When Ferrari, albeit reluctantly, put its weight behind Eddie Irvine in Method 1’s 1999 title hunt, it did so in opposition to all conference. Certain, it was a necessity after Michael Schumacher’s leg-breaking shunt on the British Grand Prix, however for the primary time in his F1 profession Irvine was already within the hunt on benefit.
Earlier than the 1999 season had begun, Irvine had not gained an F1 race. He was firmly Schumacher’s expendable tail-gunner, managing a smattering of podiums because the German scooped all of the plaudits. Nevertheless it was arguably a job that belied Irvine’s rebellious nature and uncompromising racing fashion. Why would he settle for a supporting function so willingly?
Irvine firmly believed that he may in the future usurp Schumacher because the apple of Ferrari’s eye; all he wanted was the prospect to take action. In opposition to the percentages, the 1999 season opener provided that chance – the beginning of the primary full F1 season I watched.
My dad woke me up earlier than the first light to quietly saunter all the way down to the lounge, tip-toeing down the steps to keep away from the slightest creak, and parking up on the couch – bleary-eyed – prepared for regardless of the race may throw at us. In anticipation of the well-known ’90s pre-race ident, Dad turned the amount down lest the wah-heavy riff rouse anybody else in the home.
From the outset, it regarded like little had modified from the earlier yr. Reigning champion Mika Hakkinen had eclipsed teammate David Coulthard by half a second for pole, as Schumacher led Ferrari’s cost from the second row, parked subsequent to Stewart’s Rubens Barrichello. After two years planted within the midfield, Jackie Stewart’s crew had made fairly a leap within the low season with its new SF-3. As had Jordan, with Williams refugee Heinz-Harald Frentzen beating Irvine to fifth on the grid.
However McLaren had endured a pre-race panic when Hakkinen had returned to the storage from his lap to the beginning grid, initially electing to start out within the spare automotive earlier than altering his thoughts as soon as extra. Then, instantly after the formation lap, drama engulfed the grid as soon as extra as each Stewarts concurrently and spontaneously combusted.
Rubens Barrichello, Stewart Grand Prix SF3
Photograph by: Motorsport Pictures
The beginning aborted, confusion ensued as Stewart needed to work out whether or not it may ship Barrichello out to race within the spare automotive given the completion of the formation lap. Granted clearance to take to the restart, the Brazilian needed to make a pitlane begin – because the second at a formation lap was equally fraught.
Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher have been unable to get away from the grid and, though Hakkinen managed to dip the clutch and discover a solution to get rolling earlier than the ultimate automotive had handed, Schumacher took longer to get transferring. Just like the current 1998 season finale in Japan, Schumacher was resigned to start out from the again of the grid.
When the race lastly bought underway, Hakkinen and Coulthard each preserved their positions, whereas Irvine made use of the empty row forward of him to leapfrog Frentzen into Flip 1. However the McLarens have been peerless, threatening to duplicate the two-horse race at Albert Park from a season earlier than as they marched away from Irvine; who was 2.4s in arrears by the tip of lap one – regardless of being on a softer grade of tyre – and coming beneath hearth from Frentzen, seeking to get his Jordan tenure off to a very good begin.
Because the early phases of the race unfolded, the McLarens prolonged their benefit over the remainder of the sector, with Coulthard harrying Hakkinen.
Hakkinen picked up the tempo and introduced Coulthard with him, and by the tip of the fourth lap had already cleared Irvine by nearly 10 seconds. After the preliminary flurry of pleasure, the Australian GP cut-and-dried, and it was certainly solely a matter of which McLaren would win.
The battle was on for third place, nonetheless, and Irvine was not fairly in a position to slip out of Frentzen’s clutches. Behind them, Ralf Schumacher – in his first race for Williams – was lingering in fifth and preserving them sincere, however none regarded like overturning the benefit that the McLaren MP4/14s had round Melbourne.
Hopes have been firmly pinned on McLaren’s iffy reliability in testing, main then-ITV commentator Martin Brundle to quip that “They’d barely get you all the way down to the chip store on Sundays”.
Mere laps later, the commentator’s curse appeared to wield its remorseless scythe as Coulthard was by a bout of hydraulics points. Hakkinen crossed the road to start lap 14, with Coulthard retreating to his storage to depart his teammate unchallenged. To avoid wasting the race from turning into a Hakkinen walkover, it wanted one other stimulus to equalise the sector.
Jacques Villeneuve, BAR 01 Supertec
Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Pictures
This got here courtesy of Jacques Villeneuve, racing for the brand new British American Racing squad, who out of the blue misplaced his rear wing whereas circulating in a formidable eighth place. Having careened into the wall on Lakeside Drive, the dual-liveried BAR 01 was cleared from the monitor beneath safety-car circumstances, reeling Hakkinen again in the direction of Irvine.
As the security automotive peeled into the pits after a three-lap spell, Hakkinen started to again the pack up – as is customary. However, curiously, the Finn saved doing so as much as the road and, smelling blood, Irvine stole previous the reigning champion. Hakkinen was within the throes of one other McLaren mechanical drawback.
Behind them, and in an excellent show of fast considering, Ralf Schumacher left a spot to Frentzen after which gunned the throttle, out-dragging the Jordan driver into Flip 1 to briefly occupy second.
However the lead was Irvine’s, and though Frentzen repassed Ralf Schumacher into Flip 3, the Northern Irishman was in a position to give himself some respiration area as additional skirmishes erupted down the order; Giancarlo Fisichella careened into the again of Jarno Trulli and the recovering Barrichello took evasive motion, letting Michael Schumacher and debutant Pedro de la Rosa trickle by to occupy a most unlikely high six. Shaking off the contact, Trulli then put a transfer on Ralf Schumacher at Flip 9 shortly after to shuffle up into third, leaving the Williams driver beneath pressures from his brother.
Hakkinen managed to crawl round to the pits, and though McLaren serviced his automotive and tentatively despatched him again on monitor, the issue was terminal. In a matter of laps, a race that regarded like a sure-fire repeat of its predecessor now had a really totally different outlook.
With Trulli between himself and the Schumachers, Frentzen noticed a possibility to hit again at Irvine and underline Jordan’s potential going into 1999, greedy Irvine’s coat-tails prior to a different security automotive. This time, F1 returnee Alessandro Zanardi – contemporary off the again of successful the CART title – went off-road at Flip 5, spun and clouted the wall, bringing Frentzen additional into play.
Extra crucially, Michael Schumacher was firmly in play too and, after Trulli pitted, was three passes away from the lead of the race. Barrichello additionally used the chance to pit, relieving the stress on the senior Schumacher much more, however the then-two-time champion may make no inroads into his brother’s benefit as Irvine led away on the restart.
Moments later, Michael’s right-rear tyre gave manner and the Ferrari driver needed to corral his automotive into the pitlane, additionally nursing a damaged entrance wing – throwing him firmly out of competition. Ferrari’s hopes, at this level, have been absolutely on Irvine.
Eddie Irvine, Ferrari F399
Photograph by: Motorsport Pictures
In an extra deluge of incidents, Trulli’s nightmarish relationship with Flip 3 continued as he punted Minardi’s Marc Gene out of the way in which and despatched the duo into retirement. Diniz and Wurz additionally each retired whereas within the factors, elevating Arrows’ Tora Takagi briefly into an sudden fourth earlier than the Japanese driver pitted to assist Fisichella up one other place.
The frequency of positional adjustments meant the race resembled the Mad Hatter’s tea get together, and there have been extra to return because the race hit its nominal pitstop part for individuals who hadn’t already taken gasoline and tyres.
Ralf Schumacher’s cease had elevated Fisichella into third the lap earlier than Irvine and Frentzen got here in collectively on the finish of lap 34. Ferrari and Jordan’s pitcrews carried out near-identical stops, however Frentzen cycled out behind Fisichella previous to the Italian’s personal cease, leaving Irvine to retain the lead. As soon as the Benetton driver ceded second and allowed Frentzen and Schumacher to return to the rostrum berths, the highest three was basically settled.
Irvine properly dictated the tempo and, whereas Frentzen spent the whole lot of the race simply over a second behind the Ferrari driver, the lead was unassailable. Irvine crossed the road to safe his maiden F1 victory – simply 1.027s away from the relentless Frentzen.
Ralf Schumacher claimed a podium for Williams first trip, reassuming third after Fisichella pitted as soon as extra. Remarkably, regardless of his formation-lap hearth and a stop-go penalty for passing Michael Schumacher beneath yellow flags, Barrichello rescued a fifth-place end to underline an otherwise-impressive weekend for Stewart.
The battle for the ultimate level was fought with as a lot vigour as the remainder of the race, and after additional retirements it was contested by the 2 Arrows. De la Rosa narrowly beat Takagi to attain on his F1 debut, whereas Michael Schumacher was the ultimate finisher – a lap down – after his puncture.
Eventually, Irvine had earned an opportunity to show he was greater than Schumacher’s subordinate – and having drawn stage on factors with him on the time of Schumacher’s accident at Silverstone, the 1999 title struggle was poised to function an Irvine intervention.
Hakkinen arguably stumbled to the road first in what was a chaotic season amid a backdrop of surly climate circumstances and myriad driver errors – as Irvine got here inside two factors of pulling off a outstanding title win. That peerless drive in Melbourne was undoubtedly the framework for his breakout F1 yr.
Podium: winner Eddie Irvine, Ferrari celebrates
Photograph by: Motorsport Pictures
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