French GP Jordan preview

Located in the centre of France, Circuit Nevers in Magny-Cours was formerly a Club Racing facility before being upgraded to Formula One standards to host its first Grand Prix in 1991. Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen took the team to victory at this circuit for the French Grand Prix in 1999.

Circuit Nevers has a very large pit and paddock area, with the increased space making the working environment much easier than at some of the other circuits on the seventeen race calendar. The track is considered technical with its combination of low speed hairpins, medium speed corners, long straights and fast chicanes and offers a few good overtaking opportunities with its high speed and flowing nature. The smooth surface allows cars to run with a low ride height which creates additional downforce, although the downside to this surface is its harsh effect on the rear tyres. The first two corners at the end of the main straight are very fast, with the first left hander taken almost flat out, followed quickly by a long and fast right hander where a good exit speed is crucial, as this dictates a car's speed along the Golf straight up to the Adelaide hairpin. With hot temperatures further playing a part in tyre and driver performance, the Circuit Nevers provides a challenging and usually exciting race.

Eddie Jordan on the French Grand Prix and recent race performance
"1999 was a very good year at this race for Jordan and it would be great to re-live those memories with a similar result this weekend. We are extremely frustrated with the course of events over the past few races. There are no excuses for our recent poor performance. Having said this, it would be easy to build up a false picture, and it is important to stand back and look at all the facts. I think some people will wrongly jump to the conclusion that we have an unreliable car and are suffering similar problems to last year. This would be inaccurate for a variety of reasons. All teams are getting quicker and the top three becoming more powerful and reliable, so we have a lot of work to do but I believe that Jordan will remain a strong challenger."

Trevor Foster, Jordan's Joint-Managing Director expanded on Jordan's comments, saying.
"I don't think it can be questioned that we have been the fourth strongest team so far this season; our qualifying performances demonstrate that clearly. But we do need to work on our race performance and stop the niggling problems which have made us suffer so much recently. The next races will certainly be very tough and our competitors are making big strides - the threat from Jaguar and Alesi in the Prost will surely increase. Jordan, together with Honda and Bridgestone, must rise to the challenge posed by our competitors and we will fight vigorously to this end."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen on the French Grand Prix
"In my opinion, Magny-Cours is one of the most exciting circuits on the calendar. The corners are very challenging, especially the first left-right combination at the end of the main straight. The circuit flows very well and offers some good overtaking opportunities, which always makes for an exciting race for a driver."

Jarno Trulli on the French Grand Prix
"Magny-Cours is a very technical circuit where I enjoy driving. I know the circuit quite well as I've completed a lot of testing here in the past. Last year's French Grand Prix was a tough race, but I managed to finish in the points so would like to score a few more here this year."

-Jordan