From: chrisj@dircon.co.uk (Christine Johnston) Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport.f1 Subject: Secret Diary of Jacques Villeneuve - Hungary Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 19:38:00 +0000 Organization: Dircon Lines: 70 Message-ID: <19970815193800132162@th-eng09-228.pool.dircon.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: th-eng09-228.pool.dircon.co.uk X-Newsreader: MacSOUP 2.2 Friday, 8 August To Budapest for the Hungarian GP. These Hungarians understand the kind of image I'm striving for - the man on the hotel door even suggested I go elsewhere more appropriate to my style! I have done more serious preparation for this race weekend for sure. I have discovered that the peroxide is drying my hair out and making it frizz so I have purchased some deep intensive conditioner and am already begining to see the results of this hard work. For sure the practice sessions didn't go according to plan but desite spinning off I feel sure that the soft compound is definitely the better choice for the race and I'm definitely looking the best bet despite Michael being top of the times. Patrick was once again giving me those admiring looks as he ordered the mechanics to clean the grass and gravel out of my car. Frank wheeled off saying he was going to talk to 'that nice Mika Hakkinen' and HHF followed him offering to polish his wheels. Saturday, 9 August Michael beat me to pole for sure but I feel confident on the front row of the grid. Damon's third is obviously a complete fluke and I'm sure that if the control people had pulled that car in they would have found something dodgy with it. After all, how can an Arrows be just behind me on the grid on merit? But I did manage to pay Mika Salo back for blocking my fast lap - he'll now start on the back row instead of the second last row! That'll teach him. At the press conference Damon obviously thinks I have the inside line advantage into the first corner. 'Yes' he smiled. 'From my point of view that's a great place for you to start from'. But Eddie is 5th and I know he's out to get me. For sure its 3 places back but he could still do for me. He keeps grinning at me and pointing to my grid spot and asking if I brought my Hoover Dustette. He's mad, you know. For sure. When I got back to the garage Patrick was virtually bubbling over in anticipation of the fine race we are going to have as he asked the mechanics to clean the grass and gravel out of my car again. HHF was busy explaining to Frank that his qualifying effort was due to his choice of the hard compound. I made sure to point out that he was 0.8s behind me but the Goodyear guys say that the hard compounds are only 0.4s slower. No need to encourage him. HHF started chewing his lips and made off for the motorhome. Frank wheeled off saying that he had been meaning to have a chat with Gerhard for weeks. Sunday, 10 August The race warm up was for sure the highlight of my weekend. As I watched Michael trash his race car owing to the pressure I was putting him under I felt sure the race would be mine as there was no competition around me on the grid who could compare to my racing genius and dominating pace. The Williams clutch obviously needs more work to it as it let me down at the start. Cunningly I avoided Eddie's well planned ambush and let him in front of me in order to confuse him. Damon's jump start obviously didn't register on the computer or how else could he have gone 2nd like that? But I felt sure that he would soon be holding all of us up and that my racing prowess would see me streaking past. For sure the tyres must have changed since Saturday as these couldn't be the same as those I tested so thoroughly for the race. Fortunately Michael seemed to have taken delivery of an even worse set and I sat back and waited for that obviously illegal Arrows to conk out. Sure enough fate stepped in to help me and I took Damon on the last lap to the jubilation of the crowd. After all, I deserve it more - I'm fighting for the championship and he is nowhere. As he hugged me in the Parc Ferme in appreciation of my fine drive I expected to hear his words of praise but curiously he said 'Have you tried conditioner on that?'. Obviously overwhelmed by the occasion. Back at the motorhome I stepped over HHF who had gone back to keening mode and was chanting 'not my fault' to the wall opposite. Frank wheeled off saying he was sure he had Damon's mobile number. Next stop Spa - a circuit I secretly feel Michael hasn't come to terms with.