Irvine in wars as Irish flop

JACQUES VILLENEUVE bounced back into the lead in the world drivers' championship by winning the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona yesterday.

Villeneuve started from pole and dominated the 64 lap race to win by nearly six seconds from Prost's Olivier Panis with Benetton driver Jean Alesi third. For the second time in a row Bridgestone took the race runners up spot.

But it was the worst Irish showing of the season with both Jordan drivers and Eddie Irvine hampered by high tyre wear rates. Giancarlo Fisichella was ninth and Ralf Schumacher retired With engine failure, while Eddie Irvine in his Ferrari finished 12th and was again involved in some controversy.

Irvine just shook his head as he walked from his Ferrari after the race. "What a waste of time that was," he said. "It was just eating the tyres. There was no balance in the car at all."

Irvine came in for some harsh criticism from Panis who spent 10 minutes trying to lap the Irishman during which Alesi and Irvine's Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher closed up.

"He's incredible to overtake," said Panis. "If we were racing it's one thing but he was being lapped. It's very difficult to speak to this man. He was being shown the blue flag for six or seven laps. Maybe he has a problem with his eyes."

In the excitement Alesi began gesticulating in the car. "I was tying to tell the clerk of the course to wake up," said Alesi. The stewards gave Irvine a 10 second penalty, which he was not happy about: "I saw the flag but as Jos Verstappen and I had a car to pass in front of us, I assumed the flags were for him."

Irvine's tactic allowed Schumacher to close right up to Alesi and Panis, though the German could not take advantage of it. Irvine claimed he was not blocking: "There were no instructions from the pit - I didn't know Michael was behind. I was driving my own race as best I could," said Irvine.

For Jordan, the race was a disaster - the first uncompetitive run in two months. "We never go well here," said Eddie Jordan. "Today it was hard on the tyres. Giancarlo got boxed in at the start and it took him a long time to recover. It's interesting that the top three were the only ones to go for two stops. But with our wear rate we needed three."

Jordan was not happy when the truth about Ralf Schumacher's startline fiasco was revealed. As the grid lined up before the start Schumacher was seen waving his hands. "I hadn't stalled. Mika Hakkinen in front of me waved his hand so I assumed he had stalled."

The stewards sent Schumacher to the back for the restart. "I'm not at all happy about it," he said. Nor was his boss. After an uninspiring race, the Jordan driver retired from 13th place at three quarter distance with engine failure.

Gary Anderson explained the problem: "For the few laps before the oil pressure was fluctuating. There was a leak near the cylinder head and the oil level was going low. It must just be an assembly problem because we've never had it before."

The one compensation for the team was that Fisichella set the fastest lap of the race, a new lap record.

"Alter the stupidity of Monaco it was good to get a result," said Villeneuve who now heads the title chase by three points from Ferrari's Michael Schumacher who finished fourth.

"We did the right thing by going for two stops, but it means you have to drive like a maniac. We have thrown away some races but the car was the best it's been all season today."

From the start Villeneuve was caring for his tyres despite the close attention of Michael Schumacher who muscled past David Coulthard into second place.

"I knew Michael would be struggling," said Villeneuve. "In testing here they were not able to make their tyres last more than five laps. Ours were good for 20 laps so I knew he would need more than our two stops if he was running with me."

Michael Schumacher said: "I always knew Spain was going to be very hard. We had no choice except to go for three stops and then you have to drive hard to make up the time and that is hard on the tyres. It was a vicious circle."

Both Ferraris were blistering tyres after 15 miles, but had to struggle and lost over three seconds a lap as a result.

Jordan could only look forward to Canada: "It's been a great circuit for us. Giancarlo has told me he can put the car on the front row there.

Bernie Ecclestone, vice president of FIA, has warned that the British Grand Prix could be one of several European rounds of the F1 world championship under threat if EU moves to ban tobacco sponsorship of motor racing are imposed as planned in the near future.

The British government is seeking to end all forms of sports sponsorship by tobacco companies.