Mika Under Fire

Qualifying analysis, by Michele Lupini

While Mika Hakkinen starts from pole position for the eighth time this season, the Finn and his McLaren team must be more than a little concerned that championship leader, Eddie Irvine lines up beside him tomorrow afternoon. It isn't the Irishman's presence there that's the concern, but the fact that the Ferrari man ran the McLaren so close in qualifying.

Ferrari are renowned for their lack of concern of matters such as qualifying, relying on the races that count for championship points, to do their business best. The Hungarian Grand Prix promises to be yet another jewel in the crown of the so-far stunning last world championship of the millennium.

Ferrari must consider their chances as very strong for the race, and how they approach it will be a pleasure to witness tomorrow. Tactically, the team have been peerless so far, outsmarting their opponents at almost every turn, snatching triumph out of the jaws of adversity when their top man was eliminated. And that, together with Irvine's pace this afternoon, should help rob the McLaren men of some sleep tonight.

Mika knows all too well what he needs to do tomorrow: "A good start and the right pit-stop strategy will be key factors in this race," admitted the champion. Eddie also understands his duty, "It's not great to be starting on the wrong side of the grid, but technique counts for 80 percent of the start and the track 20 percent as Mika has showed in the past," he said.

David Coulthard will have the advantage of the better half of the second row at the start, in third, ahead of a resurgent Giancarlo Fisichella, making the most of the tight Hungaroring to overcome the disadvantage of his Benetton's Supertec mill.

The Jordans of Frentzen and Hill make the third row their own, Frentzen in his usual good qualifying form ahead of Damon, looking good at the circuit he so enjoys and performs on. Alex Wurz continued Benetton's good form in seventh, ahead of Rubens Barrichello, who may have expected a little better from the Stewart, in the light of it's new Mk.IV Ford mill.

Jacques Villeneuve and Johnny Herbert rounded off the top ten, Jacques, like Damon, cannot be ignored in tomorrow's race, at a circuit where anything can happen.

Outside the top ten, Jean Alesi overcame a big shunt to end eleventh from his Sauber teammate, Pedro Diniz, ahead of the Prosts of Trulli and Panis. The surprisingly slow Williams duo followed, with a more settled Alex Zanardi edging out Ralf Schumacher for fifteenth. Ricardo Zonta and a poorly performing Mika Salo in the other Ferrari headed off the usual mob of Minardis and Arrows with Badoer leading Takagi, de la Rosa and Gene.

In short, while the Hungarian Grand Prix may start as a procession tomorrow, it can be taken with poison that what transpires later on is bound to be a thrilling show of tactics, wit and intrigue that modern Formula One has become...