22/10/2004

Grand Prix of Brazil - Free Practice Round-Up

Ricardo Zonta (Car 17 Chassis TF104/09B)
First Session Classification: 15th 14 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m14.207s (+1.660s)
Second Session Classification: 14th 30 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m12.347s (+1.181s)
"It is great to be back racing in Brazil although it has been a while since I have driven here at Interlagos. Typically this track is dusty and slippery on the opening day and it was no different today. When you are right on the limit it is easy to put one wheel on the dirt and spin off. We improved the car throughout both sessions today but we still have some additional things to try tomorrow morning. The work we carried out in the Jerez test last week has proved very useful particularly in terms of the tyre performance. I think we have a good direction for the rest of the weekend."

Jarno Trulli (Car 16 Chassis TF104/10B)
First Session Classification: 7th 15 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m13.512s (+0.965s)
Second Session Classification: 16th 36 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m12.545s (+1.379s)
"It was a positive practice day for me. I completed a lot of laps and we were able to compare the two Michelin tyre compounds without any trouble. The overall lap time does not look too good because I couldn't put everything together on my first lap with new tyres. However I am extremely happy with the balance and general behaviour of the car around this circuit. We will work hard to find a bit more performance tomorrow."

Ryan Briscoe (Car 38 Chassis TF104/11B)
First Session Classification: 2nd 25 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m12.614s (+0.067s)
Second Session Classification: 9th 34 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m12.209s (+1.043s)
"I am very happy with the work that we have achieved in today's practice sessions. We managed a significant number of laps which permitted us to complete our programme. We tested the tyres and tried different downforce levels to evaluate the best configuration for the rest of the weekend. The performance of the car appears to be quite good and I must say that Interlagos is a very enjoyable track to drive in an F1 car."

Mike Gascoyne - Technical Director Chassis
"We enjoyed two productive sessions totaling in excess of 150 laps with all three cars. The only real problem we encountered was the amount of traffic but that is normal at a short circuit like Interlagos. Ryan did his usual Friday programme of long runs to compare the tyres followed by some shorter runs for performance evaluation and overall the cars have looked very consistent. We have to look carefully at the data to prepare well for qualifying and the race. The lap times are very close so a few tenths-of-a-second can make a huge difference to the final position. All in all I think we can be confident of a strong race weekend."