Silverstone 2000: Friday Free Practice Reports
[
Arrows |
Benetton |
BAR |
Ferrari |
Jaguar |
Jordan |
McLaren |
Minardi |
Prost |
Sauber |
Williams |
Bridgestone
]
Arrows [start]
In differing conditions the Orange Arrows drivers finished today's first practice session for the British Grand Prix with Pedro de la Rosa in 13th position and Jos Verstappen in 14th. Pedro's best lap time was 1:30.279 from his 16 laps, with Jos a fraction slower at 1:30.313 but completing 28 laps.
Pedro de la Rosa
"The very changeable weather conditions meant that it wasn't a very good day and I didn't get as much running time as I would have hoped for. I would have liked to do more laps in order to try the car in all conditions which is the important thing. We still have to get the balance of the car right and will work on that tomorrow. With days like today you don't really learn anything so it's hard to progress significantly. I hope that tomorrow we can do more laps and experiment more on car set up for these changing conditions."
Jos Verstappen
"These were difficult circumstances - you can't learn a lot in these conditions. At the end of practice there was a lot of standing water on the straight, so no point going as quickly as you want to go as it's not worth the risk just for a free practice. On the other hand, the car feels good in the rain, so no problems really. The circuit was bad so grip wasn't as good on corners and exits. It's good that it rained hard though as maybe it has cleaned the circuit a bit. The circuit is also very different than last week (testing) in term of conditions and wind. Hopefully it'll be dryer tomorrow so we can sort out dry set up a bit more, but rain for the race wouldn't be a problem for us."
Tom Walkinshaw
"There's not much can be said about a session like the last one. We know what Silverstone is like in the wet, which might put us in good stead for the race!"
Benetton [start]
The Mild Seven Benetton Playlife team proved they were a force to be reckoned with in the wet at Silverstone on Friday, as both cars finished in the top ten during a session that was plagued by bad weather.
In the first hour-long stint the weather was dry, but by the start of the second session the rain had become heavier, and was eventually red-flagged because a recovery vehicle got stuck in the mud as it tried to rescue a beached McLaren.
Alexander Wurz finished the day eighth-fastest with a time of 1m29.111s, while Giancarlo Fisichella finished just behind him in ninth place, with a laptime of 1m29.214s.
Pat Symonds, the team's Technical Director commented: "It has been almost 2000 years since there was a Good Friday this bad! This has been a difficult day to judge exactly where we are, but nevertheless I am pleased with the apparent competitiveness of the car in the wet conditions that I'm sure we'll meet more of during the course of the weekend." He continued: "During testing last week we ran in most conditions from a dry to a reasonably wet track and today just gave us a chance to recheck some of the things we learnt during this test."
Alexander Wurz also commented on the changing conditions, saying, "this morning in the dry it was hard to evaluate the set-up because the wind was really strong around the track. We got some base work done in the dry but then it started raining and just got harder and harder. In the second session it was quite entertaining, but really in conditions like that I can just be a passenger because the car is pretty uncontrollable."
His team-mate, Giancarlo Fisichella, was pleased with his day's work. "I am quite happy with the car," he said, "and extremely happy with it in the wet." He continued: "In the second half of the morning session I was fastest for most of the time in the rain and so this is a good sign as it looks like this weather will continue all weekend. By the second session it was really safety car weather so there is not a lot we can learn in those conditions."
British American Racing [start]
Today's free practice session for Sunday's British Grand Prix began with a dry track, but it took only 20 minutes for Silverstone to deliver the wet weather that could be a feature of this weekend's activities. Once the downpour arrived, the track became very wet and standing water appeared on parts of the circuit, leaving all drivers struggling with the difficult conditions.
Despite the weather, Honda's revised RA000E engine made a successful debut today, BAR Honda drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta reporting no problems throughout the two one hour sessions. Jacques' first period was prematurely ended by a gearbox problem, however, and Ricardo had a gentle spin towards the end of proceedings as the weather worsened.
Jacques Villeneuve
"I don't think anyone has done any really constructive work out there today. We ran with the new engine and it seemed fine, but it's impossible to judge it properly in conditions like that. The times today don't mean very much at all. You just have to be on track for the two or three minutes when the circuit is at its best, but it could be like this in qualifying and then timing will be crucial."
Ricardo Zonta
"It was very difficult on the track today. The car felt very different to when we tested last week and every time I went out, the conditions had changed again, so it was impossible to make any real progress."
Takefumi Hosaka - Managing Director, Honda R&D
Today was a practice session in the true sense of the word, allowing us to give the new engine a run-out and the lap times are probably not at all reflective considering the rain. Jacques was going very well until his gearbox problems in the first hour and was quickest of all in the first section which seems to suit his driving style. Silverstone is still a power circuit and a big test for the engines, but the weather today made it difficult to assess the performance of the new Honda unit. The key to these conditions is not to overdo it and we certainly had no problems with the engine."
Ferrari [start]
Both Ferrari drivers didn't bother to begin their first runs for the day until the rain began in this mornings first practice session, so it was hardly surprising to see Barrichello back in 7th place and Schumacher 20th.
Michael Schumacher did some 16 laps in the afternoon to get used to the conditions, but failed to improve on his morning time which left him in 21st position. The German was not impressed with the days outcome as according to him, it was a waste of time in terms of setting up the car.
"There was nothing much to be learned with the car, but it was important to do some running to find out where the worst standing water was in case we have similar conditions for the race," said Michael. "In these conditions it is almost impossible to drive and it is also dangerous. I would suggest to the FIA that when the weather is like this the Safety Car should be used in practice as well as the race. I had a problem with aquaplaning and it was impossible to see what was going on in front or to judge the distance to other cars ahead. The big problem here is that the rain does not drain away quickly enough. Today's session was almost useless in terms of setting up the car."
Rubens Barrichello managed to get in a few laps just before the rain really came down but the Brazilian was unfortunate to suffer with a hydraulic failure in the first session. Overall, he was happy with his performance for the day.
"Today I had a good run when it was dry, getting in some good laps," commented Rubens Barrichello. "In the morning I had a small hydraulic problem which affected the steering wheel. In the wet, I was always among the quickest and I am happy with the handling of the car. I think the weather will remain very changeable throughout the weekend. In qualifying it will be vital to be out on the track at just the right time."
"The weather today has been very variable," added Jean Todt. "In the morning, Michael did not run when the track was more or less dry and Rubens did not manage many laps either. Later, the fact that the intensity of the rain changed constantly meant it was difficult to work methodically. But it was the same for everyone. If the weather stays the same over the next two days, it will make life difficult, because in these conditions the track presents a tough and dangerous challenge."
Jaguar [start]
Eddie Irvine set the second fastest time of the session for Jaguar, but the Irishman stated after the first session that he encountered enormous problems with the gusting variable winds on the quicker parts of the track.
The first part of the morning session was held in dry conditions, before the rain swept in but the wet weather stayed for the rest of the afternoon, despite the occasional burst of sun through the clouds.
While the track was still dry, Eddie Irvine set a time of 1:28.169, which ensured that he was in second place at the end of the day. However, he admitted that his position didn't reflect the real situation.
"We learned absolutely nothing," said Eddie. "Whenever it was raining heavily there was just no point in being out there. The car was aquaplaning everywhere, so I came straight back in. It's impossible to tell where we are relative to everyone else. The wind is totally different to last week's testing, so even in the dry we were back to square one."
Teammate Johnny Herbert had a bad start to his weekend, coming to a halt after three laps when the pneumatic valve pressure disappeared. After a couple of exploratory laps Johnny was about to start his first flying lap when the Cosworth engine cut out at Copse corner, forcing him to park his R1. He was unable to set a proper time in the morning and while he had no gremlins in the afternoon, conditions meant that he couldn't improve his position. He finished the day in 22nd place.
"It was just a normal day for me," said Johnny. "It is always something different, somewhere, and it keeps rearing up its ugly head and happens at some time during the weekend. It's not good for me and the team doesn't need it. It's silly that it's still happening. I went through all this last year. We've been used to July for the British GP for many a year, so that makes it different. It's obviously colder, but we've also had wet races in July, it's not as if it only rains in April!"
For once the team had a relatively quiet time after the session, since there was very little for the drivers to discuss in the debrief.
"It was a bit of a waste of time," admitted technical director Gary Anderson. "We've run a lot in the wet in testing, so hopefully we'll have a good set-up we can put on the car on Saturday. We just have to wait and see what the weather will do."
"It's the same for everybody," added team director Andy Miller. "We did a bit in the wet, so we might have made a bit of progress on set-up. Eddie went out in the afternoon but it was so dangerous, just wheelspin and aquaplaning. It wasn't worth risking damaging the car. Johnny's problem this morning was a kill on the engine, a safety thing, and one of the parameters was wrong. The engine was fine, so it was just a question of changing the component that was causing the problem."
Jordan [start]
Heinz-Harald Frentzen and the Jordan team took advantage of the dry track at the start of the first free practice session to claim the fastest lap of the morning. Teammate Jarno Trulli was fifth fastest.
With the second free practice session run on a track that ranged from wet to almost flooded, Frentzen retained his morning dry track time as the fastest of the day with hardly anyone else improving their times.
"Today we had a very good day; we were on form and did a very good job," said a relaxed Frentzen at the end of the session. "It is hard to know if we can maintain this throughout the weekend but it is certainly a good way to kick off. In fact today was a perfect session not only because we were fastest, but also because the very changeable weather meant we were able to run in lots of different conditions. The weather did not surprise me, we know from testing at Silverstone that you can have all four seasons in a day here. I think it will mean we have a very exciting race on Sunday. I would like to have a good result this weekend and finish in the points."
Teammate Jarno Trulli posted the fifth fastest time after encountering some minor mechanical problems when running in the dry. However, he was happier with his car's wet weather balance.
"The weather was very changeable so it is difficult to know exactly how competitive we are," remarked the Italian. "I had a few mechanical problems when I made an early run in the dry, but afterwards, in the wet conditions, the balance of the car was good and I am quite happy with the work we did today."
McLaren [start]
West McLaren Mercedes drivers David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen finished today's free practice for the British Grand Prix in third and fourth place respectively. David did 20 laps and finished with a time of 1:28.525 while Mika completed 23 laps and set a time of 1:28.659.
Mika Hakkinen
'The rain certainly made things troublesome today. However we did quite a bit of running and its clear that the weather is going to play an important role this weekend. The car feels good and I look forward to tomorrow's qualifying.'
David Coulthard
'I finished the second session early when my car lost hydraulic pressure on Hangar Straight. I was a bit wet when I came back to the garage. However we did manage to get through a lot of work and the balance of the car feels good in these conditions. Now we'll wait and see what tomorrow brings.'
Ron Dennis
'Even if you are English its rare to see nearly 15 days of continuous rain. Its certainly unpleasant for everybody and even the ducks are emigrating to Zeltweg.'
Norbert Haug
'The weather conditions made it a difficult day for everybody on and off the race track. Mika's performance looked OK both in the dry at the beginning and during the rain at the end. David's car suffered a hydraulic failure, which we have to investigate further. Until then David's lap times were similar to Mika's.'
Minardi [start]
Marc Gene
"Today the track was not dry for very long. The asphalt was very slippery but considering that all drivers performed under the same weather and track conditions, I feel pretty satisfied with today's outcome. On a damp track the car behaved well but we must improve our car's set up work in the wet because the car was difficult to drive under these weather conditions. Due to the sudden changes of the weather conditions, tomorrow the strategy is likely to play a more crucial role rather than to set a fast lap, which means that it is far more important to take to the track at the right moment."
Gaston Mazzacane
"In the past few days I have said that Silverstone's venue would be very difficult and in fact I had a Friday's session fairly troubled. If it rains tomorrow as today, we will not have an ordinary qualifying session where we need to concentrate especially on the strategy. Today's work was good and data will be added to all the information we gathered during last week's tests."
Prost [start]
Both Prost drivers had electrical problems with their Peugeot engines that were equipped with variable inlet trumpets for this race. Tomorrow they will use a special qualifying Evo 3 engine which they plan to keep for the race.
Jean Alesi was very disappointed with the days outcome, due to the poor performance of the engine, the Frenchman finishing the day way down in 17th position.
"I am very disappointed with the performance of the engine," remarked Alesi. "I thought the new regulations would not have changed the performance at all, but now it is a long way from being acceptable. I have no speed, no acceleration, in short, my car is not at all competitive. As to the chassis, we need to do a lot more running to improve its balance and performance on the track. My 'off' at the end of the session was due to aquaplaning, but, unfortunately, I was not able to go again. I could not get back into first gear."
Nick Heidfeld agreed with his teammate as far as the cars engine performance and after solving their electrical problems from the first session, Nick like his teammate, had a spin during the second session, seeing him finish the day just behind Alesi in eighteenth place.
"For both sessions, I had poor engine performance, especially during the first practice," explained Heidfeld. "We made some modifications between the two sessions, but we still had the same problem that hampered us in testing last week, which is not solved yet. Unfortunately, the track has not been dry for long this afternoon, which is sad because the car felt quite good. When it started to rain, the car was still OK, but the main problem remained the engine in terms of performance and lap-times. In the end, the conditions were changing so much that it was difficult to stay on the track."
"The changes in the regulation imply to revise the engine set-up," added Guy Audoux, Peugeot Sport Field Manager. "However, we have not been able to carry out enough testing miles since last week to optimize them."
"It is very difficult to evaluate our performance in relation to others today because of the changing conditions," explained Alain Prost. "That said, I think this will be the case all weekend and we will have to be very careful with our set-ups for wet, mixed or dry. Despite the difficulties experienced by the drivers, we are going to do everything we can to find the best compromise altogether for the weekend."
Sauber [start]
Pedro Diniz and Mika Salo finished in 12th and 16th places respectively after today's first free practice sessions for the British Grand Prix.
Pedro Diniz
"Well, at least our recent testing prepared us for the weather we encountered today! My car felt quite good initially when the track was dry but nevertheless slippery very early on, and even better when it started raining. At a comparable point in a changeable day I was very close to Michael Schumacher's times. There was a lot of standing water, especially after Club corner, and that made it really difficult whenever you were following anyone."
Mika Salo
"I was really struggling with huge oversteer today. I'm not really sure why, to be honest. We'll go through all the data very carefully, but maybe it was just that I was out on the track each time when conditions were at their worst."
Peter Sauber (Team Principal)
"We did a lot of laps today, and once again the RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS C19s were reliable. I hope that our result today was good enough so that we are well prepared for qualifying, whether it is wet or dry. For sure we need to be ready to take any advantage if the track is dry at the start of qualifying, because the weather is so unsettled."
Williams [start]
Weather: Changeable with frequent showers. 12C average
BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Jenson Button and Ralf Schumacher were 11th and 15th quickest respectively in the first free practice sessions for the British Grand Prix. Hard showers that severely compromised track time hampered both the sessions. Due to a problem in the morning session Ralf couldn't achieve any timed lap.
Jenson Button
"It's good to be on my home circuit and I am sure this will help me. I know the track reasonably well from Formula Three races and from our testing. It's quite difficult to get used to such changeable weather and track conditions. I don't think that I have ever driven in such a terrible environment."
Ralf Schumacher
"Unfortunately my car stopped in the first session and I couldn't even complete one timed lap. At the beginning of the second session half of the track was quite dry which didn't help us in our set up work. Then, at the end of the free practice it was raining so hard that, over the two hours, I only managed 14 timed laps."
Patrick Head (Technical Director, WilliamsF1)
"It is obviously difficult to gain anything particularly useful out of a day such as this. The changeable weather and consequent track conditions have been very difficult to work with, but it has been the same for everybody. Luckily, we tested here last week and therefore it's not as significant as it would have been otherwise."
Dr. Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
"We expected the weather to be like this during the Easter weekend. This could be considered a training session for the race itself. Overall, the conditions today were too variable to make any reasonable statement about the performance of the car and the engine."
Bridgestone [start]
Not present at this time
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