Belgian GP Team Lotus weekend summary

Team Lotus Press Release - 29 August 1994

TEAM LOTUS powered by Mugen Honda

FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

        GRAND PRIX  BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
           CIRCUIT  SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
              DATE  SUNDAY 28 AUGUST 1994
    JOHNNY HERBERT  13TH - FASTEST LAP 2:00.605
    PHILIPPE ADAMS  DNF - FASTEST LAP 2:06.759

RACE RESULT 1st Hill Williams 2nd Hakkinen McLaren 3rd Verstappen Benetton 4th Coulthard Williams 5th Blundell Tyrrell 6th Morbidelli Footwork 7th Panis Ligier 8th Martini Minardi 9th Alboreto Minardi 10th Bernard Ligier 11th Gounon Simtek 12th Herbert Team Lotus

CONSTRUCTORS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 1st Benetton 85 pts 2nd Williams 62 pts 3rd Ferrari 52 pts 4th McLaren 23 pts 5th Jordan 14 pts 6th Tyrrell 12 pts 7th Ligier 13 pts 8th Sauber 10 pts 9th Footwork 9 pts 10th Minardi 5 pts 11th Larrouse 2 pts

DRIVERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 1st Schumacher 76 pts 2nd Hill 55 pts 3rd Berger 27 pts 4th Alesi 19 pts 5th Hakkinen 14 pts 6th Barrichello 10 pts 7th Brundle 9 pts 8th Verstappen 8 pts 9th Blundell 8 pts 10th Coulthard 7 pts 11th Panis 7 pts 12th Fittipaldi 6 pts

Friday 26 August - First Practice & Qualifying Johnny Herbert: 20th - 2:27.155 "I just went out too early, and ran out of laps - it was one of those curious days when it dried suddenly. With six minutes left you'd have said it was still too damp still, then with four to go it was dry enough for slicks... The car wasn't too bad. At least in the conditions it's possible to drive round some of the old car's shortcomings." Philippe Adams: 25th - 2:33.885 "In the circumstances I am happy to have qualified! In this weather my introduction into Formula One has been difficult, and the most important thing was to get into the race. It was a very difficult day for me and there has been a lot of pressure as this is not only my first Grand Prix, but my home Grand Prix too. I really need more mileage to get more confident with the handling of the 109. I'm also driving in the Belgian Procar race tomorrow and am qualifying this afternoon." Peter Collins: "I think Johnny simply went out too early, but the car was pretty good up to that time. Philippe had a difficult baptism. Having your first serious run in an F1 car at Spa - in the wet - is never going to be easy. But I'm pleased that he qualified."

Saturday 27 August - Second Practice & Qualifying Johnny Herbert: 20th - 2:27.155 "I decided it was time to go out and have a look as the track began to dry. If there was a chance that it was going to dry sufficiently, I was just going to go for it. But there was no way. There was a bit of a dry line on some corners, but the majority of the circuit was still far too wet for slicks." Philippe Adams: 26th - 2:33.885 "I am very pleased to have qualified especially with the difficult weather conditions. I have to say, though, that it was very hard work. We softened the suspension settings and I got a lot more mechanical grip and traction. I really felt that I made progress with my understanding of the car, and now have to concentrate on my job in the race. It's the longest distance I will have driven in a single seater, and my main object is to finish and gain valuable experience for Estoril." Peter Collins: "It was worth Johnny having a look after we missed the dry window yesterday. Philippe did a good job this afternoon, in difficult conditions. He was closer to Johnny now that he is more familiar with the car."

Sunday 28 August - The Race Johnny Herbert: "When I braked at the Bus Stop it didn't feel very good and I had to pump the brake. The mechanics thought they had solved the problem, but when I went back out the retardation still wasn't very good. It felt as if the clutch had gone and I wasn't getting any downchanges, and the upchanges kept retrying automatically. Towards the end of the race the exhaust broke, but I managed to get the car home." Philippe Adams: "I had one spin when Gounon span in front of me. Quicker cars were overtaking me and I didn't want to distrub their race. On lap 17 but there was oil on the track and I spun. It is disappointing. The only consolation that I have is winning the Procar race yesterday." Peter Collins: "We are now looking forward to further intensive test work with our revised car and engine, which gave us cause for great encouragement during the first trials at Silverstone last week."

ROUND 11 - ITALIAN GRAND PRIX, MONZA - SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 1994

-- Alan F. Perry Internet Lotus Cars Mailing List esprit@netcom.com