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SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX
Hill takes fourth win of the season
Nicholas Frankl
TACH European Bureau
World Championship leader Damon Hill took another step towards gaining his first Drivers' title this afternoon as he cruised to an easy victory over arch rival Michael Schumacher in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Hill and the Williams Team bounced back
from last year's critiques of their pit-stop strategy to out-manoeuvre both the Ferrari and McLaren camps, who brought both their drivers in some 5 laps earlier for their first change of tyres and re-fueling.
This allowed Hill to inherit the lead and an empty track with which to build-up a time advantage, some ten seconds by lap 30, enabling the Brit to avoid any direct challenge to his position.
" The tactics went extremely well and it was a great race"said Hill, who now leads team-mate Villeneuve by 21 points, 43-22.
"I must admit that moments before the race I was still questioning the tactics but they turned out to be perfect. I am delighted to have won here and it is great to get things back on course."
But it was the McLaren of David Coulthard who made the early jump on the two main protagonists. Repeating and going one better than last week by starting from fourth and sprinting into the lead by the first corner. Hill slipped in behind but was soon passed
by the No1 Ferrari. The two then engaged in a full-on battle, with Hill relaxed in third spot two seconds off the lead pair. Despite driving better and equipped with more power, Schumacher was unable to make a challenge on Coulthard and there was no change until the young Scot pitted on lap 21, Schumacher opting to stay out for a further two laps. At this point Williams No2 Jaques Villeneuve was battling back from last place, after being forced to pit after a first corner collision with Alesi which resulted in a rear puncture. " I am very disappointed, it was not anyone's fault but after all this work it's a blow to have to retire with only five laps remaining" said the Indy Car Champ who was set to pick up a further point from a sixth place finish.
After Coulthard had stalled his engine on his second stop and was then forced out by hydraulic failure, Schumacher fought to close the gap on Hill before he made his second and final stop. His attempts were thwarted by Diniz and Hakkinen who, engrossed in their own battle, failed to notice the bright red Ferrari weaving all over their mirrors. It took over three laps for him to pass and by then Hill was over 20 seconds ahead, both the offending drivers picking up a 10 second stop/go penalty for ignoring the blue flags. "I don't know if it cost me the race" said Schumacher, "but it certainly sealed the win for Damon. There was no way I could challenge him after that".
Hill came in with only 13 laps remaining, and after a trouble-free eight seconds was out and on his way to the chequered flag. Gerhard Berger drove a steady, if untested, race to finish in third, his first podium for Benetton, who have dropped out of the fore since the driver swap.
Irvine concluded a good, rather than great, day for the local team coming home fourth, with Barrichello in the Jordan Peugeot fifth.
The next test will be around the twisty streets of Monte-Carlo in two weeks' time. Schumacher's manager, Willy Weber, reckons that you don't need horsepower to win there,
"just a big heart". He therefore expects his man to walk away with another win on his "home" circuit. Ferrari have certainly shown that they have the car and the driver to threaten the Williams' domination, but as Schumacher crossed the line, his right front wheel broken and locked, the car coming to a halt surrounded by a vast swarm of flag waving fans, he must have been wondering when his day will come.
