (he may have been touched from behind by Fisichella, right before hitting Bernoldi).
Brazilian Bernoldi's race was then over some three laps later, even though the Brazilian rookie managed to pit in order to check the damage on his car.
Coulthard likewise managed to make his way to the pits, his front wing stuck underneath the car.
In contrast to Bernoldi's fate, though, Coulthard's car worked perfectly when he rejoined, to put up a very strong performance and finish 5th, scoring what may be 2 valuable points, by the end of the Season. (The McLaren crew changed the nose of Coulthard's car in just over 15 seconds, rushing the Scot back in action, albeit last in the field by then.)
McLaren boss Ron Dennis reportedly accused his driver of brain fade, in reference to the incident before the formation lap--i.e., the Scot's stalling his car.
Coulthard, in turn, is said to have fired back that Dennis was the one suffering from brain fade, for having made the comments before checking with the engineers on the reason for the incident.
It has come out in the British press that Ron Dennis had to retreat his charge later on, for indeed it had been a glitch in the software that caused the Scot's car to stall. Nevertheless, Briton John Watson, who raced for McLaren from 1979 to 1983 and in 1985, has reportedly slammed Ron Dennis for the comment, adding that the McLaren team boss would not talked the same way had it been Hakkinen the one to stall the car.
Whether Watson's supposition is correct or not, when Hakkinen stalled in Brazil, did we hear any critical comment from Ron Dennis? I can't recall.
A detail should not be forgotten, regarding the end of the Spanish GP: the entire McLaren Team must have had their heads at higher temperatures than Hakkinen's smoking motor. Evidently, this is no excuse; just a factor contributing to possibly sour moods. [ Check on Coulthard's status in the McLaren Team after the Spanish GP, in the eyes of a former Williams team manager ]
Although these and so many other hastily voiced remarks (as now and then transpire beyond the F1 paddock) may please some news reporters, avid to add variety to their coverage of the F1 world, on the other hand, it is sensible to remember:
if F1 is characteristically a fast sport, the speed at stake bears on the driving--not on the enunciation of spur-of-the-moment appraisals that may be unnecessarily detrimental to a colleague professional, whatever his/her duty in the paddock.
As far as the drivers, themselves, who emerge no less clean-tongued from time to time, isn't it enough that they already risk their lives? Why additionally risk disgracing their or their fellow-drivers' reputations?...
News reporters will always be news reporters. They have their job to accomplish, which in more, or less, ennobled ways they are all after getting done. They have a race of their own, for the freshest and most exciting piece of news.
The human mouth, in turn, opens more easily than shuts, even if just under the effect of gravity, alone.
So, taking care briefly to stall the tongue when the brain or the temper may be suffering from overheating can be a salutary contribution and help promote serenity and contentment among all--most likely also quality driving, as a direct result.
Easier said than done, no doubt. But realistically possible.
Many a mouth in the F1 milieu have admirably applied the brakes before turning in a spitting or otherwise imprudent statement. (Among those making the daily headlines, the Ferrari crew can boast some laudable examples--so far, at least. And they are in very good company, by the way--Ferrari certainly does not hold the exclusivity here. They've been cited merely as a token of illustration.)
At any rate, keeping the gains in mind has always constituted good motivation. Whereas avoiding reflection and closing one's eyes entails no productive perspectives.
To close this item, here's some food for thought, in a pertinent statement attributed to Jesus Christ in one of the many films made protraying his life:
More than what we put into our mouths, it is what we allow out of our mouths that we should be careful about.
Five laps after Barrichello's second pit stop, his Ferrari suffered a right rear suspension failure which was initially thought to be a puncture. The Brazilian pitted again and was sent back out with fresh tyres, only to retired one lap later, when it became clear that the problem had not been a puncture.
When Barrichello's car suffered this fatal problem, the Brazilian was comfortably in third place, which Montoya inherited from the Ferrari driver.
On the last lap, once more fate smiled to Montoya, who saw himself promoted to second place, as a result of Hakkinen's surprising retirement.
The Colombian driver deserved the good luck he enjoyed today, as beneficiary of Barrichello's and Hakkinen's having to pull out of the race. Not only had Montoya already bravely put up with a long spell of bad luck, but also he drove a strong race.
These were the Colombian's first F1 points, and the first ever obtained by a Colombian driver--all in quite a promising fashion: straight to the podium.
This Sunday it was Panis' turn to have his share of bad luck: his car stalled in the pits. The mechanics restarted the car, but Panis was off after a long stop, finally to end the race just outside the points, in 7th.
A lap before Barrichello retired, Irvine stopped at the side of the track with smoke visible at the rear of his Jaguar.
Of the two teams bringing in a new driver line-up from this race on, Prost certainly got the better share this time, and must have left the circuit in a sunnier disposition than Jaguar.
Time will tell who has really gotten the better deal--Prost or Jaguar? Burti or de la Rosa?
On lap 22, R.Schumacher (running in fourth) was braking for a corner when he lost the back of his car and spun off into the gravel.
R.Schumacher was later quoted explaining: "I really don't know what happened when I spun. When I was braking just before the left-hander the car felt fine."
"It was totally strange. I tried to brake and all of a sudden the rear came out."
"I spun off the track and got stuck in the gravel. It is really a shame, as after some problems over the weekend the race was looking good for me."
Could this apparently inexplicable behavior of the car under braking have any bearing on the off-season rumors regarding the Williams' revolutionary breaking system? And have, likewise, a bearing on the four rear-enders that plagued the Williams' cars in three races and that didn't seem to make any sense? [ Check on akin rear-end incidents involving Williams' cars this Season & news on the Williams' brake system, which the Team has not cast suitable light on: Montoya in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Brazilian GP | Williams' misfortunes in the Malaysian GP | Williams' brake system and related unconfirmed off-season news | R.Schumacher in the Spanish GP - (these related entries are all interlinked, so you'll be able to return here) ]
Ferrari, by the way, have hinted that they have something special regarding their brakes--since Brazil. This came out when someone asked Todt why they were so careful always to cover their brakes when the wheels were removed from their cars. The Frenchman answered that it was because there was something there that they did not wish other teams to find out about.
Whatever it is, could it be that this innovation has been responsible (at least partly) for the problems that have been plaguing the Red Team since the Brazilian race? In Brazil, M.Schumacher was happy to have finished second. In Imola, he did not finish--the problem had to do with his wheels, so it was reported. In Spain, whereas M.Schumacher had problems with vibrations under the car, Barrichello was forced to pull out of the race with what first appeared to be a puncture and seemed to have turned out into a suspension problem.
It seems as if there is a common denominator among all these retreats. Mere coincidence? Or the price to pay for some innovation that is not completely debugged? Let's see what happens in the coming race.
Of the Honda-powered cars, the BAR Team finally enjoyed their first podium finish, though they are still far from catching up with rivals Jordan, who keep on their impressive point-scoring progression so far this Season.
Arrows, Jaguar, Prost and Minardi, on the other hand, are yet to score a point this Season.
Although Coulthard maintains the outstanding pattern of having finished every race in the points, this is the first time that he did not step up on the podium.
In addition to a refreshed podium, where there were a couple of new faces (Villeneuve has not finished among the first three for a few years now), the Spanish GP entailed a unique coincidence: the drivers on each of the podium steps were all former winners at the US Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
M.Schumacher, first in Spain now, won the inaugural United States GP at the Indianapolis track last year (2000);
Montoya, second in Spain now, won last year's (2000) Indianapolis 500; and
Villeneuve, third in Spain now, won the 1995 Indianapolis 500.
Finally, it was nice to see the drivers on both sides of the podium exhibit their trophies with such joy and enthusiasm.
The long McLaren-Ferrari dominance has apparently had its toll on a devaluation of 2nd and 3rd places... When not the winner, Coulthard, for one, barely displays his trophy with only one hand, and a composure more proper of a priest raising the holy bread than of a racing driver who's conquered the honor of stepping up on the podium.
Formula One has had more enthusiasm. It was great to see some of it back on the Spanish podium. [ Check on the glum Austrian podium, a sharp contrast with the joy witnessed in Spain. ]
At this stage, the Championship could become extremely interesting, if in the Austrian Grand Prix victory is conquered by a driver other than those who have already scored their 10 points.
It seems long since we have enjoyed very closely fought Championships, with a number of alternative outcomes possible till the final corner!...
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Celebrating 
