The racing career of Jack Christopherson 1991-????

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Christopherson 65
Frentzen 34
M.Schumacher 24
Alesi 17
Panis 16
Fisichella 14
Irvine 10
Hakkinen 10
Berger 10
Coulthard 8
Herbert 6
Magnussen 5
R.Schumacher 4
Salo 3
Barrichello 3
Verstappen 3
Nakano 2

Constructors Championship
Williams 99
Ferrari 34
Benetton 27
Jordan 18
McLaren 18
Prost 18
Stewart 8
Sauber 6
Tyrrell 6
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[Wizzie]

And this young man Jack Christopherson is making his way through Bridge and into Priory. Just three corners to go now for the Williams driver from Birmingham and INTO LUFFIELD FOR CHRISTOPHERSON! HE ABSOLUTELY FLOORS IT ON THE EXIT AND CHRISTOPHERSON WILL HOLD ON TO WIN WIN WIN THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX! THE CROWD ARE ABSOLUTELY DELIRIOUS AND JACK IS NOW WELL ON HIS WAY TO THE TITLE!

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 10 - 1997 GERMAN GRAND PRIX - Hockenheim

PRE-RACE
Minardi have announced that it would be Katayama who would make way for young upstart Tarso Marques for the remainder of the season. A risk perhaps with two rookie drivers, but Trulli has arguably proven to be dependable.

QUALIFYING
Qualifying wasn't as good as last time out, as I could only manage 4th, but still the faster Williams driver. Irvine stole first place on the grid, much to the surprise of the paddock. Coulthard joined him on the front row, making a very unusual change from his disaster at Silverstone. Marques was last on the grid, just over half a second slower than Trulli, although Hockenheim is a very long course, and he did easily qualify. Prost had a disaster, 18th and 19th splitting the two Arrows drivers. The car not suiting the circuit it seemed, especially after Panis's results as of late.

1. Irvine 1.44.559
2. Coulthard 1.44.618
3. M.Schumacher 1.45.115
4. Christopherson 1.45.238
5. Berger 1.45.300

7. Frentzen 1.45.343

22. Marques 1.48.086

107% time - 1.51.771

RACE
The start was very short, as 5 drivers had retired at turn 1 because of multiple collisions. Those 5 were Trulli, Marques, Coulthard, Panis and Berger. Verstappen retired a few corners later due to substantial damage. The 16 remaining cars took the grid for the second start. The second start was a lot less chaotic, and the only retirement was the Stewart of Magnussen, with an engine problem. That left 15, until Fisichella retired, his Peugeot engine also blew up, Hockenheim has never been a track that was easy on engines. After 4 laps, Michael Schumacher passed Eddie Irvine going into the first chicane for the lead, with the crowd going absolutely mental when they saw Schumacher leading. I was in 3rd place, and I had to pass Irvine early if I were to challenge Schumacher for the lead, but Irvine made it tough. Meanwhile, further back, Sauber were on one-stop strategies to try and score some more surprise points. 25 laps in, Herbert's chances were gone, as an error put him into one of the tyre barriers. Diniz spun off the track 3 laps later. On lap 32, both myself and Irvine made our second and final stops, it was a straight fight, and I still didn't move ahead of Irvine, but I made the move on the outlap to promote myself into 2nd place, although Schumacher was too far ahead to catch. Wurz was trying to fend off 5th place from Frentzen in the dying laps, unfortunately for him he failed to do so, and could only claim 1 point, although it was enough to put Sauber ahead of Tyrrell. Michael Schumacher took his second win of the season to move within 2 points of Frentzen in the standings. I finished in second and Irvine claimed the final podium spot. Jordan returned to the points with Ralf Schumacher in 4th ahead of Frentzen and Wurz. Arrows secure another 7th place in this race of high attrition, which could prove vital in their battle against Minardi.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 23m 54.362s
2. Christopherson +19.895s
3. Irvine +22.182s
4. R.Schumacher +49.284s
5. Frentzen +1m 15.237s
6. Wurz +1m 19.855s
7. Hill +1 Lap
8. Herbert +1 Lap
9. Barrichello +1 Lap
10. Nakano +1 Lap

Fastest Lap: M. Schumacher 1.45.690

REJECT OF THE RACE: Prost - The momentum they had ended abruptly.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Christopherson 71
Frentzen 36
M.Schumacher 34
Alesi 17
Panis 16
Fisichella 14
Irvine 14
Hakkinen 10
Berger 10
Coulthard 8
R.Schumacher 7
Herbert 6
Magnussen 5
Salo 3
Barrichello 3
Verstappen 3
Nakano 2
Wurz 1

Constructors Championship
Williams 107
Ferrari 48
Benetton 27
Jordan 21
McLaren 18
Prost 18
Stewart 8
Sauber 7
Tyrrell 6
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[Wizzie]

See, Jacques? THIS is how you dominate a season with a Williams

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 11 - 1997 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - Hungaroring

QUALIFYING
With the exception of Prost, the qualifying at this race seemed to conform to where the teams are at, unless Prost are on a decline, as they have struggled at two circuits in a row, despite them both having complete different characteristics. It was a Williams 1-2 and a Ferrari 3-4. Minardi had a slight edge on Arrows, Trulli and Marques 19th and 21st respectively, Hill splitting them with Diniz dead last. I was a few tenths up on Frentzen with Irvine 3rd, ahead of his teammate. Jordan found some form again, Ralf Schumacher and Fisichella 6th and 9th respectively.

1. Christopherson 1.19.850
2. Frentzen 1.20.469
3. Irvine 1.20.606

22. Diniz 1.22.723

107% time 1.25.439

RACE
I made a dreadful start, and by turn 3 I was down to 4th. And it got worse, at the uphill left hand turn, I pushed too hard, spun, and binned it. That was my race over, and I was lucky not to ruin anyone else's race. Michael Schumacher was dynamite in the first few laps, as he worked his way up to 1st, passing Frentzen at the start of lap 3. Berger and Hakkinen connected on lap 1, and both lost their front wings. Jan Magnussen's race ended early, his engine conked out after only a handful of laps. Schumacher was so quick early on, it was as if he was still driving at Hockenheim. His dominance in the race however didn't last, as he ran over a kerb at the chicane, and lost control of the car, damaging his suspension. Eddie Irvine slowly dropped down the grid, it was revealed that his engine wasn't running at full capacity, and he eventually had to retire too, making it a very bad weekend for Ferrari. Mika Hakkinen had lost another front wing, but rather than pit for repairs again, he decided to call it a day, after the McLaren pit crew found suspension damage. Frentzen inherited the lead, and was slowly reeled in by Jean Alesi in the closing laps, although Alesi's challenge for the win wasn't enough. Frentzen crossed the line for another 10 points, Coulthard scoring a podium with Berger climbing up the grid to score 2 potentially vital points for Benetton.

1. Frentzen 1hr 45m 41.321s
2. Alesi +1.419s
3. Coulthard +20.383s
4. Barrichello +32.829s
5. Berger +40.467s
6. Fisichella +41.285s
7. Salo +41.990s
8. Diniz +43.126s
9. Panis +44.089s
10. Herbert +1m 05.382s
11. Nakano +1m 12.742s

Fastest Lap: Alesi 1.19.525

REJECT OF THE RACE: Mika Hakkinen - Wiped out his front wing twice

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Christopherson 71
Frentzen 46
M.Schumacher 34
Alesi 23
Panis 16
Fisichella 14
Irvine 14
Berger 12
Coulthard 12
Hakkinen 10
R.Schumacher 8
Herbert 6
Barrichello 6
Magnussen 5
Salo 3
Verstappen 3
Nakano 2
Wurz 1

Constructors Championship
Williams 117
Ferrari 48
Benetton 35
McLaren 22
Jordan 22
Prost 18
Stewart 11
Sauber 7
Tyrrell 6
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 12 - 1997 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - Spa-Francorchamps

PRE-RACE
Benetton have confirmed Giancarlo Fisichella will race for them in 1998 as their lead driver, whilst Alesi has signed for Sauber. Rumours are that Wurz could also move to Benetton, making him for Alesi a straight swap. This may be because of Berger's influence in wanting an Austrian driver at a top team, with Flavio Briatore being impressed by him so far.

QUALIFYING
Very early on in the session, Jarno Trulli crashed his Minardi without setting a time, meaning his weekend was over. The incident occurred at the Les Combes/Malmedy set of corners. Strangely, the session was not stopped. The gap was only 3 tenths between myself and Schumacher, I pipped him to pole, getting my probable championship season back on track. Irvine was 3rd in the other Ferrari. The surprise was Rubens Barrichello, who was fourth fastest in his Stewart, with Fisichella in the Jordan 5th fastest. Arrows had an excellent qualifying session, 9th for Hill and 14th for Diniz.

1. Christopherson 1.53.711
2. M.Schumacher 1.54.056
3. Irvine 1.54.242

7. Frentzen 1.55.149

21. Marques 1.59.273

107% time - 2.01.671

DNQ. Trulli - No Time

RACE
The first start had to be aborted very early on, with incidents involving Panis, Magnussen, Coulthard, Nakano and Salo. Panis, Magnussen and Salo were finished whilst Coulthard and Nakano were able to continue. 18 cars then took the second start, where both Ferraris got the jump on me, Schumacher by being quicker off the line, and Irvine by being opportunistic at La Source. It only took me a couple of laps to regain 2nd place from Irvine, and 5 more to repass Schumacher at La Source, proving to be an amazing passing place. Jos Verstappen lost his front wing in a passing attempt on Hill, Hill's car remaining undamaged. Alesi and Irvine came together on lap 19, resulting in retirements for both of them. Michael Schumacher's race ended 6 laps later, as his gearbox packed in. If I remained in first, he would almost mathematically be out of contention for the championship. Heinz Harald Frentzen was running well behind me in 2nd place after passing Fisichella during the pitstops. Herbert quietly retired on the run off areas to keep out of the way of everyone. Before he pitted, Alexander Wurz briefly ran as high as 2nd, the Austrian rookie going a long way to securing that coveted Benetton race seat for next season. 44 laps after the lights went out, I was still in first place, to take that chequered flag, and another 10 points. The championship is now so close, I can almost taste it, and it tastes good. On another note, Williams have secured the Constructors Championship, 85 points ahead of Ferrari with a maximum of 80 points available.

1. Christopherson 1hr 25m 18.992s
2. Frentzen +39.284s
3. Fisichella +46.783s
4. Wurz +1m 12.430s
5. Berger +1m 13.537s
6. Nakano +1m 34.824s
7. Verstappen +1 Lap
8. Hill +1 Lap
9. Diniz +1 Lap

Fastest Lap: Christopherson 1.53.228

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jean Alesi - Incident with Irvine was his fault.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Christopherson 81
Frentzen 52
M.Schumacher 34
Alesi 23
Fisichella 18
Panis 16
Irvine 14
Berger 14
Coulthard 12
Hakkinen 10
R.Schumacher 8
Herbert 6
Barrichello 6
Magnussen 5
Wurz 4
Salo 3
Verstappen 3
Nakano 3

Constructors Championship
Williams 133
Ferrari 48
Benetton 37
Jordan 26
McLaren 22
Prost 19
Stewart 11
Sauber 10
Tyrrell 6
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

I can become World Champion at the A1 Ring in Austria, in 2 rounds time.

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 13 - 1997 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX - Monza

QUALIFYING
I done reasonably well in qualifying, although I was beaten to pole by the Tifosi's hero Michael Schumacher. Irvine was 3rd, Berger was 4th and Frentzen was 5th. Prost may have also had a bit of a revival, Panis was 7th fastest, although Nakano was only 15th, still progress from previous races.

1. M.Schumacher 1.28.767
2. Christopherson 1.28.921
3. Irvine 1.29.017

5. Frentzen 1.29.732

22. Marques 1.33.339

107% time - 1.34.981

RACE
Berger made an excellent start off the line and almost passed me down to the first chicanes. Those chicanes provided the first action of the race on lap 2, where Eddie Irvine spun his car, and caused Barrichello and Herbert to come together, both had to retire, and Irvine trudged back to the pits to follow suit. On lap 7, I got a better drive than Schumacher out of Parabolica and took the lead. Jarno Trulli's engine blew on lap 20, Minardi looking certain to finish last behind Arrows in the Constructors Championship, even if on countback. Frentzen retired on lap 31, with a gearbox failure, meaning that I was almost certain to clinch the title next round if I remained in first place here. In the second round of stops, Berger closed in on Schumacher, and passed him going into Della Roggia on lap 37. Tyrrell went for one-stop strategies for both drivers, and it was paying off handsomely. At one point, both Tyrrells were in the points, although with 5 laps remaining, Salo lost 6th place to Fisichella in the Jordan, although Verstappen in 5th was actually pressuring Alesi in 4th position. In the end, I won the race over 20 seconds ahead of Berger and Schumacher, Alesi held off Verstappen.

1. Christopherson 1hr 22m 34.652s
2. Berger +22.812s
3. M.Schumacher +25.826s
4. Alesi +42.209s
5. Verstappen +44.879s
6. Fisichella +1m 11.573s
7. Salo +1m 14.726s
8. Hakkinen +1 Lap
9. Coulthard +1 Lap
10. Panis +1 Lap
11. R.Schumacher +1 Lap
12. Nakano +1 Lap
13. Wurz +1 Lap
14. Diniz +2 Laps
15. Marques +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jean Alesi 1.27.475

REJECT OF THE RACE: McLaren - Another substandard weekend

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Christopherson 91
Frentzen 52
M.Schumacher 38
Alesi 26
Berger 20
Fisichella 19
Panis 16
Irvine 14
Coulthard 12
Hakkinen 10
R.Schumacher 8
Herbert 6
Barrichello 6
Magnussen 5
Verstappen 5
Wurz 4
Salo 3
Nakano 3

Constructors Championship
Williams 143
Ferrari 52
Benetton 46
Jordan 27
McLaren 22
Prost 18
Stewart 11
Sauber 10
Tyrrell 8
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 14 - 1997 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX - A1 Ring

QUALIFYING
Ah, the circuit where I scored my first World Championship point, just look around the circuit, it's magnificent. High speed, elevation, amazing scenery. I only needed 5th place here to secure the World Championship, so i'm going to take it easy and drive conservatively right? WRONG! Another race, another pole position, beating Jean Alesi by half a second. My time was so quick, that Trulli in 22nd place only just made the cut, and done so by less than 0.02 seconds. Tarso Marques in the other Minardi qualified off the back row for the first time in his career, with 20th place, ahead of Damon Hill.

1. Christopherson 1.12.990
2. Alesi 1.13.481
3. Frentzen 1.13.800

22. Trulli 1.18.081

107% time - 1.18.099

RACE
I made a pretty good start, and moved across to defend from Jean Alesi, although I made sure I wasn't too aggressive. I done enough to keep the lead, and it was game over. Ralf Schumacher made a great start, getting ahead of his brother Michael as well as Frentzen to move up to 3rd place. There wasn't much of a race for the lead from then on. Frentzen nudged Michael Schumacher into a spin at the top of the hill, all drivers other than Marques avoided Schumacher, whereas Frentzen got away scott free. Up ahead it was myself, Alesi, R.Schumacher, Frentzen, Hakkinen and Coulthard in the points. The biggest incident in the race other than that was on lap 29, a collision between Panis and Herbert after Herbert went for an optimistic passing attempt, both cars were written off. Maybe Herbert could have been less aggressive, maybe Panis could have left more room. David Coulthard retired on lap 37 with a suspension failure. Verstappen held me up quite a bit when I was trying to lap him, but no harm done. 8 laps from the end, the local hero Gerhard Berger's engine blown 8 laps from the end, it robbed him of a surefire 4th place. On the way to the chequered flag, I knew I realised my dream, and won the World Championship!!!!!!!!!!

1. Christopherson 1hr 29m 21.734s
2. Alesi +49.386s
3. Frentzen +1m 04.846s
4. R.Schumacher +1 Lap
5. Irvine +1 Lap
6. Hakkinen +1 Lap
7. Barrichello +1 Lap
8. Magnussen +1 Lap
9. Salo +2 Laps
10. Wurz +2 Laps
11. Diniz +3 Laps
12. Trulli +4 Laps
13. Hill +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jack Christopherson 1.13.029

REJECT OF THE RACE: Damon Hill - Racing the Minardis and soundly beaten by Diniz

And round the Jochen Rindt, and the A1 corners he goes, Jack Christopherson is about to cross the line, to take the chequered flag and become the 1997 Formula 1 World Champion! The 29-year old from Birmingham has conquered the world of Formula 1, and his established his place amongst many other champions that have taken the richest prize in motorsport! FAAAAAAN-TASTIC

Incredible driving all season from this young man, we thought Schumacher could not be stopped, but this man has proven us wrong. You've done it boy!

[FullMetalJack]

Bold indicates world champions

Drivers Championship
Christopherson 101
Frentzen 56
M.Schumacher 38
Alesi 32
Berger 20
Fisichella 19
Panis 16
Irvine 16
Coulthard 12
R.Schumacher 11
Hakkinen 11
Herbert 6
Barrichello 6
Magnussen 5
Verstappen 5
Wurz 4
Salo 3
Nakano 3

Constructors Championship
Williams 157
Ferrari 54
Benetton 52
Jordan 30
McLaren 23
Prost 19
Stewart 11
Sauber 10
Tyrrell 8
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[Wizzie]

Somewhere in Sydney, there's a 12 year old Daniel Melrose dancing around in his living room at some ungodly hour of the morning having just seen one of his heros (the other being Daggers Dagnall) win the world championship.

EDIT: And we've finally proven once and for all that Jacques Villeneuve is indeed shite as this is what he SHOULD have been doing with that Williams

[FullMetalJack]

JORDAN SEIZES WORLD CHAMPION FOR 1998

Newly crowned World Champion Jack Christopherson had made a shock announcement on his future, stating that he will partner Ralf Schumacher at Jordan for 1998. 1995 CART Champion Jacques Villeneuve will be racing for Williams alongside Heinz-Harald Frentzen, replacing the outgoing champion. Hill and Berger's departures at the end of the season have freed up some race seats. Wurz looks set to sign for Benetton, but it is yet to be confirmed. Eddie Irvine looks likely to sign a 2 year contract extension at Ferrari. Prost and Minardi are in talks to directly swap drivers. Jarno Trulli moving to the French team, with Shinji Nakano going the other way, although the deal has not been finalised. Stewart are in talks to renew contracts for both drivers, and they seem to be going well.

1998 PROVISIONAL DRIVER LINE-UP

Jordan Mugen Honda
1. Jack Christopherson
2. Ralf Schumacher

Williams Mechachrome
3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
4. Jacques Villeneuve

Ferrari
5. Michael Schumacher
6. TBA

Benetton Playlife
7. Giancarlo Fisichella
8. TBA

McLaren Mercedes
9. David Coulthard
10. Mika Hakkinen

Prost Peugeot
11. Olivier Panis
12. TBA

Stewart Ford
14. TBA
15. TBA

Sauber Petronas
16. Jean Alesi
17. Johnny Herbert

Tyrrell Ford
18. TBA
19. TBA

Arrows
20. TBA
21. TBA

Minardi Ford
22. TBA
23. TBA

[BlindCaveSalamander]

I can't believe Christopherson'd be dropped after such a ridiculously dominant year! Half the world must be wondering what Williams was thinking, letting you go!

So, I assume you're gonna try to succeed where Frentzen failed and pick up the '99 crown for Jordan, then?

[FullMetalJack]

:o I can't believe Christopherson'd be dropped after such a ridiculously dominant year! Half the world must be wondering what Williams was thinking, letting you go!

I wasn't dropped, I chose not to renew my contract. In real life, Jordan are my all time favourite F1 team, so I wanted to drive for them at some point. I thought this would be a good time, especially since they are currently 4th in my season, and Fisichella in particular has been so impressive.

So, I assume you're gonna try to succeed where Frentzen failed and pick up the '99 crown for Jordan, then?

Yes.

[pasta_maldonado]

Just a quick question, what simulation will you be using for 1998?

[FullMetalJack]

Just a quick question, what simulation will you be using for 1998?

Forgot to answer this, but I will be using rFactor's CTDP 1998 mod, when I eventually get around to it. It's a fantastic mod for rFactor users.

[Klon]

Time for me to commit the cardinal sin of the PMMF and cheer for the team mate of the driver whom the story is all about.

[FullMetalJack]

Time for me to commit the cardinal sin of the PMMF and cheer for the team mate of the driver whom the story is all about.

Since i'm away at uni and don't have time for rFactor, this series is on hiatus until further notice. So you'll have to wait to secretly cheer me on.

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 15 - 1997 LUXEMBOURG GRAND PRIX - Nurburgring

QUALIFYING
Guess who's back? That's right, me! After winning my championship, I was just aiming to score as many points as possible. Not much to say, other than I was 4th on the grid, behind teammate Frentzen, Michael Schumacher was on pole alongside Jean Alesi. Tarso Marques qualified a career best 15th. All drivers were comfortably within the 107% time.

1. M.Schumacher 1.20.864
2. Alesi 1.20.941
3. Frentzen 1.20.963
4. Christopherson 1.21.138
5. Irvine 1.21.229

22. Trulli 1.24.309

107% time - 1.26.524

RACE
I made a decent start, getting ahead of Frentzen, but losing a position to the fast starting Irvine. Alesi also flew off the line, taking the lead from Schumacher. At the Dunlop-Kerhe, Coulthard tapped Frentzen's car, causing chaos for everyone behind. As well as Frentzen and Coulthard, Diniz, Barrichello, Magnussen and Verstappen had terminal damage inflicted. On lap 7, Wurz's Sauber packs in for the day. 60 laps to go, and only 15 cars were left, were we in for a race of really few survivors? No. Not much more attrition for the rest of the grand prix, and the focus was on Alesi trying to hold off Schumacher for victory infront of Schumi's adoring fans. On lap 25, a good slipstream, plus a bad exit from Irvine allowed me to take 3rd place from him. Olivier Panis was on a one-stop strategy, running just over 40 laps on one set of tyres. It paid dividends, as after all the stops, he was in 4th, keeping me honest. Misfortune came my way on lap 52, as my hydraulics died. On lap 64, Alesi could no longer hold off Schumacher, and relinquished the lead, much to the delight of the fans in attendance. There were signs that his car was not going to hang on for much longer, as Panis began to catch him, and almost got by at the end. Michael Schumacher took a win to significantly close the gap to Frentzen, Alesi just held off Panis for second, whilst the Frenchman rounded out the podium. Eddie Irvine finished 4th to complete a good weekend for Ferrari. Mika Hakkinen and Gerhard Berger rounded out the points.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 29m 35.672s
2. Alesi +6.277s
3. Panis +7.053s
4. Irvine +24.462s
5. Hakkinen +30.114s
6. Berger +35.590s
7. Fisichella +45.173s
8. R.Schumacher +53.856s
9. Hill +1m 19.823s
10. Herbert +1 Lap
11. Trulli +1 Lap
12. Salo +1 Lap
13. Nakano +2 Laps
14. Marques +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Eddie Irvine: 1.20.374

REJECT OF THE RACE: David Coulthard - Triggered the first lap carnage

[FullMetalJack]

Bold indicates world champions

Drivers Championship
Christopherson 101
Frentzen 56
M.Schumacher 48
Alesi 38
Berger 21
Panis 20
Fisichella 19
Irvine 19
Hakkinen 13
Coulthard 12
R.Schumacher 11
Herbert 6
Barrichello 6
Magnussen 5
Verstappen 5
Wurz 4
Salo 3
Nakano 3

Constructors Championship
Williams 157
Ferrari 67
Benetton 59
Jordan 30
McLaren 25
Prost 23
Stewart 11
Sauber 10
Tyrrell 8
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 16 - 1997 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - Suzuka

QUALIFYING
Qualifying went better than in Nurburgring, as I made the front row this time, although nothing could stop me from beating Michael Schumacher to the first spot on the grid. The pointless teams fared better than usual, as Hill qualified a brilliant 11th in his Arrows and teammate Diniz was 16th. Both Minardis were off the back row too Trulli was 18th and Marques was 20th. Jan Magnussen was on the back row in his Stewart, whilst Jos Verstappen in the Tyrrell was dead last.

1. M.Schumacher 1.38.596
2. Christopherson 1.38.784
3. Frentzen 1.38.833

22. Verstappen 1.43.352

107% time - 1.45.498

RACE
The race started with chaos, as Barrichello stalled on the grid, and Salo could not avoid him due to other cars blocking his view of Barrichello. Fortunately, nobody was injured. Hakkinen overtook Frentzen within a couple of laps and was up to 3rd. Schumacher, myself, Hakkinen, Frentzen and Coulthard were pulling away slowly from the rest of the pack, as Benetton went for one-stop strategies. Will it pay off? We'll see. Alex Wurz's engine blew in the back of his Sauber, quietly retiring. Mika Hakkinen was flying however, and I could only hold him off until my first stop, as his in-lap was very quick, and he was ahead of me, and even Schumacher. After Berger and Alesi made their stops on lap 28 and 29 respectively, Hakkinen found himself leading the race, until a pass by me on lap 34. It seemed like Frentzen would only be scoring 1 point, although David Coulthard ensured that he wouldn't even get that, after a gutsy move at the hairpin. After us twostoppers made our final stops, Gerhard Berger was amazingly leading in his penultimate race, whilst I just managed to stave off Alesi. It was a risky strategy from Benetton, but one that paid off handsomely, and secured them 14 points. Berger held on for an emotional win, good momentum going into his final ever race in Formula 1.

1. Berger 1hr 33m 25.844s
2. Christopherson +12.828s
3. Alesi +18.113s
4. Hakkinen +22.093s
5. M.Schumacher +39.007s
6. Coulthard +51.427s
7. Frentzen +54.295s
8. Irvine +1m 25.656s
9. Hill +1 Lap
10. Panis +1 Lap
11. R.Schumacher +1 Lap
12. Nakano +1 Lap
13. Diniz +2 Laps
14. Magnussen +2 Laps
15. Trulli +2 Laps
16. Verstappen +3 Laps
17. Marques +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Hakkinen 1.38.245

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jos Verstappen - Did his chance of a Stewart drive no favours at all

[FullMetalJack]

Bold indicates world champions

Drivers Championship
Christopherson 107
Frentzen 56
M.Schumacher 50
Alesi 42
Berger 31
Panis 20
Fisichella 19
Irvine 19
Hakkinen 16
Coulthard 13
R.Schumacher 11
Herbert 6
Barrichello 6
Magnussen 5
Verstappen 5
Wurz 4
Salo 3
Nakano 3

Constructors Championship
Williams 163
Benetton 73
Ferrari 69
Jordan 30
McLaren 29
Prost 23
Stewart 11
Sauber 10
Tyrrell 8
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 17 - 1997 EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX - Jerez

QUALIFYING
Qualifying was wet, although it did begin fairly dry. Going out on track early proved to be a huge advantage as the rain worsened. Tarso Marques was the star of qualifying, putting his woefully underpowered Minardi 10th on the grid. Their rivalry with Arrows was still on, as Pedro Diniz qualified 11th. I left it a bit late and could only qualify 15th. As it rained, the 107% rule did not apply, not that it mattered as 22nd placed Shinji Nakano was almost 3 seconds within the time anyway. I however have left the 107% time there for reference.

1. M.Schumacher 1.27.916
2. Hakkinen 1.28.096
3. Frentzen 1.28.168

14. Salo 1.30.045
15. Christopherson 1.30.061
16. Wurz 1.30.067

22. Nakano 1.31.290

107% time - 1.34.070

RACE
Here is the final race before new aerodynamic regulations kick in, and the last race on slick tyres. GO! GO! GO! I got off to a good start, and made up a few places, although I couldn't lose that many could I? Shinji Nakano's front wing went in turn 1 when he locked his brakes and hit Jarno Trulli. Michael Schumacher's race only lasted a few corners, although it was nothing to do with crashes. He pulled off early on with a oil leak. After just 2 laps, Hakkinen, Frentzen and the Benettons ran away from the rest of the field. Mika Hakkinen inherited the lead in his McLaren ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the Williams. A race long duel was ahead, with the Benettons in the mix too, a strong end to the season for them. Jean Alesi's race however only lasted 15 laps, with a suspension problem. After that, the top 10 was Hakkinen, Frentzen, Berger, Irvine, Panis, Coulthard, Fisichella, Christopherson, Herbert and Diniz who got ahead of Marques, who fell back down the grid. The second half of the race saw one of the best duels ever seen, over the minor points between Olivier Panis and David Coulthard. Eddie Irvine spun off the track before the long straight on lap 39, ending Ferrari's season and their chances of claiming 2nd place back from Benetton. I passed Fisichella on lap 41, to move up to 6th. Gerhard Berger passed Frentzen for 2nd place in the pits, in what was a close 3-way battle for the lead. I tried to catch Panis and Coulthard, but was not quick enough. They exchanged position 7 times if I remember correctly, and they were on each other's tails for the whole final third of the race. Berger got ahead of Hakkinen going into the final corner of lap 52, but got a bad drive out of the corner and Hakkinen retook the lead, and held it for the rest of the race. Frentzen kept up with them, but could not do anything about it. Fisichella retired with 10 laps to go whilst running in 7th place, who could have picked up a point of 2 if there were any incidents. There weren't any. Panis was chasing Coulthard, but Nakano was a lap down, and seemed to hinder his teammate's chances rather than help them. When all was said and done, Hakkinen just held off Berger and Frentzen to win the 1997 European Grand Prix, and help McLaren beat Jordan to 4th in the Constructors Championship. I could only score 1 point, not that it mattered.

1. Hakkinen 1hr 41m 22,655s
2. Berger +0.264s
3. Frentzen +0.758s
4. Coulthard +12.365s
5. Panis +13.657s
6. Christopherson +19.009s
7. Wurz +37.876s
8. Hill +55.214s
9. Barrichello +1m 15.563s
10. Diniz +1 Lap
11. Verstappen +1 Lap
12. Magnussen +1 Lap
13. Trulli +1 Lap
14. Nakano +2 Laps
15. Marques +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jack Christopherson 1.25.455

REJECT OF THE RACE: Shinji Nakano - Nightmare race culminating in costing Panis 4th place.

[FullMetalJack]

Bold indicates world champions

Drivers Championship
Jack Christopherson 108
Heinz-Harald Frentzen 60
Michael Schumacher 50
Jean Alesi 42
Gerhard Berger 37
Mika Hakkinen 26
Olivier Panis 22
Giancarlo Fisichella 19
Eddie Irvine 19
David Coulthard 16
Ralf Schumacher 11
Johnny Herbert 6
Rubens Barrichello 6
Jan Magnussen 5
Jos Verstappen 5
Alexander Wurz 4
Mika Salo 3
Shinji Nakano 3

Constructors Championship
Williams Renault 168
Benetton Renault 79
Ferrari 69
McLaren Mercedes 42
Jordan Peugeot 30
Prost Mugen Honda 25
Stewart Ford 11
Sauber Petronas 10
Tyrrell Ford 8
Arrows Yamaha 0
Minardi Hart 0

REJECT OF THE YEAR

3rd - Shinji Nakano

2nd - Gianni Morbidelli

1st - Arrows

[pasta_maldonado]

Great job from Christopherson to win the title in commanding fashion!

Just a few quick questions:

1) What game did you simulate 97 in?
2)What game will you be simulating 98 in?
3)Have the lineups for 98 already been confirmed?

[FullMetalJack]

Great job from Christopherson to win the title in commanding fashion!

Just a few quick questions:

1) What game did you simulate 97 in?
2)What game will you be simulating 98 in?
3)Have the lineups for 98 already been confirmed?

rFactor for most of 97, other than the last 3 races which I used F1 Challenge, as it runs so much better.

I'll probably use F1 Challenge again in 1998

Line-ups are pretty much the 98 ones.

[FullMetalJack]

1998 OFFICIAL ENTRY LIST

Jordan Mugen Honda
1. Jack Christopherson
2. Ralf Schumacher

Williams Mechachrome
3. Jacques Villeneuve
4. Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Benetton Playlife
5. Giancarlo Fisichella
6. Alexander Wurz

Ferrari
7. Michael Schumacher
8. Eddie Irvine

McLaren Mercedes
9. David Coulthard
10. Mika Hakkinen

Prost Mugen Honda
11. Olivier Panis
12. Jarno Trulli

Stewart Ford
14. Rubens Barrichello
15. Jan Magnussen

Sauber Petronas
16. Jean Alesi
17. Johnny Herbert

Tyrrell Ford
18. Ricardo Rosset
19. Toranosuke Takagi

Arrows
20. Pedro Diniz
21. Mika Salo

Minardi Ford
22. Shinji Nakano
23. Esteban Tuero

REJECTS IN 1998
Tyrrell's driver line-up
Esteban Tuero
Groove tyres replacing slicks
Jacques Villeneuve debuting at Williams
The Williams livery

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 1 - 1998 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX - Melbourne

QUALIFYING
My first qualifying session went quite well, as I qualified 5th, only behind Michael Schumacher, Frentzen and the McLarens. We shall soon find out if this is a one-off or whether the Jordan is a really competitive car. New teammate Ralf Schumacher was 7th, just beating Jacques Villeneuve. It was a competitive field for the top 4 teams, and Jordan may well have replaced Benetton as one of the 'Big 4'. Further proof could be that Villeneuve in 8th was about a second quicker than Fisichella in 9th, who was driving for Benetton for the first time.

1. M.Schumacher 1.31.847
2. Hakkinen 1.31.975
3. Frentzen 1.32.468
4. Coulthard 1.32.540
5. Christopherson 1.32.728
6. Irvine 1.33.584
7. R.Schumacher 1.33.773

22. Rosset 1.37.889

107% time - 1.38.276

RACE
Barrichello stalled at the start, and Rosset hit his car. Both drivers were immediately out of the race due to irreparable damage. I however got past Frentzen who made a poor start, and had a go at Coulthard's McLaren. For the first few laps, Hakkinen was all over the back of Michael Schumacher, but couldn't quite find a way past him. Eventually, Schumacher started to deliver some better laps to put a bit of a gap between himself and the McLarens. Ralf Schumacher made an ambitious attempt at passing Frentzen, but it didn't pay off, and their races both lasted only 21 laps. The next retirement was Giancarlo Fisichella, as the rebadged Playlife engine only lasted 33 laps before smoking. David Coulthard passed Mika Hakkinen and he was on a charge, although he could not take Schumacher as well. Olivier Panis quietly retired his Prost because of a faulty gearbox with 8 laps to go, whilst in 10th place. I felt that I done very well just to keep up with the three frontrunners, but couldn't quite score a podium, as Michael Schumacher led the two McLarens home to win the 1998 Australian Grand Prix. Jacques Villeneuve scored a point on his debut.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 32m 46.552s
2. Coulthard +4.724s
3. Hakkinen +5.930s
4. Christopherson +9.654s
5. Irvine +30.755s
6. Villeneuve +37.131s
7. Trulli +1m 14.885s
8. Wurz +1m 18.090s
9. Alesi +1m 19.349s
10. Diniz +1 Lap
11. Herbert +1 Lap
12. Salo +1 Lap
13. Magnussen +1 Lap
14. Tuero +2 Laps
15. Nakano +3 Laps
16. Takagi +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Coulthard 1.32.025

REJECT OF THE RACE: Ralf Schumacher - Ambitious pass didn't pay off.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 10
Coulthard 6
Hakkinen 4
Christopherson 3
Irvine 2
Villeneuve 1

Constructors Chhampionship
Ferrari 12
McLaren 10
Jordan 3
Williams 1
Prost 0
Benetton 0
Sauber 0
Arrows 0
Stewart 0
Minardi 0
Tyrrell 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 2 - 1998 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX - Interlagos

QUALIFYING
Mika Hakkinen was the man to beat in qualifying at Interlagos, although Michael Schumacher was a close challenger. Benetton were closer to the pace than in Melbourne, meaning that the top 5 teams could well monopolise the points positions this season. I qualified 4th, a tenth of a second behind David Coulthard, but half a second ahead of Jacques Villeneuve in the Williams. Fisichella rounded out the top 6 for Benetton. Ralf Schumacher was 8th in the other Jordan, whilst Ricardo Rosset failed to qualify for his home event, missing the 107% cut than about half a tenth.

1. Hakkinen 1.17.567
2. M.Schumacher 1.17.773
3. Coulthard 1.18.033
4. Christopherson 1.18.137
5. Villeneuve 1.18.650

8. R.Schumacher 1.19.618

21. Tuero 1.22.827

107% time - 1.24.997

DNQ Rosset 1.25.020

RACE
It was a drying track, the 21 drivers were going to have a difficult race. At the start, Schumacher made a good start, and took Hakkinen down the inside of turn 1 to take the lead. Surprisingly, there were no incidents, but the track was rapidly drying. Drivers decided to pit on laps 3-5. All the frontrunners went in on lap 3, believing that the track was dry enough, which it was, although Eddie Irvine may have made the right call, as he was the only driver in on lap 4, and it moved him far up the pecking order. I had a bad pitstop, which didn't help at all, and I ended up behind Villeneuve, Fisichella, Herbert and Trulli, who also decided to pit early. Ralf Schumacher lost his front wing trying to pass Salo, fortunately he was pitting anyway. The track was still a little damp, which helped me pass Trulli and Herbert within a couple of corners, but on lap 19, I made a mistake at the end of the back straight and spun off, there was no recovery. David Coulthard couldn't keep up the pace of the front 2 drivers, Hakkinen however was once again pressuring Schumacher, and going into turn 1 on lap 30, he made his move and made it stick. Schumacher knew he had a battle on his hands this season in the form of McLaren. Coulthard had a fuel pressure problem, which explained why he was unable to keep up with the leading duo, this proved to be terminal, and Coulthard was out of the race. Jacques Villeneuve was up to 3rd position, and holding off Eddie Irvine and Giancarlo Fisichella. Jarno Trulli was running in 6th place thanks to Coulthard's retirement, and was set to score his first point. He held on, just like Mika Hakkinen did to win the Brazilian Grand Prix, 5 seconds ahead of Michael Schumacher.

1. Hakkinen 1hr 49m 11.267s
2. M.Schumacher +5.032s
3. Villeneuve +20.696s
4. Irvine +22.135s
5. Fisichella +25.409s
6. Trulli +49.177s
7. Barrichello +53.867s
8. Salo +1 Lap
9. Frentzen +1 Lap
10. Alesi +1 Lap
11. Herbert +1 Lap
12. Panis +1 Lap
13. Magnussen +1 Lap
14. Nakano +2 Laps
15. Tuero +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Mika Hakkinen 1.18.356

REJECT OF THE RACE: Ricardo Rosset - DNQ'd on home turf

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 16
Hakkinen 14
Coulthard 6
Villeneuve 5
Irvine 5
Christopherson 3
Fisichella 2
Trulli 1

Constructors Chhampionship
Ferrari 21
McLaren 20
Williams 5
Jordan 3
Benetton 2
Prost 1
Stewart 0
Arrows 0
Sauber 0
Minardi 0
Tyrrell 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 3 - 1998 ARGENTINE GRAND PRIX - Buenos Aires

QUALIFYING
I had a very poor qualifying session, as I just couldn't seem to put a whole lap together. As a result, I only managed 15th on the grid, a good few places below expectations.

1. M.Schumacher 1.26.798
2. Hakkinen 1.26.902
3. Coulthard 1.27.223

6. R.Schumacher 1.27.741

14. Barrichello 1.28.562
15. Christopherson 1.28.791
16. Trulli 1.29.050

22. Rosset 1.31.452

107% time - 1.32.873

RACE
The start was very eventful, as there was two seperate incidents. The one at the front involved the two Schumachers and Wurz in a tangle, Ralf however got away scott free, unlike the others. At the back, both Tyrrells collided and caused Nakano to retire too, the Japanese driver made a poor start from 19th on the grid, and paid a dear price for it. At the front, McLaren started to dominate, as their biggest threat Michael Schumacher only lasted one corner. After all the carnage at the start, the order was Hakkinen, Coulthard, R.Schumacher, Irvine, Frentzen, Villeneuve, Fisichella, Panis, Christopherson and Alesi. Alesi kept me occupied in the early goings of the race before my stop, he was on a different strategy. Irvine's pitstop was bad and he dropped a few places, and was battling with me. It didn't end well, as after 24 laps, I tried an overly ambitious move on him, and it ended both of our races. An unsuccessful weekend for Ferrari. Mika Salo only lasted half distance, thanks to his engine. Arrows, Benetton and Sauber were on a different strategy to the rest of the field, and it was looking to work. David Coulthard was in comfortable second place until a loss of power cost him an easy 6 points. It just extended Mika Hakkinen's lead even further. Hakkinen's nearest challenger was Giancarlo Fisichella in the Benetton, 40 seconds behind the Finn. Mechachrome let Jacques Villeneuve down, as he was set to score a couple of points. The promising Canadian rookie was running 5th before the blown engine. When all was said and done, Mika Hakkinen took a valuable 10 points to obtain a healthy championship lead over Schumacher, with Fisichella second and a surprising 3rd for Johnny Herbert in the Sauber, beating Alesi home. Ralf Schumacher and Pedro Diniz rounded off the points.

1. Hakkinen 1hr 49m 31.224s
2. Fisichella +52.153s
3. Herbert +1m 01.347s
4. Alesi +1m 02.906s
5. R.Schumacher +1m 10.244s
6. Diniz +1m 19.495s
7. Trulli +1 Lap
8. Panis +1 Lap
9. Magnussen +1 Lap
10. Tuero +2 Laps

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jack Christopherson - Not the way to continue a title defence.

EDIT: I thought it would be worth pointing out that Diniz's point had removed him from reject status, his other 2 points coming at the 1995 Hungarian Grand Prix, where he scored Forti's only points.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Hakkinen 24
M.Schumacher 16
Fisichella 8
Coulthard 6
Villeneuve 5
Irvine 5
Herbert 4
Alesi 3
Christopherson 3
R.Schumacher 2
Trulli 1
Diniz 1

Constructors Chhampionship
McLaren 30
Ferrari 21
Benetton 8
Sauber 7
Williams 5
Jordan 5
Prost 1
Arrows 1
Stewart 0
Minardi 0
Tyrrell 0