Formula 1
Luxembourg GP Stewart-Ford Preview
1998 Luxembourg Grand Prix - Nurburgring Wednesday 23rd September: PREVIEW Alan Jenkins, Technical Director: 'The new Nurburgring, built alongside the original 14.1-mile version last used in 1976, was unveiled for the 1984 ...
Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
1998 Luxembourg Grand Prix - Nurburgring Wednesday 23rd September: PREVIEW
Alan Jenkins, Technical Director: 'The new Nurburgring, built alongside the original 14.1-mile version last used in 1976, was unveiled for the 1984 European GP. The new circuit was a step forward in safety but inevitable comparisons branded it a bit bland and boring. However I can perhaps be forgiven for thinking otherwise because for that inaugural event I was race engineering for Alain Prost who won in the McLaren TAG Porsche MP4/2. Last year's race at Nurburgring was also set for a McLaren victory until both cars retired from leading positions. A similar fate befell both Stewart- Fords which at the time were running well - with Rubens in second place and Jan Magnussen holding fourth. We are hoping for similar speed but improved reliability this year and will be striving to pick up some more Championship points before the season's end. This is the first race since the Ford purchase of Cosworth Racing was made official - an exciting development for Cosworth engineers and Stewart Grand Prix. Technical co-operation between Cosworth and SGP engineers is already very close and the further involvement of Ford substantially increases the performance potential for future Stewart-Ford Formula One cars.'
Martin Whitaker, Ford European Director of Motorsport: 'The Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago was a trouble-free weekend for us and ended with another top 10 finish for Rubens. We were pleased with the introduction of the new Series 6 version of the Zetec-R V10. The engine, which was used by both drivers during Saturday's running, features a combination of new components that result in improved performance throughout the rev range. Both Rubens and Jos were impressed with the engine's power and driveability. We plan to have two more engines available in Nurburgring which will be used throughout Saturday. Since the Italian Grand Prix, Ford has completed the purchase of Cosworth Racing and appointed Dick Scammell as Managing Director - a move which heralds a new era in the highly productive partnership between Ford and Cosworth.'
Rubens Barrichello: Car no.18: SF-2/05
'It's important to have the front of the car working well at Nurburgring, to find good traction and to achieve aerodynamic efficiency because there is a lot of braking. We will rely on the set-up we used in Austria as a starting point because we expect the car to perform this weekend like it did at the A1-Ring. In Austria we were reasonably pleased - I qualified fifth. If it's wet and cold, as predicted, that should bring an edge to the weekend in general and the Championship in particular.'
Jos Verstappen: Car no.19: SF-2/02
'I know the circuit well from my German Formula 3 days. The weather will be a big factor at as it usually is. You normally battle against understeer at Nurburgring, so we must find a set-up which helps us get the best from our tyres to combat that. Because overtaking is so difficult it's important to qualify near the front. I hope the track will hold a lot of rubber over the weekend because it has a tendency to be very slippery otherwise.'
T-car: SF-2/03
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article New Ford Engines in Testing
Next article Luxembourg GP Thursday Press Conference
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Rubens Barrichello
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
How ex-F1 racer Rubens Barrichello is still winning races at 52
Formula 1
Formula 1
Emilia Romagna GP
How ex-F1 racer Rubens Barrichello is still winning races at 52
Why illustrious racing dads aren't always an advantage for F1 hopefuls
FIA F3
FIA F3
Why illustrious racing dads aren't always an advantage for F1 hopefuls
More from
McLaren
What's behind Oscar Piastri's split with Mark Webber – and what it means for his F1 career
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
5 h
What's behind Oscar Piastri's split with Mark Webber – and what it means for his F1 career
Malthe Jakobsen completes McLaren's WEC Hypercar driver line-up
WEC
WEC 6 h
Malthe Jakobsen completes McLaren's WEC Hypercar driver line-up
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 4 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
4 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe