The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

The place for alternate championships that use real results as a base of forming alternative results, driver careers, and games in general
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tBone
Posts: 523
Joined: 29 Dec 2014, 11:20
Location: The Netherlands

The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

On another forum, I started a virtual racing career, telling you the story of fictional Dutch driver Nathan van Dijk, who will make his Formula 1 debut in 1995. His entry in F1 will definitely change some of the actual history and therefore some liveries as well. I'll be posting his career over here as well.

I will be using the great classic game by Geoff Crammond, Grand Prix 2, because of its ability to run races without actually driving, and because it is quite easy to modify car designs. All results will be simulated by the game. One limitation will probably be that I will keep on using the 1994 race calendar for all seasons, as well as the car shape.

My next post will be an "official" 1995 season preview, where you will already see some tweaks to the design of Nathan's car to accomodate his sponsors... I hope you will enjoy this!
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

1995 Formula One Season Preview

Mild Seven Benetton Renault
Image
#1 - Michael Schumacher (Germany)
  • 52 race starts
  • 10 wins
  • 6 pole positions
#2 - Johnny Herbert (Great Britain)
  • 63 race starts
  • Best race result: 4th
  • Best qualifying: 4th
After Benetton's most succesful year in the sport so far, they will be looking to improve by not only taking the drivers', but also the constructors' championship crown. Michael Schumacher proved last year that, although controversial, he definitely is the best driver around after Ayrton Senna's tragic death. The 2nd driver seat in 1994 was a hot seat with a lot of changes, the last two races occupied by Johnny Herbert. He keeps his seat for 1995 and he knows he will have to perform. The state-of-the-art Renault engines will surely help.


Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha
Image
#3 - Ukyo Katayama (Japan)
  • 46 race starts
  • Best race result: 5th
  • Best qualifying: 5th
#4 - Mika Salo (Finland)
  • 2 race starts
  • Best race result: 10th
  • Best qualifying: 22nd
Tyrrell will be looking to further move up the midfield, after they bounced back from a disappointing 1993 by scoring 13 points and even a podium finish in 1994. The innovative new Tyrrell 023 looks promising. Katayama has proven himself to be a stable and quick driver last year. Youngster Mika Salo will be looking to prove himself after his debut in the last two races of 1994 with Lotus.


Rothmans Williams Renault
Image
#5 - Damon Hill (Great Britain)
  • 34 race starts
  • 9 wins
  • 4 pole positions
#6 - David Coulthard (Great Britain)
  • 8 race starts
  • Best race result: 2nd
  • Best qualifying: 3rd
Following three consecutive constructors' championships, Williams will still consider itself the team to beat. They will be eager to regain the drivers' championship as well and Damon Hill will mainly be the one to challenge Schumacher. David Coulthard made his debut last year under difficult circumstances, but he proved himself to be quick, albeit inconsistent sometimes. He will look to further improve himself and contribute to Williams' title challenges.


Marlboro McLaren Mercedes
Image
#7 - Mark Blundell (Great Britain)
  • 46 race starts
  • Best race result: 3rd
  • Best qualifying: 4th
#8 - Mika Hakkinen (Finland)
  • 48 race starts
  • Best race result: 2nd
  • Best qualifying: 2nd
McLaren's pre-season was compromised by their drivers' complaints about the too narrow cockpit. Nigel Mansell would not even fit in the car and will have to be replaced by Mark Blundell for the start of the season, until McLaren are able to introduce a changed chassis. Blundell will be looking to capitalize this unique chance. A lot of his, and Hakkinen's and Mansell's chances will depend on the quality of the brought-in Mercedes engines.


Footwork Hart
Image
#9 - Gianni Morbidelli (Italy)
  • 50 race starts
  • Best race result: 5th
  • Best qualifying: 6th
#10 - Taki Inoue (Japan)
  • 1 race start
  • Best race result: -
  • Best qualifying: 26th
The former Arrows team is desparately looking for money and they have shown it to the world by hiring Taki Inoue. Results will be expected from Morbidelli, who will try to drag his Hart V8 powered Footwork to some more points finished, like he did last year.


MTV Simtek Ford
Image
#11 - Domenico Schiattarella (Italy)
  • 2 race starts
  • Best race result 19th
  • Best qualifying: 26th
#12 - Jos Verstappen (Netherlands)
  • 10 race starts
  • Best race result: 3rd
  • Best qualifying: 6th
Another team on a limited budget, Simtek will be looking to improve on their difficult debut year. Schiattarella keeps his seat from last year and will be looking to make a better impression in 1995. Joining him is Dutch Jos Verstappen, who is considered as one of the biggest racing talents of the moment. If he manages to impress in the Simtek, he may be back in the frame for a Benetton racing seat.


Total Jordan Peugeot
Image
#14 - Rubens Barrichello (Brazil)
  • 31 race starts
  • Best race result: 3rd
  • 1 pole position
#15 - Eddie Irvine (Great Britain)
  • 14 race starts
  • Best race result: 4th
  • Best qualifying: 4th
Jordan have picked up the Peugeot works engines and are hoping for it to be an improvement over the Hart V10 units they used last year. The talented driver duo of Barrichello and Irvine performed fine last year, getting Jordan a nice 5th place in the constructors' championship. Jordan will be looking to join the sub-top this year.


Pacific Team Lotus
Image
#16 - Bertrand Gachot (France)
  • 36 race starts
  • Best race result: 5th
  • Best qualifying: 10th
#17 - Andrea Montermini (Italy)
  • 0 race starts
  • Best race result: -
  • Best qualifying: -

Pacific was probably the slowest team on last year's grid, racking up 25 DNQs. Due to the withdrawal of Larrousse and Team Lotus, they will not need to worry about qualifying anymore, so at least they will be seen more often at the start of the races. Speaking of Team Lotus, Pacific's merge with them might help them to further develop their car and field a more advanced chassis.


Parmalat Forti Ford
Image
#21 - Roberto Moreno (Brazil)
  • 25 race starts
  • Best race result: 2nd
  • Best qualifying: 5th
#22 - Nathan van Dijk (Netherlands)
  • 0 race starts
  • Best race result: -
  • Best qualifying: -
Forti is the debuting team in 1995, jumping up from F3000. Like for Pacific, it will be a big advantage for them that only 26 cars will try to qualify in 1995. The experienced Brazilian Moreno will try to further develop the car, while also bringing some native sponsors. Van Dijk is one of the most surprising names on the grid. The 19-year old Dutchman is bringing some Dutch sponsor money, but he will face a very steep learning curve.


Minardi Scuderia Italia
Image
#23 - Pierluigi Martini (Italy)
  • 110 race starts
  • Best race result: 4th
  • Best qualifying: 2nd
#24 - Luca Badoer
  • 12 race starts
  • Best race result: 7th
  • Best qualifying: 21st
Minardi missed out last-minute on the Mugen engines, having to settle with Ford V8s. Experienced Italian Martini and his young compatriot Badoer will be looking to capitalize every opportunity to gain some points, hoping that Aldo Costa has maximised on his budget to design a good chassis.


Ligier Gitanes Blondes
Image
#25 - Aguri Suzuki (Japan)
  • 59 race starts
  • Best race result: 3rd
  • Best qualifying: 6th
#26 - Olivier Panis (France)
  • 16 race starts
  • Best race result: 2nd
  • Best qualifying: 6th
The new Ligier JS41 has a remarkable resemblance to the Benetton with both teams sharing ownership by Flavio Briatore. If the chassis is equally good and the Mugen Honda engine lives up to its potential, it may well become a successful year for the French team. Olivier Panis had a solid rookie season in 1994 and will be looking to improve. Suzuki will be sharing his seat with Martin Brundle, or at least that is what is being said now...


Scuderia Ferrari
Image
#27 - Jean Alesi (France)
  • 85 race starts
  • Best race result: 2nd
  • 1 pole position
#28 - Gerhard Berger (Austria)
  • 163 race starts
  • 9 race wins
  • 10 pole positions
Ferrari finally won a race again last year and they will be looking to collect more. Jean Alesi, who is overdue his first win by years now, and Gerhard Berger still look like an experienced and capable duo. If Ferrari can improve on their reliability and consistency, the prancing horse may be a dark horse for the 1995 world championships.


Red Bull Sauber Ford
Image
#29 - Karl Wendlinger (Austria)
  • 35 race starts
  • Best race result: 4th
  • Best qualifying: 5th
#30 - Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany)
  • 15 race starts
  • Best race result: 4th
  • Best qualifying: 3rd
After a disappointing 8th place in the 1994 constructors' championship, Mercedes left Sauber. They were able to pick up the works Ford engines, though, using the V8 units which enabled Schumacher to win the drivers' championship last year. While that may be a bit over-ambitious for the Swiss team, Wendlinger and Frentzen will be looking to score their first podiums in 1995 and move up the midfield.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

1995 Brazilian Grand Prix

Formula 1 is ready for its 1995 season overture! All pre-season speculation will prove to be worthless when the engines are started and the first wheels are turned. Gentlemen, start your engines please!



Qualifying

The first qualifying of the year is the qualifying of the new rising stars. Benetton's #2, Johnny Herbert, takes his first pole position. The Jordan team with its young, talented duo is rising to the top with their cars on the 2nd and 3rd grid slots. Further down the field, Frentzen, Panis and Verstappen impress. Rookie Van Dijk surprises by out-qualifying his 16 year older team-mate Moreno.

Results

Code: Select all

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿          
       ³                                                                ³       
       ³                                            1              Pole ³       
       ³                                     Johnny Herbert             ³       
       ³                    2                  1m 16.285s               ³       
       ³              Eddie Irvine                                      ³       
       ³               1m 16.456s                   3             Row 2 ³       
       ³                                   Rubens Barrichello           ³       
       ³                    4                  1m 16.532s               ³       
       ³           Michael Schumacher                                   ³       
       ³               1m 16.614s                   5             Row 3 ³       
       ³                                       Damon Hill               ³       
       ³                    6                  1m 16.625s               ³       
       ³             David Coulthard                                    ³       
       ³               1m 16.640s                   7             Row 4 ³       
       ³                                       Jean Alesi               ³       
       ³                    8                  1m 16.649s               ³       
       ³              Mika Hakkinen                                     ³       
       ³               1m 16.807s                   9             Row 5 ³       
       ³                                     Gerhard Berger             ³       
       ³                   10                  1m 16.937s               ³       
       ³          Heinz-Harald Frentzen                                 ³       
       ³               1m 17.155s                  11             Row 6 ³       
       ³                                      Olivier Panis             ³       
       ³                   12                  1m 17.238s               ³       
       ³            Gianni Morbidelli                                   ³       
       ³               1m 17.239s                  13             Row 7 ³       
       ³                                      Mark Blundell             ³       
       ³                   14                  1m 17.274s               ³       
       ³              Ukyo Katayama                                     ³       
       ³               1m 17.448s                  15             Row 8 ³       
       ³                                      Aguri Suzuki              ³       
       ³                   16                  1m 18.012s               ³       
       ³             Karl Wendlinger                                    ³       
       ³               1m 18.500s                  17             Row 9 ³       
       ³                                       Luca Badoer              ³       
       ³                   18                  1m 18.528s               ³       
       ³             Jos Verstappen                                     ³       
       ³               1m 18.746s                  19            Row 10 ³       
       ³                                    Pierluigi Martini           ³       
       ³                   20                  1m 18.937s               ³       
       ³                Mika Salo                                       ³       
       ³               1m 19.037s                  21            Row 11 ³       
       ³                                       Taki Inoue               ³       
       ³                   22                  1m 20.169s               ³       
       ³         Domenico Schiattarella                                 ³       
       ³               1m 20.497s                  23            Row 12 ³       
       ³                                     Bertrand Gachot            ³       
       ³                   24                  1m 21.022s               ³       
       ³             Nathan van Dijk                                    ³       
       ³               1m 21.067s                  25            Row 13 ³       
       ³                                     Roberto Moreno             ³       
       ³                   26                  1m 21.094s               ³       
       ³            Andrea Montermini                                   ³       
       ³               1m 21.146s                                       ³       
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ   



Race

Race day has come and 26 drivers are eager to prove what they are worth. Somehow all of these eager lads make it through the first corner. Maybe the Jordan duo are too cautious, Barrichello dropping to 4th and Irvine to 6th. The Benetton duo have a better start with Herbert keeping the lead and Schumacher. Van Dijk's start is impressive as well, as he passes two cars to rise to 22nd. After the first lap, Herbert is leading the race, followed by Schumacher, Coulthard, Barrichello, Hakkinen and Irvine.

In the opening laps of the race, Barrichello is on a charge to prove himself for his home country. He overtakes Coulthard for 3rd. A couple of laps later, an impressive move gains him 2nd from Schumacher as well. Schumacher is even dropping further, also being passed by Coulthard, Hakkinen, Hill and Irvine in the first five laps. Irvine lost a place to Hill in the second lap, but he is fighting back some laps later. Unfortunately the Ulsterman overdrives his Jordan and spins, dropping him all the way back to last place. The same happens with another angry young man a couple of laps later, as Heinz-Harald Frentzen spins his Sauber too.

Further incidents were to come, with Frentzen trying to fight his way past Verstappen, spinning the Dutchman in the process. Things were about to get worse for Verstappen in the next lap, as he retired from last place with an engine failure. Aguri Suzuki was the next to retire. The first race of Nathan van Dijk also came to an early end, as his transmission gave up in lap 19.

From lap 20, the pit stop window was opened with Barrichello and Hill being the first ones from the top 6. Coulthard, Hakkinen and Herbert followed soon, while it appeared that Schumacher and Alesi were on a one-stop strategy. Schumacher was able to move into the lead, while Alesi got 3rd. Also in lap 22, tragedy struck Barrichello, as he retired with transmission problems.

Herbert immediately used his fresh tyres to close the gap to his team-mate and was right on his tail in lap 24. The Benettons were apparently allowed to race, as they even did a bit of wheel banging. One lap later, the party was over when Herbert made a clean pass on Schumacher going into the first corner. Another curious intra-team moment occured when Frentzen, on his way back through the field, got to the tail of Wendlinger. Under pressure, Wendlinger lost control into the first corner, causing Frentzen to take avoiding action and spinning himself as well. Both were able to continue, although having lost time and positions.

The one-stoppers Schumacher and Alesi made their stops in laps 36 and 38 respectively, dropping them to 5th and 6th. A couple of laps later, Coulthard lost his hopes of getting a good result and even beating his teammate when his engine failed. Coulthard's retirement moved Hakkinen onto a podium position, although he would not enjoy it for long. The McLaren's transmission let the Finn down in lap 44.

Soon the two-stoppers all came in for their second stops, with Herbert keeping the lead this time. Schumacher and Alesi were still able to move up to 2nd and 3rd, while Panis profited from all retirements and his one-stop strategy to move up to 5th. His luck would not last long, though, as he needed an unplanned pit stop due to electrical issues. Alesi's delight also was not forever, with Hill closing in on him fast and overtaking him for 3rd.

In the final stages of the race, more technical issues were to come. Alesi had to limp back to the pits for a full lap with electrical problems, but he was able to continue his way and salvage some points. Blundell and Irvine even lost their points positions, both drivers retiring with technical issues.

Image
Johnny Herbert wins his first ever Grand Prix

Johnny Herbert was not bothered by any of these troubles, as he drove on to a dominant first Formula 1 victory. Damon Hill did well to finish 2nd in the end, with Schumacher starting his title defence with the last spot on the podium. Alesi and Berger managed to salvage some points for Ferrari in a difficult week-end, while Panis managed to take the last point despite his issues earlier on.

Results

Code: Select all

              ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿             
              ³                                                  ³             
              ³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³             
              ³                                                  ³             
              ³  1st  Johnny Herbert              1h 35m 36.204s ³             
              ³       Benetton - Renault                         ³             
              ³  2nd  Damon Hill                  +24.851s       ³             
              ³       Williams - Renault                         ³             
              ³  3rd  Michael Schumacher          +48.438s       ³             
              ³       Benetton - Renault                         ³             
              ³  4th  Jean Alesi                  +59.011s       ³             
              ³       Ferrari                                    ³             
              ³  5th  Gerhard Berger              -1 Lap         ³             
              ³       Ferrari                                    ³             
              ³  6th  Olivier Panis               -1 Lap         ³             
              ³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³             
              ³  7th  Karl Wendlinger             -2 Laps        ³             
              ³       Sauber - Ford                              ³             
              ³  8th  Ukyo Katayama               -2 Laps        ³             
              ³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³             
              ³  9th  Mika Salo                   -3 Laps        ³             
              ³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³             
              ³ 10th  Pierluigi Martini           -3 Laps        ³             
              ³       Minardi - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 11th  Domenico Schiattarella      -3 Laps        ³             
              ³       Simtek - Ford                              ³             
              ³ 12th  Bertrand Gachot             -4 Laps        ³             
              ³       Pacific - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 13th  Eddie Irvine                Puncture       ³             
              ³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³             
              ³ 14th  Mark Blundell               Transmission   ³             
              ³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³             
              ³ 15th  Andrea Montermini           Transmission   ³             
              ³       Pacific - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 16th  Gianni Morbidelli           Loose Wheel    ³             
              ³       Footwork - Hart                            ³             
              ³ 17th  Mika Hakkinen               Transmission   ³             
              ³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³             
              ³ 18th  David Coulthard             Oil Leak       ³             
              ³       Williams - Renault                         ³             
              ³ 19th  Roberto Moreno              Engine         ³             
              ³       Forti - Ford                               ³             
              ³ 20th  Taki Inoue                  Engine         ³             
              ³       Footwork - Hart                            ³             
              ³ 21st  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       Transmission   ³             
              ³       Sauber - Ford                              ³             
              ³ 22nd  Luca Badoer                 Suspension     ³             
              ³       Minardi - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 23rd  Rubens Barrichello          Transmission   ³             
              ³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³             
              ³ 24th  Nathan van Dijk             Transmission   ³             
              ³       Forti - Ford                               ³             
              ³ 25th  Aguri Suzuki                Suspension     ³             
              ³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³             
              ³ 26th  Jos Verstappen              Engine         ³             
              ³       Simtek - Ford                              ³             
              ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ             



Drivers' Championship

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1. Johnny Herbert        10
2. Damon Hill             6
3. Michael Schumacher     4
4. Jean Alesi             3
5. Gerhard Berger         2
6. Olivier Panis          1


Constructors' Championship

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1. Benetton-Renault     14
2. Williams-Renault      6
3. Ferrari               5
4. Ligier-Mugen Honda    1
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 5th April, 1995


Ferrari's Resurgence Plans

Since Jean Todt entered Ferrari, they seem to be on their way back to the top again. Rumor has it that Ferrari are looking to significantly upgrade their personnel for the next years. Although John Barnard's 412 design was a race winner last year, Ferrari are expecting more from him. It is said Todt is already looking to lure in Williams' Adrian Newey or Benetton's Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne to replace him. Whoever takes or keeps the role, they will have the heavy task of getting Ferrari back into championship contention, but they will be greatly rewarded if they do so.

Image

On the driver front, it is also all but quiet. According to our sources, Todt is keen to sign a new big star and has started talks with reigning world champion Michael Schumacher. His signing would mean bad news for either Alesi or Berger, raising pressure on the duo to perform well this year. Some say Ferrari might even go for a completely new driver duo, with youngsters Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Eddie Irvine and Heinz-Harald Frentzen also in the picture.


Sons of Legends

In the last few years, Formula 1 has shown itself to be a family business. Damon Hill, Graham's son, is still in F1 and started the new season reasonably well with 2nd place in Brazil. But how are Jack Brabham's sons doing? How is Michael Andretti doing? And where did Wilson's son, Christian Fittipaldi go? Furthermore, are more F1 legend offsprings on their way to live up to their fathers' fame?

While Gary Brabham decided to retire from competitive racing, his brother David takes part in the BTCC this year. After deciding to leave Simtek last year, he debuted in the class in a BMW 320i last weekend. With a 12th position in both races he did not yet stand out. He will need to rise to the top to get back in the F1 picture.

Image

Michael Andretti proved his quality in CART last year, even winning his first race back in the series after a very disappointing F1 stint with McLaren. He continues to impress this year, already having taken both pole positions. In the races he has been less lucky so far, but it remains a mystery why he was not able to show the same speed in Formula 1. If he still has the ambition, he might get a second shot at F1 as long as he keeps showing his current performance.

Emerson's nephew Christian Fittipaldi joins his uncle in CART for the first time this year, after a more than decent three-year stint in the F1 midfield. The rookie immediately impressed with a solid 5th in Miami. Fittipaldi will probably not like to re-join the back of the Formula 1 grid, but if he continues to perform this well in CART, the 24-year old might just get a place in the spotlights in the future.

Another name that still causes a bit of a stir when mentioned in the paddock, is Villeneuve. Gilles' son Jacques was the CART rookie of the year in 1994 and he won the first race of this year. The young Canadian shows some serious speed, as well as racecraft in the North American class. Will he be the next one to jump across the ocean and give Formula 1 a go?

Derek Bell never enjoyed the big successes in F1, but he has established himself as a sports car legend, winning the Le Mans 24 hours five times. His son Justin, now 27 years old, has slowly risen through the racing ranks with an almost Damon Hill-like career path. He will join his father in a McLaren in this year's Le Mans race. Could this maybe be a way into an F1 seat?

Another way to get into Formula One, is being a team boss. Jackie's son, Paul Stewart, may just be on his way to achieve exactly that. After quitting his driver career in 1993, Paul purely focuses on running his Paul Stewart Racing team in Formula 3000 and Formula 3. If money becomes available, this might be one of the teams who could be able to make the jump to Formula 1 in the next years.


Short but Sweet

Dome to join F1 in 1997 with Mugen engines • McLaren to launch B-spec to fit Mansell in Imola • Berger in talks with Benetton • Larrousse to return in 1996 with Petronas sponsoring? • Simtek in talks with Dutch, Japanese, Argentinian investors
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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Really liking what I’m seeing so far, keep it up mate!
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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FortiWinks wrote:Really liking what I’m seeing so far, keep it up mate!

Thanks! I really appreciate it
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 Argentinian Grand Prix

After a surprising maiden win for Johnny Herbert, he will be eager to prove it was not a fluke. And can Williams strike back? What about the others, will Ferrari or McLaren close the gap and fight for the lead? The new, twisty circuit of Buenos Aires might throw in a surprise...


Qualifying

In Brazil, the top three was a surprise. It may still be considered a surprise that the same drivers will start from the first grid slots in Argentina. Jean Alesi also had a good qualifying, securing 4th on the grid. The Williams team takes the third row, while Schumacher disappoints with only a 7th time. Further down the grid, Panis' 10th place is impressive too. Rookies Van Dijk and Montermini will start the race from the last row.

Results

Code: Select all

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿       
       ³                                                                ³       
       ³                                            1              Pole ³       
       ³                                     Johnny Herbert             ³       
       ³                    2                  1m 29.341s               ³       
       ³           Rubens Barrichello                                   ³       
       ³               1m 29.558s                   3             Row 2 ³       
       ³                                      Eddie Irvine              ³       
       ³                    4                  1m 29.558s               ³       
       ³               Jean Alesi                                       ³       
       ³               1m 29.693s                   5             Row 3 ³       
       ³                                     David Coulthard            ³       
       ³                    6                  1m 29.714s               ³       
       ³               Damon Hill                                       ³       
       ³               1m 29.766s                   7             Row 4 ³       
       ³                                   Michael Schumacher           ³       
       ³                    8                  1m 29.782s               ³       
       ³              Mika Hakkinen                                     ³       
       ³               1m 29.874s                   9             Row 5 ³       
       ³                                     Gerhard Berger             ³       
       ³                   10                  1m 29.910s               ³       
       ³              Olivier Panis                                     ³       
       ³               1m 30.290s                  11             Row 6 ³       
       ³                                  Heinz-Harald Frentzen         ³       
       ³                   12                  1m 30.295s               ³       
       ³              Mark Blundell                                     ³       
       ³               1m 30.511s                  13             Row 7 ³       
       ³                                    Gianni Morbidelli           ³       
       ³                   14                  1m 30.553s               ³       
       ³              Ukyo Katayama                                     ³       
       ³               1m 30.805s                  15             Row 8 ³       
       ³                                      Aguri Suzuki              ³       
       ³                   16                  1m 31.246s               ³       
       ³             Karl Wendlinger                                    ³       
       ³               1m 31.868s                  17             Row 9 ³       
       ³                                       Luca Badoer              ³       
       ³                   18                  1m 32.150s               ³       
       ³                Mika Salo                                       ³       
       ³               1m 32.356s                  19            Row 10 ³       
       ³                                     Jos Verstappen             ³       
       ³                   20                  1m 32.420s               ³       
       ³            Pierluigi Martini                                   ³       
       ³               1m 32.614s                  21            Row 11 ³       
       ³                                       Taki Inoue               ³       
       ³                   22                  1m 33.660s               ³       
       ³         Domenico Schiattarella                                 ³       
       ³               1m 34.064s                  23            Row 12 ³       
       ³                                     Bertrand Gachot            ³       
       ³                   24                  1m 34.758s               ³       
       ³             Roberto Moreno                                     ³       
       ³               1m 34.908s                  25            Row 13 ³       
       ³                                     Nathan van Dijk            ³       
       ³                   26                  1m 34.919s               ³       
       ³            Andrea Montermini                                   ³       
       ³               1m 34.933s                                       ³       
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

The second race of the year gets underway and for the second time, all 26 drivers come through the first corner unscathed. After his careful start in Brazil, Irvine is a lot more aggressive in Argentina, conquering the lead before the first corner. Coulthard has a great start as well, rising to 2nd, followed by Barrichello. Michael Schumacher makes up for his bad qualifying by gaining three places, with Herbert dropping behind him to 5th. Damon Hill keeps his 6th position. Further down the field, the first incident occurs in the third corner. After a good start, Van Dijk is pushed by Gachot in the braking zone, causing him to drop to last place.

Coulthard does not seem the fastest in the opening stages, with a group of five other cars forming behind him. Hill is the first one to gain a position within this group, overtaking Herbert for 5th place in lap 2. The next lap is packed with incidents, starting with Montermini going through the grass, rejoining in the path of Schiattarella. His avoiding action enables Van Dijk to regain a place. Further up the field, Morbidelli's Footwork breaks down and he spins when trying to move his car to the side, stopping on the middle of the track. Luckily everybody is able to avoid this dangerous situation.

Barrichello frantically tries to pass Coulthard, probably making him too careless about the threats from behind. Michael Schumacher is able to overtake the Brazilian in lap 5, with Hill following a lap later. Barrichello's race would go from bad to worse only one lap later, when he retired with suspension failure. The race of Jordan Grand Prix would even be completely over in lap 8, with Eddie Irvine's retirement from the lead as his Peugeot engine spectacularly blew up. Further down the field, both Dutch drivers catch some attention. Van Dijk by overtaking his way up to 21st position, Verstappen by being forced to pit as early as lap 10 with electrical issues. Nevertheless, he is able to continue his race in 26th.

Coulthard had inherited the lead, raising the stakes for the group fighting him. Finally, in lap 10, Schumacher was able to pass him. The reigning world champion immediately proved that Coulthard was holding him up, improving the fastest lap time of the race three times in a row. Damon Hill was next to fight Coulthard, but the Scot did not make any room for his team mate. Herbert profited with a spectacular dive bomb maneuver, stealing Hill's 3rd position. Schumacher further extended the gap to the chasing group in the meantime, lapping the first backmarkers in the process. Another intra-team battle was decided during the German's lapping, as Van Dijk cleverly slipstreamed Schumacher to pass Moreno for 17th.

The backmarkers would play another role a couple of laps later, in lap 18. It started with Herbert trying to lap Gachot, but he was blocked by the Frenchman. Hill profited and sneaked past the Benetton. Mere seconds later, Hill was too impatient when lapping Moreno, spinning and taking the Forti off track as well. Herbert was not able to avoid the incident without moving through the grass. Jean Alesi was the one to get lucky, overtaking both Brits. Herbert needs to make up the lost time and proves he is just as quick as his team mate now he has space. After this incident, Schumacher leads, followed by Coulthard, Alesi, Hill, Herbert and Hakkinen.

Lap 23 provides the next shock, as Schumacher's Benetton catches fire, caused by an oil leak. The German is able to swiftly park his car and run to safety. His retirement raises Olivier Panis back into the points, but it was not for long, as the Ligier's brakes let him down in the same lap. David Coulthard still drove his way through all the incidents and regained the lead, although he was quickly being caught by Alesi, Hill and Herbert. When the four front-runners formed a group again, Damon Hill was the first one to make a successful move, taking 2nd position from Alesi. Coulthard impressively managed to keep them all behind until lap 30, when he was forced to make a pit stop with electrical issues and dropped to 5th place, just in front of Gerhard Berger.

All drivers on a two stop strategy made their stops in the next few laps, with no issues for the front runners. The pit entry appeared to be an unsuitable location for battles, as Mika Salo found out. The Finnish Tyrrell driver crashed out while trying to enter the pits in front of Pierluigi Martini. The only front runner left on a one stop strategy was Jean Alesi, he took the lead when the others pitted. When things looked really good, the poor Frenchman did not have luck on his side, being forced to retire in lap 35 with a failed transmission. Mika Hakkinen also saw his hopes of a good result fade away in this lap with a similar issue.

The race passed its half-way point, with David Coulthard once again on a charge towards the lead. He eagerly closed the gap to Herbert, but he was not able to pass the Benetton before the Scot had to visit the pits for a regular stop. Herbert did lose the lead a lap later, though, as Damon Hill benefitted from his mistake. The Argentinian GP proved a true survival of the fittest, with Frentzen and Blundell also retiring from points-scoring positions. As a result, Karl Wendlinger and Luca Badoer found themselves in the points by lap 50.

Herbert was once again catching Hill to regain the lead, setting a new fastest lap time in lap 51. One lap later, he tried too much, again spinning his car and losing all the progress he gained. Despite his errors, Herbert soon was able to pressurize Hill again. Lap 54 saw Herbert gaining the lead again, although some corners later, Hill cleverly passed him again. One lap later, the fighting duo pitted simultaneously for their last fresh set of tyres and fuel. They rejoined the race behind David Coulthard, who made his undercut strategy work.

Image
David Coulthard takes his maiden win in Argentina

Survival of the fittest was still not done yet, as Damon Hill's race ended frustratingly with transmission failure in lap 58. His team mate was able to keep a safe margin to Herbert in the meantime; Coulthard undoubtedly was relieved it was not his Williams failing on its way to his maiden win. Berger followed them on some distance in 3rd, with Wendlinger, Badoer and Katayama behind him set for their first points of the year. Badoer was even on his way to his first career points, if his Minardi would be able to hang on. Katayama was closing in on him quickly and looked set for a late battle for 5th place, but it was not to be. Only two laps from the finish, the Tyrrell came to a halt. This promoted Jos Verstappen, who was a lap down on the Japanese, to 6th place, scoring Simtek's first ever Formula One point and maybe providing them a lifeline by attracting new investors.

Results

Code: Select all

              ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿              
              ³                                                  ³             
              ³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³             
              ³                                                  ³             
              ³  1st  David Coulthard             1h 50m 44.311s ³             
              ³       Williams - Renault                         ³             
              ³  2nd  Johnny Herbert              +21.588s       ³             
              ³       Benetton - Renault                         ³             
              ³  3rd  Gerhard Berger              +40.507s       ³             
              ³       Ferrari                                    ³             
              ³  4th  Karl Wendlinger             -1 Lap         ³             
              ³       Sauber - Ford                              ³             
              ³  5th  Luca Badoer                 -2 Laps        ³             
              ³       Minardi - Ford                             ³             
              ³  6th  Jos Verstappen              -3 Laps        ³             
              ³       Simtek - Ford                              ³             
              ³  7th  Pierluigi Martini           -3 Laps        ³             
              ³       Minardi - Ford                             ³             
              ³  8th  Taki Inoue                  -3 Laps        ³             
              ³       Footwork - Hart                            ³             
              ³  9th  Ukyo Katayama               -4 Laps        ³             
              ³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³             
              ³ 10th  Roberto Moreno              Transmission   ³             
              ³       Forti - Ford                               ³             
              ³ 11th  Damon Hill                  Transmission   ³             
              ³       Williams - Renault                         ³             
              ³ 12th  Domenico Schiattarella      Puncture       ³             
              ³       Simtek - Ford                              ³             
              ³ 13th  Mark Blundell               Loose Wheel    ³             
              ³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³             
              ³ 14th  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       Transmission   ³             
              ³       Sauber - Ford                              ³             
              ³ 15th  Bertrand Gachot             Engine         ³             
              ³       Pacific - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 16th  Jean Alesi                  Transmission   ³             
              ³       Ferrari                                    ³             
              ³ 17th  Mika Hakkinen               Transmission   ³             
              ³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³             
              ³ 18th  Mika Salo                   Didn't Finish  ³             
              ³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³             
              ³ 19th  Nathan van Dijk             Oil Leak       ³             
              ³       Forti - Ford                               ³             
              ³ 20th  Olivier Panis               Brakes         ³             
              ³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³             
              ³ 21st  Michael Schumacher          Oil Leak       ³             
              ³       Benetton - Renault                         ³             
              ³ 22nd  Andrea Montermini           Transmission   ³             
              ³       Pacific - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 23rd  Aguri Suzuki                Engine         ³             
              ³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³             
              ³ 24th  Eddie Irvine                Engine         ³             
              ³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³             
              ³ 25th  Rubens Barrichello          Suspension     ³             
              ³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³             
              ³ 26th  Gianni Morbidelli           Throttle       ³             
              ³       Footwork - Hart                            ³             
              ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

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1. Johnny Herbert        16
2. David Coulthard       10
3. Damon Hill             6
4. Gerhard Berger         6
5. Michael Schumacher     4
6. Karl Wendlinger        3
7. Jean Alesi             3
8. Luca Badoer            2
9. Olivier Panis          1
 = Jos Verstappen         1



Constructors' Championship

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1. Benetton-Renault      20
2. Williams-Renault      16
3. Ferrari                9
4. Sauber-Ford            3
5. Minardi-Ford           2
6. Simtek-Ford            1
7. Ligier-Mugen Honda     1
Last edited by tBone on 19 Apr 2020, 14:12, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by Enforcer »

That's a lot of attrition for GP2. Have you decreased the reliability?
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

Enforcer wrote:That's a lot of attrition for GP2. Have you decreased the reliability?

I am using James Buster's 1995 car set from grandprix2.de and did not change anything yet. Now the European races are coming up, I might make some small randomized tweaks to the performance data, to simulate in-season car development and test results.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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Press Release - Marlboro McLaren Mercedes
Image

Marlboro McLaren Mercedes is proud to announce that former Formula One world champion and CART champion Nigel Mansell will participate next weekend in the San Marino Grand Prix. The decision was taken after successful test sessions at Silverstone over the past days. Mansell mentions he looks forward to finally race the MP4/10.


Press Release - MTV Simtek Ford

Image

Arriving in Imola, MTV Simtek Ford is pleased to welcome three new Dutch sponsors to the team. Electronic goods manufacturer Philips, clothing brand Mexx and beer brewer Bavaria will join Simtek, securing the team's financial future for the rest of the year. Their logos will be visible on the cars from the San Marino Grand Prix onwards.


Press Release - MTV Simtek Ford

MTV Simtek Ford confirms that Domenico Schiattarella will not be able to participate in the San Marino Grand Prix after his crash in the first free practice. Schiattarella has broken his humerus (upper arm bone), but fortunately he looks to be fully recovering within the foreseeable future. For the rest of the race weekend in Imola, Schiattarella will be replaced by Simtek reserve driver, Hideki Noda.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 San Marino Grand Prix

The first race in Europe is about to begin. Most teams have used the three weeks since the Argentinan GP to test and update their cars. Will the tables have turned? Also, there are three driver changes since the last race: Mansell finally fits in the McLaren, Suzuki swaps seats with Brundle for the first time at Ligier and Hideki Noda replaces Schiattarella at Simtek. Expectations are high for Mansell's full time return to F1 and it will be interesting to see what he can do with the McLaren.


Qualifying

McLaren's B-spec of the MP4/10 certainly has not only improved in the cockpit area, as Mika Hakkinen proves its potential by taking his maiden pole position. Although Mansell confirmed he is now more comfortable in the car, he only managed a disappointing 11th time. His former team Williams was reasonably satisfied by taking 2nd and 3rd on the grid, with Alesi, Schumacher and Irvine directly behind them. Championship leader Johnny Herbert only managed an 8th start position, while Barrichello also qualified outside the top 3, only managing 10th. The last start row is occupied by rookies Van Dijk and Montermini once again.

Results

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       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿       
       ³                                                                ³       
       ³Pole                1                                           ³       
       ³              Mika Hakkinen                                     ³       
       ³               1m 21.777s                   2                   ³       
       ³                                     David Coulthard            ³       
       ³Row 2               3                  1m 21.930s               ³       
       ³               Damon Hill                                       ³       
       ³               1m 21.934s                   4                   ³       
       ³                                       Jean Alesi               ³       
       ³Row 3               5                  1m 21.966s               ³       
       ³           Michael Schumacher                                   ³       
       ³               1m 21.993s                   6                   ³       
       ³                                      Eddie Irvine              ³       
       ³Row 4               7                  1m 21.999s               ³       
       ³             Gerhard Berger                                     ³       
       ³               1m 22.061s                   8                   ³       
       ³                                     Johnny Herbert             ³       
       ³Row 5               9                  1m 22.068s               ³       
       ³              Olivier Panis                                     ³       
       ³               1m 22.278s                  10                   ³       
       ³                                   Rubens Barrichello           ³       
       ³Row 6              11                  1m 22.441s               ³       
       ³              Nigel Mansell                                     ³       
       ³               1m 22.695s                  12                   ³       
       ³                                  Heinz-Harald Frentzen         ³       
       ³Row 7              13                  1m 22.981s               ³       
       ³              Aguri Suzuki                                      ³       
       ³               1m 22.995s                  14                   ³       
       ³                                      Ukyo Katayama             ³       
       ³Row 8              15                  1m 23.124s               ³       
       ³            Gianni Morbidelli                                   ³       
       ³               1m 23.384s                  16                   ³       
       ³                                        Mika Salo               ³       
       ³Row 9              17                  1m 24.374s               ³       
       ³             Karl Wendlinger                                    ³       
       ³               1m 24.514s                  18                   ³       
       ³                                       Luca Badoer              ³       
       ³Row 10             19                  1m 24.954s               ³       
       ³            Pierluigi Martini                                   ³       
       ³               1m 25.048s                  20                   ³       
       ³                                     Jos Verstappen             ³       
       ³Row 11             21                  1m 25.120s               ³       
       ³               Taki Inoue                                       ³       
       ³               1m 25.897s                  22                   ³       
       ³                                       Hideki Noda              ³       
       ³Row 12             23                  1m 25.953s               ³       
       ³             Bertrand Gachot                                    ³       
       ³               1m 26.437s                  24                   ³       
       ³                                     Roberto Moreno             ³       
       ³Row 13             25                  1m 26.567s               ³       
       ³             Nathan van Dijk                                    ³       
       ³               1m 26.595s                  26                   ³       
       ³                                    Andrea Montermini           ³       
       ³                                       1m 26.785s               ³       
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

The race starts with a lot of position changes, with Jean Alesi being the most outstanding performer. Alesi takes the lead, followed by Coulthard and Irvine, who also had a great start. Hakkinen did not get away well and dropped to 4th, followed by Hill, Herbert and Barrichello after the first corner. Herbert was immediately looking to gain more positions, attempting a move on Hill in Piratella, shoving the Williams driver off track. Hill dropped all the way to the last position and suddenly needed a big recovery drive to salvage some points.

Herbert was not the only Benetton driver on the move, though, with Schumacher recovering from a poor start by overtaking Barrichello in lap 2 to gain a position in the points. Mika Hakkinen lost all hopes of a good follow-up of his pole position as soon as lap 3, when he again retired with techinical issues. This time it was the Mercedes-Benz engine letting him down. Technical issues were also hampering Gerhard Berger as the Austrian had to pit early with technical issues, dropping him to the back of the field.

Championship leader Johnny Herbert again showed a good pace and managed two cleaner overtakes on Irvine and Coulthard, both in Tosa, to move up to 2nd position. His team mate followed by passing Irvine in Tosa as well in lap 10. Herbert's ambitions took a dent in lap 12, however, as the Brit was seen limping back to the pits with electrical issues. He would drop back all the way to 9th after his stop. Alesi also pitted early, although this looked like a normal strategic pit stop. The French Ferrari driver dropped to 5th in lap 13. Barrichello made his stop one lap later and rejoined just in front of Nigel Mansell in 6th. Schumacher came in for fuel and fresh tyres in lap 15, dropping the German into 5th place.

These early stops caused Aguri Suzuki to take a surprising 4th position in the race, although the front runners who had made their stops were closing in on him fast. Suzuki did resist for a while though and a group of chasers formed behind him. Schumacher was the first to break through, passing the Ligier in Tosa. Barrichello followed a lap later in Variante Alta, with Suzuki making his pit stop another lap later. Jean Alesi was also quickly making up ground after his early pit stop and he made a very brave move in Piratella to gain 2nd from Irvine.

Irvine and Coulthard made their only pit stops of the race in lap 27 and 28, dropping them to 6th and 4th respectively. Coulthard made the most of his fresh tyres to pass Barrichello only one lap after his stop, regaining a podium position. More drama would follow for the Jordan drivers, with Barrichello and Irvine retiring within a few laps from each other. Again 0 points for Jordan. The same could be said from their former driver Michael Schumacher, who retired from the lead in lap 35 with an oil leak. All of a sudden, David Coulthard was again in the lead of a Grand Prix, although Jean Alesi was quickly catching him on fresher tyres.

Alesi closed the gap to Coulthard and was fiercely fighting him for the lead. The Frenchman looked good for the win, with only Coulthard to pass. It was again not to be for the Ferrari driver, as his car failed in lap 39, handing the race win to the Scot on a silver platter. Coulthard indeed only needed to keep driving without making too big mistakes, since the gap to the rest of the field was large.

The retirements left a top six of Coulthard, Herbert, Berger, Hill, Mansell and Suzuki, with all of them driving at some distance from each other without too many fluctuations. Aguri Suzuki looked set for his first point in 4 years, until throttle issues forced the Japanese to retire. He did leave a very good impression on his team, though. The breakdown of the Ligier did promote Karl Wendlinger to 6th place. The Austrian seems to be showing a good recovery from his injuries with already two points finishes this year.

Image
David Coulthard passes the main straight for the last time

The closing stages of the race did not provide too much action, although Nigel Mansell showed he is still getting used to the situation at McLaren. The 1992 World Champion blocked Coulthard several times before he got lapped. Mansell also caught some attention blocking his tyres several times in the last laps. It would not bother David Coulthard too much, as he managed his lead and drove to a back-to-back victory. Herbert kept the championship lead by finishing 2nd and Gerhard Berger scored his second podium of the year in 3rd. A good recovery drive gave Hill three points for 4th place. Mansell and Wendlinger were the ones to capitalize on others' misfortunes to take the last points-scoring positions.

Results

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              ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿                           
              ³                                                  ³             
              ³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³             
              ³                                                  ³             
              ³  1st  David Coulthard             1h 31m 32.007s ³             
              ³       Williams - Renault                         ³             
              ³  2nd  Johnny Herbert              +22.172s       ³             
              ³       Benetton - Renault                         ³             
              ³  3rd  Gerhard Berger              +25.635s       ³             
              ³       Ferrari                                    ³             
              ³  4th  Damon Hill                  +30.815s       ³             
              ³       Williams - Renault                         ³             
              ³  5th  Nigel Mansell               -1 Lap         ³             
              ³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³             
              ³  6th  Karl Wendlinger             -1 Lap         ³             
              ³       Sauber - Ford                              ³             
              ³  7th  Taki Inoue                  -3 Laps        ³             
              ³       Footwork - Hart                            ³             
              ³  8th  Hideki Noda                 -4 Laps        ³             
              ³       Simtek - Ford                              ³             
              ³  9th  Andrea Montermini           Throttle       ³             
              ³       Pacific - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 10th  Mika Salo                   Water Leak     ³             
              ³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³             
              ³ 11th  Aguri Suzuki                Throttle       ³             
              ³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³             
              ³ 12th  Gianni Morbidelli           Engine         ³             
              ³       Footwork - Hart                            ³             
              ³ 13th  Eddie Irvine                Engine         ³             
              ³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³             
              ³ 14th  Jean Alesi                  Oil Leak       ³             
              ³       Ferrari                                    ³             
              ³ 15th  Ukyo Katayama               Loose Wheel    ³             
              ³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³             
              ³ 16th  Michael Schumacher          Oil Leak       ³             
              ³       Benetton - Renault                         ³             
              ³ 17th  Rubens Barrichello          Loose Wheel    ³             
              ³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³             
              ³ 18th  Luca Badoer                 Engine         ³             
              ³       Minardi - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 19th  Nathan van Dijk             Engine         ³             
              ³       Forti - Ford                               ³             
              ³ 20th  Jos Verstappen              Loose Wheel    ³             
              ³       Simtek - Ford                              ³             
              ³ 21st  Olivier Panis               Oil Leak       ³             
              ³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³             
              ³ 22nd  Bertrand Gachot             Oil Leak       ³             
              ³       Pacific - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 23rd  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       Engine         ³             
              ³       Sauber - Ford                              ³             
              ³ 24th  Pierluigi Martini           Engine         ³             
              ³       Minardi - Ford                             ³             
              ³ 25th  Roberto Moreno              Engine         ³             
              ³       Forti - Ford                               ³             
              ³ 26th  Mika Hakkinen               Engine         ³             
              ³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³             
              ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

Code: Select all

1.  Johnny Herbert        22
2.  David Coulthard       20
3.  Gerhard Berger        10
4.  Damon Hill             9
5.  Michael Schumacher     4
6.  Karl Wendlinger        4
7.  Jean Alesi             3
8.  Luca Badoer            2
 =  Nigel Mansell          2
10. Olivier Panis          1
 =  Jos Verstappen         1



Constructors' Championship

Code: Select all

1. Williams-Renault      29
2. Benetton-Renault      26
3. Ferrari               13
4. Sauber-Ford            4
5. Minardi-Ford           2
6. McLaren-Mercedes       2
7. Simtek-Ford            1
8. Ligier-Mugen Honda     1
Last edited by tBone on 19 Apr 2020, 14:12, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by Enforcer »

tBone wrote:
Enforcer wrote:That's a lot of attrition for GP2. Have you decreased the reliability?

I am using James Buster's 1995 car set from grandprix2.de and did not change anything yet. Now the European races are coming up, I might make some small randomized tweaks to the performance data, to simulate in-season car development and test results.


He must have put lower reliability into it than vanilla GP2. Cos that is carnage by the standards of that game. Does give opportunity for van Dijk to haul his crate into the points though.

Also interesting that Hill & Schumacher are performing so poorly.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

Enforcer wrote:
tBone wrote:
Enforcer wrote:That's a lot of attrition for GP2. Have you decreased the reliability?

I am using James Buster's 1995 car set from grandprix2.de and did not change anything yet. Now the European races are coming up, I might make some small randomized tweaks to the performance data, to simulate in-season car development and test results.


He must have put lower reliability into it than vanilla GP2. Cos that is carnage by the standards of that game. Does give opportunity for van Dijk to haul his crate into the points though.

Also interesting that Hill & Schumacher are performing so poorly.


To be honest, GP2 seems to work in mysterious ways for me... For the last race, I decreased failure probability by about 30-40% and still got the same attrition.

Also, looking at their stats, Schumacher and Hill should be slightly faster than their teammates. It has to be said that Schumacher was faster than Herbert in the race in Imola, but of course he retired. Hill was not slow too, but he suffered from that early spin and had to come back through the field.

I'll fiddle a bit more with failure probability for the next races, let's see what happens.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 3rd May, 1995


More CART/F1 crossovers in the pipeline?

Over the last few years, several drivers have made the trip across the ocean to move from Formula 1 to CART, or vice versa, with Nigel Mansell being a particularly succcessful example, but Michael Andretti having a lot less success than his father when coming to F1. Even this year, we saw a switch between the two classes, as Christian Fittipaldi made his debut in the Grand Prix of Miami this year. According to various sources in both paddocks, F1 teams are now scouting in CART for some drivers who may jump the other way.

Image

We already mentioned Gilles' son, Jacques Villeneuve, in last month's edition. The Canadian has started his season very well with a win in Miami and two more top-5 finishes in the following four races. He is one of the favourites to win this year's Indy 500 and the IndyCar World Series. Bernie Ecclestone is a fan of Villeneuve and not only that support, but also his legendary surname could help him land a seat if he is looking for a new challenge.
Linked teams: Williams, Ferrari, Benetton, Jordan, Sauber

Image

A true racing all-rounder is Robby Gordon, who took his maiden CART win in Phoenix a month ago. Gordon has already been successful in the Baja 500, Baja 1000, 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona before scoring podiums on road courses and winning an oval race with an IndyCar. The most remarkable thing is that he is still only 26 years old. If he wants to win anything else, he is quickly running out of options in the USA and several teams are linked with the temperamental American.
Linked teams: Benetton, Jordan, Pacific

Image

CART is featuring another famous surname, although a less recognizable one for Europeans. Hiro Matsushita is the grandson of the founder of Panasonic, Konosuke Matsushita. Hiro showed serious promise when winning the Toyota Atlantic championship in 1989, but he never lived up to it in CART. Despite his age of 34 years, his Panasonic money looks to be very tempting for the less-funded teams. An interesting additional advantage may be Hiro's ownership of Swift, the chassis manufacturer who enjoyed successes in Formula Ford, Formula Renault and Formula Atlantic. Gerard Larrousse is said to be looking for a partner to produce his chassis if his team returns next year.
Linked teams: Footwork, Simtek, Forti, Larrousse


Lola's F1 comeback plans

Eric Broadley's Lola Cars are still not giving up on their Formula 1 dream. After a successful campaign with Honda in the sixties, Lola have never been able to repeat their successes in the pinnacle of motorsport. They have achieved outstanding results in other classes in the decades after that, but their F1 stints with Shadow, Embassy Hill, Haas, Larrousse and Scuderia Italia were mediocre at best, and sometimes even worse.

Image

Unable to find a Formula 1 team to supply chassis after the withdrawal of Scuderia Italia, Broadley decided to take matters into his own hands. Lola developed a new F1 chassis, the T95/30, which was revealed earlier this year. Lola will test the car with a Ford Zetec engine at Silverstone in the next weeks. If they are able to find sufficient financial backing in time, Broadley expects to be able to join the 1996 F1 grid.

The shakedown and first tests of the Lola T95/30 will be performed by Allan McNish, who is also one of the main candidates for a drive with the team in 1996. Other drivers who might join Lola are Jan Lammers, Andrea Montermini, Perry McCarthy and F3000 drivers Vicenzo Sospiri, Ricardo Rosset and British F3 driver Oliver Gavin.


Short but Sweet

Mika Hakkinen confirmed at McLaren for 1996, 1997 • Schumacher, Alesi to swap seats? • Bridgestone to supply tyres from 1997 • Abilio Diniz to buy Forti? • Schiattarella expected to be recovered in July • Larrousse, DAMS talk about merger
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 Spanish Grand Prix

Two weeks ago, it was David Coulthard who secured another victory for Williams. Michael Schumacher went home with zero points for the second race in a row. The German is still waiting for his first victory in his title defending season and his hopes are high for Barcelona. Not only Williams and Benetton will be hunting for the win, as Ferrari and Jordan have also showed promising pace. Can they overcome their reliability issues?


Qualifying

Jean Alesi showed a very good pace in the previous Grand Prix and the Frenchman continued in top shape with his second pole position ever. Herbert looked good to strengthen his leading Drivers' Championship position with 2nd place on the grid. It also was another good qualifying for Jordan, with Irvine in 3rd and Barrichello in 5th. Imola's pole sitter Mika Hakkinen did a fine job by securing a place on the second row as well.

It was a disappointing qualifying for Williams, only managing 6th and 8th, with Schumacher between them. The German will also have something to make up in the race. Frentzen showed the potential of the Sauber chassis to beat Berger and Mansell for the 9th position. At the back of the grid, the new Forti team managed to avoid the last row for the first time in their existence, beating both Pacifics.

Results

Code: Select all

ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                                ³
³Pole                1                                           ³
³               Jean Alesi                                       ³
³               1m 26.824s                   2                   ³
³                                     Johnny Herbert             ³
³Row 2               3                  1m 26.839s               ³
³              Eddie Irvine                                      ³
³               1m 26.891s                   4                   ³
³                                      Mika Hakkinen             ³
³Row 3               5                  1m 26.943s               ³
³           Rubens Barrichello                                   ³
³               1m 26.951s                   6                   ³
³                                       Damon Hill               ³
³Row 4               7                  1m 27.105s               ³
³           Michael Schumacher                                   ³
³               1m 27.111s                   8                   ³
³                                     David Coulthard            ³
³Row 5               9                  1m 27.192s               ³
³          Heinz-Harald Frentzen                                 ³
³               1m 27.227s                  10                   ³
³                                     Gerhard Berger             ³
³Row 6              11                  1m 27.322s               ³
³              Nigel Mansell                                     ³
³               1m 27.592s                  12                   ³
³                                      Olivier Panis             ³
³Row 7              13                  1m 27.592s               ³
³            Gianni Morbidelli                                   ³
³               1m 27.961s                  14                   ³
³                                      Ukyo Katayama             ³
³Row 8              15                  1m 28.030s               ³
³              Aguri Suzuki                                      ³
³               1m 28.473s                  16                   ³
³                                     Karl Wendlinger            ³
³Row 9              17                  1m 29.080s               ³
³               Luca Badoer                                      ³
³               1m 29.417s                  18                   ³
³                                     Jos Verstappen             ³
³Row 10             19                  1m 29.535s               ³
³            Pierluigi Martini                                   ³
³               1m 29.874s                  20                   ³
³                                        Mika Salo               ³
³Row 11             21                  1m 29.962s               ³
³               Taki Inoue                                       ³
³               1m 31.537s                  22                   ³
³                                       Hideki Noda              ³
³Row 12             23                  1m 31.545s               ³
³             Roberto Moreno                                     ³
³               1m 32.103s                  24                   ³
³                                     Nathan van Dijk            ³
³Row 13             25                  1m 32.106s               ³
³             Bertrand Gachot                                    ³
³               1m 32.286s                  26                   ³
³                                    Andrea Montermini           ³
³                                       1m 32.473s               ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

Jean Alesi capitalized his pole position by keeping the lead. Last year's title protagonists had a great start as well, with Damon Hill moving up to 2nd position and Michael Schumacher to 4th. Eddie Irvine did well to keep 3rd place after the first corner and he even improved further by outbraking Hill into the Repsol corner. Herbert and Coulthard completed the top six.

Despite his great start, Eddie Irvine did not seem to be the fastest driver and he held up a chasing group of Hill, Schumacher, Herbert, Coulthard and Hakkinen. Hill ferociously fought the Ulsterman, but Irvine seemed to have a counter attack ready for all of Hill's moves. Herbert moved up through the group and managed to overtake both Hill and Irvine in lap 3. Both Hill and Irvine dropped further back in the group over the first ten laps. Fighting is not the fastest way around the Circuit de Catalunya and it was shown by the fact that Alesi was able to secure a lead of several seconds. By the end of lap 10, the top six were Alesi, Herbert, Schumacher, Coulthard, Hakkinen and Irvine.

Finally Damon Hill was able to regain a position on Irvine, but he retired with a water leak only two laps later. Another disappointing result for last year's vice champion. At the front, Herbert kept steadily closing the gap to Alesi. The Briton made his move on the Ferrari in the Repsol corner in lap 17, gaining the lead. It was only one lap later that the championship leader had to make his first pit stop, dropping him back all the way to 6th, just in front of Rubens Barrichello's Jordan. If Herbert had not made his move on Alesi, he would have lost time behind the late stopping Barrichello. The other pit stops followed soon, with the top six drivers all keeping their positions.

Jean Alesi looked again set for a good result, until poor reliability struck him again in lap 26. Alesi has been very fast this season, but his points tally is stuck at only 3. More drama occured in the same lap, as Mika Hakkinen retired from the podium position he had been on for only a few corners. Now it would have been Coulthard to rise to the 3rd position, if it was not for Irvine who pulled a nice move on the Scot into the first corner. The Jordan driver was looking very good to clinch his first podium finish.

Not only Alesi, but also Berger would not make it to half the race distance. The Austrian drove an unremarkable race, driving in 6th position behind Heinz-Harald Frentzen, until a puncture forced him to retire in lap 31. Johnny Herbert was on his way to do very good business for his championship position, managing a big lead until lap 36. His Renault engine blew, leaving the Briton with his first zero points result of the year. Michael Schumacher inherited the lead, with a margin of a few seconds to Eddie Irvine.

The race leaders made their second stop simultaneously in lap 45. With both pit crews doing their last preparations, Schumacher made a small mistake on his way to the pits, allowing Irvine to enter the pits right behind him. Both the Benetton and the Jordan pit crews managed to stay calm and made no mistakes, allowing Schumacher to keep the lead with Irvine chasing him on less than 2 seconds. Irvine would try to chase Schumacher in the last stint. The scenario for Barrichello was similar, as the Brazilian was set to do a short last stint, trying to catch Coulthard for 3rd place. He would not be able to show his speed, however, as the Peugeot engine failed right after his last stop.

All the retirements had promoted Panis, Mansell and Wendlinger to 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. Panis did an excellent job to beat Mansell, until he was forced to pit with electronical issues 8 laps from the end. The Frenchman dropped to 6th and started to chase Wendlinger again. After an impressive hunt, Wendlinger did not stand a chance when Panis passed him only two laps from the end.

Image
Schumacher crosses the line in 1st position, with Eddie Irvine visible in the background

For the first time in 1995, Michael Schumacher won a race, despite Eddie Irvine's efforts to catch him. Irvine drove an impressive race to 2nd place, Jordan's best result ever. David Coulthard is the championship leader for the first time in his career after scoring another 4 points with 3rd place. Mansell, Panis and Wendlinger completed the top six. Schumacher has shown he has not lost his speed, being eager to start a chain of good results after this Spanish Grand Prix.

Results

Code: Select all

ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                  ³
³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³
³                                                  ³
³  1st  Michael Schumacher          1h 40m 06.047s ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  2nd  Eddie Irvine                +3.125s        ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³  3rd  David Coulthard             +18.988s       ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³  4th  Nigel Mansell               -1 Lap         ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³  5th  Olivier Panis               -1 Lap         ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³  6th  Karl Wendlinger             -1 Lap         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³  7th  Jos Verstappen              -2 Laps        ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³  8th  Roberto Moreno              -3 Laps        ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³  9th  Taki Inoue                  -4 Laps        ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 10th  Andrea Montermini           -4 Laps        ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 11th  Bertrand Gachot             Engine         ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 12th  Nathan van Dijk             Oil Leak       ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 13th  Hideki Noda                 Engine         ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 14th  Rubens Barrichello          Engine         ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³ 15th  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       Loose Wheel    ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³ 16th  Johnny Herbert              Engine         ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³ 17th  Luca Badoer                 Oil Leak       ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 18th  Mika Salo                   Engine         ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 19th  Gerhard Berger              Puncture       ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³ 20th  Mika Hakkinen               Engine         ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 21st  Ukyo Katayama               Transmission   ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 22nd  Jean Alesi                  Engine         ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³ 23rd  Aguri Suzuki                Engine         ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 24th  Gianni Morbidelli           Transmission   ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 25th  Damon Hill                  Water Leak     ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³ 26th  Pierluigi Martini           Engine         ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

Code: Select all

1.  David Coulthard      24
2.  Johnny Herbert       22
3.  Michael Schumacher   14
4.  Gerhard Berger       10
5.  Damon Hill            9
6.  Eddie Irvine          6
7.  Nigel Mansell         5
8.  Karl Wendlinger       5
9.  Jean Alesi            3
10. Olivier Panis         3
11. Luca Badoer           2
12. Jos Verstappen        1



Constructors' Championship

Code: Select all

1.  Benetton-Renault     36
2.  Williams-Renault     33
3.  Ferrari              13
4.  Jordan-Peugeot        6
5.  McLaren-Mercedes      5
6.  Sauber-Ford           5
7.  Ligier-Mugen Honda    3
8.  Minardi-Ford          2
9.  Simtek-Ford           1
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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Press Release - Ligier Gitanes Blondes

Image

As already announced before the season, Ligier Gitanes Blondes confirms that Martin Brundle will be driving its second car from the Monaco Grand Prix onwards. Aguri Suzuki has filled the seat satisfactorily for the first four races. He will be back in the JS41 for the Pacific and Japanese Grands Prix. Ligier Gitanes Blondes thanks Aguri for his performances and wishes Martin the best of luck.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 Monaco Grand Prix

One of the classics on the calendar is about to get started: it is the Monaco Grand Prix. The twisty street circuit in the principality is full of history, but races there have still many surprises in them. Michael Schumacher seems to have regained some momentum, but the championship leaders will try to prove their speed in the first races was no fluke. Or can Damon Hill follow in the footsteps of his father Graham, who won this GP five times?


Qualifying

It was Johnny Herbert who came out on top in a very close qualifying session. The Jordans had another fine qualifying as well, getting 2nd and 4th place on the grid, with Jean Alesi in between them. Mika Hakkinen once again beat Nigel Mansell by a large margin, with the Finn in 5th and the 1992 world champion only 12th. The other world champion in the current field, Michael Schumacher, was also once again beaten by his team mate. The German only managed a 6th starting place, although he was within 0.3 seconds of Herbert.

The biggest disappointment of the Thursday and Saturday was definitely the Williams team. Coulthard could not get higher than 7th place and Hill was even further down in 10th. Sauber's Heinz-Harald Frentzen did a fine job to beat Hill and get 9th start place, once again proving that he is one of the young talents who deserve a top seat in F1. Although he was beaten by Panis, Martin Brundle proved his added value too by qualifying the Ligier 13th on his first try. Aguri Suzuki had not managed any better in four races.

Jos Verstappen is one of those talents looking for a top seat as well. The Dutchman had his best qualifying of the year so far and achieved the best starting position for Simtek ever: 17th. The new Forti team also showed their advancements by beating both Pacifics for the second time in a row.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                                ³
³                                            1              Pole ³
³                                     Johnny Herbert             ³
³                    2                  1m 15.289s               ³
³           Rubens Barrichello                                   ³
³               1m 15.293s                   3             Row 2 ³
³                                       Jean Alesi               ³
³                    4                  1m 15.340s               ³
³              Eddie Irvine                                      ³
³               1m 15.356s                   5             Row 3 ³
³                                      Mika Hakkinen             ³
³                    6                  1m 15.517s               ³
³           Michael Schumacher                                   ³
³               1m 15.533s                   7             Row 4 ³
³                                     David Coulthard            ³
³                    8                  1m 15.601s               ³
³             Gerhard Berger                                     ³
³               1m 15.641s                   9             Row 5 ³
³                                  Heinz-Harald Frentzen         ³
³                   10                  1m 15.645s               ³
³               Damon Hill                                       ³
³               1m 15.651s                  11             Row 6 ³
³                                      Olivier Panis             ³
³                   12                  1m 15.910s               ³
³              Nigel Mansell                                     ³
³               1m 15.942s                  13             Row 7 ³
³                                     Martin Brundle             ³
³                   14                  1m 16.104s               ³
³            Gianni Morbidelli                                   ³
³               1m 16.263s                  15             Row 8 ³
³                                      Ukyo Katayama             ³
³                   16                  1m 16.380s               ³
³             Karl Wendlinger                                    ³
³               1m 17.208s                  17             Row 9 ³
³                                     Jos Verstappen             ³
³                   18                  1m 17.453s               ³
³               Luca Badoer                                      ³
³               1m 17.453s                  19            Row 10 ³
³                                    Pierluigi Martini           ³
³                   20                  1m 17.788s               ³
³                Mika Salo                                       ³
³               1m 17.949s                  21            Row 11 ³
³                                       Hideki Noda              ³
³                   22                  1m 19.161s               ³
³               Taki Inoue                                       ³
³               1m 19.301s                  23            Row 12 ³
³                                     Nathan van Dijk            ³
³                   24                  1m 19.670s               ³
³             Roberto Moreno                                     ³
³               1m 19.716s                  25            Row 13 ³
³                                     Bertrand Gachot            ³
³                   26                  1m 19.798s               ³
³            Andrea Montermini                                   ³
³               1m 19.801s                                       ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

The field frantically shot off the line into the tight Sainte Dévote corner, with a rocket start for Jean Alesi. Once again, the Ferrari driver would be in the lead after the first corner. Herbert blocked Barrichello to keep 2nd, with the Brazilian slotting in right behind him. Irvine, Coulthard and Hakkinen completed the top six. Incredibly, all 26 cars survived the first lap without damage, although Gianni Morbidelli was too late to brake for Mirabeau and dropped to the back of the field as a result.

The Monaco track is a difficult place to overtake and it was proven to be in this year's edition. Jean Alesi was the only one to get away somewhat and create a gap. With the rest of the top 8 still very closely together, it looked like strategy would be the determining factor. David Coulthard was the first to make a pit stop in lap 22, dropping to 11th, just in front of Brundle. Alesi was the next one in lap 25, dropping to 4th, right behind Irvine. Alesi made great use of his fresh tyres to overtake both Jordans at the Nouvelle Chicane, in the laps directly after his pit stop. He regained the lead when Herbert made his first stop in lap 28.

Lap 29 saw Irvine and Schumacher making their first stop and rejoining the track in 9th and 11th. Williams' undercut strategy worked effectively for David Coulthard as he had now overtaken Irvine, with Berger still in between the two. The Austrian was presumably on a one stop strategy. One of the contributing factors to Coulthard's undercut was the difficulty of lapping backmarkers in the tight streets, as the leading group was regularly delayed by slower cars. Still in the same lap, the lapping of Pierluigi Martini caused a scary incident in the tunnel. Coulthard was let through by the Italian, after which he closed the door on Berger. Berger had to take avoiding action, touching Irvine in the process and pushing the Ulsterman into a spin. Incredibly, the Jordan got through undamaged. Only Berger had to reschedule his only pit stop to replace his front wing.

After all the drivers on a two stop strategy had gotten fuel and tyres, several one stoppers found themselves in good track positions. Alesi had kept his lead, but he was now followed by Barrichello, who was yet to stop. Herbert was in 3rd, followed by Frentzen and Panis, who were also on a one stop strategy. Nigel Mansell was also only going to make one stop, but the McLaren driver locked his brakes when trying to enter the pits and was forced to continue. His McLaren stranded in the next lap without fuel.

Alesi seemed a lot less happy with his Ferrari in the second stint, as the cars behind him closed in on him. After Barrichello had made his stop, Herbert was able to fully close the gap to the Ferrari. In lap 38, the Briton made an impressive move on Alesi, outbraking him into Sainte Dévote to gain the lead after a fierce battle. More action followed in lap 40, as Barrichello muscled his way past his team mate in the Loews hairpin. On the same lap, Herbert ran wide in the Nouvelle Chicane and Alesi profited to regain the lead. Their fierce battle had meanwhile allowed the entire top 8 to close up right behind them. Pressure seemed to get the better of Herbert as he made another mistake in lap 41. The Briton just managed to keep his Benetton out of the wall in the last corner, but he dropped all the way back to 8th.

Another curious incident at the pit entry occured in lap 45, as Coulthard tried to make his second pit stop, but Barrichello decided at the same moment to try another opportunist overtake into the last corner. Barrichello pushed Coulthard past the pit entry and a couple of corners later, the Scot was the second driver to retire without fuel. Alesi and Schumacher were able to make their pit stops, coming back behind Herbert. At this moment, Hakkinen and Irvine took the top positions in the race. However, both of them retired within a few laps with mechanical issues.

By lap 50, all regular pit stops were done and things were looking very good for those on a one stop strategy. Rubens Barrichello enjoyed a broad lead, with Frentzen behind him in 2nd place. Alesi, Schumacher, Berger and Herbert were chasing the two talents, slowly narrowing the gap to the Sauber. Lap 52 was the lap that shattered all dreams for the leading duo. Barrichello's Peugeot engine failed once again, ending the Brazilian's race in a huge cloud of smoke. Unable to see the slow Jordan through the smoke, Heinz-Harald Frentzen could not avoid driving into the failing car in the narrow Massenet corner. It broke Frentzen's front wing, making an unplanned pit stop necessary for the young German. He made it back to the pits and rejoined the track in 5th place, but it ended his hopes of a shock podium finish and even a win looked quite likely.

The man who had lead a big part of the race was now back at the front. Jean Alesi was now the third driver who looked set for his first win, although Schumacher and Gerhard Berger were closing in on him. All of the Frenchman's great efforts once again lead to nothing when his Ferrari broke down for the fourth time in a row, when Alesi was once again running on a podium position. Alesi's retirement and Martin Brundle's forced pit stop due to electrical issues promoted Olivier Panis to 5th and Karl Wendlinger to 6th.

Michael Schumacher had inherited the lead. The German was looking for his second win in a row, but Gerhard Berger was driving a remarkable recovery race after his earlier problems. Brundle was also recovering from his issues and he regained a points scoring position by outbraking Wendlinger into the Nouvelle Chicane in lap 62. At the front, Gerhard Berger fully closed the gap and fought a ferocious fight with Schumacher for several laps. The decision came in lap 75, as the Austrian Ferrari driver managed to squeeze past the Benetton in Mirabeau with a very daring move. Schumacher did not let Berger get away after that, staying right on his tail.

Image
Berger holds off Schumacher for the win

Despite some frantic efforts, there was no way back for the German and the final straight was too short to pull off a slipstream pass. Berger won by one of the smallest margins ever over Schumacher. Herbert got away with 3rd and the championship lead after a difficult race. Frentzen scored his first three points with 4th place, although it could have been so much more. Panis and Brundle gave Ligier their first double points finish.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                  ³
³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³
³                                                  ³
³  1st  Gerhard Berger              1h 46m 01.338s ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  2nd  Michael Schumacher          +0.064s        ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  3rd  Johnny Herbert              +9.333s        ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  4th  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       +31.219s       ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³  5th  Olivier Panis               +1m 00.243s    ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³  6th  Martin Brundle              -1 Lap         ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³  7th  Luca Badoer                 -1 Lap         ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³  8th  Jos Verstappen              -2 Laps        ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³  9th  Hideki Noda                 -3 Laps        ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 10th  Taki Inoue                  -3 Laps        ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 11th  Karl Wendlinger             -6 Laps        ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³ 12th  Pierluigi Martini           Transmission   ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 13th  Jean Alesi                  Transmission   ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³ 14th  Nathan van Dijk             Transmission   ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 15th  Rubens Barrichello          Engine         ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³ 16th  Mika Hakkinen               Water Leak     ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 17th  Eddie Irvine                Suspension     ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³ 18th  David Coulthard             Didn't Finish  ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³ 19th  Damon Hill                  Puncture       ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³ 20th  Ukyo Katayama               Didn't Finish  ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 21st  Andrea Montermini           Didn't Finish  ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 22nd  Nigel Mansell               Didn't Finish  ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 23rd  Bertrand Gachot             Oil Leak       ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 24th  Roberto Moreno              Didn't Finish  ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 25th  Gianni Morbidelli           Transmission   ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 26th  Mika Salo                   Engine         ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

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1.  Johnny Herbert        26
2.  David Coulthard       24
3.  Michael Schumacher    20
4.  Gerhard Berger        20
5.  Damon Hill             9
6.  Eddie Irvine           6
7.  Nigel Mansell          5
8.  Karl Wendlinger        5
9.  Olivier Panis          5
10. Jean Alesi             3
 =  Heinz-Harald Frentzen  3
12. Luca Badoer            2
13. Jos Verstappen         1
14. Martin Brundle         1



Constructors' Championship

Code: Select all

1.  Benetton-Renault     46
2.  Williams-Renault     33
3.  Ferrari              23
4.  Sauber-Ford           8
5.  Jordan-Peugeot        6
6.  Ligier-Mugen Honda    6
7.  McLaren-Mercedes      5
8.  Minardi-Ford          2
9.  Simtek-Ford           1
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by FortiWinks »

Johnny’s going to somehow win the championship here isn’t he?
Knows two facts about ducks and both of them are wrong
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

FortiWinks wrote:Johnny’s going to somehow win the championship here isn’t he?

No matter how hard I'm trying to keep it realistic, some very popular results are indeed popping up! Herbert leading the WDC, Badoer scoring points, Simtek scoring a point... And a Sauber could have won a race :badoer:

Only thing that is very close to reality is Alesi's luck... :(
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 7th June, 1995


When will the drivers puzzle be solved?

We are only five races into this year's season, but the team bosses are already looking ahead to 1996. A lot of driver contracts are ending after this year and many drivers may be looking to switch seats. With all the rumors we are hearing, the silly season is truly underway. Even at the top teams, everything may be different next year.

The first announcements have already been made in the last few weeks. In this article, you will find an overview per team of who is confirmed, who is likely to drive for them next year and the wildest rumors.

Benetton
Confirmed: -
Likely: Johnny Herbert, Jean Alesi, Jos Verstappen, Michael Schumacher
Rumored: Gerhard Berger, Jacques Villeneuve, Robby Gordon

Tyrrell
Confirmed: Ukyo Katayama, Mika Salo

Williams
Confirmed: -
Likely: Damon Hill, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, David Coulthard
Rumored: Jacques Villeneuve, Eddie Irvine, Johnny Herbert

McLaren
Confirmed: Mika Hakkinen
Likely: David Coulthard, Nigel Mansell
Rumored: Michael Schumacher, Mark Blundell, Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Footwork
Confirmed: Ricardo Rosset
Likely: -
Rumored: Taki Inoue, Hiro Matsushita, Pedro Lamy, Luca Badoer

Simtek
Confirmed: -
Likely: Jos Verstappen
Rumored: Nathan van Dijk, Jan Lammers, Vincenzo Sospiri, Jan Magnussen

Jordan
Confirmed: Rubens Barrichello
Likely: Eddie Irvine
Rumored: Nigel Mansell, Jacques Villeneuve, Robby Gordon, Jos Verstappen

Pacific
Confirmed: Bertrand Gachot
Likely: Oliver Gavin
Rumored: Bobby Gordon, Andrea Montermini, Jean-Christophe Boullion, Hideki Noda

Forti
Confirmed: -
Likely: Pedro Diniz, Nathan van Dijk
Rumored: Andrea Montermini, Hiro Matsushita, Ricardo Rosset, Vincenzo Sospiri, Christian Fittipaldi

Minardi
Confirmed: -
Likely: Luca Badoer, Pedro Lamy
Rumored: Nathan van Dijk, Vincenzo Sospiri, Gianni Morbidelli

Ligier
Confirmed: Olivier Panis
Likely: -
Rumored: Jos Verstappen, Martin Brundle, Mark Blundell, Jean-Christophe Boullion, Gerhard Berger

Ferrari
Confirmed: -
Likely: Michael Schumacher, Jean Alesi
Rumored: Eddie Irvine, David Coulthard, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Johnny Herbert

Sauber
Confirmed: -
Likely: Karl Wendlinger, Gianni Morbidelli, Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Rumored: Jos Verstappen, Nicola Larini, Jean-Christophe Boullion

Lola
Confirmed: -
Likely: Allan McNish, Vincenzo Sospiri
Rumored: Andrea Montermini, Perry McCarthy, Oliver Gavin, Tarso Marques

Larrousse DAMS
Confirmed: -
Likely: Érik Comas, Emmanuel Collard
Rumored: Nathan van Dijk, Andrea Montermini, Jan Lammers, Jean-Christophe Boullion, Hiro Matsushita, Tarso Marques


Larrousse DAMS GP officially announced

Image

After much speculation about the future of the Larrousse team, a new partnership with DAMS was finally announced on a press event at Maison de la Mutualité in Paris. Larrousse DAMS GP is planning to participate in the 1996 Formula 1 season with a chassis designed by British company Reynard and produced in France. In addition, a new design facility will be set up near DAMS' headquarters near Le Mans. The plan is to design and produce the Larrousse DAMS chassis independently from 1997 onwards.

Guy Larrousse said that the new team is in negotiations with several partners for engine supply, expecting an agreement in the next few months. Jean-Paul Driot did announce a major sponsorship deal: cosmetics company L'Oréal will be the team's main sponsor for three years. Most likely they will be promoting one or more of their brands such as Elvive or Lancôme.

The rumor mill was running vividly in Paris, with several drivers and engine manufacturers being linked to the team. After Briatore bought Ligier, Larrousse DAMS will be the only fully French team on the grid next year, which may help them acquire customer or even works engines from Renault or Peugeot. Brian Hart is also said to be in talks with the team. Furthermore, customer Ford engines may be an option. The drivers linked to Larrousse DAMS are listed in our article "When will the drivers puzzle be solved?".


Rookie renditions

Before flying to Canada, Grand Prix News had the chance to invite the two Formula 1 drivers who drove their first race only this year: Forti's Nathan van Dijk and Pacific's Andrea Montermini. Sitting together for half an hour in Monaco, we had an enjoyable chat with the rookies, discussing their experiences so far and looking into our crystal ball, too.

Image

Gentlemen, thanks for coming. Let us get straight to the point and talk about racing. Both of you have now started your first five races. How did it feel to have made it to the Formula 1 grid?
AM: Well, I was close to it last year of course, when I joined the Simtek team in Barcelona. After my crash, I fought back and I was over the moon when Pacific offered me a full season seat. On the grid in Interlagos, I felt really proud that I finally made it.
NvD: I was really surprised to get an offer from Forti already. I mean, I had a good year in German F3 last year, but I never expected to be one of F1's youngest rookies ever! Still, I was a bit worried, because I really wanted to prove the people wrong who said my debut came too early. I was very satisfied that I avoided the last row on the grid and even beat my team mate.

How did your first five races go?
AM: I think we exceeded the expectations. This year's Pacific is definitely a better chassis than last year and I have already been able to beat some others to the finish. The last race in Monaco was a bit of a shame, though, as I crashed out. I'm confident that I will bounce back, though!
NvD: Unfortunately I have not yet been able to finish a race. It is impressive how Forti has set up an F1 team from scratch, though. I really am happy with the pace of the car, although there still is a lot to gain of course. I enjoyed my battles with the Simteks, Pacifics, sometimes even Footworks and Minardis, and of course my team mate.

Andrea, you already mentioned your crash from last year. Have you been scared to step into an F1 car again?
AM: To be honest, not really. I never lost the faith in my car control and speed and I was mostly happy to be in an F1 car again.

Nathan, we talked a bit about your fast debut. Do you think you could have learned more from another year in F3 or F3000?
NvD: That's hard to say, because I didn't! The learning curve was steep for this year, but I think I'm managing it. But maybe we should ask someone who did spend more years in junior categories. Andrea, what do you think? Haha!
AM: Hahaha! I don't think I can say you didn't learn enough yet, as you outqualified me on our debut already.

What do you expect from the rest of the season?
AM: I will be enjoying it even more. Pacific is still developing this year's chassis and hopefully we will be able to move further up the grid.
NvD: Forti is planning some very exciting news within a few weeks and after that, things will only get better! In the meantime, I will keep focussing on trying to match Roberto and I am sure I will finish a race soon.


Short but sweet

Mansell says he is disappointed with McLaren's performance • Is Hideki Noda out of sponsor money? • Footwork keeps Hart engines in 1996 • Pacific Grand Prix at Aida will not be continued next year
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by CaptainGetz12 »

Very in-depth, excellent job with this!
Klon wrote:What did poor André do to you for him to be insulted like that?
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

CaptainGetz12 wrote:Very in-depth, excellent job with this!

Thanks for the nice words! I hope you keep enjoying it :)





Press release - Management for Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell announces he will no longer be driving for Marlboro McLaren Mercedes any more. The 1992 Formula 1 World Champion states "The car is not even safe to drive. I do not want to get back in the car only to have an accident. My hopes were high for this season, but the chassis is utterly disappointing. McLaren will not be able to compete for podium finishes this year on a regulary basis, leave alone wins or the championship."


Press release - MTV Simtek Ford

MTV Simtek Ford has decided to terminate the contract with Hideki Noda with immediate effect. Hideki Noda's sponsor Men's Tenoras has not been able to pay the agreed sponsorship money due to economic difficulties in Japan after the Kobe earthquake earlier this year. As a result, Noda will not be driving for the team anymore and the logos will no longer be on the car.

Image

MTV Simtek Ford is glad to announce that a very adequate new reserve driver has been signed. Tom Kristensen will join the team for the rest of the year and he will be our second driver until Domenico Schiattarella is fully recovered from his injuries. MTV Simtek Ford wishes Tom the best of luck and we are looking forward to be working with this talented driver.

Domenico Schiattarella is recovering well from his injuries and he is expected to test the car at Brands Hatch in the week before the British Grand Prix. If the test is successful, Schiattarella will be back in the car at Silverstone as MTV Simtek Ford's second driver.


Press release - Marlboro McLaren Mercedes

Marlboro McLaren Mercedes confirms the termination of the contract of lead driver Nigel Mansell. Team principal, Ron Dennis, responded, saying "Mansell has decided to leave the team. Although the MP4/10 has not yet been the top car we hoped it to be, we do not recognize the situation as described by Mansell. Both Mika Hakkinen and Mark Blundell feel safe and confident behind the wheel and especially Mika's qualifying and race pace shows our potential for better results in the rest of the season."

Image

Replacing Mansell, Mark Blundell will be back as second driver for the rest of the season. Furthermore, Marlboro McLaren Mercedes announces that Danish Jan Magnussen will be our reserve driver until the end of 1995. Ron Dennis said "I am confident that both drivers will do an excellent job, helping our team to improve our position in the championship standings."
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 Canadian Grand Prix

The biggest news before the Canadian GP was Nigel Mansell's departure from McLaren. Hakkinen and Blundell will now be the ones to try to salvage some points for the British team and they still desperately need those. Earlier in the season, new British starts Herbert and Coulthard shone, but it Monaco, experienced Gerhard Berger won the race. Who will continue the momentum in Canada? More changes for the Simtek team as well, where Tom Kristensen will make his F1 debut after Noda's sponsorship problems. Kristensen is said to be a talent, can he cause a stir like Verstappen did earlier in the season?


Qualifying

Johnny Herbert took his second consecutive pole position, while Jean Alesi once again showed he is very quick with 2nd place. The Williams team proved that their lack of performance in Monaco was an incident, as they took the second row, just in front of Schumacher and the two Jordans.

Gerhard Berger once again qualified a lot worse than his team mate, only managing 9th. Let us not forget that he started in Monaco only 8th as well. The rest of the field contained no big surprises, although it has to be said that Tom Kristensen did remarkably well by putting his Simtek on the 11th row, beating both Fortis, both Pacifics and Taki Inoue's Footwork.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                                ³
³Pole                1                                           ³
³             Johnny Herbert                                     ³
³               1m 22.205s                   2                   ³
³                                       Jean Alesi               ³
³Row 2               3                  1m 22.385s               ³
³             David Coulthard                                    ³
³               1m 22.447s                   4                   ³
³                                       Damon Hill               ³
³Row 3               5                  1m 22.456s               ³
³           Michael Schumacher                                   ³
³               1m 22.500s                   6                   ³
³                                   Rubens Barrichello           ³
³Row 4               7                  1m 22.508s               ³
³              Eddie Irvine                                      ³
³               1m 22.512s                   8                   ³
³                                      Mika Hakkinen             ³
³Row 5               9                  1m 22.600s               ³
³             Gerhard Berger                                     ³
³               1m 22.610s                  10                   ³
³                                      Olivier Panis             ³
³Row 6              11                  1m 23.075s               ³
³          Heinz-Harald Frentzen                                 ³
³               1m 23.102s                  12                   ³
³                                      Mark Blundell             ³
³Row 7              13                  1m 23.144s               ³
³             Martin Brundle                                     ³
³               1m 23.248s                  14                   ³
³                                    Gianni Morbidelli           ³
³Row 8              15                  1m 23.569s               ³
³              Ukyo Katayama                                     ³
³               1m 23.636s                  16                   ³
³                                     Karl Wendlinger            ³
³Row 9              17                  1m 24.418s               ³
³                Mika Salo                                       ³
³               1m 24.988s                  18                   ³
³                                       Luca Badoer              ³
³Row 10             19                  1m 25.096s               ³
³             Jos Verstappen                                     ³
³               1m 25.138s                  20                   ³
³                                    Pierluigi Martini           ³
³Row 11             21                  1m 25.469s               ³
³             Tom Kristensen                                     ³
³               1m 25.771s                  22                   ³
³                                       Taki Inoue               ³
³Row 12             23                  1m 26.068s               ³
³             Nathan van Dijk                                    ³
³               1m 26.816s                  24                   ³
³                                     Roberto Moreno             ³
³Row 13             25                  1m 26.881s               ³
³             Bertrand Gachot                                    ³
³               1m 26.980s                  26                   ³
³                                    Andrea Montermini           ³
³                                       1m 27.045s               ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

As the field got underway for 69 laps around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the first few corners saw not too many position changes at the front. Only Hill and Irvine were able to gain a position, both on their respective team mates. The two Dutch drivers stood out in the bottom half of the field, with Verstappen gaining three places to get 16th and Van Dijk jumping up to 19th. Irvine's good start did not get a good continuation, as Barrichello regained his position into turn 7 and Berger overtook the Ulsterman in the hairpin, L'Epingle.

More action was to follow in lap 2. Damon Hill positioned his Williams well on the main straight and managed to outbrake Jean Alesi into the first corner. Alesi immediately showed his fighting spirit and got his 2nd place back into turn 7. Just behind the two, Schumacher made his move on Coulthard in the same corner. On the run to L'Epingle, Schumacher still had a good momentum and he was able to snatch 3rd from Hill in the braking zone. Hill did not take long to respond and he regained his position in the final chicane. Schumacher's good efforts were all undone half a lap later, as Coulthard overtook the German again in turn 7. The reigning world champion would drop even further in the next lap, with Barrichello's overtake in turn 7 and Berger's passing by in L'Epingle.

Coulthard suffered the same fate as Schumacher in lap 6, when the same two drivers made the same kind of moves on the Scottish Williams driver. Schumacher once again overtook him as well. The German made his move in lap 10, outbraking Coulthard into turn 7. Coulthard's team mate, Damon Hill, was considerably quicker for once. He was still pushing hard to keep pressure on Alesi in 2nd. He probably pushed a little too hard when he spun coming out of the final chicane in lap 11. Hill dropped all the way back to 15th and now faced a long recovery drive. He started expeditously and was up to 13th by lap 15, when he had problems in the final chicane again. Once more, Hill was back in 15th position and had to start all over again.

Rubens Barrichello was the first to make a pit stop, in lap 20. The stop went according to plan, but only two corners later, everything was lost as the Brazilian crashed hard into the barriers in turn 3. Luckily, he was not injured and got out of his car by himself. It would later occur that a right rear puncture was the cause of his crash. The only other top drivers on a two stop strategy were Herbert and Berger. Both drivers made their stop in lap 24. They dropped to 3rd and 8th position respectively, promoting Alesi and Schumacher to the lead positions. Schumacher was swiftly passed by Herbert in lap 28, while Alesi lost the lead when he made his only pit stop in lap 30. He rejoined the race in 7th position.

Schumacher's stop would come in lap 35. It appeared that Alesi had driven some very strong laps on fresh tyres, as Schumacher came out of the pits further behind Alesi. The other pit stops did not cause any position changes, although Hakkinen briefly ran as high as 4th before being overtaken by Alesi and Schumacher and then making his only stop as late as lap 41. The Finn was in 7th position after his stop. In the meantime, Johnny Herbert extended his lead with some blistering laps. He did need it, as he was still due a second visit to the pits.

Herbert's second stop would take place in lap 50. A fine strategy and an excellent job by Benetton's pit crew helped the Briton keep the lead and he was able to cruise to victory after that. Gerhard Berger was the last driver to make a pit stop in lap 52. Ferrari's strategy turned out to be less effective, as the Austrian dropped to 7th position, right behind Hakkinen. Using his fresher tyres, Berger immediately raised the pressure on Hakkinen and overtook him in turn 7.

Alesi's early stop had given him 2nd position, but his tyres started to wear more and more towards the end of the race. The top 6 closed in on eachother, with Schumacher being the first one to close the gap to the Ferrari. Schumacher made his move on Alesi in lap 58. The Frenchman was also unable to defend his podium position from Coulthard's attack, as the Scot got past in lap 59. Irvine was closing in as well, but the Jordan driver had more to fear from behind, as Berger was even faster at this stage. When starting the final lap of the race, Berger was within a second of Irvine. Both drivers visibly on the limit of what their cars and especially tyres could do. The Austrian would not be able to attack anymore, as his engine failed halfway the lap. Berger tried in anguish to limp his car to the finish line, but he came to a standstill in the final chicane, where the yellow flags were already waving for Salo's spun Tyrrell.

Image
Johnny Herbert cruises over the finish line in 1st position

This was all not of any concern for Johnny Herbert, as he steadily drove his Benetton to another victory. Schumacher completed a 1-2 for the Enstone-based team, while Coulthard completed the podium. Alesi made no mistakes on his worn tyres and nursed his Ferrari home in 4th, followed by Irvine. Mika Hakkinen finally had luck on his side as he not only recorded his first finish of the year, but was promoted into the points as well due to Berger's late retirement.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                  ³
³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³
³                                                  ³
³  1st  Johnny Herbert              1h 36m 27.126s ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  2nd  Michael Schumacher          +35.734s       ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  3rd  David Coulthard             +38.271s       ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³  4th  Jean Alesi                  +40.814s       ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  5th  Eddie Irvine                +47.534s       ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³  6th  Mika Hakkinen               +59.699s       ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³  7th  Damon Hill                  +1m 15.008s    ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³  8th  Gerhard Berger              -1 Lap         ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  9th  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       -1 Lap         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³ 10th  Olivier Panis               -1 Lap         ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 11th  Mark Blundell               -1 Lap         ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 12th  Martin Brundle              -1 Lap         ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 13th  Ukyo Katayama               -1 Lap         ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 14th  Luca Badoer                 -2 Laps        ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 15th  Mika Salo                   -3 Laps        ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 16th  Pierluigi Martini           -3 Laps        ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 17th  Taki Inoue                  -3 Laps        ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 18th  Tom Kristensen              -3 Laps        ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 19th  Nathan van Dijk             -3 Laps        ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 20th  Bertrand Gachot             -3 Laps        ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 21st  Andrea Montermini           -4 Laps        ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 22nd  Roberto Moreno              -4 Laps        ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 23rd  Gianni Morbidelli           -6 Laps        ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 24th  Jos Verstappen              Loose Wheel    ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 25th  Rubens Barrichello          Puncture       ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³ 26th  Karl Wendlinger             Engine         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

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1.  Johnny Herbert        36
2.  David Coulthard       28
3.  Michael Schumacher    26
4.  Gerhard Berger        20
5.  Damon Hill             9
6.  Eddie Irvine           8
7.  Jean Alesi             6
8.  Nigel Mansell          5
9.  Karl Wendlinger        5
10. Olivier Panis          5
11. Heinz-Harald Frentzen  3
12. Luca Badoer            2
13. Jos Verstappen         1
14. Martin Brundle         1
15. Mika Hakkinen          1



Constructors' Championship

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1.  Benetton-Renault      62
2.  Williams-Renault      37
3.  Ferrari               26
4.  Jordan-Peugeot         8
5.  Sauber-Ford            8
6.  McLaren-Mercedes       6
7.  Ligier-Mugen Honda     6
8.  Minardi-Ford           2
9.  Simtek-Ford            1
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

Press release - Parmalat Forti Ford

Image

Parmalat Forti Ford is happy to announce a new stakeholder in the team. Brazilian Abilio dos Santos Diniz has acquired a 70% share in the team. For that reason, the team's name will change after this season to Diniz Forti Corse, abbreviated to DFC. Guido Forti commented: "I am very happy that such a great businessman wants to invest in our team. This secures our future in Formula 1 and the investment will boost the development of our new car for 1996. The cooperation with Abilio Diniz will not only be good for the short term, but his vast business network creates opportunities for more fruitful collaborations in the future."

Not only a new team name and logo are announced, but Parmalat Forti Ford can also confirm a new driver. Pedro Diniz will be our reserve driver for the rest of this season and he will take one of the race seats in 1996. Forti Corse and Pedro Diniz worked together before in F3000, where the team got convinced of his talent.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 French Grand Prix

Three weeks have passed since the Canadian Grand Prix, but the teams have not been idle in the meantime. The circuits of Silverstone, Fiorano, Brands Hatch, Paul Ricard, Brands Hatch and more have been broadly in use for testing. Many teams have brought updates for their chassis to Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. It will be interesting to see whether the tables have turned.


Qualifying

The Benetton team was not disturbed by the break of three weeks; they continued right where they left off in Canada by qualifying on the front row. With 3rd place, Jean Alesi qualified on the front two rows for the sixth race in a row, with Mika Hakkinen joining him. Eddie Jordan's team had a decent qualifying once again, with Irvine in 5th and Barrichello 8th. Both Williams cars were in between them.

Mark Blundell did well to qualify in 10th position, the best qualifying for the #8 McLaren this season. Not too many surprises popped up through the rest of the field, although Tom Kristensen made a solid impression once again. The Dane may just be doing enough to prove he is worthy of a full-time race seat next year.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                                ³
³                                            1              Pole ³
³                                     Johnny Herbert             ³
³                    2                  1m 16.549s               ³
³           Michael Schumacher                                   ³
³               1m 16.877s                   3             Row 2 ³
³                                       Jean Alesi               ³
³                    4                  1m 16.885s               ³
³              Mika Hakkinen                                     ³
³               1m 16.955s                   5             Row 3 ³
³                                      Eddie Irvine              ³
³                    6                  1m 16.966s               ³
³             David Coulthard                                    ³
³               1m 17.024s                   7             Row 4 ³
³                                       Damon Hill               ³
³                    8                  1m 17.039s               ³
³           Rubens Barrichello                                   ³
³               1m 17.109s                   9             Row 5 ³
³                                     Gerhard Berger             ³
³                   10                  1m 17.171s               ³
³              Mark Blundell                                     ³
³               1m 17.251s                  11             Row 6 ³
³                                      Olivier Panis             ³
³                   12                  1m 17.492s               ³
³          Heinz-Harald Frentzen                                 ³
³               1m 17.559s                  13             Row 7 ³
³                                     Martin Brundle             ³
³                   14                  1m 17.754s               ³
³            Gianni Morbidelli                                   ³
³               1m 18.002s                  15             Row 8 ³
³                                      Ukyo Katayama             ³
³                   16                  1m 18.153s               ³
³             Karl Wendlinger                                    ³
³               1m 18.685s                  17             Row 9 ³
³                                     Jos Verstappen             ³
³                   18                  1m 19.098s               ³
³                Mika Salo                                       ³
³               1m 19.226s                  19            Row 10 ³
³                                       Luca Badoer              ³
³                   20                  1m 19.275s               ³
³            Pierluigi Martini                                   ³
³               1m 19.572s                  21            Row 11 ³
³                                     Tom Kristensen             ³
³                   22                  1m 19.749s               ³
³               Taki Inoue                                       ³
³               1m 20.265s                  23            Row 12 ³
³                                     Nathan van Dijk            ³
³                   24                  1m 21.040s               ³
³             Roberto Moreno                                     ³
³               1m 21.047s                  25            Row 13 ³
³                                     Bertrand Gachot            ³
³                   26                  1m 21.227s               ³
³            Andrea Montermini                                   ³
³               1m 21.302s                                       ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

The race starts good for the top 3, as Herbert, Schumacher and Alesi all keep their positions. Mika Hakkinen has a poor start; he comes out of the Estoril corner in 6th position, with Coulthard and Irvine in front of him. Irvine is very cautious under braking for the Adelaide hairpin and Coulthard and Hakkinen both benefit and gain a position.

Overtaking is difficult on the small, narrow track of Magny-Cours, as was shown by Michael Schumacher. The German applied maximum pressure on Herbert right from the start, but he could not find a way past. He did look a lot faster, however. Herbert would be out of luck in a very early stage, though, when his engine failed as soon as lap 5. Herbert had not had many mechanical issues yet this season, but this one was painful. Schumacher was free now and immediately started building a lead. The German was suddenly in a very good position to revive his title defence; he could now fully close the 10-point gap to his team mate.

As Herbert slowed down before the Adelaide hairpin, Alesi was a little more hesitant than Coulthard. The Scot took his chance and outbraked the Frenchman to take 2nd place. Two laps later, Alesi put things straight by regaining his position in the same corner. He then started to slowly catch Schumacher. A little further back, Damon Hill was stuck behind Eddie Irvine's Jordan for a long time, until he finally found a way past in lap 10. Again, the Adelaide hairpin looked to be the only corner suitable for overtaking. Lap 12 was the setting for a big crash, as Panis struggled to move his limping car to the side with failed suspension. Morbidelli could not avoid him and drove into the back of the Ligier with high speed. Both drivers escaped without injuries; a demonstration of F1's safety nowadays.

Another British driver would get into trouble before the first pit stops. Damon Hill retired with a suspension failure in lap 18. A few laps later, it was his team mate who was the first driver from the top six to make a pit stop. Alesi and Hakkinen followed a lap later, Alesi staying in front of the Williams and Hakkinen still behind. Michael Schumacher's stop followed another lap later. His stop was significantly longer than Alesi's and to the happiness of the crowed, Alesi was in front of the world champion when he got out again.

Two drivers who had not stopped yet, were now leading the race: Gerhard Berger in 1st and Mark Blundell in 2nd position. Blundell was caught quickly by the chasing pack and his Hakkinen could benefit by closing up on Alesi, Schumacher and Coulthard if his team mate would manage to hold them back. However, Jean Alesi was having none of it and overtook Blundell at his first opportunity in lap 24. Michael Schumacher was next, but he would be stuck for two more laps before he made his move to get back into 3rd. Coulthard was right on his tail at that moment, but the Scot would still be behind Blundell.

Both Berger and Blundell made their stops in lap 27, dropping to 6th and 9th respectively. Berger came out of the pits in front of Rubens Barrichello, so he had gained a position on strategy. Alesi was now in the lead and Schumacher was not able to close the gap created by the Ferrari driver when the German was stuck behind Blundell. In the subsequent laps, the good work by the Jordan team was once again undone by mechanical failures. Both Irvine's and Barrichello's gearbox failed when both drivers were in points scoring positions.

Alesi's second stop came early, in lap 41, rejoining the race in 4th position. Since it was a short stop, it could not be expected that he would be able to finish the race on this fuel load. This would mean that Schumacher would have to stay close enough to the Ferrari until his final stop and he would probably win. Alesi was not easily going to give up, though, setting some blistering fast lap times in front of his home crowd. He was within a few laps right on the tail of Hakkinen and he once again made use of the first available opportunity to overtake a McLaren, this time in lap 46.

Before Alesi had closed the gap to Coulthard, both Schumacher, the Scot and Hakkinen came into the pits for their final stop in lap 48. They all kept their positions and came back on track in 2nd, 3rd and 4th position. Hakkinen had to be grateful to Gerhard Berger for his quick reflexes: the Austrian came storming over the main straight when Hakkinen exited the pits onto the racing line. If Berger had been braking only a little later, both of them would have been out of the race. The Austrian had remained cool and even managed to overtake Hakkinen a couple of meters later into Adelaide. The Finn would regain his position a lap later.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen had been in the points for a while, but Mark Blundell had made his strategy work and gained 6th position when Frentzen made his final stop. However, Frentzen was quicker in the final stint and jumped back into the points with a clean move on Blundell in lap 52. Meanwhile, at the front, Michael Schumacher was edging closer to Alesi. The gap between the two had been 20 seconds after Schumacher's last stop, but by lap 56, he had reduced it to 16. Alesi then made his final stop and would have to use his fresher tyres to charge back to the lead.

Just a lap later, a tremendous cheering arose from the grandstands, as Schumacher's Benetton lay a smoke curtain over the main straight. Much like his engine, his title dreams took a blow as the German had to park his car. Alesi proved that Schumacher would not have had an easy task anyway, as he strung together some fastest lap times, extending the gap to Coulthard to a safe margin. While Coulthard could never extend the gap to the chasing Hakkinen enough to relax, Alesi looked able to cruise home to a well deserved win.

For a long time, the race had been pretty tense, but not too much action occured in the final stint. This would only apply until the end of lap 70, when Alesi's Ferrari started to smoke. The Frenchman desperately continued his race, trying to nurse the Ferrari through the last two laps. He would still start lap 71 in the lead, but his engine could not go any further and once again, Jean Alesi was denied his first win, this time tantalizingly close to the finish. Poor Jean could not believe his fortunes and even the fact that Blundell's McLaren did not make it into lap 71 to give Alesi the final point, would not offer him any consolation.

Image
David Coulthard takes the win, in front of Mika Hakkinen

Coulthard was the one to inherit the lead and he kept Hakkinen behind, still on the same margin around 2 seconds. Gerhard Berger salvaged a podium finish for Ferrari in a disappointing race for the Italian team. Frentzen and Wendlinger gave Sauber its best race result of the year with a total of five points. As mentioned, Alesi and Blundell would still be classified 6th and 7th respectively. The sixth car remaining to cross the finish line was Roberto Moreno's Forti. The Brazilian was unfortunately too many laps down to score the first ever point for the small Italian team.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                  ³
³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³
³                                                  ³
³  1st  David Coulthard             1h 39m 09.276s ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³  2nd  Mika Hakkinen               +2.113s        ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³  3rd  Gerhard Berger              +10.556s       ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  4th  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       +48.546s       ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³  5th  Karl Wendlinger             -1 Lap         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³  6th  Jean Alesi                  -2 Laps        ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  7th  Mark Blundell               -3 Laps        ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³  8th  Roberto Moreno              -3 Laps        ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³  9th  Ukyo Katayama               Transmission   ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 10th  Pierluigi Martini           Suspension     ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 11th  Michael Schumacher          Transmission   ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³ 12th  Tom Kristensen              Transmission   ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 13th  Bertrand Gachot             Transmission   ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 14th  Rubens Barrichello          Transmission   ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³ 15th  Martin Brundle              Transmission   ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 16th  Eddie Irvine                Transmission   ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³ 17th  Nathan van Dijk             Puncture       ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 18th  Luca Badoer                 Engine         ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 19th  Andrea Montermini           Transmission   ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 20th  Damon Hill                  Suspension     ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³ 21st  Olivier Panis               Suspension     ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 22nd  Gianni Morbidelli           Didn't Finish  ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 23rd  Taki Inoue                  Puncture       ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 24th  Jos Verstappen              Engine         ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 25th  Mika Salo                   Loose Wheel    ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 26th  Johnny Herbert              Engine         ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

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1.  David Coulthard       38
2.  Johnny Herbert        36
3.  Michael Schumacher    26
4.  Gerhard Berger        24
5.  Damon Hill             9
6.  Eddie Irvine           8
7.  Mika Hakkinen          7
8.  Jean Alesi             7
9.  Karl Wendlinger        7
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen  6
11. Nigel Mansell          5
12. Olivier Panis          5
13. Luca Badoer            2
14. Jos Verstappen         1
15. Martin Brundle         1



Constructors' Championship

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1.  Benetton-Renault      62
2.  Williams-Renault      47
3.  Ferrari               31
4.  Sauber-Ford           13
5.  McLaren-Mercedes      12
6.  Jordan-Peugeot         8
7.  Ligier-Mugen Honda     6
8.  Minardi-Ford           2
9.  Simtek-Ford            1
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tBone
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 5th July, 1995


Mid-season Report Cards

We are halfway through the year and, with 7 races ran, almost halfway through the 1995 Formula 1 season. In other words, it is time for the constructors' and drivers' mid-season report cards! Who were the good students and who need to step it up a notch to graduate?

Benetton-Renault | 8.5
Expectations were high after last year's successes and the acquiring of Renault engines for this year. So high indeed, that only a double world title would be enough this year. Benetton's pace has been very good, with 5 pole positions and the same number of fastest race laps. 3 race wins out of 7 is not bad, but it is far from the maximum they could have achieved. Reliability issues have prevented Benetton's drivers from dominating the drivers' championship and they are preventing Benetton from a better grade. Still some homework, lads!
#1 - Michael Schumacher | 6.5
Expectations for Benetton were high, but expectations for the first champion since the Senna/Prost/Mansell era were certainly not lower. It has to be said that his qualifying record this year is very disappointing. Herbert has beaten him 6 times so far. Schumacher did usually still show a good race pace, although his points tally does not fully reflect it. He still has a very good chance a back-to-back championship, although he will need to improve his qualifyings and he will need better car reliability.
#2 - Johnny Herbert | 9.5
Herbert would be the clear #2 driver this year, salvaging enough points for Benetton to add to Schumacher's tally and secure the constructors' championship. So, how did Johnny do? 6 pole positions, 3 race wins and only 2 points adrift of the drivers' championship lead. Herbert really exceeded all expectations and the Briton will need just a little bit more luck to secure his first world title. Who would have thought that six months ago?

Tyrrell-Yamaha | 4
Before the season, we said the innovative 023 looked promising, but the tables have turned. On pace, they seem stuck in the lower midfield and the complex chassis is not reliable. In Argentina, Katayama retired from 6th just before the end of the race. It may have been their only chance of points all season.
#3 - Ukyo Katayama | 6.5
It is difficult to assess Katayama's performance, as clearly the car lets him down. He regularly beats his less experienced team mate in qualifying. His races seem solid as long as they last, but the Japanese also did not yet punch above his weight.
#4 - Mika Salo | 6
Salo is still a rather unexperienced driver and he may not be in a too comfortable environment right now. Nevertheless, the talented Finn has shown promising race pace, but he will need to improve his single lap speed to match Katayama.

Williams-Renault | 7.5
Frank Williams' team was mentioned again as one of the title candidates before the season. Halfway through, they have collected 3 race wins and one of their drivers is leading the championship. However, Williams will need to keep developing their car, as they seem to fall behind Benetton, while Ferrari is getting very close on some tracks as well.
#5 - Damon Hill | 5.5
Hill was supposed to be Schumacher's main challenger for the championship. Although not all retirements were his fault, Hill has missed several chances to score more points by unforced errors. His younger team mate is now at least matching his speed too and he is 29 points ahead. It seems that Hill will have to settle for a #2 role for the rest of the year.
#6 - David Coulthard | 9.5
Much like Johnny Herbert, Coulthard is exceeding expectations. The Scot is one of the surprises of the 1995 season so far. He has been performing on a constant level and he has made remarkably less errors than Hill. Of course, David Coulthard has had luck on his side in the first half of the season, but if he stays a bit lucky and if he remains calm, he really has a good shot at the championship this year.

McLaren-Mercedes | 5
McLaren were the butt of many jokes due to compatibility issues of their narrow cockpit with Nigel Mansell's... well, his butt. Mansell lamented the drivability and performance of the MP4/10 and to be fair, he has a point. Hakkinen's pace has been promising, but he has hardly been able to finish races. Ron Dennis and his employees really will need to up their game, because the Woking-based team have fallen way behind not only Benetton and Williams, but also Ferrari.
#7 - Mark Blundell | 7
Blundell's entry to the 1995 season was unexpected and his preparation was limited. He deserves some appreciation for doing a decent job in those first two races, before Mansell's entry. After Mansell's departure, Blundell slowly gained some speed and although he has not scored any points yet, we could even say that his pace looks better than Mansell's did. Three years ago, that would have made him the #1 favourite for the championship!
#7 - Nigel Mansell | 4.5
The 1992 world champion scored McLaren's first points of the season. Unfortunately, that is the only positive thing we can say about Our Nige's stint at the team. Compared to Hakkinen, he lacked both qualifying and race pace, not even to mention his antics in the race in Monaco, or walking out and giving up after just three races.
#8 - Mika Hakkinen | 8.5
Hakkinen has been the only driver so far to show that the McLaren MP4/10 may be good enough to challenge the other top teams. He has driven some excellent qualifyings and when he finally started to finish races, he racked up 7 points in two races.

Footwork-Hart | 5.5
Much like Tyrrell, Footwork also seems stuck in the lower midfield. They have not scored any points so far and to be honest, it does not look to likely they will improve in the second half of the season. It has to be appreciated that the underfunded team are trying to field two equal cars, but it seems very unfortunate that it has been mainly Morbidelli's car that failed in the races. With a bit more luck, the Italian might be able to snatch a points finish for the shoestring-budgetted team.
#9 - Gianni Morbidelli | 6.5
The Italian has been able to qualify in decent positions. He has not yet finished a single race, but he seems able to at least match the speed of occasional points scorers like Wendlinger, Badoer and Verstappen. With the Footwork, that is decent or maybe even better than that.
#10 - Taki Inoue | 5
We already said it before the season: Inoue is at Footwork for his money. We can say two positive things about his performances so far: he is not beaten by all other cars and he did finish races in a Footwork. He has not even gotten close to Morbidelli's speed, though.

Simtek-Ford | 7
The little Simtek team have definitely improved from last year. Nick Wirth and his small group of engineers have managed to design a decent car on a shoestring budget. Especially Verstappen's speed has been encouraging in qualifying, but even more so in races. They managed to score a point in Argentina and if they can continue the upward trend, they may hope for more.
#11 - Domenico Schiattarella | 5.5
Due to his unfortunate practice accident in Imola, Schiattarella has only been able to drive two races so far. In those races, he did not do anything silly, but he seemed way off the pace of his team mate.
#11 - Hideki Noda | 6
Noda replaced Schiattarella, until he ran out of Japanese yens. It is not really a secret that Noda was hired for his sponsor money, but he was actually not bad. Without any significant testing, he jumped in and he did not seem any slower than the Italian had been in the previous two races.
#11 - Tom Kristensen | 7.5
Kristensen was hastily flown in after Noda's departure to drive the Simtek in the last races before Schiattarella's return. He had to jump in without any testing and he actually managed to qualify well within a second of Verstappen's times. While that is not quite a "Schumacher '91" situation, it still is impressive.
#12 - Jos Verstappen | 8.5
Verstappen makes a calmer and more mature impression than in his debut season. The Dutchman is consistently able to put his Simtek between the Minardis, Tyrrells and Footworks, seemingly punching above his weight. With 6th place in Argentina, he has also grabbed his only chance so far to score a point.

Jordan-Peugeot | 5.5
1995 has so far been a year of two faces for Jordan. Both drivers are fast and so are the cars. They definitely are able to match McLaren and Ferrari and to challenge Benetton and Williams, but so far they are 6th in the constructors' championship with only 8 points. The main reason for that is the fragility of the 195 chassis and the Peugeot A10 engine.
#14 - Rubens Barrichello | 8
Barrichello has a reputation of one of the quickest young talents in F1 and he is again living up to it this year. He has qualified on the front row several times and was competing for points or even podium finishes in almost all races. Not a single DNF was his fault so far, but he will be a happier man with some good results.
#15 - Eddie Irvine | 8
Irvine has been a good match for Barrichello throughout the first half of the season. He outqualified the Brazilian three times and the Ulsterman has actually been able to bring his Jordan to the finish twice. Both times got him points. Most notable was his performance in Barcelona, where he kept pressure on race winner Schumacher throughout the race to come home in an excellent 2nd position.

Pacific-Ford | 4
Pacific Team Lotus have done nothing so far to prove they are worthy of the legendary second part of their name. They are able to start every race, but both cars seem to be no match for the rest of the field. Even the new team of Forti are beginning to create a gap to the Thetford-based team.
#16 - Bertrand Gachot | 5.5
Gachot was supposed to be the leader of Pacific. Not only as a team owner, but also as the most experienced driver. It is difficult to judge him on his driver performance this year, as the car is not any good. He did consistently beat his rookie team mate, but we expected nothing less from a driver with several years of F1 experience.
#17 - Andrea Montermini | 6
One of this year's rookies, Montermini has done a decent job so far. He was close to Gachot from the start and during races, he has fought some nice battles with his team mate and the Fortis. He has not yet stood out, neither positively nor negatively.

Forti-Ford | 6
Forti entered F1 as one of the smallest teams this year. The Italian team did not set the world alight so far, but they seem to make a little bit of progress, now being consistently faster than the Pacifics. Because of the Diniz takeover, their now larger resources will be mainly focusing on next year. Until then, they will have to try to pick up the crumbs when the opportunity arises.
#21 - Roberto Moreno | 5.5
Moreno used to be a highly respected driver with solid performances in his Benetton days. Maybe he should not have returned to F1 to drive one of the slowest cars, while his young and unknown team mate is quite evenly matching him. There really is no credit to be gained for the Brazilian, unless the car improves or luck is on his side to snatch a surprise result.
#22- Nathan van Dijk | 7.5
Van Dijk came into F1 as a young, unknown rookie. Although he did not make it to any headlines yet, the 20-year-old has shown quite more than expected. He has outqualified Moreno numerous times and he has shown genuine racecraft with some excellent starts and some good passes. In our opinion, he deserves a seat again next year.

Minardi-Ford | 6.5
It was clear from the word go that 1995 would not be an easy year for Minardi. The customer Ford engines lack power, but the chassis seems to make up part of it. Their pace has been quite decent and Badoer even managed to score two points. If only they had managed to sign the Mugen Honda deal...
#23 - Pierluigi Martini | 5.5
Martini has stayed a bit under the radar so far. It was his team mate who took the spotlight with points in Argentina, while Martini was beaten by Verstappen's Simtek for the final point. In general, it seems he may have lost his edge.
#24 - Luca Badoer | 8
Luca Badoer was a hot topic after the Argentine Grand Prix, finishing in fifth. If we look closer to his season so far, it appears that was not a fluke result. Badoer has been consistently quick, qualifying and racing his underpowered car right in the middle of the pack.

Ligier-Mugen Honda | 7
Ligier are having a solid season so far. Both Olivier Panis and Martin Brundle have been able to score points for the French team, who ware currently on a 7th place in the constructors' championship. If Ligier can remain stable and benefit from others' mistakes, they could still gain a position or two in the championship.
#25 - Aguri Suzuki | 6
Despite having a decent speed, Suzuki did not score any points in the first four races. He surprised in Imola, where his pace was better than Panis' in the race. In the other races, Suzuki has not really stood out.
#25 - Martin Brundle | 7
Brundle looked somewhat faster than Suzuki in his first three races for Ligier. He got close to Panis' excellent pace in qualifying and he did score a point. The big question is: did the Briton make enough of an impression to keep his seat for next year?
#26 - Olivier Panis | 8
Olivier Panis is living up to his role as lead driver at Ligier in only his second season in F1. Panis has been very consistent and rather quick in the first half of the season. Several top-10 qualifyings and 7 points so far looked to be the best possible result with this team.

Ferrari | 6
The prancing horse is back at the front of the grid. Ferrari have shown some very good speed, they have won a race, got some more podium finishes and they are still in a position to at least challenge Williams for 2nd in the championship. However, it could have been so much more. They could have been still contending for both the drivers' championship and the constructors', if the 412 T2 would have been more robust.
#27 - Jean Alesi | 9
Alesi has been extremely quick this year. He consistently outqualifies his team mate and in almost every race, he has been in the mix for the podium positions. He could have racked up 2 or 3 race wins so far, if his car had not let him down. For sure, his first race win will come this year.
#28 - Gerhard Berger | 7.5
Although the championship standings do not reflect it, Berger has had trouble matching his team mate this year. Nevertheless, he maximised on all of his chances to add points to his tally and by doing so, he is still in something of a dark horse position for the drivers' championship. His race in Monaco was his highlight so far, where he impressively held off Schumacher for the win.

Sauber-Ford | 7
Sauber is on an excellent 4th place in the constructor standings, halfway through the season. The cars have been rather reliable, although they do lack some speed to really challenge the top teams. If McLaren and Jordan improve their reliability, things may look a lot less positive by the end of the year.
#29 - Karl Wendlinger | 7
Much like his compatriot at Ferrari, consistency is what characterises Wendlinger's season so far. The Austrian scored points on several occasions, when other cars failed. We are worried that he has lost his edge after his horrendous crash last year, though, as he is significantly slower than his team mate in both qualifyings and races.
#30 - Heinz-Harald Frentzen | 8
Frentzen is doing a better job than the championship standings suggest. He already finished 4th twice, and he has already beaten Ferraris and McLarens in qualifying several times. The German deserves a place in the spotlights and he will be looking to capitalize on his chances in the second half of the season.


Papis replaces Morbidelli

Just before this magazine was printed, the news came to us that Gianni Morbidelli will not drive for Footwork at the British Grand Prix. Massimilano Papis will be replacing him. His sponsors have been able to secure a deal for seven races. It shows again that Footwork is desperately looking for money, as they are now replacing their best performing driver.

Massimilano Papis is a 25 year old Italian driver, who raced in the past two years in F3000. Last year, he achieved a 6th place in the championship, winning one race in Barcelona. He was also hired as a test driver for Team Lotus in 1994.


Short but Sweet

Schumacher-Alesi swap deal almosed sealed • Ilmor power for Simtek next year? • V10 Ford engines for Sauber in 1996 • Damon Hill to McLaren? • Lola T95/30 upgrade to be tested at Oulton Park next week • Ligier keeps Mugen engines until '97
Last edited by tBone on 02 May 2020, 20:57, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 British Grand Prix

The British Grand Prix is the home race of a majority of teams. They will have an extra reason to prove themselves on home soil. The same applies to several drivers, with among them two title candidates this year. Will Herbert and Coulthard use their home advantage?


Qualifying

Herbert took another pole position, while Schumacher made it a good qualifying for the Benetton team by taking 3rd place on the grid. In between them was Mika Hakkinen, who was once again impressive. Hill, Coulthard and Alesi completed the top six. Papis performed decently on his debut by qualifying in 17th, while his fellow countryman Schiattarella also did well on his return to put the Simtek on 21st.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                                ³
³Pole                1                                           ³
³             Johnny Herbert                                     ³
³               1m 25.180s                   2                   ³
³                                      Mika Hakkinen             ³
³Row 2               3                  1m 25.442s               ³
³           Michael Schumacher                                   ³
³               1m 25.471s                   4                   ³
³                                       Damon Hill               ³
³Row 3               5                  1m 25.523s               ³
³             David Coulthard                                    ³
³               1m 25.575s                   6                   ³
³                                       Jean Alesi               ³
³Row 4               7                  1m 25.611s               ³
³              Eddie Irvine                                      ³
³               1m 25.769s                   8                   ³
³                                   Rubens Barrichello           ³
³Row 5               9                  1m 25.822s               ³
³              Mark Blundell                                     ³
³               1m 25.906s                  10                   ³
³                                     Gerhard Berger             ³
³Row 6              11                  1m 25.945s               ³
³              Olivier Panis                                     ³
³               1m 25.966s                  12                   ³
³                                  Heinz-Harald Frentzen         ³
³Row 7              13                  1m 26.177s               ³
³             Martin Brundle                                     ³
³               1m 26.304s                  14                   ³
³                                      Ukyo Katayama             ³
³Row 8              15                  1m 26.839s               ³
³             Karl Wendlinger                                    ³
³               1m 27.849s                  16                   ³
³                                     Jos Verstappen             ³
³Row 9              17                  1m 27.992s               ³
³            Massimilano Papis                                   ³
³               1m 28.068s                  18                   ³
³                                       Luca Badoer              ³
³Row 10             19                  1m 28.261s               ³
³            Pierluigi Martini                                   ³
³               1m 28.517s                  20                   ³
³                                        Mika Salo               ³
³Row 11             21                  1m 28.596s               ³
³         Domenico Schiattarella                                 ³
³               1m 29.556s                  22                   ³
³                                       Taki Inoue               ³
³Row 12             23                  1m 29.828s               ³
³             Nathan van Dijk                                    ³
³               1m 30.504s                  24                   ³
³                                     Roberto Moreno             ³
³Row 13             25                  1m 30.514s               ³
³             Bertrand Gachot                                    ³
³               1m 30.709s                  26                   ³
³                                    Andrea Montermini           ³
³                                       1m 30.750s               ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

It was another good start for the Benettons and another poor start for Mika Hakkinen. The Finn was not only overtaken by Schumacher, but also by both Williams in the run to Copse corner. Gerhard Berger had probably the best start of the field, taking 6th place from 10th on the grid. However, he would be outbraked by his team mate into Vale, still on the first lap. Coulthard would do the same to his team mate into Stowe.

Hangar Straight and Stowe almost looked like a battlefield in lap 2. Schumacher passed Herbert, Hill took a place back from Coulthard and Eddie Irvine passed Jean Alesi. More battles would be fought in the following laps, as Herbert was also overtaken by both Williams and Mika Hakkinen lost places to Irvine and Alesi, although the Finn would take his place back from the Frenchman a lap later. The biggest shock of the opening stage would come in lap 8, as Johnny Herbert lost the back of his car in Stowe and spun. He dropped back to 8th, but he was able to continue his race with still a good chance of scoring points.

Damon Hill was the first driver at the front to make a pit stop in lap 16. Irvine followed two laps later, just as his team mate was overtaken by Gerhard Berger. The race leader, Michael Schumacher, made his first stop in lap 20. Crucially, he rejoined the track behind Hill, who now looked in a good position for finally a good result again. Hill lost no time behind Rubens Barrichello, who looked to be on a one stop strategy, but neither did Michael Schumacher.

In the meantime, both Ferraris had sneaked into 1st and 2nd position, both running on a one stop strategy. Passing them would be crucial for Hill and Schumacher, but Hill got stuck behind Berger, who defended his 2nd position well. Hill's team mate would be in deeper trouble. Coulthard spun in Stowe in lap 22 and got stuck in the gravel trap. It took him minutes to get out and the Scot rejoined the race 2 laps behind the leaders.

Because Damon Hill was losing time behind Berger, Michael Schumacher was able to close the gap. Schumacher was not planning on losing any time and he overtook both Hill and Berger in one lap. Hill was finally able to pass Berger one lap later, just before the Austrian would make his only pit stop. Johnny Herbert had meanwhile driven an impressive recovery race and he had even closed the gap to Damon Hill. Herbert even managed to overtake Hill just before he had to make his only stop. Hill was back in 2nd, but it would not take long. His suspension failed in lap 35, so it was another 0-result for the Briton.

It was now a race between Schumacher and Alesi. Schumacher had been building a margin before his second stop and when he came in for his second load of fuel, his lead was sufficient. He came out of the pits just in front of the Ferrari, securing his win. Schumacher's pit stop provided Eddie Irvine and Jordan a couple of minutes of fame, as the Ulsterman inherited the lead until he made his second stop. He would drop back to 7th position, but he would be on a charge in the last stint.

The audience on the grandstands in Stowe corner surely got good value for their ticket money. Another top driver made a mistake there in lap 43. Once again it was Jean Alesi who lost a podium finish in the closing stages of a race, although this time it was his own fault. The Ferrari driver would rejoin in 8th position. This left the Benettons set for a 1-2 victory, with Hakkinen behind them in 3rd. Hakkinen had once again shown his good pace, but he would not be fully rewarded. The Finn was forced to make an extra pit stop with electrical issues, dropping back to 9th place.

Image
Michael Schumacher is back in title contention with his 2nd win of '95

In the final laps, the podium was settled. Schumacher led, followed by Herbert and Eddie Irvine, who had made great use of his fresher tyres to charge back through the field. Barrichello was in 4th, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen had inherited 5th place after Gerhard Berger retired with mechanical issues. Barrichello and Frentzen had gotten their good positions thanks to their one stop strategy, but it would backfire as they were struggling on worn tyres. Hakkinen and Alesi were quickly gaining ground again after their earlier issues and they would both overtake the duo. Mika Hakkinen was the quicker of those two, as he managed to also overtake Alesi for 4th position. The Frenchman crossed the line behind him in 5th, with Barrichello salvaging his first point of the season.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                  ³
³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³
³                                                  ³
³  1st  Michael Schumacher          1h 31m 43.389s ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  2nd  Johnny Herbert              +13.749s       ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  3rd  Eddie Irvine                +42.203s       ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³  4th  Mika Hakkinen               +51.794s       ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³  5th  Jean Alesi                  +57.857s       ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  6th  Rubens Barrichello          +1m 01.138s    ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³  7th  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       +1m 07.720s    ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³  8th  Olivier Panis               +1m 10.517s    ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³  9th  Mark Blundell               +1m 13.675s    ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 10th  Martin Brundle              -1 Lap         ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 11th  David Coulthard             -2 Laps        ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³ 12th  Domenico Schiattarella      -3 Laps        ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 13th  Bertrand Gachot             -3 Laps        ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 14th  Gerhard Berger              Suspension     ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³ 15th  Ukyo Katayama               Engine         ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 16th  Mika Salo                   Puncture       ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 17th  Karl Wendlinger             Engine         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³ 18th  Nathan van Dijk             Suspension     ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 19th  Damon Hill                  Suspension     ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³ 20th  Roberto Moreno              Engine         ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 21st  Jos Verstappen              Engine         ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 22nd  Andrea Montermini           Water Leak     ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 23rd  Massimilano Papis           Water Leak     ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 24th  Luca Badoer                 Transmission   ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 25th  Pierluigi Martini           Engine         ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 26th  Taki Inoue                  Water Leak     ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

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1.  Johnny Herbert        42
2.  David Coulthard       38
3.  Michael Schumacher    36
4.  Gerhard Berger        24
5.  Eddie Irvine          12
6.  Mika Hakkinen         10
7.  Damon Hill             9
8.  Jean Alesi             9
9.  Karl Wendlinger        7
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen  6
11. Nigel Mansell          5
12. Olivier Panis          5
13. Luca Badoer            2
14. Jos Verstappen         1
15. Martin Brundle         1
16. Rubens Barrichello     1



Constructors' Championship

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1.  Benetton-Renault      78
2.  Williams-Renault      47
3.  Ferrari               33
4.  McLaren-Mercedes      15
5.  Jordan-Peugeot        13
6.  Sauber-Ford           13
7.  Ligier-Mugen Honda     6
8.  Minardi-Ford           2
9.  Simtek-Ford            1
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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Press release - Pacific Team Lotus

Image

Pacific Team Lotus is glad to announce a 4-race deal with Italian driver Giovanni Lavaggi to drive for the team. Lavaggi will take the wheel of the #16 car, replacing Bertrand Gachot. Giovanni Lavaggi is a 37 year old Italian driver, who has enjoyed many successes in various race categories over the last few years. He achieved a 2nd-in-class position at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1992, won the Daytona 24 Hours this year and has enjoyed stints in Italian F3, International F3000 and CART.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 German Grand Prix

The momentum has swung back to Benetton and at Schumacher's home race, he will be more eager than ever to make it back-to-back victories. Further in the field, the high-speed nature of the Hockenheimring could give some more surprises. And what to think of 37-year-old rookie Giovanni Lavaggi, will he be any good? Or, maybe be more realistic... Can he somewhat keep up with the rest of the grid?


Qualifying

Michael Schumacher had been fastest in the Friday session, but his team mate set a quicker time on Saturday. Behind the two Benettons were the other Renault powered cars, with Damon Hill beating David Coulthard for 3rd. Ferrari had a disappointing qualifying with their cars in 7th and 10th. The same could be said for the Saubers, who were clearly suffering from having underpowered Ford V8 engines. Rookie Lavaggi qualified unsurprisingly in 26th. He looked out of his depth, way off the pace of his team mate.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                                ³
³Pole                1                                           ³
³             Johnny Herbert                                     ³
³               1m 44.059s                   2                   ³
³                                   Michael Schumacher           ³
³Row 2               3                  1m 44.114s               ³
³               Damon Hill                                       ³
³               1m 44.239s                   4                   ³
³                                     David Coulthard            ³
³Row 3               5                  1m 44.442s               ³
³              Mika Hakkinen                                     ³
³               1m 44.505s                   6                   ³
³                                      Eddie Irvine              ³
³Row 4               7                  1m 44.524s               ³
³               Jean Alesi                                       ³
³               1m 44.597s                   8                   ³
³                                   Rubens Barrichello           ³
³Row 5               9                  1m 44.660s               ³
³              Olivier Panis                                     ³
³               1m 44.966s                  10                   ³
³                                     Gerhard Berger             ³
³Row 6              11                  1m 44.978s               ³
³              Mark Blundell                                     ³
³               1m 45.073s                  12                   ³
³                                     Martin Brundle             ³
³Row 7              13                  1m 45.190s               ³
³          Heinz-Harald Frentzen                                 ³
³               1m 45.496s                  14                   ³
³                                      Ukyo Katayama             ³
³Row 8              15                  1m 46.025s               ³
³             Karl Wendlinger                                    ³
³               1m 46.922s                  16                   ³
³                                    Massimilano Papis           ³
³Row 9              17                  1m 47.444s               ³
³                Mika Salo                                       ³
³               1m 47.529s                  18                   ³
³                                     Jos Verstappen             ³
³Row 10             19                  1m 47.699s               ³
³               Luca Badoer                                      ³
³               1m 47.810s                  20                   ³
³                                    Pierluigi Martini           ³
³Row 11             21                  1m 48.142s               ³
³               Taki Inoue                                       ³
³               1m 48.918s                  22                   ³
³                                 Domenico Schiattarella         ³
³Row 12             23                  1m 49.246s               ³
³             Nathan van Dijk                                    ³
³               1m 50.007s                  24                   ³
³                                     Roberto Moreno             ³
³Row 13             25                  1m 50.063s               ³
³            Andrea Montermini                                   ³
³               1m 50.166s                  26                   ³
³                                    Giovanni Lavaggi            ³
³                                       1m 51.581s               ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

The top six got underway well, without any position changes in the first corner. Right after that, the slipstreaming festival begun. Damon Hill slipstreamed his way past Schumacher, although the German regained his position in the Ostkurve. Hill's would lose another position in the first lap, as his team mate managed to get past in the Senna chicane. A little further behind, Irvine and Hakkinen fought a similar battle, with the Finn finally keeping his 5th place in the Motodrom. Their battle was soon over, as both of them retired as early as lap 2.

Gerhard Berger outbraked Barrichello at the Clark chicane, while Damon Hill outbraked nobody but himself. The Briton barely managed to keep his nose pointing in the right direction, but he did lose some time, allowing Berger, Barrichello and Alesi to catch up. Barrichello dealt with the situation brilliantly, passing both Berger and Hill on the next straight and into the Ostkurve. Berger managed to get past Hill as well and even Jean Alesi could overtake the Williams. A small mistake had cost Damon Hill no less than three positions. He looked to quickly bounce back when he passed Alesi at the Clark chicane, but the Frenchman took his 6th position back in the Ostkurve. The duo would continue their fight in the next laps and Alesi kept getting the better of Hill.

While Herbert was steadily building a gap to Schumacher, Berger had closed the gap to Barrichello again. This time, the Austrian did get past in lap 8, without giving the Brazilian a chance to regain his position. He would gain another place on the same lap, as David Coulthard retired from 3rd place with transmission issues.

It soon became clear why Herbert had been so much faster than Schumacher, since the Briton was the first one to make a pit stop, as early as lap 13. Herbert and Berger would be the only ones from the top six on a two stop strategy. Herbert rejoined the track in 5th position, right between Alesi and Hill. Hill did not hesitate and overtook the Benetton immediately on the way to the Clark chicane. Like Alesi had done several times, Herbert also found a way to instantly fight back by outbraking Hill at the Ostkurve. Herbert then continued his hunt and was soon fighting Alesi. It took him two laps, but once again the Benetton driver found a way past.

When the one-stoppers made their only visit to the pits, it was no surprise that Herbert regained the lead. Schumacher kept second and knew he just had to manage the gap in order to get back in the lead after Herbert's second stop. Damon Hill was the only one to win anything during the pit stops, as he rejoined the track in front of Alesi. The Williams driver would gain another position as he managed to get past Rubens Barrichello in lap 25.

Herbert's second stop would come in lap 30 and indeed, Michael Schumacher was back in the lead. His margin was quite small, though, and Herbert was faster. By lap 34, the battle was on. Despite some strong defending from the German, the Briton found a way to overtake him, leaving Schumacher without an answer. The top six seemed pretty settled after this crucial overtake, until Jean Alesi was forced to make another stop due to electrical issues. The Frenchman came out of the pits in 7th, behind Olivier Panis. Alesi pushed his Ferrari to the limit in the closing stages and he robbed Panis of the last point in lap 43.

Image
Johnny Herbert takes the win in Germany

Johnny Herbert extended his lead to a safe margin and could drive quite comfortably to the finish. Michael Schumacher completed the Benetton 1-2, with Damon Hill finally back on the podium in 3rd. Hill scored his first points since San Marino and his first podium since the opening race of the season. Behind him, Rubens Barrichello got his second points finish in succession, followed by the Ferraris of Berger and Alesi. Further down, Van Dijk scored his best result of his young career by bringing home his Forti in 13th, not too far behind his compatriot Verstappen.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                  ³
³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³
³                                                  ³
³  1st  Johnny Herbert              1h 22m 41.915s ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  2nd  Michael Schumacher          +7.941s        ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  3rd  Damon Hill                  +16.517s       ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³  4th  Rubens Barrichello          +30.082s       ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³  5th  Gerhard Berger              +38.417s       ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  6th  Jean Alesi                  +1m 01.165s    ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  7th  Olivier Panis               +1m 04.374s    ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³  8th  Karl Wendlinger             -1 Lap         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³  9th  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       -1 Lap         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³ 10th  Ukyo Katayama               -1 Lap         ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 11th  Massimilano Papis           -1 Lap         ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 12th  Jos Verstappen              -2 Laps        ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 13th  Nathan van Dijk             -2 Laps        ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 14th  Pierluigi Martini           Loose Wheel    ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 15th  Domenico Schiattarella      Transmission   ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 16th  Taki Inoue                  Suspension     ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 17th  Andrea Montermini           Throttle       ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 18th  Martin Brundle              Oil Leak       ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 19th  Giovanni Lavaggi            Electrical     ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 20th  Mika Salo                   Transmission   ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 21st  Luca Badoer                 Puncture       ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 22nd  Roberto Moreno              Water Leak     ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 23rd  Mark Blundell               Transmission   ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 24th  David Coulthard             Transmission   ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³ 25th  Mika Hakkinen               Puncture       ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 26th  Eddie Irvine                Electrical     ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

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1.  Johnny Herbert        52
2.  Michael Schumacher    42
3.  David Coulthard       38
4.  Gerhard Berger        26
5.  Damon Hill            13
6.  Eddie Irvine          12
7.  Mika Hakkinen         10
8.  Jean Alesi            10
9.  Karl Wendlinger        7
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen  6
11. Nigel Mansell          5
12. Olivier Panis          5
13. Rubens Barrichello     4
14. Luca Badoer            2
15. Jos Verstappen         1
16. Martin Brundle         1



Constructors' Championship

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1.  Benetton-Renault      94
2.  Williams-Renault      51
3.  Ferrari               36
4.  Jordan-Peugeot        16
5.  McLaren-Mercedes      15
6.  Sauber-Ford           13
7.  Ligier-Mugen Honda     6
8.  Minardi-Ford           2
9.  Simtek-Ford            1
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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Press release - Mild Seven Benetton Renault

Image

Mild Seven Benetton Renault is pleased to confirm its driver line-up for 1996. Current F1 drivers' championship leader Johnny Herbert extends his contract with the team for an extra year. Herbert has proven himself to be a very capable driver this year, winning three races and scoring another four podium finishes. The team is delighted to keep the 31-year-old Briton aboard for 1996 and will continue to support him in his hunt for the world title.

Image

Joining Herbert will be the newly arriving Jean Alesi. The Frenchman has signed with Mild Seven Benetton Renault for two years. Alesi is one of Formula 1's most established drivers, having scored 11 podium finishes in his career so far. According to team principal Flavio Briatore, "Jean will be the perfect replacement for Michael Schumacher, who has decided to continue his racing career elsewhere. The shoes of an F1 world champion are big to fill, but I am convinced that Jean is capable of the task."


Press release - Scuderia Ferrari

Image

Scuderia Ferrari is officially confirming its lead driver for the next three years. German driver Michael Schumacher has signed a contract with Scuderia Ferrari up to and including the 1998 season. In a first statement, Schumacher said "I am very happy to have signed for the great Scuderia Ferrari team. It will be a new challenge for me and my goal is to bring Ferrari more world championships." Scuderia Ferrari team principal Jean Todt added "Schumacher's signing is another step in our plan to get back at the top in Formula 1. Schumacher is the only F1 world champion who is still driving in F1 and we are sure there is no better driver than him. I am personally looking forward to work with him."


Press release - Minardi Scuderia Italia

Image

Minardi Scuderia Italia announces that Pedro Lamy will join the team for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old driver from Portugal will replace Pierluigi Martini with immediate effect. Lamy has had a successful career so far. He has won the Formula Opel Lotus championship in 1991, the German F3 in 1992 and he was runner-up in International F3000 in 1993. After 8 races in Formula 1, he unfortunately got badly injured, but Lamy has proven in tests with Minardi Scuderia Italia he has lost nothing of his talent.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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Poor oul' Damon's not having a good time. And I thought his RL 1995 was bad enough.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 2nd August, 1995


Silly Season Shenanigans

After our last update, several new signings have been done for 1996 and beyond. Benetton is the first top team to have its 1996 line-up confirmed, with Johnny Herbert and Jean Alesi. They are losing their world champion Schumacher, but Herbert shows this year that he is capable of challenging for the title, while Alesi so far has the speed, but not the luck to do so. It will be interesting to see this duo together, but it may be even more interesting to see what happens at the Anglo-Italian team in the rest of this year. Now they know Schumacher is leaving, will they be favouring Herbert in the title race?

Ferrari have their desired new star, with Michael Schumacher joining the team. The biggest question is now, who will join him? Gerhard Berger would still be a sensible option for the short term. The Austrian is having a decent season, but it is not sure whether he wants to stay at the team in a #2 role. Youngsters like Eddie Irvine and Luca Badoer might be cheap, but fast, possibilities. Another option would be one of Williams' current drivers.

Meanwhile at the Didcot-based team, the rumors are getting stronger that Jacques Villeneuve will sign. Villeneuve is definitely having his breakthrough year in CART, as he is leading the championship and has won the Indy 500. Given this year's performance of both their drivers, it would make sense if Coulthard is kept, although the Scot is said to be in talks with McLaren too. Hill might be an outsider for the second Ferrari seat, which might be his only option for a top seat, since his talks with McLaren seem to have resulted in nothing. Frank Williams is also still a fan of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, but the German might have to gain more experience for a year to get a seat in his team.

McLaren has been looking like the underdog lately, but Ron Dennis kept his faith in Mika Hakkinen. The Finn has now beaten famous team mates like Andretti and Mansell and is establishing him as a top driver at a team that looks likely to become a top team again. The second McLaren seat is still something of a secret. Mercedes-Benz would like to have a German in the McLaren and with Schumacher tied at Ferrari, Heinz-Harald Frentzen is the only realistic option. If Frentzen waits for the Williams chance, Ron Dennis is still likely looking for a young driver to build the team. As mentioned before, David Coulthard is a serious candidate, but Dennis also has not forgotten about Verstappen's impressive test in 1993 with the team. Jacques Villeneuve has been considered, but the Canadian's temperamental character may not be the best match with McLaren.

For the other teams, not much is clear yet. At the risk of looking like fools by the start of the 1996 season, we are making the following predictions and educated guesses:
  • If Gerhard Berger does not extend his Ferrari contract, he will follow the Red Bull connection and join Sauber.
  • Barrichello is the most interesting youngster for Ferrari, not only based on talent, but also commercially.
  • Footwork will sign two pay drivers to help their dire financial situation.
  • Jos Verstappen's underdog performances at Simtek will earn him a seat at a higher-ranked team. If McLaren decide against hiring him, we think he will succeed either Frentzen or Barrichello.
  • The same applies for Badoer's performance at Minardi. Parmalat is said to be looking to sponsor a different team than Forti and a talented Italian driver could be just the thing they want to support.
  • Larrousse DAMS' lineup will be Emmannuel Collard and a pay driver.
  • As Verstappen will move from Simtek, Nathan van Dijk will be signed at Simtek to please Philips, Mexx and Bavaria.
  • Talented youngsters Giancarlo Fisichella, Vicenzo Sospiri and Norberto Fontana will make their F1 debut in 1996.


In Memoriam

One of the all-time greatest Formula 1 drivers, arguably even the greatest, was Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio passed away last month, aged 84, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His numbers of wins and pole positions have been surpassed now, but it must be mentioned that in Fangio's era, the world championship consisted of less races per year. His legendary status still stands, supported by the facts that he still holds the records for most driver championships (5), highest win ratio (46%) and highest pole position (57%) and front row (92%) starts.

Image

Fangio started his race career in South America before coming to Europe in 1948. He won the second-ever Grand Prix for the Formula 1 World Championship in an Alfa Romeo, but was beaten in the 1950 season by his team mate, Giuseppe Farina. His first title would come in 1951, but he would not defend his title in 1952. On his return in 1953, he was vice-champion again in a Maserati, while the Ferraris were dominant. Four consecutive world championships would follow, with Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari.


Short but Sweet

Ford Brazil to secure V10 deal for DFC • Is Honda developing its own F1 chassis? • Larrousse DAMS aim for Peugeot customer deal • Dutch Zandvoort circuit planning renovations • Tyrrell dump Hydrolink suspension for rest of '95
Last edited by tBone on 08 May 2020, 19:50, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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Enforcer wrote:Poor oul' Damon's not having a good time. And I thought his RL 1995 was bad enough.

It's indeed not Damon's year... But who knows what the future will bring! (not even I know for sure already) :dance:
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

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1995 Hungarian Grand Prix

Benetton managed to score back-to-back 1-2 victories in the last two races, while Williams only managed 4 points. Most teams have been testing and updating their cars before this race weekend. Can Coulthard and Hill regain the momentum, or will Williams need to be careful not to be passed by Ferrari? Further back, it will be interesting to see how Pedro Lamy is performing. Van Dijk's Forti has received some new upgrades as well. Will he be able to move further up the grid?


Qualifying

Johnny Herbert continued to dominate in qualifying, with his 6th consecutive pole position. Behind him were, surprisingly, both McLarens, just in front of Michael Schumacher. Alesi and Hill completed the top 6, while David Coulthard was disappointing. The Scot only managed an 11th time, on a track where a good starting position is very important. Good news for the small Simtek and Forti news: Verstappen had an amazing qualifying and earned a 15th start position, while Forti looked to have closed the gap to the rest of the field, as both Van Dijk and Moreno were only a couple of hundreths off Inoue's time.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                                ³
³Pole                1                                           ³
³             Johnny Herbert                                     ³
³               1m 18.480s                   2                   ³
³                                      Mika Hakkinen             ³
³Row 2               3                  1m 18.581s               ³
³              Mark Blundell                                     ³
³               1m 18.758s                   4                   ³
³                                   Michael Schumacher           ³
³Row 3               5                  1m 18.908s               ³
³               Jean Alesi                                       ³
³               1m 19.087s                   6                   ³
³                                       Damon Hill               ³
³Row 4               7                  1m 19.189s               ³
³           Rubens Barrichello                                   ³
³               1m 19.209s                   8                   ³
³                                      Eddie Irvine              ³
³Row 5               9                  1m 19.220s               ³
³              Olivier Panis                                     ³
³               1m 19.230s                  10                   ³
³                                  Heinz-Harald Frentzen         ³
³Row 6              11                  1m 19.299s               ³
³             David Coulthard                                    ³
³               1m 19.303s                  12                   ³
³                                     Martin Brundle             ³
³Row 7              13                  1m 19.434s               ³
³             Gerhard Berger                                     ³
³               1m 19.449s                  14                   ³
³                                      Ukyo Katayama             ³
³Row 8              15                  1m 20.063s               ³
³             Jos Verstappen                                     ³
³               1m 20.884s                  16                   ³
³                                       Luca Badoer              ³
³Row 9              17                  1m 21.011s               ³
³               Pedro Lamy                                       ³
³               1m 21.033s                  18                   ³
³                                     Karl Wendlinger            ³
³Row 10             19                  1m 21.038s               ³
³            Massimilano Papis                                   ³
³               1m 21.491s                  20                   ³
³                                        Mika Salo               ³
³Row 11             21                  1m 21.971s               ³
³         Domenico Schiattarella                                 ³
³               1m 22.830s                  22                   ³
³                                       Taki Inoue               ³
³Row 12             23                  1m 23.644s               ³
³             Nathan van Dijk                                    ³
³               1m 23.649s                  24                   ³
³                                     Roberto Moreno             ³
³Row 13             25                  1m 23.655s               ³
³            Andrea Montermini                                   ³
³               1m 24.264s                  26                   ³
³                                    Giovanni Lavaggi            ³
³                                       1m 25.792s               ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

Both Benettons had a good start, with Herbert keeping the lead and Schumacher moving up to 3rd. Most attention would go to Eddie Irvine, though, as the Jordan driver had an absolute rocket start to move up to 2nd place. Hill also did well to move up to 4th place, while the McLarens dropped to 5th and 6th. Hill appeared to be the slowest top driver in the opening stages, as a gap opened up in front of him, but a train of cars followed him closely, all the way up to Martin Brundle in 12th position.

Irvine looked to be the fastest driver in the beginning. The Ulsterman kept following Johnny Herbert very closely, but he could not find a way past in the first few laps. In lap 4, Irvine got too eager and he lost control of his Jordan, spinning in turn 14. His front wing got damaged on his tour through the gravel and he had to visit the pits for repairs. When he rejoined the race, he had lost almost a full lap. He would remain the fastest driver on track until his car failed.

A little further behind, Hill was doing a terrific job to keep everybody behind while he was driving on a podium position. On the narrow Hungaroring, it took long before anybody was able to overtake, but in lap 11, Mika Hakkinen managed to gain a position on his team mate. A lap later, Jean Alesi followed suit, taking 5th position from Mark Blundell. They were clearly on the move and Hill could not keep the pair of them behind as well. Hakkinen found a way past him in lap 15, while Alesi followed again a lap later. Alesi would lose his position again in lap 18, because he had to avoid Hakkinen, who had run wide in the turn 8-9 chicane. It would take the Frenchman another four laps to get past Hill once more.

Blundell, Hakkinen, Alesi, Coulthard and Panis all made an early pit stop, showing they were on a two stop strategy. They kept their relative positions, but dropped far back into the midfield. Hill, Berger and Barrichello were the one-stoppers who gained the most position because of all the pit stops. Hakkinen was still the fastest of the two-stoppers and he managed to get back up to 3rd position before the one-stoppers would come in.

Gerhard Berger was the first driver on a one-stop strategy to visit the pits in lap 31. Herbert followed in lap 35, rejoining just behind Mika Hakkinen. Hakkinen did not defend his position too fiercely when Herbert attacked him in lap 37, the lap in which Hill made his stop. The Briton came back on the circuit behind Berger, but he would overtake him a couple of laps later. Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello made their stops in lap 39. Hakkinen's race was over in the same lap, as his transmission failed. It was another good race gone to waste for the Finn.

The French duo of Alesi and Panis had moved up to 2nd and 3rd by this time. In lap 42, Michael Schumacher did find a way past Panis before the Ligier was due its second stop, but it was still an impressive showing. After all the pit stops, the top six were Herbert, Schumacher, Alesi, Hill, Barrichello and Berger. David Coulthard had been running in front of Hill at that moment, but he saw his title challenge suffer more damage when his transmission failed.

Panis had dropped out of the points, but on his fresher tyres, he managed to quickly get past Berger, before he was forced to make an extra stop due to electrical problems. Johnny Herbert was enjoying a comfortable lead in the meantime, while his team mate was slowly losing ground to Jean Alesi's Ferrari. Herbert would have to work some more for his points, however, as he had to pit in lap 60 with a similar problem as Panis'. He came back just behind Alesi, but his fresher tyres enabled him to get past quickly. Just one lap later, Michael Schumacher decided to allow Herbert past, to focus on keeping Alesi behind.

Whether Schumacher's decision was tactics or team orders, we will probably never find out. If it was a tactical decision, it did not work out as the German would have wanted, though. He was able to defend his position for a while, but Alesi finally managed to outbrake him in lap 62 and took 2nd place. This was also the moment when the longest battle of the race was decided. Up until then, Nathan van Dijk had spent his entire afternoon stuck behind Taki Inoue. They even pitted on the same lap. Inoue ran into the back of Verstappen's failing Simtek and had to pit for a new nose, while Van DIjk was finally free.

Image
Herbert gets himself in an excellent championship position with another win

Hill and Berger both encountered issues while the top-3 were fighting. Berger retired, but Hill was able to continue after a stop for repairs, albeit down in 6th position. Hill did not give up and passed Panis with six laps to go. The Briton would go on to chase Barrichello and in the last lap, he was right on his tail. One lap was not enough to find a gap, though. At the front, Herbert could easily rebuild his lead, while Alesi kept a steady 2-second gap to Schumacher. As said, Barrichello managed to keep Hill behind and take 4th place. Olivier Panis completed the top 6 after a good performance.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                  ³
³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³
³                                                  ³
³  1st  Johnny Herbert              1h 47m 50.497s ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  2nd  Jean Alesi                  +36.289s       ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  3rd  Michael Schumacher          +38.127s       ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  4th  Rubens Barrichello          +1m 18.225s    ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³  5th  Damon Hill                  +1m 18.411s    ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³  6th  Olivier Panis               -1 Lap         ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³  7th  Mark Blundell               -1 Lap         ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³  8th  Martin Brundle              -2 Laps        ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³  9th  Mika Salo                   -4 Laps        ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 10th  Roberto Moreno              -5 Laps        ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 11th  Andrea Montermini           -5 Laps        ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 12th  Nathan van Dijk             -5 Laps        ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 13th  Luca Badoer                 Suspension     ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 14th  Taki Inoue                  Transmission   ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 15th  Gerhard Berger              Engine         ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³ 16th  Jos Verstappen              Transmission   ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 17th  David Coulthard             Transmission   ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³ 18th  Eddie Irvine                Loose Wheel    ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³ 19th  Massimilano Papis           Transmission   ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 20th  Mika Hakkinen               Transmission   ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 21st  Pedro Lamy                  Engine         ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 22nd  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       Engine         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³ 23rd  Ukyo Katayama               Suspension     ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 24th  Giovanni Lavaggi            Loose Wheel    ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 25th  Karl Wendlinger             Puncture       ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³ 26th  Domenico Schiattarella      Engine         ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' Championship

Code: Select all

1.  Johnny Herbert        62
2.  Michael Schumacher    46
3.  David Coulthard       38
4.  Gerhard Berger        26
5.  Jean Alesi            16
6.  Damon Hill            15
7.  Eddie Irvine          12
8.  Mika Hakkinen         10
9.  Rubens Barrichello     7
10. Karl Wendlinger        7
11. Heinz-Harald Frentzen  6
12. Olivier Panis          6
13. Nigel Mansell          5
14. Luca Badoer            2
15. Jos Verstappen         1
16. Martin Brundle         1



Constructors' Championship

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1.  Benetton-Renault     108
2.  Williams-Renault      53
3.  Ferrari               42
4.  Jordan-Peugeot        19
5.  McLaren-Mercedes      15
6.  Sauber-Ford           13
7.  Ligier-Mugen Honda     7
8.  Minardi-Ford           2
9.  Simtek-Ford            1
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

Press Release - Rothmans Williams Renault

Image

Rothmans Williams Renault is officially confirming two drivers for its future line-up. Damon Hill, who is currently in his third year with the team, has extended his contract until the end of 1996. Hill is highly regarded at Williams for his qualifying and race performances, as well as for his technical feedback. Team owner Frank Williams said "I am glad we can keep Damon's experience on board and I am sure he will further improve his performance with us."

Jacques Villeneuve will be joining the team for two years. The Canadian has signed a contract until the end of 1997. Villeneuve is the current leader in the CART championship standings and has won the prestigious Indy 500 race this year. According to Frank Williams, "Jacques is one of motorsports' most exciting talents of this era. Although he has no previous racing experience in Formula 1, we are convinced that he will be up to speed when the 1996 season starts. He will start a testing programme with us right after the CART IndyCar season has finished."


Press Release - Marlboro McLaren Mercedes

Image

Marlboro McLaren Mercedes is pleased to announce the completion of its driver line-up for the next years. After Mika Hakkinen had already extended his contract until the end of 1997, the team can now confirm that David Coulthard will be joining him. Coulthard has signed a 3-year contract with Marlboro McLaren Mercedes, so he will be a McLaren driver in the 1996, '97 and '98 seasons.
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by Kinnikuniverse »

I do secretly hope that Robby Gordon spends a season in F1...just for the sheer carnage he'll cause lol. :D
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

Kinnikuniverse wrote:I do secretly hope that Robby Gordon spends a season in F1...just for the sheer carnage he'll cause lol. :D

Although I first made it up myself, I actually discovered that Robby Gordon was actually linked to Ligier at some point!
Whether or not it will actually happen in this virtual career? I don't know yet...
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by Kinnikuniverse »

tBone wrote:
Kinnikuniverse wrote:I do secretly hope that Robby Gordon spends a season in F1...just for the sheer carnage he'll cause lol. :D

Although I first made it up myself, I actually discovered that Robby Gordon was actually linked to Ligier at some point!
Whether or not it will actually happen in this virtual career? I don't know yet...


holy crap, Robby G and panis in the mugen honda-powered car? especially in 1997? if panis doesn't injure himself and Robby is still around, they're gonna do some damage!

please, Racing gods, make this happen!
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

1995 Belgian Grand Prix

Benetton have won the last four races and they look almost unbeatable at this stage. Herbert extended his lead by 6 points two weeks ago. If he wins again, his margin will be at least 20 points, but Schumacher will do everything to prevent that. Talking about Schumacher, rumor has it that he was rather dissatisfied about the strategy Benetton had put him on. The battle continues on the legendary circuit of Spa-Francorchamps!


Qualifying

It was another Benetton front row, but Schumacher was the one on pole this time. Hakkinen was 3rd, in front of the Williams duo of Hill and Coulthard. Jean Alesi completed the top six. Right behind him was probably the biggest surprise of this qualifying, as Martin Brundle managed to secure a 7th position on the starting grid. The rest of the field did not really throw up any big suprises, although once again it was striking how big the gaps between Frentzen, Katayama, Verstappen and Papis, and their respective team mates were.

Results

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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                                ³
³                                            1              Pole ³
³                                   Michael Schumacher           ³
³                    2                  1m 51.820s               ³
³             Johnny Herbert                                     ³
³               1m 51.963s                   3             Row 2 ³
³                                      Mika Hakkinen             ³
³                    4                  1m 52.255s               ³
³               Damon Hill                                       ³
³               1m 52.310s                   5             Row 3 ³
³                                     David Coulthard            ³
³                    6                  1m 52.450s               ³
³               Jean Alesi                                       ³
³               1m 52.914s                   7             Row 4 ³
³                                     Martin Brundle             ³
³                    8                  1m 52.996s               ³
³             Gerhard Berger                                     ³
³               1m 53.055s                   9             Row 5 ³
³                                   Rubens Barrichello           ³
³                   10                  1m 53.077s               ³
³              Eddie Irvine                                      ³
³               1m 53.101s                  11             Row 6 ³
³                                      Mark Blundell             ³
³                   12                  1m 53.205s               ³
³              Olivier Panis                                     ³
³               1m 53.218s                  13             Row 7 ³
³                                  Heinz-Harald Frentzen         ³
³                   14                  1m 53.457s               ³
³              Ukyo Katayama                                     ³
³               1m 54.858s                  15             Row 8 ³
³                                     Karl Wendlinger            ³
³                   16                  1m 55.331s               ³
³            Massimilano Papis                                   ³
³               1m 56.085s                  17             Row 9 ³
³                                       Luca Badoer              ³
³                   18                  1m 56.280s               ³
³             Jos Verstappen                                     ³
³               1m 56.312s                  19            Row 10 ³
³                                        Mika Salo               ³
³                   20                  1m 56.464s               ³
³               Pedro Lamy                                       ³
³               1m 56.678s                  21            Row 11 ³
³                                 Domenico Schiattarella         ³
³                   22                  1m 58.068s               ³
³               Taki Inoue                                       ³
³               1m 58.503s                  23            Row 12 ³
³                                     Roberto Moreno             ³
³                   24                  1m 58.966s               ³
³             Nathan van Dijk                                    ³
³               1m 59.098s                  25            Row 13 ³
³                                    Andrea Montermini           ³
³                   26                  1m 59.763s               ³
³            Giovanni Lavaggi                                    ³
³               2m 01.616s                                       ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Race

The Benettons went side-by-side into La Source and neither of the two yielded when they went into Eau Rouge. Herbert was on the outside and he made the sensible decision to lift off the throttle for a fraction of a second. Behind the Benettons, Hill and Alesi had moved up to 3rd and 4th, with Hakkinen and Berger behind them. On the way to Les Combes, Damon Hill made good use of Herbert's slipstream and outbraked him into the corner. Just behind them, Gerhard Berger outdid Hill by passing two cars: both Alesi and Hakkinen lost a place.

On the next lap, Herbert would regain his position in the same corner, but Hill repeated the situation in lap 3. The two would keep fighting until lap 9, when Herbert definitively beat his compatriot by outbraking him into the Bus Stop chicane. Schumacher used the situation to build a broad lead. In the meantime, Hakkinen had already retired and Berger had lost places to Alesi and Coulthard. Alesi had again lost some places when he spun in the Bus Stop.

Johnny Herbert was the first one to make a pit stop, in lap 12. Schumacher and Hill both followed in lap 15, both making the overcut work to rejoin the circuit in front of Herbert. All other top drivers looked to be on a two-stop strategy as well, as Coulthard and Barrichello were the last ones to stop in lap 17. On the same lap, Gerhard Berger had a spectacular spin in Raidillon. He could continue without damage, but he had dropped all the way to 12th position.

Damon Hill was back on a fine 2nd position and, just like Herbert and Coulthard, he was closing the gap to Schumacher in the lead. However, he wasted his chances of his first 1995 win by spinning in Les Combes in lap 19. He did not lose too much time and rejoined in 4th, but things would get worse. Hill overcompensated and pushed too hard, causing him to lose control again two laps later. This time, he ended up in the gravel trap in Fagnes. Once again, the Briton could continue his race, albeit in 8th position.

Without Hill in the way, Johnny Herbert was able to catch his team mate rather quickly, although Schumacher defended his position fiercely for several laps. Coulthard closed in on the fighting team mates as well, so the top three were within 2 seconds of eachother halfway through the race. Herbert found a way to pass Schumacher in lap 25, outbraking him into Les Combes. Coulthard followed suit, making a brilliant move in the Bus Stop chicane in lap 26. The Scot eagerly started chasing Herbert again, fighting for what was perhaps his last chance to keep a realistic title dream. His chase would not last long, though, as he spun off the track exiting Malmédy on the next lap. Coulthard lost a lot of time and fell down all the way to 10th.

The second round of stops started with Alesi in lap 29 and ended with Irvine in lap 32. One driver did not need to stop: Michael Schumacher, who was back in the lead. It was an extraordinary strategy, but the German did have the best track position again. Herbert would make good use of his fresher tyres, though, and got swiftly past Schumacher in lap 31. Nevertheless, the German would not allow him to create a big gap thereafter. Behind the two Benettons were the two Jordans. Irvine had exited the pit just in front of Barrichello, but the Brazilian could overtake him a lap later. He would not enjoy his podium postiion for long, though, as his transmission failed on the same lap.

After those moments, the top six looked quite settled, with Herbert in the lead, followed by Schumacher, Irvine, Alesi, Hill and Frentzen. Unfortunately, Frentzen was denied a points finish yet again, as he was forced to make an extra pitstop to solve his electrical issues. He rejoined in 7th position and was not able to catch Coulthard anymore. Johnny Herbert had to keep pushing with Schumacher still quite close to him. The Briton's struggles were quite visible, as he was locking up his tyres several times, but he kept his small margin of 2 seconds intact.

Image
Schumacher wins the race in the final meters

Herbert looked set to extend his championship lead, up to the very last corner. To the shock of his team, who were already awaiting him on the pit wall, the Briton lost control of his car exiting the Bus Stop chicane and spun onto the grass. His team mate, Michael Schumacher, took advantage and won the race. Schumacher would still criticise his team in the post-race press conference, saying his team had put him on "a ridiculous strategy, not for the first time." Herbert did still finish 2nd and keeps a lead of 12 points in the drivers' championship. It seems that the final races will be a battle between Schumacher and Herbert, with the latter probably enjoying more support from his team. Herbert was followed by Irvine in an excellent 3rd position, while Alesi, Hill and Coulthard completed the top 6.

Results

Code: Select all

ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³                                                  ³
³ Pos   Driver                      Time/Speed     ³
³                                                  ³
³  1st  Michael Schumacher          1h 28m 18.951s ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  2nd  Johnny Herbert              +4.273s        ³
³       Benetton - Renault                         ³
³  3rd  Eddie Irvine                +29.001s       ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³  4th  Jean Alesi                  +36.272s       ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  5th  Damon Hill                  +52.706s       ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³  6th  David Coulthard             +1m 10.616s    ³
³       Williams - Renault                         ³
³  7th  Heinz-Harald Frentzen       +1m 18.127s    ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³  8th  Gerhard Berger              +1m 28.810s    ³
³       Ferrari                                    ³
³  9th  Ukyo Katayama               -1 Lap         ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 10th  Karl Wendlinger             -1 Lap         ³
³       Sauber - Ford                              ³
³ 11th  Luca Badoer                 -2 Laps        ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 12th  Pedro Lamy                  -2 Laps        ³
³       Minardi - Ford                             ³
³ 13th  Taki Inoue                  -2 Laps        ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 14th  Domenico Schiattarella      -2 Laps        ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 15th  Jos Verstappen              Transmission   ³
³       Simtek - Ford                              ³
³ 16th  Martin Brundle              Transmission   ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 17th  Rubens Barrichello          Transmission   ³
³       Jordan - Peugeot                           ³
³ 18th  Mark Blundell               Engine         ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
³ 19th  Nathan van Dijk             Transmission   ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 20th  Mika Salo                   Transmission   ³
³       Tyrrell - Yamaha                           ³
³ 21st  Andrea Montermini           Transmission   ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 22nd  Olivier Panis               Transmission   ³
³       Ligier - Mugen Honda                       ³
³ 23rd  Massimilano Papis           Transmission   ³
³       Footwork - Hart                            ³
³ 24th  Roberto Moreno              Transmission   ³
³       Forti - Ford                               ³
³ 25th  Giovanni Lavaggi            Electrical     ³
³       Pacific - Ford                             ³
³ 26th  Mika Hakkinen               Loose Wheel    ³
³       McLaren - Mercedes                         ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ



Drivers' championship

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1.  Johnny Herbert        68
2.  Michael Schumacher    56
3.  David Coulthard       39
4.  Gerhard Berger        26
5.  Jean Alesi            19
6.  Damon Hill            17
7.  Eddie Irvine          16
8.  Mika Hakkinen         10
9.  Rubens Barrichello     7
10. Karl Wendlinger        7
11. Heinz-Harald Frentzen  6
12. Olivier Panis          6
13. Nigel Mansell          5
14. Luca Badoer            2
15. Jos Verstappen         1
16. Martin Brundle         1



Constructors' championship

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1.  Benetton-Renault     124
2.  Williams-Renault      56
3.  Ferrari               45
4.  Jordan-Peugeot        23
5.  McLaren-Mercedes      15
6.  Sauber-Ford           13
7.  Ligier-Mugen Honda     7
8.  Minardi-Ford           2
9.  Simtek-Ford            1
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tBone
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Re: The Virtual Career of Nathan van Dijk

Post by tBone »

GRAND PRIX NEWS
Your monthly source for racing news, rumors and stories | Wednesday 6th September, 1995


The Highs And Lows So Far

Grand Prix News visited all team bosses and drivers in the paddock, to discuss their best and worst moment of the season so far. Who had happy moments, who had bad moments and when? You can read it all in this article!

Benetton-Renault
Flavio Briatore (team manager)

Hi: 4 consecutive podiums in the last 4 races.
Lo: Both cars retiring from the lead in France.
Michael Schumacher (driver)
Hi: A perfect, winning race in Great Britain.
Lo: Several technical issues and poor strategy decisions which cost me points.
Johnny Herbert (driver)
Hi: Winning my first ever race in Brazil.
Lo: Losing the win in Spa by my own mistake.

Tyrrell-Yamaha
Ken Tyrrell (team owner and team principal)

Hi: The stability in our team, enabling us to continue with our good drivers next year.
Lo: Katayama's retirement in Argentina, when he would have scored points.
Ukyo Katayama (driver)
Hi: Good race pace in Argentina and San Marino.
Lo: All the technical issues we had so far.
Mika Salo (driver)
Hi: Having the opportunity to drive a full season and learn a lot.
Lo: A bad week-end at Tyrrell's home GP at Silverstone.

Williams-Renault
Frank Williams (team owner and team principal)

Hi: David Coulthard's back-to-back wins in Argentina and San Marino.
Lo: Our week-end in Monaco, where really nothing went our way.
Damon Hill (driver)
Hi: My overtakes on Alesi and Schumacher on my way to 2nd in Brazil.
Lo: My mistakes in Canada, costing me a good podium finish.
David Coulthard (driver)
Hi: My maiden race win in Argentina.
Lo: 3 successive races without points in Great Britain, Germany and Hungary.

McLaren-Mercedes
Ron Dennis (team principal)

Hi: Hakkinen almost winning the race in France.
Lo: Nigel Mansell's unfair comments and leaving the team.
Mark Blundell (driver)
Hi: Being given the opportunity to drive for McLaren.
Lo: I have not scored any points yet.
Mika Hakkinen (driver)
Hi: Qualifying on the front row twice.
Lo: Many retirements from good positions.

Footwork-Hart
Jackie Oliver (team manager)

Hi: Morbidelli's 12th place on the grid in Brazil
Lo: Our insecure future, we are not yet sure how the team will look like next year.
Massimilano Papis (driver)
Hi: Making my F1 debut and directly feeling quite competitive.
Lo: No race finishes yet.
Taki Inoue (driver)
Hi: 7th place in Imola.
Lo: I feel like the Fortis and Simteks have caught up with us in the last few races.

Simtek-Ford
Nick Wirth (team owner and team principal)

Hi: Jos' 6th place in Argentina.
Lo: Domenico's crash in Imola immediately made us think of Roland last year.
Domenico Schiattarella (driver)
Hi: Being able to drive again after my arm injury.
Lo: The training crash in Imola.
Jos Verstappen (driver)
Hi: Scoring a point in Buenos Aires.
Lo: A bad race and early retirement in Interlagos.

Jordan-Peugeot
Eddie Jordan (team owner and team principal)

Hi: Seeing our cars fight for the win so many times.
Lo: The double retirement in France, where it could have been a 1-2.
Rubens Barrichello (driver)
Hi: Front-row qualifyings in Spain and Monaco.
Lo: Retiring from the lead in Argentina and France.
Eddie Irvine (driver)
Hi: Finishing 2nd in Spain, even almost beating Schumacher.
Lo: Retiring in San Marino, when I could have fought Coulthard for the win.

Pacific-Ford
Keith Wiggins (team principal)

Hi: Good qualifying results in the first few races.
Lo: Not being able to develop the car the way we would like to.
Bertrand Gachot (driver and co-owner)
Hi: I had a great qualifying in Argentina.
Lo: Giving up my race seat to raise money.
Giovanni Lavaggi (driver)
Hi: The moment I had been waiting for for a long time, my F1 debut in Germany.
Lo: Mechanical issues preventing me from finishing my first race.
Andrea Montermini (driver)
Hi: My race in Hungary, where I won several battles with other drivers.
Lo: Not yet being able to qualify higher than the last row.

Forti-Ford
Guido Forti (team owner and team principal)

Hi: Having both cars on the grid for the first time in Brazil.
Lo: The disappointment when Moreno was so close to points in France.
Roberto Moreno (driver)
Hi: Getting Forti's first race finish in Spain.
Lo: Our lack of pace to really challenge with midfielders.
Nathan van Dijk (driver)
Hi: Winning my race-long battle with Inoue in Hungary.
Lo: Retiring early in Argentina, where I felt I was driving a good race until then.

Forti-Ford
Guido Forti (team owner and team principal)

Hi: Having both cars on the grid for the first time in Brazil.
Lo: The disappointment when Moreno was so close to points in France.
Roberto Moreno (driver)
Hi: Getting Forti's first race finish in Spain.
Lo: Our lack of pace to really challenge with midfielders.
Nathan van Dijk (driver)
Hi: Winning my race-long battle with Inoue in Hungary.
Lo: Retiring early in Argentina, where I felt I was driving a good race until then.

Minardi-Ford
Giancarlo Minardi (team owner and team principal)

Hi: Badoer's great race in Argentina to score 2 points.
Lo: The deal with Mugen not working out.
Pedro Lamy (driver)
Hi: Qualifying very close to Luca in my first race with Minardi.
Lo: Not yet finishing a race due to mechanical failures.
Luca Badoer (driver)
Hi: 5th place in Argentina.
Lo: Bad week-end in front of my home audience in Imola.

Ligier-Mugen Honda
Tom Walkinshaw (team manager)

Hi: A double points finish in Monaco.
Lo: A very early double DNF in Argentina.
Martin Brundle (driver)
Hi: Scoring a point on my first race of this year.
Lo: Not scoring any more after that.
Olivier Panis (driver)
Hi: Back-to-back 5th places in Spain and Monaco.
Lo: Being passed by Alesi for the last point in Germany, just 2 laps from the finish.

Ferrari
Jean Todt (team manager)

Hi: Winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
Lo: Losing the win in France just before the end.
Jean Alesi (driver)
Hi: Pole position in Spain.
Lo: The engine failure in my home GP.
Gerhard Berger (driver)
Hi: Probably my best race ever: winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
Lo: A bad qualifying in Hungary.

Sauber-Ford
Peter Sauber (team owner and team principal)

Hi: A good weekend with both cars in the points in France.
Lo: Our current run of four races without points.
Karl Wendlinger (driver)
Hi: 4th in Argentina.
Lo: My struggles in qualifying.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen (driver)
Hi: My first points of the season in Monaco with a good race.
Lo: Four times retiring because of mechanical issues in the first 4 races.


Bernie Wants New Venues

This year's race calendar consists of no less than 17 races, despite protests from several teams. Indeed, the calendar will shrink back to 16 races in 1996. That does not mean that Formula 1 is not looking for new Grand Prix locations, though. Bernie Ecclestone is always looking for opportunities to broaden F1's fanbase and, of course, to make more profit.

Image

China is very high on Ecclestone's wish list. The country in the far-east has one of the fastest growing economies, making it commercially attractive for many sponsors. China will most probably need the construction of a new circuit, but plans are being made for a new track in Zhuhai. If China hosts a Grand Prix, more interested countries could make it a full Southeast-Asia tour for F1. Malaysia looks to be a prime candidate, with the Shah Alam circuit already hosting the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix. Indonesia's Sentul International Circuit is also still bidding for a GP, where the original target date was 1993.

Several European race tracks are still eager to join the F1 circus as well. The Dutch Circuit Park Zandvoort has gotten government approval to start big renovations and a track expansion. British Donington Park hosted a GP in 1993, but they are looking to get their spot on the calendar back too. Their main difficulty is that Great Britain is already hosing a race in Silverstone. The same applies to Spanish Jérez de la Frontera, with a Spanish Grand Prix being hosted in Barcelona. Jérez is said to be ready and is already a quite popular testing venue.

Ecclestone also still strongly desires to conquer the American market. The latest news is that Bernie is in talks with Las Vegas to host a race on a new street circuit. Other USA-based projects bidding for a GP are Brandy Station, Virginia, Miami, Florida, and Staten Island, New York. One or more American Grands Prix would surely help to gain market share over the CART IndyCar World Series.

Short but Sweet

Tyrrell keeps Yamaha engines in 1996 • Lola's F1 entry postponed to '97 • Lamborghini working on F1 return? • Walkinshaw in talks with Robby Gordon for Ligier, insiders say • Pacific unsure to survive until end of season according to rumors
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