If you're a fan of the FIFA/EA FC games as much as you like your F1 games, you're probably familiar with the concept of Career Mode Stories. A writer is posting in a website / article format, that put together form a story for others to read, as if you're following someone's fantasy sports career world. Instead of football, I'd also like to give it a try in an F1 format for once.
So, I asked myself the question: what if I'd start as young as Max Verstappen (youngest ever rookie) and keep racing in F1 as long as Fernando Alonso (a quarter century, or 25 years). Well, that's not entirely a coincidence, because like Verstappen I was born in September and like Alonso I'm from the year 1981 (hence the for numbers in my username).
That means we'll go back to the start of the 1999 season. And that was quite an important season, because in that time Ferrari, McLaren and Williams were virtually tied in terms of constructor's world titles and race wins. Michael Schumacher is only a double world champion at this moment, while Mika Häkkinen is the defending world champion. Other former champions are Damon Hill (entering his final season) and Jacques Villeneuve, who was booted by Williams and decided to step into a brand new team called BAR or British American Racing.
So, here we go. Like Max Verstappen, I'm entering the world of Formula 1 as a rookie of 17.5 years. I'm using the F1 2014 game for the first number of seasons, but from 2010 (if we get that far) I'll be using the official Codemasters/EA titles of that year. The races are all 50%. Will I be able to rewrite the history books? Will it all unfold in the 21st century as it has done in real life? Let's Go!
Minardi are making headlines! The modest Italian Formula 1 outfit are cause for great controversy as they are entering the 1999 season with two rookies. One is 1998 Formula Nissan champion Marc Gené (24) from Spain, but the focal point of attention and upheaval is the very young Dutch-Polish rookie Daniel Marzec (17).
Marzec will drive with a Polish racing license, which will make him the first citizen of Poland to enter a Formula 1 race when the season will kick off in March with the Melbourne Grand Prix in Australia. He is a pupil of and managed by the flamboyant Flavio Briatore, the former team boss of the Benetton team and currently distributor of rechristened Renault power units, now known as Supertec.
And it was Briatore, who opted the idea to give the vacant Minardi-seat to his young talent: "If it draws attention, it draws sponsors and money and that's exactly what they need at Minardi." Briatore once rescued Minardi from bankrupcy by buying a minority stake in the team. Later he sold his share to founder of Fondmetal Gabriele Rumi. "But I'm close to all matters that involve Italy and F1, whether it's Benetton, Ferrari or Minardi. And I think that's why young talent like to have me as manager. Because if I see true talent in them, I can fix them a seat. Like Danny Marzec, whom I think has the potential to become the next hot thing in Formula 1."
Marzec became racing driver by accident: "I was on holiday in Italy and participated in a go kart race in 1995. I immediately finished second and I was told that it really mattered, because Italy is currently by far the strongest nation in go karting." In 1996, he did a full season in karting. From there, Marzec advanced to Italian Formula 3. There, he was picked up by Flavio Briatore who offered to become his manager. "I said to Danny, I want to get you in Formula 1 before the end of the century", Briatore says, "so I thought, how can I do that? I talked to Minardi and Bruni and told them: you need this guy because not only is he good enough, but he will create attention for you and that attracts sponsors, money and that might lead to better results again." Minardi's last point score to date was over three years ago in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide.
That is immediately Marzec' ambition for his rookie season. "Scoring a point would be great, for myself and for the team! So, that is the goal." Marzec will have a brand new designed M01 chassis at his disposal designed by Gustav Brunner (formerly of Arrows and Ferrari, Zakspeed and Leyton House) and George Ryton (ex-Tyrrell, ex-Ferrari, ex-Ligier/Prost). As a power unit, Minardi will use the Ford Zetec-R VJM engine, originally used by Sauber for the 1996 season and Stewart during the 1997 season. The engine is known for its reliability but also its lack of speed. Minardi hopes to compensate for that, through its pioneering lightweight magnesium casing. Therefore, Minardi hopes to have a fighting chance for points on tracks where it's more about grip than speed. As with previous seasons, a finishing position in the Top 6 is requied to score points.
FORMULA ONE 1999 SEASON: Rematch between Häkkinen and Schumacher
The 1999 season in Formula One is expected to become a rematch between defending world champion Mika Häkkinen of McLaren-Mercedes and challenger Michael Schumacher, the former double world champion now racing with Ferrari.
Ever since Schumacher joined the Scuderia in 1996, FERRARI have inched ever closer to the top. At first that was only due to the brilliance of the German driver, but lately it seems team mate Eddie Irvine has stepped up his game. This gives Ferrari a fighting chance in the Constructors championship as well and in the end, that's where the money is being won or lost.
MCLAREN has had its team put together in 1996 as well, pairing Häkkinen to David Coulthard who appears to be the ideal wingman. Fast enough to go for win, Coulthard never seems to be able to stay close to Häkkinen for a longer period of time. This time though, his role will be more about defending the team crown, rather than to go on the attack.
WILLIAMS did not change their car much (their Mecachome power units were rebadged into Supertec, but it effectively remains the same engine), but do present a fully fresh line-up while the team is eager to start their partnership with BMW which will enter F1 in the year 2000. This is where the need for German driver Ralf Schumacher comes in and he's being paired with CART champion Alessandro Zanardi who drove for Minardi, Jordan and Lotus in the early nineties and now makes an F1-comeback. For this season, Williams are happy to sit in a comfortable third spot, directly behind McLaren and Ferrari, as their drivers and staff gear up to go in guns blazing next season.
In 1998 JORDAN became a team that not only can fight for points or podiums, but also wins! Former world champion Damon Hill drove his Jordan - Mugen Honda package to a win on Spa-Francorchamps. The package and the race winner have stayed on, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen joins the team, ironically the same person that Hill had to vacate his Williams-seat for in 1997. Given both men's history at Williams, the two drivers ought to feel eager to jump their former team in the pecking order: a title fight might be a bridge too far, but going for the podium this season is a realistic goal.
BENETTON are finally being lead by somebody with the same name. Rocco Benetton (29) is the new team principle after David Richards called it quits. The line-up however remains unchanged with Giancarlo Fisichella and Alexander Wurz as driver pair. Meanwhile, Flavio Briatore's influence over the team is ever present, with his company Supertec providing former Renault engines. Benetton's bills to Supertec are slightly higher than that of Williams or BAR as Benetton pays extra to be allowed to call their engines Playlife (a brand subject to Benetton itself).
Further down the field we have RED BULL SAUBER who give Jean Alesi and Pedro Diniz the 1998 Ferrari engines, now called Petronas. TWR ARROWS field a nice package, though the Hart-engine v8 is expected to fall short in absolute power. Initially, Mika Salo was expected to stay on with the team, but Walkinshaw and Hart opted to increase financial resources via the sponsorship money that Pedro de la Rosa and Toranosuke Takagi bring in.
STEWART stick with Rubens Barrichello. Jos Verstappen was to stay with the team but couldn't get a budget together, which is why he's being replaced by Johnny Herbert, much like the situation at Benetton in late 1994 / early 1995. The team have exclusive rights to Ford's factory engine which they now finally hope will pair power with reliability. PROST retains their deal with Peugeot and also the driver pairing at the end of 1998, with Olivier Panis and Jarno Trulli filling the seats.
MINARDI have sparked controversy by fielding a 17 year old rookie, Daniel Marzec. Marzec, like Alexander Wurz, is being managed by Flavio Briatore, who has good ties with team boss Giancarlo Minardi and kept the team alive when financial troubles arrose. Minardi partners Marzec with Marc Gené from Spain and gives both drivers the 1996 client's engine from Ford. The V10 comes short in power but Minardi's technical director Gustav Brunner and chief designer George Ryton have designed a significantly lighter car.
Finally, a newcomer or is it? BRITISH AMERICAN RACING or BAR is the successor to the legendary Tyrrell outfit. It combines the pedigre of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, former Renault-engines called Supertec supplied by Briatore (the very same Villeneuve took his championship with) and a car designed by Adrian Reynard. What could possibly go wrong? Modesty is for losers and Reynard has openly stated they are in it for poles and race wins from day one!
Eddie Irvine noted the fastest time during the first session, of the first race weekend. The driver from Northern Ireland was almost .35s faster than David Coulthard and nearly .4s quicker that team mate Michael Schumacher. Defending world champion Mika Häkkinen came in 5th at .781s.
Fastest rookie of the day was Pedro De La Rosa in 16th at almost 2.2s of the leader. Former champions Damon Hill (14th) and Jacques Villeneuve (15th) were clearly struggling, as was F1-comeback kid Alessandro Zanardi (19th). Rookies Daniel Marzec (20th) and Ricardo Zonta (21st) were able to stay ahead of Marc Gené.
Marzec caused a red flag after 26 minutes, when he lost control of his Minardi coming out of turn 14. "Up to that point, I was in 14th-15th position. Under normal circumstances we are fighting at the back with Arrows and BAR it seems, so anything in the top 16 is a win for us. But I was pushing to hard and lost control. I'm sorry to give the team a lot more work than necessary ahead of qualifying."
First Pole Position of the season goes to David Coulthard! In a very close qualifying session, the Scotsman was only just slightly faster than team mate Mika Häkkinen and Ferrari's Eddie Irvine. Michael Schumacher came in 4th at .157s. Damon Hill saw a good recovery from his disappointing practice session coming in 5th, while Alex Zanardi made the top 10.
Further down the grid, Minardi turned out to be the strongest of the three backmarker teams, with Marc Gené (17th) having 0.015s over his 17 year old team mate Daniel Marzec. Both rookies managed to stay ahead of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve who disappointed in 20th, but that was still better than his BAR-team mate Riccardo Zonta who closes the grid at the back.
My first race weekend as Formula One driver is done. I've made it to the finish in 13th! In a direct fight, I managed to keep Ricardo Zonta from BAR behind me, as well as the world champion Mika Häkkinen and Olivier Panis, though they dropped back later in the race due to damage and technical issues.
My start from 18th was okay. I managed to stay out of trouble and held my position. That didn't apply to my team mate Marc Gené unfortunately, who touched Rubens Barrichello after which both were out of the race. Alex Würz, Jean Alesi and Pedro de la Rosa also had damage and visited the pit lane. After one lap I was in 13th.
It stayed that way until lap 20, when behind me Toranosuke Takagi and Jacques Villeneuve had a huge crash in turn 1. It caused a Safety Car and the team opted to take me in for a pit stop. They put me on another set of hard tyres, in hindsight it would've been better to put me on softs at that time.
Three laps later, we went back to green flag racing. I was now in 16th and I had a hard time making the tyres work. However, by lap 42 I worked my way up into 9th place. But my second stop threw me back to 13th, which is where I remained until the end of the race.
Towards the end, I was happy that I managed to keep a car or two behind me, because by doing so I reached my rookie-target: the team and myslef wanted to finish the race and not come home in last place: mission accomplished! I even kept the world champion behind me; not many can say that after their maiden race. Our car is far away from the points, though the gap to the driver in 6th (Pedro Diniz) was only 33 seconds, meaning we need to find half a second per lap in the upcoming races to become competitive. Next up is Brazil!
David Coulthard has converted his pole position into a race win! The opening race of the 1999 season is therefore prey to McLaren, which is there 117th race win; only two wins shy of the all-time record by Ferrari.
The rest of the podium sees Eddie Irvine (Ferrari) and Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Jordan). Surprisingly absent are title favourites Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen. Schumacher already pitted just before the safety car neutralization and found himself in eighth after the last round of pit stops. However, the double world champion overtook his brother Ralf, his former rival Damon Hill, as well as Pedro Diniz and Johnny Herbert in the final 16 laps of the race, ending in 4th.
Mika Häkkinen was even more unlucky. Like Schumacher, the defending champion fell back during the safety car, due to an early pit stop. Then, the Finn caught debris and had damage due to the crash of Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli. Häkkinen had to make a third long pit stop, which is why points or a podium disappeared out of sight.
The first race of 1999 also saw four rookies: only Mark Gené did not manage to finish his maiden race. Pedro de la Rosa (12th), Daniel Marzec (13th) and Ricardo Zonta (14th) all brought their cars home.
Because we're back in 1999, only the top 6 drivers are rewarded with points (10 points for 1st, 6 pts for 2nd, 4 pts for 3rd, 3 pts for 4th, 2 pts for 5th and a single point for the one coming home in 6th. All other results are done on countback of the highest finishing position outside of the point. Example: because Daniel Marzec brought his Minardi home in 13th, the team is in front of BAR (one car finished in 14th) and Prost (one car finished in 16th). This principle also applies to the drivers.
Even though Schumacher and Häkkinen did not get a result that resembled their speed, it is clear already after one round that the 1999 championship will be between winners McLaren and runners-up Ferrari. The next race is on Autodromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos, São Paolo, Brazil where rain could become a key factor.
Practice sessions are usually a good indication for race pace and Ferrari seem ready to hit back at McLaren: Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine were comfortably faster than the rest of the field and even Fentzen remained in front of the Constructors World Champions in his Jordan - Mugen Honda.
Further down the grid, we saw a notable effort by Daniel Marzec: the Polish rookie pushed his Minardi far above where we expect the car in 12th, with more than a second (!!) difference with his (other rookie) team mate, Marc Gené.
For the home crowd there wasn't much to cheer about, with Brazilian drivers Pedro Diniz (13th), Rubens Barrichello (15th) and Ricardo Zonta (18th) playing anonymous roles in the margin.
McLaren hits back! David Coulthard claimed pole position again, staying .081s ahead of Michael Schumacher. While the double world champion of 1994 and 1995 could battle with his McLaren rivals, Eddie Irvine suffered technical issues - The driver from Northern Ireland will have to start from the back of the grid.
Happy face all around for Brazilian race fans, as Interlagos home hero Rubens Barrichello qualified his Stewart-Ford in 5th! Alex Zanardi of Williams and Giancarlo Fisichella of Benetton will probably be less happy: both could not get into the top 10.
From the smaller teams, Toranosuke Takagi and his Arrows produced a surprisingly good result in 15th. Marzec kept part of his advantage over his Minardi team mate, although the margin slid back from over a second to just one third of a second. Marzec claimed he could've been quicker if he wasn't hindered by Damon Hill: "After that, the rain strated coming down and nobody could improve on their time. I think realistically I could have eaked out another .3s and be where Olivier Panis and Takagi are in terms of raw pace."
My race was done in the first lap. I had a good start and made up some positions, when halfway down the lap Jarno Trulli ran into me from behind. He was out while I spun off the track. I had damage and a flat rear tyre. I managed to get back to the pit lane and to save the wheel, but I was already too far behind. In the end I finished last 30 seconds behind Toranosuke Takagi, two laps down on the race winner.
I had another hairy moment, coming out of the pit lane. Heinz-Harald Frentzen overtook me on the racing line, while Mika Häkkinen tried to take the inside line. All three of us suffered damage, even more than I had before.
A positive was the race pace towards the end, where I came back to lap times which at that time was good enough to keep up with guys in the Top 10. We will take that, when we move to our team's home race which is on Imola.
Michael Schumacher took the lead in the first corner and never looked back. The German took his 34th race win in his career, a 120th for Scuderia Ferrari. McLaren finshed 2nd and 3rd with David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen and also score 10 points and keep the lead in the 1999 Constructors Championship.
Six cars did not survive the opening lap, most notably Eddie Irvine (Ferrari) who already had a dismal weekend, starting from the back of the grid. Later in the race Olivier Panis and Damon Hill were also sent into retirement.
There were cheers for Interlagos home hero Rubens Barrichello, who managed to take his Stewart - Ford from 5th place on the starting grid to the same finishing position, thereby scoring 2 points (which doubles the tally of his team).
After two races in the 1999 season, David Coulthard leads Michael Schumacher 16 to 13 when we are heading towards Imola, which could be seen as the home circuit for both Italian teams, Ferrari and Minardi. McLaren holds one point over Ferrari in the Constructors Championship (20 - 19).
