1999 French GP

OSRN 1

Round 7 of the 1999 F1 season at Magny Cours.

Transcript

00:00:00The French Grand Prix has always given home field advantage to Alain Prost.

00:00:05The four-time world champion driver has scored six of his record 51 Grand Prix victories

00:00:11on French soil.

00:00:12At the end of 96, Prost became a team owner and today returns to Magny Cours in that role

00:00:18for the third time.

00:00:19The crowds will cheer a French chassis with a French engine bearing the name of France's

00:00:23greatest driver ever.

00:00:25And today, they have their best ever start, a Prost will line up on row two.

00:00:32Welcome to Fox Sportsnet coverage of FIA World Championship Formula One Racing, round

00:00:59seven, the Grand Prix of France.

00:01:01I'm Mike Choi, alongside five-time Le Mans winner and former Ferrari Formula One driver

00:01:06Derek Bell, and joining us from the pit lane, former Formula One team manager, currently

00:01:10with F1 Racing magazine, Peter Windsor.

00:01:15Formation laps, Derek, underway on a thankfully dry racetrack, it looks like.

00:01:19Yes, I think it'll be a little bit green.

00:01:20There was so much rain the last 24 hours, but obviously, it looks pretty good today.

00:01:24It probably means that those traps are going to be very hard and very wet, and so the cars

00:01:28aren't going to slow down much in them.

00:01:30There is rain in the forecast, so it's a dodgy day for round seven of the World Championship.

00:01:36The driver standings took a turn in Canada, with Mika Hakanen now four points ahead of

00:01:41Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, Schumacher's Ferrari teammate, five more back, then Heinz

00:01:46Harald Frentzen, who scored no points in Canada, Fisichella, Ralph Schumacher, and David Coulthard.

00:01:52McLaren closed in on Ferrari, now just nine points back, 55 to 46, then Jordan, Benetton,

00:01:58Enfield, and Stewart.

00:02:00Well, if you like action, and you like NASCAR-style racing, you had to love the Canadian Grand

00:02:07Prix.

00:02:08Let's look at the highlights.

00:02:09Well, it was Michael Schumacher that actually stormed and took pole ahead of Hakanen for

00:02:14the first time.

00:02:15A clean start so far, but inevitably, it was a truly bad time for Truly.

00:02:18Here he goes right through the middle, takes out Barry Keller and John Alesi, not at all

00:02:23happy with that.

00:02:24John Alesi has a chat with Alan Frost and says what was happening out there, but the

00:02:27restart, Michael Schumacher, he goes away, pulls a little bit away from Mika Hakanen,

00:02:32but they were very close the whole time.

00:02:34But Michael on lap 30, having let it, winds himself into the wall, lets Mika Hakanen really

00:02:39sort of take the lead away, but he wasn't the only one in the wall.

00:02:43Three world champions, that's Jacques Villeneuve, all went in the wall at the restart, again,

00:02:47it's Irvine and Coulthard clipping one another.

00:02:50Eddie had a storming drive from eighth up to third place here, getting past Johnny Herbert.

00:02:54Some lurid slides going on, but poor old Heinz Hauer-Frenzen was due to settle for

00:02:58a very good second place.

00:03:00He has a disc brake and in the wall he goes.

00:03:02Mika Hakanen wins the race, Heinz Hauer-Frenzen's fine, but let's just go and hear what Mika

00:03:07Hakanen has to say at the press conference.

00:03:10I saw Michael going up, and I don't know exactly what happened, but it turned out to be very

00:03:18good for me.

00:03:20That's racing.

00:03:24And here I am, won the race, great feeling.

00:03:28Damon Hill out on his formation lap in the Jordan, Jarno Trulli, did he just run out

00:03:32of a racetrack, or just too bold a move, Derek?

00:03:35I'm a little bit bold, a little bit of brain fade, I fear.

00:03:38Well, perhaps so.

00:03:40There has been a lot of news in these ensuing two weeks, and all of the teams, but Arrows

00:03:45and Minardi, tested here at Manicour last week.

00:03:48And some of that news deals with this man, the former world champion, Damon Hill.

00:03:53Let's go to Peter in the pit lane, and get caught up on what's happened these last two

00:03:57weeks.

00:03:58Big news for Manicour is that Damon Hill has announced his retirement from Formula 1.

00:04:02Not immediately, he intends to see the season out, although he has left the door open for

00:04:06an early retirement, perhaps as soon as the British Grand Prix.

00:04:09Depends really on how Damon goes in these next two races.

00:04:12He's an honorable man, he wants to do the best possible job for Jordan Grand Prix, get

00:04:16them the best possible finish in the World Constructors' Championship, but if he's not

00:04:19pulling his weight, or he feels he's not pulling his weight, he will stand to one side.

00:04:22His most logical replacement is Mick Asalo, he's currently unemployed, he did a great

00:04:27job for BAR, standing in for Ricciardo Zonta, but Shinji Nakano, the wealthy Japanese, has

00:04:31been hanging around the Jordan motorhome, he's a possibility as well.

00:04:35Eddie Irvine, of course, would be a beneficiary of this.

00:04:38At least he'll be able to get his money up if he does stay at Ferrari, he'll be able

00:04:41to trade the Jordan situation.

00:04:43He might even end up in that Jordan, let's wait and see what happens there.

00:04:46Bernie Eccleston is back in business after his triple heart bypass operation, he came

00:04:50out of hospital, perhaps overdid it a little bit, as Bernie would, had to go back for a

00:04:54quick check-up, now he's out again, and raring to go.

00:04:57Lots of business deals in the offing, and everybody who's seen him says he's bigger

00:05:00and better than ever.

00:05:01Finally, good news for Pedro Diniz, his family is ranked in the Forbes wealthiest family

00:05:06listings currently in that edition, the Diniz family comes in at a cool 1.1 billion dollars,

00:05:13not bad.

00:05:14Back to you.

00:05:15Thank you, Peter, Michael Schumacher coming back in after a reconnaissance lap, you notice

00:05:19that the five teams that rely heavily on tobacco funding don't have any of those logos

00:05:25on the cars, that's French law, as John Alesi, who will start from the second position, has

00:05:30a look over things after one of his reconnaissance laps.

00:05:34Our Toyota pre-race continues, and we'll have a look at a Lauren qualifying session in heavy

00:05:39rain yesterday, and topsy-turvy results from qualifying when we come back.

00:05:50Reconnaissance laps continue for the French Grand Prix as our Toyota pre-race winds along,

00:05:56that's Eddie Irvine coming back to the attention of the Ferrari crew, he was the final car

00:06:01to earn a qualifying berth within the 107% rule, and he will line up 17th today.

00:06:07Derek, the circuit here at Manicour looks like it has something for everyone, quite

00:06:12a combination of really fast corners and really tight hairpins.

00:06:15Well, it's 2.6 miles, Mike, and of course it happens to be the circuit that Prost used

00:06:19for all their testing and development, hence they're looking rather good here in the wet

00:06:22conditions.

00:06:23It's very smooth circuit, and we're going to do a lap now with John Alesi as we come

00:06:27out of the final turn onto the pit straight, he'll work his way across to the right-hand

00:06:31side for the Grand Curve, putting 170 miles an hour in 5th gear as he works his way down

00:06:35through here, and of course he comes right down to Estoril corner, 4th gear corner, 130

00:06:40miles an hour, very nice line through there, very, very smooth, physically a lot easier

00:06:45on the drivers than most circuits, because it is so smooth, they can run the car a lot

00:06:49lower than they normally would do, because of the smoothness of the circuit.

00:06:54Here we're coming down into Adelaide hairpin, very slow corner, 1st gear, 40 miles an hour,

00:06:59as they work their way out of there, up through 4th gear, 140 miles an hour, through this

00:07:04little kink, not really much of a corner, and then 160 as he brakes, he goes for the

00:07:09Nürburgring right and left, 130 miles an hour on the exit of that, and here he comes

00:07:13into the 180, 2nd gear corner, look at 1.9 G, not too violent G-forces here, because

00:07:19the circuit is so smooth, working his way up to 175, 180 miles an hour, look just how

00:07:25smooth that car is, flicks through the end of the right and left, comes out of there

00:07:28at 140 miles an hour, 4th gear, slowing it all down as he comes into Chateau d'Eau, tries

00:07:33to get traction as he comes out, not difficult on this circuit because of the lack of bumps,

00:07:38works his way again up to 165 miles an hour for the chicane, comes through there very

00:07:42gently in 3rd gear, 2nd gear, into the Lycee hairpin, that was the lap with Jean Alessi.

00:07:50Huge crowd on hand as the mechanics continue to attend to these cars during our Toyota

00:07:54pre-race and the reconnaissance laps continue.

00:08:00Well they practiced Friday in the dry, it looks like they'll race today in the dry,

00:08:04but qualifying yesterday, well there was nothing dry to be found anywhere at the circuit, and

00:08:10the results, well pretty upside down Derek.

00:08:13It was a very very very wet day in qualifying, the fans, the enthusiastic fans sat there,

00:08:18stood there, chanted, didn't get much result, but the day before, Friday, look at Jean Alessi,

00:08:23he had an awful incident, just shows how good these safety features are these days, rolls

00:08:28the car but he was unhurt, he was the first one out on Saturday morning, or Saturday afternoon

00:08:33in qualifying, Rubens Barrichello then comes out, he sets a time that nobody else could

00:08:37set, meanwhile Hakkinen and Coulthard stand there thinking, oh well we'll go out in a

00:08:41minute, Michael Schumacher doesn't know what to do either, they should have gone out sooner,

00:08:45when they go out it's really wet as you can tell, Zanardi slides off the road, Damon Hill

00:08:50has quite a big spin, and Johnny Herbert, he had one too, he goes off and had to walk

00:08:54back, it was terrible conditions on those guys, they should have gone out early, Michael

00:08:58Schumacher and the boys take to the sand, but they should have gone out, but it was

00:09:02Mika Hakkinen that gets in there, and he's way way down, he's in 14th place at the end,

00:09:07he must have been a very disappointed man, let's go and listen to Rubens Barrichello.

00:09:10You know I must push on this lap, because it could be now or never, and it was getting

00:09:15quite tricky at the time, but I managed to do a very good lap, and it makes me so pleased

00:09:22for me and for the whole team.

00:09:24It was a jubilant Jackie Stewart, talk to Peter.

00:09:28The most spectacular qualifying session of the year so far, in the wet, Jackie congratulations,

00:09:34first pole position for Rubens Barrichello in a Stewart Ford, you must be delighted,

00:09:38you sent him out quite early, that looked like a little bit as if it was a Jackie Stewart

00:09:41type trick.

00:09:42Well I said that we should definitely go out early, because if the weather conditions changed

00:09:48it was only going to get better if we did a fast time early on and got it in the bag,

00:09:55if the track conditions had changed for the better we were still in a position like everybody

00:09:59else to get a time, but if the weather worsened we were going to be in very good shape and

00:10:03that's exactly what happened.

00:10:06So the story of qualifying was when you went on the track and what you did with it, we'll

00:10:10have the complete run down for you a little later on, but interesting strategy by Salber

00:10:14and by Stewart.

00:10:16Michael Schumacher just completed a reconnaissance lap, came to the pit, stopped in front of

00:10:20the Ferrari mechanics, selected a gear and went right back out again without any attention

00:10:24to the car.

00:10:25Yeah well of course he has to come in and stop, you're not allowed to do a complete

00:10:27lap by rolling, but it is an interesting thing to notice in fact that Schumacher and Irvine

00:10:32and everybody were testing here just the other day for two or three days testing.

00:10:37When they went out on Friday morning Schumacher and Irvine did not go out at all during that

00:10:41session.

00:10:42In the afternoon Michael had some brake problems, Hakanen was confidently on pole, or what you

00:10:46call pole, fastest lap.

00:10:48Michael goes out in the last five minutes and knocks three tenths off Hakanen's time.

00:10:52Alright reconnaissance laps continue as we go to Peter Windsor, who tells us that some

00:10:57of the advances in Formula 1 are apparent in every car's performance and some are very,

00:11:01very subtle.

00:11:02Peter?

00:11:03What is this red light glowing inside the helmet of Steve Bird, the Williams refueler?

00:11:09Well it's hardwired to the fuel rig and it glows red when enough fuel has gone in the

00:11:13car.

00:11:14Obviously the fuel rig's programmed.

00:11:15Now if there's about seven seconds worth of fuel going in, if you time it during a pit

00:11:18stop you can be pretty sure that means that car's on a two-stop strategy.

00:11:22It's around nine seconds worth of fuel, a one-stop strategy.

00:11:25But don't start timing until he's actually got the fuel neck in place.

00:11:28We've had a lot of emails from viewers about these metal strips that are bolted into the

00:11:31tarmac here for the pit stops during the race.

00:11:34They're bolted in whilst the car's sitting on the grid right now.

00:11:36Well that's because racing cars, like road cars, develop a lot of static electricity

00:11:40when they're in motion.

00:11:42The last thing you need is a spark, of course, during a refueling stop.

00:11:45So these are bolted to the ground, they act as an earth, and they're earthed all the way

00:11:48to the front of the garage.

00:11:49Well at least they didn't make Peter take the fox off his shirt.

00:11:54You notice the McLarens have David and Mika on the side, rather than the sponsor name.

00:11:59But we get set to go, Luca Barreiro will start from the last row on the grid, along with

00:12:04his teammate Marc Genet today.

00:12:07When we come back, after Canada, Derek and I went and had our first look at the new Formula

00:12:13One circuit at Indianapolis.

00:12:15You'll have your first look at it, after this.

00:12:19Welcome back to Fox Sportsnet coverage of the Grand Prix of France.

00:12:26Our Toyota pre-race coverage continues as the Ferrari crew is busy at work.

00:12:33It is only 68 degrees here at the circuit, track temperature the same, 65% humidity and

00:12:39a better than 50-50 chance of rain, little light breeze now out of the very variable.

00:12:44If you have comments about our telecast, we'd like to hear from you.

00:12:52Our e-mail address is formula1atfoxsports.net.

00:12:57Send us your questions or your comments.

00:13:00We'll be back in two weeks at 10 a.m. your local time with the Grand Prix of Britain

00:13:04on Fox Sportsnet, also Austria the 25th.

00:13:07In August, we'll go to Germany, Hungary and Belgium.

00:13:11All of these will start at 10 a.m. your local time.

00:13:14Italy in the Nürburgring in September, Malaysia October 17th and then live coverage of the

00:13:19curtain closer to the Grand Prix of Japan on October 30th.

00:13:23At Williams, they've adorned the driver's suits in the cars with Williams rather than

00:13:29the Winfield Australian cigarette brand as part of the French no tobacco advertising

00:13:34at sporting events ban, which is spreading throughout Europe and gaining momentum towards

00:13:402003 when it becomes pretty final.

00:13:43Well, two weeks ago at Canada, inexperienced and world champion drivers found themselves

00:13:50in the catch fence.

00:13:51Was there a common cause?

00:13:53Peter Windsor has a look.

00:13:56It was Ralph Schumacher on Saturday, it was Ricardo Zonta, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill

00:14:12and Jack Villeneuve on Sunday.

00:14:14They all hit the wall in Montreal.

00:14:16Was it the drivers?

00:14:17Was it the track?

00:14:18Or is it the new breed of current Grand Prix car?

00:14:21We spoke to two drivers with very different opinions.

00:14:23The track conditions were terrible really.

00:14:26We've been there a number of times now and they remain with this silly system of putting

00:14:31turf down and like a month beforehand and hoping that it will actually bite into the

00:14:35ground.

00:14:36So of course all the cars run over the back of the kerb, pulls the dirt onto the track.

00:14:40I think it's just the way the cars are at the moment, they're such a fine age now and

00:14:47you know you can just push it very, very slightly too much.

00:14:50In other words, it's a bit of everything.

00:14:52There's no doubt however that by any standards these Grand Prix cars are extremely difficult

00:14:56to drive.

00:14:57They're narrow track, hard tyre, 800 horsepower, the balance changes virtually by the minute.

00:15:02Some teams are even resorting to running very, very low tyre pressures around 15 to 17 PSI,

00:15:07much lower than the normal 21 to 23 PSI we're used to.

00:15:11It's very difficult.

00:15:12They're all looking to soften this edge of performance.

00:15:15Some teams of course are doing a better job than others, as we saw in Canada.

00:15:19In fact, for Canada's favourite son, it was not a good weekend.

00:15:23I can't help but think that it is something to do with the conditions on that corner,

00:15:27because you have three world champions go off in one corner means the conditions are

00:15:30pretty low.

00:15:31And something we've not seen at any other circuit, as Michael Schumacher has a walk

00:15:35back from a quick kidney break prior to the start of today's French Grand Prix.

00:15:39Well, we've been to Indianapolis.

00:15:42Derek and I met up there Monday after the Canadian Grand Prix to have a look at the

00:15:46brand new Formula One circuit being constructed there.

00:15:57Today we'll take our first look at the challenges the drivers will face September 2000 on the

00:16:022.61 mile, 13 turn Indianapolis Formula One course.

00:16:07Today Derek has a look at turns one through seven.

00:16:09Well, as we run down the very famous Indianapolis straight, clockwise, the opposite direction

00:16:15to normal, we're pulling up to 215 or more miles an hour, faster than any other circuit

00:16:20in the World Series.

00:16:22As we enter turn one, I was able to catch up with Kevin Forbes, the track architect.

00:16:28So we've come off the oval into turn one, where we're going around 200 miles an hour,

00:16:32down to some slower speeds.

00:16:33Kevin, just take me through these corners here, two through seven, and just show us

00:16:37what sort of speeds they're pulling, do you think?

00:16:39Well, as they drop into turn one right here, they're going to be going from that 200 mile

00:16:43an hour right down to 70, very heartbreaking, very quickly into that sharp right-hand corner.

00:16:49And then as they go through this series of corners right here that's inside the fourth

00:16:53turn of the oval, they will be going from a low of 70 to probably in the mid-160 miles

00:16:59an hour.

00:17:00And probably, Derek, my guess is they're going to be, depending upon the team's setup, they're

00:17:05probably looking at maybe second, third, and fourth gears in this series of turns.

00:17:09Now, tickets are not yet on sale, but you can get ticket information and ordering forms

00:17:18at the 800 number on your screen or by emailing tickets at brickyard.com.

00:17:23The official on-sale date is October 1st.

00:17:25Ticket prices should be comparable to the Indy 500, which will make them a bargain among

00:17:30Grand Prix races.

00:17:31Absolutely.

00:17:32And it's going to be an intriguing race anyway, I think, to set a car up for the twists and

00:17:36turns and that very high-speed circuit.

00:17:38There's a lot of development going on in that area.

00:17:4017 jumbo screens and very, very good spectator sight lines for most of the area around the

00:17:46course.

00:17:47We can't wait for September 2000.

00:17:52Closing down on the start of the French Grand Prix as our Toyota pre-race continues, we'll

00:17:57go Formula One-on-One with Jarno Trulli when we come back.

00:18:04Welcome back to our Toyota pre-race.

00:18:07The Prost crew continues to make last-minute preparation.

00:18:10Olivier Penney will start third.

00:18:12That is the highest that a Prost chassis has started in the three years since Alain Prost

00:18:18formed this team.

00:18:19So he hopes for great things today.

00:18:22His teammate, Jarno Trulli, however, may feel a bit of the pressure as we go Formula One-on-One.

00:18:29Peter Winsor is with him to ask, is there a lot of pressure driving for Prost here in

00:18:33France?

00:18:34Everybody has a lot of pressure in our team because it's a French team, we are at the

00:18:40French Grand Prix, and everybody is expecting a lot from us, even because this is the second

00:18:46season and we are expecting a lot of good results, which we didn't get until now, so

00:18:54we shall see.

00:18:55It's a really tough race.

00:18:56There will be a lot of stress, but we try to end it as well as possible.

00:19:01Let's go very briefly back to Canada, there was obviously that accident at the start,

00:19:05you were involved.

00:19:06How was it from your point of view?

00:19:08I haven't mentioned a bit about him.

00:19:10France has got a bad start, and I was completely on my right side, and I didn't expect he was

00:19:17moving so quickly on my side, on my trajectory, so I just had to avoid him, and to avoid him

00:19:23I caused a crash.

00:19:26But would you describe yourself as a driver that if you see a gap, you are a racer and

00:19:30you like to go for that gap, you are not afraid to overtake.

00:19:34I'm not saying you take risks, but do you think you are quite an aggressive driver in

00:19:37traffic?

00:19:38Yes, in this kind of Formula One you must be, even because everybody is complaining

00:19:43about the show, and if you want to really see a show, you need to attack, you need to

00:19:48get the position, you need to overtake, and you need to take some more risks.

00:19:53There's a lot of criticism and comment about the cars, the way they are to drive at the

00:19:57moment.

00:19:58They are very, very difficult to drive, on a knife edge.

00:20:02Honestly I always expect myself to drive different conditions or different cars, so at the moment

00:20:08I feel alright, even driving this car.

00:20:11They are a little bit more difficult to drive, more slippery, really sensitive, so the set-up

00:20:18is really, really important.

00:20:20Well, a very talented driver, but I think two failures within 300 yards at the start

00:20:25of the Canadian Grand Prix leads to a certain amount of brain fade myself, Mike.

00:20:30I would agree, Derek.

00:20:32Interesting as we see Riccardo Zonta, how some of the teams have coped with the tobacco

00:20:36advertising ban.

00:20:37Most of them, like B.A.R. in that beautifully liveried car, split down the middle, as are

00:20:42the crew uniforms, just take the names off.

00:20:45Others like the Jordans have gone to Buzz and Hornets on the side.

00:20:48There's Johnny Herbert making a last-minute adjustment to his helmet visor.

00:20:53Playing great for today's race, as Herbert Stewart for teammate Rubens Barrichello,

00:20:57second career pole, and the first for Stewart.

00:21:00And Jean Alési alongside him, very excited, first time on the front in the French Grand

00:21:04Prix for 10 years.

00:21:05Olivier Penny, we mentioned, is the highest qualified Prost Peugeot ever, he'll start

00:21:10third.

00:21:11David Coulthard, I thought, did an outstanding job considering his time was done in the second

00:21:14group in the real reign.

00:21:17Heinz-Harald Frensen, none the worse for wear, after his Canadian Grand Prix crash, will

00:21:20line up fifth and could win it.

00:21:22And Michael Schumacher's worst grip position since 96, not at all good, he wasn't happy.

00:21:27Giancarlo Fisichella is the quicker of the two Benettons, he'll line up seventh.

00:21:31And Jarno Trulli there, doing a very fine job as well.

00:21:35And there's Johnny Herbert, both of the Stewarts will line up in the top ten today.

00:21:39Zonto doing a great job ahead of Jacques Villeneuve, as he has been most of the weekend.

00:21:44Pedro Denis, well back of Jean Alési today, he will start 11th.

00:21:48As I said, Jacques Villeneuve, I'm sure, would prefer to be ahead of Mr. Zonto at this moment.

00:21:52And what's happened to Alexander Wurz?

00:21:53Nothing like his debut season, he will start 13th today.

00:21:56And Mika Hakkinen having his worst ever grid position.

00:22:00Not at all good for Mika, not happy either, he can't do much from there.

00:22:04Alex Zanardi continues to struggle, had a spin in qualifying, he'll be 15th in the Williams.

00:22:09And Ralph Schumacher can't be happy being behind Zanardi and being that far back on

00:22:12the grid.

00:22:13Talk about unhappy, how would you like to be Eddie Irvine, who will start 17th today

00:22:17in the Ferrari.

00:22:19Now the rest of these drivers, beginning with Damon Hill, was just two hundredths of a second

00:22:24off the 107% requirement.

00:22:26So he, along with Pedro De La Rosa and Tora Takagi in the Arrows, and Menardi drivers,

00:22:32Luca Badua and Marc Genet, have all been added to the field by the organizers as provisional

00:22:38starters due to the heavy rain and the conditions in qualifying yesterday.

00:22:44All five of those cars were added.

00:22:47So we'll have a full complement of 22 cars on the starting grid.

00:22:52A sellout crowd, over 100,000 fans expected today for the French Grand Prix.

00:22:58They're finding their seats.

00:22:59Start coming up next.

00:23:11Welcome back to our Fox Sports coverage of the Grand Prix of France.

00:23:15You're watching John Lacey getting well wishes from his Sauber crew there, as he'll carry

00:23:19the on-board camera today.

00:23:24Point standings coming into this race.

00:23:26There's world champion Mika Hakanen, who is the point leader now, four points ahead of

00:23:30Michael Schumacher.

00:23:31Then Eddie Irvine, Heinz-Ernst Frentzen, Giancarlo Fisichella, Ralph Schumacher, and David Coulthard.

00:23:38Formation lap underway.

00:23:40Here on a, thankfully, dry but green racetrack, Ferrari nine points up in the Manufacturer's

00:23:45or Constructor's Championship.

00:23:48Jordan, Benetton, Williams, Stewart, the top six.

00:23:55Race strategy today, Derek?

00:23:56Well, visibility is not going to be a major problem, but it is for Mika Hakanen.

00:24:00That car back on the grid, it's our choice.

00:24:02Well, most of them are going to be on softs.

00:24:04And, of course, pit stops is really going to be the most critical part of this.

00:24:08Remember, they have done a considerable amount of testing here, but, of course, got nothing

00:24:11out of it yesterday on Saturday.

00:24:13So it's really going to be in, really, the data they obtained here two weeks ago.

00:24:17But it is a lot milder than it was then.

00:24:19Mika Hakanen will start 14th.

00:24:21Eddie Irvine will start 17th.

00:24:23Michael Schumacher will start 6th.

00:24:25Overtaking possibilities on the first lap here.

00:24:28Well, there is obviously a bit into the first turn, because there will be side-by-side as

00:24:32they go in there.

00:24:33But after that, they've got to really wait until they get down to the Adelaide hairpin.

00:24:35And that is quite a long way down.

00:24:37But a lot of high-speed stuff.

00:24:38But you should see, I think, how Eddie Irvine works his way through the field.

00:24:41If it's anything like Canada, it's going to be pretty dramatic.

00:24:43Will it be a benefit to Irvine if he can catch up Mika and the two of them work traffic together?

00:24:49Not necessarily.

00:24:50You would like to think of it that way.

00:24:51But, you know, just because one guy opens the door doesn't mean to say the fellow in front

00:24:54has got to let them both through.

00:24:55That's the problem.

00:24:56You never quite know if the chap can see you as you come up with two.

00:25:00Chances are, they'll all be involved in their own battles.

00:25:03Michael Schumacher has his worst start since Italy two years ago.

00:25:07He did start 16th when he won at Belgium, though, in 1995.

00:25:11So, nothing's impossible.

00:25:15Now, it's going to be interesting to see just what he does.

00:25:17Remember, they obviously, they had this split up qualifying at the first part of this.

00:25:21Oh dear, they've almost come to a halt.

00:25:22There's somebody who hasn't virtually come to a halt.

00:25:25They're trying to do little standing starts out the back, which is causing havoc because

00:25:29nobody's allowed to overtake.

00:25:31Trying to get as much heat in those tires as possible.

00:25:33Derek, a lot of rain yesterday.

00:25:35Downpours of rain.

00:25:36A green racetrack this morning and a very smooth surface here at Manicours.

00:25:41What's that going to mean, having a green racetrack?

00:25:43Well, the fact, I did mention earlier that, of course, the cars will be very, very low.

00:25:47They run low ride heights, which make things a little bit easier for them.

00:25:50But, of course, the cars are going to slide around quite a lot.

00:25:52Lack of grip, I would say.

00:25:54Getting set for the start of Round 7 of the World Championship.

00:25:56Looking from Jean Alessi on the front row.

00:26:01The Grand Prix of France.

00:26:03Set to go as the safety car pulls into position.

00:26:06Field is set.

00:26:07That's the significance of the green flag waving at the back.

00:26:12And when the lights go out, racing in France.

00:26:14Great start.

00:26:15Great start there by Rubens Barrichello.

00:26:17Alessi right behind.

00:26:18Look at him working around the back there.

00:26:20Always, you've got to keep it clean, boys.

00:26:22You don't need instant early on.

00:26:24Incredibly clean start with all that lane changing and swapping around.

00:26:28And it's Barrichello for Jackie Stewart and Thorne.

00:26:34Alessi slots into second.

00:26:36Full power.

00:26:37Full power.

00:26:38And Thorne.

00:26:41Alessi slots into second.

00:26:43Full power to third.

00:26:45A pass there as Frentzen takes advantage.

00:26:49Mika Hekker was making some moves, too, around the outside of that turn.

00:26:52See where he is now.

00:26:53Here's Schumacher around the outside looking for fifth place.

00:26:56And he's got it.

00:26:58Yes, he needs to get some points today.

00:27:00He's not going to get many chances with Mika so far back.

00:27:02But, of course, he does have data.

00:27:03Look at Mika working the back of the two Benettons there.

00:27:07Eddie is long way back.

00:27:08Eddie's having a pretty lurid time.

00:27:10Look at Michael on the inside of Frentzen.

00:27:12He's not going to get much change out of Eintracht, his German compatriot.

00:27:15Hekker moving up.

00:27:16Mika going past.

00:27:17Fisichella has made incredible gains here.

00:27:22David Coulthard is really working over the back of Jean Alessi.

00:27:26Meanwhile, Rubens just wants to shut his eyes.

00:27:28Sorry, shut his eyes.

00:27:31And absolutely go for it.

00:27:32He doesn't want to look behind him now.

00:27:34Oh, and he's streaking away because Alessi is obviously having his work cut out.

00:27:37Looking for David Coulthard behind him.

00:27:41So, it's Perricano, Alessi, Coulthard looking to the inside as they come down the straight.

00:27:46What a great moment for Jackie Stewart and that Ford team.

00:27:48Let's see one of their cars in the lead of the French Grand Prix or any Grand Prix.

00:27:55Jean Alessi.

00:28:05And here comes Coulthard.

00:28:07And he goes by him on the brakes that day.

00:28:09I'd laid hairpin.

00:28:10Was Alessi going to get the inside?

00:28:12No, he doesn't.

00:28:13Jean, of course, might be running a different fuel strategy.

00:28:15Remember, Jean Alessi's car does have last year's Formula 1 Ferrari engine in it,

00:28:19so they have quite a bit of power.

00:28:21He has Heinz Alfrenz's attentions on the back of him now,

00:28:23and, of course, Michael Schumacher close behind.

00:28:25Well, what Alessi must feel right now is relief.

00:28:27In the pre-race in Canada, Peter talked to him.

00:28:29He said, all we need to do is get past the French Grand Prix.

00:28:32All we need to do is get past the first lap.

00:28:35And, unfortunately, he was a victim, didn't get past the first corner,

00:28:38but now running a strong third after starting second.

00:28:47Rufus Marichello out front of the Stewart Ford.

00:28:49David Coulthard giving chase.

00:28:51In the McLaren Mercedes, Jean Alessi third.

00:28:54Heinz Alfrenz in the Jordan fourth.

00:28:56Michael Schumacher in fifth.

00:28:59Well up there he's got by both the menatins.

00:29:01Looking very, very good shape indeed in ninth place.

00:29:04Five seconds, mind you, behind the lead at the moment.

00:29:07But he's really moving very well.

00:29:09David Coulthard knows he has to get this brake on Marichello if he's to win this race.

00:29:13Of all the people in this race, David Coulthard needs a lot of luck today

00:29:17and a lot of his great talent coming to the fore at the same time.

00:29:23Olivier Penny started in third.

00:29:25Jarno Trulli started eighth.

00:29:27They are now running sixth and seventh.

00:29:29Nose to tail, the two pros.

00:29:33David's got to get by Rubens as they come into that Adelaide hairpin.

00:29:36He's going to have to go there next time.

00:29:38Get in that slipstream, David.

00:29:40It's not easy.

00:29:41We know it gets turbulent there, and of course,

00:29:43because they're running probably not such high downforce as one would imagine,

00:29:47it makes it very difficult to get into these fast corners without losing the front end of the car.

00:29:51Marichello qualified on pole, but that was in the rain.

00:29:55Coulthard has been one of the three fastest drivers here

00:29:58in almost every practice session in the drive.

00:30:02Pekka Hakkinen is up to eighth.

00:30:05Passing Fusichella puts him up to eighth behind the two pros.

00:30:11Peck is starting 14th.

00:30:13Michael Schumacher started sixth.

00:30:15He is fifth.

00:30:18And Eddie Irvine, who started 17th,

00:30:21is running there.

00:30:24Irvine unable to advance.

00:30:26Coulthard now all over Rubens Marichello for the lead.

00:30:29Irvine's dropped back behind Damon Hill, can you believe, into 18th place,

00:30:33so he's not having a good time back there at all,

00:30:35having been very strong in practice on Friday.

00:30:41Now, come on, David, you've got to make the grid

00:30:43going down to Adelaide hairpin.

00:30:45You've got to get close enough to that Stuart car in front of you.

00:30:49Because Mika is on the move.

00:30:51He's only 5.7 seconds behind,

00:30:53but here we go, David, you've got to do it.

00:30:56Didn't get a good launch out of the corner there.

00:31:01And you see how that hurts him all the way down that straightaway.

00:31:08But you see, you've got these long corners and this change in direction

00:31:11that really does upset your aerodynamics.

00:31:15Meanwhile, Mika Hakkinen has passed John O'Toole,

00:31:17so now he is between the two pros.

00:31:20And moving up quickly now to 7th place.

00:31:25Johnny Herbert's dropped back several spots.

00:31:27He must have had a bit of wild time off the road.

00:31:29He didn't qualify that badly.

00:31:31He was usually up there in 9th place.

00:31:34He went off his last lap 6 seconds a lap slower

00:31:37than the cars that he was racing with.

00:31:42Come on, David, you've got to show how good that lap lap is.

00:31:44You're not doing any good back there at all.

00:31:49You're not doing yourself any favours either.

00:31:51And what he...

00:31:52We'll just ride with a laser.

00:31:54Turn one.

00:32:12Sixth gear as he comes down now.

00:32:15Down to second.

00:32:17And Frentzen right behind him now.

00:32:19There's Hakkinen making the pass on Olivier Cadiz.

00:32:21So Mika Hakkinen is now up to 6th.

00:32:24He's doing a wonderful piece of work.

00:32:26He's not that far behind Michael Schumacher this time.

00:32:29Oh dear, Johnny Herbert in the pit.

00:32:31Well, probably to repair whatever damage

00:32:33from the problem he had on the last lap.

00:32:36Heinz-Harald Frentzen now is all over Jean Alési for 3rd.

00:32:40What a great drive by Mika Hakkinen.

00:32:42Look at that, he's behind Michael Schumacher.

00:32:44That is a stirring piece of work by Mika.

00:32:47Of course, he may well be on a two-stop strategy,

00:32:50running low fuel to get up through the field

00:32:52and come in quickly and get out of here.

00:32:56So the McLarens are on the move.

00:32:58David Coulthard, Patrick Barrichello and Mika Hakkinen

00:33:01now closing down on Michael Schumacher.

00:33:04Four laps complete in the Grand Prix of France.

00:33:06You're watching Formula 1 on Fox Sportsnet.

00:33:13Welcome back. There's a new leader in the Grand Prix of France.

00:33:16David Coulthard has made it move.

00:33:19Past Rubens Barrichello, who did not give up the position without a fight.

00:33:24Now David's in front.

00:33:25Now David's going to start to pull away.

00:33:27He's going to have a clean bit of track in front of him.

00:33:29And of course, the McLaren is an outstanding car

00:33:31when it's a smooth circuit, or any circuit for that matter.

00:33:34But you can see already he's inching away.

00:33:36Let's watch it as he comes down.

00:33:38Rubens moves across the road a bit, but David gets through.

00:33:40Very clean stuff by Rubens, you have to admit.

00:33:42But he then comes up the inside because he has the better line out the corner.

00:33:45But look at him, drawing alongside the McLaren.

00:33:48They go down straight, but at the end it was David that benefited the most.

00:33:52So Barrichello leads the first five laps.

00:33:57Before giving way to David Coulthard,

00:33:59Giannulli's third, Heinz-Ernst Frensham holds fourth.

00:34:03Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen are separated now by just 8 tenths of a second.

00:34:07On the racetrack, the two Frosts run 7th and 8th.

00:34:10The two Benettons, 9th and 10th.

00:34:12The Sauber of Benitz, 11th.

00:34:14Ralph Schumacher, 12th.

00:34:16Jacques Villeneuve, Zanardi.

00:34:18Santa, Hill, Bourbon.

00:34:21Mika Hakkinen is off in a very, very quick lap there

00:34:24on his pursuit of Michael Schumacher.

00:34:26You can see Michael's going to contend with him.

00:34:28They are running close together there.

00:34:30Michael is not going to give him too much room, I don't think.

00:34:34Big slide by Schumacher coming off that corner.

00:34:38I'll tell you, Derek, the drivers made bemoan the lack of grip with these treaded tires.

00:34:42But to watch them slide through the corner

00:34:45is so different from the slot car-like,

00:34:48cold, down-force magnetized to the track racing

00:34:51that we've seen in years past.

00:34:52This is fun to watch.

00:34:53Yes, I don't think anybody,

00:34:54none of the drivers object to sliding around.

00:34:56It is very exciting as a driver

00:34:58and very appealing to the driver.

00:35:02Appealing to the driver to slide,

00:35:04knowing he's going to be drifting the car from the corner back.

00:35:06It is this nervousness that the drivers don't like

00:35:08and we saw that a lot in Canada.

00:35:10Look at Mika all over the back,

00:35:12that smoothness of that.

00:35:13It's very evident in the back.

00:35:16Well, that started fourth.

00:35:17He is the leader.

00:35:18Mika Hakkinen has come from 14th to 6th.

00:35:21Ralph Schumacher has advanced from 16th to 12th.

00:35:24Those are the biggest movers in the field thus far.

00:35:28And all because qualifying yesterday

00:35:30was held in a down-four.

00:35:32Look at that lap for David, 119.4.

00:35:35That is a very fine lap.

00:35:36That is substantially quicker

00:35:37than anybody else has gone by over half a second.

00:35:40Look at that down the inside.

00:35:41No, Mika takes a look.

00:35:43Michael's got to get close to

00:35:45that Jordan in front of him.

00:35:47When he gets there,

00:35:48he's going to end up disturbed there

00:35:50and he's not going to like that very much.

00:35:51I'm surprised he's actually let Frentzen get away with it.

00:35:54Well, they are catching up Frentzen rather quickly now.

00:35:58I wonder about Schumacher's strategy,

00:36:08that he's not been able to challenge Frentzen.

00:36:11Is perhaps he running with fuller tanks

00:36:13and not a different race strategy?

00:36:14Well, that was my feeling initially

00:36:16and I feel that that is the case.

00:36:18It's just that Mika had made a much more outstanding start

00:36:21than the moment in which he left to electrify.

00:36:25Look at him.

00:36:26He's all over the back of Mike.

00:36:27He'll have to get by in a minute.

00:36:29You see, he can catch up in the slower corners

00:36:31on the slower speed straights,

00:36:33but of course he can't reach the fast corners

00:36:35because of the turbulence.

00:36:37So it's really going to be fascinating

00:36:38how far he's sliding down on that Ferrari.

00:36:41The problem it seems to me with these cars

00:36:43is that they're so susceptible to wind change,

00:36:45temperature and this sort of thing

00:36:47and it was very warm when they did their tests there last week.

00:36:50I wonder too if the other drivers in the field

00:36:52are subject to what in NASCAR

00:36:54you would have called the Earnhardt effect

00:36:55or the last couple of years in kart, the Zanardi effect.

00:36:58The drivers knowing...

00:36:59Oh, here he goes!

00:37:00Oh dear, is he going to go?

00:37:01Yes, he's got him.

00:37:02What a great piece of...

00:37:04No, Mike was on the inside.

00:37:05He made sure of that.

00:37:06He said, Mika, if you want to take me, boy,

00:37:08you've got to go around the outside.

00:37:09So Mika had a look,

00:37:10but he wanted to go the long way around,

00:37:12that is for sure.

00:37:13Very cool bit of driving by Schumacher there.

00:37:17Well, and by Mika, Mika had a great run on him

00:37:19coming down the straightaway,

00:37:20but also championships are not won

00:37:24with give-or-die passes like that.

00:37:27So Håkonen wisely took the long way around.

00:37:30Here he goes again.

00:37:31Yes, he didn't have that many options.

00:37:33Mike was very lucky that his car got the grip

00:37:35turning in at the front

00:37:36and he could actually not slide out too wide.

00:37:38But obviously the writing is on the wall

00:37:40for Mika if he doesn't get it right again soon.

00:37:44He's talking about the Zanardi effect,

00:37:46as in some of the cars starting further back

00:37:48knowing that Håkonen is back there,

00:37:50are going to be looking for him in the mirrors

00:37:52and are going to give away,

00:37:55rather than challenge someone

00:37:56who is a potential race leader.

00:37:58Yes, a little rain begins to fall here.

00:38:00A little rain, they're putting on their jackets,

00:38:01I can see that.

00:38:02So it's going to make it very interesting

00:38:04for the next part of the race.

00:38:05This is where Schumacher normally shines

00:38:08when it starts to get into tricky conditions.

00:38:10I believe he has got heavy tanks

00:38:13because, as I said, they've done a lot of testing here.

00:38:15He was very confident on Friday,

00:38:17so why is he falling back into the clutches of Håkonen

00:38:21if that's the right Mika?

00:38:22All over the back.

00:38:23He's going to come down the straight.

00:38:24Now Mika's got the inside.

00:38:25He's going to go.

00:38:26Lovely bit of overtaking.

00:38:28Can't Michael up the inside.

00:38:29No, can't quite do that.

00:38:30Good bit of driving there.

00:38:32Oh, look at the power of that Ferrari.

00:38:34It's still underneath.

00:38:35Side by side.

00:38:36Absolutely side by side.

00:38:38But Mika gets ahead.

00:38:40Very gentlemanly bit of work there by the two drivers.

00:38:42Very professional bit of stuff.

00:38:44But of course we don't know what the strategy is.

00:38:46Well, there's another possibility

00:38:47that Peter raises from the pit lane.

00:38:49And he says that it's possible that Ferrari may be anticipating...

00:38:52Oh, and off the course is Kulthar.

00:38:54David Kulthar, he's not...

00:38:55And out!

00:38:56He's out.

00:38:57David Kulthar's luck in the lead of the race,

00:38:58I cannot believe it.

00:39:00That is just criminal.

00:39:01Poor old David had the chance to go out,

00:39:03get some points, win a race.

00:39:05And there he is on the grass, Kulthar.

00:39:08Tragic for David.

00:39:09The reliability or the unreliability of his McLarens

00:39:12has come into question quite a lot this year.

00:39:15And far more so for Kulthar than for Mika Håkonen.

00:39:19And Rubens Barrichello is once again the leader.

00:39:22Horrible luck for David Kulthar.

00:39:27Yeah, that is really tough, isn't it?

00:39:29He's had some really, really good drives this year,

00:39:32but they all seem to be thwarted by bad luck

00:39:35and a lot of technical problems.

00:39:37And we don't know what that was.

00:39:38It didn't look to be an engine,

00:39:39because there was not clouds of smoke.

00:39:41But who knows?

00:39:42Now, at least Rubens looking quite nice up front,

00:39:45with Giannullis.

00:39:46About seven seconds,

00:39:47or should I say four seconds behind him.

00:39:52Barrichello needs that,

00:39:53because we don't know normally.

00:39:54We know that the Ford has smaller fuel tanks,

00:39:57and therefore probably has to make two pit stops.

00:40:00It is the fourth time in seven attempts

00:40:03that David Kulthar has failed to finish a Grand Prix this season.

00:40:07I was talking about Michael Schumacher.

00:40:09Peter theorizes that perhaps the Ferraris are set up

00:40:13with a different ride height than the McLarens

00:40:15in anticipation of wet weather later in the day.

00:40:18That's one of the theories floating up and down Pit Road.

00:40:20Yeah, well, they all have planes, these guys.

00:40:22They all have pilots,

00:40:23and they all have, you know,

00:40:25contact with the meteorological offices.

00:40:27So therefore, I guess they've all been listening to different forecasts.

00:40:30But basically, you would think that is possibly the case,

00:40:33allowing for this drizzle to deteriorate,

00:40:34making it heavy rain.

00:40:36Right, Sauber is laid out in the pit lane.

00:40:39And perhaps for Pedro Denis,

00:40:41if you watch, Jean Alessi,

00:40:43now with a second-place car.

00:40:46Problems in the satellite transmission

00:40:48from France to the United States, we're told.

00:40:51We apologize for trouble with the world feed.

00:40:54Not something that's under our control.

00:40:56There's a little bit of video break up there.

00:41:00And still, Mika Hakkinen, now,

00:41:02keeping, putting the pressure on Heinzel and Frenzel.

00:41:06And Jean Alessi, just to him.

00:41:09Ooh, look at the car there.

00:41:11McLaren turns into that slow corner.

00:41:13Such mechanical grip.

00:41:17Ferrari used a qualifying engine,

00:41:19a special new engine in qualifying,

00:41:21but they had some unreliability areas with it during testing.

00:41:25Ooh, Alessi locking up the tire.

00:41:27So they're not using it for race,

00:41:29and will not be so for the foreseeable future.

00:41:31So they're back to their favorite reliable workhorse.

00:41:36The Sauber crew has put their tools away.

00:41:40A little early for a stop here,

00:41:42as Coulthard's car is lifted away.

00:41:44Second, third, and fourth is the battle we're watching,

00:41:46and yellow is Frenzel's.

00:41:48Silver and black is Mika Hakkinen,

00:41:50and just ahead is the blue Sauber of Jean Alessi,

00:41:52in second place.

00:41:53Rubens Barrichello led the first five laps,

00:41:55and has now led the tenth and eleventh,

00:41:58with the retirement of David Coulthard.

00:42:06Frenzel trying to hold off Hakkinen,

00:42:08who has come from sixteenth on the grid.

00:42:10Excuse me, fourteenth on the grid.

00:42:18Hobart has started to move up,

00:42:19he's up into twelfth place,

00:42:21so he's actually been on the move.

00:42:23Haven't seen too much of him.

00:42:32Mika's gonna do the same as he did on Schumacher,

00:42:34he's gonna get him down to Adelaide hairpin,

00:42:36but it is nice to see these breaking errors.

00:42:38Here we are, look at Jean Alessi.

00:42:41Yeah, look at him locking that car up

00:42:43as he comes in there.

00:42:44Worth a look at that smoking coming off,

00:42:46but look at the grey clouds behind,

00:42:48in the background.

00:42:50Mika all over the background, I tell you.

00:42:53There was just a little bit of a sprinkle,

00:42:55but those dark clouds are moving in this direction.

00:43:00In the driver's meeting, it was said that

00:43:02if there was a heavy rain past three-quarters of a distance,

00:43:05the race would be red-flagged officially.

00:43:08But if before that time, heavy rain falls,

00:43:11the drivers have requested the race be red-flagged,

00:43:14and then it would be restarted.

00:43:17We saw Pedro Diniz walking back.

00:43:19I was just gonna say, they were setting out the pits

00:43:21to have him in for a pit stop,

00:43:22and it's kind of amazing that he did on foot.

00:43:25So Coulthard is out,

00:43:26Pedro Diniz and Johnny Herbert

00:43:28are the only retirees from the French Grand Prix.

00:43:32Thirteen laps complete,

00:43:33you're watching Formula One on Fox Sportsnet.

00:43:43Mika Hakkinen makes the move,

00:43:44and Heinz-Harald Frentzen goes right back after him

00:43:46up the straightaway.

00:43:48We saw that all before the Ferrari,

00:43:50it's not as easy to do that.

00:43:52And Hakkinen gets the spot.

00:43:54Yeah, he set him up as he had done,

00:43:56I presume, just a few laps previously.

00:43:58Great piece of move there by Mika Hakkinen.

00:44:02So Hakkinen moves up into third place.

00:44:04Here's another look at it

00:44:05as he pulls out on Frentzen.

00:44:07Yeah, slips down the inside very easily.

00:44:10Locke gets those brakes really, really hot

00:44:12as he turns in there.

00:44:13Overshoots just a little bit as he turns in,

00:44:15but that was it.

00:44:16He's through.

00:44:18Hakkinen's best finish in the French Grand Prix

00:44:20third last year.

00:44:22Yeah, well, he's certainly on the way to win today

00:44:23if he keeps up the progress he's doing.

00:44:255.6 seconds behind this man,

00:44:27Rubens Barrichello,

00:44:28who's, yet again, we see Stuart Ford

00:44:30leading the Grand Prix of France.

00:44:33Alessi in second,

00:44:34and now Alessi under pressure

00:44:37from Hakkinen for the second position.

00:44:42They do look so fast in that

00:44:45long Estoril curve.

00:44:48It's very, very smooth.

00:44:49The circuit is so smooth.

00:44:54Now, we've seen from the in car,

00:44:55Alessi has a little trouble.

00:44:57Look, here we go.

00:44:58No, he's not just taking a look.

00:44:59He's a little bit too far back this time,

00:45:01but he's showing job.

00:45:02That is what he's going to do.

00:45:04And probably next lap,

00:45:05because Alessi, we've seen from the in car,

00:45:07has trouble.

00:45:09He has to really modulate the throttle

00:45:11to get the power down smoothly

00:45:12coming out of the corner,

00:45:13where we saw when Coulthard passed him

00:45:15from the in car,

00:45:16he could just hammer it.

00:45:17Look, look.

00:45:20That's it.

00:45:21Is that Ralf Zanardi

00:45:22having a look at one of the...

00:45:24Look at him.

00:45:25Whoa, on the other side.

00:45:26Zanardi having a good old look there.

00:45:29I can't tell.

00:45:31I think it's Ralf Schumacher

00:45:32going after Fisichella

00:45:33for 8th place.

00:45:35Having a real old tussle.

00:45:46Wow, what a real go back there.

00:45:49Look at that.

00:45:50He's doing insane.

00:45:55Remember, both these cars

00:45:57are running the same engines.

00:45:58They're running the Renault basic

00:46:00the Renault engine.

00:46:02Ralf climbs a curve.

00:46:04Turn 24 this week.

00:46:0614th Grand Prix today.

00:46:08I think they're running the same thing.

00:46:158th place is at stake here.

00:46:18Behind the two Prosts.

00:46:20Fisichella, Lebedev and in blue,

00:46:21Ralf Schumacher.

00:46:23Nico Hockenheim continues to press

00:46:25Jean Alessi now for 2nd.

00:46:30And down the inside.

00:46:31Are they going to touch?

00:46:32Yes, he just slips by.

00:46:33Well done, Ralf.

00:46:34Nice clinical bit of manoeuvring there.

00:46:38Forza last year was in Brazil.

00:46:39The two of them had the big off together.

00:46:41Well, they're in the same team.

00:46:42They're in the same team.

00:46:43The year before.

00:46:44Yes.

00:46:48They didn't talk too much after that.

00:46:49That ruined their relationship.

00:46:50This was much better.

00:46:51Here we go, here's the move again.

00:46:52Very good.

00:46:53Here we go.

00:46:54Here we go.

00:46:55Here we go.

00:46:56Here we go.

00:46:57Here we go.

00:46:58Here we go.

00:46:59Here we go.

00:47:00Here we go.

00:47:01Very good move again.

00:47:02Very clean clinical move down the inside.

00:47:03Showing him the inside.

00:47:04I'm sorry.

00:47:05Look at the engine.

00:47:06As it pops off, then he gets back on the power again.

00:47:08Goes across in front of him so he can't out-accelerate him

00:47:11and away he goes.

00:47:13Nico, meanwhile,

00:47:14really looking at the back of Jean Alessi

00:47:15with great intentions here.

00:47:17He's going to soon make the...

00:47:19No, still not doing the quickest lap of the race at the moment

00:47:22because he's being slowed down by Jean Alessi.

00:47:26And all this, of course, working to the stewards' advantage.

00:47:28Rubens Barrichello, the leader.

00:47:30This man, second.

00:47:36This fifth gear is a...

00:47:39He's going to get another one.

00:47:40Often they get another one with the back.

00:47:42150 yards from the corner at the end of the straight.

00:47:44Carmichael, you've got to get by on the braking.

00:47:46Obviously, the last thing Hakkanen wants to do

00:47:48is to make a silly move and go off the road

00:47:51by locking everything up.

00:47:52So easy to do these...

00:47:53The point between grip and losing grip

00:47:56with far as braking is concerned

00:47:58is very, very fine.

00:48:00Look how wide a line Mika takes going into there

00:48:02to get the exit smoother.

00:48:05You saw Barrichello disappearing in the distance.

00:48:07His lead now down to 4.6 seconds over Alessi.

00:48:11Another half-second to Mika Hakkanen.

00:48:14Just a little bit of drizzle falling here

00:48:16along the pit straight.

00:48:18It's falling a bit out there too

00:48:20by the look of it, by the way he slithered around.

00:48:23Mind it needs...

00:48:24These tires, remember, are a very hard compound

00:48:27to take the grooves.

00:48:29They have to be a hard compound.

00:48:30Look!

00:48:31Alessi's taking it steady

00:48:33because he's been told by spotters

00:48:34that it is a little bit damp going through there.

00:48:38And Peter Winsor from the pit lane

00:48:41believes that the McLarens are on a full dry setting.

00:48:45And if it does become damp,

00:48:47those cars are not going to be as well suited

00:48:51to the changing conditions

00:48:52as perhaps some of the other setups.

00:48:54I think it's very fair comment.

00:48:56That's the way they've set them up.

00:48:58And obviously they're benefiting

00:48:59from the handling of the car at the moment.

00:49:01But if it gets wet, who knows?

00:49:02There he goes.

00:49:03Jean Alessi has not let him by.

00:49:04Oh, they're off.

00:49:05They both go off.

00:49:07Obviously Jean Alessi left it very late.

00:49:10Mika left it even later.

00:49:12And they both go off the road.

00:49:13Here we go again.

00:49:14Let's see it.

00:49:15Here they go.

00:49:16Braking, braking, braking.

00:49:17Mika does lock the brakes up.

00:49:19The tire's up towards the end.

00:49:20Can't turn in.

00:49:21He doesn't allow Jean Alessi to turn in either.

00:49:24And he goes by.

00:49:26Bit of Formula Ford stuff there, I thought.

00:49:28You'd think the apex of that corner was in Paris.

00:49:33Now Håkonen will set sail on the race leader.

00:49:35At the time of the pass,

00:49:37Mika Håkonen was 4.8 seconds behind

00:49:40Rubens Barrichello, the leader.

00:49:46You can see Barrichello.

00:49:48Here's another look from Jean Alessi.

00:49:50Here we go. Look at Mika.

00:49:51Look how close they are.

00:49:52Look at the smoke.

00:49:53Jean Alessi's tires will need changing very shortly.

00:49:55He goes to turn in but can't because Mika's in the way.

00:49:58He had to take a third line out of the apple

00:50:01before he had room to turn in.

00:50:02Who says these guys don't have good peripheral vision?

00:50:04Yes.

00:50:10So Håkonen quickly eats up a tenth of Barrichello's lead.

00:50:14Rubens Barrichello has led twice.

00:50:17Laps 1 through 5 and now lap 10 to 18.

00:50:23Alessi, rather Håkonen second.

00:50:24Alessi third.

00:50:25Branson, Michael Schumacher and the cross of Patti and Trulli

00:50:30are now positioned one in the points and one just outside.

00:50:38Mika's last lap.

00:50:40Three tenths quicker than Rubens.

00:50:42Their best laps are very similar.

00:50:49Meanwhile, Eddie Irvine who started 17th and fell to 18th

00:50:52has now climbed to 10th place.

00:50:5621 seconds off the lead.

00:51:00And with David Coulthard's McLaren out,

00:51:02it gives Ferrari two chances at scoring points

00:51:06when Eddie's going to find those positions much harder to gain

00:51:09from here on out.

00:51:10Well, they've got one or two pit stops to make.

00:51:13They should be making them fairly shortly.

00:51:14If they get to lap 20 in a couple of laps,

00:51:16we should see some of the two stoppers coming in.

00:51:19And then we'll just sort of really see their true colors.

00:51:21Michael's not losing that much, really.

00:51:23He's losing enough to Håkonen,

00:51:25but of course, remember, he's probably running

00:51:27a very high downforce setup.

00:51:29And of course, maybe even running lower

00:51:32because of the wet setting.

00:51:35At 20 laps,

00:51:37timing now showing Håkonen is 3.3 seconds back,

00:51:40so he is eating into Barrichello's lead

00:51:43rather quickly now.

00:51:45For the two stoppers, pit stops could come as early as lap 22,

00:51:49about three laps from now.

00:51:53I wonder, Derek, if we'll see some of those

00:51:55Schumacher-Immele-type strategies

00:51:57where a team will run to halfway, or as close to halfway,

00:52:00and then decide whether or not to take a second stop,

00:52:03or will they all have to go two stops?

00:52:05Some of it, I think, depends on Schumacher's point of view,

00:52:08and maybe Eddie Irvine's,

00:52:10is just whether they can adjust anything on the car

00:52:12when he comes in, in which case they'll want him

00:52:14to come in on a two stopper.

00:52:16But I don't know how much they can do in those

00:52:18eight and a half seconds, not too much.

00:52:20Ooh, they're getting a little bit sideways there.

00:52:23Well, yeah, well that is obviously...

00:52:25Here it comes, here comes the rain.

00:52:27Oh, this is going to come very conveniently,

00:52:29just as they could come in and change tires.

00:52:32Remember, these tires are...

00:52:33They're not even getting on the power, boys.

00:52:34They're taking very, very gently.

00:52:36Look how he's caught up to it in two seconds.

00:52:39He may have, if it's raining as hard

00:52:42the rest of the circuit as it is on the pit lane,

00:52:44that may have been a tactical error,

00:52:46because Hockenheim right there had a chance

00:52:47to dive into the pits,

00:52:49if they were looking to make a change.

00:52:51But he bypassed the pit entrance,

00:52:52and soldiered on.

00:52:53There's no way, there's no way that

00:52:55Hacken is going to get an advantage at this point

00:52:58by going in and changing tires.

00:53:00There's no advantage.

00:53:01Eddie Irvine, we hear, has just come in the pits,

00:53:02but you can see the spray starting to come up there,

00:53:05so there is getting quite a lot of rain.

00:53:06These tires are rock hard.

00:53:08They're so hard because they have got these grooves in,

00:53:11so they're full of no good at all in the rain.

00:53:15Irvine's team was not ready.

00:53:17That's the frantic activity there,

00:53:18but he wanted to be in.

00:53:20Fisichella is also in.

00:53:22Zhak Vilnev is in.

00:53:24Damon Hill is in.

00:53:26Look at the tires right now in the Ferrari pit.

00:53:28That was a disaster.

00:53:29Oh, look.

00:53:30Oh, look.

00:53:31Wurz.

00:53:32Excuse me.

00:53:33That's Fisichella.

00:53:39Oh, Irvine.

00:53:40Oh, my goodness.

00:53:41What a challenge.

00:53:42It is teeming with rain.

00:53:43But, of course, it's not maybe such a major disadvantage

00:53:46because a lot of the guys are going to have to go

00:53:48very slowly on this lap.

00:53:49Now, of course, Eddie will have made a bit of a mess

00:53:51of the pit stop as far as

00:53:53Michael Schumacher coming in to change tires,

00:53:56because Michael was surely coming on this lap.

00:53:58Here he is.

00:53:59I know that's Eddie going out.

00:54:00I apologize.

00:54:02Stewart getting ready for Barrichello.

00:54:05And, of course, everybody

00:54:06having to drag out wet-weather tires.

00:54:09Watching for Don Elasi again.

00:54:10Damon Hill stalled in his pit stop,

00:54:12but he managed to get it going again.

00:54:14Remember, this ride we're doing here with Elasi.

00:54:17He's going to go in this lap.

00:54:18Elasi's got to go in and change tires.

00:54:21There's Mick Hacker going in as well.

00:54:23Barrichello, the race leader, is in.

00:54:25Everyone is coming to pit lane.

00:54:28I don't know that it's going to rain that long.

00:54:30It doesn't look around us

00:54:31as if it's going to be raining all the time.

00:54:33How will the tires differ, Gerrit?

00:54:35Well, it depends which wet they use,

00:54:37but they do have a very wet compound to use

00:54:39and a much harder compound.

00:54:41I would imagine they'll go for the softer one myself.

00:54:44That's why they last 22 in the laps.

00:54:47There are the rain tires.

00:54:48We didn't see how long Schumacher's stop was,

00:54:51but he goes out just behind Elasi,

00:54:52so he made up a bit of time there.

00:54:55Barrichello is still the leader,

00:54:57and Damon Hill is off.

00:54:59But he's off in the grass,

00:55:01so he's doing a bit of cross-country

00:55:02and back on the road again.

00:55:03Well, he doesn't seem to be going very fast.

00:55:05He doesn't want to get in somebody's way.

00:55:07I'm riding with Elasi,

00:55:08who does drive incredibly well in the wet.

00:55:12Elasi and Schumacher, the race would,

00:55:15I won't say fall into their lap

00:55:17like a bucket of cold water, but...

00:55:21And there's Damon Hill.

00:55:22He's going slowly.

00:55:23Yeah, Damon has got a problem.

00:55:24That's probably why he stopped.

00:55:25Look at Jean catching up there.

00:55:31Williams at work.

00:55:33And you see the difference.

00:55:34That's one of the dry tires

00:55:35closest to the bottom of the screen.

00:55:36And I'm just saying,

00:55:37they're changing the setup on the car.

00:55:38See, they're changing the wings on that car.

00:55:45And Damon Hill spun again, we're told.

00:55:49As Elasi fights for grip.

00:55:52It's not wet enough for a safety car yet.

00:55:54I don't think they'll bring it out in these conditions.

00:55:56I mean, these guys like racing in the wet.

00:55:58It's not as wet as it was yesterday in qualifying.

00:56:01So Barrichello leads from Mika Hakkinen.

00:56:03Jean Elasi is third.

00:56:05Frentzen is fourth.

00:56:06The Schumacher brothers fifth and sixth.

00:56:08Then the Prosts of Trulli and Penne.

00:56:11We'll be right back to Magny Cours after this.

00:56:18Jean Elasi has a long walk back to the paddock.

00:56:22After spinning.

00:56:24And here's a look from the in car.

00:56:26It's all the opposite lock-on he can, but he's out.

00:56:28And he goes out onto this,

00:56:29what I would have thought was very hard-packed gravel,

00:56:32but he couldn't get the grip to get out of it.

00:56:34Very savage on, lying in a very good third place.

00:56:45First, second, third, we're all running,

00:56:48you know, within sight of one another.

00:56:49Very, very, very close contact.

00:56:52And Elasi might have a shot to get him to the lead.

00:56:56The safety car is coming out.

00:57:00As Villeneuve gets set to come in.

00:57:03Heavy rain continuing to fall.

00:57:05There's the Mercedes CLK that's used as the safety car in F1.

00:57:11And it just came out a lap too late for Jean Elasi.

00:57:15What a shame.

00:57:17Yeah, that was a great pity,

00:57:18because he's such a good driver in the win.

00:57:19I mean, we could see nothing through the camera.

00:57:21It helps that he had better visibility through your visor,

00:57:24as one can imagine,

00:57:25because the rain is running off around your visor.

00:57:29But the trouble is, being behind the safety car,

00:57:31you can also have a terrible time.

00:57:32I remember once racing at Fuji X,

00:57:34and I was side-by-side behind the pace car,

00:57:36and I actually, the car just slid sideways and hit him,

00:57:38as we were going down the straight,

00:57:39behind the pace car, because of the angle.

00:57:41Goodness.

00:57:43Well, we are under a full-course caution.

00:57:47Safety car out.

00:57:48Yellow flags flying all the way around the car.

00:57:51Heavy downpour.

00:57:53Very similar to qualifying conditions yesterday.

00:57:55And in this morning's driver's meeting,

00:57:58the drivers had asked that if rain falls before three-quarter distance,

00:58:02the race be halted,

00:58:03and then restarted when conditions permit.

00:58:07Here's Villeneuve.

00:58:09Was running in ninth.

00:58:12He's got great.

00:58:13Looks like they're clearing something out of the radiators

00:58:15while they're refueling.

00:58:17Just point out, of course,

00:58:18just because the safety car is out,

00:58:20it doesn't mean to say the race is stopped.

00:58:21He's just out there to control the speeds,

00:58:23because the visibility is so atrocious.

00:58:27Not doing much for our camera lenses, either.

00:58:32Keith Olbermann and Kevin Frazier

00:58:34bring you all the day's scores, highlights, and breaking news

00:58:36on Fox Sports News Primetime Nightly at 10.

00:58:41Well, this should build up to being quite an amazing race.

00:58:43I don't quite see why Mika Hakkarinen has dropped so far

00:58:45that time, Hank, behind Barry Killer,

00:58:47when he was actually right up all over the back of him,

00:58:50trying to get the lead just moments ago.

00:58:52But it should be making a very interesting restart

00:58:55when we see Barry Killer,

00:58:57Hakkarinen,

00:58:58Frentzen, and Michael Schumacher all

00:59:00duking it out, as you say,

00:59:01on the lead.

00:59:02The safety car could turn in without warning,

00:59:04but was that, in Canada,

00:59:07on the last lap,

00:59:08the safety car dipped in

00:59:10and threw the course back to green

00:59:12right at the end of the last lap?

00:59:13I mean,

00:59:14was there any sort of signal or warning

00:59:16or anything that the safety car was doing at all?

00:59:18Uh, I think the drivers probably knew what we said.

00:59:21No, no, right.

00:59:23Unlike, uh,

00:59:24American racing,

00:59:25or in most forms of racing in the U.S.,

00:59:27the caution lights atop the safety car

00:59:30are extinguished one lap before they go back to green.

00:59:34Now, these are yellow flag laps.

00:59:36They do count.

00:59:37And Barry Killer is waving.

00:59:38I wonder if they've been signaled

00:59:42that the race would be halted.

00:59:44Now, there's

00:59:47waving to

00:59:48either to the crowd or to acknowledge a signal.

00:59:50I don't think you're waving to the crowd at that point.

00:59:52No.

00:59:53Because he hasn't really achieved anything much apart from a

00:59:55quite a fine job, but it's a long way to go.

00:59:57You don't wave until you're there.

01:00:00So, here's the standings of the 26 laps

01:00:02by Raquello for Stewart Ford,

01:00:04Håkonen, McLaren, Mercedes,

01:00:06the Jordan, Honda,

01:00:07uh, Frenson,

01:00:08the Ferrari, Michael Schumacher,

01:00:10and both cross doing very well here.

01:00:12Olivia Penney, fifth, and Jarno Trulli, sixth.

01:00:15Now, the race

01:00:16could not, I believe, be called official

01:00:18at 25 laps distance.

01:00:23So, we'll continue here under caution

01:00:24until the decision is made

01:00:25whether to, uh,

01:00:27wait for better weather

01:00:30or

01:00:32Noah Jacques Villeneuve has spun

01:00:34trying to catch up the safety car

01:00:36after making that stop.

01:00:37And that's why he came in at that time.

01:00:39The gravel removed from his radiator

01:00:41while they were checking.

01:00:44And here comes, uh,

01:00:45the hook already has one car on it

01:00:47that's going after another.

01:00:54Well, the rain, uh,

01:00:55appears to be letting up somewhat.

01:00:57And there goes Wurz.

01:01:00There goes Wurz's car.

01:01:02Off to an early retirement.

01:01:04So, Alexander Wurz is

01:01:06not redeeming himself very cleverly this year, I'm afraid.

01:01:10Nor is that crane driver.

01:01:23And, uh, now we understand, Eric,

01:01:24that these caution flags

01:01:26are not necessarily for the rain,

01:01:27but to remove the cars that have spun

01:01:29in the rain.

01:01:30There is Villeneuve's.

01:01:37And you see he's dug in

01:01:38at that rear tire spinning wheel

01:01:40trying to get grip

01:01:41in the gravel.

01:01:42And once you dig it in to where the chassis is on the ground,

01:01:44there's no going further.

01:01:45So still no finish for Mr. Villeneuve.

01:01:47No.

01:01:50Mika Hakkinen, if they do go to green

01:01:52at any point,

01:01:53look how close, uh, Schumacher, of course,

01:01:55is going to be behind them.

01:01:57Uh, there's going to be quite something out there.

01:01:59It looks like Mik-

01:02:00Michael Schumacher was actually

01:02:02ahead of Frenzel, but he

01:02:03surely wasn't.

01:02:04It looked like he was on the road.

01:02:08That in-car shock he just had.

01:02:13That's quite a lot of damage to that, uh,

01:02:15Minardi there.

01:02:18Well, it keeps falling off the road,

01:02:19and the attrition rate

01:02:20is getting higher

01:02:22rather quickly.

01:02:23We are under a full course caution

01:02:25in the Grand Prix of France.

01:02:26We'll be right back.

01:02:30Thirty-four laps are complete.

01:02:32Lights are out atop the safety car.

01:02:34Yes.

01:02:35And it will be in.

01:02:36And we will go back to racing

01:02:38with Rubens, Barrichello, and the Stuart Ford,

01:02:40leading Mika Hakkinen,

01:02:42Heinz-Harold Frenzel, and Michael Schumacher.

01:02:44The best opportunity to pass

01:02:46will be right when the green light goes,

01:02:48before those big rooster tails kick up

01:02:50and the cars get to speed.

01:02:52No passing until the start-finish line.

01:02:54No, it's going to be very difficult, uh,

01:02:56to sort of hold yourself back.

01:02:58Of course, the other thing to contend with is

01:03:00not overtaking where there's deep water,

01:03:02uh, and aquaplaning off the road.

01:03:04And the other fact is, of course,

01:03:05Barrichello has clear vision.

01:03:07The other guys won't have such a good view as him,

01:03:09so he'll want to get going as quick as he can,

01:03:11and the others have got to fumble their way by him.

01:03:13Here we go. The start is on now.

01:03:15Safety car is off. The green lights are on.

01:03:18The French Grand Prix is back underway.

01:03:20Now, can you see much behind? I doubt it.

01:03:22Oh.

01:03:23Hakkinen had a look way to the outside

01:03:26as they came down the pit straightaway.

01:03:28This is where great judgment comes in.

01:03:29They've got to be so careful.

01:03:31They have not driven in these conditions since yesterday,

01:03:33uh, in qualifying, and they're even different now

01:03:35because they're different.

01:03:37And so it's going to be very, very careful for them.

01:03:39Got to be so careful.

01:03:4111 yellow flag laps behind the safety car,

01:03:43and now back under green

01:03:45in far, far different conditions

01:03:47than we started this race.

01:03:49Now we'll see just how well they had set that Ferrari up

01:03:51for wet conditions, because Michael...

01:03:53Ooh, look at Michael. He really caught up,

01:03:55uh, the, uh, Jordan coming in there on the braking,

01:03:58but then overshot it.

01:04:01So Frentzen continues to sit third in the yellow Jordan.

01:04:03There's Schumacher fourth, the red Ferrari,

01:04:05and then the Prosts.

01:04:09A penny, and truly, Ralf Schumacher in seventh.

01:04:16This should be a very intriguing last

01:04:1959 minutes if it stays in the rain,

01:04:22or whether it dries out, it should be sooner

01:04:24for the end of this race.

01:04:26Halfway this next time by.

01:04:27They're working their way through the Imola,

01:04:29left and right, working their way up to Chateau d'Eau

01:04:32for this little short dash down the back straightaway

01:04:34into the chicane.

01:04:36And you can see in some of these corners where there's water

01:04:38literally running across the surface,

01:04:40a little river across the racetrack,

01:04:42which means it's impossible to brake,

01:04:44impossible to accelerate as you go through that.

01:04:46Now, watch out for Schumacher.

01:04:48He was looking down the inside of, uh,

01:04:50Hightower Frentzen coming in there,

01:04:52and now he's going to be looking to go down

01:04:54and take an unusual line.

01:04:56Remember that the track is generally a lot better grip

01:04:58on the outside of the corner where the cars

01:05:00don't normally run.

01:05:01This circuit, because it's so smooth,

01:05:03it probably doesn't work that way.

01:05:04But certainly places like Monza and Silverstone,

01:05:06if you take the abnormal line,

01:05:08and that is the wide line around the outside,

01:05:10you'll get much more traction,

01:05:11because the track has more grip,

01:05:13because there's no rubber there.

01:05:14Right, and it's not been abraded by the tires

01:05:17constantly racing on that part of the circuit.

01:05:19So the asphalt has a little more tooth to it.

01:05:23Under braking, Haakonen catches up Barrichello.

01:05:27In the hairpin, no opportunity there.

01:05:29Then Frentzen, and Schumacher.

01:05:32I'd imagine too, Derek, that with all of these

01:05:34yellow laps as the drivers move around,

01:05:36drive around behind the safety car,

01:05:38uh, they're not just marking time,

01:05:41they're looking for where the standing water

01:05:43is on the track and making mental notes

01:05:45of what areas they have to avoid

01:05:47and where they have to be especially careful.

01:05:48Oh, absolutely.

01:05:49They're being, they're really taking it all in.

01:05:51It's very difficult to concentrate

01:05:52when you're going so slowly.

01:05:53You've also got to try and keep the engine

01:05:55temperatures up as well.

01:05:56Vital to keep those temperatures up

01:05:58when you're on those very slow laps.

01:06:03In the rain, are the speeds so reduced

01:06:06the drivers have to rely much more

01:06:09on mechanical grip than, than,

01:06:11how much of the aerodynamic grip do they lose

01:06:13running in the rain at these speeds?

01:06:15Well, because they're constantly,

01:06:17certainly a little bit slower,

01:06:18they're going to get, look at Schumacher

01:06:20having another look down inside the Jordan.

01:06:21Um, aerodynamic grip is still absolutely paramount.

01:06:25The faster you go, the more grip you're going to get.

01:06:27Look at Schumacher slithering out of there.

01:06:29The faster you go, the more downforce

01:06:31you're going to get, the more

01:06:32the aerodynamics are going to work.

01:06:33So consequently, um, as they,

01:06:36the speeds they're going now,

01:06:37the aerodynamics are working amazingly well for them.

01:06:42Mechanical grip will work better

01:06:43for them in the slower corners,

01:06:44and that's probably what Ferraris

01:06:45have set up for, uh, for before today's race,

01:06:49assuming it was going to be wet later on,

01:06:51and they weren't far out on that.

01:06:53Nice helicopter shot.

01:06:54Yeah.

01:06:55Now Hakkanen's trying to, sorry, Mike.

01:06:57Mike Hakkanen's trying to keep out

01:06:58of the spray of Barry Keller.

01:07:00He's also looking down the inside.

01:07:01Ooh.

01:07:02Very brave.

01:07:03Whoa!

01:07:04He lost it.

01:07:05Oh, and he's going to lose it.

01:07:06He's going to drop.

01:07:07Also, Michael had overtaken the Jordan, too, I think.

01:07:09I know I was wrong at that.

01:07:11The two pros get by.

01:07:12No, he didn't get by.

01:07:13I'm sorry.

01:07:14I missed the Jordan.

01:07:15The two pros get by,

01:07:16and I believe Hakkanen's resumed in sixth.

01:07:18Yeah, you see, he's coming in a bit hot here,

01:07:20and he, he, he just loses it.

01:07:22He just loses it coming out.

01:07:23He touches that curb.

01:07:24You can't believe that it's like driving on ice.

01:07:27It really is.

01:07:28Let's watch it again.

01:07:29Here he comes in,

01:07:30just touches that curb, out goes the tail,

01:07:32and that's it.

01:07:33Good night, Mika Hakkanen.

01:07:34It's a pity he couldn't have quickly done the 360.

01:07:36I think if he had a manual gearbox,

01:07:37he would have probably been able to get back into first

01:07:39before he'd finished and get off, but he didn't.

01:07:41Well, Hakkanen, his line pinched down there,

01:07:44was trying to accelerate with a wheel on the curb

01:07:46and a wheel on the asphalt,

01:07:48and as he tried to feed it throttle,

01:07:50the car came right around.

01:07:51I don't think any of us can really comprehend

01:07:53sitting here, uh, watching it,

01:07:55uh, just how bad, how slippery it is out there

01:07:57as they work their way down into the last,

01:07:59the final turn,

01:08:00going out onto the pit straight.

01:08:02Now Jordan, car of, uh,

01:08:03Frentzen's gonna have his work cut out.

01:08:06And the Prosts are up to fourth and fifth.

01:08:08Yeah, Mika's dropped back quite considerably, actually.

01:08:11So Barrichello leads,

01:08:12and the Stewart Ford, the white car,

01:08:14the yellow car is Heinz-Harold Frentzen,

01:08:16the Jordan Honda,

01:08:17and in red is Schumacher's Ferrari,

01:08:19then Penice and Trulli in the Prosts,

01:08:21and Ralph Schumacher's now up for sixth.

01:08:24We'll be right back.

01:08:26Welcome back to the French Grand Prix,

01:08:28where Michael Schumacher is giving chase to the lead.

01:08:32Schumacher, having worked by Heinz-Harold Frentzen

01:08:34for second place,

01:08:36is now right up the rear wing

01:08:39of Rubens Barrichello.

01:08:45Well, let's show you how Schumacher

01:08:47led him to second place.

01:08:50Look at that.

01:08:51Comes right down inside Heinz-Harold Frentzen.

01:08:53Frentzen did give him a lot of room.

01:08:54It was a very generous move

01:08:56by the part of Heinz-Harold,

01:08:58but obviously he probably felt his brakes were locking up.

01:09:00He didn't want to give in afterwards,

01:09:02but he was quite happy at that point

01:09:03because I think he was having his own problems

01:09:05coming in there under braking.

01:09:07Meanwhile, we see Rubens Barrichello,

01:09:09who, don't forget, did an incredible job at Monaco

01:09:12a couple of years ago

01:09:13and did a super job for them.

01:09:16So, Barrichello leads now from Schumacher,

01:09:18Frentzen, Penney, and Trulli,

01:09:20both of Alain Prost's cars,

01:09:22up in the points,

01:09:23and Ralf Schumacher now sixth.

01:09:25Mika Hakkinen rejoined in seventh place

01:09:28after his spin.

01:09:30Eddie Irvine is eighth,

01:09:32Fisichella ninth, Zonta tenth,

01:09:35and then, one lap off the pace,

01:09:37Luca Badur, Pedro de la Rosa,

01:09:39and Tora Takagi.

01:09:41Everyone else in the garage

01:09:43at 40 laps.

01:09:45Now, it is likely this race will not go

01:09:47the 72-lap distance,

01:09:49as there are 51 minutes left on the clock

01:09:52of the two-hour time limit.

01:09:54Here's Schumacher,

01:09:55had a look inside,

01:09:57now looking outside.

01:09:59I was going to say,

01:10:00not a very ideal place to overtake that, Michael.

01:10:02He, Michael, was very close to him last lap,

01:10:04as you may remember,

01:10:05but he lost it

01:10:06on the exit of one of the,

01:10:08a couple of which turn it was,

01:10:09and he went out very wide,

01:10:10lost a lot of time.

01:10:11Actually, it was out of here,

01:10:12and he lost a lot of time

01:10:13coming out of the Estoril curve,

01:10:15and he couldn't quite make it back on Rubens.

01:10:19Remember also,

01:10:20that when they're picking these speeds up,

01:10:21his vision is certainly impaired.

01:10:23Look at him catch up.

01:10:24Oh, look at that under braking.

01:10:26What an incredible maneuver.

01:10:28Now, he's got to block him out,

01:10:29coming out,

01:10:30he's got to get down the gears.

01:10:31Couldn't do it.

01:10:32But no, he's not done it.

01:10:33That just shows you what's happened.

01:10:34Rubens, it almost dumbed him.

01:10:36He did.

01:10:37Clever bit of stuff by Rubens Barrichello.

01:10:39Michael Storms down the inside.

01:10:41He gave him too much room,

01:10:42and then Michael, here we go again.

01:10:43Down the inside.

01:10:44Can't stop.

01:10:45Doesn't want to lock it up.

01:10:46Oh, I love Barrichello.

01:10:48Barrichello's great move there.

01:10:49He gets in the right gear,

01:10:50and off he goes.

01:10:51Superb bit of driving.

01:10:52That was it.

01:10:53Barrichello overshot the apex on the outside,

01:10:56did a very, very sharp turn in,

01:10:58so he could accelerate before Michael,

01:11:00and Barrichello takes back the lead.

01:11:05Now, Barrichello,

01:11:06he also needs a fine result for Stewart Ford.

01:11:08He's done so well for them this year.

01:11:10They're really on a roll

01:11:11since, look at him,

01:11:12Michael going around the outside of him,

01:11:13coming on for the short straightaway.

01:11:15No, it's not going to work for him there.

01:11:16Yeah, and Barrichello taking the tight line,

01:11:18coming down into the tight chicane.

01:11:21Michael's not going to have a go there.

01:11:22It seems very slippery out of this turn.

01:11:24Now, they're coming on to the pit straight,

01:11:26blocking him out again.

01:11:27Michael was fairly quick.

01:11:28He was alongside Barrichello,

01:11:29coming down the straight last time.

01:11:32Not this time, though.

01:11:33There's a look.

01:11:34Looks outside, and here comes now Frentzen.

01:11:36Well, of course, what's happening in front?

01:11:38These two are having such a dice,

01:11:39blocking one another.

01:11:40They're slowing the whole race down,

01:11:42believe it or not.

01:11:43No, they're bringing Frentzen

01:11:44and Olivier Pagny to them.

01:11:47And Ralf Schumacher having another

01:11:49excellent drive, you know,

01:11:50in that Williams.

01:11:51He's done such a stirring job this year.

01:11:52What an inspiration that young man has been

01:11:55since his early times at Jordan.

01:11:58Well, Barrichello's stock,

01:11:59with all of the Schumi haters,

01:12:01has just gone up dramatically.

01:12:03Same hairpin.

01:12:04Now, this time it's Schumacher

01:12:06that tried that late turn in,

01:12:09but it did not gain him any ground,

01:12:11as Barrichello refused to yield

01:12:13and takes back the lead.

01:12:17Not that much water coming off those tires

01:12:19in the slowest corners,

01:12:20so the water is running away quite...

01:12:22Ooh, look.

01:12:23Barrichello went out quite wide there.

01:12:25Michael's on the inside.

01:12:26Has he got him? No.

01:12:27Oh, it's close.

01:12:28But they might touch.

01:12:29Just hold those two cars side by side

01:12:30through there.

01:12:31They did a great job.

01:12:32This is fantastic.

01:12:33Schumacher tries it again.

01:12:35Darts back across to the inside

01:12:37and then back on line.

01:12:38Is this exciting racing or what?

01:12:40This is fantastic.

01:12:41This'll be likely like at Indianapolis next year,

01:12:43let me tell you,

01:12:44on those twists and turns.

01:12:46Without the rain, I hope.

01:12:51There you see the front five,

01:12:53front half-dozen.

01:12:54Look at Michael,

01:12:55really working for our Rubens over.

01:12:57If Michael really gets alongside him,

01:12:58coming out onto the pit straight,

01:12:59Rubens is not going to be dumbed quite so badly.

01:13:01This time he takes a bit more of an open line.

01:13:04Michael can't get alongside him.

01:13:07There's your top six.

01:13:09And you can just about throw a blanket on the pylon.

01:13:13Yeah, Eddie, oh my gosh.

01:13:14Remember, of course,

01:13:15that Eddie had a 35-second pit stop

01:13:17when he went in to begin the rain.

01:13:18He went in thinking he would quickly put tires on.

01:13:21Oh, look at why those guys go.

01:13:23Eddie went in very quickly, very early on.

01:13:25And, of course, the team weren't prepared.

01:13:27They didn't have the wet tires ready.

01:13:28And he took a 35-second pit stop.

01:13:30But then, of course, after that,

01:13:31they bring out the caution car.

01:13:33So here we go.

01:13:34Michael down the inside.

01:13:35He's got in this time.

01:13:36Yeah, much more sensible.

01:13:37Same thing, though.

01:13:38Same thing, but here he's not going to get in.

01:13:40He won't get in this time.

01:13:41At least that Ford's got 1,000 horsepower.

01:13:45And now it's sad to see that he got by him

01:13:48because Rubens has done such a great job.

01:13:50But he is a fabulous driver in the rain.

01:13:52We saw him at Mother Coke,

01:13:53had that great second place in the Stewart

01:13:55the first year they came out as a team.

01:13:57He is an inspired driver.

01:13:58And, of course, he did so well against Senna

01:14:01not that long ago.

01:14:02Yes.

01:14:03Here he comes down the inside.

01:14:04Rubens made Michael go on a lot wetter part of the track initially.

01:14:07But Michael made sure he didn't overbrake this time.

01:14:10Down the inside.

01:14:11Rubens thinks he'll nip up the inside,

01:14:13which is an old Formula 3 habit,

01:14:15but it didn't work this time.

01:14:17And, again, we apologize for the video breakup.

01:14:20We understand that you're experiencing

01:14:22with the world feed being transmitted back to the States.

01:14:27But that is beyond our control.

01:14:30As Michael Schumacher has come to the front.

01:14:33Now, we don't say it yet with so many laps to go,

01:14:36but only once has a driver won three straight French Grand Prix.

01:14:39That was the great Alan Frost, who, in fact, won six Grand Prixs.

01:14:43As we watch Eddie Irvine taking yet another position.

01:14:46Well, this is the position he took, actually,

01:14:48when he got by Trulli to get into sixth place.

01:14:51Frost won in 88, 89, and 90.

01:14:54And Schumacher, of course, has won this race the last two

01:14:57and four out of the last five.

01:14:59And Damon Hill was the one in the middle,

01:15:01went after the two and the two.

01:15:03So, look at the lead that Michael Schumacher has pulled out already.

01:15:07He's knocking three seconds a lap off Barrichello's lap.

01:15:13Well, Michael Schumacher, acknowledged as the best driver in the world in the rain,

01:15:17had a fierce battle with Barrichello to take the lead,

01:15:20but there's still lots of racing left in the Grand Prix of France.

01:15:2447 of 72 laps complete in the Grand Prix of France.

01:15:28Some 40 minutes left to run.

01:15:30Michael Schumacher's Ferrari leading.

01:15:32Rubens Barrichello in the Stewart Ford.

01:15:34Knights' Harold Frentzen in the Jordan Honda.

01:15:36Olivia Cunningham in the Frost.

01:15:38But a great battle.

01:15:40Back off the lead, which Schumacher has now extended to five seconds.

01:15:43Here we see Mika Hakkinen having caught up with Eddie Irvine.

01:15:49Jim Rome tells it like it is on the night last week.

01:15:52Jim Rome tells it like it is on the night line of sports talk shows.

01:15:55The last word.

01:15:56Meet Knights at 6.30 at midnight on Fox Sports.

01:15:59Now, check your local listings.

01:16:03Look at this group, Mike.

01:16:04They're having a heck of a burn-up here.

01:16:07Absolutely astonishing bit of stuff.

01:16:08They're so close and the poor guys behind surely can't see that much.

01:16:11They have to wipe the crud off their visors.

01:16:15They're not seeing much out of their mirrors either

01:16:17because they're getting muck all over them.

01:16:19But Barry Kellow is actually, if anything, slightly holding them up.

01:16:23It's Frentzen in third.

01:16:26In yellow, Cunningham, the dark blue car in fourth.

01:16:29Ralph Schumacher in fifth.

01:16:30Eddie Irvine, Mika Hakkinen.

01:16:32Piero Trulli has dropped behind them into eighth place.

01:16:35Look how they break going into this corner.

01:16:37Oh, Eddie, you nearly overshot it.

01:16:38You let Hakkinen through.

01:16:39If you don't care for him, you don't need to do that.

01:16:41Hakkinen is running a dry setup.

01:16:43He's doing a tremendous job in seventh place.

01:16:46We discussed that at the beginning of the race

01:16:48as he was storming through the bill where Michael Schumacher was sliding backwards in the bill.

01:16:53We're pretty convinced that after running a wet setup,

01:16:56preparing for this wet situation.

01:17:04Damon Hill has talked to some of the press on site.

01:17:07And, of course, the question has come up

01:17:09whether he will complete the season

01:17:11or, after the disaster this weekend,

01:17:13if Silverstone might be his last race.

01:17:16I would hate to see all of this pressure push Damon into retirement

01:17:20before he decides it's time to watch Eddie Irvine

01:17:23right in the Ferrari there

01:17:25chasing Ralph Schumacher's Williams.

01:17:27I think the pressure is totally a personal thing.

01:17:30I think it's something he's figuring out.

01:17:32He really has lost the enjoyment of it.

01:17:34Although, on a day like today,

01:17:36you're having a blast out there.

01:17:39...provided people on the road for the mechanical problem to stop.

01:17:43And I talked about, sorry, having talked about

01:17:45slithering around the track, though.

01:17:47I was talking with Eddie Jordan last weekend

01:17:49at the Google Festival of Speed.

01:17:50We had a wonderful weekend.

01:17:51And they're preparing the Ferrari pits.

01:17:53And Eddie said they can't get any hotels around Manicoua.

01:17:55It's impossible.

01:17:56So they were driving back from the track two years ago

01:17:58and they saw all these canals.

01:18:00So he hires canal boats, barges.

01:18:02He said the whole crew stay on barges on the river just down the road.

01:18:06That's great.

01:18:08All right, second pit stops are coming up.

01:18:11And for that knot of cars, from third back through eighth,

01:18:14this could mean some big changes.

01:18:15Eddie Irvine is coming in this lap, we're told.

01:18:18Ferrari's laid out for Irvine.

01:18:20Michael Schumacher now has an eight-second lead.

01:18:23It makes sense for Eddie to come in now

01:18:25because he's in that block.

01:18:27By pulling out second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and second place,

01:18:30he's not going anywhere at all.

01:18:31So that'll bring him in, change up some decent times.

01:18:34But I'm assuming that the others will also come in

01:18:37and change their wet times.

01:18:39I'm a little surprised there.

01:18:40Cigarette advertising is banned in France,

01:18:42so we don't see any of those names on the cars.

01:18:44But look around the circuit.

01:18:45They allow brands like Marlboro to buy billboard space,

01:18:49and you can see the triangular Marlboro emblems on bridges

01:18:53and on course signage.

01:18:56You can't put the name on, but you can buy the space

01:18:59and put your colors up there.

01:19:01I'm not sure what kind of a ban that is.

01:19:03It could only be French.

01:19:04Well, it shows that it's a bit of a fast car

01:19:06when it comes to how much you can do and what you can't do.

01:19:09Here's Eddie coming in.

01:19:13Another great drive by Eddie.

01:19:15He did start in 17th place on the grid

01:19:17because he had a lurid time in qualifying yesterday.

01:19:20He's not getting out in the right session at all,

01:19:22or the right part of the session.

01:19:23And had a horrible first pit stop

01:19:25because the team was not clued in that he was coming in.

01:19:28Good, they did all.

01:19:29Sorry, Mike.

01:19:30Yes, very good seven seconds.

01:19:32First stop for Irvine.

01:19:33They didn't even have the tires, the pigs out of the blankets.

01:19:35They just were not ready.

01:19:44Having a look there at Olivier Panis.

01:19:46Panis stops him, blocking him as he comes in.

01:19:51Remember, the pride of France is on Panis' shoulders right now,

01:19:54holding up the 1998 world champion.

01:19:57Look at him.

01:19:58Oh, he sees him.

01:19:59Yes.

01:20:00Good, very good bit of driving by Hakkinen.

01:20:02Very, very smooth stop there.

01:20:06So Mika Hakkinen moves up.

01:20:10And he'll pick over fourth place now,

01:20:13with Irvine having made the pit stop.

01:20:16Hakkinen up one more notch.

01:20:17What a tremendous drive he has had

01:20:19from 14th on the grid since yesterday.

01:20:25Well, of course, Peter Windsor has watched the McLaren

01:20:27with the driver's names on the side of the cars

01:20:29and everybody else says team instead of West.

01:20:31Don't have it, Peter, in this tobacco regulation

01:20:34on race car sponsorship.

01:20:37These non-tobacco advertising races

01:20:39actually are a huge pain for the teams

01:20:42because they have to relivery all the trucks,

01:20:44all the team members, all the driver uniforms,

01:20:46all the driver for the mechanic classes for the pit stop.

01:20:49It's just an endless thing.

01:20:51And sometimes they have two different types

01:20:53of non-tobacco advertising,

01:20:54so it really is a full-time squad of people involved

01:20:57throughout the year,

01:20:58just looking after the livery for tobacco sponsors.

01:21:05Well, it does certainly make it a tough job for the team

01:21:07with two complete sets of uniforms.

01:21:09That is for the five teams that depend heavily

01:21:11upon tobacco sponsorships.

01:21:17So Mirichel is still feeling the pressure right there

01:21:19from Heinz-Errol Frenzel.

01:21:21I'm not sure that he must have had a bad moment last lap

01:21:25and slid off the road somewhere

01:21:26because he lost his nearly eight-second lead,

01:21:28eight-and-a-half-second lead that he had over Barrichello,

01:21:30and they were right behind him.

01:21:32He's starting to pull away again now,

01:21:34but he must have nearly got off somewhere out there

01:21:36which we didn't pick up,

01:21:37unless he has a mechanical problem.

01:21:39But he doesn't seem to have a mechanical problem.

01:21:41Look at that, a minute 42 was his last lap.

01:21:44So he lost 10 seconds,

01:21:45or I'd say 8.7 seconds on one lap,

01:21:47and he must have gone out very wide somewhere.

01:21:49Out of our sight,

01:21:50and apparently out of the French camera range somehow.

01:21:55But whatever has happened,

01:21:57Schumacher continues to lead,

01:21:59but has now dropped back into the clutches of Barrichello.

01:22:02Yeah, well, Schumacher was hoping to get a nice buffer

01:22:05so he could go and change some French tires,

01:22:07or maybe even come out still in the lead.

01:22:09Not easy to do when you, uh,

01:22:11have got the, you know,

01:22:13to get in the pits and get out.

01:22:15But he's pulling away again now.

01:22:18And it is suspected that Schumacher

01:22:20is having some sort of engine problem.

01:22:23Schumacher did not go off the course,

01:22:26according to a look of all of the videotapes,

01:22:29outputs from the cameras,

01:22:30as here's Ralf Schumacher in.

01:22:34Rafting a superb job as he's done,

01:22:36as I've said before.

01:22:37Great stop by Williams.

01:22:40Thank goodness for Ralf this year.

01:22:42It would be looking too good without.

01:22:44Now he surrenders fourth place with the pit stop.

01:22:47That will move Hockenen up to fourth.

01:22:50There's the lead, Michael Schumacher.

01:22:52Rubens Barrichello.

01:22:54And, uh, other than, uh,

01:22:56Peter tipping us that it could be engine trouble,

01:22:58no indication as to why Schumacher

01:23:00had ten seconds in one lap.

01:23:01It could easily be an engine problem,

01:23:03but, uh, let's face it, he, uh,

01:23:05he, uh, he lost a lot of time in one lap,

01:23:08and he's lost no time in the last two laps.

01:23:10As, uh, the tire, uh, and bun warmers

01:23:12at work in the, uh, Ferrari pit.

01:23:17And, uh, looks like they'll bring Michael in this time.

01:23:21Thirty-two minutes left on the, uh,

01:23:24two-hour countdown clock.

01:23:27Had 52 laps complete, 20 laps to go.

01:23:31Doesn't sound much wrong with that Ferrari, does it?

01:23:33No.

01:23:35He's still getting a little out of there, right?

01:23:36Uh, no.

01:23:37He's gonna come in.

01:23:38He's likely to just go through the chicane.

01:23:40He's gonna slip into the pit road now.

01:23:44No, he doesn't. He's figuring another lap.

01:23:46Well...

01:23:48And, Derek, uh, a little quick math,

01:23:51we may be able to complete the 72-lap distance

01:23:53within the time allotted.

01:23:55Well, I was thinking that too, Mike,

01:23:56but I'm not much of a mathematician,

01:23:57so I listened to your superior brain.

01:24:00I-I can cash my check.

01:24:01That's about as far as I go.

01:24:03But, uh, but we should be able to

01:24:06just barely get the 72 laps in

01:24:08within the two-hour time limit,

01:24:10barring any other unforeseen difficulties.

01:24:14Uh, part of the activity in the Ferrari pit

01:24:19includes, uh, a new steering wheel out there.

01:24:23Uh, perhaps as Haakonen has a look

01:24:25around the outside of the remaining Jordan

01:24:28for Heinz-Harald Frensen.

01:24:30And, uh, it may be a gear selection problem on Michael.

01:24:33It could easily be, yes.

01:24:34He just loses a gear,

01:24:35and we've had this before this year.

01:24:37Of course, there's a lot of water splashing around

01:24:39out there today as well, or has been.

01:24:42Uh, Stewart is now laid out for Barrichello,

01:24:44so he may pit at the same time.

01:24:46And if you look, uh, at the rooster tail

01:24:48from the back of these cars

01:24:49in most areas of the course,

01:24:51uh, there is a lot less of it.

01:24:52So the track is drying,

01:24:54and there's the new steering wheel,

01:24:56uh, that's being readied for Michael.

01:25:01Well, he's built his lead back up to 3.4 seconds,

01:25:04and had fallen down to 8 tenths of a second.

01:25:06So maybe he-he fixed it.

01:25:08Well, it was fixed,

01:25:09or he fixed itself.

01:25:10But he's always worrying,

01:25:11if you're not sure what the-

01:25:12whether it's gonna shift gear for you properly.

01:25:14Oh, no.

01:25:16Is that Eddie?

01:25:19It is Irvine who is off the course,

01:25:21as Schumacher is in the pits.

01:25:23Remember, Eddie had been in for his time,

01:25:25so he was in a hurry.

01:25:27Barrichello stays out.

01:25:28Will they change the steering wheel?

01:25:30Here's they will.

01:25:31I think he said-

01:25:32I think he knows they are.

01:25:33They're fitting it on now.

01:25:35Yeah, everything's fixed.

01:25:36Again, we've had this before.

01:25:38Again, we apologize for the, uh, video breakup

01:25:41in the-

01:25:42Slow start, here he goes.

01:25:44Thirteen seconds.

01:25:45He didn't need a slow start,

01:25:46but, uh,

01:25:47still quite a reasonable way to go.

01:25:49Well, what a break for Stewart.

01:25:51Look, look, look.

01:25:53This is Hakkinen really working over the back.

01:25:55Here he goes.

01:25:56Hakkinen's got to go by Heinz-Harald now.

01:25:58No, he's not.

01:25:59No.

01:26:00Oh, and then Stewart really lost the breakup

01:26:02coming into that corner as well.

01:26:04Mika needs this now.

01:26:05Mika doesn't need slow laps now.

01:26:07Although, none of the guys in front are going slowly

01:26:09with the advantage that he has now over Michael.

01:26:12Michael having a long pit stop,

01:26:14plus he lost that time.

01:26:17And that is a great break for Stewart.

01:26:19If they can, uh, turn out a seven-second pit stop

01:26:21for Barrichello.

01:26:22And now,

01:26:23the longer they leave Barrichello out, of course,

01:26:25the less fuel they will need to put in

01:26:27and the quicker that stop will be.

01:26:28That's Eddie on his off-course excursion just now.

01:26:31Here he goes, getting a little bit loose.

01:26:34He did a lot of this yesterday,

01:26:35and, in fact, he found he was spinning quite a lot yesterday.

01:26:38Let's see if he damages anything underneath the car.

01:26:40You're lucky if you don't rip something off

01:26:42when you go through that stonework there.

01:26:45Keep it going, Eddie.

01:26:48Eddie was down in eighth place at that point.

01:26:50He's even further down now,

01:26:51but he went and lost a position,

01:26:52probably just lost a lot of time.

01:26:57Eric, by my unofficial count,

01:27:00six lead changes,

01:27:01and all on the racetrack.

01:27:03None in the pit lane,

01:27:04but six lead changes in this race thus far.

01:27:09Well, we'll see if Barrichello comes in

01:27:12pitside to make his final stop

01:27:14when we come back

01:27:15to Fox Sportsnet coverage

01:27:16of the Grand Prix of France.

01:27:19Welcome back to Fox Sportsnet coverage

01:27:21of the Grand Prix of France.

01:27:22Tremendous battles in the rain

01:27:24as Mika Håkonen battled Heinz-Harald Frensson

01:27:27for second place

01:27:28and now closes down on the leader,

01:27:30Rubens Barrichello,

01:27:31in the Stuart Ford.

01:27:35Just moments ago,

01:27:36Håkonen, on that long straightaway,

01:27:38dueled Frensson.

01:27:40Yeah, what a tremendous move,

01:27:41and finally,

01:27:42poor old Heinz-Harald just

01:27:44overdoes it,

01:27:45can't get into the corner,

01:27:46and, of course,

01:27:47Mika goes by,

01:27:48and then he streaks up

01:27:49onto Rubens Barrichello.

01:27:51Here he is, working over,

01:27:52going by the pits.

01:27:53Mika will have to wait, I think,

01:27:54till we get down the straight

01:27:55to Adelaide hairpin.

01:27:57Well, Frensson battled

01:27:58all the way down that straightaway,

01:28:00but apparently left his braking too late.

01:28:02Håkonen slipped inside

01:28:04and is now second behind

01:28:05Barrichello, then Frensson,

01:28:06Olivier Pagny,

01:28:07Arno Trulli,

01:28:08and Michael Schumacher.

01:28:09Brother Ralph right behind him,

01:28:11let me tell you.

01:28:12And Irvine there in eighth place as well,

01:28:14only having been off the road just now.

01:28:15Here we go,

01:28:16is he going to work him over,

01:28:17coming down in it?

01:28:18He is, he's coming,

01:28:19oh, he's going to go.

01:28:20I can't believe Rubens did that.

01:28:21That was really rather...

01:28:22No, he still hasn't got it,

01:28:23because Rubens has got

01:28:24better traction coming out.

01:28:26That's exactly what Rubens did

01:28:27to Michael Schumacher

01:28:28not long ago.

01:28:29Remember, Schumacher went in

01:28:30for a wheel,

01:28:31a steering wheel change

01:28:32and a stop.

01:28:33Whether he had to really make it

01:28:35on tyres and fuel,

01:28:36we don't know,

01:28:37but he certainly is to his detriment.

01:28:39Mika going down the inside there

01:28:41as they come into the double left-hander.

01:28:43And again, Barrichello

01:28:44leaves him a lot of room.

01:28:46This time takes the apex.

01:28:48Here we go, let's watch it again.

01:28:49Mika pulls out,

01:28:50goes down the inside,

01:28:52but he's not really making

01:28:53a great move at this point.

01:28:54No, he's not going to make it.

01:28:55No, he's not going to make it.

01:28:56Rubens gives him a ton of room,

01:28:57but remember,

01:28:58Rubens has the perfect line

01:28:59probably a little better traction

01:29:01because Mika has to make

01:29:02a tighter turn in the corner.

01:29:03He can't get the power down.

01:29:07Barrichello maybe could have

01:29:08come across Mika's line,

01:29:09but certainly didn't want

01:29:10to risk collision.

01:29:11He's in a position to have

01:29:13his best result for Stewart.

01:29:14Exactly.

01:29:15And also, don't forget,

01:29:16of course, if he had it done,

01:29:17he might well have got

01:29:18too much wheel spin coming out.

01:29:19You want to build a nice,

01:29:20smooth arc around the corner

01:29:22to get traction.

01:29:24So Hakkinen tracks down

01:29:25Barrichello for the lead.

01:29:27Prensen is third.

01:29:28Truly now ahead of Penney.

01:29:31Penney had just made a pit stop.

01:29:35With only 14 laps to go,

01:29:36it makes you wonder

01:29:37just what Schumacher's strategy was,

01:29:39but he must have had a problem

01:29:40with that steering wheel.

01:29:41Here we go again.

01:29:42Mika, look at the power

01:29:43of that McLaren.

01:29:44He's got him this time,

01:29:45no doubt about it.

01:29:48Moves across just a little bit

01:29:49to upset Barrichello's line.

01:29:51Mika does not want to do

01:29:52the same thing again.

01:29:53Here comes Rubens.

01:29:54Same thing.

01:29:55Late apex down the inside

01:29:56and he's not going to get it.

01:29:59Hakkinen comes across track

01:30:00to close off the line.

01:30:01There's the power

01:30:02that Ford engine has.

01:30:03He's got some power

01:30:04in that engine this year.

01:30:06But what a steering drive

01:30:07by Mika Hakkinen.

01:30:08He has driven through

01:30:0914th place on the grid

01:30:11and we all thought

01:30:12that he had dry settings on the car.

01:30:14Here we go.

01:30:15Let's watch him again.

01:30:16Right after slipstream,

01:30:17as we call it,

01:30:18drafting,

01:30:19picking up a lot more water

01:30:20on the inside line

01:30:21as he comes down

01:30:22the Adelaide hairpin.

01:30:23190 miles an hour,

01:30:24probably 185

01:30:25in the wet.

01:30:26Braking, braking, braking, braking.

01:30:28Slug it back.

01:30:29Moves across a little bit

01:30:30to push Barrichello out.

01:30:31Say, don't come in blind lock

01:30:32and make it difficult for me.

01:30:34And then Mika gets

01:30:35as wide a line as he possibly can.

01:30:37Gets the power on

01:30:38and away he goes.

01:30:39Never to be seen again

01:30:40by Rubens, I fear.

01:30:42Meanwhile, Schumacher's having

01:30:43a quiet time back there.

01:30:45But, of course,

01:30:46he did make that

01:30:47extra film pit stop.

01:30:50Truly, we believe,

01:30:51is pitted this time

01:30:52in a baseline report

01:30:54in a baseline report place.

01:30:57Schumacher not actually

01:30:58lapping any quicker

01:30:59than the fellas up front.

01:31:01Which makes one wonder

01:31:02maybe there is a minor problem

01:31:03with the engine as well.

01:31:04We arrive with friends.

01:31:16Oh, here we go.

01:31:17De la Rosa,

01:31:18Takagi off the road.

01:31:20No, I'm wrong again.

01:31:21De la Rosa is right the first time.

01:31:22And he loses it coming out.

01:31:23Not very bright,

01:31:24I have to admit.

01:31:26What a terrible time

01:31:27the Arrows team is having.

01:31:28Here we go, down inside.

01:31:29Come on.

01:31:30See, always trying to get

01:31:31some gears in the Jordan.

01:31:32No gear.

01:31:35Nothing like the old

01:31:36the old handshift.

01:31:37How sad.

01:31:41Lost a ton of time there.

01:31:43We'll go back into

01:31:44tight shift, but truly,

01:31:45here we go again.

01:31:46As he comes down,

01:31:47can't get the gears.

01:31:48Look at the front wing

01:31:49on that Arrows beside him.

01:31:50The front wing is very damaged

01:31:51having gone off the road.

01:31:52That was De la Rosa.

01:31:54And then, of course,

01:31:55poor friends at target

01:31:56and he can't get any gears

01:31:57at all.

01:31:59Eddie Jordan looking

01:32:00a little bit perplexed.

01:32:03He's got them all working

01:32:04again now.

01:32:05He didn't actually lose

01:32:06a place, but he must have

01:32:07lost quite a bit of time.

01:32:08He was some 12 seconds

01:32:09ahead of Jarno, truly,

01:32:10so he wouldn't have

01:32:11lost that amount.

01:32:13Let's hope he doesn't get it

01:32:14again at the hairpin.

01:32:15Probably because he didn't

01:32:16quite get the right gear,

01:32:17but you may remember

01:32:18in the in-car we had just now

01:32:19while we followed him.

01:32:23Yeah.

01:32:31De la Rosa off to the pits.

01:32:35See how they struggle

01:32:36for grip here

01:32:38on the wet surface.

01:32:39But De la Rosa is in

01:32:40to repair the damage

01:32:41of going off the course.

01:32:43And Peter tells us

01:32:44from the pit lane

01:32:47third-hand conversation

01:32:48one of the reporters

01:32:49had with Damon Hill

01:32:50who was extremely frustrated

01:32:51He was extremely frustrated and reportedly told one member of the press that you may have just seen my last race.

01:32:58There are many questions to be answered between now and Silverstone.

01:33:02That would cause a lot of a stir with British Grand Prix.

01:33:04Luckily they sold all the tickets already.

01:33:06Back in a streaky way.

01:33:08And Michael Schumacher not being able to respond at all.

01:33:11He's still two and a half seconds off Mika's best lap.

01:33:15So there must be a problem with the Ferrari.

01:33:18Barrichello led the first five laps.

01:33:20David Coulthard took over for four circuits.

01:33:23And then went out of the race with mechanical failure while leading.

01:33:26This is Riccardo Zonta pitting while in ninth place.

01:33:29Mika Hakkinen.

01:33:31Barrichello went back to the lead.

01:33:33Was passed over by Hakkinen.

01:33:35Who had a spin.

01:33:37Barrichello back to the front.

01:33:38Schumacher took the lead.

01:33:40It has been a strange day.

01:33:42But we have now had, I believe, seven lead changes.

01:33:45And all taking place with overtaking on the circuit.

01:33:52You may or may not have noticed with the in-car shots we had just now.

01:33:56Of the Jordan.

01:33:58As Harold came out of a turn.

01:34:00He could actually drop it down a gear while he was in the turn.

01:34:03That is one of the advantages of having this type of watch now.

01:34:10Down the inside.

01:34:11Just take a look at the front wheels of the Ferrari.

01:34:13See he's not going to run into it.

01:34:14That's Eddie Irvine passing Jarno Trullo.

01:34:16The other way around, actually, I would say.

01:34:18Oh, sorry.

01:34:19Unless you look at the other shot.

01:34:20But Jarno to just checking on Eddie as he went by.

01:34:24To check that he wasn't taking his front wheel with him.

01:34:30Well, this will have to go down as one of Mika Hakkinen's most satisfying drives.

01:34:35Had a bit of frustration there as he spun the car.

01:34:38Lost it there on one occasion.

01:34:39But to come for 14th on the grid.

01:34:41And deal with both dry, wet and variable conditions.

01:34:45And end up in the lead.

01:34:47It's got to be tremendously satisfying.

01:34:49Oh, yes.

01:34:50To me, it's the best drive I've ever seen Mika do.

01:34:53I would agree.

01:34:54I mean, this is far more than just having the best car.

01:34:57To adapt to these changing conditions.

01:35:00Has really been a test of driver today.

01:35:03And the track is drying out considerably now.

01:35:05They're down to 1 minute 30 laps.

01:35:07Which is still 12 seconds off what they did in the dry.

01:35:09But the tires must be holding out remarkably well.

01:35:11I noticed Harry Keller was running through the wet part of the circuit.

01:35:14To try and keep the tires cool just now.

01:35:16Look at Mika, he's really working it over.

01:35:18He could back off a bit if he wanted to.

01:35:20He's got 8 seconds.

01:35:2110 laps to go.

01:35:23And again, a light drizzle on the circuit.

01:35:26Let's ride with Brenton.

01:35:39Hear him trying to get the wheels to grip.

01:35:42Trying to get those tires to grip.

01:35:43Shows this 800 horsepower is really mighty to try and handle.

01:35:48Now, Derek Hocken and Barry Kellow and Brenton have only made one pit stop.

01:35:53Hear him go down a gear then?

01:35:55In the middle of the corner?

01:35:56He did that before.

01:36:0212 cars remaining.

01:36:0410 laps remain.

01:36:07Mika Hocken and your leader.

01:36:09Look how much lock they have to put on.

01:36:11Full lock as they turn into the avalanche.

01:36:14I'm glad that they've got the,

01:36:16that Tyne Harrell's got his gears to work again.

01:36:18Because it would have been awfully bad luck after the last race

01:36:20when he was running a strong second in Canada.

01:36:22And he had the disc explodes.

01:36:25Whacking in the wall.

01:36:26He went from 150 miles an hour to 0 in something like 3 feet.

01:36:30And he did get a bruised spine without,

01:36:32some bruised vertebrae without a doubt.

01:36:34Here we go.

01:36:35Somebody's losing it here.

01:36:37Ooh, dear, dear, dear, dear.

01:36:39That was...

01:36:40Is that a save?

01:36:41Yes, just a save.

01:36:42But he let his teammate by, didn't he?

01:36:45That...

01:36:46Truly?

01:36:47That Pannis move let truly go by.

01:36:52And we're told that Jordan does not plan to stop.

01:36:55That Brenton will go the distance.

01:36:57And they do not plan a second pit stop.

01:36:59No.

01:37:00However, Stewart is setting up for Barry Kellow.

01:37:03Now, right now,

01:37:04Barry Kellow and Brenton are just 3 seconds apart.

01:37:08Well, that would ruin that party, wouldn't it?

01:37:10Ralf Schumacher here.

01:37:12Now, another fine job.

01:37:13Some 35 seconds behind the leader,

01:37:15but doing a wonderful job of that with him.

01:37:17And in the points, he's the 5th place car.

01:37:20You see right behind him now, Eddie Irvine.

01:37:22They have been saying that they were,

01:37:24that they're gonna run this with the BMW engine next year.

01:37:27We hear various rumors saying the engine isn't running that well.

01:37:30And it's in fact very, very heavy.

01:37:32Which isn't good at all.

01:37:34They don't want an engine running very competitively right now.

01:37:40Gonna put a new nose on Barry Kellow's car.

01:37:44Apparently a little damage there inside.

01:37:52As Irvine stalks Ralf Schumacher.

01:37:54Difference in their lap times right there.

01:37:57So, Eddie apparently is a little bit the faster car.

01:38:02Whether he can climb the points ladder.

01:38:03Oh, having a look on the outside.

01:38:07That's the long way around.

01:38:08That is the long way around.

01:38:09But he's hoping he might nip on the inside coming out.

01:38:13These two have had a very short but spirited dice at Montreal.

01:38:17McLaren setting up for a pit stop, we hear.

01:38:19We tend to let it come in for a splash and dash,

01:38:21but how come it is in the pits?

01:38:25Well, this would just be, uh,

01:38:26it would be a splash and go.

01:38:27Oh, they got a tire.

01:38:28They are doing tires this year.

01:38:29They do the most in the same amount of time.

01:38:33Ah, the fueling was well done.

01:38:35He has a longer stop than he wanted,

01:38:37but I think Rubens is coming in as well.

01:38:40And Frentzen.

01:38:41Schumacher.

01:38:42It's too bright for Schumacher.

01:38:4330 on second five.

01:38:44It's not enough for him.

01:38:45And if Jordan, that Jordan could get a lead.

01:38:47Could get a victory here.

01:38:48Look, he's...

01:38:49I remember his tires would be a little bit more worn.

01:38:52So, Frentzen is now the leader.

01:38:55Barry Kellow.

01:38:59Great drive.

01:39:00Great drive.

01:39:01Great drive by Rubens.

01:39:02Barry Kellow comes out just in front.

01:39:04Is it in front of Schumacher?

01:39:06Just.

01:39:07Woo-hoo-hoo.

01:39:09Just.

01:39:10Oh, that's Irvine.

01:39:11Is it Irvine?

01:39:12No, it must be Michael,

01:39:13because Irvine had to go by Schumacher.

01:39:18Michael needed those points.

01:39:19He could do with that third place.

01:39:21But Rubens, of course, has got fresh tires.

01:39:23Albeit, should I say, the track is drying out.

01:39:27So, it makes Frentzen the leader.

01:39:30Half-dozen or more lead changes today,

01:39:32which is tremendous.

01:39:35And Barry Kellow trying to move back up

01:39:37as Heinz-Harald Frentzen is the leader

01:39:39of the French Grand Prix.

01:39:41Seven laps to go.

01:39:42We'll be right back.

01:39:483.2 second lead.

01:39:51Attesting his 88th Grand Prix.

01:39:55But this is the battle.

01:39:57This is it.

01:39:59Michael just doesn't seem to have the steam.

01:40:01Makes you wonder, but maybe he's lost the gear too,

01:40:03which means it's really slick.

01:40:05He has to go through a gap each time.

01:40:13Fourth, fifth and sixth place we're watching.

01:40:16The Ferraris, Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine.

01:40:19Ralf Schumacher,

01:40:21celebrating his 24th birthday this week.

01:40:23Between them in fifth.

01:40:28Look at this little group.

01:40:30They really are close.

01:40:31Michael's not having a good day.

01:40:32He must be so frustrated.

01:40:34The race really was his earlier on.

01:40:37As, of course, it was David Coulthard.

01:40:38It was David's, it was Mika's,

01:40:40it was Michael's, it was Ruben's.

01:40:42It's been quite a day.

01:40:43And now it's Heinz-Harald,

01:40:44which is absolutely one of Mika Coulthard's

01:40:46first wins since the 1997 Grand Prix,

01:40:49Grand Prix of San Marino,

01:40:51when he drove for Williams.

01:40:53And then he leaves Williams after a very, very...

01:40:55Oh, look at Schumacher getting it sideways.

01:40:57Michael getting it sideways.

01:40:59Look at Ralf having a look at Michael.

01:41:01He's got to go by him.

01:41:02No, he's not.

01:41:04And there's Ruben.

01:41:05It's not that far in front.

01:41:10Ralf could get even...

01:41:11Ralf could actually get a third...

01:41:13Well, probably if he got by Michael Suri,

01:41:15he could have got a third place.

01:41:16I don't think he's going to get third now.

01:41:17Eddie having a look too.

01:41:19Stirring up the brothers.

01:41:20And there he goes.

01:41:21There he goes.

01:41:23That's a bit tough on Ralf, that is.

01:41:25That's a bit tough.

01:41:28Look at the power of...

01:41:29The way he gets the power down really very well.

01:41:31Eddie obviously got...

01:41:32Lost so much time going in there.

01:41:35He cannot get the wheels back on the road.

01:41:37He's behind the grip.

01:41:39He's continuing to fall.

01:41:40Here's another look.

01:41:42Eddie down the inside.

01:41:43Of course, he's got to get down the gearbox.

01:41:45He's got to get down the gearbox.

01:41:46He's got to get down the gearbox.

01:41:47He's got to get down the gearbox.

01:41:48Of course, he's got to get down the gearbox.

01:41:50Down to second.

01:41:51And then he loses it.

01:41:53Here he goes.

01:41:54Right down the outside.

01:41:55Look at what the track is where Eddie is.

01:41:57And then he can't get the grip again.

01:41:59Here we go.

01:42:00There's Ralf overtaking his brother.

01:42:01Is he going to let him go?

01:42:02It'll be awful if the two brothers hit.

01:42:04Family feud there.

01:42:06Look at this.

01:42:07Ralf gets inside,

01:42:08and Michael gets loose,

01:42:09and there goes Ralf.

01:42:10Yeah, Ralf's got the power.

01:42:11Michael's engine is lacking power decidedly.

01:42:14So that puts Ralf up into fourth place.

01:42:16Superb drive.

01:42:17Well done, Ralf.

01:42:18Is Eddie going to go by Michael?

01:42:20Oh, probably not.

01:42:22He wouldn't be very good for the championship hopes of Michael.

01:42:27Oh, he's going.

01:42:28He's going, yeah.

01:42:29Oh, I'm surprised.

01:42:30No, he hasn't gone.

01:42:31He's going.

01:42:32It can't be too nice out there either, Eddie, can it?

01:42:38Well, if Ferrari's hopes for the championship rest with Michael Schumacher,

01:42:42you would think that Irvine would be on team orders to hold position.

01:42:47Yeah, with any three laps to go,

01:42:49you'd think he would to let Michael get the maximum number of points.

01:42:52Even though the difference is two points to one,

01:42:55it's only a one-point difference,

01:42:57but only has a way of becoming very important toward the end of the season.

01:43:01Absolutely.

01:43:02So I think perhaps Eddie was demonstrating there

01:43:04that he could pass Michael anytime he wished.

01:43:08Well, he's hoping Michael might make a little error,

01:43:11get a bit sideways somewhere,

01:43:12and he can just say,

01:43:13oh, I have to go by because Michael backed off.

01:43:15I think that would be difficult to explain to Jean-Thomas and Ross Braun

01:43:19at the end of the race.

01:43:22So Frenson leading, hoping for his second Grand Prix win.

01:43:25Mika Hakkinen now in second, last lap, 4.3 seconds back.

01:43:30And both the pros running, but just out of the points.

01:43:34Truly seventh.

01:43:35Penny eighth.

01:43:36Riccardo Zonta, ninth, fully recovered.

01:43:40Lucchietto, our tenth.

01:43:41Toru Takagi, eleventh.

01:43:42Pedro de la Rosa, twelfth.

01:43:44I think Michael has a problem with the gear.

01:43:46He seems to have the maximum speed on the straights.

01:43:50He doesn't seem to have it out of the corner.

01:43:52Now they are nine seconds,

01:43:54the two Ferraris are nine seconds ahead of Jarno, truly.

01:43:57So they should be able to hold on to those points positions.

01:44:00And here goes Frenson to start his last lap.

01:44:02A monumental time for, absolutely brilliant for Jordan.

01:44:06Absolutely outstanding performance by him.

01:44:09He's been there so many times this year,

01:44:11had a magnificent, done a magnificent job.

01:44:14And here he is coming through to win for Jordan

01:44:16in a race that after his accident in Montreal,

01:44:18you wonder whether he would be doing it again

01:44:20for some considerable time.

01:44:22Oh yes, anybody who saw Montreal

01:44:24has got to be feeling for Frenson.

01:44:27And what he's been able to do here in just two weeks time.

01:44:32Of course winning, Derek, is very good tonic

01:44:36for whatever reason.

01:44:37Absolutely.

01:44:38I mean, he looked so good before the race,

01:44:40walking around, he looked in such good shape.

01:44:44And this would be what?

01:44:50The second Grand Prix win for Eddie Jordan.

01:44:52Damon Hill last year and both coming in the rain.

01:44:54Yeah, absolutely.

01:44:55Yeah, it just shows how good Eddie must be confidently

01:44:58saying, come on there, just keep it going.

01:45:01Just ride with him in this very victorious lap of his.

01:45:05Five second lead on Hockenheim.

01:45:09Marikelo, 30 seconds off the lead.

01:45:12Ralf Schumacher and Michael, two seconds apart,

01:45:15fourth and fifth.

01:45:16Eddie Irvine, seven seconds up on Jarno,

01:45:20truly trying to close up on the two Ferraris,

01:45:24one of which Schumacher's must be wounded.

01:45:27Michael Schumacher off pace by some four seconds a lap

01:45:31to the leader, Frenson.

01:45:33Final corner.

01:45:35After a bad crash in Canada,

01:45:37Heinz-Erwild Frenson comes back

01:45:39and scores his and Jordan's second Formula One victory.

01:45:44Absolutely brilliant.

01:45:45Absolutely superb in the driving.

01:45:46Great drive from Mika Hakkinen.

01:45:48Pity he had to come in for those tyres and fuel right at the end,

01:45:51but then these guys, their strategy worked.

01:45:53Absolutely wonderful.

01:45:55Absolutely wonderful for Eddie Jordan.

01:45:57And for the buzzing Hornets.

01:46:00When you consider Heinz-Erwild Frenson was almost written

01:46:02out of the script by all the Formula One teams.

01:46:04Yes.

01:46:05When he was with Williams, he just didn't fit in there.

01:46:07Here he is.

01:46:08Had some great results.

01:46:09Second in Australia.

01:46:10Third in Brazil.

01:46:12And he was fourth.

01:46:16And then he had his crash at Montreal.

01:46:18I mean, just superb in the driving.

01:46:21Here's Barrichello.

01:46:22Clark crossing the line in third.

01:46:25He's driving on full, leading much of the race.

01:46:27And Eddie Irvine dutifully soldiers home

01:46:30behind Michael Schumacher.

01:46:33They are fifth and sixth, picking up the final points.

01:46:39Well, we'll be back for the podium and the press conference

01:46:42and a great day for Eddie Jordan and Heinz-Erwild Frenson in France.

01:46:46You're watching Formula One on Fox Sportsnet.

01:46:52Back to the French Grand Prix where Heinz-Erwild Frenson

01:46:54has scored his second Formula One victory,

01:46:58beating Mika Hakkinen to the finish.

01:47:00Rubens Barrichello, all of whom led.

01:47:02Ralph Schumacher, Michael Schumacher, and Eddie Irvine

01:47:04picks up the final point for Ferrari.

01:47:06Both the Prosts finish.

01:47:07Trulli and Pini.

01:47:08Zonta, Baudouin, Takagi, both the Arrows finish.

01:47:11De la Rosa, the first 12.

01:47:13Driver points.

01:47:14Hakkinen now eight points up on Michael Schumacher.

01:47:17Irvine, Frenson, Ralph, and Fisichella.

01:47:20Constructor points.

01:47:21Ferrari six points now ahead of McLaren and Jordan

01:47:24in a solid third.

01:47:27Let's go to the podium for the ceremonies.

01:47:31In the green shirt, that's actor Michael Douglas

01:47:33there as the guest of the race sponsor

01:47:35to congratulate Eddie Jordan and the first three finishing drivers.

01:47:38Eddie Jordan must be so elated.

01:47:40I was with him last weekend and he was just, you know,

01:47:42really looking forward to this race,

01:47:44knowing the car is getting better and better.

01:48:00♪♪

01:48:12♪♪

01:48:22♪♪

01:48:32♪♪

01:48:42♪♪

01:48:49And now, Constructor's Anthem for Eddie Jordan.

01:48:52♪♪

01:49:02♪♪

01:49:12♪♪

01:49:22♪♪

01:49:32♪♪

01:49:42♪♪

01:49:52♪♪

01:49:55Eddie looked a little shook, a little shaken up there

01:49:58singing along, a little teary-eyed.

01:50:00Well, he knew the words and he's the Irish ambassador for sport.

01:50:04Michael Douglas presents the winner's trophy

01:50:06to Heinz-Harald Franssen.

01:50:08To Eddie Jordan, the winning constructor

01:50:10of Benson & Hedges, Jordan, Mugen, Honda.

01:50:13The trophy presented by Gérard Souffle,

01:50:15Vice President of the Nobel Prize.

01:50:18Eddie, very, very happy indeed.

01:50:20That is for certain.

01:50:21I bet he'd love to win at Silverstone

01:50:23with his big rock and roll party afterwards.

01:50:25Oh, yes.

01:50:28Right there.

01:50:30They've got a fresh engine to come, too, for the next race.

01:50:35Well, we saw today that Honda certainly had the power there.

01:50:39Kind of makes you wonder about their plans for next season.

01:50:41Jordan is doing so well and Honda said that they're throwing

01:50:44the so-called factory support behind BAR.

01:50:47Yeah, I just can't imagine.

01:50:48I just can't see that move after today.

01:50:50Makes you wonder some of that logic,

01:50:51but then they do some funny things in high places in the sport.

01:50:55The champagne must feel right good.

01:50:56I'm sure Eddie does not mind at all.

01:50:58Michael Douglas is about to get drowned as well.

01:51:04A happy podium ceremony.

01:51:06We will talk to the first three finishers

01:51:08in the Interlateral Press Conference right after this.

01:51:15The coverage of the 85th French Grand Prix

01:51:18continues with the podium finishers' press conference.

01:51:22Welcome the top three drivers from a fantastic French Grand Prix.

01:51:25Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mika Hakkinen and Rubens Barrichello.

01:51:28Heinz-Harald, first of all, we have to ask you,

01:51:31when did you decide just to do one stop

01:51:33and how much fuel did you have left at the end?

01:51:35Well, this is...

01:51:38Well, it's not a decision that I took in this moment

01:51:41when I went into the pits.

01:51:43It was raining quite heavily all of a sudden

01:51:46and everybody tried to make it as safe as possible to the pits.

01:51:51But then I noticed that the guys on the refuel

01:51:54were taking a hell of a lot of time to refuel the car

01:51:57and I was thinking, when I went out again,

01:51:59the car feels pretty heavy as well.

01:52:01I said, Jesus, how am I going to keep the car on the road

01:52:05with this aquaplaning? I was suffering quite a lot.

01:52:08I noticed that the guys around me must have been less fuel

01:52:11because initially they pulled away quite quickly.

01:52:14But luckily then the pace car came in

01:52:16and then we had time for the radio conversations to the pits,

01:52:22talking about the strategy

01:52:24and I knew that I was then pretty heavy on fuel.

01:52:27It was pretty tight.

01:52:29I had to save a little bit of fuel in one stage

01:52:32to make it to the end,

01:52:34but we have good radio communications

01:52:38so the communication worked out perfectly.

01:52:41About 20 laps from the end,

01:52:43you seemed to have a nasty moment with one of the arrows at the hairpin.

01:52:46What happened there?

01:52:48It was very tight and I pulled in very tight

01:52:51and then I didn't have any gear,

01:52:54so I don't know what happened.

01:52:56I had to look for gear first,

01:52:58but first I saw that my gearbox was broken

01:53:01and that was a bit of an adrenaline moment.

01:53:04Heinz, thank you.

01:53:06Mikko, I expect that's the most amazing race of your very long career.

01:53:09You went from 14th to 2nd,

01:53:11you spun, went back to 8th,

01:53:13then got to 1st and finally you finished 2nd.

01:53:15Talk us through it.

01:53:17Wow, don't say that.

01:53:19I cannot talk that through the whole race.

01:53:21So many things happened,

01:53:23but what was most important was the commitment.

01:53:28No, not commitment, it's not the right word,

01:53:32but the strength, you know,

01:53:34psychologically starting this race from 14th position,

01:53:37not only for me, but also for the team,

01:53:40for the mechanics and engineers.

01:53:42Obviously we have used it,

01:53:44been on the front of the row most of the season

01:53:47and suddenly we're sitting in 14th position.

01:53:49So it was not difficult,

01:53:51it was a new type of situation.

01:53:53So we have to completely build everything again.

01:53:56So, you know, the race was just great.

01:54:00I mean, everybody did good tactics,

01:54:03the team did a great job,

01:54:05communication was absolutely perfect

01:54:10and I was able to push the car on limit,

01:54:14I would say 80% of the race.

01:54:20And when it started raining,

01:54:22that was not one of my best moments,

01:54:25particularly because I spun

01:54:27and I lost obviously a lot of time

01:54:29and that is always the reason

01:54:33why I'm sitting here today in second position.

01:54:36But after all, it doesn't matter,

01:54:40it was great fun.

01:54:42You had a great battle with Rubens,

01:54:44how did you see that?

01:54:46Well, it's great.

01:54:51It's great to, you know,

01:54:53don't worry, I won't give too many compliments.

01:54:57No, but it has been a day-to-day again,

01:55:00which we can prove the drivers,

01:55:03all of us, we are professional drivers.

01:55:06That means we are not banging wheels each other,

01:55:09even if it is close,

01:55:11but it's not banging wheels each other,

01:55:13we can have a great race without touching,

01:55:15even if it is, like I said, close.

01:55:17And this is exactly what the motor racing should be.

01:55:22And we are the example also

01:55:25for the young generation

01:55:27who are racing go-karts and low formulas.

01:55:29And this is where it should be,

01:55:31not banging wheels or crashing each other.

01:55:33You know, it has to be fair and square.

01:55:35And Rubens, the way he drove today was fabulous,

01:55:39there was nothing tricky,

01:55:42except for normal little things,

01:55:46but nothing serious.

01:55:48And same with the other drivers, you know.

01:55:50And, you know, it was great fun.

01:55:52Mikko, thanks.

01:55:53Rubens, a great race from you as well,

01:55:55but after leading for so long,

01:55:56are you disappointed with third?

01:55:58Well, it's a mix of emotions.

01:56:00I don't think I am disappointed

01:56:02because I am on the podium.

01:56:03It's to be the second time in the season

01:56:09we are on the podium,

01:56:10so basically I'm not disappointed.

01:56:12But I, you know, leading the race,

01:56:14I had that feeling that it could be today,

01:56:18it could be ours today.

01:56:21But when it started to rain heavily,

01:56:24my car was accelerating quite a lot.

01:56:26I was lucky not to spin off.

01:56:28And also when it was, you know,

01:56:31halfway through after the first stop

01:56:34when we had some wet practice

01:56:37because it was going, going, going,

01:56:38my car was getting oversteery, oversteery,

01:56:40so it was quite difficult to drive.

01:56:42I had to concentrate quite a lot

01:56:43and I was losing time for sure

01:56:45to the McLaren, to the Ferrari

01:56:49and also to the Jordan.

01:56:50So, at the end of the day,

01:56:52third is not a bad place to be today.

01:56:55Now, you had great battles...

01:56:56So, a great victory for Heinz-Harald Frentzen

01:56:58and Eddie Jordan in France.

01:57:00We'll be right back to wrap things up.

01:57:05Welcome back to Fox Sports at coverage

01:57:06of the French Grand Prix.

01:57:08Well, in two weeks' time, Derek,

01:57:09we go to your home Grand Prix.

01:57:11Yes, Silverstone, of course,

01:57:12the home of British motorsport

01:57:13and the home of Jordan Racing,

01:57:15so we expect great things from them there.

01:57:17And you'll see that July 11th, 10 a.m.,

01:57:19your local time

01:57:20on most of these Fox Sportsnet affiliates.

01:57:22We would like your comments

01:57:23and we do read every single email.

01:57:26Send yours to formula1 at foxsports.net.

01:57:30A great day for Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jordan,

01:57:32each scoring their second Formula 1 victory.

01:57:35Rubens Barrichello with a third-place finish,

01:57:37Mika Hakkarinen from 14th to the lead

01:57:40and an eventual second-place finish for McLaren.

01:57:43For Peter Windsor and Derek Bell,

01:57:45I'm Mike Joy.

01:57:46Thanks to Chris McClure for stepping in in Canada

01:57:48and we'll see you in Great Britain in two weeks' time.

01:57:51You've been watching Formula 1 on Fox Sportsnet.

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