Irvine in series lead after winning appeal

Sunday, Oct. 24, 1999 | 1 a.m.

"I am in a great position now," Irvine said. "I have always done well at Suzuka."

If he wins the title, he would be Britain's first champion since Damon Hill in 1996.

Irvine - after Ferrari won its appeal Saturday - enters the Japanese Grand Prix four points ahead of McLaren's Mika Hakkinen, the defending champion.

"All I need to do is finish ahead of Mika and I will be champion," Irvine said from Japan. "I could still crash or break down in the race.

"We have had a few incidents this season where we have had big problems and sometimes McLaren has had problems, so we will have to wait and see."

Ferrari hasn't won a drivers' title since 1979. Michael Schumacher, who was brought in four years ago to help Ferrari end the dry spell, has pledged his help.

"I am elated that the FIA has agreed with Ferrari's point of view," said Schumacher, who missed half the season with a broken leg. "Now the world championship will be decided on the circuit and not on the wheel of fortune.

"I will do everything to help the stable and Eddie Irvine get as good a result at Suzuka as in Malaysia."

The International Automobile Federation's decision to reinstate Ferrari's 1-2 finish by Irvine and Schumacher in the Oct. 17 Malaysian Grand Prix has given Irvine the inside track to the title.

The decision by the FIA's five-member International Court of Appeal brought cries of foul from McLaren, which had been celebrating a second straight season title for Hakkinen after the Finn was elevated to first place in Malaysia.

The reversal made it so the title is still up for grabs.

"I have come to make the announcement myself because it was felt that whatever decision was taken, there might be criticism of FIA," FIA president Max Mosley said before announcing the Italian team's successful appeal.

The panel of lawyers ruled that the disputed aerodynamic deflectors - initially ruled three-eighths of an inch out of compliance - conformed to FIA standards. They said initial measurements were "not sufficiently accurate" and the rules were fuzzy.

"To punish someone, you need two things," Ferrari's chief legal officer Jean-Pierre Martel said. "A clear set of rules and acknowledgment that the rules have been broken. We proved that neither of those were shown."

McLaren managing director Ron Dennis was sharply critical, suggesting that "commercial" pressure had influenced the decision.

"It's more than anything else a bad day for the sport," Dennis said. "What has actually occurred is that through a very heavy scrutiny of our rules, which are extensive and very detailed, a way has been found ... to provide a reason for the appeal to be upheld."