New Car For Irvine.

Eddie Irvine will pilot a brand new F399 this weekend, in an attempt to keep himself in the F1 title race.


The Irishman struggled to keep pace with the McLarens in both Belgium and Italy, and his Ferrari team believes that his car may have been partly to blame. An inspection after the Monza GP two weeks ago revealed that chassis 191 - which Irvine has used throughout the year - may have lost some of its all-important rigidity, leading to a drop in performance.


A spokesman for the Italian outfit admitted that the problem may have led to the set-up difficulties which blighted Irvine's race weekend ten days ago, and confirmed that the Irishman would race an all-new car this Sunday.


Chassis 196 was given a shakedown at Fiorano by Irvine at the beginning of the week, and allowed the driver to set improved times almost immediately. By the weekend, the car will feature the range of aerodynamic improvements tried by both Irvine and team-mate Mika Salo at the recent Mugello test, and should also be fitted with a lower fuel tank to aid weight distribution.


Ferrari was keen not to take all the blame, however, and insisted that its driver would also have to improve on recent performances.


"The theory [suggesting that the team was not behind Irvine] is somewhere between pathetic and humiliating," said company president Luca di Montezemolo, "Ferrari can win both the drivers' and constructors' championships, but to achieve that we have to improve the car, which has to go faster - as does Irvine."