31 October 1999 Hakkinen burned M. Schumacher at the start of the Japanese GP to take the lead, which he retained to the end, winning the race and the Drivers Championship. Coulthard's retirement after a spin meant that Ferrari took the Constructors Championship with M. Schumacher second and Irvine third. Frentzen finished in fourth position, R. Schumacher in fifth and Alesi in sixth.
The Japanese GP finishing times:
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1.Mika Hakkinen (Fin/McLaren) 1h31'18"785 (average: 204,086 km/h) 2.Michael Schumacher (Ger/Ferrari) + 5"015 3.Eddie Irvine (Gbr/Ferrari) 1'35"688 4.Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Ger/Jordan) 1'38"635 5.Ralf Schumacher (Ger/Williams) 1'39"494 6.Jean Alesi (Fra/Sauber) 1 lap 7.Johnny Herbert (Gbr/Stewart) 1 lap 8.Rubens Barrichello (Bra/Stewart) 1 lap 9.Jacques Villeneuve (Can/Bar) 1 lap 10.Alexander Wurz (Aut/Benetton) 1 lap 11.Pedro Paolo Diniz (Bra/Sauber) 1 lap 12.Ricardo Zonta (Bra/Bar) 1 lap 13.Pedro De La Rosa (Spa/Arrows) 2 laps 14.Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita/Benetton) 6 laps |
30 October 1999 M. Schumacher took pole position for the Japanese GP ahead of the two McLaren of Hakkinen and Coulthard. Title contender Irvine went off with seven minutes to go and could only watch as Frentzen took fourth place off him leaving him fifth on the grid. Panis was sixth.
The Japanese GP qualifying times:
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1 M. Schumacher GER Ferrari 1'37"470 (average: 216.583 km/h) 2 M. Hakkinen FIN McLaren 1'37"820 3 D. Coulthard GBR McLaren 1'38"239 4 H.-H. Frentzen GER Jordan 1'38"696 5 E. Irvine IRL Ferrari 1'38"975 6 O. Panis FRA Prost 1'39"623 7 J. Trulli ITA Prost 1'39"672 8 J. Herbert GBR Stewart 1'39"706 9 R. Schumacher GER Williams 1'39"717 10 J. Alesi FRA Sauber 1'39"721 11 J. Villeneuve CAN Bar 1'39"941 12 D. Hill GBR Jordan 1'40"140 15 R. Barrichello BRA Stewart 1'40"140 14 G. Fisichella ITA Benetton 1'40"261 13 A. Wurz AUT Benetton 1'40"303 16 A. Zanardi ITA Williams 1'40"403 17 P. Diniz BRA Sauber 1'40"740 18 R. Zonta BRA BAR 1'40"861 19 T. Takagi JPN Arrows 1'41"067 20 M. Gené SPA Minardi 1'41"529 21 P. De La Rosa SPA Arrows 1'41"708 22 L. Badoer ITA Minardi 1'42"515 |
29 October 1999 Frentzen has been penalised for gaining a distinct advantage in his fastest lap by cutting across a bend. The new listing of the best twelve times now reads as follows:
The Japanese GP Friday practice times (revised):
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1) Mika Hakkinen (Fin/McLaren-Mercedes) 1'41"746 2) David Coulthard (Gbr/McLaren-Mercedes) 1'41"894 3) Michael Schumacher (Ger/Ferrari) 1'42"215 4) Rubens Barrichello (Bra/Stewart-Ford) 1'42"259 5) Alex Zanardi (Ita/Williams-Supertec) 1'42"718 6) Olivier Panis (Fra/Prost-Peugeot) 1'42"925 7) Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita/Benetton-Supertec)1'42"953 8) Jacques Villeneuve (Can/Bar-Supertec) 1'43"047 9) Heinz H. Frentzen (Ger/Jordan-Mugen Honda) 1'43"235 10) Eddie Irvine (Irl/Ferrari) 1'43"375 11) Ralf Schumacher (Ger/Wiliams-Supertec) 1'43"399 12) Alexander Wurz (Aut/Benetton-Supertec) 1'43"430 |
29 October 1999 Hakkinen was fastest in the Friday practice session ahead of team mate Coulthard. Frentzen, M. Schumacher, Barrichello and Zanardi followed. Driver table leader Irvine was only tenth but he said he is not too worried about it.
The Japanese GP Friday practice times:
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1) Mika Hakkinen (FIN) McLaren Mercedes 1'41"746 (average: 207,481 km/h) 2) David Coulthard (GBR) McLaren Mercedes 1'41"894 3) Heinz-Harald Frentzen (GER) Jordan Mugen Honda 1'42"064 4) Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari 1'42"215 5) Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Stewart Ford CW 1'42"529 6) Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) Williams SuperTec 1'42"718 7) Olivier Panis (FRA) Prost Peugeot 1'42"925 8) Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Benetton Playlife 1'42"953 9) Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) Bar SuperTec 1'43"047 10) Eddie Irvine (IRL) Ferrari 1'43"375 11) Ralf Schumacher (GER) Williams SuperTec 1'43"399 12) Alexander Wurz (AUT) Benetton Playlife 1'43"430 13) Jean Alesi (FRA) Sauber Petronas 1'43"485 14) Pedro de La Rosa (SPA) Arrows 1'43"599 15) Marc Gené (SPA) Minardi Ford ZetecR 1'43"652 16) Damon Hill (GBR) Jordan Mugen Honda 1'43"720 17) Ricardo Zonta (BRA) Bar SuperTec 1'43"776 18) Toranosuke Takagi (JPN) Arrows 1'43"804 19) Jarno Trulli (ITA) Prost Peugeot 1'43"916 20) Johnny Herbert (GBR) Stewart Ford CW 1'44"179 21) Pedro Paolo Diniz (BRA) Sauber Petronas 1'44"423 22) Luca Badoer (ITA) Minardi Ford ZetecR 1'45"543 |
29 October 1999 Damon Hill, who will compete in a F1 GP for the last time on Sunday, might come back to the sport as a team owner. According to the British ex-World Champion, winning as a team owner is second best only to winning as a driver and he has done that already.
28 October 1999 German paper Die Welt reports that Helmut Werner, the former manager of Mercedes-Benz, will be the new president of the F1 holding following Ecclestone's decision to sell 50 percent of FOA. He said he does not believe radical changes will be required in the management structure of F1.
28 October 1999 Following Ferrari's successful appeal against disqualification, McLaren have equipped their cars with Ferrari-style deflectors for the Japanese GP. Ferrari, on the other hand, have modified the shape of their deflectors for the Japanese GP, despite the old ones having been found legal by the appeal judges. Ferrari said that they are doing so because they want to be extra sure that nobody can raise any doubt any more and from now on they are going to check each piece two or three times for legality.
27 October 1999 Mercedes has had a positive reaction to the news of the agreement between Bernie Ecclestone and London based bank Morgan Grenfell of the Deutsche Bank group for the sale of 12.5 percent of FOA. Norbert Haugh said to German news agency Dpa that the arrival in F1 of an important financial institution is a positive development and gives the sport the guarantee of financial backing.
26 October 1999 Mika Hakkinen did not take part in the press conference organised by Bridgestone in Tokyo, to which he had been invited alongside Eddie Irvine. McLaren managing director Ron Dennis explained that the whole team must dedicated themselves only to getting ready for the final race of the season. He added that they must achieve complete concentration on the physical, technical and mental levels.
26 October 1999 Morgan Grenfell bank of the Deutsche Bank group has announced to have reached an agreement with Bernie Ecclestone for the purchase of 12.5 percent of Formula One Administration (FOA), the company that controls the financial resources of F1 and manages the TV broadcast rights. Gilberto Benetton, president of Edizioni Holding, said that the Benetton family too is currently trying to buy a small percentage of FOA.
26 October 1999 Honda Motor have announced that they will come back to F1 next year with British American Racing. The team will be called British American Racing Honda and the two drivers will be Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta. Honda will provide the Honda RA0003 engine, which will start being tested from December.
26 October 1999 German daily paper "Die Welt" published the news that M. Schumacher's new sponsor for 2000 is McDonald's, taking the place of Dekra. According to "Die Welt" the contract is about to be signed and it is worth five million dollars. M. Schumacher's personal manager, Willi Weber has not confirmed or denied the news.
26 October 1999 FIA has released a new version of the 2000 F1 calendar after a fax vote. The full schedule is available from the 2000 calendar page.
25 October 1999 Norbert Haug admitted that McLaren had told the stewards about Ferrari's supposed irregularity after the Malaysian GP, but denied that they had kept the information until it was convenient for them to use it. According to Haug, they only noticed the irregularity after the end of the GP.
23 October 1999 Ferrari has won the appeal against disqualification and had the drivers and constructor points fully reinstated. The appeal panel was very critic of the method the FIA stewards used to measure the deflectors and of the regulation. Both will have to be reviewed. With today's ruling Irvine leads the Drivers table with four points advantage over Hakkinen and Ferrari leads the Constructors table with four points advantage over McLaren. Mosley explained that all the dimensions of the incriminated deflectors were within the tolerance limit as expressed in article 3.12.6. Jo Bauer and the Malaysian stewards have been warned over their error in measuring the bargeboard. They had reported that the bargeboard was 10mm over the limit, while in reality it is only 5mm over the limit, which is within the allowed tolerance.
22 October 1999 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (32) today married his fiance Tanja Nigge in the holiday resort of Phuket. Tanja is expecting their first child, who is due next April. The Jordan driver explained that they have postponed their homeymoon until after the Japanese GP.
22 October 1999 FIA has released the names of the judges hearing Ferrari's appeal against disqualification. They are:
Josè Macedo e Cunha (Portugal), president
Gerhard Nurscher (Austria)
Philippe Roberti de Winghe (Belgium)
Vassilis Koussis (Greece)
Jan van Rosmalen (Holland)
22 October 1999 One of Ferrari's argument at today's appeal is that the deflector size is 7.5-8.5 mm longer than allowed, not 10 mm as measured by Jo Bauer. The fact that Bauer did not measure the piece correctly could discredit his judgement for the disqualification. The judges' decision will be announced tomorrow during a press conference.
21 October 1999 Five judges will decide on Ferrari's appeal against disqualification tomorrow in Paris. The judges' names will be kept secret until the appeal starts. FIA said the five judges have not got any relationship whatsoever with any of the teams or people involved. The five judges are from Holland, Belgium, Portugal, Greece and Austria.
21 October 1999 German paper Bild, notoriously anti-Ferrari, has published a surprising article accusing McLaren Mercedes of being behind Ferrari's disqualification from the Malaysian GP. Bild accuses McLaren Mercedes of having known about the Ferrari deflector size irregularity since the European GP, but not to have said anything until it was convenient for them to do so. Newey is accused of having obtained through some "spies" photographs of the deflectors which allowed him to identify the irregularity and to have decided not to say anything at the European GP because Ferrari (who according to Bild were unaware of the problem) got no points then. Newey is also accused to have been the one who personally told Jo Bauern after the Malaysian GP. Bild concluded the article provocatively asking Norbert Haug whether it was correct behaviour, a question to which no answer has been so far been given, as McLaren have declined to comment on the article.
20 October 1999 The Stewart team said that they will be supporting the disqualification of Ferrari at the appeal.
20 October 1999 Max Mosley warned that in his opinion Ferrari has not got a chance of winning the appeal because an article of the FIA regulations states that no appeal can be brought on the ground of no advantage gained. He added that despite saying that, he does not want to influence the jury.
19 October 1999 TWR have signed a long-term sponsorship deal with software company Baan for their F1 team Arrows.
19 October 1999 Bernie Ecclestone described the Malaysian GP steward's decision to disqualify Ferrari as "nonsense". Ex Ferrari drivers Jody Sheckter and Nicki Lauda, on the other hand, said that it was the right decision.
19 October 1999 Williams' Patrick Head said that he hopes the Championship will not be decided on a small irregularity. He explained that all carbon parts are hand-crafted and it is easy to make small mistakes. If the deflectors of all other teams were tested, he concluded, there would be lots of surprises.
18 October 1999 Norbert Haug said that McLaren has nothing to do with the decision to disqualify Ferrari from the Malaysian GP.
18 October 1999 Mika Hakkinen has told British paper The Evening Standard that he believes Irvine and M. Schumacher won the Malaysian GP "honestly" and that McLaren have told him not to discuss the matter until the appeal decision is made public. He added that he does not like to have won like that and that he does not feel good about it.
18 October 1999 FIA has scheduled the session to discuss Ferrari's appeal for Friday the 22 October at 9:30am. The final decision will be announced on the following day.
18 October 1999 FIA spokeperson Francesco Longanesi announced that FIA will make a decision on Ferrari's appeal against disqualification either next weekend or early next week.
17 october 1999 Irvine won the Malaysian GP after a tactical team race in which M. Schumacher kept all other drivers at bay and gave way to the Irishman. After the race irregularities were found in the upper parts of Ferrari's deflector panels and the two cars were disqualified according to regulations article 3.12.1, making Hakkinen the mathematical winner of the Drivers Championship and McLaren the mathematical winner of the Constructors Championship. Ferrari has appealed against the decision and FIA will be making a decision on the appeal later in the week.
The Malaysian GP finishing times:
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1. Eddie Irvine (GB) Ferrari 1h36'38.494 (average speed 192.682 kph) *disqualified* 2. Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari 1h36'39.534 *disqualified* 3. Mika Hakkinen (FIN) McLaren 1h36'48.237 4. Johnny Herbert (GB) Stewart 1h36'56.032 5. Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Stewart 1h37'10.790 6. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (GER) Jordan 1h37'13.378 7. Jean Alesi (FRA) Sauber 1h37'32.902 8. Alexander Wurz (AUT) Benetton 1h37'39.428 9. Marc Gené (SPA) Minardi 1h37'10.056 10. Alex Zanardi (ITA) Williams 1h37'36.473 11. Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Benetton 1h38'14.562 |
16 October 1999 M. Schumacher returned in style by clinching pole position for the Malaysian GP, ahead of team mate and title hopeful Irvine. The second row was taken by McLaren's Coulthard and other title hopeful Hakkinen. Stewart's Herbert and Barrichello took third row.
The Malaysian GP qualifying times:
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1. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1'39"688 200.136 km/h 2. IRVINE Ferrari 1'40"635 + 0'00"947 3. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1'40"806 + 0'01"118 4. HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1'40"866 + 0'01"178 5. HERBERT Stewart Ford 1'40"937 + 0'01"249 6. BARRICHELLO Stewart Ford 1'41"351 + 0'01"663 7. WURZ Benetton Playlife 1'41"444 + 0'01"756 8. R.SCHUMACHER Williams Supertec 1'41"558 + 0'01"870 9. HILL Jordan Mugen-Hond 1'42"050 + 0'02"362 10. VILLENEUVE BAR Supertec 1'42"087 + 0'02"399 11. FISICHELLA Benetton Playlife 1'42"110 + 0'02"422 12. PANIS Prost Peugeot 1'42"208 + 0'02"520 13. ZONTA BAR Supertec 1'42"310 + 0'02"622 14. ALESI Sauber Petronas 1'42"522 + 0'02"834 15. FRENTZEN Jordan Mugen-Hond 1'42"709 + 0'03"021 16. ZANARDI Williams Supertec 1'42"885 + 0'03"197 17. DINIZ Sauber Petronas 1'42"933 + 0'03"245 18. TRULLI Prost Peugeot 1'42"948 + 0'03"260 19. DE LA ROSA Arrows TWR 1'43"579 + 0'03"891 20. GENE Minardi Ford 1'44"320 + 0'04"632 21. BADOER Minardi Ford 1'44"321 + 0'04"633 22. TAKAGI Arrows TWR 1'44"637 + 0'04"949 |
15 October 1999 Villeneuve was fastest in the Friday free practice session, followed by Coulthard, Alesi, Irvine, M. Schumacher and Diniz.
The Friday Free Practice times:
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1 J.Villeneuve CAN Bar 1'42"407 2 D.Coulthard SCO Mclaren 1'42"519 3 J.Alesi FRA Sauber 1'42"701 4 E.Irvine IRL Ferrari 1'42"725 5 M.Schumacher GER Ferrari 1'42"875 6 P.Diniz BRA Sauber 1'43"006 7 R.Barrichello BRA Stewart 1'43"042 8 M.Hakkinen FIN McLaren 1'43"153 9 A.Wurz AUT Benetton 1'43"311 10 J.Herbert GBR Stewart 1'43"349 11 G.Fisichella ITA Benetton 1'43"403 12 D.Hill GBR Jordan 1'43"417 13 O.Panis FRA Prost 1'43"500 14 H.Frentzen GER Jordan 1'43"677 15 J.Trulli ITA Prost 1'43"793 16 L.Badoer ITA Minardi 1'44"818 17 R.Zonta BRA Bar 1'44"968 18 R.Schumacher GER Williams 1'45"164 19 P.De La Rosa SPA Arrows 1'45"397 20 A.Zanardi ITA Williams 1'45"833 21 T.Takagi JPN Arrows 1'46"690 22 M.Gené SPA Minardi 1'49"451 |
15 October 1999Minardi and Telefonica S.A. have released a statement saying that they are planning a future together in F1. The two companies intend to continue with their co-operation that has been so far positive. Giancarlo Minardi said that soon more precise information will be made public. This more precise information is likely to be the news that Telefonica has bought Minardi. Rumours say that Benetton's Joan Villadelprat will join Minardi and that some attempts have been made at obtaining a piece of land near Sabadell from the Catalan government to set up a new factory.
15 October 1999 Irvine has asked why they should concentrate on winning only the Constructors Championship, while they can conceivably get both the Drivers and the Constructors Championship.
14 October 1999 M. Schumacher has said that he is racing to win and that he is not interested in Irvine, who will have to "help himself". The German added that he will only help Irvine if he will find his team mate right behind him. Only in that case he will let him pass. His main aim is to get as many points as possible to help Ferrari win the Constructors Championship and to achieve his best he is undergoing a much harder training regime than "other drivers". Irvine on the other hand said that he is happy to have the best second driver ever and that M. Schumacher will have to help him win the race. He then joked that he is not worried about the humid heat of Sepang, but about whether he will end up with three or four wheels. Todt refused to say whether M. Schumacher will be told to help Irvine, saying that it is too early to think about strategies.
14 October 1999 M. Schumacher had no problems in passing the FIA medical test, compulsory for all drivers who return after an accident. He was examined by doctor Syd Watkins, who made him undergo the regulation test of getting out of the cockpit within five seconds twice.
14 October 1999 Tom Walkinshaw said that there is scope for a change of driver line-up at Arrows next year. While they are happy with Pedro De La Rosa, Toranosuke Tagaki can do fast laps but lacks consistency.
13 October 1999 M. Schumacher has denied that it was pressure from the team that made him change his mind about racing in the last two GPs of the season. The decision was his own, he concluded.
12 October 1999 M. Schumacher's personal manager, Willi Weber, has warned that the German ex-World Champion could injury himself by coming back to racing too early and that such event would put his 2000 season at risk.
11 October 1999 Toyota have announced that they intend to pull out of the World rally Championship at the end of the season and will join F1 in 2002. They will produce their own chassis and engine.
11 October 1999 McLaren has decided to send test driver Heidfeld to Malaysia as spare driver. F3000 Champion Heidfeld will race for Prost in 2000.
11 October 1999 R. Schumacher's personal manager, Willi Weber, has managed to renew the driver's contract with Williams for three years for an unconfirmed amount.
11 October 1999 Niki Lauda has accused Ferrari of being in complete disarray and warned that they are going to have problems even when M. Schumacher comes back, because they have used the wrong strategy by concentrating solely on him preventing Irvine from competing at the same level. He blamed Jean Todt for this situation. Lauda also said that Ross Brawn is a genius, but he is surrounded by incompetents.
8 October 1999 In an unexpected U-turn M. Schumacher has announced that he will compete in the last two GPs of the season. After three days of testing he decided that his good physical form is back. M. Schumacher had been subjected to a large amount of criticism over his decision not to race by the Italian and German press and by the Ferrari fans. It is thought that the Ferrari bosses put pressure on him to change his mind.
8 October 1999 FIA passed a new regulation saying that berillium and alluminium compounds will not be allowed in any F1 car component, except from the engine, from next season. The ban will be extended to engine components from the 1st of January 2001. FIA also announced that stricter security measures will be enforced on the race tracks and that from 1st January 2000 only low-pollution fuel will be allowed in F1 cars.
8 October 1999 Yesterday Eddie Irvine tested at Fiorano for the last time in four years. After completiong setup test for the three cars that will be taken to Malaysia he left for a promotional trip in the Far East.
8 October 1999 The fans who crowded Fiorano during Ferrari's test yesterday sported boards and signs with slogans of support for Irvine and criticism for M. Schumacher and the Ferrari managers.
7 October 1999 Yesterday the new engine of Coulthard's car went up in flames after the Scot had run only a few test laps. The fire was immediately put off and the car was brought back to the pits completely covered in plastic to hide it.
7 October 1999 FIA has introduced new rules for the future F1 seasons. Teams that wants to compete in a F1 Championship will have to apply between the 1st of March two years prior to the beginning of the season and the 15th of November prior to the beginning of the season. They will have to leave a deposit of 48 million dollars that FIA will retain should the teams not be able to race. If the teams join one year later than they had announced, FIA would only retain 12 million dollars of the deposit. If the teams do join the chosen F1 season, the deposit money will be returned to them in a number of repayments with the interest accrued. The black box will be compulsory on all cars during the GPs and any tests in which more than one team is present. Cars that get left behind during the parade lap will be able to overtake and retake their original position. Crash-test impact speed has been increased from 13 to 14 metres/second. In-car software will undergo stricter tests. The width of the wall of the cockpit will have to be 3.5 mm with 2.5 mm of kevlar panelling on the inside.
6 October 1999 FIA has released the new provisional 2000 F1 calendar. The Malaysian GP has been moved from first of the season to last and the San Marino, Spanish, French, European, British and Austrian GPs are still to be confirmed. The full schedule is available from the 2000 calendar page.
5 October 1999 The onorary president of FIA, Jean-Marie Balestre, has been re-elected by the FIA senate. Of all those eligible, only one did not vote.
5 October 1999 After testing the F399, M. Schumacher said that the car is a lot better than when he last drove it and that he believes Ferrari stands a chance of winning the Championshiop this year.
5 October 1999 M. Schumacher has defended his decision not to race in the last two GPs of the 1999 season. The doctors had told him that he could carry out normal activities with his leg but, he said, that amounted to normal activity as in going to the office, not driving the full lenght of a F1 GP. He added that when he tested he was aware of being not as fit as he should have been and that his heartbeat was not as usual. He also said that he is unable to carry out his usual training and that he will probably have to have a different training routine designed to take into account the damage suffered by his legs and his knees. The Italian and German press had been very hard on him about his decision not to come back to racing this season.
4 october 1999 Rubens Barrichello will have to undergo surgery in November due to injuries he sustained during the San Marino GP in 1994 (the same race in which Ayrton Senna died). In that occasion Barrichello crashed against the wall at Variante Bassa cracking his ribs. He says he still feels pain when the mechanics tighten up his seat belts. According to the doctors, he should be recovered from surgery and able to commence testing for Ferrari in December.
4 October 1999 During today's test M. Schumacher span out after 15 laps and damaged a F399. He walked back to the pits unaided and came out again in the spare car.
4 October 1999 British commercial TV station ITV has obtained the rights to broadcast F1 until 2005.
3 October 1999 Ferrari released an official statement saying that M. Schumacher does not feel fit enough to go the whole lenght of a race and will not come back this season. M. Schumacher underwent a medical test today after which the doctor said that his leg had healed and he could go back to racing. M. Schumacher will still be carrying out tests at Mugello.
3 October 1999 The Belgian GP might be reinstated in the 2000 calendar. The Belgian courts have overturned a former decision to ban tobacco advertising from all sporting events and the excemption will be in place until the end of July 2003, as in the rest of Europe.
2 October 1999 In an interview with the German paper "Bild", M. Schumacher said that he does not think he will be able to come back in 1999. He is currently having serious problems with his knees and cannot put any pressure on them. Nonetheless, on Thursday he will be testing in Fiorano.
Last updated on
by Federica Massagrande