2000 British Grand Prix
Silverstone Circuit

  Pit Report

Team-by-team performances in British Grand Prix

Team-by-team analysis of performances at the British Grand Prix:

McLaren:
David Coulthard -- Superb overtaking manoeuvre on Barrichello at Stowe corner helped him record his second successive victory at Silverstone. "It means a great deal to win it," said Coulthard.
Mika Hakkinen -- Lost grip at the start and struggled with the balance of his McLaren. Kept his cool and secured a fine runners-up spot with a one-stop strategy. "I was not happy with the balance of the car," said Hakkinen.

Ferrari:
Michael Schumacher -- Blocked by Hakkinen at the first corner but recovered to grab the final podium spot. Maintained his impressive lead in the title race. "I am happy to have finished third," said Schumacher. "Thanks to a good car I was able to catch the others."
Rubens Barrichello -- Hydraulic failure cost him a possible victory as he went off at Luffield on lap 35. Lost engine and clutch and immediately retired to the pit-garage. "I was in control of the race, but the clutch and hydraulics just went."

Jordan:
Jarno Trulli -- Took his Jordan to a points-scoring finish after passing Jacques Villeneuve in the closing stages.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen -- Heading for a podium finish until he had gearbox problems. "It was the same problem I had at Imola," said Frentzen. "It was stuck in sixth gear, but it would have been difficult to catch the McLarens anyway."

Jaguar:
Johnny Herbert -- Bad start and suffered clutch problems before stalling his car in the pits. Could not find enough speed to improve on 12th place. "We need to work hard at sorting out our clutch problems," said Herbert.
Eddie Irvine -- Engine cut-out on second pit-stop costing him valuable time as Jaguar's nightmare run continued and he finished 13th. "I'm very disappointed," said Irvine. "I had another clutch problem and we must solve it."

BMW-Williams:
Ralf Schumacher -- Battled with his brother on the opening lap but lost vital seconds after a problem with his right rear tyre on his first pit-stop. Still managed to finish fourth. "I enjoyed the battle with Michael and this is a great result," said Schumacher.
Jenson Button -- Gained his highest finish to date with another mature drive to come home fifth. Suffered an exhaust problem late on but enjoyed his first home race. "The crowd were amazing and I'm naturally delighted to get more points," said Button.

Benetton:
Giancarlo Fisichella -- Damaged the nose of his Benetton early on but pushed hard to earn a commendable seventh place. "I thought the damage to the car would be a big problem, but it wasn't," he said.
Alexander Wurz -- Had a great start as he passed five drivers in the opening few laps. Got stuck behind Salo and was unable to improve his ninth place position with less power than the Finn.

Prost:
Jean Alesi -- Happy to finish 10th and enjoyed a consistent run throughout the race with a car struggling to perform. "We are moving in the right direction," said the Frenchman.
Nick Heidfeld -- Made a good start but got stuck in early traffic. Was forced out with engine failure and oil pressure problems on lap 52. "There is still a lot to improve on the car," said Heidfeld.

Sauber:
Mika Salo -- Held off the challenge of Austrian Wurz to give Sauber a strong eighth place but suffered from understeer in the final stages. "When you start from 18th on the grid you need to do a lot in the first lap, and I didn't," said Salo.
Pedro Diniz (Sauber) -- Had a poor start and was never in contention as he finished 11th. Made the wrong tyre choice and paid for the decision.

Arrows:
Pedro de la Rosa -- Left the track at the old pit entrance as the Spaniard made an early exit on lap 27. "It is disappointing because I felt I could have finished well," said the Spaniard.
Jos Verstappen -- Wheeled into garage after he stopped in pits on lap 23. "The car felt great in the morning, but an electrical problem ended my race."

Minardi:
Marc Gene -- Judged his pit-stops well to move above Heidfeld and secure a reasonable 14th place finish. Lack of power a major problem.
Gaston Mazzacane -- Third consecutive finish but was hampered by a lack of power. Overcame illness but did not make any mistakes. "I am quite pleased to finish my third consecutive race," said Mazzacane.

British American Racing:
Jacques Villeneuve -- Consistently in the top six throughout until he suffered a mechanical problem. Showed his disappointment by tossing his steering wheel away as he left the cockpit. "I was unhappy because we threw away a point today," said Villeneuve.
Ricardo Zonta -- Spun out into the gravel on lap 37 and was unable to continue after stalling his car. "It was my mistake and I'm just sorry for everybody on the team," said Zonta.

  Pit Report

Silverstone apologises to fans

Silverstone apologised to Formula One fans on Sunday after thousands missed out on the British Grand Prix due to traffic chaos and bad weather.
"Silverstone offers its sincere apologies," organisers at the central English circuit, which hosted the first Formula One world championship race 50 years ago, said in a statement. Traffic jams stretched for miles around and police warned fans that they faced a five-hour wait to get in.
"Nobody wanted this to happen, especially those of us at Silverstone," said the circuit's chief executive Denys Rohan.
"Despite our best efforts, the consistently wet weather over recent weeks caused damage to car parks.
"This slowed up parking overnight and this morning, and to add further problems, the thick fog which delayed F1 warm-up this morning also prevented the flight of our and the police traffic control helicopters."

The British Grand Prix is usually held in July but was moved this year to the Easter holiday weekend to the frustration of organisers, teams, fans and drivers who feared wet and blustery conditions.

FIELDS OF MUD
Ironically, the race was run in sunshine and dry conditions in the end -- but only after days of rain had reduced much of the area around the circuit to a quagmire with soaked supporters camping in fields of mud.
Tractors had to pull cars out of deep ruts and public vehicles were banned altogether on Saturday when the authorities closed Silverstone's car parks to preserve them for race day.
Max Mosley, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), said every effort would be made to hold the race in July in 2001 although he could not guarantee it.
"If we can move it back to July, we will," he said.
"We had to change it this year because we had to move the Nuerburgring (European Grand Prix) because of Indianapolis (the U.S. Grand Prix returning to the calendar in September)."

Mosley said the FIA had wanted to move the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, which follows Silverstone early next month, but could not do so due to a clash with the Catalunya rally.
He said it was a toss up between Britain and France, with Magny Cours facing exactly the same likelihood of bad weather.
There had been no previous detailed official explanation about the change, with many observers suspecting that it was due to disagreements between Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the circuit authorities, but Mosley refuted the suggestion.
"We have not gone looking for problems," he said. "Everyone thinks that we want to upset Silverstone but we don't."

Mosley, himself a Briton like Ecclestone, defended the FIA but did not spare Silverstone -- who are due to lose the Grand Prix to Brands Hatch for five years from 2002 -- completely from criticism.
"They knew that they had 100,000 people coming and they know that it can rain. It is up to them to take reasonable precautions," he said.
"Maybe if they put some metal stuff down on the field rather than building a palatial club house they would have avoided losing money," he added with the trace of a smile.
Mosley said he did not care whether Silverstone, Brands Hatch or Donington Park hosted the event in future so long as the circuit was safe.

  Pit Report

Leaping cats limp home on Jaguar's British GP debut

The Jaguar Formula One team made more of a splash off the track than on it at their British Grand Prix debut on Sunday.
Hoardings in the green and white colours of the British team, celebrated for their past successes in the Le Mans 24 Hours race, lined the walls of the main straight past the pits and the top of the main grandstand.
The main footbridge crossing the pits straight was painted in British Racing Green, with the leaping cat symbols and brand name, while the team's opulent hospitality unit in the paddock demanded attention with its huge chrome Jaguar leaping from the roof.
Guests inside were even offered miniature chocolate Jaguar Formula One cars to celebrate Easter in style.
But out on the track, drivers Johnny Herbert and Eddie Irvine limped home in 12th and 13th places respectively.
The Ford-owned team have yet to score a point.
Irvine's problems were compounded by an agonisingly slow 25.4 second pitstop after his engine cut out.
"I'm very disappointed because I thought after Imola we would come here believing we would take another step forward and seriously challenge for points," said Irvine, who started in the spare car after his original one was damaged in a collision in Saturday's practice.
"I had another clutch problem at the start similar to Imola which is something we have to sort out.
"As for the second pit stop I engaged neutral and the engine just cut out. It could be that it is related to the new pit limiter system but we have yet to fully investigate it.
"In a way we are fighting with one hand tied behind our backs because we don't have enough wind tunnel time to sort out the handling of the car. Overall though I'm encouraged because we are moving in the right direction."

Gary Anderson, the team's technical director, summed it up: "Not a very good day at the office really."

  Pit Report

Coulthard delights Mercedes

David Coulthard had barely parked his McLaren after winning his home British Formula One Grand Prix when a telephone was thrust into his hand.
As he walked to the podium from the parc ferme, he heard the voice of a Mercedes director eager to congratulate the Scot for securing the first victory of the season for the Mercedes-powered team.
"Obviously it was very important for Mercedes to get a win again after the first three races being lost. He was very happy."

Last season McLaren won the drivers' title with Finland's Mika Hakkinen retaining the championship but lost the constructors' crown to Ferrari. They then made a disastrous start to the new millennium with neither driver finishing in Australia.
Coulthard was disqualified in Brazil after finishing second when his car failed a post-race technical inspection.
The team's first points came at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola this month when Hakkinen finished second and Coulthard third.
PREPARING TO CRY
McLaren also suffered a spate of mechanical failures and bad luck in 1999 and Coulthard revealed how much the lack of the team's much-vaunted reliability had begun to play on the drivers' nerves.
"I had such a long time to think about it while I was out there," he said of his second successive win at Silverstone. "I developed a small gearbox problem and I was preparing to cry in the car as I thought 'I don't need this.' But thankfully it held together."
Coulthard's victory last year was somewhat hollow as it came after Michael Schumacher crashed out at high speed and broke his leg and after Hakkinen then went out when a wheel worked loose.
To many it was an inherited victory but there was no question over Sunday's triumph, with Coulthard slipping past early leader Rubens Barrichello with a fine overtaking manoeuvre.
The Scot later compared it one of motor racing's classic overtaking manoeuvres -- Briton Nigel Mansell's passing of Brazilian Nelson Piquet at the 1987 British Grand Prix -- and confessed that he had even been thinking about it before he passed his own Brazilian rival.
UNHAPPY HAKKINEN, MONEY AND MOVES
Hakkinen, who said he had problems with the set-up of his car, was then shown a board telling him to take it easy for the remaining few laps as he began to reel in Coulthard.
Asked whether he would have been allowed to overtake Coulthard, the unhappy-looking Finn paused and then replied. "Maybe."
Pressed on whether there were any team orders, Hakkinen said: "I just said maybe. Let's leave it there."
Paddock rumours have suggested that McLaren have had contacts with Canadian Jacques Villeneuve for next season and that Coulthard could trade places with the former world champion at the BAR team.
Neither team has commented officially on the rumour mill but Coulthard, who joined McLaren from Williams and has been overshadowed by Hakkinen in his five years at the team, was asked after the win where it left him.
"I know what my contractual position is, I'm happy with that obviously I wouldn't have signed it," he replied.
"It's inevitable that the team are always going to look at who is available. I don't have a problem with that because obviously I need to look at what's available to me as well.
"If I win grands prix then of course my market value goes up and I get some more pennies to spend at the end of the year. If I don't it drops and then I look elsewhere. It's straightforward. There's no magic in it."

  Pit Report

Michael Schumacher says backed off from brother

Michael Schumacher showed some brotherly consideration at the British Grand Prix on Sunday by backing off in an early duel with his determined younger sibling Ralf.
The German, whose skill and uncompromising approach has won him two world championships, then left his other Formula One rivals in no doubt that he would have behaved differently with them.
Ralf repeatedly closed the door in his brother's face as the Ferrari driver -- who has famously collided with opponents in the past -- attempted to push past after dropping back to eighth place after the start.
Michael eventually found a way ahead as a result of his Italian team's one-stop strategy, compared to Ralf's Williams team's two-stops, and finished the race in third place with Ralf crossing the line fourth.
The points ensured the older brother remained 20 points clear in the championship after four races.
"We were tough to each other but actually I enjoy these things," said the Ferrari driver, whose title hopes vanished at Silverstone last year when he crashed and broke his leg on the first lap after the race had been flagged for a re-start.
PRAGMATIC APPROACH
Schumacher, who missed six races as a result of that accident, has said repeatedly that the memories of last year have no bearing on his state of mind at this season's race at Silverstone.
But, with three wins in the first three races of the season, he had clearly decided to stay calm and adopt a pragmatic approach to protecting his comfortable lead.
"I had a good fight with him (Ralf) for the first couple of corners. Then I really had to back off as we were going through Bridge because it would have been very, very tight and he seemed very keen to close the door," he said. "So I didn't want to risk having an off with my brother.
"Not being my brother, I would probably have reacted differently.
"But I didn't want to see my brother running into me. That would have caused some damage probably to me or to him. I didn't want to risk that. So obviously I backed off and gave him the run."

SLIPPERY START AND ANGER AT DINIZ
Schumacher said he had made a good start from the third row of the grid but had made a mistake in trying to cut through on the grass.
"I had the opportunity to go through the middle but there were so many cars they didn't seem to be opening any door.
"So I tried the opportunity to go through the grass which normally should have worked but after so much rain in the last days the grass was so wet that I was just slipping there with wheelspin and going nowhere."

The German was then blocked successfully by Canada's former world champion Jacques Villeneuve in the BAR.
"I remember the race that (Jean) Alesi did for Ferrari being in ninth place and fighting, fighting and nothing happened at the end. I was wondering whether I was going to experience a similar thing," he said.
That threat eventually evaporated but Schumacher was critical of other drivers who he felt had baulked him when he tried to lap them.
"I had a very bad time in traffic. There was a couple of guys, in particular Pedro (Diniz)...I don't know how many blue flags he got and no reaction at all.
"It cost me a lot of time this period because it was about six cars I was fighting with and trying to get by.
The Brazilian Sauber driver said later that he had not seen Schumacher because he had lost his mirror on the first lap.

  Pit Report

Button impresses again with fifth place

Briton Jenson Button on Sunday continued to cause a stir on the Formula One circuit by finishing a strong fifth in his home Grand Prix for the Williams team.
Just 24 hours after grabbing his best qualifying position in his four races so far, the 20-year-old newcomer delivered another stunning performance.
"It is amazing to get two points on my first F1 race here," said an estactic Button, who became the youngest driver to claim a championship point after finishing sixth in Brazil last month following the disqualification there of fellow Briton David Coulthard, the winner of Sunday's race.
"To think that a year ago I was camped out in a motorhome in the middle of the circuit and only went down to Stowe to watch the last couple of laps -- it is pretty amazing.
"I remember thinking that I might be testing in the week leading up to the race, but that was it."

The Somerset-born driver overcame his nerves as he made a blistering start from the grid to head Michael Schumacher, his boyhood hero who started beside him on the third row, at the first corner.
"The best bit was the start, getting in front of Michael on the first corner and then going three abreast," said Button who now has three championship points. "Michael was on the outside, then Mika (Hakkinen) and then me.
IN BETWEEN TWO CHAMPIONS
"It was a great feeling to be there, sitting in the middle of the two double world champions. Hopefully we will have some more of that! Following Mika for so long was awesome and I was definitely learning things all the time."

Button's only shaky moment during the 60-laps race was when he entered the pits for the second time complaining of an exhaust problem.
"I was a bit worried, but after the pit stop, the exhaust finally blew. It deafened me, but then it all felt better. I didn't stop looking behind me after that."

Button thanked the thousands of fans who flocked to the Silverstone circuit for the race after Saturday's qualifying day was washed out by horrendous weather conditions.
"The crowd definitely helped. I was really aware of them, especially in the last couple of laps. I was easing off then and I could hear all the commotion. It was an amazing feeling and after the chequered flag, with David winning as well, everyone was on a high."

  Pit Report

British Grand Prix result

Result of Sunday's British Grand Prix motor race:

Race distance 60 laps (308.356 kph)
1. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren One hour 28 minutes and 50.108 seconds (Average speed 208.326 Kph)
2. Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren 1.477 seconds behind
3. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 19.917
4. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 41.312
5. Jenson Button (Britain) Williams 57.759
6. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Jordan 1:19.273
7. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Benetton 1 lap
8. Mika Salo (Finland) Sauber 1 lap
9. Alexander Wurz (Austria) Benetton 1 lap
10. Jean Alesi (France) Prost 1 lap
11. Pedro Diniz (Brazil) Sauber 1 lap
12. Johnny Herbert (Britain) Jaguar 1 lap
13. Eddie Irvine (Britain) Jaguar 1 lap
14. Marc Gene (Spain) Minardi 1 lap
15. Gaston Mazzacane (Argentina) Minardi 1 lap
16. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 4 laps
17. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Jordan 6 laps

Not classified:
18. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Prost 51 laps
19. Ricardo Zonta (Brazil) BAR 36 laps
20. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 35 laps
21. Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) Arrows 26 laps
22. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Arrows 20 laps

  Pit Report

Formula one world championship standings

Formula one world championship motor racing standings after Sunday's British Grand Prix:

Drivers' championship:
1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 34 points
2. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 14
3. Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren 12
4= Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 9
4= Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 9
6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Benetton 8
7. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 5
8= Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Jordan 4
8= Jarno Trulli (Italy) Jordan 4
10. Jenson Button (Britain) Williams 3
11= Ricardo Zonta (Brazil) BAR 1
11= Mika Salo (Finland) Sauber 1

Constructors' championship:
1. Ferrari 43 points
2. McLaren 26
3. Williams 12
4= Benetton 8
4= Jordan 8
6. BAR 6
7. Sauber 1

  Pit Report

Coulthard wins again in McLaren one-two

David Coulthard won his home British Grand Prix for the second year in a row on Sunday and handed McLaren their first win of the Formula One season with a one-two finish.
The Scot's victory also ended the run of three successive wins for Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, who finished third behind Coulthard's team mate and world champion Mika Hakkinen.
The Williams duo of Ralf Schumacher and 20-year-old Briton Jenson Button, in only his fourth race, finished fourth and fifth with Italian Jarno Trulli picking up the final point for Jordan.
Michael Schumacher continued to lead the world championship with 34 points with Coulthard moving up to second overall with 14.
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who had secured his first pole position for Ferrari on Saturday, spun and retired from the race on lap 35.
"I spun because of this hydraulic problem," he said. "It's very frustrating. I was winning the race, it was under control."

German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who had started on the front row alongside Barrichello and was second for the early part of the race, went out in the closing laps with a gearbox problem on his Jordan.

  Pit Report

Irvine to start in spare car

Eddie Irvine will start Sunday's British Grand Prix in the spare Jaguar after his regular car was damaged in a collision on Saturday.
"I'll use the spare car but it seems fine," he said. "But obviously my car had a better engine than the spare."

Irvine skidded off after four laps in Saturday's opening pre-qualifying practice session and banged into the stationary Williams of British compatriot Jenson Button as he came to a halt by the tyre wall.
The Northern Ireland driver, who joined Jaguar after finishing world championship runner-up last season with Ferrari, said the impact was not dangerous as he was travelling so slowly at the time.
But he was surprised by the amount of damage the impact did to the central "tub" of his car.
"It wrecked the tub which is amazing, to wreck a tub at that speed. It sort of says that the FIA test isn't quite strong enough," he said.
Sunday's race will be Jaguar's British Grand Prix debut and Silverstone's main straight is decked out in the team's green and white colours with a gleaming silver leaping Jaguar standing out over the team's hospitality centre in the paddock.
MUTED
But Irvine was distinctly muted about whether the fans, that Jaguar officials hope will form a "sea of green" in the stands, will have anything to cheer about.
He qualified ninth -- with team mate Johnny Herbert 14th -- and said the lack of testing, due to bad weather and time lost due to mechanical failures, was taking its toll.
Jaguar have yet to take a point and Irvine has finished just one race out of three so far.
"We've got to improve the car, we've got to improve the gear change, we've got to improve the engine. There's so many areas where what we have we're not optimising because we just don't get any testing.
"It's just impossible. We haven't had a chance really. Everywhere where we've been testing it's been raining and unpleasant and you just can't get ahead. We've different aerodynamics to try but we don't want to put them on because we haven't been able to do a proper back-to-back test.
"I believe we have a lot more to sort out than other teams...we have so many things that just aren't performing to the maximum.
Irvine said he at least felt fortunate that Jaguar had a lot of room for improvement and could see area where they could gain time.
He was confident big advances could be made in Spain where the next grand prix is to be held after England.
"I want to go to Barcelona and do comparisons. Try and get the optimum aero set-up, try and get the optimum mechanical set-up, try and get the optimum gear change, try and get the optimum engine settings, try and get the optimum differential settings. These things. we're nowhere.
"We haven't optimised anywhere. We did so much testing at Ferrari that you could optimise everything. We haven't had any proper testing this year because of weather or mechanical problems."

Irvine teaches Frentzen "dodgy" English
Eddie Irvine has helped Heinz-Harald Frentzen increase his English vocabulary but the German driver revealed on Saturday he was not sure whether the word he had acquired was suitable for polite conversation.
"The whole weekend was really dodgy from the weather," Frenten declared after qualifying his Jordan in the rain on the front row for Sunday's British Grand Prix.
"Dodgy? Where did you learn that word," he was asked.
"I think from Eddie. Eddie Irvine. Is that a bad word?" he replied, undoubtedly aware that some of the Jaguar driver's utterances are not always repeatable.
Frentzen also said that a telephone "conversation" with his 10-day-old daughter Lea had helped him to post a fast time.
"Just before qualifying I called home and asked what's up. Tanja gave the 'phone to Lea and she just said blabla. I don't know what that means but it probably was good luck," he said.

  Pit Report

Young Button alongside Schumacher on grid

Jenson Button fuelled the frenzy surrounding his arrival in Formula One on Saturday by again qualifying ahead of his team mate Ralf Schumacher to secure a place alongside Michael Schumacher on the British Grand Prix grid.
The 20-year-old, whose previous highest qualifying position was ninth in Brazil, overcame a frustrating morning after losing control of his Williams because of the wet conditions to finish the day sixth best.
It was a remarkable outcome after the Briton lost valuable set-up time ahead of afternoon qualifying and completed only four laps in the opening two free practice slots.
"The start of the day was very difficult," he said. "I lost all my testing time in the wet. But, I hoped that it would be dry in the afternoon and it was. I now feel very happy.
"I felt really low this morning because it was such a shame not to be able to get out much this morning. I couldn't do anything."

Button also out-qualified compatriots Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert in the Jaguars and will line up for the first time alongside his boyhood hero in the Ferrari. Schumacher was fifth.
"This has been a good afternoon and to be starting alongside Michael Schumacher is a great feeling," he continued. "I can't stop smiling now, quite a contrast from this morning.
"I'm not intimidated by being alongside Michael. It is great to be there. I just hope I'll be there with him at the end.
"Sixth on the grid is a great start. I have just got to keep that up and finish the race."

Button's performance was also the perfect response to speculation that his Williams team are to decide on his future soon, with Indy Car driver Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia waiting in the wings to replace him.
He has qualified ahead of his team mate twice in four attempts this season.
"The only pressure I felt was on myself today was the pressure that I was putting myself under."

  Pit Report

Barrichello gives Brazil a birthday present

Pedro Diniz announced a photocall on Saturday to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Brazil by Alvares Cabral, but his patriotic gesture was eclipsed by compatriot Rubens Barrichello.
While Diniz shunted his Sauber into a tyre wall in the day's first practice for Sunday's British Grand Prix, Barrichello produced his first pole for Ferrari in qualifying and enhanced his reputation as a wet weather specialist.
Diniz qualified 13th while the third Brazilian in Formula One, Ricardo Zonta, was 16th for BAR.
It was clear afterwards that the celebration of a distant date in Brazilian history was not foremost in Barrichello's mind.
With his team mate Michael Schumacher managing only the fifth fastest time in qualifying, Barrichello was more intent on making history as the first Brazilian to win a Formula One race for Ferrari.
"I'm pleased for Brazil's 500 years but I will not be celebrating tonight. I plan to give a better present tomorrow," he said when questioned on the anniversary.
Barrichello, whose seemingly fragile temperament has been questioned in the past, is a natural talent in the wet.
While other drivers, such as world champion Mika Hakkinen, have made no secret of their dislike of roaring through spray and splashing through puddles at Silverstone, Barrichello can see his chances improve as the clouds darken.
Saturday's pole was the third of his career and the other two were both secured as the heavens opened.
His first came in Belgium at Spa-Francorchamps in 1994 and was the Jordan team's first. His second was at Magny Cours in France last year and was the first for his former Stewart team.
Barrichello also grabbed attention in only the third race of his career, the European Grand Prix at Donington Park in 1993, when he ran second in a torrential downpour for much of the race behind his compatriot and great friend Ayrton Senna.
SMILING IN THE RAIN
"I enjoy. I enjoy very much. I like it. You don't know what's going to be next," Barrichello said of driving in the rain.
The Brazilian, who has spent years in Britain, knows the climate prefectly and is also an old hand at Silverstone.
"Thanks to my old two teams Jordan and Stewart I had a lot of miles here so I know the track quite well," he said.
Surprisingly, he was helped in qualifying by Hakkinen who moved over to let the Brazilian through while he was on a flying lap.
The Finn explained later that he had done so because he had gone wide earlier and had given up on setting a fast time on that lap.
Instead, he had decided to slow down because he knew there was traffic ahead and wanted it cleared before he tried to snatch pole.
"I thank Mika really because he was quite good," said Barrichello. "I saw him slowing down and the first thought was that he was going to spoil my lap but then he let me go and didn't even block me."

Barrichello started the season insisting that he was on level terms with Schumacher, an assertion that drew a wry smile from old hands in the paddock, but Sunday's race now offers a genuine chance for the Ferrari pecking order to be put to the test.
Schumacher has won the first three races of the season, with Barrichello second in Australia, retiring in Brazil and then finishing a disappointing fourth at the Sane Marino Grand Prix earlier this month.
But he insisted the last race was no fair test.
"People are saying now that Imola was horrible, but you cannot imagine how it is to be in a Formula One car without seat belts," he said.
"In the race I broke my seatbelt right at the start. I was having problems, my car was over-steering and I couldn't really touch the kerbs. I don't think Imola was bad, I left with three points and no seat belts."

  Pit Report

Silverstone still suitable British GP venue

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Saturday that the rain-hit British Grand Prix should stay at Silverstone despite the flooded car parks which resulted in the public being turned away.
Ecclestone said the circuit organisers had shown they were not as ~dozy~ as they had been in the past.
He suggested that they discuss the long term future of the race with the rival Brands Hatch circuit which has won a five-year contract to stage the event from 2002.
"It should stay here," Ecclestone said. "They have made a big effort which they've not done much of in the past.
"A few years ago they were a bit dozy but they've got their act together since. I hope Brands and Silverstone can get together and sort it out.
"It is something they could do in five minutes if they wanted to," he said.
Ecclestone's comments came on the day Silverstone and the police were turning away ticket-holders because of the waterlogged parking areas.

  Pit Report

Barrichello on pole for Ferrari

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, driving a Ferrari, grabbed the third pole position of his career on Saturday when he timed his run perfectly to head qualifying for Sunday's British Grand Prix.
Barrichello clocked a fastest time of one minute and 25.703 seconds to end up three-thousandths of a second ahead of German Heinz-Harald Frentzen in a Jordan.
Both men clocked their best times in the final seconds of a thrilling session watched by fewer than an estimated 10,000 fans following the organisers' decision to close the circuit to ticket holders because of flooded car parks.
Defending world champion Mika Hakkinen was third quickest in his McLaren -- just three-hundredths of a second slower than the Brazilian -- as the top drivers pushed hard for a time in the final minutes of the qualifying hour.
"I really must thank my previous British teams, Jordan and Stewart, for giving me so much running here in my career," said Barrichello after the sesssion. "I have not done a lot of dry running or testing here, but I know the track well from my old days.
"That was a big help to me and I am glad I had that chance today in a competitive car. Now, I am looking forward to the race very much."

The session was run in almost the only dry hour of the Grand Prix weekend so far but was followed by another rain storm which left the track flooded again.
Last year's winner, Briton David Coulthard in the second McLaren, wound up fourth fastest ahead of world championship leader Michael Schumacher of Germany, in the second Ferrari, and Briton Jenson Button in a Williams.
It was the best grid position of Button's brief career and boosted his hopes of claiming a points finish in his first home event.
Button's well-timed late run proved decisive as he clocked his time among a series of efforts by other drivers during a hectic final two minutes.
Frentzen had been quickest early in the session as the track dried out following all the rain and was followed by Barrichello before Coulthard, Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in a BAR-Honda and, briefly, Michael Schumacher, enjoyed posting the fastest lap time.
As it became clear that the dry line on the circuit would broaden, the teams became more daring on their choice of tyres and the lap times began tumbling. This saw Villeneuve go top again before Briton Eddie Irvine in his Jaguar took over.
But Irvine had gone out too early and he was left spectating in the final minutes as Jos Verstappen of the Netherlands, in his Arrows, clocked his fastest time, followed by Frentzen and then Barrichello.
It was a measure of the intensity of the late frenzied action that Verstappen ended up eighth on the grid as others clocked improved times in the final minute.

  Pit Report

Grid positions for British Grand Prix

Provisional grid positions for the British Grand Prix after Saturday's qualifying session:
1. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari one minute and 25.703 seconds
2. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Jordan 1:25.706
3. Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren 1:25.741
4. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:26.088
5. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:26.161
6. Jenson Button (Britain) Williams 1:26.733
7. Ralf Schumacher (Britain) Williams 1:26.786
8. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Arrows 1:26.793
9. Eddie Irvine (Britain) Jaguar 1:26.818
10. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 1:27.025
11. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Jordan 1:27.164
12. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Benetton 1:27.253
13. Pedro Diniz (Brazil) Sauber 1:27.301
14. Johnny Herbert (Britain) Jaguar 1:27.461
15. Jean Alesi (France) Prost 1:27.559
16. Ricardo Zonta (Brazil) BAR 1:27.772
17. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Prost 1:27.806
18. Mika Salo (Finland) Sauber 1:28.110
19. Pedo De La Rosa (Spain) Arrows 1:28.135
20. Alexander Wurz (Austria) Benetton 1:28.205
21. Marc Gene (Spain) Minardi 1:28.253
22. Gaston Mazzacane (Argentina) Minardi 1:29.174

  Pit Report

Love of Formula One drives unsung heroes

Shouting over the howl of a Formula One Ferrari, Silverstone marshal Andrew Hobman recalled how Michael Schumacher's car came hurtling towards him.
"So Schumacher's flying towards us down Hangar Straight at about 190 miles per hour (300 kph) and we see what looks like him locking up wheels. What's the first thing I did?"

"Run in the other direction, of course," he laughed as rain did it best to dampen the British Grand Prix's 50th birthday celebrations.
Hobman was first on the scene when Schumacher's Ferrari speared into the barriers at Stowe corner last year, leaving him with a broken leg and opening the way for Mika Hakkinen to clinch a second consecutive world title for McLaren.
"So I get to Schumacher and he's wriggling around trying to get out of the cockpit. He was probably panicking, being in a situation he hadn't been in before," Hobman said, recalling his biggest moment in 15 years of racetrack marshalling.
"I tried to calm him down but I had to pin him by the chest to keep him in the car, not knowing what his injuries were."

Hobman is one of hundreds of marshals at the British Grand Prix ready to wave warning flags, clear debris, extinguish fires and occasionally help drivers out of their wrcked cars.
They get paid a nominal five pounds ($7.90) for working three 10-hour days and rarely receive thanks for the work they do.
"I've dealt with some bad accidents," said Peter Berry, baring a patch on the chest on his fireproof suit which gives his name and blood group.
"You'll spend maybe 20 minutes with a driver, trying to cut him out of a car, getting to know him and then you'll see him later and he'll ignore you," Berry said.
"But we don't expect praise. We just do it because we love motor racing."

RAIN FAILS TO DAMPEN SPIRITS
At a rain-soaked Silverstone, where organisers were telling fans not to come for Saturday qualifying because the car parks were waterlogged, the marshals' campsite was sinking into the mud. But spirits reamined high.
"In the damp conditions you can really see who's up for it," he said.
"Schumacher's the best at the moment but all the marshals will tell you they can do better than the drivers."

For the men huddled behind crash barriers in fluorescent jackets a few minutes fame proves elusive even when millions of television viewers have seen you talking to Michael Schumacher in his stricken Ferrari.
"We were all wearing orange suits and sunglasses," Hobman said of Schumacher's crash at a sunny Silverstone last July. "Even my own mother didn't recognise me."

  Pit Report

Hakkinen fastest after final free practice

World champion Mika Hakkinen was fastest after Saturday's final free practice for the British Formula One Grand Prix, ahead of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher.
Britons Eddie Irvine, in a Jaguar, and Williams driver Jenson Button skidded out in close proximity in the first session and neither ventured back on to a rain soaked track for the final practice before official qualifying later.
Hakkinen took his McLaren round in a fastest time of one minute 33.132 seconds. Schumacher clocked 1:33.360.
David Coulthard, winner here last year, was third fastest in 1:33.414 while Schumacher's team mate Rubens Barrichello was fourth quickest in 1:33.587.
Button and Irvine managed only four laps of a slippery first session and were left with the slowest times.
The 20-year-old Williams driver spun off backwards into the gravel trap at Luffield corner and was followed a second or two later by Irvine whose Jaguar banged the side of the stationary Williams.
The Sauber of Pedro Diniz skidded and went spinning at Club corner in the opening session, hitting the tyre barrier.
Thousands of fans were already camping at the track and more walked for lengthy distances through the rain in the early hours after police set up roadblocks to prevent the public getting through by car.
On Friday organisers told fans not to drive to the circuit because of waterlogged and closed car parks.

  Pit Report

Canny Coulthard goes shoeless in the rain

Wet conditions brought out the canny side of David Coulthard on Friday as well as concern about the dangers of Formula One cars skidding at speed in the rain.
Briton Coulthard, last year's British Grand Prix winner in July sunshine, removed his shoes and trudged across the muddy grass in his socks after his McLaren broke down at the end of Hanger straight during a rainsoaked second free practice session at Silverstone.
"I took my shoes off because I buy the boots and the team pays for the socks so I'd rather ruin the socks," he joked afterwards.
Team boss Ron Dennis savoured the comment, adding only -- in a jibe at the thrifty reputation of Coulthard's compatriots -- that "the one thing you forgot to add was that you are a Scot."

The bad weather also raised far more serious issues, with questions being asked about the safety of driving in such conditions and about the ability of marshalls to react promptly in an emergency.
A four-wheel drive rescue vehicle was bogged down in the mud as it tried to move Coulthard's car away and had to be pulled out itself.
TREACHEROUS TRACK
Cars roared past on a treacherous track before the session was stopped for 12 minutes to allow both vehicles to be moved safely.
"It's a bit ridiculous, a recovery vehicle getting stuck in the grass but I'm not going to be worrying about that going into the race," said Coulthard at a news conference after the session.
Sunday's race has been brought forward in the calendar from its traditional July date and organisers are facing big problems due to bad weather leaving surrounding facilities waterlogged.
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, the two times world champion who crashed and broke his leg here last year, said the conditions made it "almost impossible to drive and also dangerous".
"I would suggest to the FIA that when the weather is like this the safety car should be used in practice as well as the race," he said.
"I had a problem with aquaplaning and it was impossible to see what was going on in front or to judge the distance to other cars ahead.
"The big problem here is that the rain does not drain away quickly enough. Today's session was almost useless in terms of setting up the car."

AQUAPLANING A CONCERN FOR COULTHARD
Coulthard defended Silverstone's safety record but said aquaplaning, when a car hits water on the road surface and loses grip suddenly, was a real concern for Formula One drivers in the wet.
"I think aquaplaning is a really serious issue of which nothing will really be done about it until there is a serious accident," he warned.
"That's usually the way these things work.
"It's not comfortable for any of us, we all do it because we all want to win races but really to be going along the straight not knowing whether the car is going to stay in a straight line or not is very difficult."

Brazilian Ricardo Zonta, who had a huge crash in testing at Silverstone last week, spun off the track on Friday in his BAR and blamed aquaplaning for the incident.
"The conditions, particularly this afternoon, were very difficult," he said. "They seemed to change every run that we made."

Coulthard agreed that altering the wooden plank that every grand prix car has underneath it to control ride height and help limit speeds could offer a way of reducing the problem.
"I think that's been the issue since the Japanese Grand Prix of 1994 ... I remember watching Johnny (Herbert) spinning at the start/finish straight there and I'm sure the plank acts like a rudder," he said.
Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn confirmed that the plank and alterations to the ride height of cars had been "the subject of some discussion" at technical meetings.
"One of the things we are looking at is to perhaps put some grooves in the plank because we feel it could be the plank which is aggravating the situation," he said.
"We are due to test that in the next month or two to see if we can improve the aquaplaning situation with a view to making a change in the regulations perhaps next year."

  Pit Report

Frentzen fastest in rain-hit practice

Heinz-Harald Frentzen headed the times on Friday after rain-hit opening free practice for Sunday's British Grand Prix.
The Jordan driver clocked a best lap of one minute 27.683 seconds on a day of intermittent heavy showers and brief sunny intervals.
He was 0.4 of second quicker than Eddie Irvine in a Jaguar with David Coulthard third in a McLaren.
"Today, we had a good day and we did a good job," Frentzen said. "It is hard to know if we can maintain this throughout the weekend, but it is certainly a good start.
"It was a perfect day because we were fastest and also because we ran in all sorts of different conditions. The weather was no surprise to me. We know from testing that can have all four seasons in a single day here at Silverstone," he added.
Coulthard's team mate Mika Hakkinen was fourth ahead of Jarno Trulli in the second Jordan, with Jacques Villeneuve sixth in his BAR-Honda.
Coulthard's progress was handicapped when his car ran off the circuit and, as he attempted to steer it back on he appeared to lose power.
A rescue vehicle tried to collect the stranded car but it became stuck in the mud. The session had to be stopped for 12 minutes so the McLaren could be pulled clear.
"From a driver's point of view it is very dangerous and you just cannot see," Coulthard said.
World championship leader Michael Schumacher and other drivers also warned heavy rain could turn Sunday's race into a dangerous lottery.
"In these conditions, it is almost impossible to drive and it is also dangerous," Schumacher said. "I would suggest to the International Automobile Association that when the weather is like this the Safety Car should be used in practice as well as the race."

Schumacher ignored the rush to clock a decent time and contented himself with preparation work on his Ferrari. But later he admitted the session was "almost useless in terms of setting up the car".
The German wound up in 21st place in the session, ahead of Britain's 1995 winner Johnny Herbert, in a Jaguar.
Silverstone and the police issued a statement asking spectators with tickets for Saturday not to travel to Silverstone by car because the car-parks were flooded and would be closed.

  Pit Report

British Grand Prix practice times

Provisional leading times after Friday's free practice session for Sunday's British Grand Prix motor race:
1. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Jordan one minute and 27.683 seconds (average speed 211.073 kph)
2. Eddie Irvine (Britain) Jaguar 1:28.169
3. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:28.525
4. Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren 1:28.659
5. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Jordan 1:28.705
6. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 1:28.845
7. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 1:29.083
8. Alexander Wurz (Austria) Benetton 1:29.111
9. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Benetton 1:29.214
10. Marc Gene (Spain) Minardi 1:29.537
11. Jenson Button (Britain) Williams 1:29.775
12. Pedro Diniz (Brazil) Sauber 1:30.214
13. Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) Arrows 1:30.279
14. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Arrows 1:30.313
15. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 1:30.593
16. Mika Salo (Finland) Sauber 1:30.643
17. Jean Alesi (France) Prost 1:30.656
18. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Prost 1:31.006
19. Gaston Mazzacane (Argentina) Minardi 1:31.250
20. Ricardo Zonta (Brazil) BAR 1:31.322
21. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:36.425
22. Johnny Herbert (Britain) Jaguar 1:39.690

  Pit Report

Jordan shrugs off joker tag to enter big time

Eddie Jordan, the millionaire boss of the Jordan Formula One team, loves both his children and his drivers, the difference being that his kids get only five pounds ($7.90) a week pocket money.
"I still close my eyes at night and hear myself saying to my kids "here's five pounds a week" and then I go to the office and I am talking about five million pounds for this and three million for that," Jordan said.
In nine years as a Formula One team boss, Jordan has gone from the back of the grid to one of the front-line contenders for glory.
Last season, his team finished third in the constructors' championship, but he was still struggling to fight off the image that he is just a joker.
"I've never thought this was a joke -- and that is what has made me doubly determined to do it. All I'm doing is trying to deflect, it's a very Irish way to lure them into a trap for not taking you seriously," Jordan said.
"When people look down the grid and think how the hell is he there? That's what gives me the buzz."

THE IMPORTANT THING IS DRIVERS, DRIVERS AND DRIVERS
For Jordan business revolves around drivers.
Many F1 drivers, including Damon Hill, Eddie Irvine, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Michael and Ralf Schumacher, Johnny Herbert and Rubens Barrichello, have driven for Jordan or had him as their manager.
Frentzen and Irvine are particular favourites.
"I would describe Heinz-Harald Frentzen as very calm, reserved, not introverted, but very much his own person," he said.
"You know, I was quite lucky. When he was a young driver in 1990, I had another young driver who was Irish called Eddie Irvine in my F3000 team."

And Jordan appears to take time to get to know his drivers insisting that the Jordan atmosphere encourages young drivers to develop their talent and personality rather than "cloning" them.
"Poor old Heinz was totally engrossed by Eddie. I got a good insight into Heinz and he had a very funny side to him which took a while to come out," Jordan said.
HILL "COULDN'T GIVE UP"
Damon Hill, who quit Jordan at the end of a tortuous 1999 season which was punctuated by constant suggestions that he would retire before the season ended, also remains at the forefront of Jordan's mind.
"I knew Damon. He had four kids and he was coming close to 40," said Jordan.
"He had a fantastic innings and he won 22 Grands Prix and, thankfully, he won for Jordan and it wasn't all for Williams! He couldn't give up motor racing," Jordan added.
Hill had a dismal season in 1999 in which he was comprehensively outscored by Frentzen. But the 1998 season was more of a success.
"He was great in 1998. A huge benefit to the team and he scored a lot of points," Jordan said.
Jordan was less complimentary about the Schumacher brothers.
"Ralf was advised by his brother that he should wind up at Williams because Jordan were really not going to progress. That, naturally, offended me. But I am glad to say that Ralf's move was in breach of contract and Michael had to pay handsomely for that particular thing to happen."

This weekend Frentzen will partner another Jordan wonderkid, Italian Jarno Trulli at the British Grand Prix.

  Pit Report

April is wrong for British race says Schumacher

Michael Schumacher on Thursday added his voice to criticism of the decision to switch this year's British Formula One Grand Prix from July to April.
"It is not the right time to be here, honestly," he said at a news conference on a wet and blustery afternoon.
Team owner Frank Williams meanwhile said he was confident that the race would revert next year to the traditional July date it has occupied over the past 50 years.
"I am confident it won't happen again but you can never be certain, It depends on how the politics are swinging," he said.
No official reason has been given for the change of date but many observers have linked it to disagreements between the powers that be at Silverstone and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Team owner Eddie Jordan agreed that holding the race at the end of April, with weather reports predicting rain, was disappointing.
"Let's be very clear about this, no-one wants to go racing, bring guests and sponsors to any race irrespective of where that race is if the weather is not conducive to what our business is about.
"The reason we go to Australia and Brazil in March is chasing the weather. Coming to Silverstone at the end of April is basically hazardous."

  Pit Report

Williams says Button has exceeded expectations

Team boss Frank Williams said 20-year-old Jenson Button had impressed after three races in Formula One but refused to comment on Thursday on his future as concern grew about the increasing hype around the British driver.
"He has exceeded our expectations," Williams told a news conference ahead of Sunday's British Grand Prix, while refusing to be drawn on whether Button would remain at Williams in 2001.
Colombian Indy Car champion Juan Pablo Montoya was unavailable when the team were looking for a replacement for underperforming Italian Alex Zanardi in January but is expected to be in the frame for next season.
"There is no need to make a decision today," said Williams. "I hesitate to elaborate very much as he's (Button's) been talked and written about excessively."

Button, the youngest driver ever to score a Formula One point when he took sixth place in Brazil following McLaren driver David Coulthard's disqualification, will be the focus of most of the local media attention at Silverstone this weekend.
However, that has caused some concern at Williams, with technical director Patrick Head quoted on Thursday -- the day after Button launched a new range of branded sports wear in London's Leicester Square -- as saying that the youngster needed more protection than he was getting.
"I suppose this is motor racing's equivalent of the Spice Girls," Head said in the Guardian newspaper. "It is certainly not driven by us here at the team. I suppose you could say it's all a little unfortunate and driven by hype but that's the way it is.
"Formula One is the equivalent of the pop music industry and Jenson is the new arrival. Johnny Herbert, David Coulthard and Eddie Irvine have to accept that the media has finished examining them and moved on.
"But I feel his management needs to give some thought towards protecting the 20-year-old from all this hype, particularly when Jenson is in the position that he has nothing substantive in terms of results to back it up."

Button did not finish his first race in Australia and also retired from the last one at Imola this month.

  Pit Report

Drivers relieved by u-turn on pit speed limiters

Top drivers expressed relief on Thursday that Formula One's ruling body had reversed a ban on devices limiting the speed of cars in the pit lane during races.
"The speed limiter is back for the pit lane. This was the biggest worry for us," said Ferrari's Michael Schumacher at a news conference ahead of Sunday's British Grand Prix.
"All the drivers are quite happy with having that back. It just keeps our eyes where they should be - on the circuit."

Jaguar's British driver Eddie Irvine also agreed that the u-turn had reduced the risk of drivers entering or leaving the pit lane without concentrating on the dangers around them.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) last month ordered teams to make technical changes before this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone in a clampdown on engine management systems and electronic devices suspected of assisting illegal traction control.
"Car speed in the pit lane must be regulated solely and directly by the driver, as it is when the car is on the track," the FIA said.
However, drivers, used to careering around at up to 200 mph, were concerned about their ability to drive safely at lower speeds.
They protested that the ban on pit lane speed limiters would increase the dangers, with the risk of cars coming into or leaving the pits with drivers concentrating on their instruments instead of looking out for mechanics and other cars.
Drivers risk a 10 second time penalty if they exceed an 80 kph (50 mph) pit lane speed limit during the race, a difficult restriction to meet without electronic assistance as the engines are not designed to be run at slow speeds.
The FIA has now agreed, after the teams tested at Silverstone last week, to allow the continued use of speed limiters while demanding certain modifications.
These include rewiring to ensure that the fuel-filler caps open and the red rear light flashes when the limiters are activated.


SCHUMACHER SAYS SAFETY IMPROVED

Schumacher broke his leg in a dramatic crash at Silverstone last July and he said the track had been made safer since his Ferrari plunged across the gravel trap and into a tyre wall.
Safety came very much to the forefront again last week when Brazilian Ricardo Zonta suffered an horrific accident in testing.
Zonta lost a wheel and somersaulted over a safety fence at the same Stowe corner where Schumacher had crashed.
The Brazilian walked away with a cut finger but was quoted as saying in the British weekly Autosport magazine on Thursday that the accident was a "near-miss tragedy" and that gravel traps should be expanded and the public moved further back from the track.
"We need to move the grandstands back. Where I landed there could have been marshals," he said.
Schumacher said the tyre wall at Stowe had been heightened and strengthened and improvements made elsewhere as well.
He said the gravel traps had also been modified after it was discovered that the surfaces were uneven in places.
The German added that the type of accident he suffered last year "could have happened at any corner, at any circuit, at any time".

  Pit Report

Safety first at British Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher and Ricardo Zonta, both victims of major crashes at the same Silverstone bend, return to the circuit this weekend for the British Grand Prix.
Race organisers have extended the tyre wall at Stowe corner, scene of Schumacher's broken leg in last year's race and Brazilian Zonta's accident in testing last week.
Other safety measures were already in place before Zonta's BAR took off, cleared fencing and smashed across a concrete retaining wall into an enclosure. The driver escaped with only a cut finger.
Schumacher's Ferrari suffered a brakes failure at Stowe last July and the double world champion spent much of the rest of the season on the sidelines.
Zonta's accident affected Schumacher more than his own. ~I was more emotional about seeing Zonta's crash than remembering what happened to me on that corner,~ he said last week in a call, now heeded, for further safety improvements.
Schumacher, unbeaten in the three races to date this season, has established a vice-like grip on the championship as he tries to give Ferrari a first world drivers' title in 21 years.
Mika Hakkinen has only six points to Schumacher's 30 and needs to turn the tide in his McLaren if he is to hang on to his crown.
But Schumacher knows that another win in this year's British race, being staged three months earlier than usual, would be a repeat of his feat in his first title-winning year of 1994 when he took the opening four events.
"I really believe we have a great chance of getting pole position here in qualifying and then winning the race," said Schumacher last week after impressing in testing. "The times prove it to all of us.
"But I am not making any predictions, not at this early stage in the season. I have been around long enough to know the game is not over yet by a long way.~

Hakkinen has taken pole in all three races but victory remains elusive. His McLaren is regarded as the quickest, but Ferrari with Schumacher in the cockpit appear to have a stronger racing and tactical package.
Both Schumacher's team mate Rubens Barrichello and McLaren's David Coulthard, last year's winner, should have some influence on the outcome.
Williams could shine in the improbable event of failure by both Ferrari and McLaren because their Silverstone record is impressive. Like McLaren, they regard the circuit as 'home' and have won there 10 times to Ferrari's 11.
A surprise victor would certainly not be unusual at Silverstone where Hakkinen has yet to triumph and Schumacher has won only once, in 1998. In 1994 he was stripped of a possible triumph by a black flag and disqualification.
In recent years, the British race has gone to Coulthard, fellow Britons Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. It it rarely predictable.

  Pit Report

Herbert dismisses Jaguar "axe" rumours

Briton Johnny Herbert has dismissed rumours suggesting he could be replaced at Jaguar after this weekend's British Formula One Grand Prix.
"(Jaguar chairman) Neil Ressler said to me...that he knows nothing about it and they are fully behind me, that they understand the problems that I have been going through," the veteran driver said.
"Neil said to me 'We saw the problems which you had last year and you came back and you actually won a race for us," added the 35-year-old.
Britain's Autosport magazine ran a story last week with the headline "Herbert faces axe after Silverstone GP", reporting that the Briton was set to be replaced by Jaguar's Brazilian test driver Luciano Burti.
It quoted a source close to the team as saying that Burti had been stopped from racing in Formula 3000 this season in case of just such an eventuality.
Herbert, who has struggled to get on the pace in race qualifying and has had scant track time in testing as a result of mechanical problems with his car, said he was happy that was not the case.
"The main thing for me is what Neil says," he said.
"He's the guy who's doing it, he sees what goes on, he knows the problems that we've got and he knows that I've gone through a bit of a hard time with problems and reliability," he said.
EARLY SEASON DIFFICULTIES
Herbert, who won the British Grand Prix while at Benetton in 1995, failed to finish his first two races of the season and was 10th in San Marino this month.
Team mate Eddie Irvine also failed to finish the first two races but was seventh at Imola.
Herbert also had problems at Stewart, the team replaced by Jaguar, last season before coming good towards the end of the season and winning the European Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring -- the first and only win by the Stewart team.
Last season's British Grand Prix was dominated by the suspense of whether or not Briton Damon Hill would call it a day immediately afterwards.
In the end, he continued to the end of the season.
Herbert agreed that, as the oldest Briton in Formula One who was reaching the end of his career, the media might have been looking for another Hill type situation.
He conceded that Silverstone might indeed prove to be his last British Grand Prix. "It may be, but again it all depends how it ends up at the end of the year," he said.
The driver also talked on Wednesday of a possible future racing in America But said he had no intention of retiring from racing after his Formula One career was over.
"As far as racing goes, no. I will remain here or even in America maybe in the future.
"(Indycar) is one thing I have always looked at but at the moment I am very concentrated on what I am doing in Formula One. I want to do well in Formula One."

  Pit Report

Testing news

FERRARI: MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BACK AT SILVERSTONE
Michael Schumacher returned to Silverstone on Thursday for the first time since his accident in last year's British Grand Prix. He was taking over from Rubens Barrichello who had set fastest lap in wet conditions on Tuesday and Michael also managed Thursday's fastest lap in the Ferrari F1-2000 of 1m 25.82s - half a second quicker than Frentzen. Michael was working on British GP set-up and meanwhile test driver Luca Badoer was running at Fiorano on Tuesday and Wednesday and then on the high speed Vairano circuit to check out wind tunnel developments. He is still running there today (Friday).

McLAREN: MIX AND MATCH
The McLaren-Mercedes team mixed and matched their drivers between one of the current MP4/15 chassis and their interim development car at Silverstone this week. On Tuesday Olivier Panis ran the development car and posted third fastest time on 1m 36.30s in the wet while on Wednesday both the team's regular drivers took over, David Coulthard surviving a spin on his installation lap going into the Hangar Straight and Mika Hakkinen spinning just before the pit straight. Hakkinen finished Wednesday third fastest on 1m 30.26s with Coulthard eighth on 1m 31.18s. This was also one of the first wet weather tests for the new MP4/15 and much work was carried out on the revised electronics required from the British Grand Prix. On Thursday Panis rejoined to test with Hakkinen, the Finn setting third fastest time on 1m 26.277s while Panis managed 1m 26.932s. Coulthard will return to Silverstone today (Friday) to continue testing alongside the Frenchman.

BENETTON: WURZ STARTS ON AERODYNAMICS
Alexander Wurz began the Benetton-Playlife team's four day Silverstone test on Tuesday working on wet weather set-up and tyre comparisons in addition to a new aerodynamic package. Giancarlo Fisichella joined in the programme in the afternoon. Wurz finished the day fourth fastest on 1m 36.86s with Fisichella completing only nine laps for a 1m 37.62s best. "This was the first time I had run in the wet and the car feels good in these conditions," said Wurz. On Wednesday Wurz set third fastest time (1m 30.98s) and Fisichella was sixth (1m 31.02s). The team continued its aerodynamic work and also carried out development work on engine software, the track being wet in the morning but drying out in the afternoon. "It is diffcult to do consistent work when the weather is changing so much," said Wurz. On Thursday the team was finally able to run a dry set-up, Fisichella (1m 26.58s) and Wurz (1m 26.69s) winding up seventh and eighth fastest. Both drivers will remain at Silverstone to test today (Friday).

JORDAN: TRULLI JOINED BY FRENTZEN
Jarno Trulli started testing for the Jordan Mugen-Honda team at Silverstone on Tuesday and was joined by team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen the following day. On Tuesday Trulli covered 32 laps driving chassis EJ10/06 for the first time, concentrating on running of the new engine software to comply with FIA regulations. His best time was 1m 35.84s. On Wednesday Trulli completed 43 laps (best 1m 36.80s) before being obliged to stop with electrical problems. Frentzen, however, managed to test in both wet and dry conditions, managing 1m 31.05s, seventh fastest on the day. On Thursday Frentzen completed 66 laps for a best of 1m 25.88s(second) concentrating mainly on car evaluation and set-up work. Trulli, who will remain on his own to continue testing today, managed a 1m 27.62s before being stopped by gearbox problems.

WILLIAMS: BUTTON OPENS ON FIRST DAY
Jenson Button undertook the first day of this week's Silverstone test on his own at the wheel of the Williams-BMW team, the 20-year old grappling with heavy rain and cold coonditions. He managed a total of 17 laps for a best time of 1m 36.878s, fifth fastest on the day. "I enjoy driving Silverstone," he said, "but today was quite challenging at times with a lot of surface water around, mostly down the fast straights." On Wednesday Ralf Schumacher took as conditions progressively dried out on in the afternoon, he went quickest on 1m 30.279s. "The car feels quite good around Silverstone," said the German driver. "We mustn't read too much into testing times, but I feel quite positive in the run-up to the race." By contrast, his team-mate Jenson Button was frustrated by engine problems and managed only 16 laps during the day, failing to break the 1m 37s bracket. On Thursday Ralf Schumacher(1m 26.324s) and Jenson Button(1m 26.554s) were third and fourth fastest. Both were generally pleased with the handling of the cars and Button was relieved not to suffer any specific problems. "The drier weather certainly allowed for a better day's testing," said Senior Operations Engineer James Robinson. The team will continue testing today (Friday).

BRITISH AMERICAN RACING: ZONTA ESCAPES HUGE ACCIDENT
Ricardo Zonta escaped with only a scratched finger from a very serious accident in which his British American 02 was completely written off. While running with a Honda development engine he crashed heavily at Stowe corners, probably due to broken right front suspension. Craig Pollock commented; "We take this incident very seriously indeed because one thing we at British American Racing will never do is take unnecessary risks with human life. As a result, there will be absolutely no further running by any of our cars or drivers until we fully understand what happened this morning."

SAUBER: DINIZ DRIVES FIRST TWO DAYS
Pedro Diniz began testing for the Sauber-Petronas team on Tuesday with the intention of covering a full race distance with the new aerodynamic configuration tested during practice and qualifying at Imola. On the first day Diniz did little more than shakedown his car on the wet circuit, posting a best lap of 1m 38.53s. On Wednesday Diniz was joined by his team-mate Mika Salo, the Brazilian managing 1m 31.92s while Salo only did a 1m 36.97s. "I didn't do many laps today due to a transmission oil leak," said Salo, "but I thought that the car felt well balanced running on dry tyres." On Thursday the improved weather conditions allowed the C19s to have a much more profitable programme. Diniz managed a 1m 27.18s best for ninth fastest with Salo 14th (1m 28.64s) after having to stop for a routine engine change during the course of the day.

JAGUAR: ROUTINE TESTS CONTINUE
The Jaguar team spent the Silverstone test concentrating on aerodynamic developments and ensuring that the new electronic systems required by the FIA for the British Grand Prix were functioning satisfactorily. The team happily reported no further problems with the Cosworth CR-2 V10 engine and on Tuesday Eddie Irvine (1m 37.26s) and Johnny Herbert (1m 37.46s) wound up eighth and ninth fastest. On Wednesday they did 1m 33.72s and 1m 33.17s respectively, not pushing hard in the predominantly wet conditions, and on Thursday Irvine went back ahead again on 1m 27.71s to Herbert's 1m 27.92s, both drivers concentrating on working out race set-ups in the now-dry conditions.

PROST: PROBLEMS PREVENT A SIMULATION
The Prost-Peugeot team went to Silverstone with Nick Heidfeld on Wednesday when they were intending to attempt a race simulation, but he suffered hydraulic problems. Then on Thursday his efforts were thwarted by fuel pressure troubles and Jean Alesi is scheduled to take over the test today (Friday).

ARROWS: DE LA ROSA LOOKS PROMISING
Both Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa were on hand at Silverstone for the whole week's testing in the Arrows A21s, the Spaniard starting on Tuesday with routine development testing and setting a best time of 1m 37.05s. Verstappen joined him on Wednesday, setting the team's best time of the day in 1m 31.63s. In the drier conditions on Thursday de la Rosa was extremely encouraged with the car's performance and set a 1m 26.53s best in amongst the Williams-BMWs. Verstappen managed a 1m 28.03s.

MINARDI: BOTH DRIVERS AT SILVERSTONE
The Minardi team attended the Silverstone test with both Marc Gene and Gaston Mazzacane. Gene did most of the test which concentrated on developing the new electronic software required by the FIA. Mazzacane is expected to run today (Friday).