1999 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

McLaren stamped their dominance all over the A-1 ring in Austria today in preparation for tomorrow's race. Mika Hakkinen was in scorching form, but his team mate, Coulthard was not very far behind. It seems that David's win at Silverstone has given him renewed confidence in the car. Until the last few minutes it really could have been either McLaren driver on the coveted pole position.

Ferrari struggled to keep up. Hakkinen was a full second faster than Eddie Irvine (read Steve Dean's thoughts on Eddie in this week's Steering Column). Schumacher's replacement, Mika Salo could only manage 7th. Salo is not a bad driver, but Ferrari will sorely miss Michael for the championship fight. If the McLarens do not break down then they seem certain to finish 1-2. But in which order?!

Alongside Irvine on the grid is Heinz-Harald Frentzen, proving himself again as the "best of the rest". Damon qualified in a poor 11th. He still hopes to gain some points to help Jordan get 3rd in the constructors' championship. Remember, he has announced that he will not retire until the end of the season. Behind the Jordan on the third row sit the two Stewart Fords. Johnny Herbert has finally found his pace, even if he is not quite as fast as Rubens Barrichello.

No major surprises then. Sauber, BAR and Benetton continue to struggle, while the Arrows and Minardis remain at the very rear. If it doesn't rain, or if the McLarens do not break down then it should be a dominant McLaren 1-2. However, it could, they may, and then who knows what could happen?!
S.O'

First of all, David Coulthard still has a job with McLaren-Mercedes. After running his team-mate, Mika Hakkinen, off the track at the second turn of the first lap, Coulthard showed his sorry side, as in, "I'm sorry!" Then, in the post-race news conference, Coulthard slammed Williams driver Alex Zanardi, saying he lost two and a half seconds trying to get around the Italian. He then finished off Zanardi, saying, "But that's racing. Sometimes you have to expect to find idiots in the way". Point well taken, David. We suspect Mika couldn't agree more.

The more races I see Mika Hakkinen compete in, the more I am impressed. Hakkinen continues to mature as a F1 pilot. His confidence was on display, again, during the Austrian GP. Despite the fact that his team-mate tripped him up, from first to last in a matter of seconds, Hakkinen never threw in the towel. I didn't hear Hakkinen complain of the backmarkers. He was too busy passing them. We've always known Hakkinen as a quick driver, but his ability to mix it up with others has brought us to our feet.

The top drivers have a way of getting by lap traffic, which has more to do with driver skill and respect than the superiority of their car. Men like Schumacher and Hakkinen have this quality. It is quite a shame that Schumacher is out of the championship hunt this year. It would have made quite a finish. It is widely accepted that Schumacher is F1's top driver. Hakkinen, however, has taken huge steps to close the gap.

Speaking of rising maturity levels, Ferrari's Eddie Irvine can claim some growth all his own. Irvine drove a conservative first half, saving his fuel and brakes, even though Stewart's Rubens Barrichello was getting away from him. Irvine showed us he has learned a thing or two from his broken team-mate. When Barrichello and Coulthard pitted, Irvine took over the lead and did three flying laps, leaving just enough time to keep the lead, following his pit stop. That was all he needed. No stupid mistakes, no dangerous manoeuvres, just a sound drive and excellent teamwork. Good thing, however, Hakkinen was essentially starting the race from the rear of the field.

Jacques Villeneuve did a good job in qualifying in sixth place. Which is good considering that the British-American Racing car only seems to last as long as a qualifying run. Maybe BAR chief, Craig Pollack should rethink his pre-season predictions of a first-year victory. In the time it takes a Lucky Strike cigarette to run it's course, Villeneuve's race has already come to a smoking conclusion. It is anguishing watching a former World Champion struggle in an inferior car. Villeneuve thought, and perhaps, still thinks, he could produce some results in an under-powered, unproven car. Damon Hill tried the same thing with similar results. That said, we have a hard time feeling much sorrow for Villeneuve. He chose his path and now he must follow it to its obvious conclusion. Small wonder, then, Villeneuve publicly yearns for a return to the glory days in North America.

Finally, concerning gravel traps. FIA chief, Max Mosley stated, "The gravel was not efficient in Michael's case. He said it didn't feel as though he was slowing at all. The basic problem you have is that a car goes out of control and ideally you want to stop it before it hurts someone, and that was always the idea with gravel." That makes for sound policy. So, why can't FIA follow words with actions? Why does it seem so hard to return to the deep, grooved gravel traps of days past? Not so many years ago, drivers that entered the gravel traps were finished for the day. But more importantly, they stopped before hitting an immobile obstruction.

Watching the qualifying for the Austrian GP, I couldn't help but notice drivers going off the track, to a flat, featureless gravel run-off area. More often than not, the guilty driver just continued on thru the trap, back on to the track. We suspect the teams have a major role in the reason why there isn't a return to the older, less forgiving gravel traps. No team wants to lose valuable track time, stuck in a gravel pit. It is a guarantee that no driver wants to end his day, on world-wide television, walking out of a gravel trap. In hindsight, though, it seems to us, to be a fair trade-off. A driver's day may be finished following a track exit, but he will be safe, and ready for the next race. I bet Michael Schumacher would take that trade-off.
Steve Dean

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