Coulthard Not Confident of Points Finish

"After what was a comparatively competitive performance in Monte Carlo, there's a certain amount of reality for us back here," said Coulthard after Friday's practice sessions, where he finished in 14th position.

"BAR are back and, on a long circuit like this, inefficiencies will show up more," he added. "Therefore, I think it's going to be pretty difficult for us to get into the points this weekend, but I'll be pushing hard as usual."

Red Bull looked competitive at Monte Carlo, but were hindered by an early crash from Michael Schumacher, who slammed into Coulthard's car and forced him into retirement.
Teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi also retired from the race.

The Italian rookie did not have much luck today either, suffering a hydraulic failure late in the afternoon session. Liuzzi was only 21st fastest.

"That was quite a difficult session today; the track is really dirty and there was not much grip," said Liuzzi. "We had a lot to do, trying to analyse everything before the race and understanding exactly how we want the car to be set-up.

"We tried both types of tyre, which went well. For sure, we still have more work to do with the set-up tomorrow, but things are definitely moving in the right direction. Towards the end of the session, I had a hydraulic problem."