Austrian GP 1998 - Preview, Comments

Drivers

David Coulthard

"I was surprised to find out that the A1-Ring was the third fastest
race, with more overtaking than almost any other event last year. It is an
Argentina kart-type track, tight and twisty with low grip and that should
suit our car this weekend."


Pedro Diniz

"I like the track very much. It has some slow and high speed corners
and I believe that we will be quite competitive. The Bridgestone tyres will
work well on this track and with our new engine I am sure we will have an
advantage."


Mika Hakkinen

"The A1-Ring seems to suit my driving style. Last year I started on
the front row of the grid, having so nearly claimed my first pole position
-just a second off Villeneuve's time. However, the race wasn't so good. But
I am hoping for better things this year."


Eddie Irvine

"The team have had a great run in the last few races. Another similar
result would put us ahead in both championships and would give everyone an
even bigger boost for the six remaining races of the season. The team has
got used to winning of late and with that kind of added motivation we are
on a roll that, hopefully, will be hard to stop."


Michael Schumacher

"The last two races I have managed to split the two McLarens in
qualifying which is the direct result of the hard work and incredible
effort that both the team and Goodyear have put in since the beginning of
the season. The A1 Ring is a circuit which should see our cars particularly
competitive. It would be nice to take my first pole of the season and why
not my fourth win in a row which would put then me ahead in the points
standings.

There are still six races to go after Austria and the battle for the
Championship is starting to get interesting. We were a lot further back
last year, but it all came down to the last race."


Ralf Schumacher

"I think the first points are the hardest to win, so from now on I
hope we can get more and more. It would be especially good if we could win
more points in the next two races ans I will have a lot of home fans in
both Zeltweg and Hockenheim."


Mika Salo

"I used to race at the circuit during my Formula Ford days in 1988 and
I liked it very much then. It used to have lots of high speed corners and a
track that undulated up and down hills. Nowadays it has changed a great
deal. There are only first and second gear corners, which poses no big
challenge for the driver and the circuit is also very short. I think that
our car will perform well here, as it is very good on braking and
traction."


Teams

Benetton

Pat Symonds,
"The A1 Ring is not a circuit we test on, so our knowledge of it is
based on last year's effort. In 1997, we had our worst qualifying
performance of the year but we have learned a lot about dealing with low
grip circuits and this year we have Bridgestone tyres to add to the package

The A1 Ring is a medium downforce circuit, There are a mixture of corners,
the first two are really quite slow, while the rest are reasonably quick.
The main secret with Austria is getting grip on the very smooth tarmac. The
circuit has a bit of altitude which must be taken into account as it robs
some of the engine and aerodynamic performance. There is a heavy toll on
the engine as over 70% of the circuit is full throttle and the average revs
are higher than we anticipated last year, The race is a bit earlier this
year, so temperatures will probably be higher as well."


Bridgestone

Hirohide Hamashima, Technical Director
"Tyres that are too soft can give good lap times, but not for very
long. What is required is a tyre which can consistently offer the best
grip, especially through the double left-handed section in the middle of
the circuit which places a strain on the right front tyre."


McLaren

Ron Dennis, Team Chef
"Mid-season is always a critical stage in the Formula One World
Championship and the team are focusing on securing our advantage in both
the Constructors' and Drivers' Championships this weekend."

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