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12-Aug: Prost's new recruit Heinz
Harald Frentzen had his first taste of the Prost AP04 at Magny Cours.
With the FIA testing ban in effect between the German and Hungarian Grands
Prix, Frentzen shook down the car for 50 kilometres, the maximum allowed
by the FIA. Frentzen was cautiously optimistic following his first drive
and said "I can say that I am quite happy with the Prost AP04 as
there have been no problems at all. As the track was pretty dirty, I can
hardly comment the times. But I am quite satisfied in that regard as well.
Now I am looking forward to Budapest. This race will be a huge challenge
for the Prost team and me."
Sam Michael, the Chief Operations Engineer for Williams has
indicated that Ralf Schumacher will become a World Champion as he
believes that Ralf has overcome the inexperience and immaturity he has
shown in the past and now has what it takes to become a World Champion and
said "He will definitely be a world champion. He has always had speed
and pace. In the beginning he made a few mistakes but they all do. In the
early days it was just a case of inexperience and immaturity but now he is
experienced and mature and he has the right car. It's one thing to have a
good car but another to handle the pressure and he is up to that now."
Sam Michael worked at Jordan from 1994 to 2000 in different capacities
before moving to Williams this year. He was Ralf Schumacher's race
engineer in 97 and 98 and then Heinz Harald Frentzen's race engineer in 99
and 2000.
10-Aug: Jean Alesi who will be
driving for Jordan from the Hungarian Grand Prix has indicated that he
wanted to leave the Prost team following the British Grand Prix and said
"Things really didn’t go the way I’d expected at Prost. There’s
no need to dwell on the subject, but on the Monday after Silverstone I
received a letter from Alain’s solicitor which really upset me. After
that, all I wanted was to leave."
Alesi never expected to move to another team so quickly and was glad that
he was not on the market for too long. He believes that he will be driving
a car capable of podium finishes and said "I never for a moment
thought I’d find another seat so quickly. I’m very relieved that I
didn’t stay on the market for too long! From Budapest, I’ll have a car
which is capable of being on the podium. That’s a real boost for my
motivation. I’m looking forward to showing that I’m as fast as I’ve
always been. Watch out!"
As there is a testing ban between the German and Hungarian Grands Prix,
Alesi will only be able to do a few shakedown laps but he doesn't believe
that will be a big problem for him and said "I leave for Silverstone
on Monday, where I’ll only be able to do 50km in the EJ11 because
testing is banned during the break before Budapest. It’s not a big
problem, though I’m keen to see what the car can do."
9-Aug: The Toyota Formula 1 team
was at Silverstone this week for a 3 day test session with the aim of
familiarisation with the Silverstone track as well as testing their launch
control systems and pit stop practices.
The team had to cut short their test due to power steering problems that
didn't allow their drivers to push their cars to the limit. Dago Rohrer,
General Manager - F1 Chassis said "There is no point in doing
reliability tests if the drivers cannot push the car to the maximum. We
will postpone this until our test next week in Belgium."
Meanwhile Toyota driver Alain McNish was satisfied with the launch
control system and said "We started our launch control testing and
the first results were quite encouraging. However, this obviously has to
be refined. Also Mika did some pit stop practice which from the outside
looked quite good. It was nice to drive at Silverstone being my home
circuit, and I can't wait to come back."
The times set by both McNish and Salo were over 6 seconds slower than the
fastest time set during the British GP on the 15th of July. Allan McNish
covered 45 laps with a best time of 1:29.96 while Mika Salo covered
41 laps with a best time of 1:31.80.
Note that even though there is a testing ban between the German and the
Hungarian GP for the existing Formula 1 teams, Toyota have not yet entered
Formula 1 and have a special arrangement with the FIA.
8-Aug: It is finally confirmed that
Jean Alesi will drive for the Jordan team from the Hungarian Grand
Prix onwards while Heinz Harald Frentzen who was sacked from Jordan
just before the German Grand Prix will take Alesi's seat at Prost Grand
Prix.
Eddie Jordan was delighted with the announcement and said "I
am delighted that Jean is joining us again. His experience will be
invaluable to us, but equally important will be his energy and enthusiasm.
He is a great motivator and will drive the Jordan Honda EJ11 with real
fire in his belly. With Jean alongside Jarno, Jordan now has a charismatic
and vibrant pairing which we hope will be transferred into powerful
results on track."
Jean Alesi said "I am overjoyed by this development in my
career. Eddie launched me into Formula One, so to return to race for him
after all this time is something very special. Although I will not be able
to test the car before racing in Hungary, I feel so motivated that I don't
believe this will be a problem. I am very excited."
Jean Alesi returns to Jordan twelve years after winning the 1989 F3000
Championship for Eddie Jordan Racing.
Eddie Jordan stressed that they didn't sign Alesi until he was released
from Prost and said "We only struck this deal once Jean was free to
join Jordan. Alain Prost and I are also very good friends and it is
important to make clear that there is absolutely no animosity over the
course of events which have lead to Jean joining Jordan."
Eddie Jordan also indicated that Alesi is on contract only for the
remainder of the season and that they will evaluate the situation for next
year at a later stage.
Meanwhile Alain Prost said of Alesi's release and Frentzen's
signing "It is essential to preserve our team’s serenity in this
moment when we are building up Prost Grand Prix’s future and
consolidating our strategy for the upcoming years. This is why I chose to
release Jean.
I am delighted to welcome Heinz-Harald Frentzen in our team. His
achievements in the last few years place him among the best drivers, and
his large experience within top Formula One teams will be a strong asset
for us for the remainder of the 2001 season. His arrival allows us to
prepare the team’s future with confidence."
Heinz Harald Frentzen said "I am happy that Alain Prost offered me to
drive for the last five Grands Prix. It was very difficult to turn down
the opportunity to tackle this new challenge and I am looking forward to
support the team for the rest of the season."
The Prost team have changed both of their 2001 drivers announced at the
start of the season. Gaston Mazzacane was replace with Luciano Burti
following the San Marino GP (story).
It is also the second driver swap the team get involved in with Luciano
Burti who was driving for Jaguar was swapped for Pedro de la Rosa who
signed for Prost and then decided to join Jaguar (story)
8-Aug: Michael Schumacher appears
set to win the Drivers' Title for the 4th time in his career. It is more a
question of when he will do it rather than if he can do it even though
David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello all still have a
mathematical chance!
Michael Schumacher has a 37 point advantage going into the Hungarian GP
on the 19th of August. There are a maximum of 50 points available to a
driver until the end of the season (50 points can be scored by winning all
the remaining 5 races)
Michael Schumacher
Result in Hungary |
Comments |
Wins |
Schumacher wins the Title regardless where the others finish as he'll have
a gap of more than 40 points with only a maximum of 40 points remaining.
M Schumacher - At least 94 points, D Coulthard - Maximum of
93 points, R Schumacher - Maximum of 87, R Barrichello -
Maximum of 86. |
2nd |
Wins the title if Ralf Schumacher doesn't win and David Coulthard finishes
4th or lower.
M Schumacher - At least 90 points, D Coulthard - Maximum of
90 points but Michael wins based on more 2nd place finishes, R
Schumacher - Maximum of 87, R Barrichello - Maximum of 90 but
Michael wins based on more number of wins. |
3rd |
Wins the title if Rubens Barrichello or Ralf Schumacher don't win and
David Coulthard finishes 6th or lower.
M Schumacher - At least 88 points, Coulthard - Maximum of 88
points but Michael wins based on more 2nd place finishes, R Schumacher -
Maximum of 87, R Barrichello - Maximum of 86. |
4th |
Wins the title if Rubens Barrichello doesn't win and Ralf Schumacher
finishes 3rd or lower and David Coulthard fails to finish in the top
6.
M Schumacher - At least 87 points, Coulthard - Maximum of 87
points but Michael wins based on more 2nd place finishes, R Schumacher -
Maximum of 85, R Barrichello - Maximum of 86. |
5th or lower |
Title decided at Belgium or later |
David Coulthard's chances are very slim but here they are
Result in the final 5 races |
Comments |
Wins all 5 |
Wins the title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't score more than 13
points (for example, 4 4th places and 1 6th places)
D Coulthard - 97, M Schumacher - 97 (Coulthard wins on more wins 7
- 6) |
Wins 4 and finishes 2nd in 1 |
Wins the title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't score more than 8
points (for example, 3 5th places and 2 6th places)
D Coulthard - 93, M Schumacher - 92 |
Wins 3 and finishes 2nd in 2 |
Wins the title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't score more than 4
points (for example, 4 6th places)
D Coulthard - 89, M Schumacher - 88 |
Wins 2 and
finishes 2nd in 3 |
Wins the
title provided that Michael Schumacher fails to finish in all the
remaining races.
D Coulthard - 85, M Schumacher - 84 |
Anything less |
Title lost! |
Note
that there are a few more options in between the 1st and 4th
scenarios. |
Ralf Schumacher's chances are even slimmer but here they are
Result in the final 5 races |
Comments |
Wins all 5 |
Wins the
title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't score more than 7
points (for example, that is 2 5th places and 3 6th places)
R Schumacher - 91, M Schumacher - 91 (R Schumacher wins on
more wins 8 - 6) |
Wins 4 and finishes 2nd in 1 |
Wins the
title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't score more than 3
points (for example, that is 3 6th places)
R Schumacher - 87, M Schumacher - 87 (R Schumacher wins on
more wins 7 - 6) |
Wins 4 and finishes 3rd in 1 |
Wins the
title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't score more than 1
point (that is 1 6th place)
R Schumacher - 85, M Schumacher - 85 (R Schumacher wins on
more wins 7 - 6) |
Wins 4 and finishes 4th in 1 |
Wins the
title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't finish in all the
remaining races.
R Schumacher - 84, M Schumacher - 84 (R Schumacher wins on
more wins 7 - 6) |
Anything less |
Title lost! |
As for Rubens Barrichello, it is well known that he is not a
challenger (due Ferrari team orders) but mathematically:
Result in the final 5 races |
Comments |
Wins all 5 |
Wins the
title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't score more than 5
points (for example, that is 5 6th places)
R Barrichello - 90, M Schumacher - 89 |
Wins 4 and finishes 2nd in 1 |
Wins the title provided that Michael Schumacher doesn't score more than 1
points (that is 1 6th place)
R Barrichello - 86, M Schumacher - 85 |
Anything less |
Title lost! |
Even if Michael Schumacher fails to score a lot of points in the coming
races the fight between those 3 will most likely be enough to give Michael
Schumacher the title.
6-Aug: "Michelin
and BMW ?" is the title of the 25th issue from the
Diagnosis and Prognosis Series for the 2001 season. In this issue, the
Heretic looks at the aftermath of the German Grand Prix - Issue
25
4-Aug:
Jean Alesi's manager Mario Mikayawa has confirmed that Alesi
wants to leave Prost for a drive with Jordan and believes the matter
will be settled in the next couple of days and said "We are still in
the process of discussions with Alain and Jordan because I can confirm
that Jean wants to leave the team and we want to find a friendly solution.
As of today (Friday) nothing is confirmed and we are in a very delicate
situation which will develop and should be solved by the weekend."
A Prost team spokesperson has also confirmed that Alesi wants to leave
while Alain Prost is trying his best to keep him and said "I will not
say there is not a problem, but Jean has not signed with Jordan or with
anyone else. He is under contract and we don't want him to leave. Alain is
ready to defend his rights on Jean."
Mika Hakkinen who was strongly rumoured to be retiring at the
end of the season but announced at the British GP that he is in
negotiations with McLaren for 2002 (story),
has admitted thinking about retiring and indicated that being in Formula 1
for 11 years is a long time and said "I think every grand prix
driver, every year, thinks about retirement. F1 is racing, which is much
more losing than winning, and so it comes to the point when you think to
yourself 'I've had enough of travelling and driving these things'. It's
happened to me and it's happened to a lot of other drivers. It's a normal
thing, but still you look to the future and still you continue. But I know
there will come a day, sooner or later, when I will quit. I've been in
Formula One for 11 years now, which is a long time.
I think a person will feel inside when he is ready to quit. I do think
about it but I don't know yet when it will be."
3-Aug:
Heinz Harald Frentzen has indicated that he was taken by surprise when
a fax arrived informing him of the termination of his contract. He is
still unclear on the reasons behind Jordan's decision and said "I
don't know what was behind it. You'd have to ask Eddie Jordan. He can tell
us himself. He could at least be honest and say what was wrong. We
had a discussion after Silverstone and had a difference of opinion. But
there was no row and nothing was said when I was fired. There was no
discussion, nothing. Just the fax and then it was all in the hands of the
lawyers."
Frentzen denied any contacts with Toyota and indicated that up until last
week he was with Jordan until the end of 2002 and said "I was
never with Toyota in Cologne. I was not in negotiations with Toyota about
a deal. I signed no contracts or anything. Until last week I assumed I
would be driving for Jordan Grand Prix this year and next year."
Frentzen is hopeful of staying in Formula 1 but if that doesn't work out
he'll look at other motorsport options and said "The fire still burns
inside me and I will remain in international motorsport, and my first
priority will naturally be Formula One."
Following 2 impressive
testing sessions with Minardi. Alex Yoong appears set to take the
second Minardi seat from Tarso Marques possibly as early as
the Belgian GP but not later than the US GP. Minardi team boss Paul
Stoddart has confirmed his desire to get Yoong in the car as soon as
possible and said "I would love to be testing right through the month
of August, I'd put him in every other day. If he keeps continuing the way
he has done so far he's going to make it. I would think it is not
unrealistic to say that he will make it for Monza, and if he does very
well Spa. Either one of those. I mean, last resort the last two fly-aways,
but I actually do think that he'll be earlier than that."
Stoddart though is worried about the pressures on Alex to perform giving
that he is set to become the first Malaysian to drive and Formula 1 and
said "He's done everything we've asked him to do, he's not screwed up
at all, technical feedback is good, but what I am worried about is he has
got so much pressure to perform. If you're carrying the pride of not just
your own nation but arguably half of Asia, then that must be one hell of a
responsibility. Reality is the kid has the talent, but I have seen a lot
of people's spirits broken by being pushed with all the wrong
pressures."
2-Aug: Ross Brawn talks about the
German Grand Prix and indicated that while Bridgestone provided them with
a good tyre, the Michelin were just superior to them and said "The
fact that four of the top six finishers were on Michelins is not just down
to the reliability problems suffered by others. Bridgestone did a very
good job and on some tracks their tyres are much better than the
Michelins. On others, like Hockenheim, the opposite is true. We and the
Japanese company have made some progress, but the Williams-BMW-Michelin
package still has an advantage on this type of track. We have to do
something about this and together with Bridgestone we are working on it.
The problem at Hockenheim was not degradation: looking at our lap times,
our performance was pretty much constant, but we were not quick enough.'
Barwn also explained the problems suffered by Michael Schumacher during
the race and said "Michael had a gear selection problem. It had
already come up on the formation lap, but at those speeds the engine is
not running the way it does in the race and so we thought it would be
alright. However it turned out to be a different problem of a mechanical
nature. Then the fuel pump broke, leaving Michael without any fuel
pressure. We had previous pump failures at Interlagos and the Nurburgring,
but on those occasions it was spotted as soon as the car was on the track:
it was caused by procedure which must have taken place between the warm-up
and the race. We changed it and felt the problem was solved. What happened
yesterday, after over twenty race laps, is strange and we will have to
work out what happened. At first, I thought the fuel had not gone in
during the pit stop, but the engineers told me everything had gone well.
The fact that the telemetry signals are hard to receive in Hockenheim
makes it harder to understand the problem. The radios don't work too well
there either and so we could not talk to Michael."
British American Racing are currently 5th in the Constructors'
championship, thanks to the second podium finish of the season for Jacques
Villeneuve. Prior to the German GP, BAR were running 6th and had failed to
score any point since the Monaco GP.
It appears that team boss Craig Pollock is once again making
ambitious statements by targeting 4th in the Constructors' championship
once again ahead of both Sauber and Jordan. He said "I got more
satisfaction from this race than Spain because there has been so much
criticism about the team. It basically shows you that through hard work
and finding the right set-up you can do it with this car and that is what
I have said all along. I have always believed we have got the potential
with this car. It is also more satisfying because we can say it was a pure
team effort to get there.
You cannot just simply say we have got a podium because we were there to
get the podium. A lot of cars fell out in front of us, but the reason they
fell out in front was because of a lack of reliability and mechanical
problems. We didn't have that because we worked as a team. It is not just
purely the driving and what happens in the garage that matters, it is what
happens back at the factory as well.
We have to set our sights on fourth place in the constructors, I think we
are only three points behind it now so we have got a good chance to go for
it."
At the team launch earlier this year Pollock targeted 3rd but with the
rise of Williams as a dominant team, BAR found themselves fighting with
Jordan and Sauber. Prior to the German GP they were 6th.
1-Aug: Australian Mark Webber has
been waiting to get a Formula 1 drive since the 2000 season and it seems
that his best chance so far would be a drive with Minardi in 2002. Webber
is Benetton's test driver and Renault have taken up their option of
retaining Webber for next season. Renault are currently looking at the
possibility of supplying their engines to another team and Minardi is one
of their options.
Mark Webber said "Flavio told me at the weekend that he would like to
have me in F1 next year and he would do his best to find me a seat. I've
just got to keep my head down and keep focused. You never know, I could be
in a Minardi, it depends on what's bolted onto the back of the chassis.
All the team bosses know each other pretty well and we are the pawns in a
big game of chess who get moved around so hopefully I'm in there
somewhere."
Craig Pollock has indicated that BAR have
yet to make up their mind on their tyre supplier for next season and
doesn't expect to make a decision until the end of the season and said
"We're still open at the moment, we've got to make up our minds, and
I think the decision is going to be made at the end of the season. I feel
Bridgestone have done better than we had expected them to do because we
were worried about their reaction time and they have actually started to
react pretty well."
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latest on the 2002 Team and Driver Line-up
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