May 14 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".....
Hill Looks For First Monaco Win
Schumacher Fastest In Testing
Imola Management In Trouble
What Is Wrong With Alesi?
Hill Wins Again
Williams Backs Ferrari
New McLaren For Monaco
Monaco Preview
Imola Review
Imola Results
Fisichella And Marques Share Drive
New Forti Debuts Well
New Engine For Minardi
Magnussen To Drive For Stewart ?
Marlboro To Part With McLaren?
Hill Looks For First Monaco Win
Damon Hill will be aiming to win at Monaco for the first time this weekend.
The tight twisty circuit makes overtaking very difficult and makes qualifying more important than ever.
Hill has said "I would like to win here because my father won here five times in the sixties".
The main threat to Hill's chances of winning must come from Michael Schumacher. His form in qualifying at San Marino was outstanding and he will be hoping to win at Monaco for the third year in sucession.
Benetton's best hope of a podium finish probably rest with Gerhard Berger who was 3rd in 1994 and 1995. If he can repeat those results the Benetton team may be in a position to improve on what is proving to be a disappointing season so far.
McLaren and Jordan both have good chances of points as both teams continue to improve steadily over last season.
Michael Schumacher is setting the pace this week, as the teams stay on at Imola to conduct further testing. Schumacher set the fastest time of 1.28.45 to confirm the resurgence of the Ferrari car. Gerhard Berger continued to improve the fortunes of Benetton when he set a time of 1.28.64, just ahead of Villeneuve who managed 1.28.86. Race winner Damon Hill was lying seventh fastest with a time of 1.29.63. The Williams team had made changes to Hill's car. The test sessions are being hampered by heavy rain.
The organisers of the San Marino race are to be questioned by FIA officials about the track invasion that took place after the chequered flag was shown to Damon Hill. They will appear in front of the FIA in Paris on June 11 this year. The race ended with thousands of fans causing chaos as they swarmed onto the track. Gerhard Berger said that when crossed the finish line in third place it was "too dangerous to continue" and he had to stop his Benetton.
This seems to be the buzz question at the moment. It certainly seems that Jean "don't call me crazy" Alesi is reading a different script to the rest of the F1 world. His performance at Imola was remarkable for two reasons. Firstly the shunts and spins that he had during the race, secondly that he managed to finish in the points.Benetton boss Flavio Briatore has been widely reported as criticising his drivers. Only weeks ago he was backing Alesi to win the championship!. Benetton seem to be in disarray at the moment, but those of you with good memories should think back to last year. Benetton had a disaster at Imola, and then went on to win five out of the next six races! Benetton and Alesi both seem to be trying too hard. Ross Brawn summed the situation up when he said "We've been through the storm, as it were, and I think we have to go down a little bit before we come back up"
Damon Hill and Williams showed how a team could win a GP at Imola. The teams tactics allowed Hill to capitalise on the supremacy of his Williams Renault and record his fourth victory of the season. Hill's late first pit stop proved to be the key element in the winning strategy.
Frank Williams has backed Ferrari as the team most likely to challenge for the title. "Ferrari is going to push us all the way this season" said Williams after the Imola race. Hill added that "It's still early and they are right there". The Ferrari continues to improve and Schumacher has shown that he has every confidence in the car.
McLaren could be running a new MP4/11B at Monaco if testing goes according to plan. The teams recent improvements have been attributed in part to tweaks made on the current car. Ron Dennis said "Now we are in a position where we have a stable engineering platform to move forward from, and I think we WILL move forward". The MP4/11B will be tested alongside the current car before any final decision is made.
Just over a week to go to one of the greatest races on the calendar. Schumacher will be hoping for a third successive win. Williams haven't won at Monaco since 1983 when Keke Rosberg's Williams FW08C Ford finished ahead of Nelson Piquet in his Brabham BT52 BMW. Both Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill will be hoping to win a race that their famous fathers won, Gilles win in 1981 was the last for Ferrari at this circuit. Benetton will be hoping that Alesi or Berger can give them their third win in succession. The most successful team at Monaco in recent times with nine wins from the last twelve is McLaren, their recent form could see them win.
The Imola race of 1996 has some elements that will be remembered for a while. Michael Schumacher dominating practice, David Coulthard's incredible start which saw a McLaren leading a Grand Prix for the first time since 1993, Mika Salo's Tyrrell well up in the points until retirement , Williams showing how much they have learned from last years tactical mistakes, and Alesi...?!?
| 1 | D.Hill | Williams | 1.35.26.156 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | M. Schumacher | Ferrari | +16.460 |
| 3 | G. Berger | Benetton | +46.891 |
| 4 | E. Irvine | Ferrari | +1.01.583 |
| 5 | R. Barrichello | Jordan | +1.18.490 |
| 6 | J. Alesi | Benetton | +1 lap |
| 7 | P. Diniz | Ligier | +1 lap |
| 8 | M. Hakkinen | McLaren | +2 laps (DNF Engine) |
| 9 | P. Lamy | Minardi | +2 laps |
| 10 | L. Badoer | Forti | +4 laps |
| 11 | J. Villeneuve | Williams | +6 laps (DNF Suspension) |
| Did Not Finish | |||
| O. Panis | Ligier | 54 laps | Gearbox |
| U. Katayama | Tyrrell | 45 laps | Transmission |
| D. Coulthard | McLaren | 44 laps | Hydraulics |
| R. Rosset | Arrows | 40 laps | Misfire |
| J. Verstappen | Arrows | 38 laps | Refuelling Accident |
| M. Brundle | Jordan | 36 laps | Spin |
| H. H. Frentzen | Sauber | 32 laps | Brakes |
| G. Fisichella | Minardi | 30 laps | Engine |
| J. Herbert | Sauber | 25 laps | Electronics |
| M. Salo | Tyrrell | 23 laps | Engine |
| Did Not Qualify | |||
| A. Montermini | Forti |
Fisichella And Marques Share Drive
Giancarlo Minardi is hoping that Giancarlo Fisichella and Tarso Marques will stay with Minardi where they will share the drive this season. Fisichella will be given the Monaco drive.
The new Forti FG03 equitted itself well enough at Imola, Badoer finishing in tenth place stuck in fifth gear. The team are hoping that they can start qualifying 15th or so later this year.
Minardi will have a revised version of the Ford V8 for Monaco. They are hoping that it will give them the performance boost that they need to keep up with the other teams.
Magnussen To Drive For Stewart ?
Jan Magnussen has been linked to the Stewart GP team. Magnussen is currently the reserve driver at McLaren, he raced for Paul Stewart racing winning the 1994 British F3 series for the team. Other drivers to be linked with the team include another McLaren driver, David Coulthard.
Marlboro To Part With McLaren?
Rumours are suggesting that Phillip Morris Inc are about to pull out of their sponsorship deal with McLaren. The deal is up for renegotiation at the end of this year. Ron Dennis admits that the contract is to be reviewed but stresses that it is not a case of "are you staying on our car or not".
