Australian GP Friday Ferrari notes

Australian Grand Prix Free practice session Melbourne, 5th March

Michael Schumacher: seventh, 1.33.576, 17 laps Eddie Irvine: fourteenth, 1.34.595, 24 laps

Jean Todt "We did not do many laps today, so it is difficult to draw any accurate conclusions from our performance. Michael had a gear selection problem which cut out the engine. As he was stopped on the track, the rules state he could not run for the rest of the hour. Eddie was also unable to complete all his planned work load. We made some set up changes and know in which direction we must go. We also have to check out the characteristics of the two types of tyres. Both cars ran with a heavy fuel load. We have other things to try and we should be able to complete our work schedule tomorrow."

Michael Schumacher "We could not do as many laps as we would have liked to day. As I had to be pushed back to the pits when I stopped in the first part of the session, the rules state I could not go out again. The reason for this was that I could not engage first gear. In the second part, we had a problem with a broken seal which took some time to fix. Therefore we have not yet found the right set up for this track. But I am optimistic that we can improve tomorrow."

Eddie Irvine "The balance of the car is good, but it is slow. However, I ran with a lot of fuel and we will have to wait until tomorrow to get a more realistic picture. There are no immediate problems, apart from some high speed understeer, which is easy to fix. We continue to make progress with my seat and I have no back problems. I tried both types of tyre today, but in general it is too early to say where we stand."

Chassis: Schumacher no. 190, Irvine no. 191 Temperatures: air 18-20C, track 20-24C