Hungary 1999: Team Reactions
[
Arrows |
Benetton |
BAR |
Ferrari |
Jordan |
McLaren |
Minardi |
Sauber |
Stewart |
Prost |
Williams |
Bridgestone
]
Arrows [start]
Not present at this time
Benetton [start]
The race strategy was based on two pit-stops with both cars using the super soft tyre. Giancarlo Fisichella was forced to retire whilst in 3rd position from a sudden loss of fuel pressure, the cause of which is not yet known.
Rocco Benetton
"Obviously we are not satisfied with this result. We were in a good position from the beginning of the race to have achieved 3rd or 4th position. However, as this was a track that wasn't even very well suited to our car, it is a comfort to know that our recent developments have made the car much more competitive."
Alexander Wurz
"The start was OK but then I had a collision, somebody knocked me on the rear of the car and from this moment on the car was very nervous. I therefore struggled throughout the race to get good lap times. So overall this was a difficult race for me."
Giancarlo Fisichella
"The choice to use super soft tyres proved the right one : as the race progressed their performance stabilised and the car became very well balanced. I was in third position and I felt there was a good possibility we could get on the podium but then the engine suddenly lost power a few hundred metres before my second pit-stop. I managed very slowly to get into the pits, but the engine cut out and would not restart."
British American Racing [start]
British American Racing went farther than ever before this season at today's Hungarian Grand Prix, with Ricardo Zonta finishing his third race and Jacques Villeneuve reaching the 61th lap before clutch failure ended his race.
Jacques Villeneuve
Villeneuve drove the first part of the race with a damaged front wing but was still able to lap quickly until his first pit stop on lap 24. He maintained a claim on 12th position, moving up to 10th as other drivers pitted late, before his clutch failed on lap 61, just after his second pit stop.
"I was sandwiched between Alexander Wurz and Rubens Barrichello at the start, banged a few wheels, and got a broken front wing, which meant lots of understeer and hard going in the traffic. In the end I stopped because I lost drive. It's very frustrating to have another retirement after I went so far in the race, but there'll be another one and soon I'm going to finish."
Ricardo Zonta
Ricardo Zonta could have finished higher up, if not for an extra stop due to a problem with his refuelling rig. Zonta came in for his first stop on lap 29, and a problem with the refuelling hose forced him to return for fuel on lap 33. An overheating engine towards the latter part of the race also forced him to back off in order to make sure of the finish.
"The race was OK and the car performed well. I was catching Mika Salo in the Ferrari at the end but the team told me to drop the revs because of the high engine temperature. It's a shame about the extra pit stop because maybe I could have finished in the top 10. Hungary was a good learning weekend for me, and I want to thank the guys for all of their support."
Craig Pollock : President & CEO, British American Racing
"It's disappointing that only one car finished as both drivers were putting in very good lap times during the race. Jacques did not make a good start, and then was stuck behind Herbert and slipping back and back with no way to overtake. On the positive front, our reliability is definitely picking up and this is very encouraging. Ricardo did a strong job after all the difficulties he'd had this weekend."
Nalcom Oastler : Technical Director, British American Racing
"We had a small technical problem with both cars - clutch with Jacques, and refuelling with Ricardo. Both the drivers and the team did a good job today, and the problems we had today will not recur. I am looking forward to the next race."
Ferrari [start]
Jean Todt
"We have never underestimated our strongest opponents, who did not put a foot wrong here. To all intents and purposes, we ran this race with one car, given Salo's position on the grid. Eddie could have finished second. Despite great work from the mechanics in the pits, Eddie lost second place when he went wide at a corner. Salo, whose race was also compromised by his unfortunate start position, was in pain for the last twenty laps because part of the seat belt got caught behind his right shoulder, impeding his driving. Despite the result, we are still leading both championships, by two and four points. Next week we are testing at Mugello in preparation for the race at Spa. As usual, we will fight hard and do all we can to maintain our position in the championships."
Eddie Irvine
"This is a disappointing result, but at least I have come away with four points, the first time I have scored any here. My start was as good as it should have been on that side of the track, but after just two or three laps my tyres went off badly and I was having problems with the front and rear of the car, which was jumping all over the road. I think we got a couple of things wrong, which we will have to look at very carefully in the de-brief. It is unusual for us not to be quick in the race. Before my second stop I had been cautious but I pushed hard on my "in" lap and that meant I was able to get out ahead of Coulthard but I was struggling. I lost control of the rear and ran wide at Turn 5 and then got slower and slower as the tyres got worse. We have some new aerodynamic developments coming for the next couple of races, so hopefully we can be more competitive in Spa."
Mika Salo
"I had a terrible race. I got stuck behind slower cars after the start and could not get past them. Basically, I could not find the right set-up all weekend. To be honest I am embarrassed by my performance and I feel I have let the team down. The car was terrible to drive and was all over the place all the time. I was on a one stop strategy, which was the only solution possible, given that I was eighteenth on the grid. During the race, I could do the same lap times as Eddie, but I could not overtake. Now, I am looking forward to testing next week, which will give me the chance to understand what went wrong this weekend. I am sure I can do better at Spa, which is my favourite circuit."
Jordan [start]
Not present at this time
McLaren [start]
The West McLaren Mercedes team is delighted that Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard claimed a one, two victory, in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Mika led from start to finish whilst David Coulthard put in a noteworthy drive complimented by a strategy that helped him to accomplish his second position on the podium.
Mika Hakkinen
"It is a great feeling to be back on the winners podium once again. This race is a tough one, it takes a lot out of the car and the driver ! By the time we had only ten laps left to go I thought if anything is going to go wrong it is going to be now so I was almost holding my breath. But it was fine. Over the weekend the team found a great package for both David and myself and to win is a fantastic finish to the weekend."
David Coulthard
"I was a bit surprised that I was passed into turn one and turn two, I thought that my reaction to the lights had been quite good but clearly I didn't pick up speed as quickly as the others around me and they managed to get passed. So, I had to bide my time and wait for the first pitstop in order to pass the two slower cars in front of me. After that I soon closed on Eddie Irvine. After the second pit stop, I obviously tried to put pressure on Eddie and I was glad to be able to take advantage of his mistake which allowed me to take second place today."
Ron Dennis
"Of course the results speak for themselves but behind them lies a particularly satisfying weekend that saw the team perform perfectly. Mika's race was faultless whilst David's was exceptionally satisfying as the team provided him with a good strategy to which he added a memorable drive ultimately seeing him place Irvine under sufficient pressure to force a mistake. There is still a long way to go in the championship but we will enjoy today. Congratulations are also appropriate for our F3000 team who secured the championship with our young driver Nick Heidfeld."
Norbert Haug
"A great weekend and a fantastic performance of Mika, David and the whole team. Mika was the class of the field and David made an impressive charge from fifth to second putting pressure on Eddie Irvine as long as he could and finally passing him. In terms of performance this was one of our best races, even considering other total points scoring results. Our World Championship prospects remain intact."
Minardi [start]
Not present at this time
Sauber [start]
Jean Alesi
"I made a good start and my car was running well until a problem arose with the fuel system just before my first stop. The same thing happened on the second, when the engine cut out. I incurred a stop and go penalty, then the fuel pressure dropped again, two laps from the end. With regret, this race made me decide that I will not drive for the team next season. I will honour my contract for the remaining races, on some of my favourite circuits, but after that my life with Sauber is finished."
Pedro Diniz
"I made a good start and ran ahead of Jean for the first 19 laps, in ninth place. But then Mr. Sauber told me to let him by. I did this, at the chicane at the top of the hill, but I was upset and lost my concentration, and spun under braking. The car was oversteering in any case, and I let myself get caught out."
Peter Sauber
"Jean drove a hard race without any mistakes and had the chance to score one or two points, but the problem with fuel system that arose at our second stop needs careful analysis back at home at Hinwil. Pedro drove a good race until he spun. I am sorry that Jean has announced that he won't be renewing his contract with us, because in our mutual interest we had made a common decision not to say anything before either Spa or Monza."
Stewart [start]
Rubens Barrichello finished fifth in today's Hungarian Grand Prix adding two points to the Stewart-Ford team's tally. Team mate Johnny Herbert finished 11th.
Rubens Barrichello
What was the thinking behind the one-stop strategy?
"It's so hard to overtake here that we felt our best chance with our tyre choice was to go for one stop. Because the guys ahead were using softer tyres and were on two stops my aim was to keep up with the pack at the start and make sure of a clean stop. The crew did a good job. The car handled well considering the fuel load it was carrying."
Fifth place and two championship points, you must be pleased?
"I'm relieved to finally get back in the points. I'm sure we can pick up more points before the season is over if we produce performances like today's. I'm really looking forward to Spa now after this result. I think the car will be well suited there."
Johnny Herbert
After being on the pace this morning - you didn't seem to have the same speed during the race?
"To be honest I'm very confused as to why I was slow. The car was very twitchy and I kept having wheelspin. We made some changes during the pit stop but it didn't help. Towards the end I had one quick lap but then the car immediately changed back and I was fighting it again."
What do you think caused the problems?
"I don't know. We have to look at the data. I was on the pace this morning and we made no major set-up changes to the car before the race. There was changes in the track conditions but that was the same for everybody - so I'm a bit mystified at the moment."
Paul Stewart : SGP Chief Operating Officer
"After missing out on points recently, I'm really pleased to be fifth and to have both cars finish. It was a strong and reliable result for the whole team."
Martin Whitaker : Director, Ford Racing, Europe
"It was imperative that we improved reliability following recent non-finishes. It was important that both cars finished today's race and I'm pleased that we did just that. We experienced no mechanical problems throughout the weekend."
Prost [start]
Jarno Trulli
"We decided on a two-stop strategy. I made a good start but my first set of tyres did not give me any satisfaction. With the second, the car was better balanced. Seven laps from the end, I had to slow down my rhythm because of a tyre problem. We drove a good race here, where it is difficult to do much better on a circuit so unfavourable to our car. It was moreover more difficult for me as I was not able to drink during the race due to a problem with the pipe. Fortunately, I am in good physical shape thanks to Alain who has advised me to train using a bike for the last year."
Olivier Panis
"We did our best in choosing different strategies from the choice we had, but in the end both of us were very close. I must congratulate the whole team for doing such a good job in the pit stops. They were very quick and efficient. Now we must work on the performance of the car. We have improved in the last few races and we need to continue in that direction. The results are still not going our way, but I believe they soon will."
Alain Prost
"Looking at the positive side of the day, our cars have finished in front of a Williams, a Stewart and a Ferrari. We decided to have a different strategy for each of the drivers but in the end; it did not help either of them. Today, 17 cars finished which is exceptional for this circuit. There were no accidents and the reliability was very good for everyone. We have certainly lacked something in performance and with the benefit of hindsight, we should perhaps have chosen softer tyres. We have finished with two cars without encountering any particular problems and we are now going to prepare for Spa and Monza which are circuits which are better suited to our car."
Williams [start]
Not present at this time
Bridgestone [start]
Not present at this time
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