Eddie Irvine: Чемпионат 1998 г. - Гран-При Франции


	Поз.	Круг	Время	Скорость (Км/ч)

Гонка	2	71	1:35'04.601	190.308

Квалификация	4		1'15.527	202.577

Быстрейший круг	5	25	1'18.956	193.779


	Поз.	Время	Скорость (Км/ч)

1-я сессия	2	1'16.597	199.747

2-я сессия	3	1'15.870	201.661

Warm-Up	4	1'17.628	197.094

Preview:
"I enjoy driving this track. It has a very smooth surface with no bumps, which makes it slightly easier than usual to set-up the car. We had a very good test there recently and I think we can go well in this race. The first section of the track and the two chicanes are good fun as they are fast and tricky. The final section is alright apart from the last corner which is too slow. I finished on the podium last year and I think it is possible again this time. It can be very hot in the middle of France in the summer and that can create problems for the tyres and it can also be tiring for the driver."

Свободные заезды (пятница):
"I am cautiously optimistic after today as it was a good lap, but we don't know what the others were doing. The car is not quite as good as it was in last week's test here, so now we must work on the set-up. I have always had a good feeling about this race and that has been confirmed today. The car is well balanced, we made progress in last week's test and the tyres are going to be good for the race."

Квалификация (суббота):
"I had expected to split the McLarens on the grid today, so I am bit disappointed. The car and the tyres were very good, but I was unlucky with yellow flags which lost me two tenths of a second in the first section, while my section two and three times were very good. Then, before my last run I was pulled back from the pit lane exit as there were more yellow flags. After that, I think my tyres might not have been quite warm enough. All the same, I think we can give McLaren a good run for their money in the race."

Гонка (воскресенье):
"I made a great second start and then I had Mika breathing down my neck for almost the whole race. We have had lots of 1-3 finishes and this feels much better. It is also ideal for the championship. I did not try to push too hard at the start and tried to drive steadily. Mika got closer when I was held up by backmarkers but here it is easy to keep someone behind you. I knew he was going to have a go at the last corner as I was entering slowly because my rear wheels were always locking up on the down-change. Luckily, the first time, he made a mistake and on the last lap I slid a bit wide. This result shows we have made a step forward and can fight for the title."