Race No. 1
Malrboro Grand Prix of Miami
Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex — Homestead, Florida
March 13-15, 1998
Sunday Quotes from Homestead: | Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes-Benz Finished: 2nd |
| GREG MOORE | |
| Michael was a little bit quicker than I was in clean air. With 10 laps to go, Steve Challis, my engineer, came on [the radio] and said, 'Do you think you have something for him?' I said, 'In traffic, I think we do.' I think we could have won the race with one more lap, but second place is a good way to start the season, we just have to get them in Japan. | |
 | Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford Finished: 1st |
| MICHAEL ANDRETTI | |
| The car ran really well especially from about midway on. After that I just tried to conserve tires. My tires held up really well. They were really strong there in the end. (On MOORE's attempt to pass in the end) My car was very good through [Turns] 3 and 4 at the end of the race, so I was able to take it in pretty deep. I didn't think he could get a run on me.
I almost messed up on one pit stop. I almost stalled and nearly spun trying to beat Alex [Zanardi] out. It was just one of those days when it's your day ... We have a good setup on ovals with the Swift. It's looking very good for us, even on street and road courses. I think Goodyear will be strong, too. I'm really looking forward to the [street] and road races. | |
 | Marlboro Penske Mercedes Finished: 22nd |
| AL UNSER, Jr. | |
| As we came down for the restart a gear then the gearbox went. It's a bit disappointing, but I am very proud of what Marlboro Team Penske acomplished with a totally new car. The car responds and it's fast. We had a good shot at it today. Now I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do in Japan." | |
 | Marlboro Penske Mercedes Finished: 17th |
| ANDRE RIBEIRO | |
| Overall the Marlboro car was very good, we had a consistent balance and good grip. Unfortunately, after 15 laps we developed a vibration that forced us to pit early for new tires. Somehow our set-up didn't match up with the left front tire. We're not sure what caused it so we need to evaluate it with Goodyear. We had to pit again on lap 70 and then it went yellow on lap 72 so that set us back even further. We jus couldn't seem to get a break today. But the good news is tha the car was reliable, we had no mechanical problems and the new Mercedes engine ran well. | |
 | Visteon Reynard Ford Finished: 5th |
| SCOTT PRUETT | |
| We made some changes to the car during the race that helped. The balance wasn't where we wanted at the start. I really want to congratulate the Visteon crew. They did a great job in the pits. We felt we were a little weak last year on pitstops so the guys really worked hard during the off-season to improve. The extra work showed today. The stops were fast and as a result I was in position to finish in the top five. I think today's race is a good indication of where we are as a team. | |
 | PacWest Motorola Reynard Mercedes Finished: 12th |
| MARK BLUNDELL | |
| We were struggling right from the beginning. We just had no balance, which was surprising because we felt comfortable this morning, and the lap times were really consistent (during the warm-up session). I was doing everything I could in the cockpit to work on the handling, but nothing worked. When I brushed the wall, I was really lucky. I was working with the car, and you have to commit to a change and see what happens. It didn't work, and the car just barely turned at the last second. | |
 | Kmart/Texaco Havoline Swift Ford Newman/Haas Racing Finished: 4th |
| CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI | |
| The key for today was having a good solid car in all phases. Michael (Andretti) really had it in the first two stints, and we lost out there a little bit. I tried to make a run at Greg (Moore) toward the end, and I thought I had it, but he was still pretty strong on the outside. It's a good start for the team, and for me personally although I think we can still get better. Maybe there wasn't enough race, or maybe just not enough traffic. I think that if there was more traffic that I would have done better. Once the green flag dropped and you are running alone, it is very hard to pass. | |
 | Herdez Competition Payton/Coyne Reynard Ford Cosworth Finished: 28th |
| MICHEL JOURDAIN | |
| The car was impossible to drive. The handling was off very bad as it was very loose. We made some incredible changes, but the car just never reacted the way we needed it to. It would be o-kay for two laps, but then it became a danger to drive again. | |
 | Baan Software Lola Ford Davis Racing Finished: 21st |
| ARND MEIER | |
| Most importantly was the track time to learn a lot about the car. It was pretty good in the warm-up, but became very loose. I felt the wind was a bit of a problem. For the first time on the track I think it was o-kay, but I want to drive a better race than this. We have to learn and it is a long way for us. | |
 | Shell Reynard Ford Team Rahal Finished: 8th |
| BRYAN HERTA | |
| We had a good Friday, but then we started struggling yesterday to get the handling back on the race car. It was really pretty bad this morning. We made some more changes, and it was a little better for the race, but we were in position to only run right at the tail of the fast guys. We just weren't fast enough to push them to get up in there. We needed for this to be a 500-mile race. Maybe we would have been good enough then. The biggest thing was that I was struggling with the wind getting into Turn 3. That was hurting us, because I couldn't get a run up on some guys. That was the biggest thing. Other than that, just the balance of the car. It was loose to start the race, and we kept tweaking it. It started pushing at the end as we went over the top. We didn't find the right answer. The Ford engine was great. I was really happy with the power from the engine. We finished the race, and it looks like most of the other Fords did as well. So at this stage of the game, we're happy with the Ford-Cosworth engine, we just need to work our setup a little better. On this track there are passing opportunities. If we had our car better, then we would have been able to get to the front. You want to qualify better. But on the ovals you just have to keep with the car. We don't want to finish eighth every weekend, but if we can finish eighth on our bad weekends, then it's not too bad. | |
 | Team Kool Green Reynard Honda Finished: 9th |
| DARIO FRANCHITTI | |
| We didn't set the world on fire, though it's a good starting point. The pit stops were great. The communication with the team went well. We took some front wing out of the car planning for the end of the race. That gave us some understeer we didn't have before and I lost a few positions. | |
 | Team Kool Green Reynard Honda Finished: 27th |
| PAUL TRACY | |
| I got too high trying to get around someone and got up in the grey. That was it; I went skating up to the wall. The car was getting much better. Everyone worked so hard to get the car where it was, to come away with nothing is a big disappointment. | |
 | Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda Finished: 3rd |
| ALEX ZANARDI | |
| We set up the car in a way which was going to be consistent. We set it up for long runs, and before we went yellow for the last time, I was in a position to catch Michael, so I'm kind of disappointed, but it's a good result to start the season. | |
 | Tecate Beer/Quaker State Patrick Racing Reynard Ford Finished: 6th |
| ADRIAN FERNANDEZ | |
| Today left me with a good feeling. It was good for the team, a good way to start the season. It's the best start to a season for myself. We were good all weekend, and when that happens, you give yourself more of an opportunity to run up front and win a race, not just hope to steal one. We'll have our shot this year. We lost a few positions in the pits, but we didn't panic and recovered a few at the end. This was a strong package today and a good race. The engine, tires, everything was so beautiful. I hope it is like this all year. | |
| Bettenhausen Racing Alumax Aluminium Reynard Mercedes-Benz Finished: 24th | |
| HELIO CASTRO-NEVES | |
| I was happy, after my practice accident, just to be in the race. I had Michael behind me, and he dove to the inside (on lap 99). I didn't want a collision. He was the leader coming through, so I tried to give him room. I went high and got into the wall. Thank God this one wasn't bad. The crash on Friday was terrible. Just the fact I was able to race today was good. | |
 | Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes-Benz Finished: 11th |
| PATRICK CARPENTIER | |
| The engine ran great all race. It seemed really good on long runs, and the fuel economy was very good. The car was okay, but I asked for a less front wing during my (lap 77) stop, and that was a mistake. These tires don't change very much. But this was the first time we've run more than 12 laps in a row with this car. We learned a lot, and next time we'll run it a little more on edge. | |
 | Hollywood Reynard Mercedes Finished: 10th |
| MAURICIO GUGELMIN | |
| The car was just really hard to drive, especially during the first two stints, because it was so loose. Later we found a better balance, but we were still lacking the grip we needed. | |
| Hogan Truck Leasing Reynard Mercedes Finished: 14th | |
| JJ LEHTO | |
| The only shame was we didn't get a qualifying run. I started at the back and just went to the outside to pass. I got a little heat in the tires, and there was good grip. Once I got into the fast pack of cars, I had to adapt to how I passed. I had to find a way to overtake. A few times I lost, and a few times I gained. The car was good though. I learned a lot. | |
 | Team Kool Green Team manager |
| BARRY GREEN | |
| Dario did a heck of a job. I'm really pleased with the job he did. We took a little front wing out of his car on the last stop thinking the race would stay green 'til the finish. When it didn't, he had a hard time controlling the car and got up in the gray and lost a few positions. | |