Hungarian GP McLaren notes

The West McLaren Mercedes team went through a normal Free Practice programme in preparation for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. David Coulthard was quickest with a time of 1:18.792 and did 23 laps while Mika Hakkinen set a time of 1:18.943 and completed 19 laps.

David Coulthard:
'A usual Friday where we did a lot of work on race set-up and I'm happy with the performance. Both Mika and myself completed all our work in the second session to allow for the dust on the track to clear. Its always difficult to judge exactly where you are compared to everybody else in Free Practice because you don't know what fuel levels the other cars are running with but its looking good.'

Mika Hakkinen:
'I'm very happy with today's work and we have made considerable progress with the balance of the car. This circuit is unique because it's extremely dusty and bumpy with very fast corners so balance and traction are important. The engineers made radical changes to the set up throughout the session and it appears that we have managed to get it right.'

Ron Dennis:
'An uneventful and productive first day for both drivers with the only disruption coming from the yellow flags in the last 20 minutes.'

Norbert Haug:
'A very constructive session for both David and Mika. The team and the drivers found a good set-up for the race, and our aim is now to repeat today's performance tomorrow and on Sunday.'