Updated: 7 March 1998, 20:00 GMT
The gates to open soon at Albert Park.
(c)M-WEB
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
The gates at Melbourne's Albert Park will open at 07:30 on Sunday. A source at the track told ARN that many people are already queuing at the gates.
The excitement here is mounting as people wait to gain entry to the circuit. Some people queued here since Saturday night to ensure they are the first to enter the circuit.
The first race of the 1998 season is scheduled to start here at Albert Park in less than eight hours.
Alesi said he is determined to find a better setup for his Sauber during the warm-up session scheduled for 09:30 local time (22:30 GMT).
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ] - Race reports |
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(c)M-WEB
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
The 1996 Formula One world champion Hill was unhappy after his teammate Ralf Schumacher, brother of Michael, outpaced him on Saturday. It is important for a driver to beat at least his teammate, who has the same car.
Things got worse for Hill when his Jordan team said the spare car would be setup for Ralf. It could make things difficult for the Englishman on Saturday.
Ralf is also known for taking people out at the first corner, which could make things difficult for Hill.
Hill is confident that he might score some points on Sunday. He said, " As far as the race goes, the factors involved are very different from qualifying so I still believe we can aim to come away from here with points, which would be a good start to the season."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ] - Race reports |
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(c)M-WEB
Location: Maelbourne, Australia.
Olivier Panis was fined $2500 by race stewards on Saturday after he failed to set his car to neutral. The session was stopped to enable a safety crew to remove the car.
Just before the spun, he set his fastest time of the day. The time of 1:33.851 seconds was good enough for 16th position, but stewards demoted him to 21st position.
The Prost team decided to appeal, but the result is not available at this time.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ] - Race reports |
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(c)M-WEB
16:00 GMT
Location : Melbourne
During Saturday's qualifying round of the Australian Grand Prix Damon Hill blocked Michael Schumacher on the German's third run in the first chicane.
Damon Hill said that Schumacher did not get past until he reached the apex of the corner. Hill said that he cannot vanish. He added that Schumacher then pulled along side him and gave him the finger.
Damon Hill was handed a $1000 fine after qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix after he was speading in the pit-lane. According to reports, no appeal was made.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Driver's comments after Saturday's qualifying
Location : Melbourne
McLaren team
Mika Hakkinen said : "Winning my first Grand Prix last year gave me an awful amount of confidence. It helped me relax and just concentrate on this season. It is a great way to start the season and to see the faces of the McLaren mechanics at the end was really good."
David Coulthard said : "I am happy to be starting in a second position, especially as I had what I felt was a bit of slow star to the weekend - I did not complete as much running as I would have liked yesterday. I still working on some understeer characteristics, but I am sure we will be able to make some headway with this in warm up tomorrow."
Ferrari team
Michael Schumacher said : "I expected to be in the top three and I am happy as we have improved the car a lot over the winter. Even though I am happy with the car it is not yet at the level we intended to be. We could see that McLaren were very quick in testing so we expected them to be ahead of us. Hot temperatures tomorrow should not be a problem, even for the tyres. We know we are still a bit behind but Goodyear has made a lot of progress since January and we will have a new tyre for Brazil. We have made some compromises on the car to assure reliability so I will not be disappointed if I do not win tomorrow, but we should be able to make in on the podium. We might be behind McLaren but we are ahead of the rest and even on grooved tyres our time is quicker than last year."
Eddie Irvine said : "Once again I had an engine problem. Without that I could have been a bit quicker. We can solve the problem for the race, so I am not to worried. It is not a big issue. As I did not run on a low fuel load yesterday it took me a while to adapt to the car and find its limits. At least I am in the top half of the grid. For tomorrow it will be a case of relying on the reliability we have seen in testing."
Williams team
Jacques Villeneuve said : "We lost some momentum when we have to change cars during the session as we had a problem on my race car. I finally got the car workin properly on the last run. I am not worried about Michael. Of course I would have prefered to have been on the front row, but last year we were on pole by over a second and a half and we didn't get any point, let's see what happens tomorrow."
Heinz-Harald Frentzen said : "I am disappointed that I am behind Jacques on the grid and that far from the two McLaren. I lost most of my time in the third sector. Adding up my personal best on each section would have enable me to have matched Jacques but it didn't happen. I am suprised by the everybodies' time as I expected us all to be much slower with the new regulation."
Sauber team
Johnny Herbert said : "I came here hoping to qualify in the top six, so I am delighted with fifth place on the grid. The team has done a fantastic job today. The C17 is a very responsive car, and every change we made to the set-up this afternoon improved it. We optimised the aerodynamic efficiency far better. I was happier with the balance than I was yesterday, and we have managed to smooth out the handling to the point where I could push harder. It still feels a little nervous and twitchy under certain conditions, but it's quick and that is the main point. My last two Australian Grand Prix haven't gone beyond the opening lap, but you never worry about such things. Tomorrow I shall be aiming for the strong finish that the team deserves.
Jean Alesi said : "My problem today was a carry over from yesterday to a large extent, because once you lose time in F1 it is difficult to make it up. All day I have been chasing the right set-up for the car, and I still haven't found it. I just wasn't happy with the general balance."
Benetton team
Giancarlo Fisichella said : "During the morning I have been able to find a good car balance but the higher temperature during the qualifying session generated an unexpected oversteer. We have tried to find a solution but at the end of the session I found traffic on the track, without this I could have been at least 2-3 tenths quicker."
Alexander Wurz said : "The rear lock and I spun off. I had to qualify using the spare car set for Giancarlo and adapted for me in a few minutes. The setup was not ideal for me but it allowed me to qualify in 11th position. However, the race setup will be completely different from the one used today, so tomorrow all performances could be different."
Jordan team
Ralf Schumacher said : "I believe we could have been quicker, probably in the high 31s, although that would not have made any difference to our grid positions. The car feels fine, but I am not really satisfied with the overall results as we should not be as much as two seconds off pole."
Damon Hill said : "I think we qualified pretty much where I expected we would after testing. We really have to make some improvements to be in the top six, which should be out target. The balance of the car in qualifying felt very good. As far as the race goes, the factors involved are very different from qualifying so I still believe we can aim to come away from here with points, which would be a good start to the season."
Tyrrell team
Toranusuke Takagi said : "I am very pleased with the result as it is only my first attempt for a Formula One race. Also, if I had managed to go just a little quicker, I might even have got a place in the top 10. I was very pleased with the set-up of the Tyrell-Ford today. I also feel comfortable in the car since I have done quite a lot of testing with it. Now we must concentrate on getting ready for the race tomorrow. I have done several race distances in testing and I think there is a good chance for a string result."
Ricardo Rosset said : "It was a bit disappointing session really, particularly since the car feels like it has to much potential. We didn't find the best chassis set-up that would work here in Melbourne, and the car still had just a little too much oversteer this afternoon The Ford engine feels strong, so when we make some changes overnight, we will be in a good position for tomorrow. We know the car is reliable, and that will help us because this is often a race of attrition and if you can finish, you have a chance of a good result."
Stewart team
Rubens Barrichello said : "What can I say after the terrible problems we experienced. I am just glad to qualify. Basically I had 15 minutes to qualify the car, then the red flag came out which caused more pain. I did the best job I could have done under the circumstances. Obviously 14th position is not the best position to be starting the first race of the season from. We've had so little time to work on the set-up of the car, I just gave to hope for a reliable run to finish the race."
Jan Magnussen said : "You could say I had a rather unfortunate afternoon, After a late start to the session because of gearbox problems, I was caught in traffic which ruined what would have been two fast runs. It was a shame we didn't get a longer run because generally the car felt fine."
Prost team
Jarno Trulli said : "We have had some worries, notably with the gearbox, in achieving a good result this afternoon. At my last run, the car was not bad even if it was better this morning. We had lost a lot of time with the gearbox. Perhaps it was an electronic problem - we shall have to wait and see. But we are optimistic, we are here to work and progress."
Olivier Panis said : "It has been a difficult day, we have had a lot of problems and I am not as well positioned on the grid as I would like to have been. The technical problems, as well as the the weather, have interfered with car work. But if this grid position limits our hopes for the race, so it also ensures we will continue to make progress with the car. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are keen to get on with it."
Minardi team
Esteban Tuero said : "I am really satisfied, above all because I committed no error. And then I can't hide the fact that I'm happy to start tomorrow: at this point I have nothing left to do except hope to bring my first race to a successful conclusion."
Shinji Nakano said : "Unfortunately, during qualifying I was not able to use my race car, but the T-car, which I didn't know and which is quite different from my car. For this reason I couldn't improve from my morning practice time."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Adelaide want to steal back Grand Prix
(c)M-WEB
16:00 GMT
South Australian premier, John Olsen said that Adelaide could steal back the Australian Formula One race. According to sources, the suggestion was laughed off by the organisers of the Melbourne Grand Prix.
Speaking at the Melbourne track, Olsen said that many in the sport viewed the Adelaide Grand Prix as the 'ultimate'. He said that in Melbourne, you would not know the race was on, because to the Victorian public, it is just another sporting event.
Bernie Ecclestone has made it clear that Melbourne had a contract until the start of the next century.
Grand Prix chairman Ron Walker said that, after losing the race at the end of 1995, his rivals had no chance of getting the race back . He said that he think Adelaide ran a very good Grand Prix for many years and they are entitled to that respect, but it won't be shifting from Melbourne for many years to come.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Tyrrell Australian GP qualifying press release
Location : Melbourne
Tyrrell's new Japanese driver, Toranosuke Takagi, continued his impressive introduction to Formula One by securing 13th spot on the grid with a best time of 1:33:291s for the first Grand Prix of the 1998 season.
Toranosuke Takagi said : "I am very pleased with this result as it is only my first attempt at qualifying for a Formula One race. Also, if I had managed to go just a little quicker, I might even have got a place in the top 10. I was very pleased with the set-up of the Tyrrell-Ford today. I also feel comfortable in the car since I have done quite a lot of testing with it. Now we must concentrate on getting ready for the race tomorrow. I have done several race distances in testing and I think there is a good chance for a strong result."
Team mate, Ricardo Rosset, posted the 20th-quickest time of 1:35:119s.
Ricardo Rosset said : "It was a bit of a disappointing session really, particularly since the car feels like it has so much potential. We didn't find the best chassis set-up that would work here in Melbourne, and the car still had just had a little too much oversteer this afternoon. The Ford engine feels strong, so when we make some changes overnight, we will be in a good position for tomorrow. We know the car is reliable, and that will help us because this is often a race of attrition and if you can finish, you have a chance of a good result."
Tyrrell's managing director Dr Harvey Postlethwaite said : "Tora (Takagi) did a very good job, especially considering it is his first Grand Prix. The important thing is that he didn't seem at all fazed by the pressure and he produced a very laudable qualifying position as a result. He's got some famous names just in front of him and behind him, and that's an indication of his talent".
Dr Harvey Postlethwaite said : "Ricardo (Rosset) put in some consistent laps today and I expect to see him go well in the race tomorrow. Like everyone, I think the biggest concern for the race will be reliability and the team will be working hard tonight to ensure that we get both cars to the finish tomorrow."
Mark Parish from Cosworth Racing said : "This afternoon was fine as far as Cosworth is concerned with both of the Ford Zetec-R V10s running reliably and allowing the drivers to put in the laps. The only issue of any note arose this morning when we lost air pressure on Tora's engine and he was prevented from doing as many laps as he would have liked. We'll be installing fresh engines tonight in readiness for tomorrow's race, and although it sounds routine, that's the way we like it. It means there aren't too many problems."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Minardi Australian GP qualifying press release
Location : Melbourne
The Minardi team's two driver's managed 18th and 22nd position on the grid for the opening race for the 1998 season.
Esteban Tuero, driving chassis number 03, after finishing 20th in the free practice session managed to move into 18th position on the starting grid of the Australian Grand Prix with a time of 1:34:646s.
Esteban Tuero said : "I am really satisfied, above all because I committed no error. And then I can't hide the fact that I'm happy to start tomorrow: at this point I have nothing left to do except hope to bring my first race to a successful conclusion."
Gabriele Tredozi said : "Considering the fact that the track was completely new to Tuero and that he had practically no practice yesterday, we are happy. During qualifying Esteban was faster than the morning's free practice, constantly improving his performance. I believe that he is now in condition to go even faster. The car behaved well and we didn't need to make any substantial changes to it. The four qualifying runs were carried out on primary tyres."
Shinji Nakano, driving chassis number 01, finished 18th during the free practice, but unfortunately only managed a time of 1:35:301s for a 22nd position on the starting grid of the Australian Grand Prix.
Shinji Nakano said : "Unfortunately, during qualifying I was not able to use my race car, but the T-car, which I didn't know and which is quite different from my car. For this reason I couldn't improve from my morning practice time."
Gustav Brunner: "During the second session of today's free practice. Shinji's car had electronics problems, that is he broke the clutch sensor, which forced him at the last moment to face the qualifying session in the T-car. The T-car was not completely ready, in fact it had balance problems and, most of all was unknown to Shinji. For this reason the driver couldn't improve on his time. During qualifying Nakano also used four sets of soft tyres."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
(c)M-WEB
12:30 GMT
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
Sunday's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne could be wet, according to weather forecasts. A wet race could make things difficult for most teams because they did not test the new rain tyres a lot during the winter.
This could make things easier for double world champion Michael Schumacher, who is known for his driving ability on a wet track.
The German could rocket past the two McLaren's and win the race, according to reports on Saturday.
If the track is dry, we might see the McLaren's pull away from the Ferrari and Williams on Sunday.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Benetton's disappointment - Press release.
(c)M-WEB
12:30 GMT
Location: Melbourne.
The Benetton team had a terrible qualifying session on Saturday. Italian Formula One star, Giancarlo Fisichella had an over steer problem.
They eventually found a cure, but traffic kept him from setting a fast time.
He said, "During the morning I have been able to find a good car balance but the higher temperature during the qualifying session generated an unexpected oversteer. We have tried to find a solution but at the end of the session I found traffic on the track, without this I could have been at least 2-3 tenths quicker."
Alexander Wurz locked his rear wheels and spun off. He then had to use the spare car, which was setup for his teammate.
He said, "The rear locked and I spun off. I had to qualify using the spare car set for Giancarlo and adapted for me in a few minutes. The setup was not ideal for me but it allowed me to qualify in 11th position. However the race setup will be completely different from the one used today, so tomorrow all performances could be different."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ] - Race reports |
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Takagi satisfied with first qualifying.
(c)M-WEB
12:00 GMT
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
Japanese driver Takagi admitted on Saturday that he was nervous going into his qualifying. He said, "I rather enjoyed it than being nervous. However, as the engine broke in the free practice session, I was not able to run much. So after that, it was a bit hard."
The Tyrrell driver was worried he would be last on the grid. He said, I can at least say that I'm glad that I was not the last! I have learned a little about the circuit by now, but I was not able to run in the morning, so I should be satisfied with the result this time. As we have a long way to go till the end of this season, I will just try to improve my position gradually.
His aim for Sunday is to finish the race. He said, "I can't say how it will go tomorrow, but at least I would like to survive. I really don't know how it will be like, so I will talk about it tomorrow when the race is over.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Herbert delighted - Sauber press release.
(c)M-WEB
12:00 GMT
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
Sauber's Johnny Herbert was delighted on Saturday after he set the 5th fastest time during qualifying.
He said, "I came here hoping to qualify in the top six, so I am delighted with fifth place on the grid. The team has done a fantastic job today."
"The C17 is a very responsive car, and every change we made to the set-up this afternoon improved it. We optimised the aerodynamic efficiency far better. I was happier with the balance than I was yesterday, and we have managed to smooth out the handling to the point where I could push harder. It still feels a little nervous and twitchy under certain conditions, but it's quick and that is the main point."
"My last two Australian Grand Prix haven't gone beyond the opening lap, but you never worry about such things. Tomorrow I shall be aiming for the strong finish that the team deserves."
Sauber's new driver Jean Alesi battled to find a suitable setup for his car on Saturday.
He said, "My problem today was a carry over from yesterday to a large extent, because once you lose time in F1 it is difficult to make it up. All day I have been chasing the right set-up for the car, and I still haven't found it. I just wasn't happy with the general balance."
Sauber's team boss, Pieter Sauber is a happy man after qualifying. He said, "I am relieved and very content. Johnny gave an excellent performance in qualifying, and so did his crew. Jean's deficit may not look good but there is no reason to worry. We know that it is just a question of time until driver and car will be in perfect harmony.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Jordan report consistent performs.
(c)M-WEB
12:00 GMT
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Jordan's two drivers', Hill and R Schumacher recorded almost identical lap times demonstrating a consistent performance from the car. Both drivers managed to qualify in the top 10, an improvement on their 1997 qualifying result. In 1997 Jordan set the 12th and 14th fastest time.
Ralf Schumacher think he could have set a faster time, but admitted that the grid position would have stayed the same. He said, "I believe we could have been quicker, probably in the high 31s, although that would not have made any difference to our grid positions. The car feels fine, but I am not really satisfied with the overall result as we should not be as much as two seconds off pole."
Ralf's time of 1:32.392 second in chassis 04 earned the German a 9th position on the grid.
Former world champion Damon Hill qualified in the position he thought he would be in after testing. He said, "I think we qualified pretty much where I expected we would after testing."
Jordan needs to improve the car according to Hill. He said, "We really have to make some improvements to be in the top six, which should be our target. The balance of the car in qualifying felt very good. As far as the race goes, the factors involved are very different from qualifying so I still believe we can aim to come away from here with points, which would be a good start to the season."
Hill set the 10th fastest time during qualifying on Saturday, in chassis number 03. His time was 1:32.399 seconds.
Jordan's technical director, Gary Anderson, was positive on Saturday, but said they could have done better.
He said, "If we had been able to get one car in the top six today, I would have been ecstatic, so with the cars in 9th and 10th positions we are not so far from where we want to be. There have been a fair amount of negative comments recently and I think that with a more positive attitude and more fight we could be up there in the top six. The fact that both drivers had almost identical times shows that they were at the car's potential, but I think that with more work, the potential can be higher."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
McLaren accelerating out of F1's shadows
(c)REUTERS
09:30 GMT
By Mark Bendeich
Location : MELBOURNE
The house of McLaren, chasing their first Formula One world championship in seven years, have at last begun to catch up with their glorious past.
With a new silver livery and two drivers who have given McLaren a taste of Grand Prix victory again, the once-mighty outfit showed on Saturday they were back as the team to beat.
For the first time since 1991, McLaren's drivers, Scot David Coulthard and Finn Mika Hakkinen, grabbed the front row of the grid for a Grand Prix after they flashed around the Albert Park circuit in qualifying for the Australian season-opener.
It was a confident performance and followed on from a 1997 season which began and ended with a shower of champagne.
Coulthard opened the year with victory at Albert Park and Hakkinen finished it by taking his first chequered flag at Jerez in Spain ahead of his team mate.
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, a double world champion who will start in third position for Sunday's race, made it clear on Saturday that the McLaren team were setting the pace. "After winter testing you could see McLaren were very fast and we expected them to be in front of us," Schumacher said.
McLaren have been reborn since their distinctive red-and-white thunderbolts routinely took the Formula One honours, piloted by greats such as Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost and powered by Honda.
After three painful seasons without a victory from 1994 to 1996, McLaren now appear to have rediscovered their winning ways in partnership with German carmakers Mercedes-Benz, British tyremakers Bridgestone and Formula One design guru Adrian Newey.
Newey defected from rival camp Williams, where he had produced four world championship-winning cars in six years, to design McLaren's silver rocket for the 1998 season. His new design hides a mysterious new braking system which may yet prove the envy of the other teams if McLaren repeat their first-and-second Jerez finish here.
But the McLaren-Mercedes machine still has a long way to go before it earns the fearsome reputation its predecessors enjoyed during McLaren's golden years from 1984 to 1993.
In that decade, McLaren cars won 74 races, took 61 pole positions, won the constructors' championship six times and bore their drivers to seven world championships: three for Prost, three for Senna and one for Niki Lauda.
Hakkinen's and Coulthard's McLarens were more than half a second ahead of the next best on Saturday but Hakkinen said he felt he could push his McLaren even faster. "We probably could have gone a little bit quicker but we will do that later in the season," he said ominously. "It was really good."
Schumacher, having served his penance for attempting to sideswipe 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve off the road at Jerez, suggested on Saturday that McLaren's switch from Goodyear to Bridgestone tyres had given them an early edge.
Schumacher is in the final year of a three-year campaign to give Ferrari their first drivers' championship in 19 years and is rated the best chance to spoil McLaren's party. "We saw from the Barcelona testing obviously how competitive the McLarens are," he said. "I will not be disappointed if I do not win tomorrow but we should be able to make it on the podium. We might be behind McLaren but we are ahead of the rest."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Hakkinen takes poll in Australia
(c)REUTERS
09:30 GMT
Location : MELBOURNE
Mika Hakkinen and his hotly- favoured but controversial McLaren Mercedes-Benz team picked up on Saturday where they left off last season, grabbing both places on the front row of the grid for Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Hakkinen, who claimed his first victory in the final race last year, the European Grand Prix at Jerez in Spain, finished Saturday's opening qualifier in the same position. The Finn finished narrowly ahead of his McLaren team-mate David Coulthard of Britain, outstripping the tall Scot this time by just four-hundredths of a second.
It was the first pole position for Japanese tyre company Bridgestone since they entered Formula One last year. Hakkinen clocked a fastest time of one minute and 30.010 seconds at an average speed of 212.096 kph, seven-tenths of a second slower than Canadian world champion Jacques Villeneuve's pole time a year ago for Williams.
After a thrilling session, Hakkinen was able to hang on for the second pole of his career as McLaren, whose high-tech braking system has been described as potentially dangerous by six rival teams, recorded their best qualifying result for seven years.
"I really wanted to get pole myself, but Mika put together a cleaner lap in the end and congratulations to him," said Coulthard.
It was Hakkinen's first pole since his maiden one at last year's Luxembourg Grand Prix at the Nurburgring and McLaren's first complete front row since they took first and second places at the 1991 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide.
"It is the right way to start the season," said Hakkinen, who has developed a special relationship with the Australian Grand Prix since his life-threatening accident at Adelaide in 1995. "When I came back, it was great to see the mechanics' faces and to give them a big hug. They have done a lot of work this year. "The car is better this year than last year, of course. It is easier to drive and we can choose the line in the corners much more. I think it is brilliant."
Remarkably, both Hakkinen and Coulthard trimmed more than a second off their 1997 qualifying times despite using narrow-track cars and grooved tyres. These alterations were introduced as part of a radical new set of technical regulations aimed at reducing lap speeds in the interests of safety, but only Williams, among the established top teams, failed to improve their times.
Twice world champion Michael Schumacher of Germany, in a Ferrari, was third-fastest ahead of Villeneuve, Briton Johnny Herbert in a Sauber and German Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the second Williams.
The session was intriguing from start to finish. It was lit up by the McLaren cars' performances, but also threw up unexpected drama when Frenchman Olivier Panis spun and abandoned his Prost car on the track.
The session was red-flagged to a halt for five minutes and Panis was fined U.S.$2,500 dollars.
When it re-started, another sensational incident almost caused uproar when Michael Schumacher, on a fast lap, was blocked by his old rival Briton Damon Hill in a Jordan. Schumacher refused to discuss the incident afterwards. "Ask me another question, please," he said.
Schumacher added, however, that he was happy to be third as he had expected the McLarens to be fast. He said third was what he expected and gave him a chance of scoring points in the opening race and launching Ferrari's bid for their first world title in 19 years.
But the broadest smiles of the day belonged to Hakkinen. "Winning that race last year has given me confidence," he said. "I am more relaxed and happier. I have wintered well and trained hard. I am 100 per cent prepared and ready for it."
And he promised Coulthard, with whom he has endured a strained relationship in the past, that there will be no stunts at the start of Sunday's 58-laps race. "It will be fair, normal racing and there will be no games," he said.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
McLaren accuses rival team of espionage
(c)REUTERS
09:30 GMT
By Julian Linden
Location : MELBOURNE
McLaren boss Ron Dennis has accused a leading Formula One team of spying and says he plans to report the matter to the sport's governing body.
Dennis told a news conference on Saturday that the brother-in-law of a rival team's chief aerodynamicist had been caught taking photographs inside the McLaren team's garage at the Australian Grand Prix.
"In former years there's been a code of conduct that most teams have followed but there are some teams now, and specifically one, which doesn't seem to have any code of conduct and therefore we have to take a more aggressive stance on their behaviour," Dennis said. "We are close to the point of taking action over this sort of approach. "I think the most appropriate thing is to discuss it with the governing body and ask them to try and assist us in achieving a balanced and fair mechanism which will protect our intellectual property."
Dennis did not name the team involved but said the problem was not new. "Similar things happened in Spain and it was the same team there as well," he said. "Two years ago we removed an individual who was in the back of one of our vehicles taking photographs of some of the aerodynamic components. "I have no problems at all with people walking up and down the pit lane or people going on the circuit trying to take photographs...but I do have a problem with a photographer coming into our garage, climbing under the car and taking pictures and then admitting to being the brother-in-law of one of the head aerodynamicists of another team."
The McLaren boss said Formula One was by nature a suspicious sport but there was a point which teams should not cross.
"If we believe there is something on another car from which we can gain knowledge we will attempt to understand that but there's a point to which you go and no further because if you go beyond that point effectively you lose your self-respect," he said. "I don't think this is a sport that you reach for the lawbook for litigation at every opportunity. I'd rather avoid that at all costs...but if any team wishes to challenge the validity of my statements or feels sufficiently inclined to take any sort of steps to prove that what I said is wrong then I can assure them they will be extremely embarrassed."
On Friday six teams, led by Ferrari, wrote to the sport's ruling body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), questioning the legality of the braking system on the McLaren cars.
Dennis said McLaren's new braking system had been cleared by the FIA and at least four other teams were using a similar set-up.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Revised Australian Grand Prix qualifying times
(c)REUTERS
09:30 GMT
Location : MELBOURNE
Revised results from Saturday's qualifying session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.
Olivier Panis' original time of 1:33.851 was invalidated by stewards after he was found to have breached Article 96 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations for abandoning his car without leaving it in neutral or with the clutch disengaged. His qualifying time was amended to 1:35.215, moving him from 16th place to 21st).
1 Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren 1:30.010
2 David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:30.053
3 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:30.767
4 Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) Williams 1:30.919
5 Johnny Herbert (Britain) Sauber 1:31.384
6 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Williams 1:31.397
7 Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Benetton 1:31.733
8 Eddie Irvine (Britain) Ferrari 1:31.767
9 Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Jordan 1:32.392
10 Damon Hill (Britain) Jordan 1:32.399
11 Alexander Wurz (Austria) Benetton 1:32.726
12 Jean Alesi (France) Sauber 1:33.240
13 Toranosuke Takagi (Japan) Tyrell 1:33.291
14 Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Stewart 1:33.383
15 Jarno Trulli (Italy) Prost 1:33.739
16 Mika Salo (Finland) Arrows 1:33.927
17 Esteban Tuero (Argentina) Minardi 1:34.646
18 Jan Magnussen (Denmark) Stewart 1:34.906
19 Ricardo Rosset (Brazil) Tyrell 1:35.119
20 Pedro Diniz (Brazil) Arrows 1:35.140
21 Olivier Panis (France) Prost 1:35.215
22 Shinji Nakano (Japan) Minardi 1:35.301
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Ferrari Australian Grand Prix qualifying press release
Location : Melbourne
Michael Schumacher, driving F300 chassis number 184, will start the Australian Grand Prix from the second row of the grid after qualifying his F 300 in third place with a time of 1m 30.767 s.
Eddie Irvine, driving F300 chassis no 183, have qualified on the fourth row in eighth place in 1m 31.767. According to the Ferrari team, Eddie had to abort his fourth run on his quick lap with an engine problem
Jean Todt said : "Both cars ran well. Michael might have been able to improve slightly, but not enough to make it onto the front row. Eddie never managed to do a trouble-free lap. In any case our grid positions are good enough for us to be in with a chance in the race."
Michael Schumacher said : "I expected to be in the top three and I am happy as we have improved the car a lot over the winter. Even though I am happy with the car it is not yet at the level we intended to be. We could see that McLaren were very quick in testing so we expected them to be ahead of us. Hot temperatures tomorrow should not be a problem, even for the tyres. We know we are still a bit behind but Goodyear has made a lot of progress since January and we will have a new tyre for Brazil. We have made some compromises on the car to assure reliability so I will not be disappointed if I do not win tomorrow, but we should be able to make in on the podium. We might be behind McLaren but we are ahead of the rest and even on grooved tyres our time is quicker than last year."
Eddie Irvine said : "Once again I had an engine problem. Without that I could have been a bit quicker. We can solve the problem for the race, so I am not to worried. It is not a big issue. As I did not run on a low fuel load yesterday it took me a while to adapt to the car and find its limits. At least I am in the top half of the grid. For tomorrow it will be a case of relying on the reliability we have seen in testing."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
McLaren Australian GP practice press release
Location : Melbourne
The West McLaren Mercedes team were, like all the teams, affected by the showery weather which made track conditions inconsistent. However, what little practice Mika Hakkinen, driving MP4/13 chassis number 2, recorded a best lap time of 1:34:432s, and teammate David Coulthard managed a lap time of 1: 35.409s.
Mika Hakkinen said : "The weather distrupted our plan for today and we did not do as many laps as we wanted to. However, those laps that we did complete gave us the opportunity to improve the car and do some set up work. But this was a relatively small number of laps and we still have a lot of work to do tomorrow."
David Coulthard : "Not a great deal to report from today's session. We did not manage to do many useful laps because of the on-off nature of the rain, which affected everybody. There are some balance and driveability issues which need to be looked at when we have a track which allows us to play with the car."
Ron Dennis said : "Today's performance reflects the variability of the weather. We had no significant problems and hopefully tomorrow will be either consistently wet or, consistently dry, which will allow everybody to do a better job."
Norbert Haug said : "In the changing weather conditions of today's practice nobody learned a lot and, we still do not know where we are in comparison to the other teams."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Arrows Australian GP practice press release
Location : Melbourne
The Danka Zepter Arrows Team finished the first day of free practice for the Australian Grand Prix with Mika Salo, in chassis 03, finishing 11th with a time of 1:36:897s and teammate Pedro Diniz, in cahssis 02, finishing 18th with a time of 1:37:928s.
The early morning session of the practice had to be red-flagged, due to Pedro's car being removed from the track because of a gearbox problem caused by an electrical malfunction.
Pedro Diniz said : "We experienced some problems with the gearbox electronics in the early morning session, which prevented me from getting more time on the track. The car itself feels good to drive, especially in high speed corners. If we have a trouble free day tomorrow we have a chance of producing a good qualifying time."
Mika Salo said : "We were really unlucky with the weather today. Everytime I got out of the garage it started raining and everytime I got back it stopped. I have not experienced any problems with my car and managed to get a 3-lap run completed this afternoon, although the track was still wet. The car feels good and although there are still a few problems to be fixed, I am sure the performance will improve and we will be quick."
Tom Walkinshaw said : "Everytime the cars go out we learn something new about them. Comments from the drivers are positive and we are working on improvements from session to session. At the end of the day it is qualifying that counts, so we shall just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow."
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Prost and Steward passed official checks
(c)M-WEB
Location : Melbourne
The Prost and Stewart Formula One teams both breathed a sigh of relief on Friday morning when they passed official scrutineering without any problems, according to reports.
The Stewart team had missed Thursday's scheduled checks because their cars were not ready, while the Prost team were awaiting news on whether their car passed its final crash test before they could proceed.
Team boss Alain Prost confirmed that the waiting for the go-ahead in the early hours of Friday morning was a worrying time for the team. He said that they had one problem with the lateral crash test about two weeks ago and they damaged one monocoque, which meant they were quite late.
The four-time world champion added that this meant they had to do the crash test at the last minute. He said that there was a lot of pressure but they had other problems, like moving their factory, but said that it is now done and they can work easier.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Reactions on Mosley's thread to ban tobacco sponsorship
(c)M-WEB
Max Mosley's threat that he will ban tobacco sponsorship in Formula One if it is proved it has a direct link with making people start smoking has got mixed reactions from the sport's leading figures, according to reports.
Prost team owner, Alain Prost expressed his concern about what would happen to the teams who rely on such financial support from cigarette manufacturers if it was taken away by saying that he doesn't understand what could be possible and what is not possible. He said that if Mosley wants to take this kind of decision then he would have to talk to the teams.
Prost said that it is a difficult topic and a difficult situation for everybody. He said that having tobacco is a big part of sponsorship at his team and even bigger in some other teams, so it is a problem and that he doesn't know what is going to happen in the future.
Prost said that of more importance to him is where they are going to race in the future and that that is a big part of if they have got tobacco or not. He said that if they go to China, Malaysia or Russia maybe tobacco could still represent big sponsorship for these countries and if Max wants to ban tobacco in Europe, he doesn't know if that would be possible.
Benetton's team chief David Richards, whose team are supported by Mild Seven, added that he think Max has been fairly consistent on his views on the subject. He said that Mosley always said if anyone could prove the suggestions that he made yesterday then the FIA could take a view on it, but quite clearly with the investment that has been made, both by the teams and the sport itself, one has to be cautious about removing something as substantial as that overnight.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Benetton to run Playlife engines
(c)M-WEB
Location : Melbourne
Despite no official confirmation in the build-up to the Australian Grand Prix, Benetton confirmed that they will run with their Mecachrome engines badged as Playlife in 1998.
The deal has been struck as a way of improving the Benetton clothing company's marketing potential. Benetton team boss David Richards said that Playlife is a new generic brand for Benetton. He said : "You have probably heard of Benetton Sports System and they are looking for a new branding to encompass some new products."
Richards said that it is really in its formative days and it was a last minute decision to use that branding within the Formula One context. He said that he think we will see what it involves over the next few years and probably in three years time see it take quite a strong position in their Formula One communication strategy. He added that there is no illusion that it is an identical engine to that which Williams are using.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
(c)M-WEB
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Bridgestone's Hiroshi Yasukawa said he is very happy that a F1 team managed to get pole position with Bridgestone tyres. McLaren's Mika Hakkinen set the pace on Saturday, clocking the fastest time during official qualifying for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
McLaren switch to Bridgestone this season in an effort to gain an advantage and according to the qualifying results managed to do just that. McLaren could face a possible disqualification if the FIA finds their car to be illegeal.
Stay with us for the latest on McLaren's possible disqualification.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Australian Grand Prix qualifying times
(c)REUTERS
5:45 GMT
Location: MELBOURNE
Results from Saturday's qualifying session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.
1 Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren 1:30.010
2 David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:30.053
3 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:30.767
4 Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) Williams 1:30.919
5 Johnny Herbert (Britain) Sauber 1:31.384
6 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Williams 1:31.397
7 Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Benetton 1:31.733
8 Eddie Irvine (Britain) Ferrari 1:31.767
9 Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Jordan 1:32.392
10 Damon Hill (Britain) Jordan 1:32.399
11 Alexander Wurz (Austria) Benetton 1:32.726
12 Jean Alesi (France) Sauber 1:33.240
13 Toranosuke Takagi (Japan) Tyrell 1:33.291
14 Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Stewart 1:33.383
15 Jarno Trulli (Italy) Prost 1:33.739
16 Olivier Panis (France) Prost 1:33.851
17 Mika Salo (Finland) Arrows 1:33.927
18 Esteban Tuero (Argentina) Minardi 1:34.646
19 Jan Magnussen (Denmark) Stewart 1:34.906
20 Ricardo Rosset (Brazil) Tyrell 1:35.119
21 Pedro Diniz (Brazil) Arrows 1:35.140
22 Shinji Nakano (Japan) Minardi 1:35.301
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Hakkinen in pole position in Australia
(c)REUTERS
5:45 GMT
Location: MELBOURNE
Finland's Mika Hakkinen claimed pole position for the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix when he set the fastest time in Saturday's qualifying session.
Hakkinen lapped the Albert Park circuit in one minute 30.010 seconds to finish just 0.043 seconds in front of his McLaren teammate David Coulthard of Britain.
Germany's Michael Schumacher was third fastest in his Ferrari with a time of 1:30.767 with world champion Jacques Villeneuve of Canada fourth with a time of 1:30.919 in his Williams.
Briton Johnny Herbert was fifth ahead of Villeneuve's teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Former world champion Damon Hill was 10th quickest.
The only previous time Hakkinen has taken pole position was at last year's Luxembourg Grand Prix. His only race win was at last year's European Grand Prix.
The last time McLaren started first and second on the grid was at the 1991 Australian GP when the late Ayrton Senna took pole position ahead of his teammate Gerhard Berger.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
Row over legality of McLaren car erupts
(c)REUTERS
5:45 GMT
Location: MELBOURNE
Six Formula One teams on Friday signed a letter which questioned the legality of the McLaren car expected to be one of the pace-setters in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The teams, led by Ferrari, wrote to the sport's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA), for guidance about the high-tech braking system used on McLaren's car, one of the six team bosses told Reuters.
They claim McLaren are using a potentially dangerous braking system which, in addition to not conforming with the latest technical regulations, also gives them illegal traction control and power steering.
This, it is claimed, makes it possible for the McLaren MP4/13 car to enter and exit corners in a more balanced way and thus gives the team an unfair advantage.
The system, which gives McLaren's drivers the means to control the braking balance applied to individual wheels, is a high-tech form of skid-braking.
McLaren, whose lap times in pre-season testing suggested they may be poised to enjoy their best year since the late 1980's, denied their cars were irregular in any way.
"I have no worries about this at all," said team chief Ron Dennis. "We have done a belt-and-braces job during development of the system and had our car checked all the time.
"There is nothing wrong at all. In fact, several other teams have something similar for their cars."
Arrows, Benetton, Ferrari, Jordan, Sauber and Stewart are understood to have joined in signing the letter which was sent to Race Director Charlie Whiting.
The row threatens to overshadow the opening race of the year and could lead to other teams copying the McLaren system -- or an official protest.
Benetton chief executive David Richards, asked about the controversial 'third pedal' system in the McLaren cars, said: "When you get into technical issues like this they tend to go over my head.
"It is obviously an innovative idea, but I am not sure what to say about the legitimacy of it. That is an opinion that I prefer to leave to our technical people.
"The only question mark to be raised is that it only increases costs when one team introduces some engineering novelty which forces everyone else to follow suit."
Williams, having seen that McLaren were developing the system late last year, have also gone ahead with a similar system.
1998 Australian channel.[ Click here ]-Weather forecast available now | ||
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