Irvine feels the pressure

(28-Oct-98) - Eddie Irvine has claimed that Mika Hakkinen is likely to win
the world championship at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

The Ferrari number two needs to finish in second place ahead of McLaren's
Mika Hakkinen and behind Michael Schumacher to guarantee the title for his
team-mate, however, he claimed that if the race runs to form, then it will
be Hakkinen who walks away with the title.

"My role is the same as it is at every race," the 32-year-old
said. "I've got to try to do the best I can. Obviously, all the focus
is going to be on me trying to beat the McLarens, but I've only managed
that twice this year.

Irvine went on to claim that Schumacher's only real chance is if McLaren
have a problem: "At the end of the day, they have to have a problem.
We have found some speed in testing, but I'm sure they have, too.

"We've done a lot of testing, and we've made small gains in every
department. It adds up to a reasonable step. But if everything's normal,
the McLarens are going to be quicker than us. And Mika has always been
strong at Suzuka anyway. We've got to hope they mess up."

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