Hungarian GP Jaguar Friday notes

Jaguar Racing drivers Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa worked through a programme of aerodynamic set-up changes and tyre combinations during today's two Free Practice sessions at the Hungaroring. High track temperatures combined with the characteristics of this circuit proved well suited to the Jaguar R2 and the team is pleased with the feedback from today's sessions. Eddie Irvine finished a pleasing fifth place after completing 31 laps and Pedro de la Rosa finished in eleventh place after 29 laps. Only Eddie drove with the new high-downforce aerodynamic package with Pedro expecting to receive it in time for tomorrow's qualifying session.

Eddie Irvine
"The car feels a little nervous around here but we expected that on the first day. The track is quite dirty in places and it's obvious that some drivers are simply going too fast - hence the number of people going off in both sessions. The rear end of the car feels slightly unstable and it's too early to say why. We completed our job list today and focused a lot on tyre evaluation and set-up work. I'm pretty sure about which tyre to go for and I'm sure the Michelins will get even better over the weekend as the track gains more grip. We've come-up with all the right answers today and I just hope we can qualify well."

Pedro de la Rosa
"I suffered slightly during the first session with fuel pressure problem but the mechanics did a good job of swapping the engine in time for the second session. My work was mainly focused on tyre comparisons and it was very useful in providing us with the insight we were looking for. The car feels quite good, but I could do with a little more grip. We certainly have a good starting set-up for tomorrow and I'm sure we'll benefit from some fine tuning work in the morning before qualifying. I'm also expecting the new aero package tomorrow and that will help me with generating more downforce. A good qualifying position is critical here relative to most circuits because of how hard it is to overtake. Let's see what tomorrow brings, but the signs are good."

Bobby Rahal
"I'm pleased with the way this weekend has begun for us but one should never draw too many conclusions from Friday Free Practice times. We ran with a reasonable amount of fuel and both drivers are pleased with the set-up of the car. I think we'll be in good shape, but until tomorrow we won't really know how we truly compare. The Michelin tyres seem well suited to this track and after more rubber has been laid down, I'm sure there'll be more grip to be had from them. We didn't suffer any big problems today apart from a power-steering failure on Eddie's car at the end of the first session and a fuel pressure problem on Pedro's car. Both issues were dealt with promptly and didn't interfere too much with our programme today."

-Jaguar