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San Marino Grand Prix
Posted: Wednesday April 05, 2000 10:42 PM When: Sunday Where: Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari; Imola, Italy
Series: Race 3 of 16 in Grand Prix series TV: Speedvision, 7 a.m. (live); Fox Sports Net, 10 a.m., (tape) Laps: 62 Track length: 3.041 miles Race length: 191.51 miles
Fast Facts
Drivers to WatchRubens Barrichello -- Driving for Ferrari should boost his confidence this season; started well in Australia with a runner-up to teammate Michael Schumacher; was running 2nd when engine failed on lap 27 and forced him to retire to the disappointment of the home crowd; did well in San Marino last year finishing third on the podium; is looking to put Brazil back on top of the F1 circuit as did the late Ayrton Senna.
Jenson Button -- Initially finished seventh in Brazil, but the disqualification of David Coulthard on Tuesday pushed him up a slot to sixth; the point that comes along with that made him the youngest driver at 20 years-old to earn a championship point; is teammate with Ralf Schumacher at the Williams BMW team. David Coulthard -- Although he finished second at the Brazilian GP, he was officially disqualified on Tuesday due to infringement of technical regulations on his car; was stripped of the six points and after two races he and McLaren teammate Mika Hakkinen are without points; won at San Marino from the pole in 1998. Giancarlo Fisichella -- Two starts, two good races so far this season; finished fifth in Australia and moved into second on the podium in Brazil after David Coulthard was disqualified; has one career pole and six podium finishes. Heinz-Harald Frentzen -- His first career Formula One victory was at Imola in 1997; after a disappointing performance in Australia, both he and Jordan teammate Jarno Trulli bounced back with good results in Sao Paolo; Frentzen finished third and Trulli fourth; had a career season last year and is expected to match results this season; finished third in the drivers' championship with 54 points; won the Italian and French GPs, had three third-place finishes and six fourth-place results. Mika Hakkinen -- Poor start after the first two races for the two-time defending F1 champion; did not finish in either Australia or Brazil and is obviously without points; will have a tough task ahead to catch up with Michael Schumacher, who won both races and has a 12-point lead in the standings over Giancarlo Fisichella; was a five-time winner in 1999 and had five other podium finishes. Eddie Irvine -- Performs well at Imola, with third in 1997 and fourth in 1996; last year an engine failure on lap 47 while running third, caused him not to finish the race; it was the only race of the season he did not finish; won four races and was on the podium five other times; lost the championship by two points (76-74) to Mika Hakkinen; driving for new team Jaguar this year, but a bad start in the first two races -- both DNFs. Michael Schumacher -- After two runner-up finishes in 1997-98, last year he won in San Marino after taking the lead on lap 35 for the rest of the race; perfect start in 2000, winning both races in Australia and Brazil and establishing himself as a clear leader in the drivers' standings; if statistics mean anything, the winner in Brazil has gone on to win the championship in each of the last six years; the 37 wins puts him four behind the late Ayrton Senna in third place on the all-time F1 list; also won at Imola in 1994 while driving for Benetton. Ralf Schumacher -- Has a good package at BMW-Williams and with his natural talent is showing signs of becoming a top driver like older brother Michael; was third on the podium in Australia and fifth in Brazil two weeks ago after revised results; was seventh in San Marino in 1998.
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