June 1999

30 June 1999 Unconfirmed rumours say that Barrichello has signed a contract with Ferrari to be M. Schumacher's team mate next year. Eddie Irvine is expected to take the first driver role at Stewart.

30 June 1999 The British GP on the 11th of July will be Damon Hill's last F1 race ever. The ex-World Champion took the decision after three days of talks with his family, the Jordan team and his sponsor. Eddie Jordan said he is more than happy to give Hill the chance to finish his career in front of his home fans.

30 June 1999 FIA has threatened legal action against the EU Commission for having published a "reserved" document and has announced that they are preparing an answer to the results of the Competition inquiry. FIA has said they are "very surprised" that the Commission leaked the document before it was even sent to FIA. FIA also mentioned that a similar situation occurred in December 1997 and that there currently is a complaint filed at the Luxembourg Court of Justice.

30 June 1999 Karel Van Miert, European Commissioner for Competition, has concluded after a two years enquiry that Ecclestone broke EU rules when he bought, through his own companies Formula One Administration (FOA) and International Sportsworld Communicators (ISC), the exclusive TV broadcast rights for Formula 1 races until 2010. FIA (Mosley) also is under investigation.

29 June 1999 Damon Hill has not yet announced whether he will race at Silverstone. Jos Verstappen has done 36 laps in the Jordan in testing today and said he liked the feel of the car, but Jordan's sponsors would like Hill to take part in the British GP to please his home crowd.

28 June 1999 Damon Hill is expected to announce within the next 24 hours whether he intends to retire before the British GP. Jordan's commercial director Ian Phillips said that no decision has been taken and than Hill is with his family, making up his mind.

27 June 1999 Heinz-Harald Frentzen won the strategy game at the French GP to finish on the highest step of the podium followed by Hakkinen, who recovered from a bad starting position and a mistake during racing, and Barrichello, who had started from pole position. R. Schumacher was fourth, followed by his brother M. Schumacher and his team mate Irvine. The race was characterised by the same heavy rain downpours seen during qualifying.

27 June 1999 Damon Hill, interviewed shortly after he was forced out of the French GP by a tyre puncture, revealed that it might have been his last GP for Jordan. The ex-World Champion had recently announced that he intended to retire at the end of the current season, but it now looks like his F1 career might have ended today. Hill said he has a lot of thinking to do before Silverstone. Eddie Jordan is rumoured to have contacted Mika Salo as a possible substitute for Hill, having denied that Irvine might join the team.

26 June 1999 The five drivers who qualified outside the 107% time will be allowed to start. The weather conditions were deemed to have been too bad during qualifying and this fact was given as the reason for the decision.

26 June 1999 Rubens Barrichello gave Stewart their first ever pole position. Frenchmen Alesi and Panis took second and third place for the joy of the home crowd. Coulthard was the first of the season's big players, in fourth position, with Frentzen in fifth and M. Schumacher in sixth. Hakkinen was only 14th and Irvine only 17th (last of those within the 107 percent rule). The rain meant that those who took the gamble and got out early performed well, while those who waited hoping for weather conditions to get better were forced to qualify under heavy rain or risk not qualify at all. Five drivers fell outside the 107 percent rule, including ex-World Champion Damon Hill who recently announced his intention of retiring from F1 at the end of the current season. Those outside the 107 percent rule might still be allowed to run, if the race authorities so decide.

The qualifying times for the French GP:

1. 16 BARRICHELLO Stewart Ford 1'38"441 155.423 km/h 2. 11 ALESI Sauber Petronas 1'38"881 + 0'00"440 3. 18 PANIS Prost Peugeot 1'40"400 + 0'01"959 4. 2 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1'40"403 + 0'01"962 5. 8 FRENTZEN Jordan Mugen-Hond 1'40"690 + 0'02"249 6. 3 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1'41"127 + 0'02"686 7. 9 FISICHELLA Benetton Playlife 1'41"250 + 0'02"809 8. 19 TRULLI Prost Peugeot 1'42"096 + 0'03"655 9. 17 HERBERT Stewart Ford 1'42"199 + 0'03"758 10. 23 ZONTA BAR Supertec 1'42"228 + 0'03"787 11. 12 DINIZ Sauber Petronas 1'42"942 + 0'04"501 12. 22 VILLENEUVE BAR Supertec 1'43"748 + 0'05"307 13. 10 WURZ Benetton Playlife 1'44"319 + 0'05"878 14. 1 HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1'44"368 + 0'05"927 15. 5 ZANARDI Williams Supertec 1'44"912 + 0'06"471 16. 6 R.SCHUMACHER Williams Supertec 1'45"189 + 0'06"748 17. 4 IRVINE Ferrari 1'45"218 + 0'06"777 18. 7 HILL Jordan Mugen-Hond 1'45"334 + 0'06"893 19. 21 GENE Minardi Ford 1'46"324 + 0'07"883 20. 20 BADOER Minardi Ford 1'46"784 + 0'08"343 21. 14 DE LA ROSA Arrows TWR 1'48"215 + 0'09"774 22. 15 TAKAGI Arrows TWR 1'48"322 + 0'09"881 107% time : 1'45"332

26 June 1999 Barrichello was fastest in the Saturday Free Practice, followed by Coulthard and Hakkinen. R. Schumacher was fourth and Irvine and M. Schumacher were only fifth and sixth. Rain started to fall 30' in the session and caused several drivers to to take unplanned trips in the dirt.

The Saturday free practice times:

1. 16 BARRICHELLO Stewart Ford 1'17"232 198.104 km/h 2. 2 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1'17"283 + 0'00"051 3. 1 HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1'17"386 + 0'00"154 4. 6 R.SCHUM' Williams Supertec 1'17"496 + 0'00"264 5. 4 IRVINE Ferrari 1'17"520 + 0'00"288 6. 3 M.SCHUM' Ferrari 1'17"689 + 0'00"457 7. 8 FRENTZEN Jordan Mugen-Hond 1'18"030 + 0'00"798 8. 7 HILL Jordan Mugen-Hond 1'18"170 + 0'00"938 9. 5 ZANARDI Williams Supertec 1'18"255 + 0'01"023 10. 23 ZONTA BAR Supertec 1'18"484 + 0'01"252

26 June 1999 Frentzen said that despite still having his body covered with bruises from the accident in Canada, he does not feel any pain when he drives.

25 June 1999 Ferrari's M. Schumacher and Eddie Irvine were the fastest two drivers in the second session of the Friday free practice. They were closely followed by the McLaren duo Hakkinen and Coulthard. Williams' Zanardi and Jordan's Frentzen had the fifth and sixth time.

The free practice times:

1) Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari 1'17"912 2) Eddie Irvine (IRL) Ferrari 1'18"199 3) Mika Hakkinen (FIN) McLaren Mercedes 1'18"251 4) David Coulthard (SCO) McLaren Mercedes 1'18"468 5) Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) Williams SuperTec 1'18"746 6) Heinz Harald Frentzen (GER) Jordan Mugen Honda 1'18"779 7) Jean Alesi (FRA) Sauber Petronas 1'18"908 8) Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Stewart Ford CW 1'18"950 9) Ralf Schumacher (GER) Williams SuperTec 1'19"069 10) Johnny Herbert (GBR) Steward Ford CW 1'19"266 11) Alexander Wurz (AUT) Benetton SuperTec 1'19"481 12) Damon Hill (GB) Jordan Mugen Honda 1'19"591 13) Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Benetton SuperTec 1'19"651 14) Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) Bar SuperTec 1'20"002 15) Jarno Trulli (ITA) Prost Peugeot 1'20"121 16) Olivier Panis (FRA) Prost Peugeot 1'20"285 17) Pedro Paolo Diniz (BRA) Sauber Petronas 1'20"528 18) Pedro de la Rosa (SPA) Arrows 1'20"655 19) Ricardo Zonta (BRA) Bar SuperTec 1'20"681 20) Toranosuke Takagi (JPN) Arrows 1'21"418 21) Luca Badoer (ITA) Minardi Ford ZetecR1'21"506 22) Marc Gené (SPA) Minardi Ford ZetecR 1'21"928

25 June 1999 Six drivers have been randomly selected to undergo anti-doping tests before the French GP. The drivers are: Alessandro Zanardi (Williams), Damon Hill (Jordan), Giancarlo Fisichella (Benetton), Alexander Wurz (Benetton), Eddie Irvine (Ferrari) and Johnny Herbert (Stewart). Ralf Schumacher (Williams) has been selecetd as "reserve". The decision of testing for drugs was taken following a request by Max Mosley.

25 June 1999 Jean Alesi suffered a massive accident which left his car destroyed during the free practice for the French GP. Alesi's Sauber left the track at over 200 kmh, went into a spin on the escape route, hit the tyre barrier backwards, bounced and finally stopped in pieces and upside down in the gravel. Alesi came out of the wreck unharmed and blamed the accident on a driving error.

24 June 1999 Damon Hill said that if his performance does not improve, he might retire before the end of the year. The ex-World Champion said he is battling personal difficulties, including having to spend long periods of time away from his family.

23 June 1999 FIA has presented the first preliminary F1 calendar for the year 2000. The first of the 17 GPs is currently scheduled for the 20th of February in Malayisia.

Preliminary F1 calendar 2000

20/2: Gp Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) 5/3: Gp Australia (Melbourne) 19/3: Gp Brazil (Sao Paolo) 9/4: Gp San Marino (Imola) 23/4: Gp Spain (Barcellona) 7/5: Gp France (Magny-Cours) 21/5: Gp Europe (Nuerburgring) 4/6: Gp Monaco (Montecarlo) 18/6: Gp Canada (Montreal) 2/7: Gp Great Britain (Silverstone) 16/7: Gp Austria (Zeltweg) 30/7: Gp Germany (Hockenheim) 13/8: Gp Hungary (Budapest) 27/8: Gp Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps) 10/9: Gp Italy (Monza) 4/9: Gp Usa (Indianapolis) 8/10: Gp Japan (Suzuka)

21 June 1999 Alan Jenkins has signed to become Prost Grand Prix's new Technical Director effective immediately. Bernard Dudot will have a strategic role focusing on the future of F1.

20 June 1999 Eddie Jordan has denied having been in talk with other drivers before Damon Hll decided to retire. He said that now that Hill has made up his mind, the driver will help the team find a substitute for himself. Jordan also denied the rumour that Eddie Irvine will take Hill's place. He added that because of contractual clauses, it is up to Hill to decide whether he wants to finish the season with the Jordan team or not. Shortly after Hill had announced that he intended to retire at the end of the season, Bernie Ecclestone had called for him to stop immediately rather than wait until the last race.

16 June 1999 Damon Hill today announced that he intends to retire from F1 at the end of the current season. Hill started racing in F1 at the age of 32 in 1992 and went on to win the Drivers Championship in 1996. He and his father Graham make the only father-son duo to have won the Championship.

16 June 1999 Bernie Ecclestone has undergone a coronary artery by-pass graft operation. The surgeon who operated on him described the operation as routine and said that the F1 supremo will be back in the fast lane in a few weeks time. Ecclestone was convinced to undergo the operation by his family and the official FIA doctor.

14 June 1999 Alesi was very angry with Trulli, who took him out of the race at the start of the Canadian GP. The French driver has asked for Trulli to be fined.

14 June 1999 Coulthard said that he thinks it might be too late for him to try and fight for the Championship. Luck has been with Hakkinen and not with him this season, he added.

13 June 1999 Hakkinen won the Canadian GP after rival M. Schumacher, who was in the lead, crashed against a wall and retired. Fisichella was second after Frentzen, who was ahead of him, suffered from brake failure and crashed with three laps to go. Irvine, who had recovered from a shunt with Coulthard while in second position, finished third. R. Schumacher was fourth, Herbert got his first two points by finishing in fifth position and Sauber's Diniz was sixth. Full report will appear in the Race Reports section.

12 June 1999 M. Schumacher is in pole position for the Canadian GP, followed by Hakkinen, Irvine, Coulthard, Barrichello and Frentzen. M. Schumacher commented that he expected to do well because the car had performed well all weekend and that it is a shame Irvine is not on the front line with him to share his first pole position of the season.

The qualifying times:

1. Michael Schumacher (Ger/Ferrari) 1'19"298 2. Mika Hakkinen (Fin/McLaren-Mercedes) 1'19"327 3. Eddie Irvine (Irl/Ferrari) 1'19"440 4. David Coulthard (Sco/McLaren-Mercedes) 1'19"729 5. Rubens Barrichello (Bra/Stewart-Ford) 1'19"930 6. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Ger/Jordan-Mugen Honda) 1'20"158 7. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita/Benetton) 1'20"378 8. Jean Alesi (Fra/Sauber) 1'20"459 9. Jarno Trulli (Ita/Prost-Peugeot) 1'20"557 10. Johnny Herbert (Eng/Stewart-Ford) 1'20"829 11. Alexander Wurz (Aut/Benetton) 1'21"000 12. Alex Zanardi (Ita/Williams) 1'21"076 13. Ralf Schumacher (Ger/Williams) 1'21"081 14, Damon Hill (Eng/Jordan-Mugen Honda) 1'21"094 15. Olivier Panis (Fra/Prost-Peugeot) 1'21"252 16. Jacques Villeneuve (Can/BAR) 1'21"302 17. Riccardo Zonta (Bra/BAR) 1'21"467 18. Pedro Diniz (Bra/Sauber) 1'21"571 19. Toranosuke Takagi (Jap/Arrows) 1'21"693 20. Pedro de la Rosa (Spa/Arrows) 1'22"613 21. Luca Badoer (Ita/Minardi-Ford) 1'22"808 22. Marc Gené (Spa/Minardi-Ford) 1'23"387

12 June 1999 M. Schumacher was fastest in the final Saturday practice session, in front of Coulthard. Hakkinen, who hit a tyre barrier on his final lap, was third and Irvine fourth.

The final practice session times:

1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1'19"281 2 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1'19"543 3 HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1'19"568 4 IRVINE Ferrari 1'19"631 5 FRENTZEN Jordan Mugen-Honda 1'19"940 6 FISICHELLA Benetton Playlife 1'20"162 7 BARRICHELLO Stewart Ford 1'20"261 8 R.SCHUMACHER Williams Supertec 1'20"275 9 TRULLI Prost Peugeot 1'20"396 10 ALESI Sauber Petronas 1'20"485 11 ZANARDI Williams Supertec 1'20"754 12 HILL Jordan Mugen-Honda 1'20"785 13 HERBERT Stewart Ford 1'20"861 14 WURZ Benetton Playlife 1'20"919 15 VILLENEUVE BAR Supertec 1'20"924 16 PANIS Prost Peugeot 1'20"935 17 DINIZ Sauber Petronas 1'21"022 18 ZONTA BAR Supertec 1'21"235 19 TAKAGI Arrows TWR 1'21"810 20 DE LA ROSA Arrows TWR 1'22"039 21 GENE Minardi Ford 1'22"205 22 BADOER Minardi Ford 1'22"730

11 June 1999 Eddie Irvine was the fastest driver in the free practice session for the Canadian GP, in front of M.Schumacher and Coulthard. Diniz was unhurt after an accident in which his car was severely damaged when he hit the tyre barrier at 300 km/h.

The free session times:

1. Eddie Irvine (Irl/Ferrari) 1'20"576 2. David Coulthard (Sco/McLaren Mercedes) 1'20"664 3. Michael Schumacher (Ger/Ferrari) 1'21"276 4. Jean Alesi (Fra/Sauber Petronas) 1'21"510 5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita/Benetton SuperTec) 1'21"724 6. Ricardo Zonta (Bra/Bar SuperTec) 1'21"810 7. Mika Hakkinen (Fin/McLaren Mercedes) 1'21"950 8. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Ger/Jordan Mugen Honda) 1'22"002 9. Jacques Villeneuve (Can/Bar SuperTec) 1'22"021 10. Rubens Barrichello (Bra/Stewart Ford CW) 1'22"167 11. Jarno Trulli (Ita/Prost Peugeot) 1'22"454 12. Ralf Schumacher (Ger/Williams SuperTec) 1'22"506 13. Alexander Wurz (Aut/Benetton SuperTec) 1'22"649 14. Damon Hill (Eng/Jordan Mugen Honda) 1'22"734 15. Olivier Panis (Fra/Prost Peugeot) 1'22"892 16. Johnny Herbert (Eng/Stewart Ford CW) 1'23"177 17. Luca Badoer (Ita/Minardi Ford ZetecR) 1'23"778 18. Alessandro Zanardi (Ita/Williams SuperTec) 1'23"824 19. Marc Gené (Spa/Minardi Ford ZetecR) 1'23"826 20. Pedro de La Rosa (Spa/Arrows) 1'23"996 21. Toranosuke Takagi (Jap/Arrows) 1'24"131 22. Pedro Paolo Diniz (Bra/Sauber Petronas) 1'24"462

11 June 1999 F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone supports those drivers who want a return of slick tyres to make overtaking easier. Ecclestone said grooved tyres were introduced as an attempt to reduce speed by Mosley and that he did not have a say in it.

11 June 1999 After Irvine's comments about him being better than Coulthard, Ron Dennis has hit back saying that Coulthard's position at McLaren has never been safer.

10 June 1999 Ford has bought the Stewart Grand Prix F1 team from Jackie Stewart in a deal rumoured to be worth 100 million pounds. Jackie will stay on as the chairman and chief executive, while his son Paul will be the deputy chairman.

"Ford's increased commitment to Formula One is great news for the team," said Stewart. "To be competitive in Formula One these days, and to win the great benefits available, a team needs strong financial and technical support. Ford can offer that."

The change of property of the team comes in the wake of the Canadian GP and one day before Jackie Stewart's 60th birthday.

8 June 1999 In an interview today Eddie Irvine said that as Ferrari has not yet renewed his contract, next year he might take Coulthard's place at McLaren instead. He added that both Hakkinen and M. Schumacher have several weaknesses and that he is a better driver than the current World Champion.

4 June 1999 The Nurburgring will host GPs at least until 2004. The contract, due to expire in 2001, has been extended by three years.

4 June 1999 Dario Franchitti said that he would like to get into F1 as soon as possible. His dream is to be asked to drive for Ferrari.

3 June 1999 Gianni Agnelli said that he would like to see Irvine stay at Ferrari. Irvine commented that it might be a good thing for him to stay on because there are only four competitive cars at present and he is lucky enough to be driving one of them. There have been speculations about Irvine being replaced by Alesi or Zanardi next year.

Last updated on by Federica Massagrande