Minardi Barcelona test notes 2002-02-13

BARCELONA, SPAIN, February 13, 2002 - Things are definitely looking up for the KL Minardi Asiatech team. Following the news yesterday evening that Team Principal, Paul Stoddart, had won a prestigious Bernie Award for the "Outstanding Contribution in 2001" to the sport of Grand Prix motor racing, the team's final day of testing in Barcelona ended on a positive note with recent Australian signing, Mark Webber, recording the fourth fastest time of the day and completing a full Grand Prix distance without any mechanical issues arising. Alex Yoong had something of a "character-building" day, his car afflicted with several mechanical problems that required time in the garage to solve. He nonetheless completed nearly a Grand Prix distance in the two days he was present in Barcelona, providing useful feedback to the team's engineers on the new KL Minardi Asiatech PS02 in the process.

ALEX YOONG
"We experienced a number of small problems today, which was a bit frustrating. In the end, I was able to complete 24 laps, but didn't have the opportunity to set a better time on new tyres. Looking at things positively, though, we have made quantifiable progress during this test, and it is better to get the problems out of the way and solved now rather than having them in Melbourne."

MARK WEBBER
"It was a satisfying day today. We did some work in the morning getting to know more about the performance parameters of the car, although we aren't yet running with all of the equipment we will have for Melbourne. It was good to get some decent mileage under the belt, both to progress our technical programme and to assist Michelin. We managed some long runs in the end and early indications are that we are not in bad shape. There is still work to be done, but we are definitely going in the right direction."

PAUL STODDART, Team Principal
"This has been a successful test for KL Minardi Asiatech with useful mileage and a full technical programme completed. As a result, we now have a much better understanding of the PS02 and are very impressed with its construction, design and performance. Mark did very well, lapping strongly while putting in some extended runs and completing a tyre evaluation exercise. Alex didn't complete the full number of allocated laps today, having lost time while a couple of technical problems were solved, and then suffering a minor off-course excursion. He nevertheless was able to carry out some worthwhile work on handling and chassis balance. My impression is that both drivers are settling in well and that there is significant development potential to be tapped in the new car."

-minardi-