Since assuming control of Ferrari's destiny, Eddie Irvine's ability to steer the Italian team to their first drivers championship since Jody Scheckter took the title in 1979 have been dissected, scrutinised and pored over with microscopic precision. The doubters, and there are many, believe the Ulsterman does not possess the speed and skill to overthrow the current holder of the crown, Mika Hakkinen.
Yesterday, after a do or die struggle to win the Austrian Grand Prix in the mountain village of Spielberg, a jubilant Irvine answered the critics. "I've always had my critics," he said. "When I first started racing in Formula Ford there was a guy who said `that Irvine will never make a racing driver as long as he's got a hole in his arse' and I proved him wrong. I've done the same today."
The Ulsterman's win, only his second in a six-year Formula One career, comes just five months after his maiden victory in Melbourne, but for Irvine, victory in Austria yesterday completely eclipsed the win in Australia.
"It was the nicest chequered flag I've ever seen, nicer than Australia," he said. Melbourne was a fairly easy win at the end of the day. This was really hard work. There was so much going on, so many things to do to win." Irvine's former boss, Eddie Jordan, with whose team, Irvine has been continually linked since his Melbourne win, also congratulated the new Ferrari number one: "Eddie produced a fantastic result. I would definitely say it was one of his best ever races."
A nail-biting finish saw Irvine cross the line with just three tenths of a second to spare over McLaren's David Coulthard, who, over the final 27 laps, had relentlessly hunted the Ferrari driver down after a masterful piece of strategy had allowed Irvine to make his pit stop and exit in front of the hapless Scot. Irvine admitted that the pressure during the race was intense.
"I thought it would be easier than it was. I thought when I had DC in front of me it would be okay but then Ross Brawn came on the radio and said I really had to conserve the brakes and it was unbelievable pressure," he said. "I am surprised that we beat the McLarens, but I knew we'd be close." With tyres and brakes failing in the penultimate laps, and with Coulthard closing in, the Ferrari appeared to be sending out smoke signals of desperation and pain but Irvine brushed aside any notions of technical failure.
"It was not just a case of driving. I had understeer on my second set of tyres and I also had to ease off to look after the brakes but David caught up to me too quickly and I had to push very hard and just forget about the brake problems. I kept wishing the bloody chequered flag would come sooner."
The high tension finish at the A1 Ring yesterday was the culmination of a week of intense pressure on the Ulsterman and he admitted that it had not been easy to cope under the weight of expectation. "The Italian fans normally don't care how I go but I was under enormous pressure to be in the first two places all the time. The expectations were suddenly so high. I can now understand how Michael feels. I was confident all weekend. I knew we would be good in the race." he said.
With the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim just a week away, the pressure on Irvine to maintain Ferrari's debilitated challenge is unlikely to lessen. But for a day at least, he could bask in the glory and forget the troubles that have preyed on his mind since assuming the team leadership from Michael Schumacher.
"On Friday night, I didn't sleep at all, which isn't like me. And on Saturday I was struggling again," Irvine admitted before adding with the broadest of grins, "but tonight, I'm going to sleep like a baby."
