10/10/2004
NEWS STORY
The Japanese Grand Prix saw high temperatures and dry weather today replace the rain that had hampered the teams in the run- up to race day. With qualifying taking place in the morning after Typhoon Ma-on postponed Saturday's activities, Jaguar Racing saw team-mates Mark Webber and Christian Klien deliver error-free laps placing them in third and fourteenth respectively on the grid. Mark's goal of points was not to be however, after his cockpit became excruciatingly hot to the extent he was forced to retire. Christian drove a determined race and brought his car home in 12th place. A frustrating end to what had been a fantastic start to race day. However, the team are focused on the task ahead in Brazil and everyone is more than enthusiastic about the ultimate race of the season that will take place in two-weeks time in Sao Paulo.
Mark Webber: Starting from third position on the grid today was a good result after all the hard work that has been carried out at Jaguar Racing during this season. The team did an excellent job in preparing the car for this weekend, despite the lack of practice that we experienced in the run up to today. Unfortunately my start was not as good as I would have liked and I lost three places. Then I was being held up by the Toyota of Jarno Trulli so that was frustrating for us. It was then on lap seven that I noticed that the cockpit was becoming increasingly hot and in particular my right-hand side. I pitted as planned on lap eleven and the team tried to cool me down and solve the problem. We could not find the cause for the heat and so I carried on in the hope that it would cool down or at least remain static. It didn't and the heat soon became excruciatingly hot and I had no option but to retire. You need to be completed focused on the race and when the temperature is so high that you are being physically affected and thus distracted then you need to take the decision to stop. I am of course disappointed that I could not have continued with the race and finished in the points. We enjoyed a good morning today and I hope that by securing third in qualifying goes some way to rewarding the team for their unwavering commitment and in addition highlights the pace and future potential of our car.
Christian Klien: My start was ok today and I did my best to maintain my position although with a Ferrari behind me this was not do-able. I was also in an unfortunate position in that I had not had any dry practice on this track and so the race was really my first opportunity to learn the track. As the race progressed I became more comfortable with the track and the car and although we had not had any time to set-up the car the balance was ok. The circuit is incredibly challenging on the car and driver and I was pleased that my race went smoothly and I was able to finish. It's disappointing for us not to have scored points but the pace of the car was really good and I am now really looking forward to the race in Brazil.
Dr Mark Gillan - Head of Vehicle Performance: Mark's start was not good and he lost three places by the first corner. He then started to fight back and was being held up by Jarno Trulli. On lap seven he mentioned the increase in temperature in his cockpit area and when he first pitted we tried to sort it. A forced pit stop later to further investigate the problem and it was clear that the heat was only getting worse. Eventually on lap twenty-one he had to stop racing due to the dangerous conditions being generated by the heat. This is of course frustrating for us all, but the pace of the car was excellent this morning and given the lap numbers when other teams carried out their first-stop you know that his pace in qualifying was impressive. Christian did a good job today since he has had no dry practice on this circuit and actually only twelve laps in total before the race. He brought the car home and drove solidly. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster ride of emotions today but we know what we are capable of and we will travel to Brazil focused on the task ahead and upbeat about our potential as a team.