Hungary 1999: Saturday Practice 2
Times
P. No Driver Team - Car Time/Laps
1. 1 Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1:18.219 182.810 km/h
2. 2 Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 1:18.890 + 0:00.671
3. 8 Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:19.012 + 0:00.793
4. 17 Herbert Stewart Ford 1:19.164 + 0:00.945
5. 16 Barrichello Stewart Ford 1:19.186 + 0:00.967
6. 22 Villeneuve BAR Supertec 1:19.332 + 0:01.113
7. 7 Hill Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:19.356 + 0:01.137
8. 19 Trulli Prost Peugeot 1:19.518 + 0:01.299
9. 9 Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1:19.641 + 0:01.422
10. 10 Wurz Benetton Playlife 1:19.715 + 0:01.496
11. 4 Irvine Ferrari 1:19.817 + 0:01.598
12. 6 R Schumacher Williams Supertec 1:19.825 + 0:01.606
13. 18 Panis Prost Peugeot 1:19.920 + 0:01.701
14. 5 Zanardi Williams Supertec 1:19.926 + 0:01.707
15. 3 Salo Ferrari 1:20.139 + 0:01.920
16. 23 Zonta BAR Supertec 1:20.152 + 0:01.933
17. 11 Alesi Sauber Petronas 1:20.323 + 0:02.104
18. 12 Diniz Sauber Petronas 1:20.342 + 0:02.123
19. 14 de la Rosa Arrows TWR 1:21.398 + 0:03.179
20. 20 Badoer Minardi Ford 1:21.523 + 0:03.304
21. 21 Gene Minardi Ford 1:21.568 + 0:03.349
22. 15 Takagi Arrows TWR 1:22.213 + 0:03.994
107% time : 1:23.694
FIA Press Release
Free practice, 9.00 to 11.00
Weather conditions: sunny and bright
McLaren 1-2 at front of field
Mika Hakkinen(1m 18.219s) and David Coulthard(1m 18.890s) set first and second fastest times with their McLaren-Mercedes MP4/14s. Both drivers had trouble-free sessions although Coulthard had a couple of excursions across the grass with no damage sustained. "I think most teams have decided on their tyre options," said Ron Dennis. "I think it is only likely that people will use the softer choice if they are near the back and need to try and make some progress."
Frentzen third for Jordan
Heinz-Harald Frentzen spent the morning carrying out tyre evaluation, ending up third fastest on 1m 19.012s having discarded the centre wing on his Jordan 199. Damon Hill wound up seventh(1m 19.356s) after two off-track excursions.
Stewarts fourth and fifth
The Stewart-Fords of Johnny Herbert (1m 19.164s) and Rubens Barrichello(1m 19.186s). "I managed to improve the rear end grip by putting on more downforce," said Barrichello, "and the car felt good on new tyres." Herbert said he felt "very optimistic" about his prospects for the afternoon.
Villeneuve a promising sixth
Jacques Villeneuve set sixth fastest time (1m 19.332s)in his British American 01. "We were working on set-up," said Jacques. "I feel quite happy about our prospects after a good clear lap." Ricardo Zonta wound up 16th (1m 20.152s) after a minor spin into the tyre barrier. He switched to new tyres at the end but went slower.
Ferrari stays on old rubber
Eddie Irvine and Mika Salo remained on yesterday's old tyres with their Ferrari F399s, concentrating on suspension and ride height set-ups. Irvine ended up 11th on 1m 19.817s after a spin and Salo was 15th on 1m 20.139s.
Alesi crashes heavily
Jean Alesi's Sauber-Petronas crashed heavily exiting the first corner after coming up quickly behind Pedro de la Rosa's Arrows which was running slowly on the racing line. "Instead of accelerating he came off the throttle," complained Alesi. "I missed him by a millimetre but crashed into the barrier." The session was red flagged and Alesi was helicoptered to hospital for a check over, returning shortly afterwards after it was confirmed that his bruised right ankle was OK. He wound up 17th on 1m 20.323s.
Briefly
Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton-Playlife wound up ninth on 1m 19.641s, the Italian also being helicoptered to hospital early in the morning for attention to a speck of sand in one eye. He returned with the problem cured and resumed lapping.
Brief Commentary
The session starts with Damon Hill first out on the track, but it's only an installation lap. Noone moves until Wurz ventures out after five minutes, followed by Coulthard.
The track soon becomes busy, with traffic causing problems all round. Fisichella has gone for an eye check, Alesi has gone for a full medical, and Irvine appears to have mechanical issues. Noone on the track improves their times...
Twenty-five minutes in, and finally, Diniz improves on his first session time, though not by much, just as Alesi is flown back from the hospital. Johnny Herbert then matches Barrichello's time, as Irvine pits from eighth. Mika Hakkinens return to the track then sees his lead extended at the top of the timesheet.
Ten minutes remain, and Herbert continues to improve. Wurz improves to eighth and Fisichella returns from hospital in time to take to the track.
Five minutes from the end, the track becomes busy with drivers all coming out to try for good times. Fisichella and Villeneuve put in excellent laps, as Hill improves his time but loses a place to Villeneuve.
As the session closes, Hakkinen improves yet again - it's a very dominant session for McLaren.
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