Italian GP McLaren Saturday notes

ITALIAN GRAND PRIX 1998 -- QUALIFYING

Chassis Numbers Mika Hakkinen: MP4-13/04 David Coulthard: MP4-13/06 T-Car: MP4-13/02 T-Car: MP4-13/03

Drying track conditions meant today's qualifying took place in the last 20 minutes of the session, as the majority of the teams including West McLaren Mercedes waited for circumstances to improve before venturing onto the circuit. As a result the top grid positions changed constantly up until the final seconds of qualifying, which saw Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard finish third and fourth for tomorrow's race with fastest laps of 1: 25.679 and 1:25.987.

MIKA HAKKINEN 'I think we were subject to the difficult circumstances today -- along with everyone else. The very difficult track conditions meant that I was not fully confident in the car when I went out and it took me a short while before I was ready to go flat out. However, although it is disappointing not to be on the front row of the grid, tomorrow's race is another story. We have a very good car and I am looking forward to the race.'

DAVID COULTHARD 'Of course it is disappointing to be fourth on the grid especially when we know that we have a quick car round here. Basically today's grid positions depended on coping well with the traffic and I wasn't able to do that. But I still think we are in a strong position for the race tomorrow.'

RON DENNIS 'Whilst neither car was optimum for the conditions the only thing that kept us off the front row was traffic. The outcome could have been better but it certainly could have been worse.'

NORBERT HAUG 'The objective today was to be out on the circuit in the very last moments without coming upon traffic. Unfortunately Mika and David didn't find clear laps. But we have won races from worse grid positions, for example here at Monza last year with David starting from sixth.'