Belgian GP BAR Friday notes

Olivier Panis "I'm feeling quite positive after practice today. We had a small gearbox problem this morning and we didn't improve the car in the first session. However, it still felt OK. After that it started raining but I think we are quite ...

Olivier Panis
"I'm feeling quite positive after practice today. We had a small gearbox problem this morning and we didn't improve the car in the first session. However, it still felt OK. After that it started raining but I think we are quite competitive in the wet conditions. We just need to find the right set-up for tomorrow so we can get a good balance. Generally, I'm feeling optimistic for qualifying."

Jacques Villeneuve
"I spun off in the first session after one lap so we didn't get much dry running because of that. Then I did only two laps this afternoon before it started raining - not enough to set-up the car but enough to figure out what work we needed to do on it and to get a few ideas. The car seems to be competitive in the wet so I guess a wet weekend would be OK for us. If it's not dry all morning tomorrow then I wouldn't want to qualify dry. The car was working in the wet and that was fun. If we get enough time in the morning and it's dry, Eau Rouge will definitely be flat."

David Lloyd, Race Engineer to Olivier Panis
"The first session was obviously dry and we had a small problem with the car, which meant that we only did one proper timed lap. We decided to take the gearbox off to ensure that we'd be out by the first part of the second session so, really, this morning wasn't particularly representative of what the car could do. This afternoon, we had one run on old tyres before doing our tyre back-to-back but then it started to rain so again we can't really tell where we are compared to other teams. It looks like we have a fairly good set-up in the wet and Olivier was happy with the car. I suppose we would prefer it to be wet tomorrow for qualifying but we'll find a set-up in the dry so we don't mind either way."

Jock Clear, Race Engineer to Jacques Villeneuve
"Obviously a bad start to the morning -- a fully dry session which we didn't make the most of because we spun off. In the afternoon we got a short run in the dry, just to get a feel for the balance. He was happy with the car at that stage and then the rain came down. We made a few changes and we're very happy in the wet. He stayed out for a long run just to see how the tyres held up and to try some different things. Jacques said the intermediate tyre was very good - as usual from Bridgestone - so we don't mind if it's a wet weekend."