German GP Friday Sauber notes

Jean Alesi: I'm happy. Straight away the car was competitive, and it has been quick all day regardless of fuel load. It feels really good in all conditions. I don't think I'll be looking for pole position tomorrow, but we will be trying for a place in the top eight, and I am confident we can achieve that.

Johnny Herbert: I started out with a similar set-up to Jean's today, but for some reason my car has been oversteering a lot more than his. It was especially bad in the last section, where I spun this afternoon. It's odd, because the changes we made to the front of the car should have helped to reduce the oversteer, but they didn't have much effect at all.

Peter Sauber: This is the first time we have run the '98 car on a high-speed track, and the overall impression is encouraging. Jean and Johnny worked through their planned programmes without any problems, and both the top speed and the handling of the C17s in the stadium are promising. All in all, this has been a satisfactory preparation for tomorrow.

Weather: Dry but overcast.