British GP: Minardi Saturday qualifying notes

European Minardi Cosworth concluded the final day of preparations for tomorrow's British Grand Prix in solid style, completing its technical preparations and fine-tuning its cars for the 60-lap race. Drivers Justin Wilson and Jos Verstappen spent Saturday morning's two 45-minute morning sessions concentrating on finding the best possible chassis and aero balance for their cars in race trim. With generous fuel loads on board, the duo then qualified in 18th and 19th places respectively in the one-lap final qualifying shoot-out.

Times in the afternoon, however, were generally affected by a change in the direction of the stiff breeze that had been blowing across the Northamptonshire circuit during the day. With the weather distinctly changeable in this part of England, the team remains hopeful of springing a surprise in tomorrow's race.

Justin Wilson:

"We made some useful progress this morning, and I gained confidence with the car throughout the two sessions. For the warm-up, I wasn't quite happy with the car, so we made a small change and it was spot-on for qualifying. The lap itself I felt was neat and tidy, and I'd like to thank the guys for all their hard work. Okay, we're not at the front of the grid, but I'm happy with the way it's gone so far this weekend."

Jos Verstappen:

"We made slight progress in the morning sessions today and have made some small changes to the car for the race, which should improve matters. We have chosen the harder compound tyre, which we feel should be good for the race, but perhaps wasn't the best for qualifying. As for the lap itself, we ended up with more understeer this afternoon, because the wind changed considerably compared with the morning, but I think the track was slower, too. Because of the understeer, the car tended to run a bit wide in places, and that lost me time, so there was definitely room for improvement. The race tomorrow will be a tough one, as I have been suffering with a neck problem this weekend, but we'll just have to see what we can do."

Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, European Minardi Cosworth:

"Both European Minardi drivers put in a solid performance today, and despite lining up in P18 and P19 for tomorrow's British Grand Prix, the team is not unhappy, as the cars were carrying significant fuel loads. As usual, we are hopeful that, in the right circumstances, a Championship point or two can be had tomorrow. As this is Justin's home race, it would be particularly rewarding if he could take a point, especially considering the fantastic effort he has put in for European Minardi so far this season."

JUSTIN WILSON
Position: 18
Time: 1 min 25.468 secs
Chassis: PS03/04

JOS VERSTAPPEN
Position: 19
Time: 1 min 25.759 secs
Chassis: PS03/03

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