14th June 2003
Weather: Dry and overcast
Track temp: 20 degrees
Air temp: 16 degrees
After two days of wet weather, the Gelees Villeneuve circuit in Montreal
produced dry conditions for the second phase of qualifying this afternoon.
Having taken full advantage of the dry two-hour free testing session
yesterday, Jaguar Racing drivers Antonio Pizzonia and Mark Webber were
well prepared as they took to the circuit in 4th and 12th places
respectively - and neither driver disappointed. Both drivers delivered
near perfect laps and taking race strategy into account, Antonio qualified
in 13th place while Mark posted the 6th fastest time to start tomorrow’s
race from the third row of the grid alongside the Ferrari of Rubens
Barrichello.
Dr Mark Gillan - Head of Vehicle Performance
“It has been quite a difficult weekend up until now with Friday being the
only opportunity to have done some dry testing in preparation for today
and the race. We took full advantage of our two hours testing yesterday to
prepare for what we thought would be a dry qualifying and hopefully a dry
race. Outside of this, the rest of Friday and this morning were difficult
because of how wet it was. Nonetheless, we achieved a lot yesterday on
balance, wing settings and tyre comparisons and this work paid dividends
today. Both drivers did an excellent job and the team’s preparation
deserves strong credit too. To be starting the race tomorrow alongside a
Ferrari is very pleasing but our aim is to be reliable - something we have
not demonstrated to the degree required. Reliability is not something you
achieve overnight and we are working tirelessly to accelerate the process.
After the retirement of both cars in Monaco, we changed several internal
procedures in an effort to ensure reliability this weekend but it’s a
long-term and ongoing process. Yet again we have proved the pace of the
Jaguar R4 and it’s now time to see whether our reliability goals will see
us through to the end of the race and subsequently some championship
points.”
Mark Webber
Position: 6th Best time: 1.16.182
Chassis: R4-04 T-Car: R4-02
“I’m delighted to have secured P6 and I don’t think there is anything more
I could have done out there. That was about as perfect a lap as I could
have hoped for and very pleasing given how difficult it is to get all the
braking points right around this circuit. The dry track conditions have
obviously helped us today and combined with the Michelin rubber, the car
worked very well indeed. We changed quite a few things on the car from
this morning to suit the dry conditions and combined with the thorough
data we gathered yesterday from the two-hour test, the team’s preparation
has been nothing short of impressive. This is a very challenging circuit
and renowned as a ‘car breaker’ - particularly on the brakes - and our
goal is simply to cross the finishing line. The team has come an awful
long way in a very short space of time and our immediate challenge is to
realise the full potential of this race package through reliability. We
are very well placed to make a points challenge tomorrow but this will be
dictated mainly through reliability. The guys haven’t stopped working
since our unfortunate and premature Monaco exit and let’s hope we can
repay their hard work with some points tomorrow.”
Antonio Pizzonia
Position: 13th Best time: 1.17.337
Chassis: R4-03
“I am pleased with my lap time, albeit I lost a couple of tenths through
understeer at the first corner. As one of the first guys out, you don’t
take full advantage of rubber being laid onto the track but that’s the way
it goes. Given the strategy I am on for tomorrow’s race, my overall
performance today is pleasing and I am looking forward to racing around
this circuit tomorrow. It is fast, with tricky braking points and very
little room for mistakes. Having never raced here before, I have to say
that I enjoy the track and assuming we have reliability on our side
tomorrow, we are well prepared and well placed to put on a competitive
show. The weather, however, remains unpredictable and in the end, that
will be the deciding factor for the race outcome tomorrow.”
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