GRAND PRIX : Silverstone : Irvine Second
11.7.99

Qualifying put EI fourth, with MS second.

It was a day of mixed emotions at the British Grand Prix as David Coulthard won his first Grand Prix of 1999, with Eddie Irvine second, while Michael Schumacher was injured after he crashed heavily on the opening lap of the race which was red flagged.

The re-start came 40 minutes later, Mika Hakkinen heading the field comfortably until shortly after the first pit stops when a rear wheel hub problem eventually put him out of the race just after half distance.

The gravel trap failed to arrest Schumacher's speed.

Hakkinen's retirement left an all-British battle between two no. 2s, honours divided between David Coulthard in the remaining McLaren and Eddie Irvine in the surviving Marlboro-Ferrari who ran just seconds apart for the entire race. Irvine led initially, but it was Coulthard who took the advantage at the first round of pit stops when Irvine overshot his pit by a few feet.

"I couldn't get a clear view of my pit because of the McLaren mechanics standing in the pit lane waiting for Mika. When I saw the pit it was a bit late and I slid straight on a few feet too far. That cost the mechanics a couple of extra seconds getting the fuel in and tyres changed which was enough to cost me the race when I came out behind David," said Eddie.

His Marlboro-Ferrari took the flag at the end of the 60 lap race just 1.8s behind Coulthard's McLaren. The Scot was the first to admit that "the race could have gone either way. Track position is everything here and when I got ahead at the first pit stop and stayed there at the second, it won me the race."

Schumacher will be out of action for several months.

After initial treatment in the circuit medical centre, Michael Schumacher was flown to Northampton general hospital where he was operated upon for a fractured tibia and fibula of the lower right leg, simple fractures that were not expected to cause any complications. He was also suffering from a badly bruised right knee. He was lucky to escape without any more serious injuries after his car left the road at the ultra-fast 240 kph Stowe Corner and plunged into the tyre barrier at almost undiminished speed due to a suspected rear brake problem, although Eddie Irvine stated in the post-race interview that Schumacher came "flying past me with all wheels locked"

Almost half a minute behind the winning pair was Michael's brother Ralf who took third place, the Williams driver moving ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Jordan at the first round of pit stops and then holding third place despite Frentzen closing the gap and pushing him hard all the way to the flag.

Fifth place, only a few seconds adrift, was Frentzen's team- mate and local hero Damon Hill who had to slow in the final laps with a pneumatic valve pressure problem.

The final point of the race went to Pedro Diniz in the Sauber- Petronas a further 15 seconds adrift, the Brazilian holding off a tough challenge from Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton in the closing laps.

Despite his retirement, Mika Hakkinen still leads the Drivers' World Championship with 40 points. The two Ferrari drivers now share second place with 32 points, followed by Heinz-Harald Frentzen (26), David Coulthard (22) and Ralf Schumacher (19).

Ferrari defended its lead in the Constructors' Championship with 64 points, ahead of McLaren with 62.

Jean Todt

"Michael Schumacher had an accident on the opening lap because of a problem with the rear brakes. We are investigating the cause. Michael has broken the tibia and fibula of the right leg. He is currently undergoing an operation in Northampton General Hospital."

Irvine took another impressive podium.

Eddie Irvine

"I am sorry if my remarks in the press conference about Michael's accident were misunderstood, but I was unaware, until after the conference that he had been injured. I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back in the car as soon as possible. I got a good start. Then Michael came flying past me with the front brakes locked up. I was driving flat out every lap. In the morning we tried a different set-up to help the tyres, but it did not work and we oversteer all the time. Any chance I had of winning was lost because of my long first pit-stop. When I came down the pit lane, the McLaren crew were also out and this unsighted me. The result was that I over-shot my mark for the refuelling and that was the race gone."

Race Results:

British Grand Prix
World Championship of Drivers, round 8;
Silverstone, July 11th, 1999;
60 laps, 308,296 kms


CLASSIFIED

Pos Driver        Team               Time        
 1. Coulthard     Mclaren Mercedes   1h32:30.144 
 2. Irvine        Ferrari             + 0:01.800 
 3. R.Schumacher  Williams Supertec   + 0:27.400 
 4. Frentzen      Jordan Mugen-Honda  + 0:27.700 
 5. Hill          Jordan Mugen-Honda  + 0:38.600 
 6. Diniz         Sauber Petronas     + 0:53.600 
 7. Fisichella    Benetton Playlife   + 0:54.600 
 8. Barrichello   Stewart Ford        + 0:58.500 
 9. Trulli        Prost Peugeot       + 1:12.000 
10. Wurz          Benetton Playlife   + 1:12.100 
11. Zanardi       Williams Supertec   + 1:17.100 
12. Herbert       Stewart Ford        + 1:17.700 
13. Panis         Prost Peugeot       + 1:20.400 
14. Alesi         Sauber Petronas     + 1 Lap    
15. Gene          Minardi Ford        + 2 Laps   
16. Takagi        Arrows TWR          + 2 Laps   


NOT CLASSIFIED / RETIREMENTS

Driver        Team               On Lap  Reason         
Zonta         BAR Supertec         41    rear suspension
Hakkinen      Mclaren Mercedes     35    rear hub        
Villeneuve    BAR Supertec         29    engine          
Badoer        Minardi Ford          6    overheating     
de la Rosa    Arrows TWR            0    Gearbox         
M.Schumacher  Ferrari              DNS   crash / injury 

Fastest Lap: Mika Hakkinen, Lap 28, 1:28.309 (209.536 kmph)

Drivers Points Standings after 8 rounds:

 1. Hakkinen      40        
 2. M.Schumacher  32
 =  Irvine        32        
 4. Frentzen      26
 5. Coulthard     22        
 6. R.Schumacher  19
 7. Fisichella    13        
 8. Barrichello   10
 9. Hill           5       
10. Herbert        2
 =  Diniz          2       
11. Alesi          1
 =  Panis          1        
 =  Wurz           1
 =  Trulli         1        
 =  de la Rosa     1

Constructors' Points Championship:

1. Scuderia Ferrari           64
2. McLaren-Mercedes           62
3. Jordan-Mugen Honda         31
4. Williams-Supertec          19
5. Benetton-Playlife          14
6. Stewart-Ford               12
7. Sauber-Petronas             3
8. Prost Peugeot               2
=  Arrows TWR                  2

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