Jack Christopherson's F1 career (1991-2004, 2010-????)

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 69
Hill 57
Senna 46
Berger 44
Alesi 38
Hakkinen 25
Brundle 25
Irvine 23
Blundell 17
De Cesaris 11
Morbidelli 10
Frentzen 9
Barrichello 7
Wendlinger 7
Herbert 7
Coulthard 6
Christopherson 4
Fittipaldi 4
Martini 2
Comas 2
De Cesaris 2
Panis 1
Lehto 1
Beretta 1
Lamy 1

Constructors Standings
Williams 109
Ferrari 82
Benetton 77
McLaren 49
Jordan 41
Tyrrell 21
Sauber 16
Footwork 14
Larrousse 3
Minardi 2
Ligier 1
Lotus 1
Simtek 0
Pacific 0

REJECT OF THE YEAR

3RD - Michele Alboreto

2ND - Ligier

1ST - JJ Lehto

[FullMetalJack]

21st February 1995

I am here today, after months of anticipation to state my future, for at least 1995. I am now a driver of the Sauber team, as I have signed to drive alongside Karl Wendlinger. I am looking forward to work with both Peter Sauber and Karl Wendlinger, Karl is a great talent, and a very capable driver who I can measure myself against. Also, the team looks secure for a long time financially due to newly acquired Red Bull sponsorship. This is key at this recent time of many teams dropping out.

1995 DRIVER LINEUP

Benetton Renault
1. Michael Schumacher
2. Johnny Herbert

Tyrrell Yamaha
3. Ukyo Katayama
4. Mika Salo

Williams Renault
5. Damon Hill
6. David Coulthard

McLaren Mercedes
7. Mika Hakkinen
8. Mark Blundell

Footwork Hart
9. Gianni Morbidelli
10. Taki Inoue

Simtek Ford
11. Domenico Schiattarella
12. Jos Verstappen

Jordan Peugeot
14. Rubens Barrichello
15. Eddie Irvine

Pacific Ford
16. Bertrand Gachot
17. Andrea Montermini

Forti Ford
21. Pedro Diniz
22. Roberto Moreno

Minardi Ford
23. Pierluigi Martini
24. Luca Badoer

Ligier Mugen Honda
25. Martin Brundle
26. Olivier Panis

Scuderia Ferrari
27. Jean Alesi
28. Gerhard Berger

Sauber Ford
29. Karl Wendlinger
30. Jack Christopherson

Larrousse will not be competing in 1995.
Fastest team out of Simtek, Pacific and Forti will compete in each race. I will use the aggregate fastest qualifying times in the real qualfying session from each team.
Frentzen will test for Williams in 1995 after the team taking a liking to him after his 1994 performances, he still has ties with the Sauber team though.

REJECTS IN 1995
Pedro Diniz
TI Aida Circuit
Imola modifications
Forti Corse
Andrea Montermini
Domenico Schiattarella

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 1 - 1995 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX - Interlagos

PRE-RACE
A new team, things were looking good. The car felt good, and new regulations could well shake things up, although there are 7 teams that look ultra-competitive this season, the usual big 4 along with Sauber, Jordan and Ligier. The Pacific team took their first ever start in Formula 1 racing, and despite looking to make the most of this opportunity, they were just happy to start. There were six rookies on the grid for this year; Pedro Diniz, Andrea Montermini, Jos Verstappen, Mika Salo, Domenico Schiattarella and Taki Inoue. David Coulthard was also virtually a rookie, having completed in only 1 race, albeit a podium finish.

QUALIFYING
I love this circuit, despite not having much luck here, but past performance is no guarantee for future success. Qualifying was dry as it can get, and I acclimatised myself to the new car quite quickly. The car felt good in the higher speed sections, but not on the lower speed middle sector. Overall, that resulted to 9th place on the grid. The front of the grid did not change much, Williams, Benetton and Ferrari being at the front, whilst McLaren could be dragged into a midfield battle with Sauber and co. Karl Wendlinger struggled greatly in 18th spot. Gachot and Montermini were 19th and 21st in the Pacifics and Taki Inoue was slowest of all on his debut. Coulthard took pole from Schumacher and Hill. Alesi beat Berger to 4th spot.

1. Coulthard 1.22.093
2. Schumacher 1.22.131
3. Hill 1.22.194

8. Irvine 1.23.507
9. Christopherson 1.23.733
10. Salo 1.23.929

18. Wendlinger 1.26.545

RACE
At the start, Schumacher got away poorly and lost out to Hill, and the fast starting Berger. I also made a tremendous start, moving up to 6th, jumping Herbert, Hakkinen and Irvine at the start. Jean Alesi was in 5th but his race ended very early, his transmission giving up on him on Lap 3. Johnny Herbert passed Mika Hakkinen and then on the 16th lap, made a move on me going into turn 1 for 5th place. That would soon become 4th after Berger suffered a slow puncture and began losing time until he pitted. I then made a mistake whilst trying to drive around the outside of Herbert and lost 3 positions to Salo, Irvine and Brundle. Mika Salo was running in 5th on an incredible debut. I immediately re-passed Brundle and a few corners later took Irvine for 6th position. Hakkinen retired with transmission failure. Meanwhile, at the front Schumacher passed Hill on the track whilst during the final round of stops, got ahead of Coulthard. On lap 61, Luca Badoer retired when his engine blew. One of the lowest attrition races at Brazil ever ended with Schumacher taking the 10 points for Benetton with the two Williams drivers taking the other podium positions. I kept the Sauber going to take a point for 6th, but I know that it should have been at least 5th, and could well have been 4th.

1. Schumacher 1hr 41m 23.566s
2. Coulthard +15.243s
3. Hill +39.233s
4. Herbert +51.736s
5. Salo +1m 00.013s
6. Christopherson +1m 05.250s
7. Morbidelli +1 Lap
8. Irvine +1 Lap
9. Brundle +1 Lap
10. Katayama +2 Laps
11. Barrichello +2 Laps
12. Wendlinger +2 Laps
13. Panis +2 Laps
14. Inoue +3 Laps
15. Montermini +3 Laps
16. Martini +3 Laps
17. Gachot +3 Laps

REJECT OF THE RACE: McLaren and Ferrari - Double DNF puts both teams behind Pacific in the championship standings

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 10
Coulthard 6
Hill 4
Herbert 3
Salo 2
Christopherson 1

Constructors Standings
Benetton 13
Williams 10
Tyrrell 2
Sauber 1
Footwork 0
Jordan 0
Ligier 0
Pacific 0
Minardi 0
McLaren 0
Ferrari 0
Forti 0
Simtek 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 2 - 1995 ARGENTINE GRAND PRIX - Buenos Aires

QUALIFYING
Simtek got both cars on the grid for the first time ever. Two new rookies Jos Verstappen and Domenico Schiattarella join the F1 circus in the Simtek. Verstappen was highly rated and was Benetton test driver last year, even being considered JJ Lehto's replacement. It was a new circuit for every driver, having been heavily modified. I did not do at all well on this track, the car seemed to understeer too much, and I could only manage 20th on the grid, although still better than Karl Wendlinger who was 21st. Taki Inoue was slower than Wendlinger though, by almost 2 seconds. Simtek were firmly in the midfield, Schiattarella was a respectable 17th, whereas Verstappen put his Simtek on 10th on the grid, ahead of Johnny Herbert's Benetton and Mark Blundell's McLaren. David Coulthard was on pole position, with Mika Salo in his Tyrrell 2nd.

1. Coulthard 1.29.448
2. Salo 1.30.609
3. Schumacher 1.30.642

19. Panis 1.34.971
20. Christopherson 1.36.150
21. Wendlinger 1.36.708

RACE
I made a decent start and passed Schiattarella going into turn 1, who dropped back. Mika Salo was down to 4th by the end of turn 1, whilst Schumacher was up to 2nd and immediately pressuring Coulthard for the lead. It only took him 5 laps to take the lead of the Grand Prix. Jos Verstappen was running firmly in the midfield and ran as high as 9th, but slipped down the grid eventually. The first retirements of the race were Schiattarella and Badoer, after the Simtek driver could not avoid Badoer who was rejoining the track after a spin. Mika Hakkinen retired with a water leak on lap 31. Coulthard's middle stint was very poor, and lost out not only to teammate Hill, but to both Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger. I was in 10th with only 2 laps to go, but the two Jordans were running quite slowly, and into turn 1, I made a daring pass on Irvine, after slipstreaming Barrichello. In the end Schumacher won the race to make it 2 out of 2 in 1995. Mika Salo withstood pressure from Benetton's Johnny Herbert and escape reject status with his 3rd point, in only 2 races.

1. Schumacher 1hr 55 23.765s
2. Hill +24.247s
3. Alesi +39.023
4. Berger +45.688s
5. Coulthard +49.291s
6. Salo +1 Lap
7. Herbert +1 Lap
8. Christopherson +1 Lap
9. Irvine +1 Lap
10. Barrichello +1 Lap
11. Brundle +2 Laps
12. Katayama +2 Laps
13. Blundell +2 Laps
14. Morbidelli +3 Laps
15. Inoue +5 Laps

REJECT OF THE RACE: Taki Inoue - Ran so far behind even the other backmarkers

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 20
Hill 10
Coulthard 8
Alesi 4
Herbert 3
Berger 3
Salo 3
Christopherson 1

Constructors Standings
Benetton 23
Williams 18
Ferrari 7
Tyrrell 3
Sauber 1
Footwork 0
Jordan 0
Ligier 0
McLaren 0
Pacific 0
Minardi 0
Simtek 0
Forti 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 3 - 1995 SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX - Imola

QUALIFYING
Qualifying went reasonably well, although the first sector was quite weak, otherwise I may have managed a top 8 grid spot. Nevertheless, 12th position is not bad at all. Meanwhile, Karl Wendlinger struggled greatly, and was once again 21st, only ahead of Schiattarella in the Simtek, whilst Verstappen was 17th quickest. Unfortunately, the Simtek team did not look secure for the future, down to next to no funds. McLaren have improved for this race, whilst the top 4 were miles ahead of the rest, Coulthard in 4th was over a second quicker than Hakkinen in 5th. I was only 3 thousandths slower than Olivier Panis in his Ligier.

1. Schumacher 1.30.103
2. Berger 1.30.207
3. Hill 1.30.369

11. Panis 1.33.464
12. Christopherson 1.33.467
13. Barrichello 1.33.598

21. Wendlinger 1.36.887

RACE
I made a terrific start and jumped up to 9th place, ahead of Morbidelli, Panis and Blundell. Berger and Coulthard got the best starts and jumped Schumacher. Mark Blundell attacked going into Tamburello on the second lap, took me round the outside, spun and blocked me to give Panis his position back. Johnny Herbert retired on lap 4 with engine failure. Luca Badoer once again retired in his Minardi after a collision with Morbidelli, who just pitted after a puncture. Gerhard Berger pulled away from Schumacher, Coulthard and co. I passed Panis at the Villeneuve on lap 35 and subsequently pulled away from the Ligier, who retired 1 lap later with hydraulic problems. The order was then Berger, Coulthard, Schumacher, Hill, Alesi, Hakkinen, Irvine, Blundell, Christopherson and Brundle. I closed in constantly on Mark Blundell, and 9th place became 8th when David Coulthard retired with a water leak. There was then a Trulli Train from 2nd to 8th, consisting of Schumacher, Hill, Alesi, Hakkinen, Irvine, Blundell and Christopherson. I subsequently closed in on all of them. On the penultimate lap, Mika Hakkinen had a puncture near the end of the lap, promoting me to 7th. He rejoined in 8th, comfortably ahead of Brundle. Going into the last chicane on the last lap, I dived down the inside of Blundell hoping that he would back off, he did, and I scored a point because of it. Berger comfortably won in front of the Tifosi, both Ferraris being firmly in the points. McLaren are still without points whilst Jos Verstappen scored Simtek's first ever top 10 finish.

1. Berger 1hr 40m 13.463s
2. Schumacher +31.237s
3. Hill +31.834s
4. Alesi +32.589s
5. Irvine +33.101s
6. Christopherson +33.673s
7. Blundell +33.985s
8. Hakkinen +1m 11.327s
9. Brundle +1m 24.273s
10. Verstappen +1 Lap
11. Salo +1 Lap
12. Katayama +2 Laps
13. Wendlinger +2 Laps
14. Schiattarella +2 Laps
15. Inoue +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Berger 1.32.045

REJECT OF THE RACE: Karl Wendlinger - Continues to put himself under pressure

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 26
Hill 14
Berger 13
Coulthard 8
Alesi 7
Herbert 3
Salo 3
Irvine 2
Christopherson 2

Constructors Standings
Benetton 29
Williams 22
Ferrari 20
Tyrrell 3
Jordan 2
Sauber 2
McLaren 0
Footwork 0
Ligier 0
Simtek 0
Pacific 0
Minardi 0
Forti 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 4 - 1995 SPANISH GRAND PRIX - Barcelona

PRE-RACE
Down at Simtek, funds were running dry and they could be out of the sport in a matter of races. There is little chance of them seeing out 1995. At Sauber, Karl Wendlinger is under a lot of pressure to start performing, or risk losing his seat. Rumours are that he could be gone by Monaco, due to poor performances in comparison to Jack Christopherson who has had an excellent start to the season.

QUALIFYING
Barcelona is not my strongest track. And it showed here, although I am now 4-0 in qualifying, I was roughly 5 seconds off Schumacher's pole time. Karl Wendlinger's disasterous season continued, as he was even slower than Verstappen, Inoue and both Minardis, although Verstappen was a very creditable 14th on the grid. David Coulthard had continued to impress and show that he was deserving of a Williams, qualifying 2nd and beating Damon Hill once again. Jean Alesi was down in 9th behind even the McLarens. Rubens Barrichello in the Jordan impressed greatly, qualifying 6th.

1. Schumacher 1.21.558
2. Coulthard 1.22.190
3. Berger 1.22.262

16. Brundle 1.26.158
17. Christopherson 1.26.695
18. Inoue 1.26.721

21. Wendlinger 1.28.249

RACE
I made a fairly decent start, not gaining or losing any positions. Schumacher got away well with Hill and Herbert moving up ahead of Coulthard and Berger. After the first lap, the order was Schumacher, Herbert, Hill, Coulthard, Berger and Alesi. Lap 2 was quite eventful, suspension failure caused Mika Salo's retirement at the start of the lap, and teammate Katayama having the same problem towards the end of the lap. Gerhard Berger made an overtake on Coulthard at La Caixa. It was a dismal day for Tyrrell. Schumacher pulled out a gap in the early stages of the race, whilst Hill was chasing Herbert lap after lap. He couldn't get by at the first round of pit-stops. On lap 12, I locked by brakes at turn 12 and went into the barrier. My first DNF of the season, and my dismal record at this circuit continues. On lap 39, Karl Wendlinger's engine blew, 4 laps after Jos Verstappen suffered the same fate. On lap 49, Damon Hill finally managed to pass Johnny Herbert to try and prevent a Benetton 1-2. Both Jordans suffered problems during the race, and pitting dropped them considerably far down the order. Damon Hill's efforts were all for nothing, as 6 laps from home, his transmission gave up on him, giving Herbert 2nd place back. This moved Mika Hakkinen into the points. Michael Schumacher took the chequered flag, unchallenged by anyone to take his 3rd victory of the season. Johnny Herbert made it a Benetton 1-2, both Ferraris scored points whilst McLaren got their first point of 1995.

1. Schumacher 1hr 33m 23.854s
2. Herbert +29.374s
3. Berger +35.662s
4. Coulthard +40.096s
5. Alesi +41.271s
6. Hakkinen +46.239s
7. Panis +54.263s
8. Blundell +1m 07.835s
9. Brundle +1m 15.437s
10. Morbidelli +1 Lap
11. Barrichello +1 Lap
12. Irvine +1 Lap
13. Inoue +2 Laps
14. Martini +2 Laps
15. Badoer +2 Laps
16. Schiattarella +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Schumacher 1.23.315

REJECT OF THE RACE: Tyrrell - Both drivers out on lap 2

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 36
Berger 17
Hill 14
Coulthard 11
Herbert 9
Alesi 9
Salo 3
Irvine 2
Christopherson 2
Hakkinen 1

Constructors Standings
Benetton 45
Ferrari 26
Williams 25
Tyrrell 3
Jordan 2
Sauber 2
McLaren 1
Ligier 0
Footwork 0
Simtek 0
Minardi 0
Pacific 0
Forti 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 5 - 1995 MONACO GRAND PRIX - Monte Carlo

PRE-RACE
At Sauber, Karl Wendlinger has been informed that he could be sacked after the Monaco Grand Prix, with Frenchman Jean-Christophe Bouillon being the most likely replacement in car 29.

QUALIFYING
A miracle is not happening like the one last year. Although there were some major shocks, mostly Alesi and Schumacher struggling greatly. Schumacher only managing 16th in the Benetton and Alesi in the Ferrari managing a lowly 17th. For me, qualifying was not bad, but not great. I only managed 14th, splitting the Minardis. Behind Badoer who will start a career best 13th, and ahead of Martini. McLaren took advantage and got their cars 3rd and 7th. Ligier also look to be on the upturn, with both cars in the top 10, Brundle and Panis 8th and 10th respectively. Karl Wendlinger was once again off the pace, ahead of only Inoue and the Simteks. Coulthard put his Williams on pole alongside Johnny Herbert for an all British front row.

1. Coulthard 1.26.007
2. Herbert 1.26.236
3. Hakkinen 1.26.281

13. Badoer 1.29.105
14. Christopherson 1.29.279
15. Martini 1.29.435

19. Wendlinger 1.30.170

RACE..
I made a reasonable start and took advantage of a poor starting Panis, and also overtook Badoer and Morbidelli. Morbidelli was stuck behind Panis at the start. At the start, Hill made a move on Berger and moved up to 4th, but soon found himself stuck behind Hakkinen as Coulthard and Herbert pulled away. The first retirement was Gianni Morbidelli in his Footwork, who'se transmission failed on lap 13. I only lasted 2 more laps, as a water leak made me retire from 11th position whilst chasing Brundle, Barrichello and Katayama. Hill spent virtually the entire race staring at the back of Hakkinen's McLaren. Berger caught Hill off guard and took 4th position, only to lose it with an engine failure. The same fate for Karl Wendlinger in what was rumoured to be his final race. Hakkinen caused a train of drivers to catch up with Hill, these consisted of Irvine, Brundle, Barrichello and Schumacher. Schumacher was initially well behind but great pace and the fastest lap helped him, as well as a controversial move on Katayama where they made contact, although no penalty was given. Alesi also caught up with them but with 10 laps to go, had a right-rear puncture and hit a barrier. David Coulthard held on to take his first ever Formula 1 victory ahead Johnny Herbert who equalled his best ever result. Brundle scored Ligier's first point since Monaco the previous year.

1. Coulthard 1hr 49m 23.785s
2. Herbert +7.881s
3. Hakkinen +45.754s
4. Hill +46.210s
5. Irvine +46.845s
6. Brundle +47.005s
7. Barrichello +47.349s
8. Schumacher +47.691s
9. Badoer +1 Lap
10. Martini +1 Lap
11. Katayama +1 Lap
12. Salo +2 Laps
13. Panis +2 Laps
14. Inoue +3 Laps
15. Schiattarella +3 Laps
16. Verstappen +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Schumacher 1.26.922

REJECT OF THE RACE: Ferrari - Double DNF causes them to lose further ground on rivals

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 36
Coulthard 21
Berger 17
Hill 17
Herbert 15
Alesi 9
Hakkinen 5
Irvine 4
Salo 3
Christopherson 2
Brundle 1

Constructors Standings
Benetton 51
Williams 38
Ferrari 26
McLaren 5
Jordan 4
Tyrrell 3
Sauber 2
Ligier 1
Footwork 0
Minardi 0
Simtek 0
Pacific 0
Forti 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 6 - 1995 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX - Montreal

PRE-RACE
The Simtek team have pulled out of the sport after racking substantial debts in around 18 months, this made things a lot easier for Forti and Pacific, who were also fighting just to make the grid. Meanwhile, Karl Wendlinger has been sacked from the Sauber team, and both Jos Verstappen and Jean-Christophe Bouillon will be given a chance in the next two races, though if neither driver impresses enough, Heinz-Harald Frentzen may consider taking his seat back despite being Williams tester. Verstappen will race for the Swiss outfit in Canada whilst Bouillon will race in France.

QUALIFYING
Qualilfying took place in full downpour, and Williams were the team to beat, last time out's winner Coulthard, with Berger getting within a few tenths of the duo. Infact, there were 6 teams that covered the first 6 rows, Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, Benetton, Jordan and Ligier. I could only manage 13th place on the grid. Schumacher was disappointed with 4th place considering his blistering form at the start of the season. Pacific were quite impressive in only their second successful attempt at making the grid, with 16th and 17th. Montermini beating Gachot to the 8th row. Verstappen struggled in a new car, with 19th place, although he beat Badoer, Katayama and Inoue.

1. Coulthard 1.39.459
2. Hill 1.39.578
3. Berger 1.39.865

12. Barrichello 1.42.005
13. Christopherson 1.42.029
14. Salo 1.42.075

19. Verstappen 1.44.359

RACE
I made a great start, after Schumacher, Herbert and Barrichello all got away poorly. There was also a bit of drama at the rear end of the grid, with Badoer and Katayama colliding and Alesi losing a front wing trying to pass Schumacher at the start. Also, Damon Hill got the jump on teammate Coulthard at the start, as the Williams duo pulled away with authority. Jean Alesi was down in 20th and was slowly catching the likes of Martini and Inoue. Mika Hakkinen was the next retirement with an oil leak, his promising weekend ended instantly. The order was Hill, Coulthard, Schumacher, Berger, Irvine, Herbert, Blundell and Christopherson. Eddie Irvine's race only lasted until lap 19. This momentarily put me up to 7th, as I made a brave move on Blundell at the hairpin at the end of sector 2. The two Benettons had a bad day, Johnny Herbert spinning off into the barrier at the halfway point of the race. Schumacher's race ended on lap 45 with an engine failure. Jean Alesi passed Andrea Montermini around the outside for 11th. Panis was running in 6th when a water leak put pay to any chance of points for the Frenchman. Mark Blundell's Mercedes engine failed with 17 laps to go. Hill was leading comfortably but I was not giving up on a podium finish, as I was rapidly catching Berger. Martin Brundle was trying to hold off Rubens Barrichello for 5th place, whilst Alesi was homing in, but couldn't pass either of them. On lap 66, I caught Berger in his slipstream, and passed him on the final chicane. Hill won the race from Coulthard and myself for an all British podium. I even set my first ever fastest lap in the process, on lap 32.

1. Hill +1hr 45m 29.430s
2. Coulthard +13.224s
3. Christopherson +26.121s
4. Berger +29.843s
5. Brundle +1m 04.905s
6. Barrichello +1m 05.374s
7. Alesi +1m 12.326s
8. Verstappen +1 Lap
9. Montermini +2 Laps
10. Gachot +2 Laps
11. Inoue +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Christopherson 1.31.200

REJECT OF THE RACE: Minardi/Tyrrell - Slower than Pacific, and had drivers coming together

What a fantastic day for us brits, 3 of us on the podium, it's been nearly 4 years since I last stood on the rostrum. The team were superb this weekend, and this was the way I wanted to reward them for their efforts, and for choosing to sign me. I hope I can give the team more results like this. 4 british drivers in the points with Martin Brundle in 5th made it a day to never forget.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 36
Hill 27
Coulthard 27
Berger 20
Herbert 15
Alesi 9
Christopherson 6
Hakkinen 5
Irvine 4
Brundle 3
Salo 3
Barrichello 1

Constructors Standings
Williams 54
Benetton 51
Ferrari 29
Sauber 6
McLaren 5
Jordan 5
Ligier 3
Tyrrell 3
Footwork 0
Minardi 0
Pacific 0
Simtek 0
Forti 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 7 - 1995 FRENCH GRAND PRIX - Magny Cours

PRE-RACE
As already stated, Jean-Christophe Bouillon would be given a try at Sauber, at his home race as well, replacing the potentially one-off Dutchman Jos Verstappen. Also, Mark Blundell is talking about leaving Formula 1 in favour of CART for 1996, David Coulthard is considering taking the McLaren seat should it be vacant next year. Traditional team numbers will be abandoned for 1996, numbers will now be determined by finishing positions from the previous season.

QUALIFYING
The top 3 drivers dominated qualifying as expected, miles quicker than the other 19 drivers, Damon Hill taking pole, ahead of David Coulthard and Michael Schumacher. They were so dominant in fact, that despite the fact that I qualified 6th, I was nearly 3 seconds off pole, and Magny-Cours is a relatively short track compared to others. French debutant Jean-Christophe Bouillon qualified a respectable 14th, but I still remained 7-0 in the intra-team qualifying battle for 1995. Rubens Barrichello was 4th, whilst neither McLaren made the top 10, Blundell in 11th and Hakkinen down in 15th.

1. Hill 1.19.433
2. Coulthard 1.19.974
3. Schumacher 1.19.991

5. Alesi 1.21.708
6. Christopherson 1.22.279
7. Berger 1.22.642

14. Bouillon 1.24.090

RACE
Schumacher got the perfect getaway, and launched straight ahead of his rivals at Williams. I made a relatively poor start, and lost out to Berger, to drop down to 9th behind Berger, Irvine and the hard-charging Blundell. This once again became 7th soon enough, as Alesi ran wide at the final corner on the first lap, and an early engine failure put pay to any chance of consecutive points finishes for Rubens Barrichello. Eddie Irvine suffered a puncture quite early on shortly after exiting the pits from his first stop, after tangling with Herbert, who damaged his front wing, dropping them both down the order. It was a bad day not only for Jordan, but for Ligier as well, both drivers retiring early with engine failures. A miserable home race for Les Bleus. I was up to 6th, which is where I stayed. Mark Blundell's bad luck was always lurking, would it strike again? No. Not much else happened apart from Luca Badoer exiting the pits and getting in my way, resulting in me giving him the finger, virtually of course. Schumacher was firmly back on track with an impeccable win at the French Grand Prix. I managed to hold on to a point, to score my first consecutive points finishes since 1991, exactly 4 years ago.

1. Schumacher 1hr 38m 43.254s
2. Hill +21.032s
3. Coulthard +25.660s
4. Berger +49.427s
5. Blundell +55.353s
6. Christopherson +1 Lap
7. Alesi +1 Lap
8. Irvine +1 Lap
9. Herbert +1 Lap
10. Salo +1 Lap
11. Hakkinen +1 Lap
12. Bouillon +1 Lap
13. Inoue +2 Laps
14. Morbidelli +2 Laps
15. Katayama +3 Laps
16. Gachot +4 Laps
17. Montermini +4 Laps
18. Badoer +5 Laps

Fastest Lap: Schumacher 1.21.318

REJECT OF THE RACE: Ligier - Miserable home race for Les Bleus

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 46
Hill 33
Coulthard 31
Berger 23
Herbert 15
Alesi 9
Christopherson 7
Hakkinen 5
Irvine 4
Brundle 3
Salo 3
Blundell 2
Barrichello 1

Constructors Standings
Williams 64
Benetton 61
Ferrari 32
Sauber 7
McLaren 7
Jordan 5
Ligier 3
Tyrrell 3
Footwork 0
Minardi 0
Pacific 0
Simtek 0
Forti 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 8 - 1995 BRITISH GRAND PRIX - Silverstone

PRE-RACE
Sauber has opted for Frentzen to return to the Swiss team, he has also taken the #30 car whilst Jack Christopherson will drive the #29 car for the remainder of 1995. Meanwhile, the Pacific team are in some financial trouble and both Bertrand Gachot and Andrea Montermini may be asked to make way for pay drivers in order to secure the future of the team very shortly.

QUALIFYING
The big news in qualifying was that the Forti team have made their first ever Grand Prix start, it took them 8 rounds to beat Pacific and be the 11th team on the grid. And their debut wasn't a complete failure, neither driver qualifying last, that went to me. Why? Because it was light rain at the start and I wanted to wait until the track dried up, but it just rained heavier after I went out, and I was on slicks, so I was miles off the pace. Damon Hill pleased his home crowd with pole position with a time over a second quicker than next fastest Gerhard Berger. Katayama qualified a career best 11th whilst Martini put his Minardi 12th, best of the season for the struggling Italian team. Frentzen was 8th on his return whilst Panis was 9th. Schumacher was disappointed with 10th. I could have gone out on wets but all it would have done is closed the gap, but I decided to stick with my awful lap time.

1. Hill 1.27.060
2. Berger 1.28.213
3. Irvine 1.28.783

8. Frentzen 1.30.559

20. Inoue 1.35.120
21. Moreno 1.35.677
22. Christopherson 1.44.258

RACE
My start was pretty good and I made 3 places, at the expense of Moreno, Inoue and Salo. Irvine dropped back quickly as Johnny Herbert made a storming start, and was leading by the end of the Hangar straight, slipstreaming Damon Hill. Over the first 10 laps or so, Hill and Herbert traded the lead a good few times. My race didn't even last that long, as I suffered an engine failure on lap 9. I didn't look like scoring points anyway, so it wasn't as huge of a loss as it would have been at Canada or France. Eddie Irvine also suffered an engine failure on lap 23, despite starting 3rd, he had fell to 16th, being passed by Martini and Morbidelli. Johnny Herbert then lost ground on Damon Hill, and after being passed by Coulthard, also lost out to Schumacher and Alesi in the pitstops. Gerhard Berger then spun off the track into the barrier at turn 1 after turning in too early on the kerbs. Mika Hakkinen was retired with transmission problems on lap 43, whilst Panis was up to the points for the first time this season. Damon Hill won in front of his fans and took the chequered flag ahead of teammate Coulthard and Michael Schumacher in the Benetton.

1. Hill 1hr 35m 23.440s
2. Coulthard +31.795s
3. Schumacher +38.006s
4. Alesi +45.263s
5. Herbert +49.214s
6. Panis +1m 09.089s
7. Barrichello +1m 14.874s
8. Frentzen +1 Lap
9. Brundle +1 Lap
10. Blundell +1 Lap
11. Salo +2 Laps
12. Katayama +2 Laps
13. Martini +2 Laps
14. Morbidelli +2 Laps
15. Diniz +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Hill 1.29.725

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jack Christopherson - Worst weekend in a long time

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 50
Hill 43
Coulthard 37
Berger 23
Herbert 17
Alesi 12
Christopherson 7
Hakkinen 5
Irvine 4
Brundle 3
Salo 3
Blundell 2
Barrichello 1
Panis 1

Constructors Standings
Williams 80
Benetton 67
Ferrari 35
Sauber 7
McLaren 7
Jordan 5
Ligier 4
Tyrrell 3
Footwork 0
Minardi 0
Pacific 0
Simtek 0
Forti 0

[Salamander]

I'm loving the fact that Sauber are tied on points with McLaren with nearly half the season gone.

[FullMetalJack]

I'm loving the fact that Sauber are tied on points with McLaren with nearly half the season gone.

It may continue, Ligier and Jordan are in the fight for 4th, and I'm very strong at some upcoming tracks, Hockenheim in particular. McLaren could be 7th by the end of the season.

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 9 - 1995 GERMAN GRAND PRIX - Hockenheim

QUALIFYING
It's safe to say, Hockenheim is a power circuit, and my Ford engine is not powerful. Despite this, I was mightily disappointed with 13th place, although my best lap was partially blocked by Mika Salo, and then Pedro Diniz. Heinz-Harald Frentzen did better, but Sauber could definitely have done better than 10th and 13th. Williams were on top form in qualifying, David Coulthard beating Damon Hill by about 3 tenths, and almost a second quicked than Michael Schumacher in 3rd place. The star of the session was Rubens Barrichello, who was an excellent 4th.

1. Coulthard 1.49.428
2. Hill 1.49.732
3. Schumacher 1.50.245

10. Frentzen 1.52.130

12. Salo 1.52.841
13. Christopherson 1.53.062
14. Panis 1.53.114

RACE
I made a decent start off the line, and unlike some years, no problems going into turn 1 whatsoever. The Williams made poor starts, Coulthard dropped behind Schumacher, and Hill lost out to Schumacher and the fast starting Berger who moved straight up to 3rd. I moved up to 11th, behind the dueling Frentzen and Alesi. The two of them were too pre-occupied with each other to pay any attention to me, so I snuck up the inside to take 9th position. Rubens Barrichello made a poor start, and was down to 8th place. That became 9th on lap 14, as I made a pass going into the stadium section of the track, taking advantage of getting much better drive out of the third chicane. Jean Alesi was the first retirement, his engine blew on lap 23, ending a sub-standard weekend for the Frenchman. Schumacher maintained a gap over Coulthard. Around the lap 30 mark, myself and Mark Blundell made our second stops, and my in-lap was good enough to pass him in the pitstops. I was to be rewarded with another point, as Gerhard Berger suffered an oil leak in the other Ferrari to end a dismal weekend, Berger was in 4th position, not far ahead of Johnny Herbert. Michael Schumacher won yet again, and convincing more and more people, that he could be an F1 great. 20 drivers reached the end of the race, Ferrari's DNF was just enough for Morbidelli and Salo to avoid ROTR, finishing behind Inoue who didn't disgrace himself in 16th, and even the Forti of Pedro Diniz. The race also saw the most drivers finish on the lead lap for a very long time.

1. Schumacher 1hr 24m 33.785s
2. Coulthard +19.091s
3. Hill +27.385s
4. Herbert +45.993s
5. Hakkinen +49.021s
6. Christopherson +1m 00.036s
7. Blundell +1m 01.297s
8. Barrichello +1m 08.367s
9. Irvine +1m 12.783s
10. Panis +1m 19.302s
11. Frentzen +1m 30.001s
12. Katayama +1m 33.348s
13. Brundle +1m 41.438s
14. Badoer +1 Lap
15. Martini +1 Lap
16. Inoue +1 Lap
17. Diniz +2 Laps
18. Salo +2 Laps
19. Morbidelli +2 Laps
20. Moreno +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Schumacher 1.52.183

REJECT OF THE RACE: Ferrari - Only 2 DNFs in the whole race

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 60
Hill 47
Coulthard 43
Berger 23
Herbert 20
Alesi 12
Christopherson 8
Hakkinen 7
Irvine 4
Brundle 3
Salo 3
Blundell 2
Barrichello 1
Panis 1

Constructors Standings
Williams 90
Benetton 80
Ferrari 35
McLaren 9
Sauber 8
Jordan 5
Ligier 4
Tyrrell 3
Footwork 0
Minardi 0
Pacific 0
Simtek 0
Forti 0

It was a good race for the team, considering our Ford engine has a power disadvantage over the Renault, Ferrari, Peugeot, Mercedes and Mugen-Honda engines. Another point in the bag for Sauber, and although we've dropped behind McLaren in the standings, i'm confident we'll regain that position. Heinz-Harald's a superb driver to work with and an excellent talent, the car is great, the best one i've ever drove. Things are really looking up.

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 10 - 1995 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - Hungaroring

QUALIFYING
Qualifying was reasonably good for me, I split the Ligiers, ahead of Panis but behind Brundle, I was 8th. Jean Alesi was the main struggler, qualifying 21st, only ahead of Moreno, and a shocking 9 seconds off pole. Minardi had a good quali session, Luca Badoer was a fantastic 10th, Martini was a respectable 15th. Johnny Herbert struggled as did Mark Blundell. Eddie Irvine was a great 6th, Williams and Ligier were the only teams with both cars in the top 10.

1. Hill 1.20.993
2. Coulthard 1.21.278
3. Schumacher 1.21.702

7. Brundle 1.23.804
8. Christopherson 1.24.213
9. Panis 1.24.459

11. Frentzen 1.24.734

RACE
Schumacher made an excellent start, leaping ahead of Hill and Coulthard. The Benetton driver has constantly been getting better starts than his closest championship rivals. I made a decent start, but undone my work after a collision with last year's winner, Eddie Irvine. Both of us were out, drivers were being held up, and Martin Brundle took advantage of drivers being held up. On lap 2, Pedro Diniz in the Forti made a move on Taki Inoue, this would be the start of an amazing drive by the rich Brazilian. Luca Badoer was firmly in the mix in his Minardi. Damon Hill kept with Schumacher, but Coulthard could not do the same. Gerhard Berger suffered a puncture, and couldn't stop his car from going into the barrier. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was in 6th before his engine blew. Drivers dropped out, and apart from the Ligier team, Luca Badoer was one to take advantage, on the cusp of the points, until a puncture meant he had to make an extra stop. Lap 42, David Coulthard suffered a water leak whilst in an unchallenged 3rd place. 12 laps later, Damon Hill's gearbox failed. Johnny Herbert suffered a less serious gearbox problem, after being passed by Olivier Panis for 3rd, he lost 5th gear, and was under pressure from.......... Pedro Diniz in the Forti, but the Englishman hung on. Michael Schumacher won yet again, to take a giant leap closer to a second championship. But was he considering taking the number 1 to Ferrari? Ligier celebrated a double podium, Forti scored their first ever points, whilst Martini scored a point, although Badoer was challenging him. Luca Badoer was ahead of Panis, and could have easily had a podium. 10 drivers finished the race, both drivers from Benetton, Ligier, Minardi, Footwork and Forti.

1. Schumacher 1hr 48m 42.066s
2. Brundle +29.826s
3. Panis +1m 04.274s
4. Herbert +1 Lap
5. Diniz +1 Lap
6. Martini +1 Lap
7. Badoer +1 Lap
8. Inoue +2 Laps
9. Morbidelli +3 Laps
10. Moreno +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher 1.23.240

REJECT OF THE RACE: Goodyear - Cost Luca Badoer a podium

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 70
Hill 47
Coulthard 43
Berger 23
Herbert 23
Alesi 12
Brundle 9
Christopherson 8
Hakkinen 7
Panis 5
Irvine 4
Salo 3
Blundell 2
Diniz 2
Barrichello 1
Martini 1

Constructors Standings
Benetton 93
Williams 90
Ferrari 35
Ligier 14
McLaren 9
Sauber 8
Jordan 5
Tyrrell 3
Forti 2
Minardi 1
Footwork 0
Pacific 0
Simtek 0

[Bleu]

Forti in the points!!!! Woo-hoo!

[FullMetalJack]

Forti in the points!!!! Woo-hoo!

They're lucky to be ahead of Minardi. Without the puncture, Badoer would have probably finished ahead of Panis, and got a podium.

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 11 - 1995 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - Spa-Francorchamps

PRE-RACE
Williams driver David Coulthard has shocked the world of Formula 1, signing a contract with McLaren for 1996. One wonders what this will mean for Mark Blundell's career, as Hakkinen is already contracted until at least 1997. Jack Christopherson is currently favourite to take the Williams seat vacated by Coulthard, after impressing this season at Sauber. Also, Benetton and Ferrari have agreed a trade between Michael Schumacher and Gerhard Berger. Also, two changes in the driver line-up. Wealthy Italian Giovanni Lavaggi has replaced Bertrand Gachot, whilst Gianni Morbidelli has been given the boot, in favour of Massimiliano Papis.

QUALIFYING
McLaren seemed to have had a resurgence in qualifying, Mika Hakkinen took a front row start alongside Jean Alesi, who scored pole in the Ferrari, over a second quicker than the Finn. Williams could only manage 6th and 8th, Mark Blundell was 5th, whilst Schumacher was 11th, behind both Ligiers. Frentzen was 12th in the first Sauber, whilst I could only manage 15th. Papis struggled in 20th, whilst Lavaggi was unsurprisingly last in the Pacific.

1. Alesi 1.56.255
2. Hakkinen 1.57.461
3. Berger 1.57.486

12. Frentzen 2.00.162

14. Barrichello 2.00.572
15. Christopherson 2.01.165
16. Katayama 2.01.340

RACE
I made a very good start, and avoided any chaos into turn 1. I was up to 11th, just behind Michael Schumacher who climbed a place to 10th. Mika Hakkinen made a poor start, whilst David Coulthard moved up to 2nd after a rocket start. The order after lap 1 was Alesi, Coulthard, Berger, Herbert, Hakkinen and Blundell. Schumacher and Brundle came together at the Bus Stop Chicane on lap 2. And I managed to avoid all the carnage, and moved up to 8th in the process. Hakkinen dropped back further until spinning off at Eau Rouge, Panis could not avoid him and it created a huge crash, fortunately both drivers walked away unscathed. I passed Irvine going into La Source on lap 12 moving up to 6th. Schumacher had not damaged his car, and did manage to gain on everyone, deciding to go on a one-stop strategy. David Coulthard passed Jean Alesi opportunistically on lap 24. Gerhard Berger had a puncture, and moved him down the order, to 9th place. Michael Schumacher went down the inside of me for 5th place on lap 27, at Les Combes. The race was fairly quiet for the next few laps, with 5 laps to go, the order was Coulthard, Alesi, Hill, Herbert, Schumacher, Christopherson, Irvine, Berger, Salo and Brundle. 1 lap later, Johnny Herbert broke down, promoting me to 5th, providing I could hold off Irvine and Berger. I did so, and took another 2 points, Coulthard took the chequered flag to win the Belgian Grand Prix. Is moving to McLaren a mistake?

1. Coulthard 1hr 29m 33.402s
2. Alesi +19.832s
3. Hill +31.880s
4. Schumacher +49.834s
5. Christopherson +1.20.195s
6. Irvine +1m 21.301s
7. Berger +1m 23.732s
8. Salo +1m 44.278s
9. Brundle +1 Lap
10. Inoue +2 Laps
11. Martini +2 Laps
12. Montermini +2 Laps
13. Katayama +2 Laps
14. Papis +3 Laps
15. Lavaggi +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Coulthard 1.58.463

REJECT OF THE RACE: McLaren - Showed so much promise, then it all fell apart

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 73
Coulthard 53
Hill 51
Berger 23
Herbert 23
Alesi 18
Christopherson 10
Brundle 9
Hakkinen 7
Panis 5
Irvine 5
Salo 3
Blundell 2
Diniz 2
Barrichello 1
Martini 1

Constructors Standings
Williams 104
Benetton 96
Ferrari 41
Ligier 14
Sauber 10
McLaren 9
Jordan 6
Tyrrell 3
Forti 2
Minardi 1
Footwork 0
Pacific 0
Simtek 0

[FullMetalJack]

5th September 1995 - CHRISTOPHERSON SIGNS FOR WILLIAMS FOR 1996

In-form Sauber driver Jack Christopherson has signed a contract to replace the McLaren bound David Coulthard from 1996 onwards. The 27 year old Englishman from Birmingham has scored points in 6 out of 11 races so far this season, impressing Frank Williams amongst other bosses from top teams.

I am delighted to have signed a Williams contract, although until after the Australian Grand Prix, I am still fully committed to Sauber, and to try and secure 4th place in the Constructors Championship ahead of McLaren, Ligier and Jordan. If I was moving to one of those teams, Peter would never let me drive for them. Hopefully next year I can make a solid championship challenge.

The traditional numbers will be abandoned from 1996 onwards. I will update the line-up constantly.

1996 Provisional line-up

Ferrari
1. Michael Schumacher
2. TBA

Williams Renault
3. Damon Hill
4. Jack Christopherson

Benetton Renault
5. Gerhard Berger
6. TBA

Ligier Mugen Honda
7. Olivier Panis
8. TBA

Sauber Ford
9. TBA
10. TBA

McLaren Mercedes
11. Mika Hakkinen
12. David Coulthard

Jordan Peugeot
14. TBA
15. TBA

Tyrrell Yamaha
16. TBA
17. TBA

Forti Ford
18. TBA
19. TBA

Minardi Ford
20. TBA
21. TBA

Footwork Hart
22. TBA
23. TBA

Pacific Ford
24. TBA
25. TBA

[Aerond]

5th September 1995 - CHRISTOPHERSON SIGNS FOR WILLIAMS FOR 1996

In-form Sauber driver Jack Christopherson has signed a contract to replace the McLaren bound David Coulthard from 1996 onwards. The 27 year old Englishman from Birmingham has scored points in 6 out of 11 races so far this season, impressing Frank Williams amongst other bosses from top teams.

I am delighted to have signed a Williams contract, although until after the Australian Grand Prix, I am still fully committed to Sauber, and to try and secure 4th place in the Constructors Championship ahead of McLaren, Ligier and Jordan. If I was moving to one of those teams, Peter would never let me drive for them. Hopefully next year I can make a solid championship challenge.

The traditional numbers will be abandoned from 1996 onwards. I will update the line-up constantly.

1996 Provisional line-up

Ferrari
1. Michael Schumacher
2. TBA

Williams Renault
3. Damon Hill
4. Jack Christopherson

Benetton Renault
5. Gerhard Berger
6. TBA

Ligier Mugen Honda
7. Olivier Panis
8. TBA

Sauber Ford
9. TBA
10. TBA

McLaren Mercedes
11. Mika Hakkinen
12. David Coulthard

Jordan Peugeot
14. TBA
15. TBA

Tyrrell Yamaha
16. TBA
17. TBA

Forti Ford
18. TBA
19. TBA

Minardi Ford
20. TBA
21. TBA

Footwork Hart
22. TBA
23. TBA

Pacific Ford
24. TBA
25. TBA

I thought McLaren was more likely your destination!!

[FullMetalJack]

I knew I wouldn't join McLaren, I just wanted to make the intra-team battle at Tyrrell more competitive.

Plus, it wouldn't make sense for me to jump ship from Sauber to one of their rivals (McLaren, Jordan and Ligier)

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 12 - 1995 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX - Monza

QUALIFYING
It was another impressive performance from the Scottish rookie David Coulthard, who took yet another pole position from Schumacher and Berger. Ferrari, Williams, Benetton and McLaren shared the top 8 grid slots between them, whilst Rubens Barrichello was fastest outside of the "Big 4" teams. Heinz-Harald Frentzen outqualified me yet again, taking 10th position, very close to the lap times of Herbert, Blundell and Barrichello. Unfortunately, I was only 13th fastest, after not being very good at attacking the chicanes properly.

1. Coulthard 1.28.239
2. Schumacher 1.28.464
3. Berger 1.28.587

10. Frentzen 1.30.302

12. Panis 1.31.154
13. Christopherson 1.31.326
14. Salo 1.32.844

RACE
I made a fairly decent start, until I went over one of the kerbs at one of the chicanes and spun, down to 18th, only ahead of the Fortis and the Minardis, as they were involved in an incident. Badoer retired instantly, Moreno had to pit, whilst Martini and Diniz continued on as normal, but lost a lot of time. Coulthard got off the line well enough to stop one of Schumacher's great starts, in fact, the current champion lost a place on lap 3, to Gerhard Berger in the Ferrari. The tifosi went wild, despite Schumacher being Ferrari-bound himself, and Berger leaving for Benetton in 1996. Ukyo Katayama retired quite early on as well, with clutch troubles. I managed to pass Martin Brundle and Taki Inoue on the same lap to move up to 15th. After the round of pitstops, I was up to 12th, thanks to passing Panis on track, Barrichello going off the track, and beating Papis in the pitstops. On lap 35, Frentzen retired with transmission problems whilst in 8th place, ahead of Hakkinen, I only managed about half a lap more, as I retired with the same problem. Mark Blundell put in a great performance to move up to 5th, whilst Moreno held up Johnny Herbert whilst he was chasing Blundell on the penultimate lap. In the end, Schumacher could not regain 2nd from Berger, whilst David Coulthard won his second race in a row, to give himself a real shot at the championship. It was not the most exciting race of all time, or the most attritional, as 18 drivers finished.

1. Coulthard 1hr 19m 32.843s
2. Berger +22.041s
3. Schumacher +29.735s
4. Hill +45.823s
5. Blundell +46.839s
6. Herbert +51.263s
7. Alesi +56.611s
8. Hakkinen +1m 01.267s
9. Irvine +1 Lap
10. Salo +1 Lap
11. Papis +1 Lap
12. Inoue +1 Lap
13. Brundle +1 Lap
14. Barrichello +1 Lap
15. Panis +1 Lap
16. Diniz +2 Laps
17. Martini +2 Laps
18. Moreno +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Coulthard 1.29.991

REJECT OF THE RACE: Ligier - Beaten home by Footwork, partly by merit

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 77
Coulthard 63
Hill 54
Berger 29
Herbert 24
Alesi 18
Christopherson 10
Brundle 9
Hakkinen 7
Panis 5
Irvine 5
Blundell 4
Salo 3
Diniz 2
Barrichello 1
Martini 1

Constructors Standings
Williams 117
Benetton 100
Ferrari 47
Ligier 14
McLaren 11
Sauber 10
Jordan 6
Tyrrell 3
Forti 2
Minardi 1
Footwork 0
Pacific 0
Simtek 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 13 - 1995 PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX

QUALIFYING
I was not too pleased with my efforts, as I was the slowest driver out of the teams that are regularly contending for points. (Benetton, Williams, Ferrari, McLaren, Jordan, Ligier and Sauber) I'm not a fan of the slower corners on this circuit, although I tend to do well in the faster corners, Sector 2 suited me quite well, whereas I lost a lot of time in Sector 1. David Coulthard took pole position in a dominant fashion, almost a second quicker than Schumacher, and over a second quicker than Hill. The Fortis were unsurprisingly at the back, and way off the pace of the competitive teams. Frentzen was a brilliant 5th, whilst the McLarens were only 12th and 13th.

1. Coulthard 1.16.563
2. Schumacher 1.17.381
3. Hill 1.17.605

5. Frentzen 1.18.594

13. Blundell 1.19.525
14. Christopherson 1.20.175
15. Katayama 1.20.597

RACE
I made a fairly good start, which was something Rubens Barrichello didn't do, as he spun off after a few corners and was the first retirement of the race. I was battling the McLarens for the opening stint of the race, until Irvine and Brundle got into a tangle, and Hakkinen could not avoid it all. Hakkinen and Irvine had to pit, whilst Brundle was out immediately. Frentzen dropped out of the points at the start, losing out to Alesi and Herbert. The order was then Coulthard, Schumacher, Hill, Berger, Alesi and Herbert. Frentzen moved back up to the points thanks to Alesi's engine failure. I was up to 9th until my car caught fire, and I had to get out of the car as quickly as possible. Hill struggled to keep up with Coulthard and Schumacher, although Schumacher eventually retired with gearbox issues to make it a Williams 1-2. It stayed that way for the rest of the race, as Coulthard won once again, to close the gap to Schumacher down to just 4 points, with 4 races to go. Gerhard Berger took another podium for Ferrari, whilst Mark Blundell managed to finish in the points again.

1. Coulthard 1hr 43m 22.035s
2. Hill +20.846s
3. Berger +27.019s
4. Herbert +44.145s
5. Frentzen +49.892s
6. Blundell +53.855s
7. Panis +1m 14.201s
8. Irvine +1 Lap
9. Katayama +1 Lap
10. Martini +2 Laps
11. Inoue +2 Laps
12. Badoer +3 Laps
13. Diniz +4 Laps
14. Moreno +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Coulthard 1.19.274

REJECT OF THE RACE: Rubens Barrichello - Threw away potential points with careless spin

[FullMetalJack]

Bold indicates a mathematical chance of winning the world championship

Drivers Standings
Schumacher 77
Coulthard 73
Hill 60
Berger 33
Herbert 27
Alesi 18
Christopherson 10
Brundle 9
Hakkinen 7
Panis 5
Irvine 5
Blundell 5
Salo 3
Frentzen 2
Diniz 2
Barrichello 1
Martini 1

Constructors Standings
Williams 133
Benetton 104
Ferrari 51
Ligier 14
Sauber 12
McLaren 12
Jordan 6
Tyrrell 3
Forti 2
Minardi 1
Footwork 0
Pacific 0
Simtek 0

[wmetcalf68]

Bold indicates World Champions

Driver's Standings
Jean Alesi 72

This is the best thing ever.

I second that!

I 3rd that! That was awesome! Go Alesi! Woohoo!

[wmetcalf68]

Bold indicates World Champions

Driver's Standings
Jean Alesi 72

This is the best thing ever.

I second that!

I 3rd that! That was awesome! Go Alesi! Woohoo!

[Londoner]

Not to be rude or anything, but the post you quoted was 10 months ago...

[FullMetalJack]

Not to be rude or anything, but the post you quoted was 10 months ago...

Plus, it may not be the best thing ever, beings as I could well have a shot at the championship in my 1996 season.

[Londoner]

Not to be rude or anything, but the post you quoted was 10 months ago...

Plus, it may not be the best thing ever, beings as I could well have a shot at the championship in my 1996 season.

If Christopherson wins it, he will have earned it, having done his time in bad machinery, unlike some champions from the future, coughDaniel Melrosecough.