Austrian GP Stewart Friday Notes

A1-Ring, Friday 23rd July, 1999

STEWART-FORD NOTES & QUOTES Austrian Grand Prix: Free Practice

Weather: Cloudy, overcast, sunny spells (Ambient temperature 17 deg C, track temperature 24 deg C)

Rubens Barrichello finished tenth fastest after today's Free Practice sessions for the Austrian Grand Prix. Johnny Herbert ended up 11th quickest.

RUBENS BARRICHELLO  Car No.16 (SF3-04)
Time:   1:13.923                        Position: 10th          35 laps

Are you pleased with the progress you made today? 'We made a big change to the car after the first session which cost me a bit of track time during the second hour but we still managed to get through quite a lot of set-up work. I'm not totally comfortable with the way the car feels just yet. I would like to be able to attack it a bit more.'

Are you still on course to better last season's fifth place in qualifying? 'I think top six is a realistic target if its dry but if we have any more rain like yesterday's torrential downpour I'm sure I can sneak into the top four. Based on today's times it looks like there will be quite a tight battle for the top 10 positions.'

JOHNNY HERBERT  Car No.17 (SF3-05)
Time:   1:14.008                        Position: 11th                  47 laps

How were the track conditions today? 'It was quite dirty to start with which is always the case at the A1-Ring. As the day wore on it stabilised and there was a lot more grip towards the end of the second session. If there is no more rain before qualifying I think we are in pretty good shape.'

What improvements were made to the car today? 'We found a nice balance at the end of the second session. I felt much more at home in the car. We managed to reduce the understeer I experienced this morning but there is still some way to go. The new exhaust system we have fitted on the cars has made the engine run smoother and has improved the driveability.'

PAUL STEWART, SGP Chief Operating Officer 'Both drivers went through comprehensive set-up changes and the times are very close at the top. It's re-assuring that all the modifications we ran at the Monza test proved reliable in their first race weekend outing today.'

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director, Ford Racing, Europe 'Both Rubens and Johnny used the Series 2 engines today and we experienced no problems. However for the rest of the weekend both cars will be fitted with the new Series 3 engine which will improve top end performance and provide a wider spread of power.'