Germany 1999: Previews

Arrows Benetton BAR Ferrari Jordan McLaren Minardi Sauber Stewart Prost Williams Bridgestone


Arrows [start]

The Arrows team finished todays practice session with its driver Toranosuke Takagi in 21st and Pedro de la Rosa in 22nd position. Towards the end of the second practice session Pedros car suffered an engine failure.

Toranosuke Takagi
"I had a brake problem during both sessions which effected the performance of my tyres. I was running on a race fuel load, which reflected in my overall time."

Pedro de la Rosa
"I was also running on a heavy fuel load and I had problems with my tyres until my engine failure. However, I was able to get to know the track very well and I feel confident driving on it."

Tom Walkinshaw
"Despite our engine failure the team and its drivers are determined to do well in tomorrows qualifying."


Benetton [start]

Not present at this time


British American Racing [start]

It was a free practice session of many surprises today, several unpleasant, for many teams preparing for Sunday's German Grand Prix, and British American Racing was among that number. Drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta both suffered problems which cut short their track time and, as a result, could do not better than the 15th and 20th best lap times on the day.

One of the two fastest tracks (with Monza) on the Formula One calendar, the 4.240 mile/6.823 km Hockenheimring makes special demands on car and driver. Two dauntingly fast straights, interrupted by chicanes, where cars can reach speeds of 345 km/h, dictate a low downforce set-up, but the chicanes put a premium on braking and chassis stability. The track's length, especially the straights that hurtle off into dark, coniferous forests, mean that engines are working at full throttle for most of the race, which puts a great deal of stress on coolants and lubicants, and engine failures are common here. Ricardo Zonta discovered this truth to his chagrin as he was forced to park out on the circuit in both sessions, the first time with an engine hydraulic leak, and the second when his engine failed. He completed 20 laps altogether. Jacques Villeneuve managed 21 laps, stopping early in the afternoon when his car developed a hydraulic problem.

The practice session provided several surprises, such as Jarno Trulli (Prost) in provisional pole position with a best time of one minute, 45.667 seconds, and Giancarlo Fisichella of Benetton third (1:46.243), sandwiching Ferrari's Eddie Irvine (1:46.225). David Coulthard (McLaren) was fourth fastest, but his team-mate, World Champion Mika Hakkinen, could not manage better than a lowly 10th. Other consistent performers in the 1999 season, among them Jean Alesi of Sauber and Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen, could do no better than 16th and 17th position on the day.

Jacques Villeneuve
"This morning I was really suffering from the bumps on the straights. The car was bouncing around so much that I was just trying to keep my eyes open to see where the braking points were. It's annoying that we weren't able to do a full session this afternoon because we made some improvements which have helped the overall balance, and I think there is some more speed to come. The problem this afternoon was a hydraulic one, which unfortunately affects everything - accelerator, engine, differential - so there's no alternative other than stopping."

Ricardo Zonta
"Today has been difficult. Both practice sessions were cut short, and I need the time to work on getting a good setup for Saturday. With some more work I'm sure we can be quicker."

Craig Pollock : Managing Director, BAR
"Today's session has been problematic. At other races on the first day we have been quite good, so we can hope that qualifying will bring us something better."

Robert Synge : Team Manager BAR
"Jacques' car has a fairly good balance, but this afternoon he had a hydraulic problem which cut short his session. Ricardo had engine problems in both sessions - a hydraulic leak this morning, and an engine failure this afternoon. However we are confident that Saturday will be more successful, and that our lap times will improve once we have more track time to fine-tune our set-ups."


Ferrari [start]

Jean Todt
"Today we concentrated on adapting our cars to the track. As usual, Friday's times have little significance. Both drivers used only one set of tyres. I think tomorrow we will see the usual contenders for front row honours."

Eddie Irvine
"It's good to be quick today, but the time doesn't mean much. We still have a lot of work to do, because I am having trouble controlling the back end of the car, which is why I spun this morning. The new wings make the car very fast to drive down the straights, but hard to control in the slow sections. I feel under less pressure here than I did in Zeltweg, my first race as team leader. Now I am more confident and content and I hope that will come through in my driving."

Mika Salo
"I had no problems with the car and we improved it during the day. I did not use new tyres so I am confident I can do better tomorrow. Today was easier for me than Friday in Austria, because I did not have to learn about the car and was able to concentrate on my set-up. Now I know what effect the changes we make have on the car and that makes the work easier. The car is good under braking, which is particularly important on this track, but we need to work on the Motodrom section a bit more."


Jordan [start]

The Benson and Hedges Jordan drivers concentrated on race set up in today's free practice sessions and finished the day in 8th (Hill) and 17th (Frentzen) positions. Frentzen did not run for most of the morning session after spinning off the track. In the afternoon, therefore, he concentrated on set up work rather than on securing a fast lap time. Both drivers are happy with today's work and feel confident of a good performance tomorrow.

Damon Hill
"That was a good session. We did a lot of things to improve the car and I am happy with the progress we made. It is extremely hard to find a perfect set up but the car felt quite good and if we continue in this direction we should be competitive."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen
"I lost most of this morning's session because I went off so I spent most of the afternoon working on race set up. I was not going for a quick lap time so I am not concerned that I am 17th. I am quite confident that we will go a lot faster tomorrow."

The T car, chassis 6 is set up for Heinz-Harald Frentzen for tomorrow's qualifying.


McLaren [start]

The West McLaren Mercedes team worked through their programme trying a range of different options in order to find a good race set up for Sunday. Both David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen had a spin during the second session but neither of these caused any damage to the cars as David and Mika posted times of 1:46.411 and 1:46.866 respectively.

Mika Hakkinen "It was a good day's practice as I worked hard with the guys to get the right balance for the car. I had one spin, I didn't loose much time because of it, but I did find the limit of the car."

David Coulthard
"Quite a contrast to come from Austria to Hockenheim which requires low downforce and very high speeds. A case of really getting a feel for the car on this bumpy circuit, I had one little off as I entered the stadium, but that's what it is all about, finding your limits."

Ron Dennis
"Practice was a little messy for us, but both drivers were working hard to optimise the cars on high mileage tyres and appropriate fuel loads. Free practice times, as always on a Friday, are virtually meaningless."

Norbert Haug
"We are heading in the right direction and I don't assume that all the cars faster than us had a lot of fuel on board."


Minardi [start]

Marc Gene
"I am very satisfied because the today's performance confirm the big step forward made by the car. I also have the feeling that my car behaves very well on such a fast track. I even feel a bit surprised: I was aware that the car was much more performing but I didn't expect to post such a time, only a little second slower than the pole. Tomorrow it will be a tough day but we'll do our best because the improvements are evident."

Luca Badoer
"Unfortunately my car suffered an engine failure. This prevented me from continuing the set-up; moreover, I couldn't switch to new tyres being unable to improve my time."

The T-car (chassis 03) is prepared for Marc Gene.


Sauber [start]

Jean Alesi
"This morning the car was going quite well until I had a brake problem going into the second chicane. After that it needed some modifications to the brake system. These were completed for the afternoon session, but there was no time to make the changes to the rear suspension which were necessary after Pedro's problem, so I could not go out."

Pedro Diniz
"This morning my car was bottoming heavily on the bumps, and oversteering in the fast corners. Then it developed a problem with the rear suspension, which necessitated some modifications. These were carried out in time for me to do two laps this afternoon, and I was not able to better the time I set in the morning."

Peter Sauber
"We were not able to complete our programme with either of our cars today. Jean's developed a problem with the brakes, Pedro's with the rear suspension. Both problems will be solved for tomorrow."


Stewart [start]

Rubens Barrichello set the fifth fastest time in today's free practice for the German Grand Prix. Team mate Johnny Herbert finished in 18th after experiencing a series of problems.

Rubens Barrichello
What area of the car do you have to improve?
"I worked through various settings to try and improve the car's traction and the rear stability under braking. I see those characteristics of the car as being crucial for this weekend."
Are you confident for tomorrow's qualifying?
"I'm still along way from an optimum qualifying set-up. I don't feel as if we have quite got the balance right. I will sit down with my engineers and discover where we can improve because I feel I can make up time, particularly in the Complex, which will be the key to a good grid position."

Johnny Herbert
Why were you restricted to just 20 laps today?
"In the first session my car had a broken exhaust and then in the afternoon we grappled with a handling problem which meant that it wasn't worth running towards the end."
How do you explain your lowly position on the time sheets?
"The car bore no relation to the car I drove at the Monza test in low downforce trim. It was nervous at the rear and very twitchy even in a straight line. It was impossible to make it work effectively. A lot of the day was wasted."

Paul Stewart : SGP Chief Operating Officer
"We have a problem with Johnny's car which we have not sourced yet but it appears it was damper related. As a result he was unable to make a lot of progress today. Rubens worked through a set-up programme to try and find a direction for the race. Both drivers feel there is some work ahead before qualifying tomorrow."

Martin Whitaker : Director, Ford Racing, Europe
"We experienced no problems with the engines today. After successful running on the dyno at Cosworth Racing's Northampton base the new Series 4 engine will make its debut in both cars tomorrow."


Prost [start]

Jarno Trulli
"This morning, when I arrived, I never thought I would finish the afternoon with the fastest time in the opening free practice sessions for this Grand Prix. My car was well-balanced from the very first laps no doubt because it behaves very well with low downforce. I realised immediately that we could be very competitive. The team has done a great job in finding a good aerodynamic solution for this circuit. When I took my set of new tyres in the final minutes of the session, I recorded the best time. I like this circuit very much since I drove here very much in Formula Three and, in six races, I won six times. Thank you to the whole team. It is good for the morale to start the weekend in this way."

Olivier Panis
"Following the work done at the Monza test, we were able to start the day here with a well-balanced car and we have worked throughout the day in a good direction. I am confident that the rest of the weekend will go well as I clocked my fastest time with a heavy fuel load. We have found a good compromise in terms of aerodynamic and mechanical set-up which means we should be able to improve and do better. Now we must work to find more grip without sacrificing our speed."

Alain Prost
"From time to time, it is nice to be surprised favourably. It is true that since the start of the season, we have not often been truly surprised like this. We have been able to see today that our cars behave well enough on this circuit which did not seem to be one of the easy ones for us. The work done in recent times with the test team is starting to bear fruit. We have tried several modifications on the cars, notably aerodynamic changes, and the drivers seem to be satisfied enough with their cars."


Williams [start]

Not a really satisfying start for either of the Winfield WilliamsF1 drivers Alex Zanardi and Ralf Schumacher, who were twelfth and thirteenth respectively in the first free practice session for the German Grand Prix. At the end of the morning session, Ralf's car suffered a gearbox failure, which had to be replaced. This kept him in the garage until the very last ten minutes of the second session, when he could only complete six more laps.

Alex Zanardi
"We had quite a smooth day, without any big trouble. We believe that we have made some small improvements and I am looking forward to something even better tomorrow, which is another day."

Ralf Schumacher
"At the moment I am not really satisfied with our performance. The car is still quite unstable turning in under braking which is a problem. I lost most of my second hour of the free practice session because we had to change the gearbox, which meant that we could not do much of the setting up work. Anyway, now we will sit together and try to find a good set up for tomorrow's qualifying and we will hopefully be nearer the front."

James Robinson : Senior Operations Engineer
"Friday is always difficult to accurately assess in terms of knowing what other teams are doing. We are obviously concentrating on our homework for the race and working on brake wear and how the oversteer can develop as the tyres become older. Unfortunately, Ralf had a problem with his car which basically lost 50 minutes of the second session so it's difficult to be up there at the front with such a loss of track time."


Bridgestone [start]

Not present at this time

German Grand Prix Weekend