F195 (Collieafc) - Italy quali up + 2nd round of bids!

[Collieafc]

Round 4 - Spanish Grand Prix: Qualifying report
For the first time this season it was a different face on pole position as David Coulthard set the fastest time round the Catalunya track. It was a brilliant qualifying all round for Williams as they locked out the front row, Hill taking second place, while Schumacher was surprisingly off the boil and was 4 tenths behind on his way to 3rd, being joined by Ferrari’s Jean Alesi on the second row. Frentzen was also a star performer as he lines up a career best 6th place as Mansell starts behind in 7th as he gets back into the F1 groove.

There was also some drama as Hakkinen and Brundle set identical times! However, Hakkinen had set his first on Friday, ensuring he just sneaks into the top 10. Martini was again down the order in 14th while the Pacifics did not take to the Spanish circuit with Panis 16th and Deletraz a second off the grid. Herbert was back in the Simtek but could only manage 21st while De Ferran again impressed and starts 18th. Both Forti’s again made the grid on 24th and 25th though almost a second apart.

1. David Coulthard - ( Williams Renault ) 1m 22.080
2. Damon Hill - ( Williams Renault ) + 0.161
3. Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault ) + 0.406
4. Jean Alesi - ( Ferrari ) + 0.766
5. Karl Wendlinger - ( Sauber Renault ) + 1.202
6. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - ( Benetton Ford ) + 1.886
7. Nigel Mansell - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) + 2.010
8. Gianni Morbidelli - ( Ferrari ) + 2.071
9. Gerhard Berger - ( Benetton Ford ) + 2.312
10. Mika Hakkinen - ( McLaren Mercedes ) + 2.330 10th as set fastest time first
11. Martin Brundle - ( Ligier Peugeot ) + 2.330 Only ran on Saturday due to technical difficulties
12. Alessandro Zanardi - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) + 2.393
13. Eddie Irvine - ( Ligier Peugeot ) + 2.399
14. Pierluigi Martini - ( McLaren Mercedes ) + 2.726
15. Jos Verstappen - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) + 2.921
16. Olivier Panis - ( Pacific Yamaha ) + 3.080
17. Mark Blundell - ( Arrows Ford ) + 3.442
18. Gil De Ferran - ( Simtek Ford ) + 3.917
19. Ukyo Katayama - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) + 3.970
20. Christian Fittipaldi - ( Minardi Ford ) + 4.007 Only ran on Friday due to technical difficulties
21. Johnny Herbert - ( Simtek Ford ) + 4.443
22. Taki Inoue - ( Larrousse Hart ) + 4.844
23. Pedro Lamy - ( Minardi Ford ) + 5.279
24. Andrea Montermini - ( Forti Ford ) + 5.604
25. Pedro Diniz - ( Forti Ford ) + 6.475
26. Massimiliano Papis - ( Arrows Ford ) + 6.516
DNQ Jean-Marc Gounon - ( Larrousse Hart ) + 7.191
DNQ Jean-Denis Deletraz - ( Pacific Yamaha ) + 7.518

[Collieafc]

Round 5: Spanish Grand Prix - Race Report

And we are off for the 1995 Spanish grand Prix! Both Williams make a hesitant getaway but it looks like it could be pre-meditated as both Coulthard and Hill appear to box Schumacher in! Alesi takes advantage of this and sneaks into 3rd at the first corner. Morbidelli makes a fast start and nobody notices until he is side by side with Wendlinger, who gets such a surprise he locks his brakes and nearly takes out Schumacher! Neither Sauber knows what to do as mayhem nearly breaks out but Morbidelli does and takes 4th behind Alesi. Brilliant opportunism from both Ferrari drivers! Frentzen suffers as he is now down in 8th, fending off Panis whos start was insane and is now 9th at the first corner from 16th! It’s a good start for several backmarkers thanks to the first corner confusion as De Ferran has leapfrogged into 14th in his Simtek, while Berger is again falling down the grid, and is missing a front wing!

Looking at the replay of the start again, it appears Berger was behind Hakkinens McLaren and when the Finn braked at the first corner to avoid an accident, Berger couldn’t react in time and hits the back of the McLaren. Nothing more than a racing incident but that’s two starts in a row Berger has been involved in incidents.

Back at the front, Coulthard is starting to slowly pull away from Hill, who is holding back a very aggressive Alesi, while Ferrari team mate Morbidelli already has a train of cars behind him. Not for long though as Alesi out drags Hill at the start of lap 2 and takes 2nd place at the first corner. Schumacher does a similar job on Morbidelli. Wendlinger also tries but unbeknownst to him Mansell is doing the same…and gets past Wendlinger! Good move there by the Jordan driver.

Mansell isn’t done though and passes Morbidelli half way round lap 2 to take 5th, as Zanardi tries the same to 9th placed Panis but the Pacific doesn’t relent, they continue to go side by side, Panis appears to regain ground and starts to nudge the Jordan towards the gravel but Zanardi doesn’t give up and powers round the outside! What a move by the Italian! Any doubts about performances and commitment will certainly be silenced after that!

Hill though hasn’t fallen back from Alesi and is instead all over the Ferrari’s gearbox in an attempt to take it back, but both are now being caught by Schumacher and Mansell. Hill pulls the same stunt Alesi done on him the previous lap and repasses the Ferrari. Schumacher is closing fast though and has set fastest lap as Coulthard tries to build a lead in preparation of the Saubers superior race trim. Panis manages to repass Zanardi while both Wendlinger and Frentzen get past Morbidelli as the field is constantly shuffling places as Panis gets a sneaky look at Morbidelli’s Ferrari – and sneaks his Pacific through! What a day for driver and team so far!

Schumacher has already caught Alesi by lap 4 and starts to pile pressure before easily dispatching it half way round the 4th lap as Zanardi is the next to pass Morbidelli who is now struggling for pace. Wendlinger though is now in the pits! We will check the replays in a moment as Schumacher now passes Hill for 2nd place. Checking the replay, Wendlinger picked up a puncture on the 2nd last corner. He is able to immediately pit but this will cost the Austrian precious time and not what he needs when leading the championship. This elevates the Panis-Zanardi battle up to 7th place as Zanardi tries once more but Panis slams the door, almost taking them both off!

Herbert is the first retirement on lap 6 as he spins and stalls the car while Motnermini is also out. Lamy seems to be fighting with his car as he passes Herberts stricken Simtek and suffers brake failure as his car ends in the gravel at such speed the car breaks up entirely! That is a horrifying accident but thankfully Lamy hits the tyrewall which could have saved his life. He is unable to get out of the car but is thankfully conscious. He appears stuck in the car though and the marshalls have to carry him out, and into the ambulance to the nearby hospital. This appears to be the 3rd injury already this season.

Back at the fro…COULTHARD! Hes bounced over the kerbs and has broken his front wing! He will have to get that fixed and is in the pits at the end of lap 6. Schumacher cant believe this as he storms into the lead. Mansell, now in 4th, is right with Alesi but cannot yet challenge due to yellow flags. Coulthard comes out 15th while Wendlinger is now 20th. Mansell makes a proper go one lap later and manages to pass the Ferrari for 3rd place. It’s a miserable day for Minardi as Fittipaldi runs wide and off at the last corner at the end of lap 7 into retirement. Morbidelli is now down in 12th and must be on a different strategy as he holds off the two Tyrrells and Coulthards Williams. Mansell though is now with Hill as the Williams has problems lapping Papis – the Jordan starts his move on the start-finish straight, they are side by side the whole way but Mansell has the inside and has 2nd place! His comeback is going from strength to strength!

Coulthard has managed to pass the Ferrari for 12th, but Wendlinger is once again in the pits! We see that the Austrian was in a battle for 16th behind De Ferran, Inoue and Blundell. Inoue passes De Ferran while the Sauber passes both Blundell and De Ferran on the start finish straight while De Ferran goes wide not seeing the Sauber until the last minute, but keeps the car on the road. Wendlinger passes Inoue but then brakes and Inoue tries to squeeze past on the inside hits the back and takes the Saubers rear wing off. That was some clumsy scruffy driving from the pair.

Mansell is fighting Hill who refuses to give up 2nd place lightly and repasses half way round the track, with Alesi breathing down both their necks, waiting for a slip up. Mansell tries again but Hill smartly boxes him in behind Diniz while the trio lap him. Mansell attacks again on the start finish straight and wins, the Jordan better in the straights but the Williams better in the corners. Coulthard is impressively up to 10th while Verstappen is past Morbidelli. Mansell is still having to fight Hill back and both are now starting to pull away from Alesi as they do so.

The field finally starts to settle down as Schumacher builds a gap in front, but its heartbreak again for Panis as his Pacific loses all drive on the start finish straight on lap 15 as the car suffers from transmission failure, and elevating Coulthard from 7th as Katayama also retires. Mansell pits on lap 17 for his first fuel stop, putting Hill back in 2nd, while Mansell rejoins in 7th, behind Coulthard who has now brilliantly made it back into the points and closing on 5th placed Zanardi and passes on lap 18 but is immediately into the pits for a fuel stop, as is Frentzens Benetton from 4th, who has had a quiet race so far. Zanardi lets his team mate through, suggesting he is also due a stop while Schumacher and Hill both stop on lap 21, while Alesi follows suit a lap later, temporarily holding the lead.

After the stops are done, Mansell is back in second with a greater lead over Hill, the Jordan team aiding with sharp pitwork. Coulthard is now up to 6th on lap 23 when Brundle pits from 6th, Zanardi 7th, the top 5 being Schumacher, Mansell, Hill, Alesi and Frentzen.

Alesi is back in the pits on lap 28 unexpectedly, with some sort of problem. The Frenchman looks incensed with his team to get it fixed as it costs precious time. The team get it sorted but the Ferrari is now down in 7th, just ahead of Hakkinens McLaren. Brundle’s hit trouble too as his Ligiers clutch burns out and pulls over to retire from 10th. Coulthard, in 5th, is now catching Frentzens Benetton. Schumacher though is now missing part of his front wing! Hes done the exact same thing as Coulthard earlier in the race. Mansell though doesn’t capitalise as he is in for his 2nd fuel stop already as Damon Hill now takes the lead on lap 32. Mansell manages to emerge 3rd, ahead of the Frentzen-Coulthard scrap with the Williams passing as Frentzen decides that it’s a wasted cause to compete. Given the number of driver errors today, its probably a sensible choice!

Morbidelli finally makes his first fuel stop as Zanardi makes an unscheduled second stop, another driver caught out by the kerbs on the chicaine. Hakkinen is out next on lap 34 when his Mercedes engine spews smoke on the start finish straight before catching fire, and retires his McLaren from 7th after having an error free race otherwise. Schumacher is already with Hill but cannot pass due to the yellow flags. De Ferran is also out of the race as his Simtek suffers a water leak, leving masses of smoke at the first corner. Schumacher waits until the next lap before passing the Williams and does so cleanly.

One driver who is doing well is Tyrrells Verstappen, who thanks to other peoples incidents is now up to 9th while Wendlinger pits for fuel from 7th, starting a battle between Martini and Zanardi for 7th until the Jordan Mugen-Honda outdrags the McLaren. Frentzen though has been caught by Alesi and is fending off the Ferrari to keep 5th place. It’s a lost cause though as the Ferrari engine is just too powerful for the Ford Zetec and Alesi gets by.

Schumacher makes his second fuel stop on lap 43, dropping to 3rd behind Hill and Mansell as the fiend start to make their final stops. Hill pits on lap 45, passing the lead to Mansell, who is still to make a stop but is out of sync with the field after being switched to a 3 stop mid race. Hill comes out 4th behind now 3rd Coulthard who still has one stop left.

Mansell pits from lap 47, passing the lead back to Schumachers Sauber but is not out in time to stop Hill from taking 2nd place back. With the pitstops done, Hill has a slight advantage over Mansell but this is wiped out by backmarkers as Irvine spins out from 12th and stalls, the Ligier team packing up early. They come up to lap 8th placed Zanardi on the start finish straight and Zanardi knows this as he holds up Hill just a tiny bit but its enough for Mansell to sneak past! Very devious but brilliant teamwork from Jordan! Whats more the trio approach Blundells Arrows to lap him and by the time Hill clears Zanardi, Mansell is past the Arrows and with a slight gap to the Williams!

Theres almost drama on lap 55 when Inoue, who has also broke his front wing on the kerbs and heads to pit is lapped by Frentzen at the final corner and the Benetton fails to see Schumacher about to lap him and chops him up and almost takes him off. It gets worse for Frentzen as one lap later he also runs the kerbs and breaks his wing. This will definitely cost the German as Wendlinger will certainly take 6th when the Benetton pits! Martini does similar on lap 60 and pits from 9th, handing it back to Verstappen though the Tyrrell hands it ovr when Morbidelli passes him one lap later.

Frentzen though has caught up with Wendlinger thanks to fresher tyres and is all over the Saubers gearbox in an attempt to salvage back a point. He tries on lap 62 and slipstreams the Sauber but even then the Ford Zetec is not as powerful as the Renault and runs out of puff before the first corner. He tries again on the next lap but Wendlinger is wise to it and keeps a gap. Frentzen starts looking round the corners now, determined to defeat the Sauber. He isn’t helped when lapping Papis who shuts the door after Wendlinger passes – Frentzen has no choice but to plough through the Arrows!

Lap 65 and Michael Schumacher wins the Spanish Grand Prix! Even with a poor start and a new wing he still wins with a large margin. Mansell takes 2nd place in a brilliant and faultless drive as his comeback goes from strength to strength. Hill takes 3rd, he may be on the podium but its fair to say he was well beaten today. Coulthard is a marvellous 4th but must be wondering if he could have challenged for the lead if he didn’t make a mistake early in the race. Alesi is 5th but could also have bettered this, though it was not the Frenchmans fault. 6th place is tight and Frentzen tries one last go…but Wendlinger just hold on by less than a car length to take the final points place after a race with multiple pit stops.

Its not even the tightest margin though as Verstappen and Berger are fighting for 10th – its so close it goes to a photo finish! Reviewing it again, Verstappen crosses the line first by no more than his cars nose! A good display by the Tyrrell driver who managed to beat a Benetton and McLaren on merit today. With the top teams dropping so few points, that 10th could be extremely valuable to the Tyrrell team at the end of the season!

Classification after 65 laps

1. Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault ) 1h 36m 03.189
2. Nigel Mansell - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) + 38.772
3. Damon Hill - ( Williams Renault ) + 46.578
4. David Coulthard - ( Williams Renault ) + 1:00.315
5. Jean Alesi - ( Ferrari ) + 1:17.799
6. Karl Wendlinger - ( Sauber Renault ) - 1 lap
7. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - ( Benetton Ford ) - 1 lap
8. Alessandro Zanardi - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) - 1 lap
9. Gianni Morbidelli - ( Ferrari ) - 2 laps
10. Jos Verstappen - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) - 2 laps
11. Gerhard Berger - ( Benetton Ford ) - 2 laps
12. Pierluigi Martini - ( McLaren Mercedes ) - 2 laps
13. Mark Blundell - ( Arrows Ford ) - 2 laps
14. Taki Inoue - ( Larrousse Hart ) - 3 laps
15. Pedro Diniz - ( Forti Ford ) - 5 laps
16. Massimiliano Papis - ( Arrows Ford ) - 6 laps
Eddie Irvine - ( Ligier Peugeot ) - Spun off
Mika Hakkinen - ( McLaren Mercedes ) - Engine
Gil De Ferran - ( Simtek Ford ) - Water Leak
Martin Brundle - ( Ligier Peugeot ) - Transmission
Olivier Panis - ( Pacific Yamaha ) - Transmission
Ukyo Katayama - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) - Transmission
Christian Fittipaldi - ( Minardi Ford ) - Crashed
Pedro Lamy - ( Minardi Ford ) - Crashed
Johnny Herbert - ( Simtek Ford ) - Spun off
Andrea Montermini - ( Forti Ford ) - Spun off

Fastest lap: Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault ) - 1:25.055

Drivers Championship - Top 6
1st : Karl Wendlinger - 27
2nd : Michael Schumacher - 21
3rd : Damon Hill - 17
4th : David Coulthard - 13
5th : Jean Alesi - 10
6th : Nigel Mansell - 9


Constructors Championship - Top 6
1st : Sauber Renault - 48
2nd : Williams Renault - 30
3rd : Jordan Mugen-Honda - 13
4th : Ferrari - 12
5th : Benetton Ford - 1
6th : McLaren Mercedes - 0

[Collieafc]

Announcements
Wizzie: Lamy has sustained injuries in Spain but thankfully they are not as bad as first feared. With the calendar now spaced out he will only be out for two races. You can choose to substitute him with Letho for nothing or you can choose/negotiate for another driver
Takagi_for_the_win: Mercedes were present at the Spanish grand prix and have decided that being beaten by Mugen-Honda and Yamaha, and continual engine breakdowns are simply not good enough. They will bring out more updates for their engine by the French GP but have requested a private team test to help with this. If you do so, you will need to sign/borrow a test/young driver for this.
All teams: All engine suppliers will have representatives at the Monaco Grand Prix. Any lobbying for an engine improvement before the end of the Monaco race has an increased chance of success. This excludes Ligier as Peugeot have already announced updates are on the way.

Testing is now open.

Notes
I have updated the Wiki entry so all stats are up to date, and the full championship. The results so far are...interesting. Theres a stranglehold on the points by a few teams while some of you are good at sneaking your way up the table That and Frentzen has a love of 7th place.

[Klon]

Well, Tyrrell would like to pressure Yamaha into providing a lot more power.

[pi314159]

Well, Tyrrell would like to pressure Yamaha into providing a lot more power.

Pacific will do the same.

[Peteroli34]

Williams will head to Silverstone for a test where we will work on the cars speed

[Rated]

Sauber will offer Emmanuel Collard to McLaren for their testing session (if they decide to do it) as he knows the car a bit.
We also offer him to Minardi to replace the injured Pedro Lamy as we seriously think he would do a good job. His race at McLaren wasn't bad at all despite having no experience in F1 races.
It would be free of course, and Collard will not say anything about any sensible informations he could have access at.

[kevinbotz]

Benetton will continue to lobby Ford for further power upgrades.

[FantometteBR]

Forti would like an increase of power for its Ford engine

[TomWazzleshaw]

While we appreciate Sauber's offer, we'll put Letho back in the car for the next two races. We'll also like to lobby to Ford for more power and if at all possible, we'd like to run a test at Barcelona as well to focus on reliability.

[Hermann95]

Jordan would like to lobby mugen Honda for an power upgrade

[andrew]

Loving the fact that sauber are winning

[Collieafc]

Round 5: Monaco Grand Prix - Qualifying report

For the second race in a row it was a Williams on pole position as David Coulthard set the fastest time around the streets of Monte Carlo. The reigning champion was just over a tenth ahead of Schumachers Sauber in what is building up to be a showdown for the most glamorous GP on the calendar. Hill was 3rd and exactly half a second behind while Alesi took his now customary 4th place, being a second shy. Howerver in a possibly ominous sign for the rest of the field there was a further second back to 5th place, which was bagged by Hakkinens McLaren in their best qualifying performance of the year so far, and is accompanied on the 3rd row by Mansell’s Jordan. Ligiers Martin Brundle once again displayed his street racing ability by taking a brilliant 7th on the grid.

However, as much as there will be a fight for 1st place at the front, the midfield is incredibly tight with just 8 tenths separating 5th placed Hakkinen to 16th placed Katayama. There were other standout performers too, like Fittipaldi who dragged his Minardi to 14th place. The biggest shock and disappointment was undoubtedly Sauber’s Karl Wendlinger, who could not set a clean lap and is down in 15th place, behind the Minardi. He was not the only one though as Pacific had a bad day at the office with Panis 20th and Deletraz over 2 seconds off the grid completely. Last years winner Blundell must also be wondering what he is doing wrong as he lines up 17th. With all of the above to consider, tomorrows race is shaping up to be an entertaining prospect.

1. David Coulthard - ( Williams Renault ) 1m 18.488
2. Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault ) + 0.128
3. Damon Hill - ( Williams Renault ) + 0.500
4. Jean Alesi - ( Ferrari ) + 1.125
5. Mika Hakkinen - ( McLaren Mercedes ) + 2.040
6. Nigel Mansell - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) + 2.128
7. Martin Brundle - ( Ligier Peugeot ) + 2.226
8. Gerhard Berger - ( Benetton Ford ) + 2.350
9. Gianni Morbidelli - ( Ferrari ) + 2.417
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - ( Benetton Ford ) + 2.426
11. Pierluigi Martini - ( McLaren Mercedes ) + 2.543
12. Alessandro Zanardi - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) + 5.561
13. Eddie Irvine - ( Ligier Peugeot ) + 2.628
14. Christian Fittipaldi - ( Minardi Ford ) + 2.749
15. Karl Wendlinger - ( Sauber Renault ) + 2.755
16. Ukyo Katayama - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) + 2.805
17. Mark Blundell - ( Arrows Ford ) + 3.418
18. JJ Letho - ( Minardi Ford ) + 3.639
19. Gil De Ferran - ( Simtek Ford ) + 3.970
20. Olivier Panis - ( Pacific Yamaha ) + 4.136
21. Jos Verstappen - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) + 4.308
22. Johnny Herbert - ( Simtek Ford ) + 4.432
23. Jean-Marc Gounon - ( Larrousse Hart ) + 4.477
24. Taki Inoue - ( Larrousse Hart ) + 5.228
25. Andrea Montermini - ( Forti Ford ) + 5.438
26. Massimiliano Papis - ( Arrows Ford ) + 5.483 Only ran on Thursday due to technical difficulties
DNQ Pedro Diniz - ( Forti Ford ) + 6.174
DNQ Jean-Denis Deletraz - ( Pacific Yamaha ) + 7.734

[Collieafc]

With all the Monaco mingling so far, here are the lobby rolls...

Benetton: 1-30 Fail 31-100 Success. Result: 94 - Ford will make power upgrades in time for the British grand prix

Forti: 1-30 Fail 31-100 Success - additional upgrades. Result: 1...

Ford Executive 1: Who are this Forti team sir?
Ford Executive 2: What?! We supply Forty teams with the Zetecs?!

Needless to say, Forti were unsuccessful.

Tyrrell: 1-15 Fail 16-100 Success (increase due to previous failed role) Result: 57 - Yamaha will make power upgrades in time for Silverstone

Pacific: 1-30 Fail 31-100 Success- additional upgrades. Result: 52 - Under pressure from both their customers, Yamaha now pledge big improvements and will try to bring the upgrade out by the French GP

Minardi: 1-40 Fail 41-65: Will wait until after the next EDM upgrade 66-100 Success. Result: 100! - Ford will improve the ED engine in time for Silverstone.
Bonus - As Minardi have done such a good job lobbying, Ford will provide EDM engines to you for ONE race of your choosing to compensate for the ED's poor performance. However you must give them 2 races notice. (EG if you want EDMs for Silverstone, you must post here before the start of the Canadian GP.)

Jordan: 1-30 Fail 31-100 Success. Result: 45 – Mugen-Honda will make further improvements to their engine in time for Silverstone.

[Collieafc]

Round 5: Monaco Grand Prix - Race Report

The lights are red for what feels like a long time but eventually its all go for the Monaco grand prix! Coulthard immediately moves over to block Schumacher as hill makes a brilliant start and moves to Coulthards right to challenge for the lead and manages to get through by the first corner! Alesi and Hakkinen are side by side going through Sainte Devote but Alesi has the measure of the McLaren going up the hill. Morbidelli has made brilliant work at the first corner to elevate himself to 6th from 9th as Coulthard ruthlessly continues to block Schumacher as Wendlinger is already up to 10th place from 15th on the grid. There is already a retirement as a pileup ensures on the approach to Lowes hairpin as Verstappen spins out at Mirabeau into the path of oncoming traffic forcing Herbert, Montermini, Papis and the two Larrousses to take evasive action which results in several cars clipping each other.

Lap 2 and both Williams are still in front in what looks like to be a team plan to hamper Schumachers race as Coulthard expertly covers Hills lead with Alesi only slightly behind in 4th and pulling away from Hakkinen. Schumachers Sauber is all over the Williams but the Monaco streets are just too tight and he is forced to back off several times from a Williams team that are determined to draw the championship line here at Monte Carlo and this continues well into the 3rd lap. Morbidelli in 6th is also leading a train of cars all the way to 13th placed Frentzen while Katayama performs a brilliant textbook maneuver on 14th placed Letho to pass the Minardi just after the tunnel on lap 3.

Still the battle for 2nd raged as Coulthard allows Hill to create a small gap as Schumacher tries everything he can, to pass, and does so just after the tunnel! What an ambitious move, it looked like the Sauber would outbrake itself but Schumacher has forced himself into 2nd so well he has caught Coulthard totally by surprise! Brilliant pass. Schumacher almost immediately catches up to Hill while Coulthard now suddenly finds himself under threat by Alesi’s Ferrari as theenter the tunnel again and Schumacher performs the same move again against Hill just outside and passes for the lead! This is brave stuff for the German and it has paid off as he leads lap 6.

Therer are other battles in the field though as Morbidelli still holds 6th place from Berger, Mansell, Wendlinger and Brundle with Martini and Frentzen not far behind as we enter lap 7 and BERGER SLOWS! The Benetton slows down suddenly on the start finish straight with suspension problems and is out! That’s 6 laps from 3 races for Berger as his season goes from bad to worse as he gets out of the car, while Mansell has a go on Morbidelli out of the tunnel and makes it through into 6th. Meanwhile Schumacher is setting fastest laps and is 4 seconds ahead of Hill already by lap 8 as both Williams fend off Alesi’s Ferrari.

Wendlinger also makes progress as he too disposes of Morbidelli and pulls away as the field starts to settle down on lap 10. Mansell catches Hakkinen on lap 14 for 5th as Schumacher hits traffic in the form of a battle for 20th between the Forti, Larousses, Papis and Herbert but manages to eventually lap them all with no incident. Hakkinen and Mansell though are incredibly close and the Jordan is right up the back of the McLaren but Mansell passes on lap 16 but the pair almost make contact when doing so as Katayama also drops out, ensuring an early plane home for Tyrrell.

Hill and Coulthard almost do the same to Williams on lap 18 as they lap Gounon at the first corner with Coulthard trying a daring pass as he tries unsuccessfully to squeeze through. But where is Alesi? Both Williams are perilously close to each other going up the hill as the camera focuses on Alesi’s stationary Ferrari on the start finish straight! He gets out of the Ferrari, clearly not happy as a good result has disappeared with transmission trouble. Again both Williams nearly collide as they work their way past the battle for 18thas Coulthard once more tries a pass when the pair lap Papis – they are fast undoing their good teamwork from the start of the race here and its cost so much time that Mansell has capitalised and now only 2 seconds behind!

HILL makes a mistake on the last corner lapping Herbert and Coulthard pounces and passes on lap 20 and Mansell is now with them both! Coulthard also struggles adnd comes very close to taking Herbert out at Miribeau as Hakkinen has also caught up and shows the Williams how lapping is done laps both Papis and Herbert as they are all 3 abreast in the tunnel! The McLaren clears them as Papis passes the Simtek for 20th. All 4 drivers now have to lap 19th placed Inoue, Coulthard doing so in the tunnel as Inoue tries to keep out of everybody’s way but almost incurs Mansells wrath as the McLaren closes the cap, while Hill tries unsuccessfully to take 2nd back from Coulthard at the first corner when lapping Montermini’s Forti.

Schumacher is so far free from such problems as he laps the field, De Ferran exploiting this well as he passes Fittipaldi for 14th when the Minardi is distracted by the Sauber. With the traffic temporarily cleared, 2nd to 5th space out again, but Wendlinger is now closing on Hakkinen. Mansell is the first driver to make a fuel stop on lap 24 from 4th and comes out 7th just as Brundle pits from the same position. Schumacher makes his stop 1 lap later but emerges still in the lead. The Williams mechanics though make no motion to pit, suggesting different strategies are at play. Mansell, with fresh tyres, makes short work of Morbidelli to move into 6th while Wendlinger has caught up with Hakkinen and begins harassing the McLaren but the Finn is not relenting easily.

Hakkinen manages to hold off Wendlinger until lap 32 when he makes his first fuel stop while Mansell has managed to catch up with the Sauber as the McLaren comes out 6th,. Mansell though has difficulty passing the Sauber even with fresher tyres ands loses time when lapping Panis Pacific while Schumacher has already lapped 7th placed Morbidelli. Mansell has again caught up with Wendlinger and once more tries to pressure him into a mistake and tries a pass on lap 37 at the tunnel but is unable to pull it off. Worse though is when lapping Fittipaldi at Miribeau Mansell gets it wrong and nudges the Minardi in an attempt to keep up with Wendlinger. Both are lucky no damage seems to be caused. Further down, Zanardi takes 10th from Martini after a race long battle with him and Frentzen by virtue of quicker pit stop work from the Jordan team – Frentzen stays out 1 more lap and is able to also pass the McLaren as Irvine retires from 12th with suspension problems on lap 36 as Wendlinger makes his stop, promoting Mansell to 4th.

Coulthard makes his one and only stop on lap 41 but Hill stays out, explaining Williams slower pace today as Herbert is the next retiree. Coulthard then comes out right in front of Hakkinen as Hill pits one lap later, elevating Mansell to 2nd but the Williams team make a botch up of it as they cant get the fuel hose on! This costs Hill dearly and he comes out down in 5th place. Fustrated he then laps Blundell but ends up colliding with the Arrows costing even more time while to rub salt in the would Schumacher then laps the Williams. This could earn Hill an investigation as he was already cautioned about a previous incident with Blundell. Just one lap later Blundell suffers a water leak and has to retire in the tunnel from 13th – whether this was damage from his tangle with Hill we don’t yet know.

Coulthard retakes 2nd from Mansell on lap 46 as Schumacher makes his final stop. Hakkinen is now under heavy pressure from Hill but magnificently manages to hold his place from the Williams every move. Further down, Frentzen is doing the same to Morbidelli for 8th place as Hill takes Hakkinen in the tunnel as De Ferran drops out on lap 50 while Hakkinen makes his 2nd stop 1 lap later, handing 5th to Wendlinger but still on course so far for McLarens first points of 1995 while Mansell pits for the final time on lap 52 from 3rd place, falling to 5th. Wendlinger almost doesn’t get the 4th place though as Schumacher laps him at the final corner where the team mates almost collide! Brundle also pits on lap 52 from 7th and comes out 11th.

Lap 57 and Mansell is once more right with Wendlingers Sauber while somehow Martini crashes out on lap 60 from 10th place on the start finish straight. We get to see the replay…coming out of the tunnel is Martini, Brundle and Hill to lap them. Brundle moves out of the way at swimming pool, and Martini makes a mistake entering the last corner but keeps the car going…he enters the start finish straight with Hill about to lap…OH! Hill runs right into the back of the McLaren, sending him into the wall! It looks like Hill made little effort to try and pass him properly. Hill will be lucky if he doesn’t receive some sort of punishment as that was reckless driving there.

Theres still no change for 4th though as Wendlinger soaks up the pressure from Mansell who refuses to relent until lap 63 when the Jordan brilliantly squeezes past at the exit to the tunnel! Mansell looks like he has lost little of his ability as he takes 4th place. Zanardi is able to take 8th from Frentzen in the battle for 7th with Morbidelli, by taking advantage when the trio lap Panis while being lapped again by Schumacher. However Frentzen takes it back and then Brundle brilliantly takes 9th place from Zanardi when Hill laps the pair, catching the Jordan totally unaware at the first corner! Good stuff from the Ligier driver who is having a sterling weekend so far. He isn’t the only one as now Hakkinen has caught up with Wendlinger too and fancies his chances for 5th place!

Hakkinen gives his all but the Sauber Renault is just too fast for the Mercedes powered McLaren in the tunnels, so Hakkinen will likely have to find another way past. The battle for 7th also ebbs and flows as an advantage Morbdelli was able to build up when Hill was lapping has now gone as Frentzen, Brundle and Zanardi all catch up. With Mansell now lapping the quartet they all start to bunch up again though once Mansell is through, Morbidelli pulls away again as Frentzen is under threat from Brundle. Hakkenin has also now started to fall away from Wendlinger.

Lap 71 and Mansell has now caught Hill for 3rd place while Hakkinen has caught back up with Wendlinger as the battle for 7th reignites as drivers now make one last push for points in the closing stages. To make it even more tense, Morbidelli is now about to lap 12th placed Letho while having to fight back a train of cars. Schumacher completes his domination of the race by lapping Coulthards 2nd placed Williams on lap 77, while Morbidelli is granted breathing space thanks to others struggling to lap Letho, while Wendlinger gets the same from Hakkinen as the pair lap the 7th placed battle. Mansell though is still with Hill, and still hopes to sneak through by the end of the race.

Michael Schumacher takes the flag at the 1995 Monaco Grand prix after a crushing performance, making amends for a poor qualifying and in doing so takes the lead of the drivers championship. Coulthard is second and will be happy to score some valuable points in the chase for the championship. Hill just manages to hold 3rd place on the road from Mansell, the latter with a very entertaining drive showing passing is still possible in Monaco. Wendlinger takes 5th after a brilliant comeback from 15th on the grid at the hardest track of all to overtake while Hakkinen caps off a good weekend by scoring McLarens first point of 1995 on merit. Morbidelli is able to win the battle for 7th. Further down, Minardi have an improved weekend with both drivers seeing the flag in 11th and 12th place.

DRAMA THOUGH ON THE PODIUM as it is not Hill but Mansell who emerges on the 3rd step on the podium! The Williams driver has been disqualified from the race after his incident with Martini on lap 60 and with his scrape with Blundell earlier. This has elevated all drivers up one place, making the battle for 7th one for 6th, which Morbidelli claims the last point. It also means McLaren leapfrog Benetton into 5th for the constructors title.

Classification after 78 laps

1. Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault ) 1h 49m 50.278
2. David Coulthard - ( Williams Renault ) - 1 lap
3. Nigel Mansell - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) - 1 lap
4. Karl Wendlinger - ( Sauber Renault ) - 1 lap
5. Mika Hakkinen - ( McLaren Mercedes ) - 1 lap
6. Gianni Morbidelli - ( Ferrari ) - 2 laps
7. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - ( Benetton Ford ) - 2 laps
8. Martin Brundle - ( Ligier Peugeot ) - 2 laps
9. Alessandro Zanardi - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) - 2 laps
10. Christian Fittipaldi - ( Minardi Ford ) - 3 laps
11. JJ Letho - ( Minardi Ford ) - 3 laps
12. Olivier Panis - ( Pacific Yamaha ) - 3 laps
13. Jean-Marc Gounon - ( Larrousse Hart ) - 4 laps
14. Massimiliano Papis - ( Arrows Ford ) - 3 laps
15. Andrea Montermini - ( Forti Ford ) - 5 laps
16. Taki Inoue - ( Larrousse Hart ) - 6 laps
Damon Hill - ( Williams Renault ) - Disqualified
Pierluigi Martini - ( McLaren Mercedes ) - Collision
Gil De Ferran - ( Simtek Ford ) - Transmission
Mark Blundell - ( Arrows Ford ) - Water Leak
Johnny Herbert - ( Simtek Ford ) - Engine
Eddie Irvine - ( Ligier Peugeot ) - Suspension
Jean Alesi - ( Ferrari ) - Transmission
Ukyo Katayama - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) - Transmission
Gerhard Berger - ( Benetton Ford ) - Suspension
Jos Verstappen - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) - Spun off

Fastest lap: Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault ) - 1:21.707

Drivers Championship - Top 6
1st : Michael Schumacher - 31
2nd : Karl Wendlinger - 30
3rd : David Coulthard - 19
4th : Damon Hill - 17
5th : Nigel Mansell - 13
6th : Jean Alesi - 10

Constructors Championship - Top 6
1st : Sauber Renault - 61
2nd : Williams Renault - 36
3rd : Jordan Mugen-Honda - 17
4th : Ferrari - 13
5th : McLaren Mercedes - 2
6th : Benetton Ford - 1

[kevinbotz]

Benetton will undertake a speed test at Paul Ricard following the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

[FantometteBR]

Forti is tempting to take a test before the next race, but will decide that soon

[Collieafc]

Forti is tempting to take a test before the next race, but will decide that soon

Remember that Forti's next test is free - there is no catch to this either

[FantometteBR]

Thern wea re going to Mugello for a speed test then

[Samster]

Ferrari would also like to go to a speed test at Mugello.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Minardi are grateful that Ford has let us run the EDM engine for a weekend later this year. After some deliberation, we've decided that it'd be best to use them for our home race at the Italian Grand Prix.

Also, would we be able to get an updated budget at some stage, or am I just a pleb and there's already one floating around somewhere that I don't know of?

[Peteroli34]

Williams will head back to silverstone to undertake a speed test

[Collieafc]

Minardi are grateful that Ford has let us run the EDM engine for a weekend later this year. After some deliberation, we've decided that it'd be best to use them for our home race at the Italian Grand Prix.

Also, would we be able to get an updated budget at some stage, or am I just a pleb and there's already one floating around somewhere that I don't know of?

I have just updated the budgets on the first post, as the last ones were from round 3 - this one is now correct up to and including all tests declared after Monaco (Benetton, Forti and Williams). Speaking of Williams...

HILL BANNED FOR ONE RACE

In what is turning into an F1 season full of injuries and suspensions, the latest one is surely the highest profile yet as the FIA disqualified Williams Damon Hill from the Monaco Grand Prix and handed him a one race ban. Hill, who was already cautioned after San Marino was involved in two incidents, one with Mark Blundell when Hill collided into the Arrows when trying to lap him after the Williams final stop.
The second though was definitely the greater crime as Hill ploughed almost directly into Pierluigi’s Martini’s McLaren on lap 60 when lapping him on the start finish straight as if the Italian wasn’t even there. Martini had already moved aside after making a mistake on the final corner but had managed to recover by the time the incident took place.

“Driving like this is simply unacceptable” said an FIA spokeswoman after the punishment was issued “Even though nobody was hurt, such recklessness cannot go unpunished”. Martini was of a similar opinion “Hill clearly does not respect the rules – it’s not the first time he has had issues with lapping traffic either this race or season and its not fair. We may not be challenging for a win but we are racing with other drivers for our teams and these results could make a difference at the end of the season”

Williams will now have to find a replacement driver for the Canadian grand prix, with their test driver Mika Salo a clear favourite. Salo already has race experience from the now defunct Lotus outfit and has driven the car in testing. Other possible drivers include Jan Magnussen and Emmanuel Collard, who was loaned to McLaren for one race, although Sauber will probably be less keen to loan him to their chief championship rivals.

Announcements

Peteroli34: Hill has been banned from the Canadian GP - You have the option of substituting him for Salo, who will cost you nothing, or you can nominate/negotiate another driver. This will count as a driver change.

[Peteroli34]

Salo Replaces Hill

Williams have confirmed that test driver Mika Salo will replace Damon Hill for the Canadian GP after the Englishman was handed a one race ban by the FIA

[TomWazzleshaw]

Minardi are grateful that Ford has let us run the EDM engine for a weekend later this year. After some deliberation, we've decided that it'd be best to use them for our home race at the Italian Grand Prix.

Also, would we be able to get an updated budget at some stage, or am I just a pleb and there's already one floating around somewhere that I don't know of?

I have just updated the budgets on the first post, as the last ones were from round 3 - this one is now correct up to and including all tests declared after Monaco (Benetton, Forti and Williams).

Ah, aces

Before I forget, since Canada was supposed to be one of Lamy's 8 races and he's on the bench with an injury, that'll be replaced with the Italian Grand Prix instead to fulfill his quota

[Collieafc]

Round 6: Canadian Grand Prix - Qualifying report

Off to Montreal for round 6 and it’s a 3rd pole position in a row for David Coulthard and the Williams team, sharing it with Schumacher in the Sauber who was 3 tenths further back. Alesi was 3rd in the improving Ferrari while Mika Salo, deputising for the suspended Hill done a creditable job to get his Williams on the second row of the grid. Wendlinger managed 5th place with Morbidelli showing personal improvement on his way to 6th place. Jordans Nigel Mansell managed 8th place, sandwiched by the two Benettons but can never be discounted on race day.

Further down, the bottom half of the grid had a fairly similar look to Monaco, but there were some surprises – Both Simteks Herbert and Tyrrells Verstappen had poor qualifying sessions to wind up 24th and 25th respectively. It wasn’t all bad though as once again Gounon outqualified his more illustrious team mate Inoue to snatch 21st, as he continues to repair the damage to his reputation from last year.

1. David Coulthard - ( Williams Renault ) 1m 22.177
2. Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault ) + 0.311
3. Jean Alesi - ( Ferrari ) + 1.053
4. Mika Salo - ( Williams Renault ) + 1.317
5. Karl Wendlinger - ( Sauber Renault ) + 1.671
6. Gianni Morbidelli - ( Ferrari ) + 1.976
7. Gerhard Berger - ( Benetton Ford ) + 2.200
8. Nigel Mansell - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) + 2.234
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - ( Benetton Ford ) + 2.335
10. Mika Hakkinen - ( McLaren Mercedes ) + 2.371
11. Alessandro Zanardi - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) + 2.503
12. Pierluigi Martini - ( McLaren Mercedes ) + 2.684
13. Martin Brundle - ( Ligier Peugeot ) + 3.214
14. Eddie Irvine - ( Ligier Peugeot ) + 3.336
15. Ukyo Katayama - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) + 3.652
16. Christian Fittipaldi - ( Minardi Ford ) + 3.693
17. Mark Blundell - ( Arrows Ford ) + 3.960
18. JJ Letho - ( Minardi Ford ) + 4.268
19. Olivier Panis - ( Pacific Yamaha ) + 4.272
20. Gil De Ferran - ( Simtek Ford ) + 4.578
21. Jean-Marc Gounon - ( Larrousse Hart ) + 4.583
22. Taki Inoue - ( Larrousse Hart ) + 4.850
23. Andrea Montermini - ( Forti Ford ) + 5.053
24. Johnny Herbert - ( Simtek Ford ) + 5.059
25. Jos Verstappen - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) + 5.278
26. Massimiliano Papis - ( Arrows Ford ) + 5.282
DNQ Pedro Diniz - ( Forti Ford ) + 5.722
DNQ Jean-Denis Deletraz - ( Pacific Yamaha ) + 7.046

[kevinbotz]

Benetton will trial a new handling package at Paul Ricard following the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Minardi will test at Mugello after this weekend in our quest to find more reliability

[pi314159]

Pacific would like to demote Deletraz to test driver, and replace him with Hideki Noda from the French GP onwards, who would have to bring two million to make up for the partial loss of Deletraz' money.

[Salamander]

Simtek will replace Johnny Herbert with Giovanni Lavaggi at the French GP.

[Collieafc]

Round 6: Canadian Grand Prix - Race report part 1

And the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix is…GO! Schumacher makes an amazing start and leaves the entire field for dead as Alesi also gets by Coulthard as they come to the first corner, and Berger has come from nowhere and is attacking Coulthard for 3rd! The Williams though holds its Line but Berger still challenges and theres been an accident at the back! One of the Larrousses is out already, we will check the replays to see what happened in a minute as we see Wendlinger get past Salo for 6th while the 2nd Benetton of Frentzen has also climbed the field at the start to 7th.

Looking at the start again, as the field goes into the first corner, Verstappens Tyrrell tags Inoues Larrouse while both are under braking and the Larrousse is off but is lucky not to tag any other cars though it looked like Montermini took a bump just before the field shuffled through the corner. Nothing more than a starting incident and no action by the stewards required.

At the front Schumacher is already pulling away from Alesi who is in turn getting away from Coulthard and Berger as Zanardi gets by Morbidelli for 8th place. Wendlinger is now with Berger at the end of the first lap and is already taking a look in the Sauber, as Frentzen is now holding both Jordans at bay, with Mansell recovering from a poor start, in turn giving Salo some breathing space. Wendlinger outbrakes Berger at the hairpin and takes 4th place.

Lap 3 and Morbidelli repasses Zanardi as the Jordan is outdragged on the long straight before the pits. Hakkinen is making progress too, down in 15th after his start, he passes team mate Martini on the start finish straight and is now 11th, while Katayama presses both McLarens in 13th, the Japanese driver keeping a calm head in the first lap chaos to clear both Ligiers. In fact Marini appears to be holding Katayama up and the Tyrrell driver takes a loo..no hes making it a pass! What a brilliant move from Katayama in the second sector! That’s not traditionally an overtaking location but Katayama shows us that it can be done!

Salo has now managed to catch 5th placed Berger on lap 4 and makes short work of the Benetton as Frentzen is close behind – Berger purposely lets his team mate through, suggesting Benetton may be using different strategies for their drivers. Brundle appears to have made a mistake somewhere and is down in 18th while Blundell is next to challenge the now 13th placed Martini. Mansell tries to pass Berger on the start of lap 6 and they go side by side but Berger refuses to relent, Mansell has the advantage but Berger superbly outbrakes the Jordan! Berger holds his position but Mansell is able to get him on the approach to the hairpin. At the back, Gounon has come in from an unexpected stop, the Larrousse team having an awful race day so far.

The top 6 are still unchanged on lap 7 but now Berger is fighting off both Zanardi and Morbidelli for 8th – Zanardi tries at the start finish straight but again Berger is able to outbrake the Jordan. Zanardi copies Mansell by waiting until the hairpin to pull it off. Ligier are also having problems as Irvine is passed by both Minardi’s and is running 18th with Brundle further down in 20th! De Ferran is challenging Irvine for position and looks by far the quicker man, while Salo’s debut for Williams is cut short on lap 9 as he runs wide and slides off into the wall and is instantly out! It’s not a place that’s seen for driver mistakes either and he will be a little embarrassed by this.

In fact lap 9 is an unlucky one for the whole Williams team in general as a replay shows Coulthard does the exact same thing and breaks his front wing! He is able to continue though so maybe there is oil on the track and Salo wasn’t at fault for his crash? What we do know though is that Williams have had their race weekend ruined already. Wendlinger is already past before the hairpin and by the time Coulthard enters the pits, Frentzen is also through and now into 4th. Meanwhile De Ferran has got his Simtek past Brundle while Panis is busy overtaking Irvine for 17th. Bad days all round so far for Williams, Ligier and Larrousse!

Coulthard comes out of the pits in 11th, thankfully for him just in fromt of the Martini-Blundell battle, so his day may not be a write off yet. De Ferrans is though, the Brazilian running well so far but his race has been ended with an engine problem, with thick smoke pouring out of the back of the Simtek. Coulthard has now cleared Katayama’s Tyrrell and is making tracks on Hakkinens McLaren while Blundell has now taken his Arrows past the sister McLaren. Coulthard ploughs through the field, passing Hakkinen on lap 13, Morbidelli on lap 15 and Berger on lap 16 before reeling in Zanardi’s Jordan.

Wendlinger pits on lap 17 for the first fuel stop of the day. It’s a long one and he comes out in 9th, just ahead of Morbidelli. He is able to challenge Bergers Benetton on the start finish straight 1 lap later and this time manages to outbrake him, while Coulthard disposes of Zanardi’s Jordan to take 5th already! This is a brilliant drive and his pitstop has kicked him into life here in Montreal. Both Alesi and Frentzen pit on lap 19 from 2nd and 3rd respectively, Mansell passing them both. Alesi comes out right with Coulthard though and almost goes right into him! This is hair raising stuff as they approach the first corner but Alesi has the inside and uses it to force Coulthard back and the Scot has to back off.

Frentzens stop though is a disaster as the Benetton team are amateurish and jeopardise the Germans brilliant performance so far, before he is able to come out, down in 10th. Wendlinger passes Zanardi, having already past Berger and is now back up into 5th. This is all music to Schumachers ears as he is still yet to pit and is now 30 seconds ahead of Mansell on lap 21. Alesi and Coulthard continue their battle and are now both gaining on 2nd placed Mansell in the process – could we see a 3-way battle?

Katayama comes in for his first stop on lap 22 but no sooner does he exit the pit lane, his Yamaha engine starts to smoke before catching fire ¼ of a lap later, forcing the Tyrrell driver to pull over and call time on his otherwise promising weekend. Coulthard though is right on Alesi and forces past the Ferrari on the start finish straight and overtakes on the outside! What a move! He now has the yellow flags too to help protect his position. But no sooner do we clear the yellow flags, Alesi retakes Coulthard! He does that too easily though and the Williams must have a problem, and sounds very ill to boot as Wendlinger also passes.

Martini is the next driver to retire on lap 23, his McLaren developing a loose wheel as he starts his lap. It starts to get worse and Martini does the right thing and retires in the interest of safety before the hard braking hairpin. Coulthard is now out of the pits but down in 10th, but the Williams team take the opportunity to refuel him too for a very long stint. Alesi is now with Mansell but both hit traffic in the form of Panis and Letho battling for 16th. Mansell laps without issue but Alesi is delayed, the Frenchman frustrated as he struggles to lap the pair and Mansell rebuilds a gap. Meanwhile Blundell takes 12th in his Arrows from Brundle, both Ligiers still yet to stop but the Arrows already having done so.

Berger drops out next on lap 27 as this race now has a hint of attrition to it as the Ford Zetec engine explodes in a big way, with flames shooting out of the Benetton. Berger puts it in the gravel before hastily taking off his seatbelts and running from the car! Alesi is now back with Mansell and takes a look starting lap 28 but Mansell is wise and blocks the Ferrari. Alesi waits until the approach to the hairpin and uses his Ferrari’s superior horsepower to pass the Jordan and retake 2nd place.

Zanardi becomes the first of the long 1st-stint drivers to pit when he comes in on lap 31 from 5th place and coming out 8th, with no cars in sight other than Schumachers Sauber to lap him. Just one lap later Frentzen also retires, a double engine failure for the Benetton team ruining their weekend and ensuring McLaren stay ahead in the constructors championship for another race. Morbidelli pits on lap 32 as the Ferrari team race to get him ahead of Zanardi but the Jordan passes by just as the Ferrari re-emerges. Mansell is next on lap 34 and only drops one place to Wendlinger and gets out ahead of Coulthard thanks to the Jordan teams now customary slick pitstops. Hakkinen follows on the next lap from 5th and is the new holder of 8th place. Schumacher laps now 5th placed Coulthard on lap 36 but then immediately pits for his one and only planned stop of the afternoon. Irvine follows from 9th, but Brundle still somehow has not run out of fuel in the sister Ligier yet. In fact he manages to last until lap 40 and almost hits a lapping Zanardi on the way out of the pits! Zanardi though is able to dodge in time.

Classification after 43 laps
1. Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault )
2. Jean Alesi - ( Ferrari )
3. Karl Wendlinger - ( Sauber Renault )
4. Nigel Mansell - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda )
5. David Coulthard - ( Williams Renault )
6. Alessandro Zanardi - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda )
7. Gianni Morbidelli - ( Ferrari )
8. Mika Hakkinen - ( McLaren Mercedes )
9. Mark Blundell - ( Arrows Ford )
10. Christian Fittipaldi - ( Minardi Ford )
11. Olivier Panis - ( Pacific Yamaha )
12. Eddie Irvine - ( Ligier Peugeot )
13. Martin Brundle - ( Ligier Peugeot )
14. JJ Letho - ( Minardi Ford )
15. Jos Verstappen - ( Tyrrell Yamaha )
16. Andrea Montermini - ( Forti Ford )
17. Jean-Marc Gounon - ( Larrousse Hart )
18. Massimiliano Papis - ( Arrows Ford )
19. Johnny Herbert - ( Simtek Ford )
Heinz-Harald Frentzen - ( Benetton Ford )
Gerhard Berger - ( Benetton Ford )
Pierluigi Martini - ( McLaren Mercedes )
Ukyo Katayama - ( Tyrrell Yamaha )
Gil De Ferran - ( Simtek Ford )
Mika Salo - ( Williams Renault )
Taki Inoue - ( Larrousse Hart )

[Collieafc]

Round 6: Canadian Grand Prix - Race report part 2

We rejoin on lap 44 of 69 as Schumacher now laps 6th placed Zanardi’s Jordan. Wendlinger pits his Sauber for his final fuel stop at the end of the lapl, possibly to Jump Alesi for 2nd place, but the Ferrari has a clear piece of track ahead of him. The Sauber comes out down in 4th, having been passed by the one-stopping Mansell and is just ahead of Coulthard. Alesi is in on lap 47 but both driver and team have got their strategy and execution right as Alesi comes out just as Mansell exits the final corner, meaning Wendlinger has actually lost a place, however he is gaining fast on Mansell thanks to fresh tyres.

Wendlinger attacks Mansell on lap 49 towards the hairpin but Mansell is able to successfully defend. Wendlinger then tries again straight after and is able to outdrag and outbrake the Jordan at the final chicane and take 3rd place. Further down, Blundell has pitted his Arrows from 9th for his final stop and comes out 12th behind Brundle but makes a stunning pass on the Ligier OUTSIDE of the hairpin! That has to be a contender for one of the best passes of the year so far! Stunning stuff from the Arrows driver and he immediately pulls away.

Letho pits his Minardi in from 14th place at the end of the lap and comes out almost at the same time as Brundle passes...WOW! Brundle’s in the gravel! Neither driver appeared to see each other until Brundle turned in to the first corner only to see a Minardi in his way! The Ligier takes a hit as it spins on the gravel to the back of the car as Brundle tries to regain control, Panis now passes, has he stalled? No, as he somehow keeps the car together and rejoins but is now back in 13th as Panis and Fittipaldi, who have also pitted, are now past!

Theres double waived yellows at the last corners now as Hakkinen’s McLaren starts weaving hard before crashing hard at the final chicane on lap 51. We can see on the replay that the Finn knew there was something wrong and brakes the car first. It’s a horrible crash but he is able to climb out of the car – as much as it may have cost him 8th place, you can see by his reaction that he is happy just to walk away from that impact unscathed as again the new safety rules are put into practice. Verstappens Tyrrell also retires on lap 52 with a water leak, causing the car to leave plumes of smoke across the track.

Theres almost a collision too as Monermini fighting with Papis for 14th, and the Forti attempting to pass on the start finish straight but almost runs out of road when he outbrakes himself, forcing Papis to go wide, but the Forti makes it through. Not elegant but still effective nonetheless. Less than be said for Blundell, who has now passed Irvine for 8th, then makes an unforced spin half way round the track. The marshalls are ready to push him as he is in a dangerous position with cars having to weave round but he is finally able to continue though down in 12th. His loss is Pacific’s gain though as Panis now takes 9th place in a quiet but efficient drive, though Fittipaldi and Minardi are catching him. Remember that with points hard to get this season, every position counts for these teams!

Alesi runs wide on lap 56! The Ferrari is on the grass and is missing his front wing! This is bad news for both as a brilliant drive today has just been thrown out the window, and it looks like Wendlinger will inherit 2nd place, but not only that, but the time his front wing is fixed, both Mansell and Coulthard have passed as well! Alesi is seen shaking his head as he leaves the pits – he knows it has cost dearly.

The race is not over yet though as Coulthard is now making gains on Mansell for one last push to get on the podium, and is with the Jordan on lap 59. Anyone expecting a battle though will be disappointed as the Williams passes with ease at the hairpin and Coulthards magnificent push continues as he is now back in with a chance of a podium! Alesi isn’t done either as he starts one final push in an attempt to reach Mansell before the end of the race.

Alesi is right with Mansell on lap 64 and cuts right through as if the Jordan wasn’t even there. Is Mansell nursing some sort of car problem until the finish? Irvine starts weaving wildly just after the hairpin on the same lap, as Wendlinger is about to lap him – he keeps doing so on the straight and Wendlinger is rightly annoyed at this when he raises his hand in frustration and is blocking so much that Panis is able to catch up with the pair – the come to the start finish straight and Irvine gets out of the way as Wendlinger laps and Panis slipstrteams the Sauber so close he passes the Ligier before Irvine knows whats happened! Daring but brilliant stuff from Panis to take 8th place!

Fittipaldi has caught up too, as has Coulthard and Schumacher who is trying to lap him. What is Irvine doing? He spins off and takes Fittipaldi with him! Both rejoin in 11th and 12th but Fittipaldi looks enraged and rightly so. Irvine may have a problem with the car or worn tyres but that was dangerous stuff and the stewards will be investigating this one. Schumacher is able to safely lap Coulthard and Panis wisely moves aside to let both drivers pass.

Now its Schumachers turn to be angry as he approaches his teammate on the penultimate lap to lap Wendlinger but Wendlinger either doesn’t see him or mistakes him for Coulthard who is right behind the leader, though lapped and blocks so hard he nearly takes Schumacher off! We find out the reason to all this as looking at both Wendlingers and Irvines tyres, both have completely blistered! In fact Wendlinger is fighting with the car so hard that Schumacher can’t get past, but he’s allowed Alesi to catch up and what’s more, he’s holding up Panis too! Mansell is also closing fast, and Coulthard is able to unlap himself! We get to the final corner and Wendlinger slows and is off completely! This is UN-BELIEVEABLE! What an ending to this spectacular grand prix! Now there’s a sudden scramble for 2nd between Coulthard, Alesi and Mansell!

Alesi tries on the first corner to reclaim 2nd as Schumacher laps Coulthard again but Coulthard now chops in front and almost ploughs into Schumacher when outbraking Alesi! Panis sensibly lets everyone through and chooses not to get involved, As Wendlinger rejoins down in 5th place, as Alesi sizes Coulthard up in sector 2…AND DOES IT! What a pass, and Mansell also capitalises and outbrakes the Williams towards the hairpin and starts to pass as ALESI RUNS WIDE! ALESI almost loses it round the hairpin as Mansell sees an opportunity to grab 2nd place but Alesi powers away in time on the straight but Coulthard attacks Mansell this time and almost passes but Mansell is just ahead on the final corner and they go side by side and both power past the chequered flag at the same time! IT’S A PHOTO FINISH!

But its Michael Schumacher who takes it first to win an exciting Canadian grand prix in another dominant display and his 3rd win in a row, though after the drama is more relieved its over as it was almost ended prematurely. Alesi takes a brilliant 2nd place after both a brilliant drive and comeback and raises his fist in the air after recovering so dramatically on the last lap – you would think it was him who won the race! Officials study the photos and its Mansell who comes out 3rd in the tightest margin in Grand Prix history of just ¼ of a car length from Coulthard who nevertheless drove well considering the multiple pitstops he suffered. Wendlinger is 5th but may be subject to investigation after his antics while conversely Zanardi takes the final point after a very quiet and generally uneventful drive.

Further down, Panis scores a brilliant and opportunistic 8th place to propel Pacific back up the constructors table while Gounon also deserves praise for reaching 13th despite his early stop. What an exciting race, but the question now is who, if anybody, can compete with Schumacher and Sauber, after the team make it 7 out of 7?

Classification after 69 laps
1. Michael Schumacher - ( Sauber Renault ) 1h 38m 44.878
2. Jean Alesi - ( Ferrari ) - 1 lap
3. Nigel Mansell - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) - 1 lap
4. David Coulthard - ( Williams Renault ) - 1 lap
5. Karl Wendlinger - ( Sauber Renault ) - 1 lap Under Investigation
6. Alessandro Zanardi - ( Jordan Mugen-Honda ) - 1 lap
7. Gianni Morbidelli - ( Ferrari ) - 3 laps
8. Olivier Panis - ( Pacific Yamaha ) - 3 laps
9. Martin Brundle - ( Ligier Peugeot ) - 3 laps
10. Mark Blundell - ( Arrows Ford ) - 3 laps
11. Eddie Irvine - ( Ligier Peugeot ) - 3 laps Under Investigation
12. Christian Fittipaldi - ( Minardi Ford ) - 3 laps
13. Jean-Marc Gounon - ( Larrousse Hart ) - 3 laps
14. JJ Letho - ( Minardi Ford ) - 3 laps
15. Andrea Montermini - ( Forti Ford ) - 4 laps
16. Massimiliano Papis - ( Arrows Ford ) - 4 laps
17. Johnny Herbert - ( Simtek Ford ) - 4 laps
Mika Hakkinen - ( Arrows Ford ) - Crashed
Jos Verstappen - ( Simtek Ford ) - Water Leak
Heinz-Harald Frentzen - ( Benetton Ford ) - Engine
Gerhard Berger - ( Benetton Ford ) - Engine
Pierluigi Martini - ( McLaren Mercedes ) - Loose Wheel
Ukyo Katayama - ( Tyrrell Yamaha ) - Engine
Gil De Ferran - ( Simtek Ford ) - Engine
Mika Salo - ( Williams Renault ) - Crashed
Taki Inoue - ( Larrousse Hart ) - Spun off

Fastest lap: David Coulthard - ( Williams Renault ) - 1:24.157

Drivers Championship - Top 6
1st : Michael Schumacher - 41
2nd : Karl Wendlinger - 32
3rd : David Coulthard - 22
4th : Damon Hill - 17
4th : Nigel Mansell - 17
6th : Jean Alesi - 16

Constructors Championship - Top 6
1st : Sauber Renault - 73
2nd : Williams Renault - 39
3rd : Jordan Mugen-Honda - 22
4th : Ferrari - 19
5th : McLaren Mercedes - 2
6th : Benetton Ford - 1

NOTES
That penultimate lap was just crazy! I cant imagine how Murray Walker would have commentated that one!
Also its the first race that Schumacher hasnt had fastest lap, or that Frentzen has finished in 7th place

[Ataxia]

These Ford EDMs are gutless, absolutely gutless. Mark's doing the best he can, and we know with a decent engine we can be quick...but after Brian Hart just took his engines elsewhere after we won last season is still something that rankles with us. We're going to be looking for a long-term deal with someone who knows what loyalty is and how to design a good engine. The whole thing's ridiculous, and it makes us look bad.

[Collieafc]

Wendlinger and Irvine results stand after new evidence

The FIA was in yet another hearing for driver investigations today after a sensational Canadian grand prix yesterday. However part of this reason was when with 3 laps to go, Sauber driver Karl Wendlinger started swerving violently as if he was struggling to control his car, and slowing down to such an extent cars were backed up behind him, with some such as teammate Schumacher unable to lap him and almost coming into contact if he tried to do so. This continued until Wendlinger went off into the gravel at the final corner. As a result, Williams driver Coulthard lost an otherwise guaranteed 3rd place due to this.

He wasn’t the only one as Fittipaldi who was running 11th and catching Panis, was also a victim, this time to Eddie Irvine, whos Ligier was showing similar qualities to Wendlinger later in the race when running 10th. Ironically Wendlinger was also a victim as he had struggled to lap the Ligier because of this, but Irvine lost control ad tagged Fittipaldi who was trying to pass in what originally looked like a failed attempt by Irvine to defend position. It’s reported that Fittipaldi stormed off to the Ligier garage after the race to confront Irvine and had to be pulled away by Minardi mechanics as the possible eventual places would have helped the struggling teams constructors position.

It was originally thought it was blistering tyres that caused this and both Wendlinger and Irvine were just not wanting to retire their cars or pit, but new evidence has emerged from Mika Hakkinnen. The McLaren driver had suffered similar issues before crashing at the last corner, and upon hearing these investigations, immediately contacted the stewards to tell them more of his crash. “It was strange” he told the investigation “I thought my tyres had worn as they lost all grip. But their performance was erratic, as if they went hot then cold, then hot again! I couldnt brake in case I spun and blocked the track or pit lane – it was easier to crash the car! ”

He wasn’t the only driver to comment on tyre grip as both Jean Alesi and Nigel Mansell also mentioned this in the post-race press conference “My car suddenly had no grip” said Alesi “I ended up on grass but then the car had some grip again! After pitting the problem was gone”. Mansell likewise: “near the end of the race I found the Jordan was getting hard to control, as if the tyres were getting hot but the team told me they were fine. I cut my speed for a few laps to be safe and then the car was back to normal!” Both Irvine and Wendlinger also said in their evidence that once their cars had spun off and they waited 30 seconds the tyres were fine and there were no more problems.

Goodyear are not sure what the problem is at this time and have asked to investigate further, while they introduce extra checks on the specifications for the French GP tyres. As a result of the extra evidence, the FIA has allowed the results of Wendlinger and Irvine to stand as it became clear that this was more than a driver issue.

Announcements

Peteroli34: Hill has served his one race ban and is available again for the French GP if you wish.
Wizzie: Lamy is now back from his injury should you wish to use him again.
FantometteBR: Thanks to extensive testing, your engineers have built a B-Spec car which features additional speed improvements. The car is ready for both drivers to use from the French GP onwards
Seedstriker: Peugeot have made their B-Spec engine available now. It features both Power and Reliability improvements
Takagi_for_the_win: Mercedes have only been able to make small reliability upgrades to their engine for the next GP
All Yamaha powered teams: Yamaha has fast tracked their new engine for the French GP – It features improved power and is available to use immediately.
Pi314159: Noda is happy to bring in 2m on condition he keeps a race seat for the whole season, or he will bring in 1.5m for 8 races (currently there are 11 left) and will test the remainder for free. Deletraz however will not accept a test role, unless he is paid the pay driver rate (0.5m a year). The amount Deletraz brings in per race is 6/17= 0.35m – remember you will lose this for every race he does not have a seat in. (in case you want to swap them round as the season goes, Noda would use his full year income of 3m, for 3/17=0.17m per race)
The alternative is just sack Deletraz – This will cost 3m (half his “wage”) before anything Noda takes in.

Kevinbotz and Wizzie: I have run your tests, I will email you both your updates later today

[FantometteBR]

Forti will debut the B-spec cars for Montermini and Diniz at French GP

[Hermann95]

Jordan would like to test at Donington at the next possible date to test a new speed upgrade.

[Peteroli34]

Hill will indeed return to the cockpit for the French gp

[SeedStriker]

Of course, Ligier will use the newer B-spec engine. We were waiting for this

[TomWazzleshaw]

As announced earlier, Lamy will return to the second Minardi seat at the Italian Grand Prix, and will remain in the car for the rest of the year after that point

[Klon]

I am completely sick of Jos Verstappen. Just for planning purposes, how much would it cost to sack him?