---

Formula One: Stewart Ford Racing News, Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying Notes

30 October 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Suzuka, Saturday 30th October, 1999
STEWART-FORD NOTES & QUOTES
Japanese Grand Prix: Qualifying

Weather: Sunny

(Ambient temperature 23 deg C, track temperature 28 deg C)

Johnny Herbert will start Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix - the final race of the 1999 season from eighth place on the grid. Rubens Barrichello will line up in 13th position.

JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-06)

Time: 1:39.706 Position: eighth

Are you satisfied with eighth position?

'I thought a spot in the top six was within reach, but we didn't seem to be able to find as much improvement from this morning as some of our rivals. In some cases that was half a second. I was struggling for grip in the low speed corners which is where I lost time. From a team perspective, it's important that I'm ahead of Ralf Schumacher given the Championship points standings. I have been happy with the way the car has worked in race trim so it's going to be interesting tomorrow. We could have done without the two Prosts finishing ahead of us but all credit to them.'

RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04)

Time: 1:40.140 Position: 13th

A very eventful session?

'I did not get one clear run during the whole session. On my first run I caught yellow flags after Ralf Schumacher went off. On my second the car developed a water leak and I had to go out in the spare car which was just not working anywhere near as well. When I went back out for my final run in the race car. I had to slow because of Alesi and Hakkinen spinning in front of me on my last flying lap. With the time I did this morning I was confident of a time around 1:39.00 which is where we thought we should have been all weekend. I really wanted to make my last qualifying session with the Stewart-Ford team a special one. I am upset for the whole team that things didn't go my way today.'

PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer

'Rubens wasn't able to get any flow going during the session given the problems he had. Johnny did a good job in finding time as the session progressed. We still have a chance of scoring points from this race - which was our objective this weekend.'

TYRONE JOHNSON, Technical Manager

Ford Racing Research and Vehicle Technology

'From a Championship perspective the good news is that Johnny qualified in front of Ralf Schumacher's Williams. However we had hoped to have both cars in the top six for the final race of 1999. Fresh Series 3 engines will be fitted overnight and everybody in the Stewart-Ford team will be hoping that we can maintain our fourth place in the 1999 Constructors' Championship.'

Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.