21/07/2005
NEWS STORY
Jordan Grand Prix has been finalising preparations for the 2005 German and Hungarian Grands Prix, the third consecutive double-header of the season, with a last two-day test session at the Circuit Paul Ricard on 14 and 15 July, before F1's summer testing ban. The drivers are looking forward to driving on the 'Hockenheimring', a circuit which was until 2002 one of the fastest on the F1 calendar with incredibly long straights and speeds well over 200mph. Now that is has been replaced by a tighter track, requiring a higher level of downforce, it will be even more important to find the right car set-up and balance. Hockenheim is also renowned for being a very hot race and this could make it a tough situation for the Bridgestone tyres and the drivers.
Narain Karthikeyan: "The two-day test went very well at Paul Ricard last week. We focused especially on working on different types of Bridgestone tyre and finding a good set-up for the forthcoming races in Germany and Hungary. In Hockenheim, I will do my best to finish the race as I encountered some technical problems at the last two Grands Prix. I am really motivated to do well there. Once again this season, Hockenheim is a circuit I have never driven on, as will be the case in Budapest next week. Therefore, I will have to spend the first sessions learning the layout, but I am up for the challenge."
Tiago Monteiro: "We had two productive days last week at Paul Ricard. We went through different ranges of Bridgestone tyres and found some good options for upcoming events. Overall, we are pretty satisfied with our results. We have also tried some different interesting set-ups and I am looking forward to put that on track soon. I know Hockenheim from having driven there in 2002, however, to be honest I don't remember it very well. But from what I do remember, it did not seem to be a difficult circuit to learn. We are all very motivated to keep up our good record of consecutive finishes and be there if any opportunity arises and maybe score some more points."
Adrian Burgess Sporting Director: "We welcome Nicolas Kiesa in the team as he will be driving the third car on Friday at Hockenheim. Nicolas will bring some good experience and another viewpoint on everything we are trying to do and this can only help Narain and Tiago. Nicolas has also some previous experience around this circuit, which should help him acclimatise to his new environment. Narain and Tiago had a good test last week at Paul Ricard, doing some good work for our tyre partner Bridgestone, which hopefully will help us in our preparations for the next two events. We wish Robert Doornbos good luck in his career and thank him for the work he has done for Jordan Grand Prix."