05/07/2002

British Grand Prix - Free Practice

Wet and cloudy weather conditions typified dismal free practice sessions for the Panasonic Toyota Racing team in Silverstone today. Allan McNish completed 30 laps but experienced handling problems in both sessions. Suffering from a stomach infection Mika Salo managed one installation lap early on but sat out the remainder of the two sessions on the advice of the team's doctor.

Allan McNish - Car No. 25

Position:	19th 1m38.477s 30 laps completed
Chassis:	TF102/08

"We struggled quite badly today with general grip and balance of the car. In the first session I had understeer. Latterly towards the end of the second session we improved that but then gained oversteer. The circuit conditions were changing a tremendous amount and it was a case of being out on the right tyre at the right time in the drier conditions."

Mika Salo - Car No. 24

Position:	20th No timed laps
Chassis:	TF102/07

"I did not feel too well when I woke up this morning. I went out at the beginning of session one to do an installation lap to see if the car was okay but my stomach was really painful. Team doctor Riccardo Ceccarelli examined me and said that I have a kind of stomach infection. He recommended I rest today and is quite confident that I can drive again tomorrow."

Ange Pasquali - Team Manager
"It was a pity that Mika could do no running today but the team doctor explained that it is better for him to rest today in order to be fully fit for practice and qualifying tomorrow. Unfortunately we could only run with one car today and we struggled in the wet conditions. It is a similar difficulty to the one we had in Imola and we have not had enough wet testing since then to find a cure."

Weather:	Overcast with frequent rain showers
Temperatures:	Air - Min 14°C Max 18°C Track - Min 14°C Max 21°C Average humidity 85%
T-car:	TF102/06 set up for Allan McNish