French GP Minardi race notes

Marc Gene:
"A very tough race indeed, which I started badly because I was lined up on a bad grid position. The first set of tyres was old and not too much performing as a result, however I was running at the same rhythm as the group ahead. The second set of tyres was better and I managed to arrive behind Alesi, where I remained for the rest of the race. I was quicker than him but it was very hard to overtake. I tried twice: the first time we touched and the second time I succeeded but later on I braked too late and he was able to catch me. In the closing laps I decided it was better not to take further risks for a 15th place. My car was competitive but on this track overtaking is a true problem."

Gaston Mazzacane:
"I feel very sad because honestly I expected to do a better race today. I made a good start and at least on the first ten laps, I was keeping a steady rhythm as I was aware that in a short deal of time I would have missed the tyre grip especially on the rear which would cost dearly in terms of car’s performance. Later on I spun off as a result of this lack of grip. Actually I was no more able to maintain a good rear mechanical grip and the car was really difficult to drive. This morning during the warm-up we did a few tests in order to avoid this possibility but today’s high temperatures have been penalizing."

Gian Carlo Minardi:
"Today’s race did not turn out to be one of our best race performances, given that Mazzacane left the scene very soon and Gené spent most of his race struggling with Alesi for the penultimate position. It is worth forgetting about this race and concentrating ourselves in order to better exploit our potential on the circuit at Zeltweg."