German GP Stewart preview

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES 1998 German Grand Prix - Hockenhei

Wednesday 29th July: PREVIEW

* Prior to the Austrian Grand Prix, the team tested in low downforce trim at Monza as part of the preparation for the high-speed demands of Hockenheim. The SF-2 illustrated during the Montreal race that it is competitive in low downforce configuration giving cause for optimism this weekend.

Andy Miller, Operations Director: 'Because Austria and Germany are back-to-back you pray that you get through the Austrian Grand Prix without too many problems and that the cars stay in one piece. It means that you turn things round in a week and prepare the cars on site but because there is a constant flow of components from Austria to the factory then on to Germany, it doesn't present too many problems. It puts a bit of a strain on the race team in terms of moving equipment, but not nearly as much as it does on the FOCA communications people! For them it's a logistical nightmare. We will use the data from the Monza test where we ran with a low downforce set-up. The test was quite positive and we are looking forward to being competitive at Hockenheim.'

Martin Whitaker, Ford European Director of Motorsport: 'The Austrian Grand Prix provided mixed feelings. Obviously we were disappointed to see two non-finishes, but there was a significant improvement in the competitiveness of the Stewart-Ford package at the A1-Ring. The German Grand Prix will provide the team with another opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Ford Zetec-R V10. The track has four long straights and the cars normally run with relatively low downforce to maximise the speeds on the straights so aerodynamic efficiency and power are vital. The car is quick in low downforce configuration and with the Series 5 engine, which will be used by both drivers throughout the weekend, we should be strong on the straights. If we can add in the improvement in slow and medium speed corners we saw in Austria, we should be able to maintain our steady improvement in overall performance.'

Rubens Barrichello: Car no.18: SF-2/04

'I have fond memories of Hockenheim because it was where I clinched the Lotus Euroseries Championship in 1990. It's a circuit that requires good brakes and good speed for the fast straights. It's not a demanding circuit tactically, because there are not too many fast corners so the car needs to be set up for straight-line speed. During the Monza test the car was well balanced and starting to work well with low downforce. Hopefully that will give us a chance of a good qualifying position.'

Jos Verstappen: Car no.19: SF-2/03

'Hockenheim gives you a chance for overtaking because there is a lot of slipstreaming on the straights. While brakes are very important so is horsepower and the Series 5 engine has given us an improvement in that area so I think we can do well this weekend. I expect there will be a lot of Dutch support for me since the circuit is only about two and a half hours from Holland.'

T-car: SF-2/02