Enge Happy Despite Mechanical Problems

Czech Tomas Enge was pleased with his performance in today's qualifying for his first ever Grand Prix despite suffering a lot of problems which hampered his progress.

The 25-year old Prost driver, replacing injured Luciano Burti, finished his first qualifying session in 20th place, more than two seconds behind his teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen who was 12th.

Enge was forced to use the spare car after suffering an engine problem with his racing machine. However, the spare car's engine was also hit by problems. Despite all, Enge was pleased with his day's work.

"I am happy I could complete this qualifying session without any mistake despite the circumstances did not allow me to show my best," Enge said. "In my second run, I encountered an engine problem and had to jump in Heinz-Harald's spare.

"Unfortunately, another mechanical problem happened which prevented me from completing my last run. Still, it is satisfying for me to manage to qualify for my first Formula One race ever, even though 20th position is the most I could achieve in these conditions.

"We will put a lot of efforts into finding the best compromise for my car set-up, and I am really looking forward to the race. My target will obviously be to see the chequered flag."