Formula One: Hockenheim's tale of the unexpected ruins BAR Honda's hopes
31 July 2000
Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda had been confident of a good showing in this afternoon's German Grand Prix. However, hopes of continuing the team's run of consecutive fourth place finishes were ended by a combination of bizarre incidents that created one of the most unpredictable Grand Prix of recent years. Jacques Villeneuve looked to be set for another points-scoring result, but ultimately he finished eighth, while team mate Ricardo Zonta was running fourth until an accident seven laps from home. The race seemed to be following a familiar pattern until half-distance. Villeneuve had made another good start to climb to sixth place on the first lap, but running with full fuel tanks, the Canadian was unable to stay ahead of those drivers planning two stops. Zonta had also made progress from 12th on the grid to lie just behind his team mate. The team's strategy was identical to that used so successfully in Austria a fortnight ago, to start with full tanks and to run as long as possible with a lean fuel mixture. Today's plan was to run well past mid-distance, giving both drivers the chance to take advantage of a light fuel load to make up ground over rivals who had had to stop earlier. On lap 25, however, BAR Honda's plan was ruined as the Safety Car was deployed for the marshals to remove an over-enthusiastic fan who had run onto the track. Many cars made for the pits, including both BAR Honda drivers, as it would have made no sense to stay out longer. Then on lap 30, with Villeneuve seventh and Zonta eighth, the Safety Car was out again, this time to allow the marshals to clear debris from a high-speed crash, after which the field again closed up. Two laps later the rain arrived, throwing the whole race into a state of confusion. The BAR Honda drivers came together at the first corner, the touch inducing a spin for Villeneuve that cost the Canadian two places. Some drivers, including Villeneuve, pitted for wet tyres soon after, while others chose to stay out, including Zonta and eventual race winner, Rubens Barrichello. Zonta coped well with the increasingly difficult conditions and was holding fourth place when he lost control and ended up in the gravel in the Stadium section. Villeneuve continued on wets, taking the flag in eighth place. Jacques Villeneuve Position: 8th "The car was quite easy to drive, but the first half of the race was very difficult because the set-up we chose for today did not maximise the straight-line speed. The strategy was beginning to pay off, however and but for the incident with my team mate, we would have scored some more points." Ricardo Zonta DNF - Lap 38 "I'm very sorry for what happened with my team mate because we could both have scored points today. I had an opportunity to pass him at the first corner, but unfortunately my front wheel clipped his rear wheel, making him spin. The team told me I had a penalty and I lost concentration for a moment. I was on dry tyres in the wet conditions, I locked the brakes and skidded off the track." Takefumi Hosaka - Managing Director, Honda R&D "It was a very poor race, but the team coped very well with the unexpected stops. The incident between Jacques and Ricardo was typical of a frustrating and disappointing weekend." Craig Pollock - Managing Director, British American Racing "The teamwork during the race from all the mechanics and engineers was cohesive, good and professional, and the result today does not reflect the true potential of the team. Given the conditions and our race strategy, potentially we had fourth and fifth places in sight. We look forward to a better result in Budapest." Jordan Mugen Honda had threatened a great result for much of the race. Jarno Trulli started sixth, made a good start and was up to third place by mid-distance. A possible podium finish was removed from his grasp by a combination of the weather and a stop-go penalty, the Italian finally finishing ninth. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was 17th on the grid, but he too made a fine get-away. The German crowd, robbed of Michael Schumacher after he was eliminated in a first corner incident, now gave its support to Frentzen. As the rain came down, he elected to stay out on dry tyres and was lying second with just six laps remaining before an electrical problem forced his retirement. The Formula One teams head to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix in a fortnight, Sunday 13 August. Championship Standings after 11 of 17 rounds DRIVERS 1 M Schumacher Ferrari 56 2 Coulthard McLaren 54 = Hakkinen McLaren 54 4 Barrichello Ferrari 46 5 Fisichella Benetton 18 6 R Schumacher Williams 14 7 Villeneuve BAR Honda 11 9 Trulli Jordan-Mugen Honda 6 11 Frentzen Jordan-Mugen Honda 5 CONSTRUCTORS 1 Ferrari 102 2 McLaren-Mercedes 98 3 Williams-BMW 22 4 Benetton-Playlife 18 5 BAR Honda 12 6 Jordan Mugen-Honda 11 7 Sauber 6 8 Arrows 4 9 Jaguar 3