Jordan Grand Prix collected another championship point when
Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished sixth at Spa-Francorchamps at
the end of a race made eventful by rain in the early stages.
The race was started behind the Safety Car because of the wet
conditions. The race proper began when the Safety Car pulled in
at the end of the first lap, Frentzen maintaining his eighth place
as the field came in after several laps to change to dry weather
tyres.
«It was good to win a point», said Frentzen,
«but it's a shame we
couldn't win more as a team. It was a typical Spa race, starting
wet and then drying out. I had a good fight with David Coulthard,
and then with Barrichello. Basically, I ran my own race, with no
incidents or problems; everything went as it should have done.«
«Points seem very hard to come by for us at the moment»,
said Eddie Jordan. 'Unfortunately, a racing incident with Jenson
Button ruined Jarno's race. But it's good to win a point because
that moves us clear into 5th place. Obviously, we want to move
further up in the championship and, really, we missed another
good chance to do that today because of more bad luck.»
Heinz-Harald Frentzen secured another vital world championship
point for the Jordan team in this afternoon's Hungarian Grand Prix
when the German finished the race in sixth place. However the one
man he was hoping to beat, Williams man Ralf Schumacher, finished
one place ahead of him and added yet another point to the BMW
team's lead in the constructor's fight for third place.
According to team boss, Eddie Jordan, it was a very difficult race
all round, however the Irishman is pleased that both cars actually
finished the race. He praised both of his drivers for doing an
excellent job and is pleased with the one point they did win.
«It was a very difficult race all round», admitted
Eddie Jordan. «But both cars finished and the guys did a
fabulous job. Heinz did all he could and Jarno's strategy worked
very well for him. A point is well worth having on a day like
this.«
Frentzen is happy with his sixth placed finish, believing that it
was the best the team could have hoped for and according to the
German, this afternoon's race was the hardest of the season to
date.
«"This was the maximum we could achieve, so I'm pretty
happy», said Frentzen. "It was one of the toughest races of
the season and, given the problems we have with the tyres in such
high temperatures, it was good to get a point at the end. We were
not able to go any faster, the grip level of the tyres coming and
going. It would have been easier to run closer to the cars in front
had we not experienced the same tyre difficulties we had in France.
But this is a good result against strong opposition.»
There were no points for Jordan Grand Prix at the end of a
thrilling but ultimately disappointing race as Heinz-Harald
Frentzen and Jarno Trulli, having run in the top three, suffered
retirement and a controversial stop-go penalty.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen produced a storming drive as he charged
through the field from 17th on the grid, the Jordan moving into
third place after two pit stops. Frentzen survived a confusing
period when the Safety Car was brought out to deal with a
protester who had run unto the track, and a rain shower which
affected certain parts of the track but not others. Frentzen was
engaged in a thrilling battle with Coulthard's McLaren when the
Jordan suddenly stopped with six laps to go. Despite losing a
possible second place, Frentzen was elated with his drive.
«This was a truly memorable race», said Frentzen.
«The car was
running really well and I was having a great time passing people.
I just hope the spectators enjoyed it as much as I did! Okay, it
was very disappointing when the car suddenly stopped but we
were able to show that we are running really competitively. It was
good for the team after all their hard work on this latest version
of the car and we can only build on that. No points today, but for
sure there are many to come.»
Jarno Trulli was less happy after finishing ninth despite having
been second at one stage. Having run in the top three
throughout, Trulli was called into the pits for a ten-second
stop-go. There was controversy over the precise reason for the
penalty but the net result was to rob Trulli of an almost certain
podium finish.
«It's a massive disappointment», said Eddie Jordan.
«To have
both cars in the top three at various stages and then to come
away with nothing is a particularly bitter pill. Our pace looked to
be very good but I'm disappointed for both drivers after such
encouraging performances. Jarno is very upset over the stop-go
because he believes he was wrongly penalised. We're currently
looking into it.»
Mika Hakkinen took some time off prior to the Austrian GP with
widespread criticism for such, but he snubbed the critics when he
went on to take victory in the Austrian GP on Sunday.
Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen decided to follow suit and is
also taking a break from testing this week.
«I am planning a few days on my boat in Sardinia where I can
relax and think about next year's plans, as it's that time of the
year again.»
He added that he should make his decision regarding his future
at the next race in Germany and in turn said: «If the effects
of the recent holidays of Hakkinen and Barrichello before Austria
are anything to go by, I should be having a much better
weekend than the last one.»
Jordan driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen said after the Austrian GP
on Sunday that the result for the team is a real shame as they
could have collected some important championship points
simply by finishing the race.
After the Austrian GP weekend, the Jordan team finds
themselves in sixth place in the constructors' championship,
having lost their hold on fifth to the BAR team.
Frentzen commented on the race and said: «The accident
in the
first corner in which Ricardo Zonta and Michael Schumacher were
involved spread a lot of rubbish all over the track. Obviously
one of these parts destroyed my Jordan. I lost some kind of
fluid which was no good for the engine. And as if that was not
enough I spun on that fluid.»
Frentzen's failure to accumulate any points on Sunday also
enabled Williams driver and F1 newcomer Jenson Button to
share Frentzen's 9th place in the driver's championship.
A disappointing day for Jordan began with a first-corner collision
which eliminated Jarno Trulli on the spot. Heinz-Harald Frentzen,
who had made the most of the chaos to gain several places,
was forced to retire not long after when an oil leak caused him
to spin off.
Trouble started as the Ferraris ran side-by-side into the first
corner, Michael Schumacher being hit from behind and sent into
a spin by the BAR of Riccardo Zonta.
«We were very unlucky today,» said Trulli. «It
is difficult to say
exactly what happened because I really do not know. I found
myself blocked by incidents happening around me. I saw
Barrichello in front of me braking very early and then suddenly
everyone seemed to come together and my way was blocked. I
turned into the corner and found the blockage and then I hit
Michael's Ferrari. It was obviously very disappointing as this
was a good chance for us to score points.»
Frentzen, having avoided the melee, moved up to seventh
place from 15th on the grid. But then he realised there was a
problem when the car began to smoke. A broken oil fitting
sprayed lubricant onto the hot engine and finally got onto the
rear tyres, causing Frentzen to spin into a gravel trap.
«At first I thought something might have been damaged by
debris I had picked up after the crash,» said Frentzen.
«I spun
off and , when I looked back, I could see the oil I had left on
the track!»
Eddie Jordan said the team had to put this disappointment
behind them and concentrate on the next race in Germany.
«That's the nature of the game,» said Jordan.
«You just have to
move on to the next race. Once again we had the chance to
score points to help our fight in the Championship. It's
obviously disappointing, but we look forward to better luck in
two week's time.»
Jarno Trulli finished the French GP in the points in sixth place,
his second consecutive points finish for 2000 with team mate
Heinz-Harald Frentzen finishing in 7th place.
Both drivers admitted that they struggled at the start with Jarno
Trulli saying that they are now looking forward to the Austrian GP
in two week's time and their new engine.
Frentzen commented on his race and said: «It was
disappointing. I was a little upset with Jarno when we touched
wheels as he tried to overtake me and that damaged something on my
car.»
Team boss Eddie Jordan in turn echoed the sentiments of the
drivers also saying that he is looking forward to Austria and the
new engine. «The fight goes on!»
Jarno Trulli produced his best-ever qualifying performance today
when he put his Jordan Mugen Honda on the front row for one of
the most prestigious races on the calendar.
Despite recovering from a set back in the morning (when a trip
into an escape road cost valuable running time), Heinz-Harald
Frentzen was disappointed with fourth fastest time.
«I am very upset with Eddie Irvine», said Frentzen.
«It looked like he had a problem with his car but he
chose to still go into the tunnel even though he was going slowly.
The light is bad in there and he endangered other drivers by doing
that. It cost me and Jarno time on our last laps and I am
disappointed because the car was fine, despite having lost that
running time in the morning. It was nicely balanced for this circuit
and I really feel there was more to come. The second row of the grid
is okay, but it could have been much better, particularly at a
track where overtaking is impossible and grid positions are
even more important than usual.»
Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli were fifth and ninth fastest
at the end of a cautious first day of practice for the Jordan team
on the streets of Monte Carlo.
«The set-up of the car is not ideal yet», said Frentzen.
«This is typical of the first day at Monaco. It was a bit of a
fight with the car going between understeer and oversteer and I have
been working on finding a better balance for qualifying on Saturday.
When the car is not working the way you want, it's a case of fine
tuning and working on the line you take just to get the car through
each corner. That's part of the challenge of this circuit and I
really like it. But, one mistake and you're out!»
Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen ended the European GP
by retiring with suspected engine failure on lap 3 of the
race.
Eddie Jordan was quoted as saying: «Heinz-Harald was
the victim of a technical failure. We will just have to
keep working hard because the results will come, and I am
already looking forward to the race in Monte Carlo in two
weeks time.»
In turn Frentzen said that it has been a disappointing
weekend all around and explained by saying: «Things
just have not gone our way and it is frustrating when we
know that the car was very competitive here. I had escaped
being caught up in a collision at the first corner, and I
was feeling in control, running on a high fuel load which
was our strategy decision, when my engine blew. All we can
do is put this race behind us.»
Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start the European GP from 10th place
on the grid on Sunday, in spite of assurances from his side that
they were capable of clinching third row of the grid.
He added that the car performed perfectly throughout Saturday,
but explained how things went wrong by saying: «Things
went wrong in my second run when someone did not bother looking
in the mirror and destroyed my chances of a good lap. Once it
started to rain it was impossible to improve my lap time. As
a result, I was not able to realise the full potential of my
car today which is very frustrating».
The two Jordan drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli
finished the free practice session on Friday in 15th and 7th
places respectively and both said that they are confident of
their competitiveness this weekend after the first day.
Frentzen said that they concentrated on the optimisation of
balance and thus didn't concentrate on setting any fast times.
«The track was a little wet to start with but dried out
later which was probably good practice since it might well be
like that on Sunday.»
His team mate Jarno Trulli added that he feels more competitive
this weekend than in Spain two weeks ago and said that they
solved his understeering problem. «I think we should have
a good weekend here.»
The session was tightly faught, with windy conditions creating
handling problems for the drivers. Jordan Mugen-Honda drivers Jarno
Trulli and Heinz-Harald Frentzen qualified seventh (Trulli) and
eighth (Frentzen) behind the Ferrari's, the McLaren's, Ralf
Schumacher's Williams and Jaques Villeneuve's BAR. «Seventh
and eighth is not brilliant,» said Eddie Jordan, «but
certainly not a bad result for Jordan here in Barcelona - it is a
track we have never been very strong at. The aim now is to finish
tomorrow's race with both cars in the points.»
Commenting on the session, Jarno Trulli said, «The windy
conditions made it difficult to put three good sector times
together; one minute there was no wind, then a big gust and the next
minute a gust from the other direction! But I had no problems in
the session and the car felt very good, so I would like to thank my
mechanics and engineers for this. I think seventh is a good result,
especially since it was a tough fight today. I am confident for the
race as I have always raced well in Barcelona, but it will no doubt
be very a competitive contest.»
Frentzen added, «Unfortunately I was not able to squeeze those
extra tenths out of the car today. I went out early in order to
avoid high track temperatures, but in the end the weather and track
cooled towards the end of the session, so I lost out.»
The spare car in tomorrow's race will be prepared for Jarno Trulli,
following Jordan's policy of having the spare car ready for the
driver who qualified higher.
Jordan driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen only made one appearance in the
two practice sessions on Friday and did so almost at the end of the
second session for one lap.
He explained: «No, I wasn't running ... for tactical reasons.
One timed lap seemed enough for me today. If it had been my
decision, I would not have done even one lap today».
He stressed the importance of qualifying on Saturday and said that
the car is in good shape and that they have a good set up. He added
that at this stage it is too early to say whether they have overcome
their gearbox problems, but said that they've at least improved by
a couple of percent.
«We certainly have to get back our reputation for reliability,
and the challenge is ahead of us. We have lost a lot of points so
far, but the season is long and I am optimistic that we will slowly
get back into our rhythm. The car will be improved, too».
Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start the team's 150th GP
from the front row of the grid after he qualified in second place.
Since it was his first qualifying session as a father, Frentzen
said: «I think Lea has brought me luck. I called home just
before qualifying and Tanja put Lea on the phone to me. She made
some baby noises and I think she must have said,'Good Luck
Daddy'!»
He added that it was a great effort from the team and that he didn't
expect to be on the front row, but added that he seized the
opportunity. «It will be tough tomorrow but let's hope the car
is reliable and we can continue today's good work.»
Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen outshone the competition at
Silverstone today, posting the fastest time of 1.27.683. Team mate
Jarno Trulli was in fifth place with a lap time of 1.28.705.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen set the pace in today's practice session for
the British Grand Prix. The German driver posted the fastest time of
the day 1.27.683 on a rain-sodden track.
«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 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.»
Jordan driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen drove in his 100th GP on Sunday
and said before the race that he is hoping for a double celebration.
On Sunday Frentzen retired with gearbox problems after only a couple
of laps and thus celebrations were out, but on Monday morning
celebrations were in order.
His wife Tanja gave birth to a baby girl of 7lbs and both mother
and daughter are reported to be in good health. The girl has been
named Lea.
The little girl was born at 12h50 local time in France after her
mother, Tanja went into labour at midnight on Sunday.
Frentzen commented on his daughter and said: «We are
absolutely over the moon. She is as beautiful as her mother. I am
quite speechless.»
He furthermore said: «Finally a complete family, we are glad
to announce to all of you that mother and daughter are in the best
of health and will rule our household at latest from Friday onwards
with a two-thirds majority.»
The Jordan team failed to score any points on Sunday when both
drivers were forced to retire with technical problems. The gearbox
on both cars expired prematurely sidelining Heinz-Harald Frentzen
after five laps and team mate Jarno Trulli three laps from the end
of the race.
Trulli had the following to say about his problem: «It seems I
don't have any luck at Imola since I have never finished a race
here! I had made a good start and moved up to sixth place and the
race went without any incidents until right near the end when I
lost fifth gear.»
Heinz-Harald Frentzen commented:
«Today wasn't' a good day for us. After only four laps I had a
gear-shift selection problem and couldn't shift down from sixth gear
so I had no choice but to come into the pits. It is too early to
say what caused the problem and we will have to look at the
information to find out exactly what happened as it is too easy to
jump to conclusions. We now have some thinking to do and hope to
come back stronger for the British Grand Prix which will be Jordan's
150th race.»
The outfit's team boss Eddie Jordan said the team is extremely
disappointment after gain confidence in the car after the Brazilian
grand prix. «We now have some thinking to do and hope to come
back stronger for the British Grand Prix», he added.
The next race at Silverstone in England will be the team's 150th
race and hopes are high of finishing in the points.
Qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix proved to be a tightly
fought contest. «That was an incredibly competitive
session», said Jordan's Chief Executive, Eddie Jordan.
«This season is going to be fascinating! It was very exciting
with the drivers battling out for fractions of seconds. Let's hope
the race is as thrilling.»
Both Jordan drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno
Trulli finished the session sixth and eighth repsectively. Although
unable to find the extra fractions of seconds to keep the positions
they had set in the morning practice, both Trulli and Frentzen (who
will race in his 100th Grand Prix tomorrow) were pleased with the
balance and running of their EJ10s, and optimistic about their race
performance.
«This was a really tough session!» said Frentzen.
«It was really tight with everyone fighting for those
thousandths of seconds. Ultimately we could not quite find that
extra time. But at least I am in the top six and the car is running
perfectly so we should have a good race tomorrow.»
«I did not expect such a tough qualifying session!»
added Trulli. «The car balance was good but we just were not
quick enough today. This was not helped by the fact that I had
traffic in my penultimate run and then yellow flags in the final
run. Still, we should expect to race well tomorrow.»
Jordan driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen will be competing in his 100th
GP on Sunday and he said that he had a trouble free session on
Friday, which he ended in fourth place.
He commented on the session and said that they found a good
compromise for set up right at the end of the second session as he
explained the importance of such: «On one hand aerodynamic
grip is very important, on the other hand there are some very slow
corners, where you need mechanical grip. What a pity that both sorts
of grip are quite controversial».
He added that he is confident of a good performance in qualifying on
Saturday as he is definitely aiming at the top six.
The Jordan team put in a strong show at the Brazilian GP on Sunday
when both their drivers finished in the points.
After the disqualification of Coulthard, Frentzen ended in 3rd place
with team mate Jarno Trulli in fourth place.
Frentzen commented and said: «This is a very good result. I am
very happy to score three points. It was good that Jarno scored two
so that the team is now fourth in the championship.» His
comments said before the news broke of Coulthard's
disqualification.
In turn Trulli said that after his dreadful qualifying, he is
extremely pleased with the result and that moving up from 12th to
finish in the points is fantastic. «It is very good for the
team to have both drivers with points.»
Heinz-Harald Frentzen: «This is a very good result. I am very
happy to score three points and it was good that Jarno scored two so
that the team is now fourth in the championship. I was a bit
disappointed that I could not follow Fisichella in the middle of the
race - my rear tyres took a lot of wear and I had to come in for an
early pit stop to change them. At the end of the race I was able to
move closer to him, but it was not possible to catch him
today.»
Jarno Trulli: «After yesterday's dreadful qualifying I am
really pleased with this result. To move from 12th to 5th is
fantastic and it is very good for the team to have both drivers
winning points. I had a good start and the first stage of the race
went perfectly as the car was competitive and I was able to
overtake. Unfortunately, after my pit stop I found the car very
heavy but then in the last stage of the race it got better. This
result is especially good since the next race is in Imola where I
hope all my fans will come and support me.»
Eddie Jordan: «This is a very good result for the team, and
one we did not really expect starting from 7th and 12th. It is
fantastic to see both cars finish in the points. There had been a
lot of concern about our reliability and today proved that we did
indeed make a big step at Silverstone in testing last week. The
strategy worked well for both drivers; two stops for Jarno so that
he could start the race with a low fuel load and move up the grid
which he did perfectly, and one stop for Heinz. It was disappointing
not to catch Fisichella in the closing stages of the race, but we
will make it to the podium soon.»
Jordan's Chief Executive, Eddie Jordan: «Today was very
frustrating in every way. The interruptions caused by the
advertising boards did not do any favours to our sport. But this
cannot take away from our performance today which did not come up to
expectations. We looked good this morning but it only takes a couple
of problems and you are back down the grid. Let's hope for better
things tomorrow.»
Heinz-Harald Frentzen: «Some teams were lucky today, others
were not so lucky, like us. I was held up in my first run by
traffic and then in the second run it was spitting with rain. From
then on every time I wanted to go out there was a problem with the
advertising boards falling on the track, so it was very
frustrating, and these interruptions, plus the weather, meant I was
not able to improve on my time. But we have a good race set up and
I hope to be able to move up the field tomorrow.»
Jarno Trulli: «I was not lucky today. I went out on my first
run and spun off at turn six - I don't know why since I was taking
that corner quite easily. Perhaps there was dirt on the track but
for whatever reason I lost the car. I went out in the spare car but
had electronics problems which meant I could not select gears
properly. My mechanics did an amazing job to repair the gear box
and get me out again by the end of the session, but it was just too
wet on the track by then. It is disappointing to be so far down the
grid as we looked strong this morning and should have been up
behind McLaren and Ferrari. I hope to have some luck on my side
tomorrow and do well in the race.»
The Jordan drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli had a
productive free practice today at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil.
Both drivers enjoyed trouble free sessions working on set up for
the race.
Jarno Trulli: «I am very pleased with how the session went
today. Last week at the test in Silverstone I made some big
improvements to the balance of the car and I am very happy because I
felt the same improvements today. It was very good to have a trouble
free session and I was able to continue to make improvements to the
car's set up.»
Heinz-Harald Frentzen: «We did a good job today doing our
homework for the race. There were no problems and we gathered some
important information which we can work on for tomorrow and
Sunday.»
The T car is set up for Jarno Trulli for tomorrow's qualifying Mikka
Hakkinen came in on top in front of Michael Schumacher with a best
time of 1.15.896 after 30 laps. Rubens Barichello delighted the home
fans who have packed the grandstands in Interlagos, by finishing
4th.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen ended the Australian GP in 13th place after
Mika Salo's disqualification and said after the race that his worst
fears were confirmed when the gearbox didn't stand until the end of
the race. Frentzen retired from the Australian GP around lap 38.
He explained the problem when he said: «In detail, it was a
hydraulic failure that destroyed the gearbox. Until my pit stop the
gearbox was very well. I was able to change gears very gently. I
started hoping. But my hopes faded away during a pitstop, when
there was a problem with the fuel nozzle. Eventually it took 20
seconds to refuel my EJ10. At the end, that didn't count as the
transmission failed due to the leak in the hydraulic system. I tried
to get along with just one gear, but this was impossible».
He added that he could have ended the Australian GP in second place
as he had enough speed to keep Ferrari driver, Rubens Barrichello
behind him. «Now I have to wait until Brasil».
Heinz-Harald Frentzen showed an impressive performance during the race
keeping Rubens Barrichello in the second Ferrari behind him. He was
on a one stop strategy and after the retirements of Coulthard and
Hakkinen he came into the pits leading the race. But then the fuel
hose made problems and he felt back on position six after exiting
the pits. A short time after that his car suffered from a hydraulic
failure and Henz-Harald Frentzen had to retire.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen: «I am really disappointed with this
result as I was in a strong position and could have finished on the
podium. At least we have discovered the problem was caused by a
hydraulic leak, so it will be easy to rectify.»
Jarno Trulli: «I made a very good start but unfortunately I
was stopped by Schumacher and Barrichello and I wasn't able to move
up from sixth. I was comfortably following Barrichello and
Heinz-Harald for the majority of the race. Then, several laps after
the Safety Car had gone in, I had a problem with the exhaust,
which lead to the end of my race. The car is potentially very good,
we just need to improve the reliability.»
Heinz-Harald Frentzen: «Our performance today shows that we
are achieving what we set out to achieve, that is to close the gap
on the top two teams. I am very happy with how the qualifying
session went and I am looking forward to the season and to closing
the gap even further. The main thing tomorrow is to finish the
race.»
Jarno Trulli: «With all the problems I have had this weekend I
am very happy to have qualified sixth. Having said that, I am also
frustrated because I was only able to make one proper run and I
think if I had had more time on the track I would have been much
closer to Ferrari or could even have beaten them. But I am really
looking forward to the season as there is no doubt we have a very
competitive car.»
Eddie Jordan: «This result is very encouraging and seems to
indicate that we are not too far behind the two top teams. Both
drivers did a fantastic job. Jarno did particularly well to finish
sixth in his first qualifying for the team, especially since the
reliability problems he had with the car meant he only made one
proper run. I would not like to make any predictions for tomorrow,
as reliability will be a big factor. We hope to finish the race and
win points.»
The Formula One 2000 season finally began today with free practice
at the Albert Park, Melbourne. McLaren and Ferrari once again
looked strong, finishing the day a full second ahead of the
competition. But, with teams working on different agendas in this
practice session, the real test of performance will not come until
tomorrow's qualifying.
For Benson and Hedges Jordan there were mixed results. Heinz-Harald
Frentzen enjoyed a trouble free session, completing 35 laps in the
7th best time of the day. Jarno Trulli was beset by problems and did
not run in the morning because of a gearbox oil leak. He finished
the session in 15th place.
Commenting on the day, Frentzen said, «I had a good trouble
free session working on all the things we wanted to test so I am
quite satisfied with how that went. We completed 35 laps which has
given us some good information to work on for tomorrow.»
Trulli was disappointed with his day. «Today was very
disappointing for me as I lost a lot of time of the track because of
various problems. I lost the whole of the first session because of
an oil leak in the gearbox and in the afternoon session I had a
problem with the gearbox and the clutch. It meant I have not been
able to work on the balance of the car as much as I would have
liked. But I do have some data to work on this evening and this will
help us decide what we need to work on tomorrow morning.»
Jacques Villeneuve ran strongly in the BAR, finishing in 5th place,
with a surprisingly fast Pedro Diniz behind him in 6th. F1 newcomer
Jenson Button, in the Williams team, finished 18th, but looked happy
enough with the day's work when he attended an official FIA press
conference in the afternoon. Jarno Trulli was also invited to the
conference. In answer to journalists' questions about how he found
life at Jordan, the Italian said, «I am really happy in my
new team. Everyone is so professional and we are working very well
together. This will be a very important season for me and I am
really looking forward to racing in a competitive car.»
The Jordan team launched their 2000 contender, the
EJ10 on Monday at the Theatre Royal in Drury
Lane, London with a glitsy function with
more than a 1000 people attending.
Work on the team's 2000 contender started three
months earlier than on the 99 car and according to the
team this can be attributed to the more efficient use
of expertise and resources. The EJ10's overall package
is a fresh change with the largest development in the
area of aerodynamics, which in turn is the result of
50% more time spent in the wind tunnel and a 30%
increase to team personnel involved with
aerodynamics. Changes include a new front suspension
layout, new lighter gearbox and weight improvements
to the estimated 2000 parts used.
The Jordan team ended the 99 season in third place
in the constructors' championship and according to
Eddie Jordan the team is aiming at improving their
position in 2000. He explained by saying: «We are
going to give the top two a run for their money.
There is nothing quite like the feeling of hearing the
national anthem when you are on the podium
having run a race. We intend to hear a lot more of
that national anthem this year.»
He added: «We have two drivers capable of podium
finishes this year. We aim to be winning races and
to be on the podium, and we believe both Heinz and
Jarno will be extremely competitive. The team has
progressed from 6th to 3rd place in five years, and
our aim is to maintain this upward progression».
On his own dedication to his team, he said: «I have
been accused of not being a serious operator and
that used to hurt. The truth is I am very serious
about racing and competing but I also believe life is
for living to the full. I know what we have achieved
and when I look at Jordan's history (from our
victories in Formula Ford, F3 and F3000), to our
impressive results in formula1 I feel very proud. The
question is how far can we go? I believe we can go
all the way.»
Eddie Jordan spoke at the launch of the EJ10 on a
current and a past drivers. Of Damon Hill, who
drove for the team in 1999, he said: «He gave us
the experience». Of Heinz-Harald Frentzen he said:
«He was on a mission to show his critics wrong. I
don't think you could be as happy with a team
member as [I am with] Heinz Harald. He is a joy to
work with». Of Frentzen's team mate for the 2000
season, Jarno Trulli, he said: «He's going to push
Heinz Harald, there's no doubt. We need two strong
drivers to push each other. I think he will be the
surprise package just as Heinz Harald was last
year.»
Frentzen commented on his career at Jordan on
Monday at the team's launch by saying: «Nearly ten
years ago I was the wrong man for Eddie but before
the start of 1999 I realised we had both changed.
Eddie has learned to survive in Formula1 and I have
learned this too».
According to Frentzen they are united in the fact
that they both had setbacks in their careers, but
added that: «ultimately our career paths have
constantly moved upwards, and usually when
people have least expected it.»
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