Saturday August 28th, 1999
Can Frentzen claim the pole?
Heinz-Harald Frentzen set an impressive fastest time of the final free practice session , the German happy with the performance of his Jordan Mugen-Honda this morning which he is hoping to put on pole this afternoon. Damon Hill was also going well for Jordan, the Englishman fourth fastest overall , but eight tenth's of a second behind his team-mate.
Ralf Schumacher still on the pace
Ralf Schumacher was happy with his car this morning after setting what was to be the second quickest time of the session. His team-mate Alex Zanardi was back in 12th place however, the Italian running into brake problems while trying back-to-back tests between carbon and steel brake discs.
Coulthard third for McLaren; Hakkinen tests tyres
David Coulthard had a trouble free morning on his way to the third fastest time of the session , his team-mate Mika Hakkinen not revealing his qualifying capabilities when he spent the session carrying out back-to-back tests between the hard and soft tyres in race trim.
Villeneuve well up for BAR
Jacques Villeneuve took an impressive fifth fastest overall for the BAR team, their cars running strengthened suspension which had been flown in last night following Villeneuve's suspension failure yesterday. Ricardo Zonta was a disappointed 17th fastest , the Brazilian having a spin at the chicane during the session.
Irvine still looking for a good balance
Eddie Irvine spent the session changing the front and rear wing aerodynamics in a bid to find the right balance for this high speed circuit. Although they had made some improvement he said it was still a compromise on the set-up, Irvine also having a trip across a gravel trap during the session. He set the sixth fastest time with fresh tyres, Salo taking eighth fastest on fresh rubber.
In brief...
Both Benetton drivers never made it to the end of the session. Giancarlo Fisichella spun on the final corner and knocked the front right wheel off his car. Alexander Wurz parked his car on the track , either out of fuel or with an electrical problem when the engine died. It wasn't a good start for the Prost team. Trulli came to a halt with a throttle actuator problem while Panis, trying the new side exhaust for the first time for qualifying, came to a stop with a blown engine. They both made it back out for the second half of the session, Panis with a fresh engine for just 6 minutes and Trulli after repairs, the Italian a lot happier with his car which he took 11th fastest time with.
Minardi tried a new set of tyres at the end of the session and were disappointed to find a complete change in their car's handling. Both Sauber drivers were still complaining of understeer, Alesi slipping to 13th place with Diniz back in 18th spot.
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:51.047 225.894 kmph
2. R.Schumacher Williams Supertec 1:51.417 + 0.370
3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 1:51.729 + 0.682
4. Hill Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:51.833 + 0.786
5. Villeneuve BAR Supertec 1:52.111 + 1.064
6. Irvine Ferrari 1:52.160 + 1.113
7. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1:52.259 + 1.212
8. Salo Ferrari 1:52.528 + 1.481
9. Barrichello Stewart Ford 1:52.769 + 1.722
10. Herbert Stewart Ford 1:52.849 + 1.802
11. Trulli Prost Peugeot 1:53.061 + 2.014
12. Zanardi Williams Supertec 1:53.301 + 2.254
13. Alesi Sauber Petronas 1:53.317 + 2.270
14. Wurz Benetton Playlife 1:53.325 + 2.278
15. Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1:53.463 + 2.416
16. Panis Prost Peugeot 1:53.595 + 2.548
17. Zonta BAR Supertec 1:53.926 + 2.879
18. Diniz Sauber Petronas 1:54.112 + 3.065
19. Takagi Arrows TWR 1:54.258 + 3.211
20. de la Rosa Arrows TWR 1:54.592 + 3.545
21. Badoer Minardi Ford 1:54.768 + 3.721
22. Gene Minardi Ford 1:54.860 + 3.813
All Timing Unofficial