A great shame
Frentzen stalls, and Bernoldi blows in Germany
A great shame
By Huw Alban
July 28 2002
As ever, the OrangeArrows A23 was much stronger in race set-up, with the team looking better in the warm-up. Frentzen got a non-starter, but Bernoldi had an action packed race, brought to a sudden end by his Cosworth engine letting go shortly after his second pit stop.
A great shame
July 28 2002
As ever, the OrangeArrows A23 was much stronger in race set-up, with the team looking better in the warm-up. Frentzen got a non-starter, but Bernoldi had an action packed race, brought to a sudden end by his Cosworth engine letting go shortly after his second pit stop.
Enrique Bernoldi shone for the Arrows team in the warm-up today, impressively recording the 12th fastest time of the session, running 14 laps. Heinz-Harald Frentzen suffered for finding the limits, the German having a small spin half way through the 30 minute session, only managing to obtain the 20th fastest time.
Home boy Heinz-Harald got the start he must have had nightmares about. The German’s A23 could be seen to roll forward slightly at the start and then come to a halt. The circuit marshals pushed the car into the pitlane, before the rest of the field could return to the start/finish straight.
The Arrows mechanics managed to get Frentzen’s car started in the pitlane and he joined the race two laps down, just in front of current race leader Michael Schumacher.
Enrique Bernoldi, meantime, had a reasonable start, but looked very wild for the first few laps. At the end of lap three he was running 17th.
By lap eight Enrique had progressed to 14th due to the failed overtaking manoeuvres of other competitors, and also retirements. Frentzen, meanwhile, was being overtaken by the front runners, to fall three laps behind, but seemed to be holding station behind fifth placed Kimi Räikkönen. Obviously the team were using the opportunity to get some test mileage on the A23, and to give the German some running time in front of his home fans.
On lap 13 Bernoldi joined the battle for eighth place behind Jarno Trulli’s Renault. The Brazilian was sandwiched between the Jordan of Takuma Sato and the Toyota of Allan McNish, and in front of Sato another five cars were running almost nose to tail. The majority of this ‘queue’ eventually made it past Trulli on lap 17, Bernoldi gaining a place to 13th.
The Arrows team poured out into the pit lane on lap 21 as Felipe Massa made a pit stop. Enrique progressed a place to 12th as a result, but the Arrows team pulled the tyres away from the marks as Frentzen toured in to retire from the German Grand Prix.
The mechanics were back out again a couple of laps later, this time for Bernoldi. Jacques Villeneuve and Bernoldi pitted on the same lap, and the French-Canadian made it out first. Bernoldi rejoined the race in 14th place.
On lap 38 Kimi Räikkönen suffered a tyre blowout and had to make a slow journey to the pits, Enrique making a further place to 12th. On lap 40 Olivier Panis spun and retired, and Bernoldi briefly made it into the top ten around lap 46, due to a round of pit stops. The Arrows mechanics again poured out into the pitlane on lap 49, and Enrique pitted immediately, rejoining the race plum last in 13th. The team had lost out in the pit stops as the Jaguar of Eddie Irvine was now in front in 11th, the Irishman also made two stops but had been running behind the Arrows.
On lap 51 Enrique’s Cosworth engine let go, very soon after his pit stop, and the Brazilian toured off the circuit and onto the tarmac run off.
The early part of this race was full of excitement for Enrique and it was a great shame to see him retire due to circumstances that were beyond his control. Frentzen was just plain old unlucky, and it must have been gutting for him to retire in front of his home crowd. The race finished with only nine cars left on the track, meaning that Enrique could have finished tenth, albeit also last.
Arrows now have three weeks to sort out their financial problems ready for the next race in Hungary on the 18th of August.
Home boy Heinz-Harald got the start he must have had nightmares about. The German’s A23 could be seen to roll forward slightly at the start and then come to a halt. The circuit marshals pushed the car into the pitlane, before the rest of the field could return to the start/finish straight.
The Arrows mechanics managed to get Frentzen’s car started in the pitlane and he joined the race two laps down, just in front of current race leader Michael Schumacher.
Enrique Bernoldi, meantime, had a reasonable start, but looked very wild for the first few laps. At the end of lap three he was running 17th.
By lap eight Enrique had progressed to 14th due to the failed overtaking manoeuvres of other competitors, and also retirements. Frentzen, meanwhile, was being overtaken by the front runners, to fall three laps behind, but seemed to be holding station behind fifth placed Kimi Räikkönen. Obviously the team were using the opportunity to get some test mileage on the A23, and to give the German some running time in front of his home fans.
On lap 13 Bernoldi joined the battle for eighth place behind Jarno Trulli’s Renault. The Brazilian was sandwiched between the Jordan of Takuma Sato and the Toyota of Allan McNish, and in front of Sato another five cars were running almost nose to tail. The majority of this ‘queue’ eventually made it past Trulli on lap 17, Bernoldi gaining a place to 13th.
The Arrows team poured out into the pit lane on lap 21 as Felipe Massa made a pit stop. Enrique progressed a place to 12th as a result, but the Arrows team pulled the tyres away from the marks as Frentzen toured in to retire from the German Grand Prix.
The mechanics were back out again a couple of laps later, this time for Bernoldi. Jacques Villeneuve and Bernoldi pitted on the same lap, and the French-Canadian made it out first. Bernoldi rejoined the race in 14th place.
On lap 38 Kimi Räikkönen suffered a tyre blowout and had to make a slow journey to the pits, Enrique making a further place to 12th. On lap 40 Olivier Panis spun and retired, and Bernoldi briefly made it into the top ten around lap 46, due to a round of pit stops. The Arrows mechanics again poured out into the pitlane on lap 49, and Enrique pitted immediately, rejoining the race plum last in 13th. The team had lost out in the pit stops as the Jaguar of Eddie Irvine was now in front in 11th, the Irishman also made two stops but had been running behind the Arrows.
On lap 51 Enrique’s Cosworth engine let go, very soon after his pit stop, and the Brazilian toured off the circuit and onto the tarmac run off.
The early part of this race was full of excitement for Enrique and it was a great shame to see him retire due to circumstances that were beyond his control. Frentzen was just plain old unlucky, and it must have been gutting for him to retire in front of his home crowd. The race finished with only nine cars left on the track, meaning that Enrique could have finished tenth, albeit also last.
Arrows now have three weeks to sort out their financial problems ready for the next race in Hungary on the 18th of August.
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