Brazilian GP Jaguar Friday notes

Jaguar Racing had a reasonably encouraging start in the build-up to this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix. In the two hour-long Friday Free Practice sessions the team completed a variety of set-up changes to both Eddie Irvine and Luciano Burti's car to see them placed in 10th and 11th positions respectively. A very dusty track offered little grip in session one although both Jaguar drivers were the fastest Michelin runners in this session. The first session was also momentarily disrupted for the team when an overhead camera gantry collapsed and fell directly in front of Team Principal Bobby Rahal who was standing at the front of the Jaguar garage. Thankfully nobody was hurt.

Eddie Irvine
"We worked on various bits and pieces today and we still have a couple of aero parts to try tomorrow morning. We achieved quite a lot today. We tried a new front wing and we have another to try tomorrow. We're pretty much where we expected to be -- maybe a little better actually. I know we're three-tenths off the BMW WilliamsF1 Team, but I don't know what fuel level they are running with and it's very difficult to use that as a yardstick. I would say that this circuit will suit the BMW WilliamsF1 Team better than it will suit us, but it's too early to say. We'll continue to work on the various things that we have and see what happens from there on."

Luciano Burti
"I'm reasonably pleased with way things went. There's still room for improvement in the car and I didn't really find as much time on the track as I would have liked. It was quite dusty and even muddy in places during the first session. The track's notoriety for bumps is still justified and it causes the car to 'bottom out' in places. We need to work diligently on getting the set-up right for tomorrow. Fighting for a good qualifying position is always critical, but it will take on a whole new meaning for me in front of my home crowd. I can't wait."

Bobby Rahal
"A reasonable day for Jaguar Racing. We have made various changes in an effort to improve to the car. We have also got a good sense for the tyres and we will work hard this afternoon to get the best pace from the car for tomorrow. I'm sure there's more to come and we'll see where we end up tomorrow. Luciano did a good job this afternoon and his best time is only a tenth off Eddie's. The bumpy and dusty nature of the track is not welcomed by the drivers and it was difficult to maximise upon the first session until enough rubber had been laid down on the track. The team worked well in improving the set-up of the cars between sessions and I'm cautiously optimistic for qualifying tomorrow."

-Jaguar via FOSA www.fosa.co.uk k