San Marino GP McLaren qualifying notes

<pre> David Coulthard Chassis MP4-16/02 Mika Hakkinen Chassis MP4-16/03 T-car (David) Chassis MP4-16/01 </pre> The West McLaren Mercedes team will start from the front row for Sunday's Warsteiner San Marino Grand Prix. David Coulthard set a time of 1:23.054 - a lap record - and Mika Hakkinen's 1:23.282 put him second on the grid. This was David's 11th pole position and the West McLaren Mercedes team's 18th one-two qualifying result.

DAVID COULTHARD
"I'm really pleased with my pole position and the fact that it appears we have taken a step forward with the package. I went off the circuit yesterday and damaged the chassis so we changed it overnight and the team was working until early this morning, so this is the best reward they could get. We made a lot of changes during practice this morning and continued to do so during qualifying. After my penultimate run, I was still struggling with the rear and had difficulties carrying speed into the corners. We made some adjustments and I pushed a little bit more, and it was enough."

MIKA HAKKINEN
"I just missed out on pole position today after an exciting session. However to have two West McLaren Mercedes cars on the front row is a great achievement. It shows that we have made a leap, which is a result of the hard work put in by the entire team."

RON DENNIS
"A satisfying outcome to a qualifying session where the weather conditions were changing throughout. The result is a credit to everybody in the race team and the people behind the scenes who contribute a great deal but are not here to enjoy the moment."

NORBERT HAUG
"The team and both drivers have worked very well and we have increased our competitiveness. Both cars on the front row is a good reward for David, Mika and the entire team. We have taken a step forward but we still have to improve further."

- McLaren