bob jennings' WORLD O' RACING 09/04/2000
The F1 plot twists and turns
start of 2000 Grand Prix of Hungary Photo: Clive Mason/ALLSPORT - from Gale Force F1
It's been a while. Trying to put up new stuff and being timely with observations is a difficult task when it's a spare time endeavor like this one. My job has been consuming the past couple months. My wife becomes resentful if I stay at this computer working on Bob Jennings' World O' Racing at night after she comes home from classes or work. In her mind it doesn't make a lot of sense for a 54-year old man to spend so much time writing articles about racing for a website, from which he receives no compensation. The fact there's been about 2,100 visitors the last time I looked must make this thing seem more meaningless to her.
By this time I intended to write new pieces on Formula One, at least one NASCAR summary, a detail look at the "Brickyard 400" and something on CART too. I planned three or four pieces on the Indy Racing League and almost as many about USAC. I have hundreds of photos selected and a bunch of topics I want to cover. Unfortunately there are evenings when the words don't come even if the spirit is willing and the clock permits. Other times there isn't time and that's when I yearn most to be at this PC putting thoughts and memories together with photos I want to display.
The good news is that even though summer 2000 hasn't been the most productive in the four-year off and on history of Bob Jennings' World O' Racing, I've gone to a lot of races. However I'll save all that for another chapter.
I've been intrigued about Microsoft FrontPage software for a long time. This has been going on since I first heard about the product, maybe late 1996 or somewhere about that time. I couldn't go through an Office Max store without looking hard at a box containing FrontPage. Or else if I saw an ad in a PC magazine for FrontPage I looked at it for a long time as if I was trying to grasp something.
I guess it goes back to the start of 1996 when I began thinking about building a website on the Internet right after I purchased a U.S. Robotics modem for my Compudyne 486 PC. I didn't know much about HTML except that it was awkward with all the tags, etc. I remember seeing a book one evening about building Internet websites (very primitive by today's standards I'm sure) in early 1996 in a Borders book store in Wilmette, Illinois on my way home from work. It all seemed like some magical process whereby I could present my image of racing to the world. How to get to that place was a fascinating mystery though.
Now four plus years later here I am actually composing a web page with Microsoft FrontPage. I finally put down $129 at Sam's Club (I have to send for that $50.00 rebate from Microsoft) earlier this month to purchase FrontPage. I've been fooling around with it since then, trying to learn how to use the product.
The latest version of AOLPress, which started off as Navisoft and then became GNNPress is pretty good. I read one of those yellow and black "Dummies" books about HTML a couple years ago which was my big leap forward in how to build web pages. After reading that book I've been able to make AOLPress do pretty much everything I want it to do. I received a copy of Microsoft Office 2000 because I purchased this computer and the latest version of Microsoft Word is a decent tool for building web pages also. This is my first effort at creating something with FrontPage. Who knows? I might discover something that will move me in all kinds of experimental and imaginative directions before too long.
Honest, this piece isn't about Microsoft FrontPage. It's about Formula One in the year 2000. With 13 events down in the 17 race schedule for the World Championship the conclusive battle for the driver's title is taking shape. Of course as has been the case for the past three years the contest is Michael Schumacher and the fiery red Ferrari prancing horse from Italy versus the cool silver gray missile from the Anglo-German McLaren - Mercedes Benz collaboration, driven by 1998-99 World Champion Mika Hakkinen.
The last time I wrote about the 2000 Formula season things looked different from today. Schumacher was coming off three wins in the first three races of the season while the McLarens were having a terrible start. Michael had a whopping 24 point lead and the two McLaren drivers, Hakkinen and Coulthard, had six points between them. Mika's second place at Imola was all the team had to show for three races. Some of the pundits were practically falling all over themselves ready to hand Michael Schumacher his third World Championship and more significantly the first World Championship for a driver in a Ferrari since Jody Scheckter in 1979. Remember Sam Posey's endless chatter on the F1 telecasts carried on Speedvision?
However there was a voice of reason - mine. Here's what I wrote after Schumacher's Imola win about the prospect of competition as the season progressed:
I'm not completely convinced that Schumacher and the Ferrari are the best
combination in F1 2000 and I think Mika Hakkinen still has an opportunity
to become the first driver with three consecutive World Driving Championships
since Juan Manuel Fangio in the mid-1950s. However Schumacher's 24-point
advantage presents a big obstacle to McLaren - Mercedes even with 14 races
left to run in the 2000 season. If McLaren's performances and fortunes don't
turn quickly they can start ringing those championship bells from the chapel
in Ferrari's hometown in Italy.
Not to over work a point but here's what I wrote after the F1 season opener in Melbourne:
Until Schumacher absolutely shows me that he can consistently beat Mika Hakkinen and the McLaren - Mercedes my expectation is that the Finn will become the first driver to win three consecutive F1 titles since Juan Manuel Fangio. I don't think Hakkinen is as complete a racing driver as Michael Schumacher but he's close and until I see otherwise my assumption is that Hakkinen and McLaren are still in the Formula One "zone."
Take a look at the World Championship standings after 13 of 17 events.
| Driver Championship | Constructor Championship | |||||||
| Rank | Driver | Nation | Points | Rank | Team | Engine | Points | |
| 1 | Mika Hakkinen | FIN | 74 | 1 | McLaren | Mercedes | 125 | |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher | GER | 68 | 2 | Ferrari | Ferrari | 117 | |
| 3 | David Coulthard | GBR | 61 | 3 | WilliamsF1 | BMW | 30 | |
| 4 | Rubens Barrichello | BRA | 49 | 4 | Benetton | Playlife | 18 | |
| 5 | Ralf Schumacher | GER | 20 | 5 | Jordan | Mugen-Honda | 13 | |
| 6 | Giancarlo Fisichella | ITA | 18 | 6 | BAR | Honda | 12 | |
| 7 | Jacques Villeneuve | CAN | 11 | 7 | Sauber | Petronas | 6 | |
| 8 | Jenson Button | GBR | 10 | 8 | Arrows | Supertec | 4 | |
| 9 | Heinz Harald Frentzen | GER | 7 | 9 | Jaguar | Cosworth | 3 | |
| 10 | Jarno Trulli | ITA | 6 | |||||
| Mika Salo | FIN | 6 | ||||||
| 12 | Eddie Irvine | GBR | 3 | |||||
| 13 | Jos Verstappen | NTL | 2 | |||||
| Pedro de la Rosa | ESP | 2 | ||||||
| 15 | Ricardo Zonta | BRA | 1 | |||||
What does it tell you? This isn't to boast about what I know about Formula One. Obviously I operate on intuition when it comes to predicting the future like most everyone else. It's not been difficult to analyze the situation however. What the table of data tells you is that there are some basic things in play in contemporary Formula One. Although Michael Schumacher is the number one driver, Ferrari isn't the number one team.
Michael Schumacher came to Ferrari when the organization was in one of its low cycles. From the time Alain Prost won the Grand Prix of Spain in a Ferrari on September 30, 1990 until Schumacher joined the team for the 1996 season, the Italian team had only two F1 victories. Gerhard Berger's Ferrari won at Hockenheim in 1994 and Jean Alesi won in Montreal in 1995.
Since that time Schumacher and Jean Todt have worked hard to bring another driver's championship to the team. Ferrari won the F1 constructor's championship in 1982, 1983 and 1999 but I don't think anyone other than the teams care much about that. Schumacher brought Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, two of his primary associates from the World Championship seasons at Benetton, to Ferrari. There have been a lot of Schumacher - Ferrari race victories but Michael and his men haven't been able to put all the pieces together for a driver's championship. It's either been Damon Hill and Williams - Renault, Jacques Villeneuve and Williams - Renault or Mika Hakkinen and McLaren - Mercedes who've been just that much better.
Of course Hill, Villeneuve and Hakkinen are all World Championship caliber racing talents. None of them were or are as good as Schumacher yet they've been good enough with better cars to beat the German driver. Frank Williams and Patrick Head had some terrific years with Renault just as Ron Dennis is having now with Mercedes Benz. Maybe it's designer Adrian Newey that Michael Schumacher and Ferrari can't beat. Newey was with Williams during much of their championship run and he's working his magic for McLaren now.
That Michael Schumacher is the best racing driver in the world becomes apparent in watching the F1 telecasts on Sunday mornings and seeing the German's immense talent at the wheel of a Formula One race car. In addition to his driving talent Schumacher is a motivating force, one of a few drivers who can essentially build a team up from mediocrity into a championship caliber operation. Michael's work at Ferrari is very reminiscent of 1974-1975 when Niki Lauda brought the Italians back to success after some bad years. I think what Schumacher has done is tremendous even if he fails in his quest to bring the World Championship to Ferrari.
By now Michael Schumacher must want to win the World Championship in a Ferrari more than he's wanted anything in his life. His childlike face with delicate, precise features is punctuated by that long pointed jaw, which says the word determination as clearly as anything I've seen.
With all the money Ferrari is willing to spend, I believe that eventually Schumacher and Ferrari will fit all the pieces in the World Championship puzzle together. It may happen this season. If the championship is to come this year however it's obviously not going to fall into Schumacher's lap. Michael and the Ferrari team are going to have to do just about everything right in the season remaining with a little misfortune thrown in for McLaren - Mercedes to get the job done. This is especially true given Mika Hakkinen's return to championship form. I have a feeling the remaining four events in the 2000 season are going to be interesting even if Formula One racing itself isn't too entertaining in the current era.
I've liked David Coulthard since he came into F1 as a substitute for Williams shortly after Ayrton Senna's fatal crash at Imola in May 1994. It must be the Scottish tradition established by two of my greatest heroes Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart. Not only that but Coulthard seems like a pretty decent guy. I think David Coulthard is a world class racing driver. There've been times throughout his six years in Formula One when I've been excited about Coulthard. If David were to win the World Championship F1 would become more intense for me and it would make me happy.
However I've also been disappointed by Coulthard's performance in relation to McLaren teammate Mika Hakkinen. Actually I was surprised that Hakkinen was able to overwhelm David beginning in 1998. During the 1997 season Coulthard brought McLaren back to the F1 winner's circle for the first time since Ayrton Senna's win in the 1993 season finale at Adelaide. Coulthard's win in Melbourne in March 1997 had to be a big deal for McLaren, Mercedes Benz and Bridgestone. In fact David looked superior to Mika for most of the 1997 season in my opinion. Coulthard had another win that season at Monza. David would've won the final race of 1997 in Jerez if he hadn't followed team instructions to allow Hakkinen to pass for the Finn's first F1 win.
To see Hakkinen emerge as the absolute number one driver has been hard for me to accept. It was even worse during 1999. At times Coulthard came across as the dutiful McLaren number two and that was upsetting. I remember talking about Formula One with Guy Nadeau on the way home from this year's "Indianapolis 500." Guy was of the opinion that Hakkinen was much better than Coulthard. It bothered me to hear that but I didn't raise an argument because Hakkinen has been better.
Coulthard's win at Silverstone on April 23 was a big deal for me, one of the highlights of the 2000 season. It was especially enjoyable to have David's win at Silverstone follow Al Unser Jr.'s first Indy racing win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the previous day. That was a neat racing weekend, perhaps my favorite of this season so far. Coulthard's F1 victories his second consecutive win at Silverstone could be considered surgically clean.
The rain played a part in an unusual starting grid at Silverstone. Rubens Barrichello took pole position because he picked the right time to put his Ferrari on the circuit. Heinz-Harald Frentzen also received a break to place his Jordan - Mugen Honda on the front row of the grid. Hakkinen and Coulthard filled row two. Michael Schumacher was fifth which was a big surprise. Next to Schumacher was Jenson Button making only his fourth F1 start and ahead of Williams - BMW teammate Ralf Schumacher. The remaining top ten places on the Silverstone grid went to Jos Verstappen's Arrows, Eddie Irvine's Jaguar and Jacques Villeneuve in the BAR - Honda.
Saturday's rain kept the crowd down for qualifications but the sun came out on Sunday and the usual numbers came to Silverstone for the Grand Prix. Many had to walk for miles because of muddy conditions surrounding the circuit which prohibited parking cars. For this Silverstone has been disciplined by the FIA and the 2001 event will also be in April. Talk about stacking the deck.
Why is Bernie Ecclestone trying to punish the British racing driver's organization that manages the Silverstone circuit so severely? Why did he move the F1 race at Silverstone from its usual weekend in mid-July to the third weekend in April? Talk about kicking tradition in the face, the very first official World Championship F1 Grand Prix was held at Silverstone on May 13, 1950. The circuit still holds the record for the fastest lap in F1 history (160 plus mph by Keke Rosberg in a Williams - Honda turbo V6 in 1985). Silverstone is steeped in tradition topped only by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The old World War II airfield circuit is the scene of some of the greatest race performances of all time in Formula One. Not only that but 90,000 to 100,0000 or more can be expected every year for the Grand Prix of Britain regardless of what's happening in F1 at that moment.
It's been written that Ecclestone favors the rolling Brands Hatch circuit near Kent which is managed by a woman named Nicola Foulston or something like that. Brands Hatch alternated for several years with Silverstone as the host circuit for the British Grand Prix of Britain until 1987. Brands Hatch looks like a neat place. It's the circuit where Nigel Mansell scored his first Grand Prix victory in the European Grand in October 1985. Actually I might like watching a race from Brands Hatch with its uphill, downhill layout and plenty of locations from which to take good photos more than I would at Silverstone which appears to force watching races from the grandstands. That's never good news for a photographer. From what I've seen of Brands Hatch it reminds me of a cross between Mid Ohio and Road Atlanta. Still, Silverstone is the centerpiece of racing in the United Kingdom and deserves some consideration for its place in the history and tradition of Formula One.
Rubens Barrichello must've enjoyed leading the field away from the starting line at Silverstone, having a moment in the spotlight for a change. Ruben's Ferrari team leader wasn't so fortunate however as Michael Schumacher experienced his first problem during the 2000 season. Michael tried to go inside Hakkinen and they bumped, allowing not only Mika, but Jenson Button, Jacques Villeneuve and brother Ralf to go by as well.
Barrichello led Frentzen, Coulthard, Hakkinen, Button and Villeneuve after one lap. Frentzen was the first of the leaders to pit on lap 24 with an 8.1 second stop. At the same time Coulthard picked up the pace and chased down Barrichello. By lap 26 David put himself within a half second of Barrichello. The Scot followed the Ferrari for a few laps with Hakkinen immediately behind. Then on lap 30 Coulthard made his move and went around Rubens on the outside of a corner to grab the lead. That was a slick pass!
Hakkinen made his first stop in 11.3 seconds while the new leader Coulthard set fast lap. David put Barrichello 2.2 seconds down just before making his stop in 10.2 seconds. But after resuming his earlier lead Barrichello ended his chances with a spin on lap 34.
Within a few laps the first sequence of pit stops had completed. The order was Frentzen leading Coulthard, Ralf, Button, Hakkinen and Michael. Coulthard began to close on Frentzen and drew within 2.8 seconds. The leader Frentzen stopped again on lap 42 giving up the lead back to Coulthard.
After the two Williams drivers pitted, Hakkinen moved into second place 11 seconds behind his teammate. Michael Schumacher moved into third some 20 seconds off leader Coulthard's pace. As the laps ran down Hakkinen tried hard to catch Coulthard. Mika closed the gap to 4.5 seconds, then 3.8, then 2.9 and as David began his final lap the difference between the two McLarens was 1.5 seconds. Coulthard came to the checkered flag to claim his second consecutive win in front of his countrymen and the seventh Formula One win of his career. The order of the top six finishers was Coulthard, Hakkinen, Michael, Ralf, Button and Trulli.
Coulthard's win in the 1997 Grand Prix of Australia ended a three season McLaren victory drought. The win at Silverstone in April had to be of nearly equal importance to the team, reversing the trend of Schumacher - Ferrari wins. That had to please both Ron Dennis and Mercedes Benz racing director Norbert Haug a lot. The Coulthard win reduced Michael's points lead to 20 over David and 22 over Hakkinen.
On a return flight from the U.S. the weekend following the Grand Prix of Britain a chartered Lear jet carrying Coulthard crashed near Lyons, France. Both pilots of the aircraft were killed but Coulthard, his fiancé Heidi and his trainer were lucky to escape without serious injury. David's character and mental toughness were on full display at the next F1 race at Catalunya in Spain on May 7.
At Catalunya Coulthard qualified fourth behind Michael Schumacher, Hakkinen and Barrichello. Ralf Schumacher, Villeneuve, Jarno Trulli, Frentzen, Eddie Irvine and Jenson Button filled the top ten places on the starting grid.
In the race Michael Schumacher led Hakkinen into the first corner. Brother Ralf had some ideas of his own. Not only did Ralf pass both Coulthard and Barrichello at the start but he nearly caught Michael on the inside going into the first corner. So the order at the end of lap one (of 65) was Michael, Hakkinen, Ralf, Coulthard, Barrichello and Villeneuve. After four laps Michael was leading Hakkinen by 2.4 seconds. By lap nine the leading Ferrari had pulled out 3.1 seconds on Mika. Meanwhile Coulthard pulled right on Ralf's tail applying pressure.
Once the leaders hit lapped traffic Hakkinen began to eat into Michael's lead. By lap 22 Mika had narrowed the gap to 3.1 seconds. Then Michael brought the Ferrari in on lap 24 but he hit one of his crewmen on the way out of the pits. Hakkinen remained on the circuit and had 24 seconds on Ralf who was running second. Mika's stop was a quick 7.8 seconds. But as he was coming out of the pits Michael's Ferrari went by to resume the lead he had before the pit stop sequence. Hakkinen was close by in second place with Ralf running third. Barrichello overtook Coulthard in the pits to move into fourth.
Hakkinen began to close on Michael again and drew to within .6 seconds of the Ferrari. Michael made his second stop on lap 41 and had a fuel hose problem which meant a slow 17.5 second stop. Hakkinen's stop was only 6.4 seconds which put him into the lead. With second stops completed Hakkinen had a 10 second lead on Michael. Coulthard was third but coming after the Ferrari. Ralf led Barrichello from fourth with Miko Salo's Sauber running sixth. It soon became obvious that Michael was experiencing a problem when he fell 20 seconds behind Hakkinen's McLaren with Coulthard closing fast from third place.
On lap 48 David passed Michael for second with Ralf, Barrichello and Button filling out the top six. The next lap Ralf came up to challenge but Michael held the Williams off, forcing his younger brother to go wide. This enabled Barrichello to sneak by both Schumachers and into third. Michael rushed to the pits again for tires only dropping the Ferrari to fifth place. Hakkinen held a 22 second advantage on Coulthard as the final laps of the race approached. Three laps from the finish Button lost sixth when the BMW engine in his Williams blew.
Hakkinen eased off with Coulthard's second place giving McLaren - Mercedes their first one-two finish of the season. Barrichello finished third, followed by Ralf, Michael and Frentzen. Mika's win put him within 14 points of Schumacher in the standings. Coulthard stood third in the points another two back from Schumacher.
Two weeks later on May 21 Formula One came to the Nurburgring. Coulthard won pole by turning the quickest lap within the first 30 minutes of the session. Rain hit the circuit after that and the grid was set. Following the Scot in order was Michael Schumacher, Hakkinen, Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher, Jarno Trulli's Jordan, Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton, Eddie Irvine's Jaguar, Villeneuve and Frentzen.
Under overcast skies Hakkinen made a fantastic start to beat Michael into the first corner. Coulthard dropped to third with Barrichello running fourth. Michael went after the leader Hakkinen. When rain began to fall on lap ten (of 67) Schumacher was able to get on Mika's tail. Two laps later as the rain increased Michael passed Hakkinen to take the lead. Barrichello in the other Ferrari got his man too when he overtook Coulthard for third. As the track became wetter Michael became faster than Hakkinen. Then cars began coming to the pits for rain tires. After things sorted out following pit stops Michael led Coulthard by 12 seconds. Hakkinen was third another 1.3 seconds further back. A couple laps later David let Mika go by into second place. That one was a puzzle.
When Michael pitted on lap 36 Hakkinen took the lead. Schumacher's stop took 11.8 seconds but the Ferrari returned to the track 25 seconds behind Mika's McLaren. Hakkinen remained on the track another ten laps but relinquished first place to Schumacher when he stopped. After the stops Hakkinen turned up the pressure on Michael for a while closing to within five seconds while Coulthard fell one lap down. But as the final laps passed Mika appeared to accept his fate and fell 13 seconds behind the Ferrari at the finish. Coulthard had to work hard to hold Barrichello and came in third. Fisichella recovered from his opening lap problems to finish fifth while Pedro de la Rosa finished sixth in an Arrows.
Schumacher's fourth win of the season increased his World Championship points lead to 18 over Hakkinen with Coulthard another four points back in third. After a two race slide by Schumacher's Ferrari and a resurgence by McLaren - Mercedes it looked as if Michael had regained some of his early season momentum.
Next came the Grand Prix of Monaco on June 4. The qualifying session was intense once the action became serious. 26 minutes into the session Coulthard grabbed pole position. Three minutes later Irvine pulled a surprise and put the Jaguar on pole. Michael was also on the circuit at the same time and he beat Eddie the next time by. Three minutes later Jarno Trulli put his Jordan on pole. 38 minutes into the session Coulthard knocked Trulli off the pole only to lose the top spot to Michael eleven minutes later. With seven minutes left in qualifying Trulli regained pole but Schumacher beat Jarno on the next lap. So the top ten drivers on the Monaco grid in order were Michael Schumacher, Jarno Trulli, Coulthard, Frentzen, Hakkinen, Barrichello, Jean Alesi's Prost, Giancarlo Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher and Eddie Irvine.
David Coulthard's victory in the Grand Prix of Monaco was a gift. That's okay by me. A win is good no matter how it comes and David drove a smart race to put himself in a position to gain from Michael Schumacher's misfortune.
The race in Monaco began 33 minutes late. The start was delayed when Alexander Wurz's Benetton failed to move. For some reason the red flag signal was shown on the FIA timing screens as Michael rushed away from the field. In the confusion that followed Jenson Button bumped Pedro de la Rosa at the Loew's Hairpin and eight cars were blocked by the mishap. As a result of the miscue de la Rosa was out of the race while Marc Gene's Minardi, Ricardo Zonta's BAR, Nick Heidfeld's Prost, Jenson Button's Williams and Pedro Diniz's Sauber all had to start the race from the pit lane.
Once the race actually started Michael pulled away again and the order after the first lap (of 78) was Schumacher, Trulli, Coulthard, Frentzen, Hakkinen and Ralf Schumacher. By lap 20 Michael was 20 seconds in front of Trulli. Ten laps later Schumacher had increased the lead to 28 seconds. Trulli's Jordan quit on lap 36 opening the way for Coulthard. After 40 laps Coulthard ran 33.6 seconds behind Michael. Meanwhile Hakkinen was having a rough time and needed an early pit stop which dropped him back to 12th place one lap behind the leader Schumacher.
Coulthard was trying to catch Michael but there was such a large gap that when Schumacher pitted on lap 49, the German was able to maintain a 7.6 second advantage. With a light fuel load David was doing everything he could to cut into Schumacher's lead. But as fates would have it this was Coulthard's day. On lap 54 Michael's Ferrari cut a tire just past the pits and had to make a full lap to bring the crippled car back.
This left Coulthard with a 17.8 second lead on Frentzen. Barrichello ran third, followed by Fisichella, Irvine and Salo. Hakkinen had moved up to seventh. and put himself back on the lead lap when Coulthard stopped in the pits for 7.1 seconds. Coulthard kept his lead with the stop. Frentzen clipped a barrier at St. Devote corner on lap 70 which moved Barrichello into second 33 seconds behind the leader. On lap 75 Hakkinen overran a chicane and David was able to put his teammate one lap down again. This wasn't a good day for either Michael Schumacher or Mika Hakkinen.
At the finish Coulthard had a 15.8 second advantage on Barrichello. Fisichella brought the Benetton in third. Eddie Irvine gave Jaguar its best result of the season with a fourth. Salo was fifth. Hakkinen in spite of all his problems was able to salvage a single championship point with a sixth place finish. Think about how important that point may become at the end of the season!
It had to be a great day for Coulthard even though he was the benefactor of misfortune that befell his competition. Winning the Grand Prix of Monaco has to be one of the highlights of any racing driver's career. Recall that neither Jim Clark nor Nigel Mansell were able to win Monaco. David moved into second place in the points with the Monaco win, trailing Schumacher 46 to 34. Third place Hakkinen had 29 points. So in four races Michael's points advantage had been cut in half.
I'll be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in less than one month for the Grand Prix of the United States. You betcha! I've been to a total of 18 Formula One races at four different circuits. My most recent F1 race was at Montreal in 1992.
I'm a very nervous flyer but I got up the nerve so I could see Nigel Mansell race in person during his World Championship season. I met Guy Nadeau in Montreal and we stayed at the apartment of one of Guy's associates.
Nigel had his worst race of the season but I still could've had a great time if I'd been smart. The problem in 1992 was that I was going through misery after being dumped by a Greenwood, Indiana school teacher named Susan. That had to be one of the two most intense heartbreaks I ever went through in my life. I was so unhappy that I wasn't enjoying anything even though everything I wanted in racing was happening. Al Unser Jr. won his first "Indianapolis 500." Al Unser Sr. drove an excellent race to third place in the "500." Bill Elliott was running fast and winning races in Winston Cup. Nigel Mansell was dominating Formula One and well on his way to the long awaited World Championship. But I wasn't getting what I could out of it because I was moping about some woman I'd fallen in love with who dropped me for another man.
Montreal was nice and the women were friendly. But I didn't want any of it. What a fool we can sometimes be. But my old buddy Guy was waiting for me in Montreal and doing his best to show me a good time. I miss Guy a lot. I think of the races he and I could be going to this season and I feel bad. It's still hard to believe Guy is gone forever and just not away on a long trip or something like that.
The Montreal circuit on an island in the St. Lawrence River is pleasant and clean. It's a park-like setting but for me the circuit was still confining, even though there are lots of trees and the setting is picturesque. The one thing I really liked were the bleachers which are built above the safety fences. That meant I didn't have to shoot photos through fences. The one big mistake I made however was not to bring my 300 mm lens. I needed a longer lens than 200 mm because I was back so far from the circuit.
To get back to June 2000, the qualifying in Montreal was another one of those back and forth struggles for pole position. 21 minutes into the session Hakkinen made the first strike and temporarily placed himself at the front of the grid. Four minutes later Coulthard made a run and knocked Mika off pole. Hakkinen regained the spot 34 minutes into qualifications. Two minutes later David beat Mika and was back on top. With eight minutes left Michael Schumacher made his presence felt and took pole from Coulthard. After slipping back to third behind Rubens Barrichello, Coulthard regained the pole at the very end of the session. Schumacher was behind David on the track and just a bit quicker and he ended up with another pole position.
The Grand Prix of Canada was a strange race to say the least. Coulthard put in one of his most aggressive performances to date. But it all went for naught before the race got underway. The problem began when David stalled his McLaren - Mercedes as the cars were pulling away on the formation lap. Coulthard eventually got going and took second spot on the grid. But the rules had already been broken by the delay of the McLaren to get going on time. What puzzles me is why did the stewards allow Coulthard to start from this second spot on the grid since they were going to assess a penalty in a few minutes anyway? Sometimes the only way to define the way Bernie Ecclestone and his FIA gophers conducts F1 racing is stupid.
Jacques Villeneuve made a terrific start from sixth on the grid to move into third behind Michael Schumacher and Coulthard. Barrichello ran fourth with Hakkinen and de la Rosa following. Within a few minutes after the race had gotten underway the FIA called the penalty against Coulthard. David brought the McLaren into the pits on lap 14 for a stop and go penalty and rejoined the race in tenth.
This left Michael with a big lead over Villeneuve's BAR - Honda. On lap 20 Barrichello passed the 1997 World Champion and the Ferraris ran first and second. When Schumacher pitted on lap 34 (of 69) he had a 34-second lead on his teammate. Meanwhile Hakkinen passed Villeneuve for third.
When Rubens stopped on lap 43 he was nine seconds in front of Michael. On the next lap it began raining heavily with Schumacher leading Barrichello by 32 seconds. Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton was running third, followed in order by Hakkinen, Jarno Trulli and Alexander Wurz in the other Benetton. This brought the leaders back to the pits for wet weather tires. Cars were sliding off the circuit as you'd expect in the heavy rain. Among them was Coulthard who spun trying to pass Wurz for sixth with two laps remaining.
Michael slowed in the final laps allowing Barrichello to get right behind him for a Ferrari parade to the checkered flag. Fisichella took third place, followed by Hakkinen, Jos Verstappen's Arrows and Trulli's Jordan. After Canada things moved back in Schumacher's favor. Schumacher had 56 points and had increased his lead to 22 points over Coulthard, with Hakkinen two points further back in third place in the championship standings.
In my mind, the Formula One race at Magny-Cours on July 2 represented one of the best drives of David Coulthard's career. The weekend in France didn't start the way it was supposed to for Coulthard however. There was a problem with his car and he was quickly moved to the spare McLaren - Mercedes which was set up for Hakkinen.
It was 34 minutes into the qualifying session when Coulthard finally made it on to the circuit. Rubens had been quickest at the 15 minute interval and teammate Schumacher moved to the front after 30 minutes. It didn't take the Scot long however to get the feel of Mika's spare car and he set second fast time as soon as he began making quick laps. At the conclusion of qualifying, Coulthard was second on the grid to Schumacher's Ferrari. Barrichello qualified third. Hakkinen was fourth. In contemporary F1 does anyone else really matter? For whatever it's worth the remaining six of the top ten qualifiers were in order Ralf Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, Jacques Villeneuve, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button.
Coulthard made a sluggish start while Michael Schumacher cut across David's McLaren allowing Barrichello to grab second. Hakkinen moved into fourth ahead of Villeneuve who made another of his dazzling starts this season by passing both Ralf Schumacher and Frentzen's Jordan.
Michael moved out to a five second lead after ten (of 72) laps. Barrichello was holding up Coulthard and Hakkinen. Villeneuve ran a distant fifth with Frentzen in sixth. It took the McLarens 26 laps but they eventually got by Barrichello who should've been penalized for blocking in my opinion. As soon as he passed the second Ferrari Coulthard went after the leader Schumacher. While David was charging, Mika set a more leisurely pace. Like the "talking heads" on Speedvision at that time, I was beginning to question Hakkinen's motivation. It seemed like Coulthard was carrying the flag for McLaren - Mercedes rather than the World Champion. Looking at what has occurred since the race in France makes one realize how premature analysis can sometimes be.
Six laps later Coulthard caught Michael and was making motions like he wanted to get by. Of course Schumacher was having none of that. When David tried to pass at a hairpin the German blocked him. It was great to see the fire burning in Coulthard's belly as he kept after the Ferrari. On lap 39, at the same place with a "one finger salute" the Scotsman swept by into the lead. Once by David began to pull away from Michael.
After the second round of pit stops had concluded Coulthard had a 4.3 second lead on Schumacher's Ferrari. Hakkinen was still running third, followed by Barrichello, Villeneuve and Trulli's Jordan. David built his lead to ten seconds when Schumacher's engine blew. Meanwhile Ralf Schumacher had passed Trulli and was now in fifth.
During the closing laps Hakkinen seemed content with second place and fell 14 seconds behind Coulthard. That's the way they finished with David taking his ninth career Grand Prix victory making it the first time he'd won three races during one F1 season. Barrichello salvaged third for Ferrari, ahead of Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and Trulli.
The win moved Coulthard to within 12 points of Michael's leading tally of 56. Hakkinen stood third with 38 points. The season was taking on a different tone from earlier and at that point it appeared that David Coulthard was going to mount the challenge for McLaren - Mercedes.
Reportedly Mika Hakkinen took time off during the two week break between the races at Magny-Cours and the A1-Ring in Austria on July 16. The time off must've done Mika some good because he came to Austria looking like the same guy who's won the last two World titles. If things continue for the rest of the season the way they look now and Hakkinen wins his third consecutive championship the vacation in early July may wind up being the pivotal moment.
18 minutes into qualifying Hakkinen put his McLaren on pole. Although David Coulthard took repeated shots, Mika remained on top. At the end of the session the two McLarens were on the front row of the starting grid. Interestingly Rubens Barrichello beat Michael Schumacher into third grid position. Jarno Trulli's Jordan was fifth fastest, followed in order by Riccardo Zonta's BAR, Jacques Villeneuve, Giancarlo Fisichella, Miko Salo and Jos Verstappen's Arrows.
It wasn't looking like one of Michael Schumacher's better weekends. In the morning warm-up session Michael spent time in both of his Ferraris trying to choose the best one for the race. Hakkinen led Coulthard away at the start of the race but all hell broke loose behind the two silver gray cars. Zonta hit the back of Michael's Ferrari while Trulli tagged Barrichello. Although Rubens and Zonta were able to get away from the melee, Schumacher spun and Trulli ran into the Ferrari, taking both drivers out at the first corner of the 71 lap event. At the same time Pedro Diniz, in a Sauber, hit Fisichella's Benetton. The safety car came on to the track immediately after and the order behind the McLarens had been jumbled significantly. Salo had come to third, followed by Pedro de la Rosa's Arrows, teammate Verstappen and Johnny Herbert's Jaguar.
After one lap the race resumed and there was a lot of action as drivers exchanged positions frantically. By lap ten Hakkinen had a 1.4 second lead on Coulthard. Hakkinen pulled away from Coulthard and led by more than 15 seconds after 30 laps. By the time Hakkinen came to the pits on lap 38 he had lapped all but second place Coulthard. Barrichello ran third and Villeneuve had moved into fourth followed by Jenson Button and Salo.
On lap 50 Hakkinen held an 18 second lead and Coulthard. He won easily from David. Barrichello was a distant third, followed at the finish by Villeneuve, Button and Salo. Now the points chase really tightened up. Coulthard had closed to within six points of Michael Schumacher. Hakkinen's Austrian win combined with Schumacher's retirement had brought the Finn within eight points of the lead.
If anything would rejuvenate Michael Schumacher's bid for a third World Championship in the 2000 season it should've been the Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheim on July 30. Instead the weekend turned into a disaster for Schumacher, one I'm sure he'd like to forget.
As qualifying got underway it appeared that rain was on the way. Even on a dry surface, drivers were having problems. Heinz-Harald Frentzen cut short a chicane. Giancarlo Fisichella and Rubens Barrichello both spun. Shortly after rain drops began to fall. Within a few minutes everyone was back in the pits. David Coulthard was on provisional pole, followed in order by Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher, Pedro de la Rosa, Jarno Trulli and Alexander Wurz. 16 minutes into qualifying it stopped raining and sun began shining on parts of the track, sort of a teaser to Coulthard's competition. Fisichella came closest to David's time 22 minutes into the session. Seven minutes later it rained again and was getting heavier. Barrichello had turned his only time while the track was wet and his speed was below the FIA 107 percent qualifying rule. Although the track surface began to dry again no one could beat Coulthard's time. At the very end of the session Michael Schumacher tried and grabbed second on the grid but missed the pole. The top ten on the grid in order were Coulthard, Michael Schumacher, Fisichella, Hakkinen, Pedro de la Rosa, Jarno Trulli, Wurz, Johnny Herbert, Villeneuve and Eddie Irvine.
Jenson Button couldn't fire his Williams - BMW immediately as the cars pulled away on the formation lap but eventually the white and navy blue car (for me easily the prettiest cars in F1 this season) fired and the young Brit set off after the pack.
When the race got underway Coulthard cut across Schumacher to block the Ferrari. Hakkinen was ready however and made a beautiful start from fourth to lead into the first corner. Schumacher must have been upset with Coulthard's opening move and tried to pass David but instead ran into the back of Fisichella's Benetton. Both drivers were out. This was the third consecutive race and fourth in the five most recent events in which Michael Schumacher had failed to score a single championship point.
Hakkinen came across the line .7 seconds ahead of Coulthard after the first of 45 laps was completed. Trulli ran third and was followed by de la Rosa and Herbert. Miraculously Barrichello who'd been allowed to start the race advanced from 18th on the grid to eighth in one lap. David fell 1.5 seconds behind his teammate over the next 15 laps. Barrichello was on a mission. He'd moved into third from 18th grid position, less than 13 seconds behind second place Coulthard.
Barrichello stopped on lap 17 which would later prove crucial to the outcome of the race. On lap 24 a spectator was able to walk next to the track. He was protesting Mercedes Benz who had apparently terminated the spectator's employment. This brought the safety car on to the track while the man was removed from the track. Wisely Hakkinen pitted while Coulthard got the real "screw job." Barrichello also took advantage of the safety car and pitted.
When the race resumed on lap 28 Hakkinen led Trulli, Barrichello, de la Rosa, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Coulthard who lost big ground during his pit stop. One lap later Pedro Diniz, in the Sauber, ran into the back of Jean Alesi's Prost, bringing the safety car on to the track another time. When the safety car pulled in on lap 32 it began to rain. Most of the cars left in the race pitted. Both Barrichello and Coulthard stayed out. There was a five second separation between leader Barrichello and Coulthard.
Eventually Coulthard pitted for wet weather tires but Rubens remained on the track on dry rubber. This left Hakkinen in second followed by Coulthard, Miko Salo, Jenson Button and de la Rosa. Button ran hard and passed Salo for fourth. At the finish Barrichello was seven seconds in front of Hakkinen. I think the last time I saw a first time F1 Grand Prix winner as happy as Barrichello was when Michael Schumacher had his first F1 victory at Spa in 1992.
Things were really getting close now. Coulthard and Hakkinen both moved to within two points of Michael Schumacher's leading total and Barrichello had drawn to within ten championship points of his teammate.
In the next race at the Hungaroring on August 13 the Formula One points lead changed for the first time in 2000. Only time will tell if the World Championship lead changes hands again this season.
Even though weather was sunny it was 13 minutes into qualifying before Hakkinen's McLaren became the first car on the track. A couple minutes later Mika put up the first pole time of the session. Six minutes after Hakkinen's run Ralf Schumacher put his Williams - BMW on the provisional pole. Five minutes later Coulthard knocked Ralf off the top spot. A few minutes after that Michael Schumacher went out and put his name on pole. Hakkinen who'd been down in the speed charts turned in third quickest time with 20 minutes left for qualifying. After that Michael remained on top. Following the German in order were Coulthard, Hakkinen, Ralf Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jenson Button, Miko Salo and Eddie Irvine.
There was anticipation that Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard would do some "zigzagging" which had characterized earlier battles the two drivers have had recently. It didn't happen in Hungary though as Coulthard made a poor start and found himself in a crowd with Ralf and Barrichello in a battle for third. Hakkinen on the other hand was brilliant and was able to challenge and edge by Michael into first place. I ask you does Mika Hakkinen drive like he's after the World Championship or not?
Hakkinen quickly moved away from Schumacher with Coulthard running third. After pit stops Hakkinen held a 13.5 second lead on Schumacher with Coulthard running another four seconds back in third. After the second set of pit stops Hakkinen held a 25 second lead on Schumacher in the 77 lap event. In the final laps Mika slowed allowing Michael to get within eight seconds. Coulthard was directly behind Schumacher in third. Barrichello finished fourth followed by Ralf Schumacher and Frentzen's Jordan.
Hakkinen's win had given him the points lead with a two point advantage on Schumacher. Coulthard was third another four points back with Barrichello nine points behind David. It had taken Mika Hakkinen and McLaren - Mercedes 12 races but they were finally on top of the World Championship!
Last Sunday I watched as much of the Grand Prix of Belgium on Speedvision as I could before heading to Kentucky Speedway for the Indy Racing League event. I watched the video from start to finish the following night but my mind was still wandering back to my trip to Kentucky the previous day. So I watched the video of the Speedvision coverage again as I sat down to finish this piece.
There were a few surprises during qualifying at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Saturday August 26. It was no surprise certainly that Mika Hakkinen won pole position. Mika established quick time 14 minutes into the session. Jarno Trulli took pole away 22 minutes later. Two minutes after that however Hakkinen regained pole. At the end of qualifying Hakkinen and Trulli were on the front row. What is surprising is that Jenson Button qualified third fastest in the Williams - BMW he will vacate at the end of this season to make way for "Indianapolis 500" winner Juan Montoya. Perhaps even more surprising was that Michael Schumacher only qualified fourth and David Coulthard was fifth fastest. The remaining top ten qualifiers were in order Ralf Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Johnny Herbert with another surprise - Rubens Barrichello qualifying tenth on the grid.
The circuit was so wet from rain that the race was started in single file order behind the safety car. Hakkinen led away from the flag but there was some intense fighting for second place. Button tried to out brake second place Trulli at La Source but ran wide and Jarno was able to retrieve his position. Not only did Button loose second to Trulli but Michael Schumacher went by him into third. On lap four Schumacher got Trulli for second and Button tried to follow Michael through, but Jenson touched the Jordan, spinning Jarno.
The sun came out within a couple laps of the start and the circuit began drying quickly. By lap seven nearly everyone switched to dry tires. Hakkinen built a five second lead on Schumacher but then on lap 13 Mika over shot a corner, got into the wet grass and spun. Although Hakkinen kept the McLaren going Michael's Ferrari came by to go into first place.
By lap 29 of the 44 lap race the leaders had all made another stop. Schumacher led Hakkinen by five seconds. As the laps passed Hakkinen put on a charge to catch Schumacher. With less than ten laps left to run Hakkinen moved on to Schumacher's gearbox. Clearly Mika was trying to find a way past the Ferrari. On lap 40 Schumacher and Hakkinen both came up on Riccardo Zonta's BAR. Mika went to Zonta's right and shot into the lead.
Hakkinen finished little more than one second ahead of Michael. Brother Ralf finished third. Coulthard passed Button for fourth near the end of the race after a long battle with the young Brit. Frentzen took sixth place and the final championship point.
Now things become serious. This Sunday the Formula One circus travels to Monza and in less than three weeks the inaugural F1 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will have taken place. That brings up some important questions. Can Michael Schumacher and Ferrari finish the 2000 season with the same flourish as they started? Now that he's gathered first place in the points can anyone or anything keep Mika Hakkinen from becoming the first three time consecutive World Champion in 43 years? Is David Coulthard going to pick up where he left off earlier in the season and make his presence felt or is he going to slip back into convenient, familiar role of supporting his McLaren teammate on the way to the title? My feeling is that now that Hakkinen has assumed control he's going to understand what's at stake and do everything possible to take his third championship.
Finally . . . . . I'd give anything to take a race photo as good as the one at the top of this page. I suppose I should feel guilty putting Clive Mason's excellent photo on my website. A beautiful piece of work like this photo deserves to be shared however. Since my website is only a hobby enterprise surely the folks at Gale Force F1 won't mind if an amateur guy like me shares some of their material. I've taken all but a few of the photos on this website. Unfortunately my access to Formula One photography is limited and once in awhile I will borrow.
Happy Labor Day.