Herbert wins European GP, Hakkinen leads standings

Nesha Starcevic

Sunday, Sept. 26, 1999 | 12:18 p.m.

NUERBURGRING, Germany - Johnny Herbert of Britain earned his third Formula One victory Sunday, taking the European Grand Prix which began with a crash and ended with many top drivers on the sidelines.

Herbert, winless since 1995, changed to wet-weather tires just as the first of two showers hit the course. He drove a Stewart-Ford to its first victory in three seasons on the Formula One series.

"There were a lot of people falling off because the conditions were very tricky," Herbert said. "I was fortunate because I had the wets on. It was risky but it paid off big-time."

Finland's Mika Hakkinen, the defending champion, finished fifth in a McLaren-Mercedes and took the lead in the season points standings with 62.

Hakkinen could win the championship at the next Grand Prix in Malaysia Oct. 17. The season ends in Japan Oct. 31.

Hakkinen's closest rival, Eddie Irvine of Britain, remained at 60 points after finishing seventh in a Ferrari.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen of Germany, the pole sitter, dropped out when his Jordan developed an electrical problem on the 33rd lap. Frentzen remained third in the standings at 50 points, and Britain's David Coulthard stayed fourth with 48.

Coulthard led in his McLaren for four laps, but spun off the course. With Coulthard gone, Ralf Schumacher of Germany took the lead in a Williams, lost it to Italy's Giancarlo Frischella in a Benetton during a pit stop, then regained it.

But Schumacher blew his rear right tire on lap 50 and Herbert took the lead for good.

Herbert won the race on the 2.831-mile Nuerburgring in 1 hour, 41 minutes, 54.314 seconds, 22.618 seconds ahead of Italy's Jarno Trulli in a Prost-Peugeot, and 22.865 seconds ahead of Brazil's Rubens Barrichello in a Stewart.

Stewart will become Jaguar Racing next season, with Irvine and Herbert as drivers.

Schumacher was fourth and Marc Gene of Spain sixth to earn the first point for Minardi in four seasons.

The first start of the race was abandoned when Gene had a problem lining up.

Pedro Diniz of Brazil escaped without serious injury after crashing at the restart when his car flipped over and landed upside down in a collision with Austrian Alexander Wurz.

Diniz had a bruised shoulder and knee and was undergoing tests at a hospital.

Irvine was effectively out of the race after wasting 28 seconds in the pits as the first shower hit the track on the 21st lap.

"The pit crew was ready for me, but (Mika) Salo came in first and so the mechanics got rid of my tires to put his on," Irvine said. "Then when I came in they could not find one of my tires."

They eventually found it, but Irvine had to come in again and lost too much time.

"It was another great opportunity missed," Irvine said. "There were too many mistakes."