[jag-news] [F1] Australian Grand Prix - Friday results

["Jag-lovers News" <owner-jag-news@jag-lovers.org>]

Driver errors resulted in unrepresentative lap times today for Jaguar
Racing as new boys Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia took to the track for
the first of the new format qualifying sessions. The 'one-lap only'
qualifying hour was always going to be tough for rookie Antonio who is not
only contesting his first-ever Grand Prix but is also new to the Albert
Park circuit. Mark, however, knows the circuit reasonably well but failed
to get the best out of the Jaguar R4 because of errors of misjudgement
during his qualifying run. 

The team began the day with a two-hour test programme followed by the
traditional one-hour Free Practice session. With little rubber laid down
on the track this morning, both drivers were frustrated by the initial
lack of grip but as the afternoon wore on, Mark and Antonio began
extracting the best from the car in the run up to qualifying. 


Dr Mark Gillan- Head of Vehicle Performance

"Today was very busy for us in terms of on-track activity. We started the
morning by running through our planned testing programme, with particular
emphasis on tyre comparisons and general setup. Mark completed 40 laps
with no issues, while Antonio managed 16 laps. This was down to the fact
that Mark was undertaking laps in the T-car as well as his race car. We
then used the Free Practice to focus our efforts on finding an optimum
setup for qualifying and in Antonio's case, help him better understand
the nature and demands of a circuit he has never raced on. The new one-lap
qualifying certainly lived up to the spectacle that it promised but it's
fair to say that our car was better than the drivers today. Both Mark and
Antonio made mistakes during their qualifying runs and while we are
disappointed not to have done better, we walk away encouraged and pleased
with the performance of the Jaguar R4. With another qualifying session
tomorrow and the race on Sunday, it is futile to read too much into
today's performance, albeit the honest admission of our drivers mistakes."
 
Antonio Pizzonia
Position:            19th             Best time: 1:30.092
Chassis:            R4-03

"It would have been significantly easier today had I known the track.
Because the T-car was setup for Mark during the two-hour testing, my
track time was limited because of the work the team was undertaking on my
race car. From having had a handful of familiarisation laps straight into
qualifying was not easy and combined with my mistakes, the final lap time
could have been much better ­ no doubt. I suppose it's far better to make
mistakes at this stage of my F1 career than later and given how positive I
feel about the Jaguar R4's potential, today's issues are really down to me
- not the machinery!"

Mark Webber 
Position:            15th             Best time: 1:27.675
Chassis:            R4-01            T-Car:            R4-02

"The Jaguar R4 has felt really good all day but I need to do a better job
of controlling my aggression ­ something which ultimately cost me a much
higher qualifying position today. I was simply trying too hard out there
and made mistakes in both the first and second sector. The new one-lap
qualifying format is intense to say the least but we have learned an awful
lot today. Combined with the two-hour test in the morning, the team has
done an excellent job of preparing the car and I must admit to being a
little disappointed not to have delivered the lap time the car is capable
of doing. Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go and we are all
pleased with what we have learned about our package going into the race
weekend."



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