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1999 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX Oct 17 
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Team Details Championship
Qualifying Villeneuve unexpectedly took the spoils with the top spot in Friday's session. On making his comeback during the week, Schumacher commented that he had not been pressurised from anyone to make his comeback despite rumours that the leg is still not A1. He has said however that he is not at his "normal" physical peak but commented that the level he is currently at is still higher than a lot of other drivers! His manager Willi Weber said during the week that this was a risky decision because if anything were to happen him during the race, there would be serious implications for the leg. However, apart from this he has made the comment that he has come back to support the team and not Eddie Irvine in his title aspirations. Saying that if he was leading and Eddie was following closely behind he would let him pass, arrogant considering that he has no hope in the championship. Perhaps the reason for this is the fact that Eddie could now win Ferrari's first championship since 1979 and not him. This, is also perhaps why the team spirit left Ferrari along with Schumacher- Jean Todt realising his golden boy (for which they so dearly paid) will not get his hands on the trophy. I think that Schumacher will support him and the "hard edged stance" may be just to keep face. Irvine after all said that Schumacher was the only driver that could help him to the title. Never the less Irvine will have to drive out of his skin to win this weekend, remember this is a new circuit and nobody has experience here - perhaps that's why Schumacher made his return here. Those McLarens are going to be fast wherever they go and down that straight they will probably be the fastest. With Frentzen, Hill, and maybe Ralf Schumacher all snapping at his heels it will be a tough one to crack. It promises much and may be a gigantic battle between McLaren and Ferrari. Part 1 started today with the qualifying which is never very predictable but has a huge bearing on the race - witness Frentzen's terrible 14th place on the grid. Well all there is left to say is "Go Eddie Go!" Cian Hanley - [email protected] Full race report and accompanying photographs next week |
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Race Results
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With both Ferraris on the front row, the scene was set, part 1 of the task Jean Todt had set for Michael Schumacher was fulfilled-gaining pole position. The race started with Michael Schumacher screaming off in to the distance at a rate of two seconds a lap. Eddie Irvine was busy keeping the charging David Coulthard at bay, with Mika Hakkinen following a second further back. Out already was Damon Hill, who for the second race in succession only managed to make it to turn two through no fault of his own. This time it was a spinning Arrows and an overly aggressive Giancarlo Fisichella that ended his day early. Four laps into the race and Michael Schumacher slowed dramatically, allowing team-mate Eddie Irvine through and into the lead. With Schumacher controlling the pace of the McLaren drivers behind, Eddie Irvine soon had a healthy lead. David Coulthard entered the race with the championship gone from his mind. His job in Malaysia was to help Mika Hakkinen's title chances and made no secret of this like Schumacher made no secret of his mission in the race- to help the title contenders. With a daring move on lap 5, which showed that Schumacher can be caught napping, D.C. (as Eddie Irvine likes to call him) bullied his way through to second position, while Mika Hakkinen, once in a position behind Schumacher probably believed that he could overtake him, applied pressure. Coulthard immediately set the fastest lap and began to close in on leader Irvine, only for an electrical failure to end his day on lap 15. Meanwhile Mika Hakkinen was unable to find a way around Schumacher, as the German was able to raise and lower his lap times to keep himself in front of Hakkinen and leave Irvine to gain more and more time until suddenly he put in a handful of fast laps prior to his first pitstop. With a five- second lead over Hakkinen, Schumacher pitted for fresh tyres and half a tank of fuel. McLaren should really have noted that Schumacher was stopped for nearly 11 seconds and therefore taking on enough fuel to run to the end of the race. Inexplicable they brought Hakkinen in on the next lap and gave him a two stop fuel level. Hakkinen duly rejoined the track behind Schumacher in the knowledge that he had to pass the Ferrari and then pull out 25 seconds at least. It was never going to happen and this could have been the point in which Mika Hakkinen lost the world championship. Eddie Irvine continued out front until lap 41, pitting for the final time and rejoining four seconds behind Schumacher and Hakkinen. Hakkinen duly pitted and Schumacher moved over to hand Eddie Irvine with his fourth win of the season. Indeed, the race was not over for Hakkinen as he found himself behind Johnny Herbert's one-stop Stewart Ford. The tussle ensued and Hakkinen duly took third place from the British driver with just two laps remaining. This left the order Ferrari-Ferrari-McLaren-Stewart-Stewart and Heinz-Harald Frentzen filling the last points place in his Jordan, a great race for him starting from 14th on the grid. Ferrari dominated the Malaysian Grand Prix, taking the lead in both the constructors' and drivers' championships. McLaren got it all wrong and with one race to go... and then we had the news... was it sour grapes, illegal, or was it Formula One at it's political worst? Well done Mika... I don't think you or McLaren really deserve the title after a season of errors, but you have more points and that is what counts. This morning we will hear if Mika will inherit this season's title, as the results will be released. [AS WE GO TO PRESS, THE NEWS IS THAT FERRARI HAVE BEEN CLEARED!! JUSTICE IN OUR VIEW.... ROLL ON JAPAN - ED] Cian Hanley - [email protected] |
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