Furore at Ferrari
A look back at the Nurburgring
by F1 Rumours for ITV-F1 Viewfinder
Jean Todt's season is going from bad to worse. His star driver is out with a broken leg, while the team's number two proves that Schumacher is unnecessary to lead the Championship. Then, his team lose their heads during admittedly frantic pit-stops, and forget to get tyres for the cars!
The resulting mess undoubtedly cost Eddie Irvine and Ferrari a lead in the Drivers' World Championship…. Had the stop taken ten, rather than forty, seconds he should have finished fourth… or better.
McLaren, on the contrary had an appalling race, but still scored points. No-one can comment on David Coulthard's performance - only he knows why he went off, or whether it was really right to be out on slicks at that time - but at the end of the day, his championship hopes all but died when his car contacted the tyre wall. Before that, he was sensational on a difficult track - great viewing, from the time Ralf Schumacher passed, right up to the moment of impact - but to no avail!
Mika Hakkinen scored two points in fifth place, with arguably the least deserving performance of all the drivers out there. The reigning world champion all but gave up after his tyre stops left him trailing behind the leaders. Towards the end, as it dawned on him that points were there for the taking, he put his house in order, and pushed - catching and passing Irvine, then Gene's Minardi.
What he might have achieved if he hadn't wasted the middle of the race, we shall never know - but certainly he should have made the podium, even if a race win was not in order. Having said which, he did make it to the end of the race!
Strong showings include Jarno Trulli, who held off a determined challenge from Rubens Barrichello for second place, and Ralf Schumacher, whose misfortune cost him his first win, frustrating an otherwise excellent drive. Luca Badoer, passed over in favour of Mika Salo at Ferrari, was running in a comfortable fourth place for Minardi, before being compelled to retire near the end of the race.
That the team still scored a point, courtesy of Gene's sixth place finish, speaks wonders for the team's commitment and persistence, but the Italian's misfortune was succinctly summed up when he broke down next to his car.
Jacques Villeneuve succumbed from fourth in similar fashion, five laps from the end, leaving BAR pointless again. However, their improved overall form was noticed, and their first points will clearly come with their reliability - probably next year.
Other tales of woe, largely from the leaders, gave rise to Johnny Herbert and Stewart's victory. Heinz-Harald Frentzen completed Jordan's misery by retiring from an impressively controlled lead. Coulthard fell off the circuit, before Giancarlo Fisichella lost control and, with it, a potential Benetton win. Ralf Schumacher, who had driven superbly - with an exquisite pass on Coulthard - suffered a puncture, and made a slow lap back to the pits.
That said, credit is due to Herbert. He started in 14th place, gambled on a single stop, guessed right with the rain, had the courage to stay out on slicks in the first shower and the good fortune to be making his stop as the second shower turned heavy - requiring wets.
So it came to pass that the unluckiest man in Formula One gained his second win, and the first for Stewart. It was well-earned - a suitable reward for the team's strong showing this year… and a fitting result from the mayhem of the race!
Article is written by and copyright (c) 1999 F1 Rumors.
Previously published at the ITV-F1 website
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