Saturday October 9th, 1999

In a press conference at Dubai, Eddie Irvine was asked about Michael Schumacher's decision to race in the Malaysian and Japanese Grands Prix. "It's great," said Eddie. "For three and a half years, I've tried to help Michael win the World Championship. Now he has no chance to win the title, but the focus is on me and I hope that with his help, we can win the World Championship - which would be mission accomplished.

"In the end, Ferrari is the most important thing, and we all want to help Ferrari achieve success. I've spent three and a half years trying to help Ferrari win and now I have an even greater chance with Michael's help. I'm very happy that he's going to drive in Malaysia and Japan."