Bahrain GP: Jordan preview

Comments from the Jordan team ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix

James Robinson, Head of Race and Test Engineering:

"We have seen plans for the track and some TV coverage - it looks quite remarkable. It seems the circuit will be medium to heavy on brake wear with its long high speed straights and very tight corners although not having been there ourselves, it's difficult to give accurate impressions. The track looks sandy and dirty, which will introduce new problems for the car and its systems, but as this circuit is brand new, everybody should be trying to learn at the same rate."

"In preparing for a race at a new circuit, we do as much simulation work as possible, although access issues have prevented us from running our usual track surveys here. Once we have an accurate model of the track we can design a driver model to work out a racing line and run simulation tools to determine car set-up, lap times and downforce data to find the optimum aerodynamic set-up for that track. From that we project fuel consumption, brake wear, set-up criteria and so on. At present we don't know the surface characteristics as we have only a 2D drawing so in many ways it's really a case of waiting until we get there."

"In terms of where the team is, the first races are always about reliability and again we will be focusing on that. Our target for Bahrain is to get two cars home. Giorgio is still learning the car and the formula, and hopefully we will see him getting closer to Nick as the season progresses; while Nick has had some excellent starts and opening laps and we must build on that to allow him to continue the pace for the duration."

Nick Heidfeld:

"I'm a little disappointed not to finish a race however on the positive side I have made good starts and my speed has been quite encouraging. I was keeping a few cars behind me at the Malaysian Grand Prix and our pace was quite good. I know the team have been working really hard to sort out the technical problems I have experienced and my target for this race is to finish, and maintain the pace that I have been able to find so far."

"I'm very much looking forward to visiting Bahrain because I think this new race is good for Formula One, after all it's a World Championship so we should go all over the world. I always like the challenge of new circuits and I enjoy visiting new places."

Giorgio Pantano :

"I think this race is going to be quite exciting as the circuit is new for everybody so nobody knows it and in that respect we're all equal. It will be interesting to see who is quickest at finding a good set-up for this race. I am happy with two race finishes at this stage and I don't think we have done a bad job. Now we can start to improve in terms of speed and results. I am feeling more confident with the team and with the whole environment. It's starting to come together a little bit more easily now and I hope we will see that in Bahrain."

-jordan-