Canadian GP Honda Friday notes

Honda completed the first day of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in Montreal with three of the four drivers it powers tightly bunched in the times. Jarno Trulli, Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda) and Olivier Panis (Lucky Strike BAR Honda) finished today's session eighth, ninth and 10th fastest respectively, while Jacques Villeneuve could only recover to 19th after limited track time following a heavy accident in this morning's session.

As Montreal basked in the summer heat, Mika Hakkinen set the fastest time, just under half a second quicker than his McLaren team-mate and title protagonist David Coulthard. Jaguar's Eddie Irvine picked up from where he left off in Monaco by setting the third fastest time, while the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello was fourth overall. His team-mate and championship leader Michael Schumacher was a surprising 11th fastest, four-hundredths of a second behind BAR Honda's Olivier Panis.

Jarno Trulli Position: 8th
"We had a trouble-free session and learnt a lot about the car and set-up for this circuit although we are struggling to find the best set-up for race conditions. The car's balance is good and I think, as usual, we will be quick during qualifying. There's still some work to do though to find a more suitable race trim. The new brake ducts we are running work very well, so this is a positive step forward."

Kazutoshi Nishizawa - Technical Director, Honda Racing Development
"From our point of view it was a good, productive day except for Jacques unfortunately, who wasn't able to make the most of today's time because of the accident. However, from an engine perspective it was problem-free and tomorrow we will concentrate on our set-ups for qualifying."

Tim Holloway, Head of Engineering, Jordan Honda
"Today we've been working through the standard Canadian race preparation and set-up, although this circuit is a bit different in the sense that it's very much about the brakes. The track conditions were good today and the tyres appeared consistent. The damage to Heinz's car looks quite extensive so we have a lot of work to do for qualifying tomorrow, but look in good shape in terms of reliability."

Craig Pollock, Team Principal and Managing Director, BAR Honda
"We are very disappointed. The incident with Jacques has set us back and to loose a session on a circuit like this is not ideal. The team however will be working hard to ensure that Jacques has a competitive car for qualifying. Olivier did a good job and was happy with the progress and balance of his car."

-Honda