Japan 1999: Previews

[ Arrows | Benetton | BAR | Ferrari | Jordan | McLaren | Minardi | Sauber | Stewart | Prost | Williams | Bridgestone ]


Arrows [start]

Despite this mornings problems, the Arrows team was able to bring one of its cars across the finishing line at the Japanese Grand Prix. After a heavy crash during the mornings warm-up session, Pedro de la Rosa was forced to use the spare car in the race, and, although it was originally set up for Tora, the team was able to change the set-up for him in time. Pedro managed to finish the race in 13th position, whilst team-mate Tora Takagi was forced to retire on lap 43 after his car developed a gearbox problem.

Pedro de la Rosa
" Of course I am very pleased that I was able to finish my race, despite this mornings problems. Although the car was reliable, I was suffering from a lack of grip. The team did a great job and I know we will use the wintertime to catch up on this year. We need to learn our lessons from this season and prepare ourselves for the new challenges ahead."

Toranosuke Takagi
"The car was running well until lap 40 when I started to have problems with my gears. It got gradually worse and I finally had to retire on lap 43. I really hoped that I would have been able to finish my home race, however, I am glad that Pedro was able to finish the race for the team."

After the controversy at the previous Grand Prix, and the subsequent FIA hearing in Paris where Ferrari were exempt from any wrongdoing and therefore retaining the lead in both the Drivers and Constructors Championship, the Teams arrived in Suzuka for the final showdown of the Season.

Arrows driver Tora Takagis Japanese Grand Prix proved extra special, as he competed in front of his home crowd, friends and family. The Arrows Team had a fine start to Fridays Practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, when its drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Toranosuke Takagi achieved positions 14th and 18th positions respectively.

Sporting a new look helmet at his home race, Tora did not experience any major problems with his car. Pedro finally found himself on a track, which was familiar to him and where he had scored victories in the past racing in Formula 3000.

Pedro was of course very happy with his result, he felt like he was at home and, although Fridays results are not of great importance he was nevertheless pleased for the team who made a good effort in setting up the car. Tora had some oversteer problems and the track was slippery as at the last Grand Prix, but both drivers were confident in producing good results during Saturdays qualifying.

At Saturdays qualifying, held in perfect weather, Tora Takagi and Pedro de la Rosa were unable to improve on their result from the previous day. Tora, who ended up in 19th position missed the mornings first practice session after his engine developed a problem. A swift changeover before the second practice session ensured that he was able to participate in the second session and have a trouble free qualifying. Pedro who would start his race 21st on the grid did expect a great deal more from the days qualifying. He had an off during the first outing and later on his progress was hampered by yellow flags and traffic. However, both drivers were determined to do their best to achieve a credible result during their last race of the season.

Tom Walkinshaw summarised the weekend so far by saying: "I realise that there was a chance to improve our respective grid positions today, however, I am still very pleased with both the performance of the team and drivers and hope that we will finish the race tomorrow on a high note."

After a hard fought qualifying, it was M.Schumacher who secured pole, with Hakkinen second and team-mate Coulthard in third position. Irvine, trying hard to improve his position, crashed his Ferrari during qualifying. Unable to use the spare car (as it was already used by M.Schumacher), the Drivers World Championship contender had to start the race from fifth position on the grid.

Pedro was of course pleased that he was able to finish, and although the car was reliable, we was suffering from a lack o grip. He thanked the team for their hard work but also felt that the coming winter time would give room to catch up on this year. Lessons had been learned and every effort would have to be made to prepare for the new challenges ahead. Toras car was running well until he started to experience problems with his gears on lap 40. He eventually retired on lap 43 and although he had hoped to finish the race in front of his home crowd, he was still glad that Pedro was able to bring the car home for the team.

At the start of the race M.Schumacher, Coulthard and Frentzen all made poor starts, which gave Hakkinen the opportunity to take the lead. Irvine got away well, but he almost ran into Coulthard and Frentzen, when he jinked left, managing to avoid both of them, while Panis threaded his way past on the right to get into the first corner third, behind Hakkinen and M.Schumacher. Irvine was fourth, with Coulthard on his tail and Frentzen sixth. Zanardi retired on the first lap with an electrical problem.

Hakkinen built a lead of 2.5 seconds in the first four laps, while the gap between M.Schumacher and Panis built rapidly to five seconds. Irvine was under pressure from Coulthard and further back Trulli retired with a mechanical problem, whilst Fisichella from 16th to the back of the field. On lap 6, Hakkinens lead was 4 seconds while M.Schumacher was 7 seconds clear of Panis. There was a small group back to Irvine, who remained under pressure from Coulthard. Hakkinen increased his lead by lap 9 while the gap between M/Schumacher ad Panis had grown to 10 seconds. At the back Fisichella recovered a couple of positions by passing Badoer and Takagi.

Lap 15 saw the first pit stop by Wurz, and Dill had an off but was able to rejoin, but later pitted and retired, complaining of bad handling. Hakkinens lead increased to 7.4 seconds when Panis pitted and rejoined in 10th place. Both Herbert and Villeneuve pitted, but dropped back to 11th and 12th place respectively. On lap 19 Hakkinen pitted and M.Schumacher went into the lead. Both Frentzen and Alesi followed, but both dropped back to sixth and ninth place. When Panis pitted a second time he was forced to retire with a gearbox problem. Hakkinen rejoined in second place. After another pitstop by R.Schumacher and Barrichello, the German dropped to sixth and the Brazilian to 10th place.

On lap 22 M.Schumacher pitted and rejoined in second place and Irvine was the last major player to pit, dropping behind Coulthard. Later, M.Schumacher set the fastest lap as he chased after Hakkinen, but the Finns lead remained steady at 6.5 seconds. The second round of pit stops began with Frentzen trying to get ahead of Coulthard and Irvine, who were holding him up. Frentzen rejoined in seventh place. Both Irvine an R.Schumacher pitted on lap 32, with Irvine rejoining in fifth and the latter dropping back to eighth place. On lap 34 Coulthard spun off and damaged the nose of his car against a barrier. He was able to keep going but was a lap down and out of contention when rejoined.

Fourth placed Herbert and Alesi also pitted, but dropped to sixth and seventh place respectively. When M.Schumacher - who was 10 seconds behind Hakkinen - pitted for the second time, he was stuck behind a struggling Coulthard for a short period. Hakkinen pitted on lap 38 and when rejoined was able to build a lead over M.Schumacher by 12 seconds. Lap 39 saw Coulthard retire, his car handling too badly to continue. On lap 43 local hero Takagi retired with a gearbox problem and Badoer on the same lap with engine failure. They were followed by Fisichella on lap 48 with an engine failure.

The end of the race saw Hakkinen win his second consecutive World Championship, but Ferrari walked away with the Worlds Constructors title, as their drivers M.Schumacher and Irvine finished second and third respectively. Frentzen finished fourth just ahead of R.Schumacher and Alesi.


Benetton [start]

Wurz finished in 10th position and Fisichella retired 5 laps from the end of the race due to a lubrication problem, but was classified 14th. The Mild Seven Benetton Playlife team finished the championship in 6th position. In the drivers' championship Fisichella was 9th and Wurz 13th.

Rocco Benetton
"It has been a very difficult race and the culmination of a hard weekend for us. In fact, the whole season has been difficult as the competition has been extremely high. We are happy that we can now turn the page determined to increase our competitivity next season. Congratulations to Hakkinen for winning the driver's championship and to Ferrari for winning the constructor's championship."

Alexander Wurz
"I didn't do a great start but then I overtook a couple of cars on the outside. My first set of tyres were really good and I could follow the speed of Villeneuve and the Stewarts. But then my second and third set were not and the car was very difficult to drive as it had very low grip."

Giancarlo Fisichella
"I made a mistake at the start and my anti-stall came in, so I lost a few places. Then I went off and damaged the barge board and that made the car extremely difficult to drive for the rest of the race. At the end I was forced to stop because of a problem with the oil system."


British American Racing [start]

British American Racing concluded the 1999 season on a satisfactory note today with a double-finish in a surprisingly uneventful Japanese Grand Prix. Neither car missed a beat throughout the race, and although the result did not yield any points, the team was satisfied with the reliability and overall performance demonstrated on the Suzuka circuit.

At race end, Jacques Villeneuve was ninth and Ricardo Zonta twelfth in a smooth ride for both drivers.

If millions of Formula One fans were expecting a lap-by-lap showdown between McLaren and Ferrari with two championships in play, they had to be disappointed in a race where the only changes in position took place in pit stops or due to equipment malfunction. The only event of any impact on the race was a shunt by McLaren's David Coulthard on lap 36. Coulthard's nose assembly was replaced in an emergency pit stop, but he had to withdraw three laps later, effectively ending his team's chance to repeat as the Constructors' champion.

Mika Hakkinen avoided mistakes and took the chequered flag to win his fifth race of 1999 and his second consecutive Drivers' World Championship title with the 10 points obtained, edging out Eddie Irvine,76-74, on the season. Heinz-Harald Frentzen of Jordan finished fourth on the day and third on the year with 54 points, six better than Coulthard.

Hakkinen was followed home by Michael Schumacher and Irvine in the two Ferraris, and the 10 points amassed (six for second, four for third) was enough for Ferrari to maintain its pre-race lead of four points and win the Constructors' title over McLaren, 128-124. The Scuderia last won the title in 1983.

Jacques Villeneuve
"It has been a difficult year and today again was hard. I attacked during the whole race, same as in qualifying, but it wasn't enough - the car was at its limit. Now we can look forward to next year without looking back."

Ricardo Zonta
"It was not a very exciting race for me. I had some understeer at the start and then we changed the front wing at the first pit stop. The balance was good after that but I still had no grip. I'm pleased for my mechanics and everyone the team that we finished the race, and now we have to look forward to next year."

Craig Pollock : Chairman & CEO, British American Racing
"Both drivers ran a good race here at the last Grand Prix of the season, and the whole team did a great job all year. Today's achievement, thanks to the efforts of everyone back at Brackley and here, was to see both cars cross the finish line for the first time this season, and I hope that this is a good starting point and sign for the season to come. I would like to thank everyone who has believed in, and supported us throughout our first season, especially British American Tobacco, Teleglobe, and our engine partner Supertec."


Ferrari [start]

Jean Todt
"Before this race, we had two objectives; to win the Constructors' and the Drivers' championships. Today we won the Constructors' title for the first time in 16 years. Despite Michael's seven race absence, the team reacted in the right way and this title is down to the work of everyone here at the circuit and back home in Maranello. Of course, we would have preferred to see Eddie crowned world champion as well. It did not happen, but that is motor racing. This is the last Constructors' championship of the century and it will put us in the right frame of mind as we head for the year 2000. I am proud to head up such a great team as this title win proves we are the best this year."

Michael Schumacher
"I think the two championships ended in a fair way today, with Ferrari winning the Constructors' title and Mika the Drivers' crown after he drove a fantastic race. He is a great champion. Ferrari can be proud because it is a great achievement as it is not easy to beat such a strong team as McLaren. Already at the start of the formation lap, I realised something was not operating correctly and the same happened again at the start, when I had too much wheelspin. The handling of the car in the first part of the race was not perfect. In the second stint I was able to close the gap, but it was too late. Then another driver held me up, which cost me at least 10 seconds. Without that, maybe the race could have been closer."

Eddie Irvine
"Third place was a good result for me, given the problems I had in qualifying. I made a good start, but could not get between Coulthard and Frentzen, which is why Panis passed me. I had problems with the differential which were cured at the first pit stop. But by then there was no need to push any harder. My neck was beginning to hurt towards the end, after my accident yesterday. I had a pretty boring race, just watching the TV screens to see if anything would happen to Mika. At least Ferrari has got a consolation prize in the form of the Constructors' Championship, even if it is not the one I was really interested in. But it is a nice leaving present for the team. At first Coulthard was pushing me, then after the pit stop, he was holding me up, but we knew there would be games today! I have to say Mika did a fantastic job today. He deserved the title and he won it in style."


Jordan [start]

Finland's Mika Hakkinen clinched the 1999 Formula One World Championship for Drivers with a dominant performance in the final round in Suzuka, Japan, leaving Ferrari to pick up the consolation prize of the World Championship for Constructors with Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine coming home 2nd and 3rd respectively. Benson and Hedges Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen ended his season on a high note with a strong drive into 4th place, fending off a determined Ralf Schumacher for most of the race, and claiming 3rd place in the Drivers series to back up the team's 3rd place in the Constructors Championship.

The race was won by Hakkinen on the run down to the first corner, the McLaren driver getting the jump on Schumacher's pole-sitting Ferrari to lead the opening lap. The Finn pulled steadily away, developing a 6 second lead over Schumacher which was later extended to 10 seconds when the German was delayed in traffic. Both made two faultless pit stops, but it was Hakkinen who commanded the race and took a superb victory to give him back to back Drivers titles.

"It has been a tough year," admitted Hakkinen afterwards," but we did a good job today and it is very satisfying. We had some problems at the beginning of the year which prevented us from finishing races, and at times there has been a lot of pressure. If you want to know what it is like to come to the last race trying to win the Championship my advice is - don't try it, it is not nice!"

Behind Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher a battle raged for the entire race between David Coulthard, Eddie Irvine, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher. Initially all four were wrong-footed by a fast starting Oliver Panis, whose Prost stormed through from 6th place on the grid to hold third on the opening lap. The Frenchman - who is out of F1 next season - held 3rd until his first pit stop, retiring shortly afterwards. Coulthard had been passed by Irvine at the start, but on the pit stops the McLaren driver jumped ahead, holding a strong third which slipped away when he spun into the wall and damaged his car's nosecone. He rejoined the race, pitting for a new nose, but he then circulated slowly and ultimately retired.

Irvine moved into third, with Frentzen just behind and working hard to keep Ralf Schumacher's Williams at bay. Schumacher Jr was seldom more than one second behind the Jordan driver, but Heinz-Harald absorbed the pressure magnificently and held on to claim 4th position, these three points pulling him six Championship points clear of Coulthard in the Drivers Championship. Behind Schumacher's Williams Jean Alesi trailed home in sixth position, scoring a valuable Championship point for Sauber wit team mate Pedro Diniz back in 11th, while Johnny Herbert and Rubens Barrichello took 7th and 8th for Stewart Ford. Stewart has managed to finish the season 4th in the Contructors Championship, one point in front of Williams.

The BAR team's battle to score a Championship point in its first season ended disappointingly, Jacques Villeneuve finishing 9th and Ricardo Zonta 12th - leaving BAR last in the Constructors series. Alexander Wurz took 10th place for Benetton in Suzuka, team mate Giancarlo Fisichella being classified 14th despite retiring after 47 laps with mechanical failure. Pedro de la Rosa was the last car to take the chequered flag, finishing 13th for Arrows. Retirements included both Prosts, both Minardis and Alex Zanardi's Williams, with Luca Badoer and Tora Takagi both failing to finish after completing 43 laps.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen
"It is great to finish the season as we had wanted to: with a lot of success and by achieving our target of finishing third in the Constructors' championship. It is a great result for the team - they should be complimented as they did a fantastic job. I am also happy today that I am third in the Drivers' championship. I am not disappointed to have missed the podium today as we have had lots of podiums this season, two victories and plenty to be proud of.

As regards the World Championship, I think both drivers would have made worth World Champions after such a strange up and down season. I don't have any favouritism to either - I would just say congratulations to Mika Hakkinen for achieving the World Championship title after a difficult weekend with so much pressure."

Damon Hill [ from F1 Live ]

Damon Hill spun off on his last Grand Prix race Sunday, in a low-key farewell to an up and down career which peaked with a world championship triumph here three years ago. "I am very sad to be leaving Formula One and I would have loved to have finished on a higher note," said the 39-year-old Briton, the son of the late world champion Graham Hill.

"I have to acknowledge that Formula One for me is a thing of the past and that I have made the right decision to retire."

Hill, whose 16 races this season with Jordan have mostly ended with retirements, posted the 12th best time in qualifying for the season's final race but spun off on the 21st lap when he prepared for his pit stop. "I had to change the nose cone which lost me lots of time. After that I decided there was too little to gain and too much to lose in carrying on," the eight-year F1 veteran said. His early exit was a far cry from his victory at the season-ending 1996 Japanese Grand Prix, which earned him the world title against Canadian prodigy Jacques Villeneuve. Frank Williams dropped Hill in favour of German Heinz-Harald Frentzen, despite the triumph. After an unimpressive year with Tom Walkinshaw's budding TWR-Arrows team, Hill moved on to Jordan and finished sixth in the championship with one win in 1998. His best 1999 result was fourth place at San Marino, which paled before his collection of 22 wins dating back to 1998 (at Spa Francorchamps).

"It would have been fantastic for everyone to have finished better but I have lots of good memories of better races," said Hill. "Thank you to everyone for their support."

Hill has yet to say what he will do next but it is rumoured he will be involved in a team or media related to motor-racing. Earlier during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Hill said he would be seeing the press "in some other way but not as a driver". He recalled that his life as an F1 racer was 'time consuming. "If you have a family, it is difficult to be away a lot," he said, adding that he would miss a lot of things about the top level of racing. "I loved doing it and I got a lot from it. Being a Grand Prix driver is a very special thing and it is a very rare achievement that you can be a Grand Prix driver," he said. "I was very fortunate to be in one of those fantastic cars for a long time." he concluded.


McLaren [start]

Mika Hakkinen
"Brilliant! What a great English word to express how I feel. It was one of my best races and I shall never forget it. Whilst I think I did a good job it wouldn't have been possible without all of the people back in the factory and the here in Japan. Just a big thank you to them and of course David my team mate, West, Mercedes, Mobil, Ilmor, Bridgestone all of our other sponsors, Erja, and my Mum and Dad! Thanks to everybody."

David Coulthard
"It is a good day for the team and I think the right man has won the World Championship this year. I am however, very disappointed with Michael Schumacher's comments especially the way he has questioned my integrity over the incident in Spa which I believe was dealt with at the time. I have never tried to endanger any driver on the track and in fact fight within the GPDA for driver safety. The fact is that when Michael was behind me my car was suffering from problems which I don't want to go into, anyway he was only delayed two and a half seconds which is born out by the official results. I subsequently was told by the team to retire as it was clear that the problems that I was experiencing were only going to get worse. I can only believe that Michael is trying to deflect the attention from the fact that Mika beat him fair and square and he was therefore unable to help Eddie win the championship."

Ron Dennis
"An almost perfect weekend. Mika deserves his result - it was one of his best races, if not his best. David had to put the maximum pressure on the competition and in doing so made a mistake, which can happen to anyone. It was prudent to retire the car as it had developed a fault which was making the car very difficult to drive. The important thing is that in the most difficult circumstances the team excelled and both drivers did exactly what was asked them. Finally, whilst we are here in Japan enjoying our success, we must remember that without all the efforts of everybody in the company it is impossible to succeed. Well done everybody."

Norbert Haug
"A marvellous victory and title win by Mika Hakkinen. He has given the right answer on the track and has demonstrated that he is a worth double World Champion. For me this is a dream come true. Thanks to the team who put so much relentless effort into achieving this goal."


Minardi [start]

Luca Badoer
" I am happy to have given my contribution to the Team's steady improvement which allowed them to become closer to the times of the top cars. This bodes well for next year. It's also very pleasing to help them to achieve this 10th place in the Constructors' Championship which is so important for the Team."

Marc Gene
"I am sorry I failed to finish this last race and more because so far my car has proved to be always reliable. But I'm aware that it is not possible to finish all the races; I did a good start concentrating myself to overtake Takagi. I then was in the wake of Zonta's car keeping Fisichella behind me who was slower. My car was going very well and I, therefore, was doing my race pushing hard. Unfortunately I experienced a gearbox failure. I am, however, happy for the Team because we hit our target: we are tenth in the Constructors' Championship."

Gabriele Rumi
"The retirement of both drivers doesn't obscure the great job done by the Team. In the course of the year we concentrated all our efforts on the continuous development of the car and now that the Championship is over we feel satisfied to remain in the top ten thus proving our goal is confirmed for this season."

Giancarlo Minardi
"We lived this 15th season as a continuous progress improving both cars and the Team's organization as well. Now I can state that this staff is not second to anybody in terms of quality considering our engineers and mechanics' skills. I believe we really deserved this tenth place in the Constructors Championship."


Sauber [start]

Jean Alesi
This is fantastic! The car was strong today and my second pit stop was as beautiful as the Madonna. When Johnny came out of the pits after his stop, we were so close, side by side in the first corner, but we were both correct. After that, I worked hard to stay in front even though the grip of the rear tyres degraded massively in the final laps. I also lost time letting Mika and Eddie by, because I had to slow down too much. But we scored a point, and that is a fabulous way for me to say goodbye to the Red Bull Sauber Petronas team.

Pedro Diniz
"Because the balance of my car was not so good it was difficult race for me, but I am happy to finish in P11."

Peter Sauber
"Jean drove a strong race without any mistakes and this combined with perfect work by our pit crew, meant that the point scored today was earned on merit. It was a nice present from Jean to the whole team at the end of the season. Pedro brought his car home 11th, the best he could do with the handling problems the experienced."


Stewart [start]

Johnny Herbert and Rubens Barrichello finished seventh and eighth in the final race of the 1999 season at Suzuka - securing the Stewart-Ford team's fourth place in the Constructors' Championship.

Johnny Herbert
A mixture of disappointment and satisfaction?
"I was fighting to keep up with the pace for most of the race because I couldn't find enough low speed traction. I got in front of Jean Alesi after the first pit stop and found a bit of breathing space. However, for the second stop, I came in right behind one of the Arrows. The crew seemed to be caught out which meant that the stop was slow and I lost the advantage I had over Alesi and he rejoined in front of me. It was frustrating not to get a point but the main task was to hold onto fourth place in the Championship which we did. We have made a big improvement this season and laid solid foundations to be able to take a further step forward with Jaguar Racing next year."

Rubens Barrichello
What are your thoughts on the time you have spent with the team?
"It's been an absolute pleasure working with everyone in the Stewart-Ford team and I want to thank each and every one of them for the effort they have put in and for the belief they have shown in me. I want to say a special thanks to my engineers Andy Miller and Robin Gearing for the car they have given me this season. My aim was to help the team finish as high as possible in the Championship and I'm pleased that with the support of everyone in the team I was able to get the job done. I leave the Stewart-Ford team with nothing but sweet memories."

Paul Stewart : Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer
"In the race, Johnny was poised to pick up a point by staying ahead of Alesi at the second pit stop but unfortunately the stop didn't quite work out as planned. However, the most important goal for this race was to secure fourth place in the Constructors' Championship which we achieved. That makes me immensely proud of the whole Stewart-Ford team and everyone involved in this effort. To have accomplished this in only our third World Championship year is quite outstanding. Rubens has been an integral part of the team from the very beginning and has played a major role in lifting the team to where it is today. We wish him well in the future. This was the last race for Stewart-Ford and we look forward to an exciting new era with Jaguar Racing."

John Valentine :Chief Engineer, Ford Racing Research and Vehicle Technology
"Obviously we would've liked to finish in the points today but we still managed to maintain our fourth position in the Constructors' Championship. Stewart Grand Prix, Cosworth Racing, Visteon and Ford Racing have worked very hard this year to improve our overall performance and reliability trends. We are also very pleased with Rubens and Johnny for giving extra effort throughout the year. We are sorry to see Rubens leave the team and wish him all the best. As an organisation we are looking very much forward to build on the success this year in our new association with Jaguar for continuous improvement in the new millennium."


Prost [start]

Olivier Panis : Retired Lap 18
"We were going for a great race weekend, and I can't feel any other way than very disappointed after retiring. Since the middle of the season, in fact since Didier Cotton and Keke Rosberg have started to take care of my business, I was able to concentrate on my job as an F1 driver. Finally I could devote 100% on my work with my team and fight to win. For my last GP with the team I really wanted to do something special, and I was on the right track for that. I made a very good start and completed my 18 laps of the race in 3rd position. My car was feeling wonderful and everything was great until an alternator shaft failure just after my first pit-stop. This cut all the electrics on the car including those to the gear box. It's one of those things... I think I have proved during the second half of the season, that I am still a good driver and this will be helpful for my future. I take my hat off to all the team for all the work that has been done. We have progressed a lot in the last two years, which will give encouragement to all during the off-season. But they mustn't rest on their laurels - there is a lot of potential for next year, but also still a lot of work to be done."

Jarno Trulli : Retired Lap 4
"This morning I had a good feeling with my car, which was well balanced. Even though I broke my gear-box, I was 8th in the warm-up with one quick flying lap only. Before the race I did my installation lap and found that all was well with the car. During the formation lap, I made a start and felt immediately a problem with the clutch which gave me a lot of wheel spin. I lost two places and following that the engine seemed to lose power. During the fourth lap I had to stop for a reason we can't determine until we have stripped down the car."

Alain Prost
"In spite of everything we have finished the 1999 Formula 1 season on a high note. Olivier qualified in 6th, Jarno in 7th place. Olivier made a fantastic start, but sadly our reliability left us. Jarno had a problem that we haven't identified yet and Olivier a problem with the alternator. He can only be very frustrated for this afternoon's race because he could have hoped for a podium finish - I would have been very happy for him. Anyway the team is on the right track, but to combine performance and reliability we still have a lot of work to do. Thank you to all the team for this season of constant progression, even though at times it was not..."

Corrado Provera
"Olivier Panis missed the chance of our second podium position this season. His start was incredibly good and he completed a wonderful first part of the race until his alternator drive broke, which cut the signal to the gear box. Jarno Trulli's race was prematurely stopped because of an undetermined problem. The last GP of the season saw both Prost Peugeots qualify excellently on the grid but it ended sadly. Nevertheless with 9 points and a 2nd place in the European GP, the global result of the team is much better than last year. Peugeot Sport sincerely thanks Olivier Panis and Jarno Trulli for the professionalism and determination that they have shown during these last two years of racing, and wish them a lot of success in the future."


Williams [start]

Once again a mixed result for the Winfield WilliamsF1 drivers in the very last Grand Prix of the season. Ralf Schumacher achieved a strong fifth position adding two more points to his valuable tally for this season, which gives him sixth place in the final Drivers' Championship. Alex Zanardi had a sad end to quite an unlucky season, as he couldn't complete his very first lap due to an electrical problem.

Ralf Schumacher
"First of all I want to congratulate Mika Hakkinen, because it has been no easy job for him to win the championship. With regards to my race today, I had a good start but after that I had to stay behind Heinz Harald and, although I was generally quicker, it was not possible to overtake him. A fifth place is fine even if, of course, I was hoping that I could achieve something better, mostly to help my team in the Constructors' Championship. At the end, I want to thank the Winfield WilliamsF1 team for the good co-operation they gave me throughout the season. We now look forward to working next year together with BMW and I am quite sure that we will do a great job."

Alessandro Zanardi
"In my first lap I experienced an electrical problem that put too early an end to my race. The pitlane speed limiter activated itself and when I tried to release it the engine went into neutral and shut off, so all I could do was park the car. It's a pity because I was 9th at that moment, having gained five positions at the start and overtaken two more cars in the first half lap."

Frank Williams
"A fine end to the championship - disappointing for Ferrari but I think that McLaren and Mika overall looked like champions for most of the year. Ralf again did an outstanding job for us but we're very disappointed with Alex's lack of opportunity to race. I would like to congratulate Mika and McLaren on an outstanding Drivers' World Championship and the same to Ferrari for the Constructors', which is equally important, in my opinion."

Patrick Head : Technical Director
"Ralf drove a very good race and I think that we achieved the best result we could possibly expect considering the reliability of the cars in front of us. We are very sorry for Alex, who made a fantastic start but something electrical shut down right after and so he couldn't even complete a lap and we are sorry that he didn't have an opportunity to race. I am very pleased for Mika - I think he deserved the championship and perhaps the way it finished, with Ferrari winning the Constructors' and McLaren winning the Drivers', maybe there is some fairness. Anyway, it was a good result."


Bridgestone [start]

Finland's Mika Hakkinen, the World Champion driver of 1998, retained his title here today by taking an all-the-way victory in the final and deciding round of the FIA series. The 31 year old McLaren-Mercedes driver surged away from the start to beat the pole position Ferrari of Schumacher into second place, and that was how the two men finished after making their two planned refuelling stops. McLaren's chances of taking the constructors' championship looked good when David Coulthard succeeded in moving past Eddie Irvine's Ferrari into third place at the first pit stops, only to lose control of his car and sustain crash damage which would lead to his later withdrawal. With Schumacher and Irvine completing the race in 2nd and 3rd places, Ferrari thus made sure of the 1999 World Constructors' title, the first world title to come the way of the Scuderia and its drivers since 1983.

Yoshihiko Ichikawa : Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Manager
"Congratulations to both Mika Hakkinen and Ferrari on taking the titles in such a sporting contest. As expected, tyre degradation today was quite severe, but it did not affect the results because the teams were well prepared. Now we must turn to the winter test programme. We will be in Jerez during the first three days of December, moving to Barcelona on December 8, 9 and 10 when we plan to introduce both dry and wet tyres that conform with the 2000 specifications. There will be further tests during the third week of December, on a circuit still to be designated."

Steve Hallam : Chief Engineer, West McLaren Mercedes
"Today's result has brought us the drivers' championship, which has been won as the culmination of a whole year's work. Everybody at McLaren and Bridgestone who has taken part in this programme is to be congratulated. To do this job takes a huge amount of effort and commitment, on both the personal and technical levels. We have had a great day and it was a fabulous race: not only are we overjoyed but we are exhausted, too. I am sorry for David not finishing because without his enforced withdrawal we might have been within sight of the constructors' title."
Jean Todt : Team Principal, Scuderia Ferrari
"After so many years without the ultimate success, we are delighted to have concluded this season by winning the Constructors' World Championship title in collaboration with Bridgestone, a company with which we found a very good working rapport. We look forward to doing even better together next year."

Japanese Grand Prix Weekend