22/10/2004
NEWS STORY
Jaguar Racing enjoyed dry track conditions today during their two Friday practice sessions at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Teammates Mark Webber, Christian Klien and Bjorn Wirdheim completed comprehensive test programmes and together generated important data from nearly 100 laps. The R5 was reliable throughout the two sessions allowing the team to complete their tyre choice successfully ahead of tomorrow's qualifying. The team will be continuing to fine-tune the car this evening in preparation for qualifying tomorrow and with the goal of securing a points challenging place on the grid.
Mark Webber: I am pleased with how today has gone as we have generated a good number of laps and completed a very complex test programme. I enjoy driving this track and I think that the resurfacing of it has helped with the grip levels, although it remains very bumpy in places. I spent most of my two sessions looking at tyre comparisons as well as general race set-up and evaluation. The R5 was reliable and I was pleased with the balance that we had achieved by the end of the sessions. I am now looking forward to tomorrow and I will be doing what I can to place the car as high as possible on the grid as a thanks to the team for their hard work over these last three fly-a ways.
Christian Klien: This is my first time here at this track and it's really interesting and quite good fun to drive. I spent the first session familiarising myself with the layout and I am now happy with it. We then spent most of the day working on set-up and making changes throughout the day. We also looked at tyre comparisons and got some good results that I am pleased with. There is still work to do between now and tomorrow and I will be looking to improve my times further during the sessions.
Björn Wirdheim: I had a good productive day today working on a lot of different things, including brakes, starts, and engine development work. I also spent time on aero compares and general set-up. The car feels good out there and it is well balanced even with the bumpy track. I have really enjoyed working with the team this season and I have learnt so much from them. I am now hoping very much that they can finish the season on a high with some points.
Dr Mark Gillan - Head of Vehicle Performance: We have enjoyed a good day here today at the Interlagos circuit with the three drivers completing successful test programmes and generating nearly 100 laps between them. They have been working on everything from tyre comparisons, brakes, engine developments, circuit familiarisation and many other things. The car has been very reliable and that is thanks to the thorough preparation work that has been carried out both here and at the factory in Milton Keynes. We are now looking forward to the rest of the weekend and we will be doing what we can to ensure a good qualifying position and of course ideally a points finish.