Wirdheim looking forward to season

Jaguar's newest signing, official test and reserve driver Bjorn Wirdheim, is excited about 2004 and can't wait for the season to start. The 23 year-old Swede will be on track for Friday practices as Jaguar's third driver and hopes those sessions will give the team an advantage.

"I think it will be a very big advantage," Wirdheim told the team website. "If you look at Renault last year, for example, they were the only top team that decided to use the Friday practice and for sure they gained a lot out of it."

New circuits are something that not only Wirdheim will need to learn; race driver Christian Klien is also new to Jaguar and to F1. Wirdheim is familiar with the European circuits but a few of the long-haul tracks will be new.

"I am looking forward to Melbourne but I have driven on all of the European circuits as well as Indianapolis and Brazil," he explained. "So there's only really Canada, Malaysia, Montreal, Melbourne and Shanghai."

"It's important for me to learn those circuits very quickly. We have two hours of free practice and half an hour should be enough time for me to learn the circuit. It would have been easier for me to go to Melbourne with a few more miles under my belt but I'm sure I'll be fine."

With only a week to go until the 2004 season kicks off in Australia, it's not only the fans that are impatient for action: "I am very excited," Wirdheim enthused. "I have been working really hard to get into Formula One for a very long time now and I will really enjoy it when I get to Melbourne."