Austrian GP Ferrari race notes

Zeltweg, 25th July

Eddie Irvine: first, 1:28.12.438, 71 laps Mika Salo: ninth, one lap behind

Jean Todt "Today we have seen the right response from Eddie and the team to the situation we find ourselves in at the moment. We said we would not give up and this proves we did not. As usual, actions speak louder than words. It was a shame for Salo that he collided with Herbert, because he could have scored important points for the Constructors' Championship. There is still a long way to go"

Eddie Irvine "I knew qualifying did not represent our true performance and because of that and the right strategy I was able to win. I have proved I can do the job. In the early stages, I was having to watch my fuel, but then I really made up time before my pit-stop. The smoke from my car towards the end of the race was probably coming from my brain because I had to think about so many things - the fuel, the brakes, the tyres. It was not just a case of driving. I had understeer on my second set of tyres but it got better after a while. Then I eased off a bit to look after the brakes, but Coulthard caught me quicker than I expected and I had to push very hard again and forget about my brake problems. I wished the chequered flag would come sooner. At last week's Monza test we made a big step forward in terms of running on high speed tracks, so know I am confident for Hockenheim."

Mika Salo "I am not happy within my race result, however my speed over the weekend was okay, even though I made a couple of mistakes. I made a good start, but I had to protect my position at the first corner. Then at the second corner, with the accident in front, the whole pack slowed down, but I was carrying a bit too much speed and hit Herbert from behind. During the race, I seemed to have a lack of straight line speed which made overtaking difficult. On the plus side, I learned a lot today and at the next race in Hockenheim, I know that I have to score points to help Ferrari in the championship. Now that I have more experience with the car I think that is possible. I am really happy for Eddie."

Chassis: Mika Salo 195, Eddie Irvine 191 Temperatures: air 16C, track 24C