Grand Prix : Canada : Schumacher's Mistake
Montreal, 13.6.99

 

Schuey plants it into the wall

It was a rare mistake from Schumacher that could cost him dearly in his eventual bid for the title. "I lost control of the car at the last chicane because I went off the racing line and got on the dirt and ended up in the wall," explained Michael, who had just lapped Olivier Panis' Prost at the time and was eager to keep his slim advantage over Hakkinen before the scheduled half distance pit-stops.

"It was clearly my mistake. It's a shame, because the car was working perfectly. I usually make one mistake a year. I hope this incident was the last for the season," added Schumacher, who had started from pole position and had looked set to win the race.

The reigning World Champion, Mika Hakkinen, brought his McLaren-Mercedes home first, ahead of the Benetton of Giancarlo Fisichella and the Ferrari of Eddie Irvine, and moves into the overall lead of the drivers' points standings after Michael Schumacher crashed out of the 69 laps race on lap 30 having led convincingly all the way from the start.

Behind Hakkinen, there was a similar battle raging between Eddie Irvine and David Coulthard for third place in the opening laps. It became a battle for second spot after Schumacher's mistake, but disaster struck this duelling duo just after their pit stops, which were made under the safety car following a carbon copy of Schumacher's crash by local hero Jacques Villeneuve when he crashed his BAR.

Eddie's race was eventful

"I got on the dirt and had to back off a bit which allowed Coulthard to get a run at me going into the first corner," said Irvine. " We were side by side , but he went a bit wide and I had the lead into the second part of the corner but he nudged my back wheel and we both spun off," explained Eddie.

"Then the fun started," he said with a smile. From eighth place at the end of lap 41, he was the star of the race as he fought his way past Zanardi, Diniz, Herbert and Ralf Schumacher to take an eventual third place at the end of the race which ended under the third pace car of the event.

Coulthard had also managed to get going again after the incident with Irvine, but he headed for the pits to check the steering of his car and that cost him another 10 second pit- stop penalty when he drove out again under a red light. It put him almost a lap down on the leader and spoiled any chance of a finish in the points.

Michael ponders what could have been

As Irvine fought his way back into the race for points, there was now a fresh battle for second place between Giancarlo Fisichella and Heinz Harald Frentzen , the German out-foxing Fisichella for the place as they came up to lap slower cars. He held off a hard chasing Fisichella for the next dozen laps or more only to crash out of the race himself when a front right brake disc exploded four laps from the finish.

Frentzen's car snapped sideways going into the first chicane and slammed into the tyre barriers on the outside. The pace car came out while doctors helped the groggy Frentzen from the cockpit. He was lucky not to have suffered anything worse than a mild concussion and a bruised knee and shoulder.

A delighted Fisichella scored his third podium finish in the three years at this track while Irvine followed him over the line for third, the first time that an F1 race has finished under a yellow flag.

Ralf Schumacher, Herbert and Diniz took the final points of the day, Coulthard finishing the race a disappointed seventh.

Only 10 cars were running at the flag, Marc Gene a lap down in eighth place for Minardi just ahead of the Prost of Olivier Panis who was another lap clear of the second Minardi of Luca Badoer.

Will Irvine or DC have a red car next year?

Panis' team mate Jarno Trulli was responsible for yet another first corner incident at this track which eliminated himself and two other cars from the race.

"I had to brake hard when Frentzen lifted off in front of me and I spun," said Trulli, who slid across the grass into the first corner and rammed Rubens Barrichello's Stewart into the Sauber-Petronas of Jean Alesi. Trulli and Alesi were out on the spot, while Barrichello tried to continue but finally had to retire his badly battered Stewart after 14 laps.

Schumacher's accident, similar to that which had put Hakkinen out of the race in Imola while trying to increase his race lead, now puts the two rivals even on mistakes this year and a lot more even in the points as Hakkinen heads the title chase for the first time with just 4 points advantage over Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's Schumacher. The team continues to head the constructors' Championship points however with a nine point lead over McLaren-Mercedes.

Race Results:

Canadian Grand Prix
World Championship of Drivers, round 6;
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, June 13th, 1999;
69 laps, 305.049 kms.

CLASSIFIED

Pos  Driver        Team               Time  
 1.  Hakkinen      Mclaren Mercedes   1h41:35.727
 2.  Fisichella    Benetton Playlife   + 0:00.700
 3.  Irvine        Ferrari             + 0:01.700
 4.  R.Schum:      Williams Supertec   + 0:02.300
 5.  Herbert       Stewart Ford        + 0:02.800
 6.  Diniz         Sauber Petronas     + 0:03.700
 7.  Coulthard     Mclaren Mercedes    + 0:05.000
 8.  Gene          Minardi Ford        + 1 Lap   
 9.  Panis         Prost Peugeot       + 1 Lap   
10.  Badoer        Minardi Ford        + 2 Laps  
11.  Frentzen      Jordan Mugen-Honda  + 4 Laps *

* Retired on lap 65 due to a brakes failure/crash

NOT CLASSIFIED / RETIREMENTS

Driver        Team               On Lap    Reason 
Zanardi       Williams Supertec    50      brakes
Takagi        Arrows TWR           41      gearbox
Villeneuve    BAR Supertec         35      hit wall
M.Schumacher  Ferrari              29      hit wall
De La Rosa    Arrows TWR           22      gearbox
Hill          Jordan Mugen-Honda   14      hit wall
Barrichello   Stewart Ford         14      collision damage
Zonta         BAR Supertec          3      hit wall
Wurz          Benetton Playlife     0      transmission
Alesi         Sauber Petronas       0      hit by Barrichello
Trulli        Prost Peugeot         0      crashed into Barrichello


Fastest Lap: Eddie Irvine, 1:20.382 (197.999 kmph), lap 62


					 
Drivers Points Standings after 6 rounds:

 1. Hakkinen      34        2. M.Schumacher  30
 3. Irvine        25        4. Frentzen      13
 =  Fisichella    13        6. Coulthard     12
 =  R.Schumacher  12        8. Barrichello    6
 9. Hill           3       10. Herbert        2
11. de la Rose     1        =  Alesi          1
 =  Panis          1        =  Wurz           1
 =  Trulli         1        =  Diniz          1

Constructors' Points Championship:

1. Scuderia Ferrari           55
2. McLaren-Mercedes           46
3. Jordan-Mugen Honda         16
4. Benetton-Playlife          14
5. Williams-Supertec          12
6. Stewart-Ford                8
7  Prost Peugeot               2
=  Sauber-Petronas             2
9.  Arrows TWR                 1

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