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


	Поз.	Круг	Время	Скорость (Км/ч)

Гонка	2	51	1:27'29.026	204.976

Квалификация	4		1'38.197	214.980

Быстрейший круг	3	36	1'40.870	209.283


	Поз.	Время	Скорость (Км/ч)

1-я сессия	4	1'40.615	209.814

2-я сессия	9	1'40.552	209.945

Warm-Up	5	1'41.246	208.506

До начала Гран-При:
"So we come to the final race of the season, the most important race of the year and also my very favourite race track. Last year, I went very well here, leading for some of the race and this time, I will have the same difficult task of trying to help my team-mate, by staying between him and the opposition. Suzuka is challenging in many ways as there are sections which require total commitment from the driver and with its variety of every possible sort of corner, it is very difficult to set up the car to be perfect everywhere. So you have to make a compromise and simply adapt your driving style on some sections. After racing in Japan for a couple of seasons, I always look forward to coming back here and Suzuka is certainly a great stage on which to decide the world championship."

Свободные заезды (пятница):
"I am reasonably happy with my car. We have not done much set up work today, but have concentrated on looking at tyre choice. We know what we are doing in this area. We have some work to do on improving the balance of the car which is not yet perfect. I have run with a lot of fuel all day and I know that when we take it out the car will come good. As for my spin, I had not got the brake balance quite right and I simply lost control."

Квалификация (суббота):
"My exhaust problem this morning did not help this afternoon. However, the car was much better this afternoon on a low fuel load and with new tyres. Fourth is the best I could do. One of my runs was spoilt by yellow flags, but at least I am ahead of the pack. I decided not to go out for the final run once we realised my fourth place was safe as I could not have matched Coulthard's time. It also meant I have saved a set of tyres for the race. What can I do to help Michael? Looking at his performance today, maybe I am the one who needs help!"

Гонка (воскресение):
"I am very pleased to be second. Of course, with Michael at the back, everything changed and I had to flick a switch in my mind. We had looked at every possibility except me at the front and Michael at the back. I had a fantastic start and pushed very hard to try and put Mika under pressure. But towards the end of every stint, my tyres started to go off and I had to drop back a bit. It was just a race between me and Mika, but I could not push harder. The best thing for me was that the modifications we made to my seat really worked and I was able to drive and brake harder. It is a very positive sign for next season as my back has hurt all year until this weekend."