***FOR INFORMATION ON THE SF-3 GO TO "FEATURE ARTICLES"***
January 1999
Scots reveal the car that has to improve its pace in 1999
EVANS, January 7th-Stewart Grand Prix became the latest team to unveil its pukka 1999 Formula One chassis to an expectant audience at the AUTOSPORT International show earlier today. The SF-3, designed by the team’s former technical director Alan Jenkins, was completed and ran before Christmas in a neutral livery at Silverstone earlier this month, but this was the first time the car’s livery had been seen outside the team’s headquarters. Pre-launch rumour had suggested a blue livery in defference to engine partner Ford, but it was more of the same for the team, an off-white livery sporting the logos of long-term partners Ford, HSBC, Lear, MCI and Hewlett Packard.
The mood from team boss Paul Stewart, son of triple world champ and team chairman Jackie, was bouyant at the car’s unveiling. "Every other team is working as hard as we are in planning and improving. We can’t expect to move three or four teams up the grid automatically. It isn’t going to be that easy. This time, though, we’re positioning ourselves in the right way to attack the season. Last year we entered it in a very defensive mode. Now we have the opportunity of rectifying things before it’s too late. The pressure is there, but it’s something we put on ourselves. What’s nice is that, with the changes to our facilities, I now feel I’m in more of a position to do something about any problems. We’re positioned in the right way to attack the season."
Ford’s plans for the Stewart team could see the marque take a majority shareholding in the team, and bring the Jaguar name to Formula One in the year 2001. The manufacturer has increased its commitment to the Stewart project in recent months, buying engine constructor Cosworth and extending the contract to supply works engines to the Stewart team until 2001.
Changes could include placing ex Benetton team boss David Richards, whose Prodrive company runs Ford’s British Touring Car team, into the team in a management position. Both Jackie Stewart, a valuable ambassador for the Blue Oval, and current team boss Paul Stewart are expected to remain with the team.
"Ford is committed to getting this right," said Ford European motorsport boss Martin Whitaker. "We are committed to the F1 programme with Stewart - that’s why we extended the contract - and we will get it right. There is a very noticeable feel about Ford’s confidence in its F1 programme for the future. In fact there’s a much more optimistic mood in the company across the board. We hope we’re on the verge of getting Ford back together again."
We’ll have more news from behind the scenes of the Stewart launch throughout the day. Keep your browser logged onto stewartgrandprix.tsx.org for all the latest news.
Stewart-Ford car LaunchEVANS, January 1st- the Stewart-Ford SF-3 is to be unveiled at the Autosport International Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, on January 7. The car should begin testing in Barcelona in the week of January 11 when Bridgestone is releasing tyres for the first tests of the new year.
December 1998
Alan Jenkins leaves Stewart GP
LONDON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Alan Jenkins, Stewart Grand Prix's technical director for the past
three years, has parted company with the Formula One team.Stewart said in a statement on Wednesday that Jenkins had left the team “by mutual agreement"
following a meeting with team chief Jackie Stewart and would be replaced by Gary Anderson,
former Jordan technical director. Stewart said Jenkins had been instrumental in establishing the
team in Formula One, giving them “a strong platform to become a significant force in Grand Prix
racing."
Tyre dispute hits Stewart plans
Autosport, 17th December- monopoly tyre supplier, Bridgestone, will not provide teams with
tyres for testing whenever they want and the teams are trying to hammer out an agreement with the
Japanese manufacturer on pre-season testing. This has effectively scuppered Stewart's aim to get
the 1999 campaign off to an early start. The team has been forced to cancel plans to wheel out the
new SF-3 at Silverstone in the week before Christmas because no tyres will be available.
Stewart's chief engineer, Andy Le Fleming said:"We've made a big effort to get the car out early and now we'll be sitting around for
ages without being able to test. We'd planned to give it a shakedown around
December 20-21, after we received the first '99 spec engine from Ford."As Bridgestone will not give tyres to Stewart for a test outside the agreed schedule in December,
the team will instead concentrate on doing static rig-testing with the new car until it can be run on
the track.
Stewart plans to run at Silverstone before Christmas thwarted?
Autosport, 10th December- Due to an agreement between the F1 teams and monopoly tyre
supplier, Bridgestone, the only tests for which tyres will be supplied this year are this week at
Jerez and next week at Barcelona. Stewart-Ford had planned to run at Silverstone before
Christmas but this now seems unlikely to happen.
New Stewart-Ford SF-3 delayed
Autosport, 3rd December- the first test of Stewart-Ford's 1999 car has been delayed. The team had hoped to run the car on 15th December, but last minute design changes have pushed the date back to the week before Christmas with the target date of 21st December.
In a separate item, Autosport reports that Stewart's chief aerodynamicist, Eghbal Hamedy, has walked out after a dispute with the team's design bosses. He joined the team in 1996 from Williams. Sources told the magazine that Hamedy felt undermined by the arrival from Jordan of new chief designer, Gary Anderson. The new man is changing the design of the '99 chassis before it hits the tracks.
Johnny's first experience of the Stewart-Ford
Autosport, 3rd December- Johnny is said to have "put a brave face on" after his first experience of his new team's car, saying:
"It's very difficult to compare with the Sauber I drove this year because there is now an extra groove in the tyres. But this car is very,very sensitive at the front. I don't know which direction it wants to go."
Johnny added that the engine was about as good as the Petronas engine, supplied by Ferrari, reckoned to be about 35bhp down on the power of the current Ferrari engine.
Testing at Barcelona
1- Luca Badoer Ferrari 1:24.19
2- David Coulthard McLaren 1:24.23
3- Damon Hill Jordan 1:24.41
4- Nick Heidfeld McLaren 1:24.88
5- Mika Salo Arrows 1:25.38
6- Pedro Diniz Sauber 1:25.42
7- Max Wilson Williams 1:25.67
8- Jarno Trulli Prost 1:25.75
9- Alex Zanardi Williams 1:25.91
10- Stephane Sarrazin Prost 1:26.36
11- Johnny Herbert Stewart 1:26.66
12- Kelvin Burt Stewart 1:26.86