FIA announcement on Hakkinen by Wednesday

Earlier, McLaren said they were confident that Hakkinen's victory would stand.
A team spokesman said: "We have been collabarating with the FIA with regards to the missing paper seal on the control box.
"The data from the box had already been downloaded by the FIA and they found that the codes had not been altered.
"We are confident that the matter will be quickly resolved and Mika's win will stand."

Sunday's result lifted world champion Hakkinen to within eight points of championship leader Michael Schumacher of Ferrari and left him just two points behind team mate David Coulthard who finished second in Austria.

Franchitti to test for Jaguar

The news will increase speculation that Franchitti is being lined up to replace Johnny Herbert next season.

Button shines after Williams "reassurance"

Button, whose place at the team is threatened by the likely return of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya from the U.S., said he had met Williams over the race weekend.
"It was just a friendly little chat really. Obviously we're both very busy at the weekend so it's good to talk now and again. It was just reassurance really," he said.
"Nothing's been decided for my future next year and it was just reassurance really, (he said) don't worry about it and do your best this weekend.
"We had a good chat, not just about racing but other things as well. I think we're all in good spirits now, especially after today's result."

Button was also fifth in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in April and in March became the youngest points scorer in Formula One history when he took sixth place in Brazil after David Coulthard was disqualified.
He described Sunday's accident-marred race in Austria as "a bit more luck than judgment on the first corner. I suppose I was in the right place at the right time and I think I came out about seventh.
"It wasn't a bad start and then in the pit stops the team did a great job to get me out in front of Salo and Herbert.
"There were cars all over the place, it was just like dodgems. It was crazy," Button added of the first corner crashes that put championship leader Michael Schumacher out of the race after a matter of seconds.
"Then I had my own little excursion towards the end of the race but I've told Frank (Williams) and (technical director) Patrick (Head) that I did that on purpose to make it more interesting.
"I think they were getting bored at the end."

Button's two points lifted him in the standings alongside Williams's former driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, now with Jordan, on a total of five.

Prost saddened by Austrian nightmare

Heidfeld was disappointed and said he had not seen Alesi, who made clear that he would seek clarification from Prost, when the French driver was chasing him into the corner.
"I was in eighth place when I made my one and only pit stop," said Heidfeld.
"Jean was very close behind me after the stop and he was a lot quicker because he was still to stop a second time."

The Peugeot-powered Prost team have yet to score a point this season -- the only team other than Minardi still in that position after 10 races.
Both the Minardis finished on Sunday.

Benetton slam "driving antics" of F1 rivals

Team-by-team analysis of Austrian Grand Prix

MCLAREN (Mika Hakkinen 1, David Coulthard 2)
Hakkinen led into the opening corner and produced a superb performance to take victory. Coulthard secured a one-two finish for McLaren. Trailed Hakkinen into the first corner and remaining behind his team-mate for the rest of the race.

FERRARI (Michael Schumacher retired, Rubens Barrichello 3)
Schumacher was nudged onto the gravel on the first corner of opening lap by Brazilian Ricardo Zonta and then hit by Jordan of Italian Jarno Trulli.
Barrichello also hit but recovered for third.

BAR (Jacques Villeneuve 4, Ricardo Zonta retired)
Villeneuve produced another solid performance to finish fourth and claim a second successive points finish. Benefited from the trouble at the opening corner. Zonta retired on lap 59 after his Honda engine blew up. The Brazilian was given a 10 second stop-go penalty after the opening pile-up.

WILLIAMS (Jenson Button 5, Ralf Schumacher retired)
Briton Button capped another impressive drive by securing fifth place. Started 18th on the grid and, despite breaking his nose cone 17 laps from the end, held off the challenge of Finland's Mika Salo. Ralf Schumacher made six pit-stops in a disastrous race, before finally retiring on lap 61.
"Jenson really excelled himself again driving in difficult circumstances at the end of the race and under a lot of pressure," said Frank Williams.

SAUBER (Mika Salo 6, Pedro Diniz 10)
Salo battled with Button for fifth and had to hold off the challenge of Johnny Herbert's Jaguar for his point.
Brazilian Diniz was given a 10 seconds stop-go penalty in mid-race as he battled amongst the midfield.

JAGUAR (Johnny Herbert 7, Luciano Burti 11)
Briton Herbert narrowly missed out on sixth place, and a first points finish of the season. Ran in sixth after the opening lap but was overtaken during his sole pit-stop.
Burti completed race distance in his first grand prix, after starting in the spare car set up for Herbert from the pit-lane following hydraulic problems with his car.

MINARDI (Marc Gene 8, Gaston Mazzacane 12)
Spaniard Gene produced a solid drive to finish eighth but never challenged for a place in the top six.
Gaston Mazzacane ended last of the runners, three laps down on winner Hakkinen, and was given a 10 seconds stop-go penalty for failing to move over for the Finn towards the end.

BENETTON (Alexander Wurz 9, Giancarlo Fisichella retired)
Austrian Wurz failed to excite even his home crowd as he finished ninth. He recovered from a spin on lap 35 but never made an impression on the field. Fisichella was forced to retire after the first corner accident.

PROST (Jean Alesi and Nick Heidfeld retired)
Heidfeld went out on his 42nd lap after a collision with team-mate Alesi. The German refused to allow Alesi past at the end of the pit-straight and ended in the gravel trap.

ARROWS (Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa retired)
De la Rosa suffered gearbox failure on lap 33 and was forced to retire after impressing with the pace of his car.
Dutchman Verstappen went out on lap 15 after suffering gearbox problems. He had pitted on the opening lap after damaging his nose cone in the first corner incident.

JORDAN (Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli retired)
German Frentzen spun into the gravel trap on lap four after his Jordan suffered an engine failure. Trulli was the third victim of the opening corner accident.

Austrian Grand Prix incidents

Laps given are those completed by race leader.
Lap 1 -- Germany's Michael Schumacher is tapped from behind by Brazilian Ricardo Zonta in a BAR at the first corner. The Ferrari driver is forced to retire.
Italians Giancarlo Fisichella, in a Benetton, and Jarno Trulli in a Jordan also retire after the shunt.
-- World champion Mika Hakkinen, starting from pole position, leads McLaren team mate David Coulthard as the safety car comes out for one lap.
Lap 5 -- Germany's Heinz-Harald Frentzen, in the second Jordan, spins off into a gravel trap and retires.
Lap 16 -- Dutch driver Jos Verstappen enters the pits and retires his Arrows after going off into gravel.
Lap 17 -- Zonta and compatriot Pedro Diniz, in a Sauber, both given 10-second stop and go penalties.
Lap 29 -- German Ralf Schumacher retires in a Williams after earlier pit stop with mechanical problem.
Lap 32 -- Spain's Pedro de la Rosa goes out of the race with a blown engine for Arrows' second retirement.
Lap 43 -- Jean Alesi took out his Prost team mate Nick Heidfeld in dramatic fashion, carving into the German's car as they entered a fast curve. The collision ripped a front wheel off Alesi's car as both ended in the gravel and out of the race.

Hakkinen wins as Schumacher spins out

McLaren forged six points clear of Ferrari in the constructors' standings despite Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who was also hit during the first lap incident, finishing third for the Italian team.
BAR's Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was fourth, ahead of Briton Jenson Button in the Williams and Finn Mika Salo in the Sauber.
Both McLaren drivers got away cleanly at the start and led into the first corner but Schumacher was tapped from the rear by BAR's late-braking Brazilian driver Ricardo Zonta.

SAFETY CAR
The German spun around and was then hit by Italian Jarno Trulli in a Jordan. They and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, who was also involved in his Benetton, retired.
The incident brought out the safety car for one lap and, when racing resumed, Hakkinen immediately pulled clear from Coulthard until his pit-stop at the start of lap 38.
"When I was heading for turn two I saw the yellow flags and I was a bit surprised," said Hakkinen. "Next lap I saw a lot of cars in the gravel so I realised what happened."
Hakkinen's stop handed the lead to Coulthard until the Briton's pit visit three laps later. Hakkinen was then instructed by his team not to push the car too much and he finished 12.5 seconds ahead.
"I was quite happy with the outcome of the first lap," declared Coulthard. "I could have turned what was an easy six points into maybe nothing if we were really battling hard on the track. I was quite comfortable today to accept the six points.
"After 10 laps the race was long over because that was when I decided there was no point in risking anything."

Barrichello said he had been lucky to remain in the race after the first corner.
"I went on the gravel and I was lucky to survive then and really I am lucky to finish third. The car was almost undriveable until we came to the pitstop and we made a few adjustments."

Schumacher had hoped the race would be stopped after he crashed out but "the marshalls did a very good job unfortunately in cleaning the circuit."

"It hurts obviously if you feel that the race could be stopped, then you could just jump in the other car and you have a second go. But that's the way it goes."

Schumacher said Zonta had "over-estimated his ability" and he would be seeking a "quiet word" with him.
Zonta in turn claimed that both Ferraris slowed too much as they followed the McLarens into the first corner. "They stopped completely and I wasn't able to step on the brakes that heavily," he said. "I just couldn't stop."

The Prosts of Frenchman Jean Alesi and German Nick Heidfeld collided on lap 43, with Alesi driving into his team mate's car in a disastrous race for the troubled team.

Formula One world championship standings

Drivers' championship:
1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 56 points
2. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 50
3. Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren 48
4. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 36
5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Benetton 18
6. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 14
7. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 11
8. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Jordan 6
9= Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Jordan 5
9= Jenson Button (Britain) Williams 5
11. Mika Salo (Finland) Sauber 4
12. Eddie Irvine (Britain) Jaguar 3
13. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Arrows 2
14= Ricardo Zonta (Brazil) BAR 1
14= Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) Arrows 1

Constructors' championship:
1. McLaren 98 points
2. Ferrari 92
3. Williams 19
4. Benetton 18
5. BAR 12
6. Jordan 11
7. Sauber 4
8= Jaguar 3
8= Arrows 3

Austrian Grand Prix result

Did not finish (not classified):
Ricardo Zonta (Brazil) BAR 58 laps completed
Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 52
Jean Alesi (France) Prost 41
Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Prost 41
Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) Arrows 32
Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Arrows 14
Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Jordan 4
Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 0
Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Benetton 0
Jarno Trulli (Italy) Jordan 0

Irvine to be released from hospital

Irvine won the Austrian Grand Prix for Ferrari last year but has had a disappointing season with Jaguar. His replacement this weekend, Brazilian Luciano Burti, qualified 21st.

Ralf Schumacher posts worst qualifying result

Schumacher has made the podium once this season when he finished third in Australia. He has failed to finish three times -- in San Marino, Canada and on Germany's Nuerburgring.
He said he hoped he and Button would be able to overtake and improve their positions in the race.
He said BMW were constantly developing the engine but Saturday's qualifying had shown there was still a long way to go.
Williams technical director Patrick Head said: "We quite clearly haven't got the car well set up for this track and haven't been able to make good use of our recent testing.
"We have a lot of thinking to do but we are going to do our best to have a reliable race tomorrow."

Michael Schumacher was also concerned about his fourth position on Saturday.
But, asked when the two Schumacher brothers would be competing directly against each other, Ralf said: "Michael has the better package without doubt."

McLaren drivers free to race each other

Coulthard, who is hoping to close a 12-point gap behind German world championship leader Michael Schumacher, has also made it clear that he will not drive any slower because of what happened last season.
"What happened last year between Mika and I can happen at any grand prix," he said.
"I won't hesitate if I see any opportunity to overtake just because of what happened here 12 months ago. I will be racing hard and that will be the same with Mika or anyone else on the track."

Newcomer Burti aiming for permanent F1 drive

SECOND TO LAST ON GRID

Burti will start Sunday's race second to last on the grid. Only Argentine Minardi-Fondmetal driver Gaston Mazzacane clocked a slower time than the Brazilian.
But Burti, who is from Sao Paulo, remained optimistic. "This is my first race. I'm pleased with my performance, especially considering that I hadn't driven on this track before this morning and even then I only did a few laps," he said.
"It's also the first time I've driven the car in qualifying so I had to spend time finding the limit of the car. I think just to be close to the other drivers here is an achievement.
"I'm happy and looking forward to tommorrow," he said, adding he had received some advice from compatriot Rubens Barrichello, who drives for Ferrari.
Burti impressed Jaguar team officials.
"For someone who was thrown in at the deep end Luciano did a very good job considering we didn't give him the best possible opportunity," Jaguar technical director Gary Anderson said.
"He's never seen the circuit, he had just 45 minutes to prepare himself, he was using an unfamiliar set-up but he managed to complete a solid session."

Burti will be one of four Brazilians competing in Sunday's race together with Barichello, Ricardo Zonta from the BAR team and Pedro Diniz from Sauber.

Hakkinen takes pole in Austria

NOT CHALLENGED

Hakkinen, who won the Austrian race in 1998, moved to the top of the time sheets just 17 minutes into the qualifying session and his time was not challenged. He later managed to improve his best lap to one minute 10.410 seconds.
It was the 108th pole for the McLaren team, moving them into second place behind Ferrari in the all-time record table.
Hakkinen ended the session just 0.385 seconds ahead of his team mate Briton David Coulthard. Their performances secured the third all McLaren front row of the season.
Despite the memories of last year's race, when Hakkinen and Coulthard collided at the second corner, the Finn was not worried about the possibility of a repeat.
"I feel very confident for the race, and now it is just a question of setting the car up right. I hope that everything goes 100 percent right and we will get around the first two corners a little bit differently to last year."

Coulthard blamed a mistake on the final lap of qualifying for his inability to get on terms with Hakkinen, but seemed unconcerned about being outpaced as he believed Sunday's 71-lap race would be action-packed.
"I think I could have been a bit closer and in the race I think Mika and I will be evenly matched," said the 29-year-old. "I'm just going to take the opportunities when they come."

CONFIDENT

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who managed to outpace his Ferrari team mate German Michael Schumacher, was equally confident about his chances. He said he believed a good car set-up had helped him maintain an advantage.
"I like this track and I have found some good settings," said the third-fastest driver. "But I think my car had the potential to get on the front row. The race is going to be very close."

World championship leader Schumacher could not get on terms with the pace of the McLarens and ended the day with the fourth fastest time, just ahead of Italian Jarno Trulli in the Jordan.
Although the session was interrupted by light drizzle at times, the drivers were not greatly affected by the weather.
But several drivers did spin off the track as they pushed their cars to the limit, including British American Racing team mates Brazilian Ricardo Zonta and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve who were sixth and seventh fastest.
Rain showers are expected to hit Sunday's Grand Prix.

Grid positions for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix

Irvine pulls out of Austria Grand Prix

Brazilian Luciano Burti, who is Jaguar's official test driver, will take Irvine's place for Sunday's race.

Villeneuve slams Schumacher's ethics

"Some of us drivers wouldn't do a thing like that even though we know we can get away with it, it's our personal ethic. But I guess is not something learnt in the car but in everyday life."

"David is fighting for the championship so he can't really bang wheels and throw points away, I guess it wouldn't matter as much to me," said Villeneuve a former world champion.
This season, Villeneuve is struggling in the BAR team and is seventh in the standings.
Schumacher, who was fighting for the world championship title in 1997 with Villeneuve, was stripped of all his points for crashing into the Canadian during the final race.
In 1994, Schumacher collected the title after a crash which knocked his championship rival Damon Hill and himself out of the last race in Australia.
Villeneuve said the issue had been raised in various drivers' briefings but that nothing had ever been done about it.
"The drivers don't have any power so it doesn't really matter what we say or think," he said. "Drivers don't always agree among each other so that's probably why they don't have any power."

"We just get our superlicence and we race."

Villeneuve said it was not fair on the drivers when they had to hit the brakes to avoid an accident and that it was "very difficult for anyone outside a racing car to really know what's going on".
Former Formula One driver turned BMW race director, Gerhard Berger, said: "These things have always happened, they are a part of racing."

Schumacher says Hakkinen should have moved on

Coulthard fastest in Austria

Hakkinen's car failure was a warning that reliability remained a concern for the team as they bid to close the gap on world championship leading German Michael Schumacher.
Coulthard, who was disqualified from second place in the Brazilian Grand Prix in March on technical grounds after also suffering gearbox problems, said mechanical troubles had already cost the team the initiative in the title chase.
"I think that we have had potentially the quicker package, but we haven't made the most out of it through bad reliability at the start of the year, plus problems in Brazil and Canada," he said.
"What that allowed Michael to do was to get a run and open up a bit of a gap at the top of the championship.
"But since Brazil, McLaren have had excellent reliability and I've just got to hope that it continues. I've never had such a good run of finishes and I just hope that doesn't change."

SCHUMACHER REMAINS UNRUFFLED

Coulthard has three wins this season -- in Britain in April, in Monaco in June and at Magny Cours in France this month -- and is 12 points behind Schumacher in the standings.
Schumacher, who ended the session fourth fastest behind the Sauber of Finland's Mika Salo, was unconcerned about the practice times as he worked on race set up.
"It is going to be a very close race and I am not worried about the difference in times," he explained.
"It is exactly what I expected before I came here and Ferrari are definitely able to qualify on the front row."

Salo was delighted with his performance as the Sauber team benefitted from work during testing last week to improve driveability.
But team boss Peter Sauber, who has yet to confirm his line-up for next season, said the team must not get too carried away with their pace.
"The car is much better after the test and we have been able to work step by step on the set-up," he said. "We have to temper our enthusiasm by reminding ourselves that this is only Friday, but it is a positive start to our weekend."
Another team enjoying a good day were British American Racing, whose drivers Brazilian Ricardo Zonta and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve ended the day in fifth and eighth positions respectively.
"The car is good, even though it doesn't actually feel very nice," said Villeneuve. "We are making good progress and we look in good shape for the race. Our reliability has been okay and that has never really been our problem."
The session was run in dry conditions, although the prediction is for rain on Saturday and Sunday.

Austrian Grand Prix practice times

Villeneuve rules out taking a break

Coulthard seeks advice on driver behaviour

FAVOURITE

In spite of talk that the Scot has become favourite to lead the championship challenge on Schumacher, Coulthard has not ruled out team mate Mika Hakkinen just yet.
"I don't think it is a simple case of the championship fight being between Michael and I," he said.
"Mika is strong and fast and still able to go for the championship, while Rubens Barrichello is not so far behind. The winner is decided at the end of the season and not halfway through.
~McLaren will work hard as a team. If we win then we are happy and if we don't then we will work out why."
Coulthard was asked which driver he considered his biggest threat in the championship fight.
"I don't fear anyone," he responded. "I relish the challenge of racing every other grand prix driver, but the biggest challenge does come from my team mate, because he has the same equipment.
~Michael Schumacher is the championship leader and therefore the person I'm trying to close in on. I've just got to get the best of myself."
Coulthard knows that Hakkinen will do him no favours and team orders show no favouritism.
"There is always talk about number one and number two drivers, but at McLaren whoever has the best year is the number one driver," added Coulthard. "There is still a long way to go in the championship and if I want to be number one then I will have to be quick again."

Wurz hopes home circuit can mark turning point

Wurz, who has been working closely with Benetton technical director Pat Symonds to improve his car's set up, said the team would finally have two similar cars until the end of the season.

PADDOCK RUMOURS

While Wurz seeks a change of fortune, the reluctance of Benetton boss Flavio Briatore to confirm he has a future with the team have led to paddock rumours that the 26-year-old will not have his contract renewed.
Wurz said he would like to remain with Benetton where he began a seemingly promising Formula One career in 1997 when he replaced compatriot Gerhard Berger for three races and finished third once.
"I feel comfortable at Benetton. Briatore and Benetton brought me into Formula One in the first place," said Wurz, who declined to comment on his other options for next season.
Benetton has an option on both Wurz and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella until mid-August. Fisichella, who has overshadowed Wurz the entire season with three podium finishes in the process, is expected to stay.
Although Wurz declined to say which teams he was negotiating with he said he would be busy having discussions this weekend.
"I will be holding talks to also see what the others are up to. In this chess game it's important to know what the others are doing."

POOR LUCK

Wurz blamed his unfortunate season on poor luck.
"I had too many problems -- such as two engine failures on the grid before the start, or coming into a pit-stop and having no tyres and therefore losing points. This will have to end at some time," he said.
Fisichella agreed: "Obviously Alex is having bad luck. He's had problems with the car."
Despite the setbacks Wurz remains optimistic.
"Fortune can change so quickly -- all of a sudden you are on the way down just when you thought things were going up. This will be a new race, a new game and hopefully I will have new luck as well.
"I can't do anything about the past, I can only look at the future."
Unfortunately, it seems that the harder Wurz tries, the more things go wrong.

Coulthard hopes to celebrate 100th race in style

The German is chasing a 41st victory that would leave him joint second with Ayrton Senna on the all-time winners' list.
Hakkinen is just six points behind Coulthard and won convincingly in Austria in 1998. His McLaren team have also showed impressive reliability over recent races, getting both cars to the finish in the last six events.
Behind the battle between Ferrari and McLaren, the fight for third place in the constructors' championship is hotting up between Benetton and Williams.
Benetton hold a one-point advantage and will be looking to repeat past successes at the A1-Ring. Italian Giancarlo Fisichella secured his maiden pole position at the track in 1998, while the event is the home race of Alexander Wurz.
The Austrian has had a disappointing season so far, having failed to score a championship point, and he is under pressure to keep his seat for next year.
Another driver looking for a points finish will be last year's Austrian Grand Prix winner Briton Eddie Irvine.
The Jaguar driver has finished in the points just once this year, a fourth place at Monaco, as his team continue to struggle with reliability.
"It's always good to go back to a track where you had a good result the previous year," said Irvine.
"The weather can be very changeable here so I hope the storms keep away. We had a good test at Silverstone last week, so I hope we can give the spectators something worth seeing from a Jaguar point of view."

Fisichella has options other than Benetton

Venue: A1-Ring
Circuit length: 2.683 miles, 4.319 km
Race length: 71 laps

Previous winners of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix: