Friday team by team: Part 2

Another encouraging performance from the Swiss team, with Felipe Massa breaking into the top 10 on home turf. The continued aerodynamic developments to the Sauber, allied to progress in its relationship with Bridgestone, helped produce a fairly straightforward day - although Giancarlo Fisichella struggled with set-up issues and ended the day down in 17th.

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA: "This morning I had oversteer and this afternoon it was understeer, so we still have a little work to do on the set-up. We need somewhere in the middle! But the car was good in the long runs, so I am confident for the race."

FELIPE MASSA: "I'm really happy so far. Of course this is a big weekend for me, racing in front of my home crowd, so eighth place is a good start. The car is very good, once we got the right set-up after this morning, and we have done our tyre choice. The car was strong straight away on the first lap with the latest Bridgestones, so I am feeling quietly confident that we can do well."




A repeat of the team's ultra-competitive 2003 performance at Interlagos looked on the cards for a short while on Friday afternoon when Mark Webber nudged himself near the top of the time sheets, but in the end he slumped to 18th overall, three places ahead of team-mate Christian Klien. The team reported no major problems as it worked through a standard Friday programme.

MARK WEBBER: "I am pleased with how today has gone as we have generated a good number of laps and completed a very complex test programme. I enjoy driving this track and I think that the resurfacing of it has helped with the grip levels, although it remains very bumpy in places. I spent most of my two sessions looking at tyre comparisons as well as general race set-up and evaluation. The R5 was reliable and I was pleased with the balance that we had achieved by the end of the sessions. I am now looking forward to tomorrow and I will be doing what I can to place the car as high as possible on the grid as a thanks to the team for their hard work over these last three fly-aways".

CHRISTIAN KLIEN: "This is my first time here at this track and it's really interesting and quite good fun to drive. I spent the first session familiarising myself with the layout and I am now happy with it. We then spent most of the day working on set-up and making changes throughout the day. We also looked at tyre comparisons and got some good results that I am pleased with. There is still work to do between now and tomorrow and I will be looking to improve my times further during the sessions".

BJORN WIRDHEIM: "I had a good productive day today working on a lot of different things, including brakes, starts, and engine development work. I also spent time on aero compares and general set-up. The car feels good out there and it is well balanced even with the bumpy track. I have really enjoyed working with the team this season and I have learnt so much from them. I am now hoping very much that they can finish the season on a high with some points".




Ryan Briscoe's second fastest time in morning practice has suggested that the TF104B has some potential around the Interlagos track, although Jarno Trulli and Ricardo Zonta were left frustrated at being unable to show it on the timesheets in the second session, with the pair ending the day 14th and 16th respectively . The only dramas of the day were two spins for Ricardo Zonta, but he did not hit anything.

RICARDO ZONTA: "It is great to be back racing in Brazil, although it has been a while since I have driven here at Interlagos. Typically, this track is dusty and slippery on the opening day and it was no different today. When you are right on the limit, it is easy to put one wheel on the dirt and spin off. We improved the car throughout both sessions today, but we still have some additional things to try tomorrow morning. The work we carried out in the Jerez test last week has proved very useful, particularly in terms of the tyre performance. I think we have a good direction for the rest of the weekend."

JARNO TRULLI: "It was a positive practice day for me. I completed a lot of laps and we were able to compare the two Michelin tyre compounds without any trouble. The overall lap time does not look too good, because I couldn't put everything together on my first lap with new tyres. However, I am extremely happy with the balance and general behaviour of the car around this circuit. We will work hard to find a bit more performance tomorrow."

RYAN BRISCOE: "I am very happy with the work that we have achieved in today's practice sessions. We managed a significant number of laps, which permitted us to complete our programme. We tested the tyres and tried different downforce levels to evaluate the best configuration for the rest of the weekend. The performance of the car appears to be quite good and I must say that Interlagos is a very enjoyable track to drive in an F1 car."




Robert Doornbos continued his impressive late-season performances with the 13th fastest time in the second session - even though it was set on new tyres and low fuel. Timo Glock ended the day 22nd after aborting his quickest lap in the afternoon because he mistakenly thought the team had told him over the radio to slow, while Nick Heidfeld was 19th quickest after an uneventful day.

TIMO GLOCK: "It was not easy for me at the beginning because I had to learn the circuit, another new one for me. The car was quite nervous at the rear and it felt like I was fighting it too much, it was difficult to drive. We have to find a better set-up for the car and although I think we know what to do in the dry, I think the forecast for Sunday is wet, so it's difficult to say! We have some work to do tonight and tomorrow to improve things."

NICK HEIDFELD: "I had a difficult start this morning, with the balance of the car making it difficult to drive, especially going over the bumps where the rear was very nervous. But we made a couple more changes than usual between sessions and then further changes before I started the long runs and they all worked well. We made some very good improvements during the day and the car was much better in the afternoon than the morning. We still have some improvements to make before tomorrow and I'm confident we know which direction we have to go in that respect."

ROBERT DOORNBOS: "It was a good day for me and I had fun. I was really hoping for dry weather because the last two times I drove the car, in Suzuki and the test in England, it was in wet conditions. It was dry as I hoped and both sessions went well. I helped the team with tyre choice data and at the end they got me on a qualifying set-up that was another first for me. I put in a good time and I am happy, also because my sponsor Muermans is here this weekend so it's been a really good day."




A fairly uneventful day for the two races drivers, with Gianmaria Bruni ending up 20th quickest and team-mate Zsolt Baumgartner a further three places back. Third driver Bas Leinders had a few technical problems in the morning session which limited his running and he ended the day 25th.

GIANMARIA BRUNI: "We had a good opening day. This is my first time in Brazil and I spent much of today learning the circuit. I think I adapted quite well, and I'm now looking forward to tomorrow, when I'm sure we can improve in some areas and be even quicker."

ZSOLT BAUMGARTNER: "Generally, it was a good day for us, although I made a mistake on what should have been my fastest lap this afternoon, which probably cost me half a second. The Interlagos circuit is new to me, and apart from being very bumpy in places, I quite like it and feel confident of being able to improve my lap time further tomorrow."

BAS LEINDERS: "Unfortunately, I was only able to do a total six flying laps today, as my car had a hydraulic problem this morning. That was subsequently fixed and I was then able to do two useful tyre comparison runs. Considering the limited number of laps available, it was a little difficult to set a competitive lap time, but I was nonetheless pleased with my performance. I'm also pleased with the effort of the team, and would like to thank everyone at Minardi for their support throughout the season. I have experienced very few technical problems all year, and this has provided me with an excellent opportunity to prove myself in Formula 1."