|
|
Formula One |
||
|
Hakkinen
Dominates in Hungary |
|
Autocourse CART Yearbook 1999-2000 List Price: Our Price: $24.47 You Save:$10.48 (30%)
|
|
Go to our forums to discuss this article |
Other's by Becky |
|
|
Schumacher had looked the man on form all weekend as Hakkinen struggled to get the car to his liking in Saturday's qualifying session but as the start lights went out on Sunday it was Hakkinen who catapulted his car between team-mate Coulthard and pole-man Schumacher. First corner incidents have put Schumacher out of the last two grand prixs and with the need for a good points finish, the German had little choice but to relinquish his position as the Finn made his move down the inside. Hakkinen proceeded to give an excellent demonstration of exactly what his McLaren-Mercedes is capable of as he blew the opposition away coming home eight seconds ahead of Schumacher. Though clearly ecstatic as he took to the podium in front of the thousands of Finnish fans who travel to Hungary each year, Hakkinen emphasized how much work had gone into turning his car into a race-winning machine. "It has been a very difficult weekend for me. I haven't been able to perform at the speed I wanted to. We've been struggling basically…The engineers [and] mechanics have done a massive [job] all the way through the weekend. I hope they're still my friends to be honest." McLaren boss, Ron Dennis was almost downbeat as he spoke of his driver's victory. "[Hakkinen] drove very well. We were able to control the race. We're a bit disappointed we didn't come first and second - I think we could have done it but first and third is pretty good." Indeed, a McLaren one-two could have been on the cards as David Coulthard was able to close up behind Schumacher after the first pit stop, but some untimely traffic for the Scot meant that he could only sit back and curse as he exited the pit lane to see Schumacher fly by in second. "[I] didn't get the run with the traffic today to get out in front of Michael after the pit stops," said Coulthard. "So that was it - game over." Schumacher was as pragmatic as ever in analyzing the race: "You have to say today that we were not fast enough to win the race. Not only did I lose the start against Mika, which was a tight battle, but when you see his pace you [have to accept] that if he hadn't overtaken me at the start, he would probably have done it later in the pit stops, because he was simply the fastest man on the circuit today." Ferrari teammate Rubens Barichello put in another strong performance to finish fourth, after overtaking fifth-place man, Ralf Schumacher in the first round of pit stops. The Brazilian, however, had a tough day physically as he ran out of water in the sweltering heat and had to be treated for dehydration after the race. The Jordan's of Heinz-Harold Frentzen and Jarno Trulli came home sixth and seventh, and are now tied with BAR in the constructor's championship, whilst Eddie Irvine finished the race in a disappointing eighth. "I think we were quick today," said Irvine. "But once we had the fuel problem we lost fuel pressure so I had to come in early at the first stop and then I had to do the race with a lot more fuel to try and stop the pick-up problem we had, so that cost us speed through the race. We're yet to do a good race - it's as simple as that. [We have] yet to make a good start, good qualifying, good race, good stops the whole way through and that's why I don't have any points." Luck didn't fare much better for teammate Johnny Herbert who retired on lap 67 with a gearbox problem, ending yet another disastrous weekend for the Brit. Jenson Button put in another strong performance and was in for a chance of a points position but an engine problem dropped him back to ninth. The young driver's future is expected to be announced this week but word around the paddock once again suggested that a deal has already been reached with Benetton, a rumor that was all but confirmed by his father, John, in an interview with Britain's ITV. Tenth and eleventh places went to Mika Salo and Alex Wurz whilst Jacques Villeneuve came in two laps down in twelfth after a first lap tangle with Pedro de la Rosa forced the Canadian to pit for a new nose cone. Verstappen, Zonta, Gene, and de la Rosa made it to the finish line but the likes of Mazzacane and Diniz were not so lucky after engine failures brought an end to their race. After an excursion onto the grass, Fisichella's car finally gave up the ghost as the Italian pulled into the Benetton garage with brake problems on lap 31, whilst the Prost team had another diabolical race with Heidfeld suffering problems with his car's electronics and Alesi suffering from a suspension failure. With Mika Hakkinen now on 64 points, just two ahead of Michael Schumacher and six in front of Coulthard, the championship is still there for the taking. Bookmakers have now made Hakkinen favorite for the title but with the F1 circus about to roll into the illustrious Spa-Francorchamps - home of unpredictable weather, it is the 'Regenmeister' Schumacher who has traditionally had the advantage. Ferrari are always keen to cover all bases in their race preparations so don't be surprised to see Ross Brawn and Jean Todt doing a rain dance over the next couple of weeks because despite Schumacher's skill, with the McLarens in dominant form, it may be the only way Ferrari can win the championship. Go to our forums to discuss this article Comments can be sent to the author at contacts@autoracing1.com. |
|
|
The
Hungarian Grand Prix will not be remembered as the most exciting
race of the year but it could turn out to be the major turning point
in the 2000 championship. In a race he dominated from the
first corner, Mika Hakkinen took the lead in the driver's
championship, relegating Michael Schumacher to second place for the
first time this season.|
e-mail us: AutoRacing1 is an
independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed
by CART Inc., NASCAR, FIA, FedEx, Winston, or any other series sponsor. This material may not be published,
broadcast, or redistributed without permission. Copyright 1999 - 2000, AutoRacing1, Hamilton, NJ
|