The opening day of
the European Grand Prix weekend at the
Nuerburgring did not run as smoothly as
the Minardi
F1 Team's personnel might have
hoped for, but a significant overnight
effort by the hard-working technicians and mechanics most
definitely put the situation back on
track today.
Christijan
Albers and
Patrick
Friesacher both enjoyed
trouble-free practice sessions on
Saturday, before consolidating the
progress made with solid performances in
the afternoon qualifying session.
Both
the Minardi drivers were at something of a
disadvantage in qualifying, as their
Cosworth-powered cars were carrying heavy fuel loads, but
nonetheless, a smooth lap from Friesacher saw him “splitting” the two
Jordan entries on the timing screens,
while Albers completed his run less than
three-tenths of a second off the pace of
his team mate.
PATRICK
FRIESACHER
“Generally, I was
quite happy with my lap. We were
struggling a little bit this morning
with one or two small problems on the
car, but we made some changes, which
enabled me to find a good balance. I
think we’re in a good position for
tomorrow’s race.”
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Both drivers were at something of
a disadvantage in qualifying, as their cars were
carrying heavy fuel loads, but nonetheless, a smooth
lap from Friesacher saw him “splitting” the
two Jordan entries on the
timing screens |
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The Minardi drivers
both enjoyed trouble-free practice sessions this
morning, before consolidating the progress made with
solid performances during afternoon qualifying |
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CHRISTIJAN
ALBERS
“The fuel load we
were carrying this afternoon meant the
car had a little bit more understeer
than I would have liked for the
qualifying run. As a result, I ran
wide in one spot and lost a little bit
of time there. Even so, it was not a bad
run, and I think we have a good strategy
for tomorrow. We should have a good pace
in the race.”
PAUL
STODDART
“Once again, we
feel encouraged by today’s times,
especially considering the fuel loads in
both cars for tomorrow’s race. Indeed,
all weekend, we have been exchanging lap
times with our nearest rival, Jordan,
and are pleasingly close to Sauber and
Red Bull Racing. If we are able to split
the Jordans at a circuit we really
didn’t expect would suit our new car,
and bearing in mind there is still a
huge amount of development potential in
the PS05, it bodes very well for the
upcoming North American races, as well
for the rest of the season.”
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