British GP Friday Jaguar notes

Heavy rain blights second practice
Fans take cover as torrential downpour floods circuit As expected, the rain came down even harder during the second and final practice session at Silverstone today, denying the teams any chance for meaningful set-up work. Jaguar Racing’s Johnny Herbert was one of only two drivers to improve his time from the morning session, recording a best lap of 1m39.690s after engine problems prevented him from setting a time earlier in the day.

The conditions were treacherous and most drivers went off the road at some point. Prost’s Jean Alesi, always spectacular in the wet, led the way with three spins. Gaston Mazzacane also had a big moment at Becketts, spinning his Minardi into the gravel.

Ralf Schumacher set the fastest time of the session. He put in a lap of 1m30.593s just before the heavens opened. Minutes later, drivers had trouble getting within 30 seconds of that time.

The rain also caused problems off the track. The session was red-flagged at one point after a recovery vehicle became bogged down while towing David Coulthard’s stricken McLaren.

Outside of the confines of the circuit, the conditions are even worse, and the organisers have closed all of the public car parks for tomorrow due to flooding. However, they will be open for the race on Sunday.

The weather is expected to be dry for qualifying tomorrow, but more rain is expected on Sunday.