British GP Friday BAR notes

SLIP SLIDING AWAY SILVERSTONE, ENGLAND, April 21, 2000 - In what may well turn out to have been a useful rehearsal for the British Grand Prix, Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta found themselves dealing with continually changing weather in today''s two one-hour practice sessions. With the track surface ranging from dry to flooded, it wasn''t surprising that a number of drivers were caught out by the tricky conditions. BAR Honda engineers used the opportunity to hone wet weather chassis set-ups and gather data that could be of considerable assistance if, as expected, Sunday''s race is run in the wet. JACQUES VILLENEUVE
Position: 6th
Fastest lap: 1 min 28.845 secs
"It was one of those days when you really needed to be out at the right time to set a good time. When it rained really hard this afternoon I don''t know if there was some ice in it or if the rain drops were just big, but it really hurt when it hit you. If it had been the race, the Safety Car would have been out in those conditions. We have Honda''s latest engine this weekend, but the combination of the rain and quite a lot of wind today meant it was difficult to assess the changes." RICARDO ZONTA
Position: 20th
Fastest lap: 1 min 31.322 secs
"The conditions, particularly this afternoon, were very difficult. They seemed to change every run that we made. We also lost some time at the beginning of the afternoon session while the mechanics sorted out a clutch problem. When the heavy rain came part way through the afternoon session, the car was aquaplaning really badly and that was what caused me to spin off the track. We''ll aim to do better tomorrow." MALCOLM OASTLER, Technical Director, British American Racing
"It was all a bit disjointed today due to the weather, but it''s what the weekend is going to be like. The sessions were an opportunity for the drivers and engineers to get some experience of the cars in wet conditions, which could be valuable come Sunday. We''re all just glad we''re not camping this weekend." ALASTAIR GIBSON, Chief Mechanic, British American Racing
"The changeable weather conditions evened out the playing field a little today since we lost a day of dry testing at Silverstone last week compared with most of the other teams. Conditions like these, although difficult, could be good for us on Sunday. As long as we can come up with chassis set-ups that the drivers are happy with and are carry out quick pit stops, the increased number of variables in a race like this could help us. If we have a good pit stop strategy that can be adapted quickly to suit changing conditions and are lucky when it comes to any Safety Car incidents, then I think we have a very real chance of jumping one or two of the boys who might normally be in front of us."