European GP: Jaguar Friday qualifying notes

A productive and encouraging morning was ruined this afternoon for Jaguar Racing by the temperamental weather of the Eiffel Mountains. Drivers Mark Weber and Antonio Pizzonia hit the Nurburgring track in 12th and 18th positions respectively and up until Mark joined the track the weather had been dry and the team anticipated a strong performance following this morning's good work in testing and Free Practice.

As Mark began his out-lap, however, the rain began falling and got significantly worse by the time Antonio took to the track. In the end, Mark and Antonio qualified in 12th and 18th positions respectively.

Dr Mark Gillan - Head of Vehicle Performance:

"We are disappointed to have been on the receiving end of the weather today, especially since the other Michelin runners managed to get out while it was dry. That's one-lap qualifying for you and today, it went against us. We are, however, very pleased with our progress thus far. Between them, our drivers completed over two race distances this morning in terms of mileage and we have experienced no issues."

"We worked on race preparation and tyre comparison work this morning and both drivers did an excellent job with Mark finishing 2nd fastest and Antonio 6th fastest. We were well prepared and looking forward to a good qualifying session but in the end, it was about damage limitation given the amount of surface water on the track. Let's hope for a dry session tomorrow and if we get that, our competitiveness will show through."

Mark Webber:

"We were performing very well this morning and anticipating a good qualifying session but there is little you can do when it starts raining in the middle of your lap. There is always a risk of this happening with one-lap qualifying and it was only a matter of time before it turned against us."

"That said, the rules are the same for everyone but it's a shame given the good work and competitiveness we demonstrated up until the rain came down. It's not the be all and end all and we'll just have to see what tomorrow brings now. Our lap times are very competitive in the dry and we just have to stay calm, focused and hope for track conditions that allow us to fulfil our true potential."

Antonio Pizzonia:

"Not what any of us hoped for but what can you do! Our preparation going into the session was very good and the car feels very competitive around this circuit. The balance and tyres worked very well but given that I was the 18th man on the track today, the surface water by that stage was unbearable. The car was sliding around all over the place and it was also difficult to see because my visor was so steamed-up. The aim of the game was to get the car home and build upon the good work we achieved this morning."

Mark Webber
Position: 12th
Best time: 1:35.972
Chassis: R4-04

Antonio Pizzonia
Position: 18th
Best time: 1:57.435
Chassis: R4-05
T-Car: R4-03

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