Australia Preview Quotes: Jordan

Nick Heidfeld: "I feel really at home with the Jordan Ford team and I'm happy to be racing with them this year. Our early tests with the EJ14 have been promising as it's been quite a reliable car and I think with any luck we will just keep improving and improving it all year. It's going to be a challenge for sure and we won't make huge steps all at once. But we have a good base and little by little I'm confident we will move forward, score points and keep the competition behind us. I am fully motivated and determined to prove myself."

Giorgio Pantano: "I am so happy to be just days away from my first Grand Prix. It's going to be quite exciting for me and I can't wait to get out on the track - that's when it will all seem real. I have had a limited opportunity to test because I joined the team quite late, but I have enjoyed working with the team so far and I will be giving my all as I really want to guarantee them good results. Jordan is a good environment for me, I can learn from them and from my teammate Nick. This team is one of the few that has won races and they want to fight back to that higher level. With the new car, we can work together to find how to get there. Racing in Grands Prix is my dream and while I don't expect it to be easy, I will do my absolute best. I hope to finish every race and if there's the opportunity to score a point or two, I will go for it."

Eddie Jordan, Team Principal: "2004 is going to be Jordan's fight-back. This is a resilient and tenacious team: we came into the sport in 1991 and against all odds finished fifth in the championship. Remember, we started modestly in both 1998 and 1999 - when we achieved our historic 1-2 and two other wins and were able to be third in the Championship. Last year, we overturned everybody's expectations and won a race so my point is you never know what the season is going to hold. What I do know, however, is that we've worked so hard this winter, we are focused, we have an exciting youthful driver line-up and we are determined to climb up the grid bit by bit until we are one day in a position to win races again. I would like to thank my staff for their hard work and commitment and I hope so much that our efforts are rewarded on the track. I'm pleased that we're in Australia for the first race because the country is a joy to visit and they do such a good job of organising the Grand Prix in Melbourne. I adore the atmosphere and having the racing track inside the city. It gets the adrenaline pumping like nothing else and that's a great kick-start for the season."

James Robinson, Head of Race and Test Engineering: "Given such a late start, the three EJ14 chassis were produced on time, a task which demanded hard work and long hours from everyone involved and that's a credit to the team's commitment. In our few weeks of testing we got through much of our planned test programme and I'm pleased to say that the EJ14 has shown positive improvements over last year's car. We have worked successfully with Bridgestone and Cosworth on the package and we have a good basis to start the season's work at the first race in Australia in a few days time."