Brazilian GP Friday BAR notes

Chassis allocation
Jacques Villeneuve -- BAR002/03
Ricardo Zonta -- BAR002/04
Spare car -- BAR002/01

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL, March 24, 2000 - Following its double points-scoring performance in Australia, Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda again put in a strong showing today on the first day of practice for this Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix. At the conclusion of Friday's two one-hour sessions, Jacques Villeneuve was in ninth place, having been fifth quickest for much of the time. Underlining the BAR Honda 002's reliability, Villeneuve put in an impressive 47 laps in the course of the day. Ricardo Zonta lost some time in the first session while a gearbox problem was remedied, but improved steadily during the afternoon to register the 17th fastest time.

JACQUES VILLENEUVE Position: 9th Fastest lap: 1:17.654 Speed: 199.763 km/h
"I'm pretty happy. Forty-seven laps is a huge distance to complete on a Friday. We were quick straightaway and haven't really changed that much on the car at all. McLaren and Ferrari are still out in front, but we are right in the chasing pack. Tomorrow, I hope we can do a little better than we did in Australia. I would like to qualify in the top six, which would give me a great start to the race."

RICARDO ZONTA Position: 17th Fastest lap: 1:18.789 Speed: 196.885 km/h
"I missed almost all of the morning session with a gear selection problem. It was a big blow to lose this time, but we have made some good progress this afternoon. The car gets better every time we make changes and the engine feels strong again. The biggest problem is over the bumps. They have resurfaced the track, but there are still some places where you can lose control of the car. I am slower than Jacques down the straight and we need to find a set-up that gives us more grip and allows us to run with less downforce."

ROBERT SYNGE, Team Manager, British American Racing
"Jacques' car ran really well and we ran for the maximum number of laps we could. That, in turn, allowed us to concentrate on chassis set-up, which meant we were able to achieve a time that we are pleased with. Ricardo lost time in the first session with a gearbox problem and then concentrated on chassis set-up in the second. Unfortunately, we didn't get enough time to fine-tune it, but we're positive he'll be quicker tomorrow. All in all, not a bad day at the office, especially compared with where we were last year. We're looking forward to qualifying tomorrow."