11/07/2004
NEWS STORY
Spectators at today's Fosters British Grand Prix were entertained with an action packed competitive race. Jaguar Racing drivers, Mark Webber and Christian Klien made clean starts off the grid and continued to fight for positions throughout the 60-lap race. Despite the safety car being deployed once on lap forty after an incident involving the Renault of Jarno Trulli, both cars enjoyed an error-free race and a competitive pace on track, which for most of the battle allowed Mark to compete with the Renault of Fernando Alonso, McLaren of David Coulthard and Sauber of Massa. The team's two pit-stop strategy worked well for the drivers as Mark crossed the finish line in a point scoring eighth place while team-mate Christian was just behind in fourteenth place. After a competitive weekend at their home grand prix the team now travel to Jerez (Spain) to complete a three-day two-car test.
Mark Webber: It's fantastic to have scored a point here today for the team. It's their home race and they have done an amazing job in providing me with a fast reliable car. The R5 has been good all weekend to be honest and after France this is exactly what we were working towards, another two cars across the grid and a point to boot. We know Silverstone very well and we opted for a two-stop strategy and this seems to have been the right decision today. I made a good start off the grid and I enjoyed a great battle with the Renault of Fernando Alonso and also the Sauber of Felipe Massa. Both were on my tail for most of the race and it was good to keep them at bay and get the last available point. I am now off testing next week in Jerez ahead of the German Grand Prix when again we will be looking to keep up this momentum of being reliable with a good race pace.
Christian Klien: This was not an easy race for me but I am very pleased to have finished. My start was not perfect as I lost a place to the Jordan of Pantano but fortunately I was in a position to fight back and soon overtook him on lap four. The car was feeling really good out there and it has great pace over a long distance. The team has prepared it very well for me and I am glad that I could finish for them here at their home race. Unfortunately I did get blue-flagged a couple of times and once the safety car was deployed it was even more difficult to move up the grid as I had to keep moving over for the blue-flags. Overall, however, an encouraging race. I will now focus on testing and look forward to the German Grand Prix in two weeks time.
Dr Mark Gillan Head of Vehicle Performance: Today was another good day for us on track. This is the first time that the team has scored a Championship point at the home race so this is good news for us. Since France last weekend we have continued to chip away at improving the R5's performance and to see both cars finish once again and one in the points is great. Mark made a strong start off the grid and maintained his position for pretty much most of the race. His eighth finish is a good indicator that we have a reliable car that has pace to match the rest of the field. Christian lost a place at the start but pulled it back quickly although he then started to suffer from blue flags later in the race. His pace in clean air was encouraging and he did a good job to bring the car home. Our partners Michelin, Cosworth Racing and Pi research have really supported us this weekend and I am pleased that we have a point in the bag to show for all our hard work.