Barcelona test, day 13: Jordan’s step forward

With the team majoring on reliability, Frentzen ran two 20-lap stints during the course of the day, but still set a 1m19.998s best lap, just 0.679s behind Panis in the 2000-spec BAR.

Panis caused one of the day's red flags when he stopped after feeling the engine tightening, but the Frenchman stressed that he was not really chasing times.

"At the moment we're just doing our tyre programme with Bridgestone," he said. "We're not really going for lap times."

Panis's team mate Jacques Villeneuve continued to develop the 2001-spec car, the BAR003, doing several seven-lap stints and reporting further improvements en route to fifth overall.

"The test has gone well," he said. "The car is still very heavy to drive at the moment, but we have been able to make progress. We seem to be getting better and better, so that's encouraging."

Panis will take over testing of BAR003 tomorrow (Saturday) when Villeneuve steps down.

Rubens Barrichello conducted tyre and electronics testing for Ferrari in a 2000-spec car. The Brazilian carried out a number of practice starts and mostly ran short bursts of an 'out lap', one timed lap and an 'in lap'.

"Tyres are going to be the main thing this year," he said. "We're working on lots of different compounds and constructions. We've found a compound which really suits the car, but of course it's last year's car.

"We're not just working towards Melbourne," he added, "but towards the first three races."

Sauber's brace of 2001-spec C20s took fourth and sixth overall. Nick Heidfeld was fourth, but Kimi Raikkonen was hampered by brake problems in the morning, with a soft pedal and pedal position both troubling the Finn. He recovered to set his best lap just after lunch, when the wind was at its strongest.

Arrows new recruit Enrique Bernoldi was seventh after another day of putting in the miles in the team's interim AMT-powered A21. Behind him, Benetton finished the day eighth and ninth. Jenson Button was again in the 2000-spec B200 and brought out the red flags after stopping at the first corner. But the Briton was still more than two seconds quicker than Giancarlo Fisichella, who had a problematical time in the new B201's second day of running.



Olivier Panis, BAR-Honda (2000) B, 1m19.319s, 56 laps
Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jordan-Honda (2001) B, 1m19.998s, 65 laps
Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari (2000) B, 1m20.238s, 68 laps
Nick Heidfeld, Sauber-Ferrari (2001) B, 1m20.280s, 39 laps
Jacques Villeneuve, BAR-Honda (2001) B, 1m21.363s, 80 laps
Kimi Raikkonen, Sauber-Ferrari (2001) B, 1m20.442s, 42 laps
Enrique Bernoldi, Arrows-AMT (2000) B, 1m20.548s, 54 laps
Jenson Button, Benetton-Renault (2000) M, 1m22.35s, 40 laps
Giancarlo Fisichella, Benetton-Renault (2001) M, 1m21.67s, 16 laps

M - Michelin
B - Bridgestone