A Review of the 1999 Season<TITLE> <meta name="description" content="The complete statistics of Jordan Grand Prix"> <meta name="keywords" content="Formula One,Formula 1, F1, Results, table, history, statistics, 1999, Jordan, Grand Prix, Eddie, Damon Hill, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jarno Trulli"> </HEAD> </HEAD>  <BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="ffff00" LINK="#ffff00" VLINK="#FF0000">   <div id=aws_751 align=center> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 auto;"> <tr> <td width="130" class="mwst" style="vertical-align:top; padding:5px 15px 5px 0;"> <a href="http://4mg.com/?refcd=MWS_20040713_Banner_bar"> <img src="/cgi-bin/image/images/bannertype/100X22.gif" width="100" height="22" border="0" /> </a> </td> <td width="130" class="mwst" style="padding:10px 0 10px 10px;"> <div align="right"> <a style="padding:5px 15px; color:#FFF; font-size:14px; display:block-inline; background-color:#166DC2; border: 1px solid #166DC2; border-radius:4px;" href="/cgi-bin/login" target="_blank">Sign In</a> <a style="font-size:14px; color:#41c5e4;" href="/cgi-bin/path/signup?refcd=MWS_20040713_Banner_bar">Sign-Up</a> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=2 class="mwst" align="center" style="width:730px;"> </td> </tr> </table> <DIV id="setMyHomeOverlay" align="left" style="position:absolute; top:25%; left:25%; width:358px; border:1px solid #AEAEAE; background-color:white; z-index:200000; display: none;"> <div style="height:59px; padding-left:22px; background:white url('/cgi-bin/image/images/sethome_top_border.gif') repeat-x;"> <div style="float:left; width:182px; height:35px; margin-top:12px; font:bold 38px arial,sans-serif; color:#454545"> Welcome! </div> <div style="float:right; padding:6px 5px 0px 5px;"><a href="#" onclick="javascript:do_set_homepage('close'); return false;"> <div style="background:url('/cgi-bin/image/images/sethome_x.gif'); width:21px; height:21px; cursor:pointer;"></div></a></div> <div style="float:right; font:bold 12px arial; margin-top:10px;"><a style="text-decoration:none; color:#004182;" href="#" onclick="javascript:do_set_homepage('close'); return false;">Close</a></div></div> <div style="height:170px; background:#ffffff;"> <div style="padding:30px 20px 0px 20px; font:normal 14px arial; height:80px;"> Would you like to make this site your homepage? 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Australia.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlhhtrophy.jpg" align=right> Finally, we were off and running with the start of the 1999 season. On the grid, Frentzen started from an excellent 5th but Hill in 9th was disappointed, "I think it could have gone a little better. I qualified ninth, which on the face of it is not too good but the times are very, very close and on my last run I got a lot of traffic and had to back off." <br> Michael Schumacher had problems on at the start so started from last place. Hill made a great start from 9th, momentarily battling for 5th with Frentzen. But then fell back into the fight for 6th, 7th and 8th. At the very next corner however, as Damon approached the apex of the corner, Trulli outbraked himself and collected the inside of Hill's Jordan pushing the Englishman into the gravel and out of the race.<br> For the first part of the race Frentzen was running in a steady fourth behind Hakkinen, Coulthard and Irvine but Coulthard developed hydraulic problems on lap 13 and Hakkinen soon followed his teammate with a faulty throttle. Now running in 2nd, Frentzen couldn’t catch Irvine who was on softer tyre compound, so unless Irvine needed an additional pitstop the race was as good as over. He didn’t, so Heinz brought the Jordan home in a great 2nd place in his first race for the Irish team.<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100>size=2>Frentzen</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>2nd place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>6 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 2. Brazil.<b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlhhbra4.jpg" align=right> A 5 week delay to the 2nd race, but the break didn't help - not the best qualifying session for the J199s with Frentzen in 8th and Hill one place ahead in 7th. Coulthard stalled, from 2nd, on the grid, Frentzen got away ahead of Hill, Wurz also passed Hill so the Jordans were running 6th and 8th. On lap 10 Hill tried to retake Wurz, but came a cropper. "I was extremely disappointed and rather angry when I was knocked out of the race," said Hill. "I did not think it was very good driving from Alexander as I had outbraked him and won the corner and he kept coming over until we hit. Luck has not been on my side for the first two races, but things will get better." Many saw the accident as more 50/50 than Damon.<br> Lap 39 saw Barrichello retire, while leading his home grand prix, allowing Frentzen to move to 4th. The gap to Irvine and 3rd was closing but Ferrari strangely called Irv in to pull rubbish from his radiators, so despite running out of fuel on the last lap, the German got 3rd place and a second consecutive podium and points finish. It was a close run thing though, "I still don't really know what happened on that last lap," Heinz-Harald said. "All of a sudden I lost fuel pressure. I was really surprised when the engine started cutting out and the team didn't tell me that I was short of fuel. By that time I was pushing like hell. Fortunately, I stopped at the right moment and it was enough to keep my third place."<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>3rd place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>4 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 3. San Marino.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smldhsanm2.jpg" align=right> The qualifying session was really as expected with Heinz in 7th and Damon in 8th, although the Villeneuve BAR ending in 5th was a surprise.<br> The race started with Villeneuve stalling on the grid, the McLarens racing off into the distance, the Ferraris following and Barrichello, Frentzen, Ralf Schumacher and Hill rounding out the top 8. Hakkinen pushed, hard – too hard – and ended up in the wall on lap 16. On lap 46 Irvine’s Ferrari engine blew up leaving a nasty oil line on the track. The marshals were slow to flag this and an unaware Frentzen spun out a few seconds later from 3rd place. "I had a very good chance to finish on the podium again or at least to win more points. But I spun on the oil from Eddie's engine - these accidents happen and it was just unfortunate that the marshals did not react quickly enough."<br> The Ferrari pit stop strategy then ensured that Michael Scumacher got ahead of Coulthard for the race win.<br> Damon though, was able to take full advantage of the retirements and finished up in 4th his first race finish and points finish of the season. "This is the first race I have completed since Suzuka last year and it felt great," said Hill. "The results keep coming for the team and our race performance is very impressive."<br> Eddie Jordan echoed Damon's sentiments by saying, "I'm really proud of the team, everyone did a fabulous job. Overall I feel it has been a very positive day for the team."<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Hill</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>4th place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>3 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 4. Monaco.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="profilehh5.jpg" align=right> Hill had a disastrous qualifying hour and could only manage a best time to give him 17th, Frentzen was as consistent as ever with a 6th place. Hakkinen started from pole but too much wheelspin allowed Michael Schumacher to lead into the first corner from Hakkinen, Irvine and Coulthard. Barrichello and Frentzen followed.<br> On lap 3 Hill tried an impossible move on Ralf Schumacher coming into the swimming pool area, they collided and Hill was out. "The accident was my fault. I was simply being too ambitious," Hill later admitted.<br> Coulthard’s engine gave up on lap 46 and Irvine got past Hakkinen during their pit stop sessions giving Ferrari a comparatively easy 1-2.<br> It was an unexciting but very steady race for Frentzen, passing Barrichello in the pit stops and finishing behind Hakkinen in another 4th place. "I am very happy with the team and myself," said Heinz-Harald, "This is another good result. The car and engine showed that we are competitive, and reliable." <br> Heinz-Harald’s points enabled the team to keep the pressure on McLaren in the constructor’s championship, but Monaco was the first real sign that all was not well with Damon and he was not going to be able to find the performance levels required.<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>4th place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>3 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 5. Spain.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smldhsp1.jpg" align=right> Mika scored yet another pole but it was close - there were 8 cars within one second at the front of the grid. Irvine was 2nd, Michael Schumacher in 3rd and Coulthard in 4th. Frentzen could only manage 8th, disappointing by his own high standards, with Hill in 11th.<br> Irvine fluffed the start bigtime, so Hakkinen lead away from the lights from Coulthard, Villeneuve slipped into 3rd followed by Schumacher and Irvine.<br> Frentzen’s frustrating weekend ended on lap 36 when his gearbox give up the ghost while running 8th. Villeneuve suffered a similar fate on lap 40, but this aside the race was a procession and incredibly boring, with Hakkinen winning from Coulthard, M Schumacher and Irvine, the order in which they started – minus Villeneuve. Damon passed Barrichello for 7th on lap 63 but couldn’t catch Trulli for 6th. <br> Eddie Jordan summed up the race “It is disappointing not to go home with points - these days we are not used to leaving a race without any! Tyre choice was vital and in the end the hard tyres did not give us the advantage we had hoped for. Damon did a good job and was very close to winning a point. Heinz’s car failure was our first of the year, but still very disappointing.”<p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 6. Canada.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlhhfmon1.jpg" align=right> Michael Schumacher managed to end Hakkinen’s run of poles, but the Finn got 2nd. Irvine was 3rd ahead of Coulthard, Barrichello, and Frentzen in 6th. Damon disappointed in 14th.<br> Michael took an immediate lead from Hakkinen, Irvine, Coulthard and Frentzen in 5th. On lap 14 Damon hit the wall leading into the home straight, the first of three ex-world champions to hit the same piece of masonry. Michael Schumacher joined him on lap 30 and Villeneuve on lap 35.<br> Coulthard and Irvine, from 2nd and 3rd, collided on lap 41 moving Fisichella into 2nd and Frentzen into 3rd. Several laps later, in the confusion of carving through some back markers, Frentzen passed the Italian for 2nd.<br> 4 laps from the end, under braking, Frentzen’s front right brake disc suddenly exploded, he was pitched hard into the barrier and remained in the car for several minutes. He got into the medical car with help, but suffered a fractured left leg and bruised right shoulder. Hakkinen won.<br> Eddie Jordan later commented. “Canada used to be lucky for us, but not today. Heinz’s accident was nasty. He was taken to hospital for check ups but thankfully has been given the all clear by Professor Watkins. What happened today is an enormous shame because Heinz and the team did a fantastic job. It is a bitter pill to swallow. The most important thing is to make sure he is OK and to get him back to the fantastic form he has been showing us all season.”<p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 7. France.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlfrejhhpod.jpg" align=right> A very wet qualifying session led to the strangest grid for many-a-year. Those who went out as soon as the session started got the best of the conditions. Most waited, gambled that it would drier, and lost. Barrichello got pole from Alesi and Panis. Frentzen was in 5th admitting "it was a mistake not to go out sooner," he was surrounded by Coulthard in 4th and Michael Schumacher in 6th. Amazingly Hakkinen could only manage 14th and Irvine 16th although they were better off than Hill in 18th and 4 others who were outside the 107% rule and had not qualified! The race officials took the conditions into account and allowed all to start.<br> On a dry track, but under a grey sky, Barrichello got away first, followed by Alesi, Coulthard, Frentzen and Michael Schumacher. Coulthard quickly disposed of Alesi and not long after took the lead. Hakkinen was flying through the field and on Lap 10 passed Schumacher snr for 5th, just as team mate Coulthard retired handing the lead back to Barrichello, from Alesi and Frentzen. Lap 14 saw Hakkinen pass Frentzen, although it later became apparent that the Jordan had a much heavier fuel load.<br> Hakkinen took Alesi for 2nd on Lap 19, and then the heavens opened. Everyone stopped for wets, Hill pitted but then collided with de la Rosa on rejoining and picked up a puncture, then spun and spun again before limping back to the pits for another tyre change. No big place changes occurred, although the rain was now so heavy that the safety car came out – Hill retired with a misfire. The safety car went in on lap 35 but 3 laps later Hakkinen span and dropped back, Michael Schumacher passed Frentzen for 2nd. The last round of stops began on lap 50 and by lap 65 everyone except Frentzen has pitted, with only 7 laps to go it is clear that the Jordan would try to get through to the end.<br> The strategy worked and in stunning style Frentzen picked up his, and the teams, 2nd win.<p> <font color="blue"> A full review of the win can be found here - <A HREF="magny99.html" onMouseOver="status='Magny-Cours 99';return true" target="newwin19">Magny-Cours '99</a> <p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2><b>Frentzen</b></font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2><b>1st place</b></font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2><b>10 points</b></font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 8. Britain.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smldhhhqueue.jpg" align=right> This race was widely expected to be Damon’s last grand prix and the crowd were out in force to give him a fine farewell.<br> Hakkinen was back on pole, from Michael Schumacher, Coulthard, Irvine, and the 2 Jordans – Frentzen 5th and Hill 6th . Hill was happy, "It was sliding around the slow corners, but perfect in the high speed stuff."<br> The race was stopped immediately as Villeneuve and Zanardi both stalled on the grid. Word was slow to get to the drivers though and Michael Schumacher went off at high speed going into Stowe, breaking his leg and ending his title aspirations for yet another season.<br> Hakkinen lead away from the restart and strolled it until a rear wheel problem put him out at half distance. Irvine took over, but lost out to Coulthard in the pit stops. Fighting for 3rd and 4th, Ralf Schumacher did the same to Frentzen and these four drove to the finish in the same order. Hill came home in a steady 5th to give Jordan their first (of 3) double points finish of the season.<br> Damon later decided, or was convinced, to see the season out.<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen<br>Hill</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>4th place<br>5th place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>3 points<br>2 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 9. Austria.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlaustdhsmoke.jpg" align=right> Frentzen qualified 4th and was happy, "I have a lot of confidence in the car for tomorrow and we will be running some modifications for the first time in a race, So I'm looking forward to a good day." Damon was further down the grid in 11th.<br> The first action of the race came in turn 2 where Coulthard pushed Hakkinen into a spin while running 2nd and 1st respectively. They got away with it, albeit with Hakkinen at the back of the field. Coulthard led from Barrichello, Irvine and Frentzen. The first part of the race was then fairly processional, except for Hakkinen and Alesi charging through the field. By the second round of pit stops, Frentzen was still in 4th, just ahead of Hakkinen who had now made it into the points. Irvine took the lead due to a great pit stop strategy while Hakkinen muscled his way past Frentzen and Barrichello into 3rd. The Brazilian retired with a few laps to go giving Heinz a hard earned 4th place, “Today was really a race against ourselves as we could not keep up with the cars ahead of us, but a fourth place finish is still good." Irvine just hung on for the win (by .313sec), whilst Hill had an uneventful race finishing in 8th.<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>4th place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>3 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 10. Germany.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlgerhhpod.jpg" align=right> Hakkinen continued his pole run, but only 5/100ths ahead of Frentzen, who could have been even closer, in a great session. Damon was competitive in 8th.<br> Frentzen had a dodgy start, from the dirty side of the track so was in 4th through the forest for the first time. Hakkinen lead from Salo and Coulthard. Coulthard continued his recent dodgems games, hitting the back of Salo, and had to pit. On lap 13 Hill went off at the Ost Kurve and dropped back, but then headed straight into the pits to retire, saying that the brakes were inconsistent, much to the team's frustration.<br> Frentzen came in to pit early, but this strategy didn’t work and Irvine got passed him when he pitted. Hakkinen lost big time due to a faulty fuel rig on his stop so rejoined in 4th behind the 2 Ferraris and Frentzen. The Finn was soon out altogether after a massive puncture sent him spinning into the tyre wall.<br> At just over half distance Salo let team mate Irvine through for the lead and for the next 20 laps Frentzen continued to harry the two Ferraris. Although he was able to close to within a second of Salo, he couldn’t get passed so he had to settle for 3rd, following another Ferrari 1-2.<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>3rd place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>4 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 11. Hungary.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlhundhwall.jpg" align=right> Irvine managed to get onto the front row, alongside pole man Hakkinen, followed by Coulthard and the surprise of the session, Fisichella in 4th. An all Jordan 3rd row had Frentzen in 5th and Hill in 6th.<br> Hakkinen got away in the lead, ahead of Irvine and Fisichella but Frentzen squeezed in front of Coulthard for 4th with Hill 6th and Barrichello 7th. The 1st round of stops sees Coulthard get in front of both Fisichella and Frentzen, Barrichello is on a one stop, so the Jordans are running 6th and 7th. Fisichella retires so after completion of the pit stops Frentzen is back in 4th with Barrichello 5th and Hill 6th. Coulthard passes Irvine for 2nd, but nothing else happens so Hakkinen takes another chequered flag in a not very exciting race.<br> Damon came home in 6th to give Jordan their second double points finish of the season and Heinz-Harald was pleased with his 4th, "I am very happy to score three more championship points - it's my eighth points finish of the season, so it's very consistent,"<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen<br>Hill</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>4th place<br>6th place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>3 points<br>1 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 12. Belgium.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlbelpodium.jpg" align=right> A very dominant qualifying session by McLaren saw Hakkinen take pole from Coulthard. But there was, for the 1st time ever, an all yellow second row with Frentzen fighting hard for his 3rd in the dying seconds. "I knew it would be hard to catch the McLarens, so I am very happy with today's qualifying result."<br> Damon Hill ended an impressive 4th. "I am very happy, it was close between me and Heinz. But he's a damned good driver." The session will be most remembered though for the BAR’s flying off nearly every time they tried to go through Eau Rouge.<br> Coulthard got the jump on Hakkinen from the off, although they did touch through the hairpin. Frentzen kept his 3rd place but Hill dropped to 7th as the first part of the race was then incident free. During the pit stops Frentzen, briefly, got into 2nd but dropped back to 3rd when everything evened out.<br> Hill got passed Salo for 6th during his stops as Salo was concentrating on helping Irvine get passed Ralf Schumacher.<br> So another double points finish, Hill in 6th and Frentzen on the podium for another 3rd. "The McLarens were just too quick for us today. It was a great race for us, although not so exciting for the spectator. The McLarens were unbeatable, but I think we'll be very strong in Monza, so I'm looking forward to trying to beat the McLarens there," said the man from Monchengladbach prophetically.<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen<br>Hill</font></td><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>3rd place<br>5th place</font></td><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>4 points<br>2 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 13. Italy.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlmonpodium.jpg" align=right> Hakkinen dominated qualifying, but he was joined on the front row by Heinz-Harald with Coulthard 3rd and Zanardi a surprise 4th. "I never managed any of my three runs without a problem, but I don't know if I could have taken pole. In any case, our qualifying performance is excellent," Heinz commented later. Damon started 8th.<br> Hakkinen started off at a blistering pace, Frentzen was passed into the first chicane by Zanardi, who was 4th on the grid. Heinz immediately retook 2nd and tried to keep in touch with the Finn. By lap 20 the lead is nearly eight seconds, but it is not now increasing and McLaren want more – they tell their man to push.<br> On Lap 30 Hakkinen, still pushing, selects 1st instead of 2nd gear coming into the chicane, he spins and stalls and Frentzen takes the lead. He has a 3 second lead over Ralf Schumacher and although this fluctuates between 7 and three seconds, Heinz is clearly in control and guides his Hornet to the chequered flag. The win throws him straight back into the championship fight, "If at the beginning of the season Eddie Jordan had told me that I would be winning races like this I would have told him he was crazy. It's hard to lead a race because you are in control and you are trying to maintain the gap, save the car and you can lose concentration - which is perhaps what happened to Mika. It is a lot easier to push someone from behind. Once in the lead, I was trying to save the brakes, tyres and engine to finish the race without any problems and it's difficult when you are thinking about all these things." <br> Hill knocked off the ignition switch while pitting and it took some time to restart, although the power steering could not be switched on again. He finished in 10th place.<p> <font color="blue">A full review of the win can be found here - <A HREF="monza99.html" onMouseOver="status='Monza 99';return true" target="newwin20">Monza '99</a><p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2><b>Frentzen</b></font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2><b>1st place</b></font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2><b>10 points</b></font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 14. European.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smleurohhgrid.jpg" align=right> This was one of the most difficult qualifying sessions to read for the teams, the circuit was damp and could have either dried or got wetter.<br> Provisional pole was continually changing but it was Frentzen who would called his own strategy, and very late in the session he came into the pits to change tyres 'pitstop style' before setting the best time of the day and give the team their 2nd ever pole. “It feels fantastic to be on pole in Germany," he admitted. "We had an argument in the pit lane about when to go out. It seems funny now, but it was pretty tense at the time. We took the decision to change the tyres in the pit lane - that was the key decision."<br> Coulthard was 2nd on the grid followed by Hakkinen, Ralf Schumacher, Panis, Fisichella and Hill in 7th.<br> Hill lost power into the second corner, causing Wurz to swerve and hit Diniz, overturning the Sauber and crushing the rollbar. Luckily Diniz was unhurt, but Hill’s race was over. The safety car was introduced and when it returned to the pits, Frentzen led from Coulthard, Hakkinen and Ralf Schumacher.<br> It started to rain on Lap 18 and Hakkinen pitted from 2nd for wets. Irvine pitted on Lap 21 but there was only 3 tyres ready. The rain eased on Lap 22 so 2 laps later Hakkinen had to pit again for slicks.<br> Frentzen pitted at half race distance and rejoined in the lead but, similar to Hill, immediately lost power and is out giving the lead to Coulthard who subsequently span, Ralf Schumacher who the got a puncture and finally Herbert who won from future Jordan driver, Jarno Trulli.<br> A disappointing race after a great qualifying. There was a great deal of debate, post race, as to what happened to the Jordans - the rumours persist that both drivers forgot to turn off anti-stall devices and therefore have only themselves to blame and these have never been denied.<p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 15. Malaysia.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smlmalhhgirl.jpg" align=right> The worst qualifying session of the season saw Damon Hill qualify in 9th and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, still in with a chance of the title, a disastrous 14th. He ended up in the gravel on his first timed lap, "The cockpit protection came loose and I spun off." So had to drive the rest of the session in the T-car with an inferior engine. In the first corner of the race itself Hill was hit from behind by Fisichella, Damon then hit Diniz, overturning the Sauber. Hill is out on the spot <br> Frentzen drove a most courageous race, his one stop strategy allowing him to get in front of Alesi and Wurz and eventually moving the Jordan driver into a hard earned 6th place finishing only 1 second behind Barrichello in 5th. The 1st and 2nd placed Ferrari’s were disqualified, so it looked as if Frentzen might get another 4th place, but the disqualification is overturned at appeal and the original race result stood. Frentzen’s brave, if unlikely, title aspirations were finally over, but the team did secure their 3rd place in the constructors championship.<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>6th place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>1 point</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Round 16. Japan.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> <img src="smljapdhboard.jpg" align=right> Yet again, the championship comes down to the wire with a two horse race in the fight for both titles.<br> Michael Schumacher claimed pole ahead of Hakkinen and Coulthard. Frentzen put in a late flyer to snatch 4th from championship leader Irvine, with Panis in 6th. Hill in his last race qualified in 12th.<br> When the lights went out, Hakkinen blasted into the lead from Michael Schumacher and Panis. Frentzen was badly blocked by Coulthard so slipped to 6th. Hill span on Lap 15 and had to replace his nose cone. 7 laps later while in 16th place and third from the back, Hill just retired – a sad end to a sad season, but a great career.<br> On lap 34 Coulthard lost his front wing while trying to keep up with the front 2 so had to pit. Later Coulthard retired, having seriously blocked Michael in the process, ensuring the race and the title go to Hakkinen. Irvine was able to finish in third, but that’s not enough, it was good enough for Ferrari to collect the constructors championship though.<br> Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished just off the podium in 4th giving him the remarkable 3rd in the drivers' championship and Jordan the 3rd in the constructors race. "It is great to finish the season achieving our target of 3rd in the constructors' championship," Heinz concluded.<p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=100><font face=”arial” size=2>Frentzen</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>4th place</font></td><td width=100 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2>3 points</font></td></tr></table><p> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2> <b>Summary.</b><br> </td></tr> <tr><td><font size=2> So, what does the team feel about the 1999 season?<p> <b>Heinz-Harald Frentzen</b><br> "It is great to finish the season as we had wanted to with a lot of success and by achieving our target of finishing third in the Constructors Championship.<br> It is a great result for the team – they should be complimented as they did a fantastic job. I am also happy today that I am third in the Drivers’ Championship. We have had lots of podiums this season, two victories, and plenty to be proud of.<br> "I think we should have a chance of the championship in the future, third place in the constructors championship means we have got a bit more budget as well as having a bit more budget from our sponsors. If Eddie (Jordan) is not spending the money on a new boat and we spend the money in the right places I think we have the chance and I think that Eddie Jordan knows it. We have a chance, before Eddie Jordan goes into pension, that we can win the World Championship !<p> "With my wedding in Phuket, it was the perfect end to a perfect week and a near perfect season, for which I would like to thank all the team for all the effort they put in to make it my best season ever.<br> "I signed my helmet and gave it to Hirotoshi Honda (President of Mugen-Honda), who has also made a very special effort to bring the success we have had this year. What a difference a year makes in this sport!<br> "Now I can hardly wait for next year to begin. I know we will have a better car and a better engine and with the same sort of season we had this year, I will certainly be aiming for the title in 2000!<p> <b>Damon Hill</b><br> I am very sad to be leaving Formula One and I would have loved to have finished on a higher note. I have to acknowledge that Formula One for me is a thing of the past, the (Suzuka) race finally settled in my mind without doubt that I never want to do another grand prix again so I am happy with the decision to retire.<br> “The regulations this season have made it extremely hard for me to get a good performance from the car but I think I am taking absolutely the right decision (to retire).<p> I think by this point of my career the best thing to do was think about my family and my wife Georgie and what was to gain by risking anything. It really was too little too gain and too much to lose. I decided that I was so far down the field there was little point in carrying on.<br> "I have achieved a lot more than what I expected. It has been the most exciting time of my life, winning the World Championship and winning the British Grand Prix. I've got lots of other good seasons to look back on and 1999 won't be one I look back on fondly. But I'd like to thank everyone for their support during particularly the world championship campaign and all the other great races that I've been lucky enough to enjoy."<p> <b>Eddie Jordan</b><br> Heinz has scored in 12 out of the 16 races – a fantastic achievement. We realised our dreams this year. This will be a season which hopefully I will remember as being the one that gave us the confidence to make the really serious breakthrough to take on the World Championship.<p> <b>Mike Gascoyne</b><br> "I am so pleased and proud of the whole team. The design team and production staff back at the factory deserve a special thank you as it is always the race team which receives the praise. Now we have to build on what we have got. We pulled ourselves nearer the top two teams and we hope to continue the upwards trend next year."<p> There have been numerous firsts for the team in 1999, most noticeably, 2 more wins, 3rd in the constructors, 3rd in the drivers championship and most points in a season - 64.<p> <b>Congratulations to all at Jordan Grand Prix - and here's to more of the same in 2000.</b><p> <table width=300 border=1 bgcolor="#ffffaa" cellpadding=3 bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td width=200><font face=”arial” size=2><b>Poles<br>Wins<br>Podiums<br>Second Places<br>Third Places<br>Fourth Places<br>Fifth Places<br>Sixth Places<br>Points Finishes<br>Points Total</b></font></td> <td width=50 align=center><font face=”arial” size=2><b>1<br>2<br>6<br>1<br>3<br>6<br>1<br>3<br>12<br>64</b></font></td> </tr></table><p> </td></tr> </table> <center> <a href="index.html"><IMG SRC="homepage.gif"></a><p> <br><br> <P>  <script src="/fs_img/js/pt.js" type="text/javascript"></script>   <script type="text/javascript">  </script>