February 15 1996
All of the information in this section was obtained from a bloke down the pub, which means that while we believe all the following information to be true, we couldn't swear that it is.
What we will say however, is that usually, "there's no smoke without fire".....
Barrichello Sets The Pace On Friday
Hill Fastest at Estoril On Thursday
Hill Off At Estoril
MP4/11 Debuts
Villeneuve Won't Help Hill
Hakkinen Looking Promising
Wiliams launch FW18
Benetton Still Troubled
Tyrrell 024 Looking Good
No News From Forti
Delayed Release For Arrows
Ferrari Released Today
Barrichello Sets The Pace On Friday
With the track continuing to dry and Williams absent from the track, Rubens Barrichello set the fastest time during Friday testing. He managed a best lap of 1.21.47.
Mika Hakkinen continued his remarkable progress and set the second fastest time of 1.21.49. Both Mika and Rubens eclipsed Damons Thursday time.
Jean Alesi managed a best of 1.21.74 in his Benetton, almost a second quicker than McLaren new boy David Coulthard. Coulthard's best time was 1.22.79.
Martin Brundle in the second Jordan clocked a best time of 1.23.10.
Pedro Lamy put his Minardi through its paces and managed a respectable 1.23.43
Gerhard Berger struggled with his car and could only manage a best time of 1.23.95. I'm sure he will improve on that :-).
Hill Fastest at Estoril On Thursday
Damon Hill set the fastest time at Estoril on Thursday. The track had dried out and the weather improved too. Hill set a best time of 1.21.64 during his 27 lap session.
Rubens Barrichello set the second fastest time of 1.22.59 during his 67 lap session.
The Benetton team had a better time of it too, Alesi managed a best of 1.22.91 and Berger clocked 1.23.03.
Martin Brundle also managed a best time of 1.23.03
Damon Hill slid off a wet track at Estoril when his brakes failed in a corner. Hill was driving the new FW18 and was unhurt in the off, the car sustained no damage either. Bad weather at Estoril is hampering testing. After his spin Hill completed his 30 lap test session with a best time of 1.36.53
Alain Prost drove the new McLaren MP4/11 on Saturday, before the car was officially launched on Sunday. The MP4/11 is a completely new car, Ron Dennis said that "normally you would get a 25% carry over from your old car to a new one, more if it is an evolution. The MP4/11 has perhaps 7.5% of the MP4/10."Alain Prost was said to be very pleased with the car, adding that it "responded very well to changes made to it", which is the hallmark of a great GP car.To look at, the car is very different from last years model. The very pointed nose has gone in favour of a squared off chisel shaped one. The higher cockpit sides give the car a much more stylish profile, one which is accentuated by the Red and White colouring of the McLaren. It looks good, let's hope it goes well.On shakedown tests Prost managed a time of 1.22.99.
Jacques Villeneuve has said that he is not in the Williams team to help Hill. He is there to win races for himself. He has also commented on the "roughness" of F1 and stated that he was willing to give as good as he gets.
Week by week, Mika Hakkinen continues to recover at a remarkable rate. His behind closed doors test session at Paul Ricard ended with a fastest lap of 1.07.1. It is looking increasingly likely that he may be able participate in the Australian GP.
The Williams FW18 evolution of the FW17 was formally launched on Monday morning. Both Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill have praised the car and look forward to testing it fully. The new RS8 engine from Renault is also said to be a significant improvement over last year.
Benetton are still sorting out teething troubles with the B196. A string of glitches have interrupted their Estoril testing session. Alesi was dogged by electrical and then gearbox problems. He did complete his test session (eventually) and recorded a best time of 1.22.37. Berger took over the car from Alesi, and he too suffered minor mechanical problems. Berger only managed a total of 12 laps and recorded a best time of 1.23.90. On a more positive note, Gerhard was happy with the B196 and said that he was comfortable in the cockpit. The B195 was too small for him !!
The new Tyrrell continues to impress the F1 world. Mika Salo managed a fastest time of 1.21.66 at Estoril, compared to his 1995 qualifying time of 1.23.94. Two seconds is a very impressive increase.Katayama also posted a much improved time of 1.22.29 again almost (well almost exactly actually !) two seconds faster than his 1995 qualifying time (1.24.287).
If the Tyrrell car really is two seconds faster it will be qualifying on the front three rows of most GPs. The most impressive aspect of the Tyrrell times is that none of the other teams have shown such an improvement. Villeneuve posted a fastest lap of 1.21.51 at Estoril last week, compared to Coulthard's 1995 pole position qualifying time of 1.20.537.
Forti have still not named their second driver,(anyone got a few spare weekends this summer ??). The smart money is on Luca Badoer, especially as Gianni Morbidelli is no longer in the frame.
The FA17 was due to be released yesterday (Feb 14th) but it now looks like it will be delayed by a few days. Jackie Oliver is said to be confident that it we be unveiled this week.
The overdue Ferrari F310 is set for its official launch today (Thursday 15th). Production delays are blamed for the cars late arrival. The most striking aspect of the car is the side pod air inlet. Check them out !!. How long before a mechanic gets sucked in ??
