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Formula 1 news, results and statistics when you need it |
19 - 24 April News News Archive |
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Formula 1 news, results and statistics when you need it |
19 - 24 April News News Archive |
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Download the NewsOnF1.com |
24-Apr: In preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix on the 7th of May, most of the teams head to Barcelona for a 4 day testing session starting Tuesday the 25th of April. Stay tuned for the latest news and results. 24-Apr: Ferrari have been the most reliable car in Formula 1 recently, in fact last year, Eddie Irvine was the only driver to finish 15 out of the 16 races with only a single mechanical failure. This year, Michael Schumacher still has a perfect record with 4 finishes out of 4 starts but Rubens Barrichello is having a dreadful time only managing to finish half the races he started. Twice, the problem Rubens encountered was related to the high pressure hydraulic circuit. Is it a case of bad luck or is Rubens driving style contributing to this. Whatever it is, we certainly hope that the problem gets fixed. Mika Hakkinen had a bad race day as he struggled in the morning warm-up only to have less than 10 minutes of practice time. He also made a bad start which caused him to lose 3rd place and almost lost another place to Michael Schumacher. During the post race press conference he said that he couldn't get the right balance on the car from the morning warm-up and that is why he was not very competitive. He did clock the fastest lap of the race despite this. Normally Michael Schumacher does not settle for anything but 1st place, at Silverstone however he was very happy with the 3rd place finish. He indicated that following his fight with Ralf at the first two corners and losing that battle, he ended up 8th and was wondering if he'll even get in the points. Fortunately for him, his pit stop strategy paid off as he passed 4 cars and with Rubens Barrichello retiring he finished 3rd and was very happy with that. Jenson Button was delighted with his finish in 5th place, in fact Jenson has scored points in all the races that he finished so far. Jenson indicated that his best moments were when he passed Michael Schumacher at the start and racing in the top group just behind Mika Hakkinen. David Coulthard claimed that the reason he was slow towards the end of the race and Mika Hakkinen catching him was due to a small gearbox problem. He was really glad that the car didn't fail and indicated that he was preparing to cry in the car if he had to retire. 23-Apr: David Coulthard wins the British Grand Prix for the second year in a row ahead of team-mate Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher. Ralf Schumacher, Jenson Button and Jarno Trulli make the top 6 ... Full Report ... Timed Results 23-Apr: After an hour and 40 minutes, the warm-up session for the British Grand Prix was underway. This was due to heavy fog at the track which prevents the medical helicopter from flying in case of an accident. David Coulthard was fastest during the warm-up session and a surprise Pedro de la Rosa was second. Ralf Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello make the top 6. The track conditions were dry and better than yesterday but the lap times kept dropping as the track temperature rose. There were some surprise results from this session as both Minardi's were 8th and 9th while Frentzen who will start from 2nd position was 17th fastest and Villeneuve was 20th !!. This is probably an indication of the amount of fuel they will be carrying for the race. Mika Hakkinen had problems with his car and only managed to get on the circuit with less than 10 minutes remaining in the session, he still clocked the 4th fastest !!. Mika Salo did not manage to clock a fast lap at all as he struggled with problems with his car ... Timed Results 22-Apr: At the post qualifying press conference today, Rubens Barrichello said that he felt very good and proud that he grabbed pole position here especially that he only had a couple of days testing in the wet last week. He also indicated that on his last run he didn't encounter traffic and that was enough to get him pole. Heinz Harald Frentzen meanwhile didn't expect to be in second place and said that it would have been quite optimistic for him to expect that. He also indicated that qualifying under these conditions is like tossing a coin as you just hope that you get a clear run without traffic and without yellow flags. Mika Hakkinen was disappointed with third place as he indicated that he did not encounter traffic but was not able to push to the limit and he and the team would need to understand why. Had he been able to drive to the limit without yellow flags and a perfect setup he would have grabbed pole and that is why he was not smiling !! 22-Apr: Rubens Barrichello grabs pole position for the British Grand Prix just 0.03 seconds ahead of Heinz Harald Frentzen and and 0.035 seconds ahead of Mika Hakkinen ... Full Report ... Timed Results 22-Apr: Mika Hakkinen sets the fastest time in the dying seconds of the second practice session today ahead of Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard ... Full Report ... Timed Results 22-Apr: David Coulthard sets the fastest time during the first practice session on Saturday, a session that saw a near disaster with Eddie Irvine crashing into Jenson Button's car which was stuck in the mud. Luckily no one was injured ... Full Report ... Timed Results 21-Apr: Due to the heavy rain fall at Silverstone over the last week and in order to protect the car parking ground for Sunday's race, the Silverstone organisers have decided to close all the public car parking grounds on Saturday. The public can either go to Silverstone by bus or get a refund for Saturday !!. Meanwhile, Jackie Stewart has described moving the event from July to April as 'scandalous' and indicated that the move has a terrible effect on F1, the fans, the teams and the sponsors. He indicated that all major sports events follow the sun so why should the British Grand Prix be any different. He blamed the FIA for choosing this date rather than the Silverstone organisers. Bernie Ecclestone indicated that internal politics caused the date change and it was something the Silverstone organisers could do nothing about. At the Friday press conference, Ross Brawn (Ferrari) indicated that they have learned very little from the Friday practice sessions. That was due to the lack of consistent conditions, he did point out that they have learned a bit about aquaplaning and that the car will have to be setup in a way so that the ride height is high enough to minimise aquaplaning in the wet but low enough to gain maximum performance from the car if the track dries out and that is a hard setup to achieve. And on a lighter note, David Coulthard's car stopped on the track during the second practice session and the 4 wheel drive that attempted to move his car got stuck in the mud causing a red flag situation. In an attempt to push his car off the grass, David Coulthard took off his shoes and when asked why he said that he pays for his shoes but the team pays for the socks so he rather use his socks !!. He did indicate though that is is ridiculous for the recovery vehicle to get stuck !! 21-Apr: A wet second practice session means no improvement in times except for those who didn't set a time in the first session ... Full Report ... Timed Results 21-Apr: Heinz Harald Frentzen sets the fastest time during the first practice session on Friday followed by Eddie Irvine and David Coulthard. The first half of the session was dry and the second half was wet ... Full Report ... Timed Results 20-Apr: As the Heretic in his weekly issue questioned the reason for moving the British GP to April, so did the drivers and team owners at the Thursday press conference. Sir Frank Williams was confident that the move will not happen again but it all depends on the politics. Eddie Jordan indicated that is is hazardous to go to Silverstone in April and claimed that hoping for fine weather in April is like asking for a miracle. The drivers also share a negative sentiment about the moving the race to April. On the new Pit lane limiter regulations, everyone was relieved that the speed limiters are now allowed even though slightly modified. The drivers were mostly concerned about the ability to concentrate on the task at hand in the pit lane and rather than worrying about maintaining a 50 mph speed limit. Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine all indicated that they have felt little or no change between the old limiter rules and the new ones. Sir Frank Williams was asked why Jenson Button was quoted that the car with the new modifications was more difficult to drive, he answered by indicating that the test conditions they had last week cannot be compared to previous testing sessions as it was cold and wet. Sir Frank Williams did indicate that the changes were introducing quickly although he admitted that controlling electronics is like having to squeeze the genie back into Alladin's lamp. He also indicated that is is almost impossible to completely shut all the doors when it comes to electronics. On Zonta's accident, Mika Hakkinen indicated that it was shocking, while Michael Schumacher said that he asked the Silverstone organisers to smooth a few areas on the gravel surface at several corners and raise the tire barrier at the corner where Zonta crashed but he also indicated that it is impossible to guarantee safety in Formula 1. Jenson Button was yet again a hot topic with Sir Frank Williams having to answer questions about whether he will be retained next season. He indicated that Jenson has exceeded their expectation, that he is very mature for a 20 year old and that there are other factors and more evidence needed to make an advised decision. (... will we see Montoya at Williams next year ?) 19-Apr: "Silverstone in April!, Why ?" is the title of the 8th issue from the Diagnosis and Prognosis Series for the 2000 season. In this issue, the Heretic looks at the upcoming British Grand Prix this weekend - Check it out here !! British Formula 1 Grand Prix schedule :
19-Apr: Luca Badoer shook down the 3rd F1-2000 Ferrari at Fiorano today, he did 8 laps with a best time of 1:01.744 Johnny Herbert is denying the rumours that he will be replaced by Luciano Burti this weekend due to his poor performance so far this season. Johnny needs to get some strong results soon or otherwise these rumours will certainly become real. Eddie Irvine has indicated that Jaguar are still struggling with problems with the clutch on the car. He indicated that during the last test they might have understood why they have such problems but they still don't have the answers. |
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