23/09/2005
NEWS STORY
The Brazilian Grand Prix weekend got off to a good start today in dry conditions with the teams using the two, one-hour long practice sessions to good effect. A dusty track in the morning saw the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers running in 12th and 13th places but by the time the track had cleaned up and some set up changes had been made to cope with the bumpy surface, the pair finished the afternoon session in more upbeat fifth and eighth positions. Minardi's Robert Doornbos, who has the benefit of having run in Brazil in 2004, set the pace among the remaining Bridgestone runners, finishing the second session in 14th place, ahead of not only his teammate and the Jordan runners but also several other strong members of the opposition.
Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Manager: "As usual the track was fairly dusty this morning so grip levels were quite low at first. However, the grip did improve quickly, resulting in some fast lap times towards the end of the first free practice session. The Bridgestone teams all used the time efficiently to test their two specifications and although we did notice some graining on the front right tyres, especially the softer specification, it wasn't too bad and shouldn't be a problem this weekend. Some of the cars were bouncing quite a bit due to the bumpy nature of the track and the drivers were complaining of lack of grip but the teams will work on car set-ups for that. From a tyre perspective, we just need to look at all the data, make wear and blister checks and ensure we make the right recommendations to our teams."
Ross Brawn, Technical Director of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: "Just a regular Friday in Sao Paulo. We had no major problems although the car was a bit difficult over the bumps to begin with. The engineers made a few changes to overcome that. We had a good look at the two Bridgestone tyre choices. As is often the case, we have one tyre which is faster but it degrades more quickly so we shall need to look at the data this evening to make sure we choose the right tyre. Overall, not a bad day."