Austrian GP: Jordan race notes

A bitter-sweet day for DHL Jordan Honda. Takuma Sato was involved in a dramatic accident when Nick Heidfeld collided with him on lap 27, while Giancarlo Fisichella benefited from a perfect pit stop strategy and later overtook David Coulthard to finish fifth, scoring the first points of 2002 for Jordan and Honda. Sato was examined by Professor Sid Watkins, who told Eddie Jordan that he appeared to have no serious injuries. However as a precaution Sato was flown to Graz University Hospital for checks.

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA

"It's been a very, very good day for me, as I didn't expect to score points. But, the most important thing is that Takuma is alright. I had a good start, although the beginning of the race wasn't easy. When the safety car came out, we timed our pit stop perfectly and refuelled to get the end of the race. Afterwards, we had good balance and grip, and I didn't make any mistakes. When I was behind the McLaren, it was quicker on the straights, but I was confident on the corners, and then David hit an oily patch on the track and I had my chance to take fifth place. It felt fantastic when I crossed the line and I would like to say thank you to the team, especially because we made the right pit stop decision."

GARY ANDERSON DIRECTOR OF RACE AND TEST ENGINEERING

"Takuma's shunt was very unfortunate, an accident that we think was caused by suspension failure with Heidfeld's Sauber. Giancarlo did well to score us two points, and it's a relief that the EJ12 was reliable and consistent, delivering a strong race finish."

EDDIE JORDAN CHIEF EXECUTIVE

"I never thought we would have scored points today, and I have mixed emotions at the moment. Takuma's accident was horrible and it took my mind away a little until I had spoken to Professor Sid Watkins and knew that Takuma was OK. Giancarlo drove like a champion and the team's stop strategy worked out perfectly. This result has changed the morale in the team, and for everyone at the track and at our headquarters, this is just reward for all our recent efforts."

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA 5th
CHASSIS NUMBER 5
TAKUMA SATO DNF - Accident (collision with Nick Heidfeld on lap 27, Turn 2)
CHASSIS NUMBER 3
An update on Takuma Sato will follow.

-jordan-