Formula One: High revs and high speeds as Honda heads for Hockenheim
25 July 2000
Boosted by two consecutive fourth place finishes, Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda heads to Hockenheim for this weekend's German Grand Prix in confident mood. Having claimed six points in the last month, BAR Honda has moved into fifth place in the World Constructors' Championship and is currently showing the best form among the ultra-competitive midfield outfits. Hockenheim is the neither the fastest (Monza) nor the longest (Spa) track on the Formula One calendar; yet it is one of the most exhilarating for the drivers and challenging for the engineers. It is a series of long, fast straights punctuated by slow chicanes. The ensuing acceleration and top speed requirements place huge demands on engine performance, as the throttle is fully open for almost 60 per cent of the lap. The set-up of a car, however, is also critical for a good lap time. Teams will strive to find a balance between the low downforce settings needed for straight-line speed and the handling requirements of the tricky stadium section. With this in mind, BAR Honda spent two and a half days testing at Silverstone last week, Ricardo Zonta and test driver Darren Manning undertaking much of the preparation work for Germany. As well as experimenting with low downforce settings to generate maximum straight-line speed, the car was fitted with the latest specification Honda RA000E engine throughout the test. The new V10 worked very well with no problems and consequently the engine will make its race debut at Hockenheim. Willkommen nach www.honda-racing.net - Bienvenue à www.honda-racing.net The German Grand Prix will mark the launch into four languages of Honda's official website - www.honda-racing.net. Starting with the reports of each day's activity from Hockenheim, fans will be able to find race reports, driver quotes, digital photography and statistics relating to Honda's Formula One programme in English, Japanese, French and German. Hockenheim Located in south central Germany between Frankfurt and Stuttgart, Hockenheim first hosted a Grand Prix in 1970 and, apart from 1985 (when the Nürburgring obliged), the circuit has hosted the German Grand Prix on an annual basis. Although famed for its straights, the tight infield section houses the majority of spectators, creating an electric atmosphere as the cars enter the 'stadium' arena. Honda in Germany Honda has a proud record of success in Germany, claiming five race wins in succession and a further six podium finishes, all of them coming at Hockenheim. Nelson Piquet started the sequence in 1986 with Williams-Honda, while team mate Nigel Mansell took third place. Piquet repeated his win the following year en route to a third world title, while Ayrton Senna's Lotus-Honda completed the podium. The masterful Brazilian was to dominate the Hockenheim race for the next three years, claiming a hatrick of Honda-powered victories in his McLaren and leaving team mates trailing in his wake. Alain Prost initially played the supporting role, twice finishing runner-up, while Gerhard Berger could fare no better than a third place in 1990. Information Circuit Name Hockenheim Circuit Length 6.823km/4.240miles Lap Record David Coulthard 1:45.270 (McLaren Mercedes, 1999) Timetable (all times are local, CET is the same, UK time is one hour behind) Friday Free Practice: 11.00-12.00 & 13.00-14.00 Saturday Free Practice: 09.00-09.45 & 10.15-11.00 Qualifying: 13.00-14.00 Sunday Warm-up: 09.30-10.00 Race (45 laps): 14.00 1999 Results Winner Irvine (Ferrari) 1hr 21min 58.594sec Average Speed 224.723km/h Fastest Lap Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) 1.45.270 Pole Position Hakkinen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1.42.950 BAR 1999 Jacques Villeneuve Qualified: 12th Race: DNF Ricardo Zonta Qualified: 18th Race: DNF Previous German GP winners Hakkinen (98), Berger (98/94), Hill (96), Schumacher (95), Prost (94), Mansell (92/91) Honda in Germany Grands Prix: 13 Wins: 5 (Senna 90/89/88, Piquet 87/86) Podiums: 11 Honda F1 winners Senna 32, Mansell 13, Prost 11, Piquet 7, Berger & Rosberg 3, Ginther & Surtees 1 Team wins powered by Honda McLaren-Honda 44 - Williams-Honda 23 - Honda 2 - Lotus-Honda 2 2000 BAR Honda Results Jacques Villeneuve Aus Q8, R4 - Brz Q10, DNF - SM Q9, R5 - GB Q10, DNF - SP Q6, DNF - EUR Q9, DNF - MON Q17, R7 - CAN Q6, DNF - FRA Q7, R4 - AUS Q7, R4 Ricardo Zonta Aus Q16, R6 - Brz Q8, R9 - SM Q14, R12 - GB Q16, DNF - SP Q16, R8 - EUR Q18, DNF - MON Q20, DNF - CAN Q8, R8 - FRA Q19, DNF - AUS Q6, DNF 2000 Jordan Mugen-Honda Heinz-Harald Frentzen Aus Q5, DNF - Brz Q7, R3 - SM Q6, DNF - GB Q2, DNF - SP Q8, R6 - EUR Q10, DNF - MON Q4, DNF - CAN Q5, DNF - Q8, R7 - AUS Q15, DNF Jarno Trulli Aus Q6, DNF - Brz Q12, R4 - SM Q8, DNF - GB Q11, R6 - SP Q7, R12 - EUR Q6, DNF - MON Q2, DNF - CAN Q7, R6 - FRA Q9, R6 - AUS Q5, DNF 2000 Points Jacques Villeneuve - 11 Ricardo Zonta - 1 Heinz-Harald Frentzen - 5 Jarno Trulli - 6