French GP Prost Friday notes

Jean Alesi:

"The team worked very hard to be able to bring the new aerodynamic parts for this Grand Prix and I wish to thank them for that. Today we worked with heavy fuel loads throughout both sessions to try and find the best set-up for the car in race configuration. At the moment, we still have mixed feelings : our performance is obviously not at its best, but on the other hand, we have confirmed the new aero package is working. What we need is to fine-tune the set-up tomorrow morning and prepare for qualifying : we know we are competitive and, naturally, once with low fuel we will be much quicker tomorrow."

Luciano Burti:

"This was a pretty good day actually. It has been quite difficult sometimes because of the difference in the behaviour of the car when we run on new or scrubbed tyres, which reflects in the laptimes. We also introduced important modifications on the car and we needed to learn a lot about their influence. At the end of the day it looks very positive. We achieved quite a good balance but it can be improved for tomorrow for sure."

Alain Prost:

"Today, apart from the set-up work and tyre testing work usually done on Friday, we also carried out an important evaluation programme on the new aero parts we have brought this weekend. We have fully exploited both cars to make a back to back analysis, and were able to draw lots of valuable information. However, this weekend will be complex in terms of strategy, as the Magny-Cours track varies a lot during the day, which has high effects on cars and tyres’ performance. Our competitiveness will depend on our capacity to adapt to the changing track conditions and we wait for tomorrow to evaluate our progresses."

-Prost