The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

by **BassTrombone** » 14 May 2020, 16:46

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix

Benetton have now won 5 races in a row and they only need 7 more points to win the Constructors' Championship. In other words, it looks like they will have something to celebrate this week-end, or will we see a big surprise? And how will the battle between their two drivers continue, now Schumacher is only 2 points adrift?

Qualifying

Benetton took another big step to secure the constructors' title by locking out the front row. Once again, it was Schumacher who took pole position. The Williams team did a lot better than in Italy, with Coulthard in 3rd and Hill in 5th. Hakkinen split the duo by qualifying in 4th. Berger and Alesi were close together on 6th and 7th, while Martin Brundle had another impressive qualifying and put his Ligier on 8th.

Jordan's lack of in-season development really showed as Irvine and Barrichello only managed 12th and 13th. Moreno did well to qualify on the 11th row once again. Pacific's new driver, Jean-Denis Délétraz appeared no improvement over Lavaggi, as he was well off the pace of his team mate.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³Pole 1 ³ ³ Michael Schumacher ³ ³ 1m 20.602s 2 ³ ³ Johnny Herbert ³ ³Row 2 3 1m 20.726s ³ ³ David Coulthard ³ ³ 1m 20.824s 4 ³ ³ Mika Hakkinen ³ ³Row 3 5 1m 21.044s ³ ³ Damon Hill ³ ³ 1m 21.187s 6 ³ ³ Gerhard Berger ³ ³Row 4 7 1m 21.448s ³ ³ Jean Alesi ³ ³ 1m 21.470s 8 ³ ³ Martin Brundle ³ ³Row 5 9 1m 21.478s ³ ³ Heinz-Harald Frentzen ³ ³ 1m 21.484s 10 ³ ³ Mark Blundell ³ ³Row 6 11 1m 21.551s ³ ³ Olivier Panis ³ ³ 1m 21.583s 12 ³ ³ Eddie Irvine ³ ³Row 7 13 1m 21.649s ³ ³ Rubens Barrichello ³ ³ 1m 21.848s 14 ³ ³ Ukyo Katayama ³ ³Row 8 15 1m 21.957s ³ ³ Luca Badoer ³ ³ 1m 23.090s 16 ³ ³ Mika Salo ³ ³Row 9 17 1m 23.207s ³ ³ Pedro Lamy ³ ³ 1m 23.259s 18 ³ ³ Karl Wendlinger ³ ³Row 10 19 1m 23.349s ³ ³ Jos Verstappen ³ ³ 1m 23.351s 20 ³ ³ Massimilano Papis ³ ³Row 11 21 1m 23.729s ³ ³ Domenico Schiattarella ³ ³ 1m 24.881s 22 ³ ³ Roberto Moreno ³ ³Row 12 23 1m 25.659s ³ ³ Nathan van Dijk ³ ³ 1m 25.832s 24 ³ ³ Taki Inoue ³ ³Row 13 25 1m 25.894s ³ ³ Andrea Montermini ³ ³ 1m 26.373s 26 ³ ³ Jean-Denis Délétraz ³ ³ 1m 27.693s ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Race

Michael Schumacher had a great start and created a gap to his chasers right away. Herbert and Coulthard also kept their places, while the Ferraris had a good start. Berger and Alesi moved up to 4th and 5th, followed by Mika Hakkinen. The first laps were rather uneventful, until Johnny Herbert locked his brakes into the Esses. The Briton ended in the gravel trap and although he could resume his race, he dropped all the way back to 22nd. Mika Hakkinen had another frustrating race as well, since he was forced to retire with mechanical issues once again; this time as soon as lap 10.

Jean Alesi passed his team mate Berger for 4th place in lap 11, but things would get worse for the Austrian a lap later. He ran wide in the Esses and lost 4 more places. Alesi then was the first driver to make a pit stop. He came into the pits as early as lap 18, rejoining in 8th position, just in front of Herbert who was recovering quickly. The other stops followed in the next laps; most remakable was that Damon Hill had lost a place to Jean Alesi, whose undercut strategy seemed to work as planned.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was driving in an excellent 5th position at this moment, having benefitted from the mistakes and mechanical issues at the top teams. Frentzen would get himself into trouble, however, as he spun in lap 32, damaging his front wing in the process. Not only had he lost time in the gravel trap, he also needed an extra stop for repairs and his chance of a good result was wasted.

Alesi's second stop came in lap 37 and at that moment, it was clear that he was the only driver on a three-stop strategy. He came out of the pits just behind Gerhard Berger and Johnny Herbert. Herbert overtook Berger a lap later and Alesi followed within a few corners. It took Alesi just one lap before he caught Herbert as well with a particularly brave more in Parabolica Interior.

The second round of pit stops did not bring any position changes, but Alesi's 3rd stop dropped him back to 5th place. He did start chasing Johnny Herbert's 4th position and closed the gap quite quickly, but it was not enough to catch him before the end of the race. Meanwhile, Nathan van Dijk would again not finish the race after he had been running close to Schiattarella for most of the race. He had looked faster than his team mate, Inoue and both Pacifics, but an oil leak ended his good run.

Schumacher dominates the race and takes the championship lead

Michael Schumacher had dominated the race and crossed the finish line in 1st, while Coulthard and Hill made it Williams' first double podium finish of the year so far. It was not enough to keep them in contention for the constructors' championship, though, as Herbert's 4th place made it a total of 13 points for Benetton in this race when they only needed 7 for the title. Nevertheless, Herbert was not in the mood for a party as he lost 7 points to his team mate and title rival, Schumacher. The German had now more points than the Briton for the first time this year. Alesi and Berger finished in 5th and 6th.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³ Pos Driver Time/Speed ³ ³ ³ ³ 1st Michael Schumacher 1h 40m 30.929s ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 2nd David Coulthard +19.401s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 3rd Damon Hill +41.553s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 4th Johnny Herbert +55.341s ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 5th Jean Alesi +57.765s ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 6th Gerhard Berger -1 Lap ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 7th Ukyo Katayama -2 Laps ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 8th Karl Wendlinger -2 Laps ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 9th Luca Badoer -2 Laps ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 10th Domenico Schiattarella -3 Laps ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 11th Massimilano Papis -4 Laps ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 12th Heinz-Harald Frentzen Transmission ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 13th Nathan van Dijk Oil Leak ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 14th Jean-Denis Délétraz Transmission ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 15th Mika Salo Transmission ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 16th Rubens Barrichello Transmission ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 17th Olivier Panis Transmission ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 18th Pedro Lamy Crash ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 19th Eddie Irvine Transmission ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 20th Roberto Moreno Suspension ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 21st Martin Brundle Suspension ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 22nd Andrea Montermini Transmission ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 23rd Taki Inoue Water Leak ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 24th Mika Hakkinen Transmission ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 25th Mark Blundell Transmission ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 26th Jos Verstappen Transmission ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Drivers' championship

Code: Select all: 1. Michael Schumacher 76 2. Johnny Herbert 71 3. David Coulthard 47 4. Gerhard Berger 31 5. Jean Alesi 27 6. Damon Hill 24 7. Eddie Irvine 16 8. Mika Hakkinen 10 9. Rubens Barrichello 7 10. Karl Wendlinger 7 11. Olivier Panis 7 12. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 6 13. Nigel Mansell 5 14. Luca Badoer 2 15. Jos Verstappen 1 16. Martin Brundle 1

Constructors' championship

Code: Select all: 1. Benetton-Renault 147 2. Williams-Renault 71 3. Ferrari 58 4. Jordan-Peugeot 23 5. McLaren-Mercedes 15 6. Sauber-Ford 13 7. Ligier-Mugen Honda 8 8. Minardi-Ford 2 9. Simtek-Ford 1

by **BassTrombone** » 16 May 2020, 13:22

1995 European Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher had the momentum coming to his second home Grand Prix on the Nürburgring. Johnny Herbert will be more than eager to outscore him after the German's hattrick of wins. The other teams will be looking to break Benetton's streak of wins. Will Williams and Ferrari be able to finally win another race?

Qualifying

Mika Hakkinen took surprisingly his second pole position of the season. Coulthard kept his last hope of title contention alive by joining the Finn on the front row. Schumacher beat his team mate by qualifying in 3rd, while Herbert only managed 5th; Damon Hill split the two Benettons. Alesi completed the top six, with an impressive Heinz-Harald Frentzen right behind him. Nathan van Dijk had a good qualifying as well, beating his team mate by 0.3 s to get the 22nd grid slot; his best performance of the year.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³Pole 1 ³ ³ Mika Hakkinen ³ ³ 1m 23.008s 2 ³ ³ David Coulthard ³ ³Row 2 3 1m 23.289s ³ ³ Michael Schumacher ³ ³ 1m 23.420s 4 ³ ³ Damon Hill ³ ³Row 3 5 1m 23.438s ³ ³ Johnny Herbert ³ ³ 1m 23.517s 6 ³ ³ Jean Alesi ³ ³Row 4 7 1m 23.672s ³ ³ Heinz-Harald Frentzen ³ ³ 1m 23.721s 8 ³ ³ Eddie Irvine ³ ³Row 5 9 1m 23.775s ³ ³ Gerhard Berger ³ ³ 1m 23.877s 10 ³ ³ Mark Blundell ³ ³Row 6 11 1m 23.907s ³ ³ Martin Brundle ³ ³ 1m 23.998s 12 ³ ³ Olivier Panis ³ ³Row 7 13 1m 24.170s ³ ³ Rubens Barrichello ³ ³ 1m 24.332s 14 ³ ³ Ukyo Katayama ³ ³Row 8 15 1m 24.586s ³ ³ Massimilano Papis ³ ³ 1m 24.783s 16 ³ ³ Karl Wendlinger ³ ³Row 9 17 1m 25.604s ³ ³ Luca Badoer ³ ³ 1m 25.827s 18 ³ ³ Mika Salo ³ ³Row 10 19 1m 26.043s ³ ³ Jos Verstappen ³ ³ 1m 26.059s 20 ³ ³ Pedro Lamy ³ ³Row 11 21 1m 26.196s ³ ³ Domenico Schiattarella ³ ³ 1m 26.970s 22 ³ ³ Nathan van Dijk ³ ³Row 12 23 1m 27.716s ³ ³ Roberto Moreno ³ ³ 1m 28.033s 24 ³ ³ Taki Inoue ³ ³Row 13 25 1m 28.247s ³ ³ Andrea Montermini ³ ³ 1m 28.829s 26 ³ ³ Jean-Denis Délétraz ³ ³ 1m 29.971s ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Race

The top 3 got away well, keeping their positions. Jean Alesi had the best start of the whole pack, jumping to 4th place, with Hill and Herbert behind him. Hakkinen would not be in the lead for long, because Coulthard outbraked him into the Veedol chicane before the end of the first lap. Michael Schumacher's pace was also disappointing in the opening stages, as Alesi, Hill and Herbert all got past him in the first 5 laps. He would recover somewhat in the next laps, regaining a position on Herbert in lap 13.

The top 6 all looked to be on a one stop strategy, with Hill being the first of them to come into the pits, in lap 31. Coulthard and Alesi followed a lap later, with Alesi's stop not being fast enough to keep him in front of Hill. The others made their stops without any position changes, although Hakkinen was a lot closer to Coulthard than before the pit stops. The Finn's pace was quicker then Coulthard's as well and the two looked set for an intense battle for the win. Behind them, Schumacher had gained time on Hill and Alesi too. The German improved his championship chances by overtaking Alesi in lap 38 and he continued to close in on Hill.

The battle for the win ended in an anti-climax in lap 47. Martin Brundle's Ligier was running slow in the Castrol-S as he was retiring his car. Coulthard seemed distracted and ran wide, handing the lead to Hakkinen. It soon emerged that it was not Coulthard's mistake, as he had a puncture. The Scot made it back to the pits for a fresh set of tyres, but he rejoined in 7th position, behind Berger. Just one lap later, another shock went through the paddock as Johnny Herbert's engine was on fire. Herbert was forced to retire while he was in 5th position, losing another 2 points for the championship, just after his team mate had gained another position by overtaking Damon Hill.

After those tumultuous laps, Hakkinen was enjoying a comfortable lead over Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi. David Coulthard was on a charge after his misfortunes and he got swiftly past Berger's Ferrari in lap 52. His lead inheritor, Hakkinen, would undergo a similar fate in lap 53. The Finn was forced to pit with a loose wheel, rejoining the track just in front of Coulthard in 4th place. The crowd certainly did not mind, as their favourite, Schumacher, inherited a comfortable lead.

Hakkinen was the fastest man on track after his stop and he quickly reeled in Alesi's Ferrari. The Finn outbraked the Frenchman in lap 58 and he went on to chase Hill and Schumacher. David Coulthard followed him 2 laps later, also finding a way past Alesi in the Sportwartkurve. Hakkinen was on Damon Hill's tail by now, passing him in the Veedol chicane. The Finn now had a gap of 7 seconds to close to Schumacher in the final 5 laps. While Coulthard got past Hill in the final laps, Hakkinen was closing the gap to the lead at a fast rate. Going into the final lap, the gap was down to just 2 seconds, but the race turned out to be one lap too short for Hakkinen to attack Schumacher.

Schumacher finishes just in front of Herbert to win his second home race

Schumacher kept calm, did not make any mistakes, and took the win, just 0.7 s in front of Hakkinen. David Coulthard joined them on the podium, while Hill, Alesi and Berger completed the top 6. Nathan van Dijk had driven an excellent race, he battled with Verstappen and showed to be faster than Inoue and his team mate. In the end, it got him a 15th place.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Pos Driver Time/Speed ³ ³ ³ ³ 1st Michael Schumacher 1h 35m 11.813s ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 2nd Mika Hakkinen +0.768s ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 3rd David Coulthard +9.752s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 4th Damon Hill +13.027s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 5th Jean Alesi +16.079s ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 6th Gerhard Berger +28.385s ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 7th Heinz-Harald Frentzen +40.456s ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 8th Eddie Irvine +43.249s ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 9th Rubens Barrichello +1m 04.002s ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 10th Olivier Panis -1 Lap ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 11th Karl Wendlinger -1 Lap ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 12th Luca Badoer -2 Laps ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 13th Pedro Lamy -2 Laps ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 14th Domenico Schiattarella -2 Laps ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 15th Nathan van Dijk -3 Laps ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 16th Roberto Moreno -3 Laps ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 17th Mark Blundell Electrical ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 18th Taki Inoue Engine ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 19th Johnny Herbert Oil Leak ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 20th Martin Brundle Transmission ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 21st Andrea Montermini Water Leak ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 22nd Massimilano Papis Suspension ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 23rd Jos Verstappen Transmission ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 24th Jean-Denis Délétraz Loose Wheel ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 25th Mika Salo Engine ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 26th Ukyo Katayama Engine ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Post-race Quotes

You have seen it correctly, Grand Prix News' race reports have a new item! From now on, our pit reporters will snatch some quotes from the top-3, as well as from the Dutch drivers, to find out how they feel about their race.

Michael Schumacher (1st): "I know I have been lucky today, but of course I am very happy about the result and I think I extracted the absolute maximum from the car this weekend. We do need to make sure why we are not the fastest team anymore, though."
Mika Hakkinen (2nd): "If you had told me before the weekend that I would be disappointed with 2nd place, I would not have believed you, but it is what it is. At least our speed was very encouraging all week-end, it is just a shame about that small issue which definitely cost me the win."
David Coulthard (3rd): "Too bad about the puncture, it would have been a nice battle with Hakkinen. I am not sure if I would have won, but 2nd was definitely possible today. Still, the car felt good all week-end and I am hopeful for good results in the final 3 races."
Nathan van Dijk (15th): "This might have been my best race week-end in F1 so far! Qualifying was great and I felt great in the race, overtaking Verstappen and Inoue, although later on, Jos was faster. Still, I feel I am still improving race by race."
Jos Verstappen (retired): "It was not our best race here. I do not know why I could not find the pace in the race and it all ended way too soon with a transmission failure. I hope we can do better again in the last races this year."

Drivers' Championship

Code: Select all: 1. Michael Schumacher 86 2. Johnny Herbert 71 3. David Coulthard 51 4. Gerhard Berger 32 5. Jean Alesi 29 6. Damon Hill 27 7. Mika Hakkinen 16 8. Eddie Irvine 16 9. Rubens Barrichello 7 10. Karl Wendlinger 7 11. Olivier Panis 7 12. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 6 13. Nigel Mansell 5 14. Luca Badoer 2 15. Jos Verstappen 1 16. Martin Brundle 1

Constructors' Championship

Code: Select all: 1. Benetton-Renault 157 2. Williams-Renault 78 3. Ferrari 61 4. Jordan-Peugeot 23 5. McLaren-Mercedes 21 6. Sauber-Ford 13 7. Ligier-Mugen Honda 8 8. Minardi-Ford 2 9. Simtek-Ford 1

by **BassTrombone** » 16 May 2020, 17:54

GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 4th October, 1995

Can Johnny Still Win It?

After the European Grand Prix, there are only two drivers left who have a mathematical chance of winning the World Drivers' Championship: Benetton team mates Michael Schumacher and Johnny Herbert. Schumacher's win and Herbert's DNF gave the German a 15 point lead over the Briton. David Coulthard's 3rd place got him on a deficit of 35 points, so with only 3 races to go, he has no chance of winning the title anymore.

Herbert's misfortune certainly cost him badly and even if he wins all three races from now on, he is not certain to win the championship. Schumacher would do enough if he finishes 2nd twice and 3rd once. Given that Schumacher has not been off the podium since the French GP, it seems reasonable to expect that he is capable of such results. If the German wins one more race, he would need to add no more than 5 points to his tally to make it.

So, what does Herbert need to do to stand a chance? First of all, he will need to beat his team mate and all the others in the next three races. And, as a wise man once said, "To finish first, you first must finish!" Herbert has lost a lot of points in the second half of the season due to mechanical issues, but also due to driver errors. In other words, the second thing the Briton needs to do, is to stop making mistakes. And then, there is a third thing to do: hoping. Herbert will need to hope for other teams to slot in between himself and his team mate, or for Schumacher to get hit by mechanical issues, or for Schumacher to start making mistakes.

So, can Johnny still win it? Maybe, but he will need to beat everyone, he cannot make any more mistakes and he needs to hope for the unlikely...

Teams for Sale

It seems to be a recurring theme in Formula 1: teams in financial trouble. Over the last 5 years, we lost an impressive number of teams: Onyx, EuroBrun, Life, Lambo, AGS, March, Brabham, Fondmetal and Lotus. The teams of Larrousse, Scuderia Italia, Coloni, Osella and Venturi were meanwhile all sold to different owners or merged. Strong rumours are coming from the paddock that more teams will be added to the latter list in the best case, or, in the worst case, to the former.

Firstly, it seems almost certain that Jackie Oliver and Alan Rees, two of the original founders of the Arrows team, will buy out Footwork from the team, renaming it back to its original name. It is no secret that Footwork's financial input to the team has slimmed down significantly. This has been emphasized by the fact that the team needed to hire Papis and Inoue to raise some funds.

Ligier was acquired by Flavio Briatore last year, mainly to secure the Renault engines for his Benetton team. Briatore is looking to sell the French team again now. One of the main candidates to buy it is Tom Walkinshaw's TWR. Walkinshaw is already managing the team on Briatore's behalf, but he is said to be looking to run a team with his own company. Another candidate was Alain Prost, who was looking to set up his own F1 team with backing from French companies. However, Prost has just joined McLaren in an advisory role, so his own team does not seem realistic at this moment.

1994's new teams, Simtek and Pacific, both seem to be struggling as well. Simtek's finances were very tight in the beginning of the year, until they were saved with some good Dutch sponsor deals. It seems likely that those sponsors will follow Verstappen wherever he is going, and it may well not be Simtek. Pacific's money also looks to be running out quickly and their lack of results is not making the situation any easier. Both teams appear uncertain whether they will survive the winter without investments or buy-outs, but so far, Grand Prix News has not heard of any serious potential buyers.

Short but Sweet

Panis stays at Ligier in '96, '97 • Judd V10 engines for Pacific next year? • Jan Magnussen in talks with DFC, Simtek, Larrousse DAMS, manager says • DFC announces sponsor deal with Petrobras

by **BassTrombone** » 19 May 2020, 20:13

1995 Pacific Grand Prix

For the second and presumably last time in Formula 1 history, the Pacific Grand Prix will be held on the TI Circuit Aida. Michael Schumacher won here last year and if he does it again, it will be a big step towards his second world title. If Herbert wins, everything is possible again. Or will Benetton's winning streak finally be ended? The midfield will be interesting to watch as well, with Morbidelli and Suzuki returning and with many teams bringing their last upgrades of the season.

Qualifying

Mika Hakkinen has another great qualifying by claiming his second pole position of the season. The Williams duo followed closely in 2nd and 3rd, while Michael Schumacher soundly beat his team mate with 4th. Mark Blundell completed a good qualifying for McLaren in 5th, joined by Alesi on the third row. Johnny Herbert managed only a disappointing 7th position, followed by Irvine, Frentzen and Barrichello. Further down, Aguri Suzuki and Gianni Morbidelli did a fine job on their return, qualifying in 14th and 15th respectively.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³Pole 1 ³ ³ Mika Hakkinen ³ ³ 1m 09.892s 2 ³ ³ Damon Hill ³ ³Row 2 3 1m 10.016s ³ ³ David Coulthard ³ ³ 1m 10.059s 4 ³ ³ Michael Schumacher ³ ³Row 3 5 1m 10.157s ³ ³ Mark Blundell ³ ³ 1m 10.363s 6 ³ ³ Jean Alesi ³ ³Row 4 7 1m 10.556s ³ ³ Johnny Herbert ³ ³ 1m 10.640s 8 ³ ³ Eddie Irvine ³ ³Row 5 9 1m 10.820s ³ ³ Heinz-Harald Frentzen ³ ³ 1m 10.836s 10 ³ ³ Rubens Barrichello ³ ³Row 6 11 1m 10.853s ³ ³ Gerhard Berger ³ ³ 1m 10.866s 12 ³ ³ Olivier Panis ³ ³Row 7 13 1m 11.251s ³ ³ Ukyo Katayama ³ ³ 1m 11.380s 14 ³ ³ Aguri Suzuki ³ ³Row 8 15 1m 11.610s ³ ³ Gianni Morbidelli ³ ³ 1m 11.715s 16 ³ ³ Luca Badoer ³ ³Row 9 17 1m 12.260s ³ ³ Mika Salo ³ ³ 1m 12.322s 18 ³ ³ Jos Verstappen ³ ³Row 10 19 1m 12.383s ³ ³ Karl Wendlinger ³ ³ 1m 12.773s 20 ³ ³ Pedro Lamy ³ ³Row 11 21 1m 12.790s ³ ³ Domenico Schiattarella ³ ³ 1m 13.746s 22 ³ ³ Nathan van Dijk ³ ³Row 12 23 1m 14.121s ³ ³ Roberto Moreno ³ ³ 1m 14.201s 24 ³ ³ Taki Inoue ³ ³Row 13 25 1m 14.584s ³ ³ Bertrand Gachot ³ ³ 1m 14.875s 26 ³ ³ Andrea Montermini ³ ³ 1m 15.222s ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Race

Michael Schumacher had a brilliant start and took the lead, followed by Hakkinen, Hill and Coulthard. Herbert also had a good start and came out of the first corner in 5th, right in front of Mark Blundell. Damon Hill had a bad first lap, as he was overtaken by Coulthard in Attwood curve and by Herbert in the hairpin. Blundell would also lose another place, as Irvine outbraked him into the hairpin. In lap 3, Hill took back his position from Herbert, while Alesi moved up into 6th by overtaking Irvine. Schumacher could not keep his leading position for long. Mika Hakkinen outbraked him in lap 4 going into the hairpin and the Finn was imitated by Coulthard a lap later. Johnny Herbert was far from gaining points on him, however, as Jean Alesi overtook the Briton for 5th place. Herbert got his position back in lap 12, when Alesi had to retire with transmission issues.

The first series of pit stops caused only one position change: Gerhard Berger's undercut worked and he moved up to 5th position, in front of Herbert. Michael Schumacher seemed to be much quicker in his second stint and he swiftly overtook Coulthard. Only a few laps after the regular stops, Mika Hakkinen was forced to make another stop. After the race, it appeared he had a throttle problem. Hakkinen's stop made him drop all the way back to 6th, behind Johnny Herbert, who made up another position one lap later by overtaking Berger in the hairpin.

A series of incidents followed halfway the race. Firstly, it was Michael Schumacher who hit Domenico Schiattarella when lapping him. The race was over for the Italian, but Schumacher got away without damage, although he lost two places to both Williams drivers. Coulthard had inherited the lead, but his team mate Damon Hill overtook him in lap 37. Mika Hakkinen also was making up for his lost time; he passed Berger and Herbert within a couple of laps. Another backmarker caught some attention: Bertrand Gachot collided with Berger when he was lapped. The result was once again time loss for the frontrunner and retirement for the backmarker. Schumacher was on his way back again and overtook Coulthard in lap 40, only to make a mistake in Attwood corner 2 laps later and lose his position again.

The second series of stops showed some interesting differences in strategy, as Coulthard and Herbert were driving a longer second stint than the others. Schumacher was one of the first drivers to make his stop and it payed off for him, because Damon Hill was behind him for a couple of seconds when he came out of the pits. It would indeed last for mere seconds, because Schumacher lost control of his car and spun in the first corner, like Hakkinen had done two laps earlier. Both drivers lost a lot of time and places.

When Coulthard had made his stop, he dropped to 2nd place behind his team mate. Schumacher and Herbert followed the Williams duo, with Hakkinen and Berger completing the top 6. Berger lost his place in the points when he was forced to make an extra pit stop with electrical issues, promoting Frentzen to a fine 6th place. Michael Schumacher was struggling in his final stint: Herbert got past when the German ran wide in the hairpin and 2 laps later, Hakkinen easily got past in Attwood. Schumacher was not the one with the worst closing stage of the race, though. The worst heartbreak was for Damon Hill, whose engine failed just two laps from the end.

David Coulthard breaks Benetton's winning streak in Aida

Hill's team mate, David Coulthard, inherited the win, joined on the podium by Johnny Herbert and Mika Hakkinen. Schumacher came home in a disappointing 4th position, while his compatriot Frentzen was more than satisfied with 5th. Gerhard Berger scored the final point.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³ Pos Driver Time/Speed ³ ³ ³ ³ 1st David Coulthard 1h 31m 42.809s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 2nd Johnny Herbert +29.424s ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 3rd Mika Hakkinen +33.128s ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 4th Michael Schumacher +34.280s ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 5th Heinz-Harald Frentzen -1 Lap ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 6th Gerhard Berger -1 Lap ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 7th Damon Hill -2 Laps ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 8th Ukyo Katayama -2 Laps ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 9th Gianni Morbidelli -2 Laps ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 10th Mika Salo -2 Laps ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 11th Karl Wendlinger -2 Laps ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 12th Luca Badoer -2 Laps ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 13th Pedro Lamy -3 Laps ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 14th Taki Inoue -4 Laps ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 15th Olivier Panis Engine ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 16th Aguri Suzuki Transmission ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 17th Eddie Irvine Loose Wheel ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 18th Bertrand Gachot Didn't Finish ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 19th Domenico Schiattarella Didn't Finish ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 20th Roberto Moreno Transmission ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 21st Nathan van Dijk Suspension ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 22nd Jos Verstappen Engine ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 23rd Mark Blundell Oil Leak ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 24th Jean Alesi Transmission ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 25th Rubens Barrichello Electrical ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 26th Andrea Montermini Water Leak ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Post-race Quotes

David Coulthard (1st): "Of course I am happy to finally win again, but Damon deserved this one. It was really a shame to lose a 1-2 for the team so close to the finish."
Johnny Herbert (2nd): "I knew I needed a steady race and I think I delivered. Beating Michael means I gained 3 points on him and my title hopes are still alive."
Mika Hakkinen (3rd): "The throttle problem was a shame, as I was feeling really good in the car. After that, I overdrove and lost even more, which was also a shame."
Nathan van Dijk (retired): "It was another week-end where we showed our speed, but unfortunately it was also another week-end where we did not finish."
Jos Verstappen (retired): "I had a great race and had moved up to 14th place within just a few laps. It was disappointing it did not last longer."

Drivers' Championship

Code: Select all: 1. Michael Schumacher 89 2. Johnny Herbert 77 3. David Coulthard 61 4. Gerhard Berger 33 5. Jean Alesi 29 6. Damon Hill 27 7. Mika Hakkinen 20 8. Eddie Irvine 16 9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 8 10. Rubens Barrichello 7 11. Karl Wendlinger 7 12. Olivier Panis 7 13. Nigel Mansell 5 14. Luca Badoer 2 15. Jos Verstappen 1 16. Martin Brundle 1

Constructors' Championship

Code: Select all: 1. Benetton-Renault 166 2. Williams-Renault 88 3. Ferrari 62 4. McLaren-Mercedes 25 5. Jordan-Peugeot 23 6. Sauber-Ford 15 7. Ligier-Mugen Honda 8 8. Minardi-Ford 2 9. Simtek-Ford 1

by **BassTrombone** » 21 May 2020, 20:15

1995 Japanese Grand Prix

Despite his disappointing race in Aida, Michael Schumacher says his mission is to clinch the title in Suzuka, but Johnny Herbert will do everything to prevent it. The Williams team will also be looking to add more to their winning tally this year. In the constructors' championship, there still is a fierce battle for 4th between McLaren, Jordan and Sauber. All three teams are eager for a good result as well. The season is almost over, but there is plenty left to race for!

Qualifying

Hill and Hakkinen both make the front row again, but this time it is Hill who narrowly beats the Finn. Coulthard managed to take 3rd on the grid, while Schumacher beat Herbert again to take 4th. Berger squeezed his Ferrari between the two Benettons, while his team mate Alesi got 7th, followed by Mark Blundell. There were no big surprises in the midfield, although Van Dijk's qualifying was disappointing. The young Dutchman was soundly beaten by his team mate this time.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³Pole 1 ³ ³ Damon Hill ³ ³ 1m 37.018s 2 ³ ³ Mika Hakkinen ³ ³Row 2 3 1m 37.033s ³ ³ David Coulthard ³ ³ 1m 37.319s 4 ³ ³ Michael Schumacher ³ ³Row 3 5 1m 37.490s ³ ³ Gerhard Berger ³ ³ 1m 37.673s 6 ³ ³ Johnny Herbert ³ ³Row 4 7 1m 37.809s ³ ³ Jean Alesi ³ ³ 1m 37.878s 8 ³ ³ Mark Blundell ³ ³Row 5 9 1m 37.930s ³ ³ Olivier Panis ³ ³ 1m 37.976s 10 ³ ³ Aguri Suzuki ³ ³Row 6 11 1m 38.101s ³ ³ Eddie Irvine ³ ³ 1m 38.191s 12 ³ ³ Rubens Barrichello ³ ³Row 7 13 1m 38.255s ³ ³ Heinz-Harald Frentzen ³ ³ 1m 38.693s 14 ³ ³ Ukyo Katayama ³ ³Row 8 15 1m 38.935s ³ ³ Gianni Morbidelli ³ ³ 1m 39.415s 16 ³ ³ Mika Salo ³ ³Row 9 17 1m 40.122s ³ ³ Karl Wendlinger ³ ³ 1m 40.256s 18 ³ ³ Luca Badoer ³ ³Row 10 19 1m 40.611s ³ ³ Jos Verstappen ³ ³ 1m 40.728s 20 ³ ³ Pedro Lamy ³ ³Row 11 21 1m 40.923s ³ ³ Domenico Schiattarella ³ ³ 1m 42.205s 22 ³ ³ Roberto Moreno ³ ³Row 12 23 1m 42.487s ³ ³ Taki Inoue ³ ³ 1m 42.700s 24 ³ ³ Nathan van Dijk ³ ³Row 13 25 1m 42.879s ³ ³ Bertrand Gachot ³ ³ 1m 43.713s 26 ³ ³ Andrea Montermini ³ ³ 1m 43.974s ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Race

Schumacher took a giant leap to his second world title at the start. The German rocketed into the lead, followed by Hill and Hakkinen. Herbert also had a good start: he moved up to 4th, while David Coulthard had dropped to 5th. Aguri Suzuki had a marvellous start in front of his home crowd; the Japanese Ligier driver came out of the first corner in an excellent 6th position. Herbert tried to waste no time to close in on his team mate, passing Hakkinen still on the first lap on their way to 130R, but the Finn got him back at the Casio Triangle. In the next lap, Herbert even lost a place when Coulthard overtook him in the same chicane. The Scot also got past Hakkinen two laps later.

As Schumacher built a comfortable lead and Herbert was only driving in 5th position, the German was set to become a double world champion in Suzuka. Nobody looked like they could stop him, until his transmission failed in lap 8. The furious Schumacher refused to comment on the situation afterwards. Meanwhile, Aguri Suzuki did a great job in keeping his 6th position, although Gerhard Berger found a way past in lap 7. With Schumacher's retirement, Suzuki was back in the points until Barrichello overtook him in lap 9. The Brazilian would retire with transmission issues though, handing Suzuki back the 6th position.

At the front, Damon Hill had inherited the lead, but David Coulthard was faster. The Scot pulled off a brave pass on the Englishman in 130R to move into 1st. He would keep the lead until he made his first stop in lap 20. It was a short stop, indicating that Coulthard was one of the few drivers on a two stop strategy. Coulthard dropped to 5th place, but he passed Gerhard Berger within a few laps to take 4th. A few laps later, Ligier caused a massive disappointment for the crowd, as Suzuki's suspension failed in lap 25. The Japanese desperately tried to reach his pit crew, but his car stranded in the pit lane.

After all the stops of the one-stoppers, the order had returned without any position changes. Coulthard was back in the lead, although his margin was small. Hill was just a few seconds behind, while Mika Hakkinen put in some fast lap times in 3rd position. The Finn lost his chance at 2nd place when he had to retire with a puncture. David Coulthard made his second stop pretty late, in lap 42. He rejoined the race in 2nd place and could not catch his team mate anymore.

Damon Hill wins his first race of 1995

Damon Hill kept his lead and finally won his first race of the year, with Coulthard completing the first 1-2 for Williams of the season. Herbert collected another 4 points with 3rd, closing the gap to Schumacher for the final race to 8 points. Berger came home in 4th, followed by Eddie Irvine and Mark Blundell, who scored his first point of the season at last.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³ Pos Driver Time/Speed ³ ³ ³ ³ 1st Damon Hill 1h 29m 22.159s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 2nd David Coulthard +11.202s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 3rd Johnny Herbert +35.338s ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 4th Gerhard Berger +46.617s ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 5th Eddie Irvine +1m 28.496s ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 6th Mark Blundell +1m 32.231s ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 7th Ukyo Katayama -1 Lap ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 8th Gianni Morbidelli -1 Lap ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 9th Karl Wendlinger -1 Lap ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 10th Mika Salo -1 Lap ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 11th Domenico Schiattarella -2 Laps ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 12th Pedro Lamy -2 Laps ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 13th Roberto Moreno -2 Laps ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 14th Taki Inoue -3 Laps ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 15th Bertrand Gachot -3 Laps ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 16th Andrea Montermini -3 Laps ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 17th Mika Hakkinen Puncture ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 18th Jos Verstappen Engine ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 19th Heinz-Harald Frentzen Water Leak ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 20th Nathan van Dijk Electrical ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 21st Aguri Suzuki Suspension ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 22nd Luca Badoer Puncture ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 23rd Olivier Panis Engine ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 24th Rubens Barrichello Transmission ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 25th Michael Schumacher Transmission ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 26th Jean Alesi Engine ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Post-race Quotes

Damon Hill (1st): "Finally I am back! My compliments to the team, we really had a great car again. Fortunately I could finish the job this time around."
David Coulthard (2nd): "This was another great race for the team. Unfortunately, my two stop strategy did not work out the way we hoped, but 2nd it not a bad result at all."
Johnny Herbert (3rd): "I am proud that I have stretched the title battle to the last race; who knows what will happen in Adelaide."
Jos Verstappen (retired): "I lost a lot of time in the battle with the Fortis. When I finally had some free space, the pace was quite good. It is just a shame about the mechanical issues again."
Nathan van Dijk (retired): "I could not really get it together in qualifying, but the race was quite fun. I could have gained some places with the undercut, but unfortunately the car failed right after my pit stop."

Drivers' Championship

Code: Select all: 1. Michael Schumacher 89 2. Johnny Herbert 81 3. David Coulthard 67 4. Damon Hill 37 5. Gerhard Berger 36 6. Jean Alesi 29 7. Mika Hakkinen 20 8. Eddie Irvine 18 9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 8 10. Rubens Barrichello 7 11. Karl Wendlinger 7 12. Olivier Panis 7 13. Nigel Mansell 5 14. Luca Badoer 2 15. Mark Blundell 1 16. Jos Verstappen 1 17. Martin Brundle 1

Constructors' Championship

Code: Select all: 1. Benetton-Renault 170 2. Williams-Renault 104 3. Ferrari 65 4. McLaren-Mercedes 26 5. Jordan-Peugeot 25 6. Sauber-Ford 15 7. Ligier-Mugen Honda 8 8. Minardi-Ford 2 9. Simtek-Ford 1

by **BassTrombone** » 25 May 2020, 18:47

GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 1st November, 1995

Down to the Wire

With only 8 points between Michael Schumacher and Johnny Herbert, the drivers' championship will be decided in the final race of this year. While we are waiting to find out who takes the title in Adelaide, Grand Prix News looks back at the last five title deciders in the final race.

1994

It was only last year that Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill headed to Adelaide with just one point separating them. Memories are still fresh of the controversial crash between the two title contenders, which resulted in both of them retiring from the race and Schumacher taking his first championship.

1986

It is difficult to imagine that it has already been nine years since the three-way title decider of 1986. Nigel Mansell was leading the championship going into the final race, but Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet also had a chance. Mansell was on course to clinch his first championship, until a puncture ended his race. Piquet was called into the pits precautionarily for new tyres and had to chase Prost afterwards. The Frenchman managed to keep the lead by just 4 seconds and win the championship.

1984

Niki Lauda was 3.5 points ahead of his McLaren team mate Alain Prost before the final GP in Estoril. Prost was dominating the race, while Lauda was recovering from a poor qualifying. A brake failure for Nigel Mansell meant Lauda could gain 2nd place from him, giving him enough points to win the title by just half a point.

1983

Before the season's final Grand Prix in South Africa, three drivers still had a chance of winning the championship: Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet and René Arnoux. Arnoux's race only lasted 9 laps, while Piquet was pulling away in the lead. Prost fought himself up the field, but before he could really challenge Piquet, the Frenchman also suffered mechanical failure. Piquet was then able to cruise home and get enough points with 3rd place.

1982

The situation in 1982 may be the most similar to this year. Keke Rosberg needed one more point to secure his world championship, while John Watson still had a theoretical chance as well. Watson drove a good race after running a lowly 12th in the opening staged and finished 2nd, but Rosberg's 5th place was enough for the Finn to win the only world championship of his career.

Larrousse DAMS LD-I Unveiled

Larrousse DAMS unveiled their 1996 F1 chassis, the LD-I, at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. It was already known that the LD-I has been designed by Reynard, but it was the first time that it has officially been confirmed that the French team will use Ford V8 engines next year. Apart from the car itself, the biggest news of the day was the confirmation of Emmanuel Collard as one of the team's drivers. Collard also gave the car its shakedown on the Bugatti circuit.

The most eye-catching features of the chassis, which is at the moment painted in a testing livery, are the double air intakes in the sidepods. The intakes are rather narrow, even combined, but they are supposed to provide the cooling system a more laminar airflow, while the drag coefficient should be lower than for conventional air intakes. Larrousse DAMS have gone for a raised nosecone, just like more and more of the other teams have done over the last few years. Lap times have not been communicated, but it has to be said: although it will be down on power to the V10s, the car certainly looks interesting.

Short but Sweet

Verstappen, Badoer main candidates for 2nd Ligier seat • Blundell signs for CART team PacWest • Pacific on the brink of ruin • Taki Inoue in talks with Minardi • Paul and Jackie Stewart planning to enter F1 with own team

by **BassTrombone** » 31 May 2020, 14:47

1995 Australian Grand Prix

The championship decider is finally here! It has been a tumultuous season with many ups and downs for both Benetton drivers, Michael Schumacher and Johnny Herbert. If Schumacher finishes the race in a decent position, he is sure of his second world title. Or can Herbert still provide a surprise and keep the numbers 1 and 2 on the Benettons for next year?

Qualifying

Mika Hakkinen and Mark Blundell both set a good first step to give McLaren 4th in the constructors' championship, with the Finn taking another pole and the Briton qualified in a decent 7th position. The Williams duo of Hill and Coulthard did well once again with 2nd and 3rd on the grid, followed by Jean Alesi in 4th. In the other Ferrari, Berger had a decent qualifying as well to take 6th. Johnny Herbert needed a good qualifying to keep his title dreams alive, but he did not deliver. While his team mate, Michael Schumacher, managed a 5th place on the grid, Herbert could do no better than 10th.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³Pole 1 ³ ³ Mika Hakkinen ³ ³ 1m 16.233s 2 ³ ³ Damon Hill ³ ³Row 2 3 1m 16.284s ³ ³ David Coulthard ³ ³ 1m 16.496s 4 ³ ³ Jean Alesi ³ ³Row 3 5 1m 16.644s ³ ³ Michael Schumacher ³ ³ 1m 16.658s 6 ³ ³ Gerhard Berger ³ ³Row 4 7 1m 16.730s ³ ³ Mark Blundell ³ ³ 1m 16.889s 8 ³ ³ Olivier Panis ³ ³Row 5 9 1m 16.986s ³ ³ Heinz-Harald Frentzen ³ ³ 1m 17.202s 10 ³ ³ Johnny Herbert ³ ³Row 6 11 1m 17.218s ³ ³ Rubens Barrichello ³ ³ 1m 17.224s 12 ³ ³ Eddie Irvine ³ ³Row 7 13 1m 17.231s ³ ³ Martin Brundle ³ ³ 1m 17.422s 14 ³ ³ Gianni Morbidelli ³ ³Row 8 15 1m 17.866s ³ ³ Ukyo Katayama ³ ³ 1m 17.877s 16 ³ ³ Mika Salo ³ ³Row 9 17 1m 18.652s ³ ³ Luca Badoer ³ ³ 1m 18.807s 18 ³ ³ Jos Verstappen ³ ³Row 10 19 1m 18.955s ³ ³ Pedro Lamy ³ ³ 1m 19.028s 20 ³ ³ Karl Wendlinger ³ ³Row 11 21 1m 19.054s ³ ³ Domenico Schiattarella ³ ³ 1m 19.739s 22 ³ ³ Nathan van Dijk ³ ³Row 12 23 1m 20.344s ³ ³ Roberto Moreno ³ ³ 1m 20.726s 24 ³ ³ Taki Inoue ³ ³Row 13 25 1m 21.004s ³ ³ Andrea Montermini ³ ³ 1m 21.119s 26 ³ ³ Bertrand Gachot ³ ³ 1m 21.318s ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Race

Mika Hakkinen wasted his pole position with a terrible start; the Finn dropped back to 6th place. Hill took the lead into the first corner, followed by David Coulthard and Michael Schumacher, who had a good start. Alesi and Berger were in 4th and 5th place. Still in the first lap, both Coulthard and Berger overtook their team mates at Dequetteville. Alesi lost more places in the subsequent laps to Hakkinen and Frentzen, although he quickly regained 6th from Frentzen again.

Meanwhile, Johnny Herbert had started quite well to take 8th, but he could not gain any more places in the opening laps. The fight for the world championship ended with an anti-climax in lap 8, when Herbert had to park his car with a failed transmission. Michael Schumacher knew he was a double world champion now and he could now take some more risks. The German overtook Damon Hill for 2nd position in lap 10 at Dequetteville. Mika Hakkinen performed a similar move on Berger to take 4th.

Schumacher was the first driver to make a pit stop and it soon emerged that there was quite a variety of strategies chosen throughout the field. Coulthard and both Ferraris also made an early stop, while Hill, Hakkinen, Frentzen and Barrichello went for a longer first stint. Coulthard was swiftly back in the lead, because he overtook his team mate just a few laps after his stop. Michael Schumacher did something similar to quickly move back up into 3rd, followed by Mika Hakkinen. Hakkinen's race would be over before he could make his first stop, though, as he once again suffered from mechanical issues. His retirement gave Frentzen the final points scoring position, until Barrichello found a way past the German after a long fight.

When Hill finally made his stop, he kept his 2nd position in front of Schumacher. The second stint did not provide too much excitement; everybody seemed to be waiting for the second stops and the final stint to make up any positions. Hill did lose a place in that second series of stops; Schumacher was back up to 2nd place. Hill was on a charge in the final stint and quickly regained his position with a clean overtake in Dequetteville. Nevertheless, Schumacher was still set to celebrate his world title on the podium, but it was not to be. Benetton's season ended in shame as their other car also recorded a DNF with mechanical failure.

At the front, the Williams team did provide an exciting show. Damon Hill had closed in on his team mate after overtaking Schumacher and he was right on Coulthard's gearbox in the final laps. Just 4 laps from the finish, Hill made perhaps one of the greatest overtaking manoeuvres of the entire season. Jos Verstappen had to be lapped by both on the way to Dequetteville. Coulthard moved alongside the Dutchman, but Hill took another slipstream and made a late move all the way to the inside and braked at the very last possible moment to get in front of the Scot.

Hill wins again, this time after a late move on his team mate

Damon Hill kept the lead to end a disappointing season on a high with his second consecutive win. David Coulthard completed the Williams 1-2, while Jean Alesi finished his final race for Ferrari on the podium as well. Gerhard Berger took 4th place. Rubens Barrichello secured 2 points for Jordan with 5th, allowing Jordan to end the season with a single point more than McLaren in a surprising 4th in the constructors' championship. Heinz-Harald Frentzen settled for the final point.

Results

Code: Select all: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³ Pos Driver Time/Speed ³ ³ ³ ³ 1st Damon Hill 1h 47m 42.398s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 2nd David Coulthard +1.613s ³ ³ Williams - Renault ³ ³ 3rd Jean Alesi +18.054s ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 4th Gerhard Berger +22.585s ³ ³ Ferrari ³ ³ 5th Rubens Barrichello +53.711s ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 6th Heinz-Harald Frentzen +55.775s ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 7th Eddie Irvine +1m 09.292s ³ ³ Jordan - Peugeot ³ ³ 8th Mark Blundell -1 Lap ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 9th Olivier Panis -1 Lap ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 10th Martin Brundle -1 Lap ³ ³ Ligier - Mugen Honda ³ ³ 11th Ukyo Katayama -1 Lap ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 12th Gianni Morbidelli -2 Laps ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 13th Mika Salo -2 Laps ³ ³ Tyrrell - Yamaha ³ ³ 14th Jos Verstappen -3 Laps ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 15th Luca Badoer -3 Laps ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 16th Pedro Lamy -3 Laps ³ ³ Minardi - Ford ³ ³ 17th Nathan van Dijk -3 Laps ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 18th Roberto Moreno -4 Laps ³ ³ Forti - Ford ³ ³ 19th Andrea Montermini -4 Laps ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 20th Taki Inoue -6 Laps ³ ³ Footwork - Hart ³ ³ 21st Bertrand Gachot Brakes ³ ³ Pacific - Ford ³ ³ 22nd Michael Schumacher Oil Leak ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ³ 23rd Karl Wendlinger Transmission ³ ³ Sauber - Ford ³ ³ 24th Domenico Schiattarella Transmission ³ ³ Simtek - Ford ³ ³ 25th Mika Hakkinen Transmission ³ ³ McLaren - Mercedes ³ ³ 26th Johnny Herbert Transmission ³ ³ Benetton - Renault ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Post-race Quotes
Damon Hill (1st): "It was another great week-end and another very good race. It looks like we finally have a very good package and I hope we will continue in this form next year."
David Coulthard (2nd): "It was a shame I couldn't keep Damon behind, but he deserves the credits today. I have learned a lot this year and I am looking forward to new experiences with McLaren."
Jean Alesi (3rd): "I am glad to be back on the podium, it had been a while. I had hoped more from my time at Ferrari, but it will be interesting to move on with Benetton in '96."
Jos Verstappen (14th): "Most of all, I am happy that we finished a race again. I think we showed our speed again by beating the Minardis."
Nathan van Dijk (17th): "Forti's progression this year has been quite good and we showed it again today. I can also tell you that we are close to a deal for next year, which will be an exciting year for this team with a bigger budget."
Michael Schumacher (retired): "I am very happy and proud to have won the championship again. It was not always an easy year and to be honest, I would have hoped to end it better, but we fought our way through."

Drivers' Championship

Code: Select all: 1. Michael Schumacher 89 2. Johnny Herbert 81 3. David Coulthard 73 4. Damon Hill 47 5. Gerhard Berger 39 6. Jean Alesi 33 7. Mika Hakkinen 20 8. Eddie Irvine 18 9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 9 10. Rubens Barrichello 9 11. Karl Wendlinger 7 12. Olivier Panis 7 13. Nigel Mansell 5 14. Luca Badoer 2 15. Mark Blundell 1 16. Jos Verstappen 1 17. Martin Brundle 1

Constructors' Championship

Code: Select all: 1. Benetton-Renault 170 2. Williams-Renault 120 3. Ferrari 72 4. Jordan-Peugeot 27 5. McLaren-Mercedes 26 6. Sauber-Ford 16 7. Ligier-Mugen Honda 8 8. Minardi-Ford 2 9. Simtek-Ford 1

by **BassTrombone** » 09 Jun 2020, 15:10

Press Release - Total Jordan Peugeot

Total Jordan Peugeot is confirming its 1996 driver line-up. After Rubens Barrichello's contract extension earlier this year, the team is now announcing that the experienced Briton Martin Brundle will join him. Team owner and principal, Eddie Jordan, commented "It was a complicated task to find a suitable replacement to have another talented line-up. Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine were one of the fastest duos on the grid, but Martin Brundle is both a very quick and a very experienced driver. I am convinced we can take another step in the right direction in 1996."

Press Release - Equipe Ligier

Equipe Ligier is pleased to make two big announcements for the 1996 season. Firstly, the team have agreed on a 3-year sponsorship deal with Gauloises Blondes, one of France's most famous cigarette brands. The deal implies that the team will be known as Ligier Gauloises Blondes until the end of the 1998 season.

Furthermore, both Ligier Gauloises Blondes drivers for the 1996 season are now officially confirmed. Olivier Panis had already extended his contract to keep the seat in the first Ligier. Joining him in 1996 will be Italian Luca Badoer. Badoer said: "This is very good news for me. I have a lot of confidence in Ligier's package for next year. My objective will be to score more points, after having scored my first ever points in F1 in 1995."

Press Release - Petrobras DFC Ford

Petrobras DFC Ford, formerly known as Forti Corse, has finalized negotiations to complete their driver pairing for next year. Next to Pedro Diniz, who had already signed a 2-year contract, the team is now confirming the contract extension of Nathan van Dijk. Van Dijk made his Formula 1 debut with the team this year as one of the youngest ever F1 rookies and has been impressive throughout the season. DFC is looking forward to the 1996 season with excitement, as the team is expecting to perform stronger next year.

by **BassTrombone** » 11 Jun 2020, 21:20

GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 6th December, 1995

1995: a Year of Many Firsts

1995 was a unique season in many aspects. A lot of things happened for the first time ever, or for the first time in a long time. Looking back at this F1 year, Grand Prix News identified some of these special moments.

First German double world champion

Michael Schumacher took his second world title in impressive fashion. Last year, he became the first ever German world champion and he added another title this year. It was not an easy win, though, as he suffered a lot of bad luck in the first half of the season. He bounced back with a very impressive second half of '95 and took a deservedly second world championship.

First teenager in F1 since Mike Thackwell
Dutch rookie Nathan van Dijk followed in the footsteps of Ricardo Rodriguez, Chris Amon and Mike Thackwell when he joined the grid in Sao Paulo. Van Dijk was only 19 years, 11 months and 26 days old, making him the fourth ever teenager and the first since 1980. He will hope not to have a similar career to his three predecessors, though, since none of them ever managed to win a race in F1.

First constructors' championship for Benetton
The team got already close in 1994, but 1995 was the year that Benetton won both the drivers' and the constructors' championship. With a strong chassis, the best engine, decent reliability and a very well-performing driver duo the team was a worthy champion. The team previously known as Toleman joins an illustrous group of constructors with Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, Lotus, Cooper, Brabham, Vanwall, BRM, Matra and Tyrrell.

First time top 4 without McLaren since 1983

McLaren-Mercedes had a rather disappointing season, mainly hampered by reliability issues. While they were fast on occasion, the Woking-based team only managed a 5th place in the constructors' championship, their lowest classification since 1983. In fact, last year, the team already ended a 10-year streak of top-2 classifications. The McLaren-Mercedes package still looks promising, but they desperately need to break the spell of their downward spiral.

First wins of Herbert and Coulthard
1995 was a breakthrough year for two talented British drivers: Johnny Herbert and David Coulthard. Both of them did not only win their first race, they both ended the championship in the top-3 with multiple race wins. Add Damon Hill, who ended an otherwise difficult season on a high, and the occasionally very fast Eddie Irvine to the equation as well and Great Britain can have high hopes of a new world champion in the very near future.

First points for Simtek

The small Simtek team punched above their weight numerous times throughout the year. Their best race result came in Argentina, where Jos Verstappen beat Pierluigi Martini to take the final point. Simtek has shown impressive progress in a year's time, despite having to operate on a shoestring budget. It will be interesting to see whether they can continue their progress, or their budget limits cause a setback next year.

Pacific Takes Step Back

Keith Wiggins' Pacific Racing will compete in F3000 next year. The team has stated that financial constraints force them to withdraw from a third season in F1. Instead, they have chosen to keep the team safe and running in F3000, a class where they previously won 5 races and a world championship.

Pacific's F1 stint was less of a success. In 1994, they usually struggled to qualify and the team did not finish a single race. 1995 was slightly better, as they did not have to worry about qualifying any more. In the first few races, they showed a similar pace to the Simteks and Fortis, although later in the year, Pacific dropped back until they were usually the slowest two cars on track.

Short but Sweet

Oliver, Rees complete Footwork buy-out, name it Arrows again • Verstappen almost out of options for '96: Simtek or Arrows? • Works Ford engines for Stewart Grand Prix from '97 • Kristensen close to Simtek race seat • Jan Magnussen stays McLaren test driver in ‘96, despite Larrousse DAMS offer

by **BassTrombone** » 16 Jun 2020, 14:54

Press Release - Arrows Grand Prix International

Arrows Grand Prix International is able to confirm its driver line-up for the 1996 season. Joining Brazilian Ricardo Rosset, who had already been confirmed at an earlier stage, will be Dutch driver Jos Verstappen. Verstappen is not completely new to the team, as he already completed a test in 1993, having impressed the team. In the mean time, Verstappen has gained a lot of F1 experience, scoring two podium finishes and 11 points in total.

Verstappen commented: "I am very glad that I could join Arrows. It is good to have a race seat confirmed for the next season and I am eager to find out what is possible with this team." Jackie Oliver mentioned "Jos has established himself as one of F1's best drivers of the moment. With his speed and experience, I am sure we have strenghtened the team with a fine driver."

Press Release - MTV Simtek Ford

MTV Simtek Ford is officially announcing that Tom Kristensen will be one of its race drivers in the 1996 season. Kristensen joined the team in 1995 as a test and reserve driver and already drove two races to replace the injured Domenico Schiattarella. Nick Wirth said: "Tom has been very impressive last year and we are rewarding him with a race seat next year. It is a shame that Jos Verstappen, who scored our first point, decided to leave the team, but I am convinced Tom will be a worthy successor."

by **BassTrombone** » 19 Jun 2020, 13:48

GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 3rd January, 1996

To-Do Lists Before Melbourne

The season opener in Melbourne is getting closer and closer and the F1 circus is getting more and more ready to run. However, there is still plenty left to be done before the lights turn green on the 10th of March. What are the teams up to in these months?

Although most seats are taken, some teams and drivers are still busy, trying to find an agreement for 1996. Minardi has only confirmed Pedro Lamy, although they are nearing an agreement with Taki Inoue for the second seat. Another still available seat is the second Simtek. The British team have recently confirmed Tom Kristensen, securing a deal with Danish roof window company Velux in the process. Andrea Montermini might join him, but Jean-Christophe Bouillon and Massimilano Papis are also still serious candidates. At Larrousse DAMS, it seems likely that Hiro Matsushita will be signed, bringing a healty amount of Panasonic money to the French team.

Probably even more important than the drivers, are the cars. Most of the teams will be finalizing the designs and production of their new chassis these weeks. So far, nothing has officially confirmed, but we are expecting to see the first glimpses of the cars before the next edition of this magazine. The only new car that has been shown to the public is the Larrousse DAMS LD-I, although its racing livery is still a mystery. Rumor has it that some teams might already be in trouble before the season starts, though. According to insiders, Simtek has shelved a revolutionary new design due to lack of financial resources. They will most probably enter a slightly updated version of last year’s S951 instead. Minardi is following a similar route with their M195 chassis, for similar reasons. On the contrary, it seems like DFC will be able to pull off a revolution. They will need to change their chassis significantly to fit the V10 engine anyway, but we heard some Italians whisper that a lot more changes will be made. Crucially, the Diniz money arrived at quite an early stage in the development, helping to improve this year’s car.

And then, there is a lot of stuff that not directly has anything to do with racing. Several teams are still looking for new sponsorships, the most notable example is probably the Jordan team, who are still negotiating a deal with a title sponsor. Cigarette brand Camel looks like a likely candidate to make an F1 comeback with the Silverstone-based team. Closely related to the sponsorship deals, are the cars’ paintjobs. The arrival of a new sponsor package usually comes with a new colour scheme. For example, expect the Jordans to have a radical new look and a more Brazilian-tinted design for DFC.

New Year's Resolutions

1995 has ended, welcome in the year 1996! It is a whole new year, with a whole lot of new opportunities. Grand Prix News was wondering what the new year's resolutions of the F1 teams were. We honed our psychic skills over the winter and in this article, we show you the results of our mind-reading operations...

Benetton: Stop having driver controversies
Williams: Stop wasting opportunities to fight for the championship
Ferrari: Win more than one race per year
Jordan: Stop breaking down when contending for podium finishes
McLaren: Start performing like a top team again
Sauber: Stop being invisible
Ligier: Make it clear who is actually running the team
Minardi: Stop being poor
Simtek: Stop being unreliable
Tyrrell: Have a car that lives up to the expectations
Arrows: Survive another season
DFC: Do not make it look like they are favouring the boss’ son
Larrousse DAMS: Pay all the bills

Short but Sweet

Keith Wiggins to get involved in Lola F1 project? • Paul Ricard nominated to host French GP from ’97 • Honda seriously considers re-entering F1 • Environmental protests continue at Albert Park circuit, but GP will take place • Dome-Mugen to test in March

by **BassTrombone** » 23 Jun 2020, 20:33

Press Release - Red Bull Sauber Ford

In a startling musical show at the Space Theater in Baden, Switzerland, Red Bull Sauber Ford officially unveiled its 1996 chassis, the C15, to the public. The Sauber C15 has a flashing new livery with newly introduced Petronas sponsoring. One of the biggest changes can be found underneath the big Red Bull logos: the all-new Ford Zetec-R V10 engine, which replaces the previously used V8.

Team principal, Peter Sauber, explained about the new design: "We started with a clean sheet of paper for 1996. The new engine, as well as the regulation changes for this year, gave us this opportunity. The car looks great and the first test runs in Paul Ricard and Estoril were very promising. We think we can make a big step forward this year."

Red Bull Sauber Ford's drivers for 1996 will be Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who starts his third year with the team, and Gerhard Berger. Berger is new to the team, but he is one of the most established drivers in Formula 1 at the moment. Berger told about his experiences with the team so far "It is great to be back in the Alps so often again! Joking aside, things are looking promising. The Ford V10 is difficult to compare with the Ferrari V12 I was used to, but it surely has great potential."

Press Release - Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari's new car for 1996, the Ferrari F310, was launched at Maranello. The F310 is powered by Ferrari's new V10 engine, the 046. Joining the launch for the first ever time was Fiat's president Gianni Agnelli. He was accompanied by Ferrari president, Luca Di Montezemolo, Scuderia Ferrari executive director Jean Todt, the race driver couple of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine, and test driver Nicola Larini.

Di Montezemolo stated "Ferrari has to change because of the changing world around us, but it is also very important to keep the tradition of Ferrari. In my opinion, part of that tradition is to be a successful F1 team and we are well on our way back to being one. We hope to win at least three races this year." Michael Schumacher added "It will be too soon to talk about the world championship this year. We definitely need to work more on several areas, mainly reliability. If we manage that, I think we will get closer and closer to the top."

Press Release - Mild Seven Benetton Renault

The Benetton-Renault B196 was launched at Taormina in Sicily, Italy after the new car was shaken down on the Estoril circuit. On the event, not only the 1996 car was presented, but due to the canceled ceremony in December, FIA president Max Mosley presented the 1995 Constructors' trophy to Benetton's team manager Flavio Briatore as well. Briatore was delighted to receive the '95 trophy, but he mostly looked ahead, saying "We are entering 1996 without our double world champion, Michael Schumacher. The fact that he left our team for Ferrari got us more motivated than ever to make another very strong start."

The car is an evolution of Benetton's most succesful car yet, the B195. Chief designer Rory Byrne explained "What is the most sensible thing to do when you need to succeed a mightily successful car? Indeed, you try to keep its key features and only change what still could be improved or what had to be changed because of regulations. That does not mean that we spent our winter relaxing, we were simply able to spend more time on optimizing our concept."

The B196 will be driven in races by Johnny Herbert and Jean Alesi. Herbert had a successful first full season with the team last year, finishing 2nd in the Drivers' Championship and he is looking to improve himself even further. Alesi is new to the team. He said about his expectations for 1996: "I have been very eager to win my first race for quite some time now. Last year, I was very close a couple of times, but I am certain that I will get more opportunities this year. And once I start winning races, who knows what will be possible."

by **BassTrombone** » 28 Jun 2020, 18:33

GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, stories and rumors | Wednesday 7th February, 1996

The Tracks of 1996

Anticipation is rising as the start of the 1996 season edges closer. The first cars have been revealed, but not all of them, so we will wait until our next edition to analyse those. The same applies for the drivers, as some seats have still not yet been filled. There is one subject on which we can already write a preview: the tracks. What kind of results do we expect, who are the specialists on each track and what is new?

10th March - Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
Australia will host two races in a row: after the '95 season ended with the last GP in Adelaide, '96 will begin in Melbourne on the new Albert Park Circuit. It is a partial street circuit, but it will be quite different from what we used to see in Adelaide. The circuit has more medium-speed corners and looks to favour cars with good aerodynamics and a lot of grip. In the recent past, Williams was usually the team with those competences, but that is of course no guarantee for this year!
Last winners:
-

31st March - Brazilian Grand Prix - Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo
The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, also known as Interlagos, has hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix in its current form since 1990. The track is remarkable for being one of only two anti-clockwise tracks on the calendar. The bumpiness of the track and the tropical Brazilian climate add to the physical toughness of this race, both for drivers and for cars. Benetton won the last two races here, both times benefitting from retirements of other cars. However, the fanatic crowd will be rooting for their home drivers and maybe Barrichello could spring a surprise if the Jordan is any good.
Last winners:
1995 - Johnny Herbert (Benetton)
1994 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1993 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1992 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)
1991 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)

7th April - Argentine Grand Prix - Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires
The Argentine Grand Prix returned on the calendar last year, driven on the short and tight Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. The circuit is situated near the country's capital Buenos Aires and is one of the most technical tracks of the year. Cars with good mechanical grip and handling in slow corners will be the fastest here. Coulthard got his maiden win here last year, driving for Williams.
Last winners:
1995 - David Coulthard (Williams)

28th April - Grand Prix of Europe - Nürburgring, Nürburg (Germany)
Thanks to Michael Schumacher's great popularity in his home country, Germany has been organising a second GP since 1995 again. The new GP-Strecke layout of the Nürburgring had been the venue of two more Formula 1 GPs, in 1984 and 1985. The GP-Strecke has not too much in common with the 20 km long Nordschleife layout, although it remains a challenging track. It is quite a fast track, but overtaking is rather difficult. Therefore, qualifying well is crucial on this circuit.
Last winners:
1995 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1985 - Michele Alboreto (Ferrari)
1984 - Alain Prost (McLaren)

5th May - San Marino Grand Prix - Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola (Italy)
Imola has been the host of Italy's second Grand Prix for a long time now. The track has seen significant changes since the tragic 1994 weekend, adding chicanes to make the track slower. It is still quite a fast track, which is especially heavy on the brakes. It is also a narrow track, leaving little room for error, but also for overtaking.
Last winners:
1995 - David Coulthard (Williams)
1994 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1993 - Alain Prost (Williams)
1992 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)
1991 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)

19th May - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
Monaco is perhaps the very centre of Formula 1 racing. The narrow, tight and slow street circuit takes a big place in F1 history and the event probably is the best example of the glitter and glamour of the sport. It is a track where everything needs to be perfect to perform well. The car needs tremendous grip and the driver needs to be at his best to win. The walls are right next to the track, so every little mistake can be fatal. Senna was a true master of this circuit, winning six times in seven years time and only losing out in 1988 due to a driver error when he was well ahead of the rest of the field.
Last winners:
1995 - Gerhard Berger (Ferrari)
1994 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1993 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1992 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1991 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)

2nd June - Spanish Grand Prix - Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
The Circuit de Catalunya hosts the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991. The track is modern, with a long start-finish straight, requiring a good engine. The rest of the track features many medium to high speed corners, so a lot of downforce is necessary. This combination results in an interesting compromise between top speed and drag; a combination which the Williams team managed to find very well in the first four editions of the Spanish GP in Barcelona. Last year however, it was Michael Schumacher in the Benetton who won the race.
Last winners:
1995 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1994 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1993 - Alain Prost (Williams)
1992 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)
1991 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)

16th June - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a fast circuit with several heavy braking zones. It is therefore notoriously hard on the brakes, but it also provides good overtaking opportunities. The circuit has given several surprising results, not in the last place due to the toughness of the races. Remarkably, Benetton has won this GP three times in the last five years.
Last winners:
1995 - Johnny Herbert (Benetton)
1994 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1993 - Alain Prost (Williams)
1992 - Gerhard Berger (McLaren)
1991 - Nelson Piquet (Benetton)

30th June - French Grand Prix, Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours has been the venue for the French Grand Prix since 1991. The track is built on a rather small surface, resulting in a tight and technical layout. Downforce and grip are the keywords to have successes on this circuit. Over the last five years, Williams usually got it right, winning four times.
Last winners:
1995 - David Coulthard (Williams)
1994 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1993 - Alain Prost (Williams)
1992 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)
1991 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)

14th July - British Grand Prix - Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
The British Grand Prix has been on the F1 calendar in every single year since the start of the world championship in 1950. After many years of alteration with venues like Aintree and Brands Hatch, the Silverstone circuit has hosted the British GP consecutively since 1987. The track is fast, but straight-line speed alone is not enough. Corners like Becketts, Maggots and Stowe ask a lot of drivers and cars and have always proven to be a big challenge.
Last winners:
1995 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1994 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1993 - Alain Prost (Williams)
1992 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)
1991 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)

28th July - German Grand Prix - Hockenheimring, Hockenheim
The Hockenheimring is one of the longest and fastest tracks on the calendar. On the long straights through the forest, the highest top speeds of the year are recorded. The race is extremely tough on engines and brakes. Another challenge is the combination of the long straights with the tight and twisty Motodrom section at the end of the lap.
Last winners:
1995 - Johnny Herbert (Benetton)
1994 - Gerhard Berger (Ferrari)
1993 - Alain Prost (Williams)
1992 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)
1991 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)

11th August - Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring, Budapest
The Hungaroring has been the first, and so far only, Grand Prix venue behind the former iron curtain. The track is narrow, twisty, dusty and with Monaco, one of the slowest on the calendar. A good chassis with a lot of grip is crucial, but a good qualifying maybe even more so, as the Hungaroring is one of the most difficult circuits to overtake.
Last winners:
1995 - Johnny Herbert (Benetton)
1994 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1993 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1992 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1991 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)

25th August - Belgian Grand Prix - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot
Spa-Francorchamps is often regarded as the best circuit on the F1 calendar. Its fast layout with extremely challenging corners such as Eau Rouge and Blanchimont is perhaps the biggest challenge for the drivers. The best drivers get a chance to truly stand out on this track, but a good chassis and a lot of engine power are also essential for a top result in Belgium.
Last winners:
1995 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1994 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1993 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1992 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1991 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)

8th September - Italian Grand Prix - Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza
Home of Ferrari's tifosi, Monza has been on the F1 calendar for every year, except for 1980. Monza is with Hockenheim one of the fastest tracks of the season. The chicanes provide very tough braking zones after the long straights where a lot of slipstreaming can be seen. Drivers need to have the courage to brake late, while cars need to be powerful, but reliable. The fans are always in favour of Ferrari, but the Italian team has not won here since 1988.
Last winners:
1995 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1994 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1993 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1992 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1991 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)

22nd September - Portuguese Grand Prix - Autodromo do Estoril, Cascais
The Estoril circuit is oftenly praised by drivers and has been the stage for memorable races such as Ayrton Senna's first win in 1985. It is a technical track with big elevation changes and therefore tough on the suspensions. A robust and well-balanced chassis can make all the difference, although the long main straight also requires a good engine.
Last winners:
1995 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1994 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1993 - Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1992 - Nigel Mansell (Williams)
1991 - Riccardo Patrese (Williams)

13th October - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka
1996's season finale will take place in Japan, on the Suzuka Circuit. The unique circuit with a figure-of-8 layout has hosted the title showdown on several occasions. The track was originally designed as a test track for Honda and therefore requires a varied set of skills, both from drivers and cars. It also features one of F1's most challenging corners: 130R, a very fast left-hander which is crucial to position the car before the final chicane.
Last winners:
1995 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1994 - Damon Hill (Williams)
1993 - Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1992 - Riccardo Patrese (Williams)
1991 - Gerhard Berger (McLaren)

Short but Sweet

Montermini close to Simtek deal • Stewart buys Ikuzawa design for new team • Walkinshaw to leave Ligier and buy Arrows? • Renault considers leaving F1 after '97 • Hiro Matsushita to sign for Larrousse DAMS? • Bridgestone preparing for F1 tests later in the year

by **BassTrombone** » 03 Jul 2020, 19:01

Press Release - Rothmans Williams Renault

Rothmans Williams Renault has officially launched its new car for the 1996 season, the Williams-Renault FW18. The car is an evolution of the '95 chassis, the FW17, which won the last two races of last year. Technical director Patrick Head explained Williams' strategy with this car, saying "The car was very good last year, especially in the final few races. It would make no sense to throw away such a well-balanced and well-performing concept, so we decided to focus on the few weaknesses of the FW17 and improve them."

The team has a clear target for the 1996 season. Team owner and principal Frank Williams told: "Last year, we lost both world championships to the Benetton team. It is no secret that we want to have those trophies back. Although the competition will be tough again this year, we believe in ourselves." The first step towards that target was set on the Silverstone circuit, where the new car had its shakedown.

Press Release - Marlboro McLaren Mercedes

The new McLaren-Mercedes MP4/11 has been revealed to the public. Marlboro McLaren Mercedes' car for the 1996 season underwent its first testing sessions in Estoril, Portugal, immediately setting impressive lap times. The team's technical advisor and four-time F1 world champion, Alain Prost, was the first to drive the MP4/11 in a shakedown.

Team principal Ron Dennis commented on the new design "This is a completely new car. We learned from our experiences with Mercedes last year and we are confident that we will improve this year. A normal new car would have 25% carry-over parts from the previous year, this one only has 7.5%, so it actually is a small revolution for us."

Newly signed driver David Coulthard added "The car has indeed set some promising times already. We are expecting to be on the second or third row of the grid this season, trying to win some races and building up for a championship challenge in 1997 and '98."

Press Release - Benson & Hedges Total Jordan Peugeot

Jordan Grand Prix are announcing both their new car and new title sponsorship. The Jordan 196 was presented officially in its new colour scheme, featuring Benson & Hedges' corporate gold colour. The Peugeot powered car is designed under supervision of Gary Anderson and the team has high hopes with it. Team owner Eddie Jordan elaborated, saying “After we broke through to the top-4 of the championship last year, we decided not to be too conservative and design a car that is new in many aspects. We are still chasing our first win and this year, everything may well be in place to take it.”

A multi-year deal with cigarette brand Benson & Hedges was also announced, resulting in an eye-catching gold livery for 1996. The partnership is another important step for the team on their way to become one of F1’s top teams. The association with a major global brand will result in the availability of more resources for Jordan. The Peugeot-powered Jordan 196 ran for the first time in testing on the Silverstone circuit, close to Jordan's headquarters. Both Rubens Barrichello and Martin Brundle came in action, performing an extensive testing programme successfully.

Press Release - Petrobras DFC Ford

The all-new DFC-Ford FG03 was presented officially by Petrobras DFC Ford, after the car had undergone initial testing on the Mugello circuit. The FG03 is the successor of the Forti FG01 and is the first car that will race with the DFC name. Team manager Guido Forti told “The FG03 is a big leap forward for our team. We have set ourselves ambitious goals for the future, but we will take it step by step. The target for this year is to score at least one point, while next year we want to score more than 10. In 1998 we should get our first podium finish and in ’99 our first race win. By the turn of the century, DFC wants to be a true title contender.”

DFC’s drivers in 1996 will be Nathan van Dijk and Pedro Diniz. Van Dijk, still only 20 years old, will enter his second year in the sport and his first as lead driver of a team. He previewed the new season, saying “It will be a very exciting year. I still find it almost beyond imagination that I am now a team leader at such a young age. The car feels like a vast improvement over last year and I think I can now really show what I am worth.”

Diniz shared Van Dijk’s excitement and added “I too am really looking forward to the start of the season. Last year, we decided it would be better to gain another year’s experience in F3000, but now I feel like I am completely ready to start my first season as an F1 driver.”

by **BassTrombone** » 07 Jul 2020, 18:59

Press Release – Ligier Gauloises Blondes

Ligier Gauloises Blondes have presented their new chassis, the Ligier JS43, on an attractive event in Monaco. The JS43 features several new sponsor logos for the team, with especially cigarette brand Gauloises Blondes and skate brand Roces standing out. The Ligier JS43 is powered by a Mugen-Honda engine. Its aerodynamics were designed under supervision of Loic Bigois. “The JS43 is an evolution of 1995’s JS41, which was a fast car,” Bigois said, “But this year we hope to unleash its full potential.” Team owner Guy Ligier explained that the team has found some stability again, with a fixed driver pairing for the entire season.

That driver pairing consists of French Olivier Panis, entering his fourth year with Ligier, and Italian Luca Badoer, newly arriving at the team after he had an impressive 1995 season, scoring his first ever points. Badoer said “I had some good first tests with the team and the new car and I am getting more and more used to it. I was very happy with my first points last year, but this year I am sure I can add more to my tally.”

Before Badoer drove the JS43, Olivier Panis had already performed a day of testing on the Estoril circuit. Panis told he is “very satisfied with the JS43. It may not look like a revolution from the JS41, but it really feels just that little bit better in every aspect. I have some good hopes we can challenge the top teams on occasion.”

Press Release – Tyrrell Yamaha

The new Tyrrell-Yamaha 024 was revealed to the public after it underwent its first tests at Brands Hatch. The car features the revolutionary new Yamaha OX11 V10 engine, as well as a new six-speed gearbox. It will be driven by the same drivers as in 1995, Ukyo Katayama and Mika Salo.

Both drivers are expecting to improve their performance over last year, as Salo said “Although 1995 was difficult, I think we can take some positives out of it. I learned a lot from all the challenges and I think this year’s car is a vast improvement. It really cannot be compared to the 023, to be honest.”

Chief designer Dr Harvey Postlethwaite provided some more background on the design philosophy of the 024. “We analyzed the characteristics of all the 1996 circuit”, he said, “and the interesting thing is that the most common racing corner is a second gear corner. So the car has been built quite specifically for the slower circuits. It is not a completely revolutionary car, but it was designed without compromise and it will most probably bring us a steadier season this year.”

Press Release – TWR Arrows Hart

On an impressive launch event, the Arrows Formula 1 team proudly made several announcements. The first announcement which was made, was the acquisition of the team by Tom Walkinshaw’s TWR organization. TWR has enjoyed successes in various racing categories, such as endurance racing and touring cars. Although their logos will not be very prominent on the new car, TWR will act as a title sponsor for the 1996 season. Therefore, the team will be known as TWR Arrows Hart.

“It has been a dream of TWR for a while,” Walkinshaw said, “but having a TWR Formula 1 team is just the first step. We do not only want to participate, we want to be successful. Of course, we will not yet be fighting for the championship this year, but who knows what kind of surprises we can come up with in 1996.”

TWR Arrows Hart also revealed its car for the 1996 season, the Arrows A16. The car is again powered by the light V8 engine from Hart and will be driven by Arrows’ new drivers, Ricardo Rosset and Jos Verstappen. Rosset will make his F1 debut with the team, following a successful F3000 season in 1995, when he won 2 races. Verstappen already has two years of F1 experience, having impressed many with some good races last year. The last thing which was announced, is the new sponsor package for TWR Arrows Hart. The team announced new partnerships with Power Horse, Quest International, Philips, Lycra, Bauducco and Track & Field.

The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk

Re: The Virtual Racing Career of Nathan van Dijk