07/10/2005
NEWS STORY
The first day of practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, penultimate round of the 2005 Formula One World Championship went according to plan for Jordan Grand Prix. Race drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro, plus Japanese Friday driver, Sakon Yamamoto spent the day acclimatising themselves to the demands of one of motor racing's most challenging circuits, working on their car set-up and evaluating the different types of Bridgestone tyres available. The team was extremely satisfied with Yamamoto's performance, especially considering the fact that it was only the second time he was driving a Formula One car and he was quick in both dry and wet conditions.
Sakon Yamamoto: "I have really enjoyed driving a Formula One car round Suzuka, my home circuit. I am satisfied with my job today as I managed to go through the programme my engineers gave me. I have tried different types of Bridgestone tyres and I am sure the team will make the right choice. Unfortunately, the rain came in the afternoon session and it limited a bit my running. Nevertheless, I had a fantastic day and I would like to thank Jordan Grand Prix for this great experience."
Narain Karthikeyan: "I had a first good session this morning but then in the afternoon I lost of bit of time as we wanted to change some parts of the car and also because the rain started. It is a pity the track got wet as I could not try a new set of tyres, contrary to my teammates. I really like the circuit at Suzuka, it is one of my favourites in the calendar so hopefully I will be able to do well here."
Tiago Monteiro: "It was a good first day. I did not know the track therefore I had to spend time learning the layout. Besides, it is one of the hardest as there are so many different corners and you need a lot of rhythm. We were struggling a bit with our tyre choice in the morning but then it got better in the afternoon and I did a good lap before it started raining. I wish it rained a bit more so that I could have driven in wet conditions. I will have two more sessions tomorrow to learn more about the track and improve the set-up of the car. As Narain knows the circuit quite well, I hope he will be able to help me on the set-up so that I can focus on getting used to the track."
Adrian Burgess: "We haven't had a bad day today. All three drivers enjoyed driving around this very challenging circuit. Sakon has done a tremendous job in a competitive environment. Tiago and Narain have been working on our usual Friday programme. Narain lost out with the weather a little bit as it came too early and also as we had a slight delay changing some parts on the car, therefore he could not run his new tyres. However, in general, it was a positive day."