Brazilian GP Saturday McLaren notes

1999 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING

Chassis Numbers: Mika Hakkinen MP4 - 14/01 David Coulthard MP4 - 14/02 T. Car MP4 - 14/03

The West McLaren Mercedes team claimed pole and second positions for the Brazilian Grand Prix with Mika Hakkinen posting a fastest lap of 1:16.568, with David Coulthard under one and half tenths behind on a 1:16.715.

MIKA HAKKINEN 'I am very happy with the end result of today's qualifying but it hasn't been all plain sailing. We have been making some radical changes to the car all over the weekend and I haven't been able to feel one hundred per cent comfortable with the car in any sector. However, we have been working throughout the weekend to get it better and to take pole means that we must be getting it right.'

DAVID COULTHARD 'So far the weekend has been going very well for me. Running the car in the wet yesterday was a good experience, I am pretty happy with the balance of the car in both the wet and the dry and I think the only reason that I wasn't able to clinch pole was because I over drove and flat spotted a tyre in my last run so I had to be careful after that. But I feel good, I feel the most confident that I have ever been at this circuit and I am looking forward to the race tomorrow.'

RON DENNIS 'A relatively trouble free day which finished with a good fight between David and Mika which was good for TV, good for Formula One and good for us.'

NORBERT HAUG 'A perfect qualifying for us with both Mika and David fighting for pole until the very end. David got the best times in two of three sectors but Mika finally won pole by 0.147 seconds. A great job from all the team. Compliments to Rubens Barrichello and the Stewart Ford Team, they did a great job too!'