Jordan Aiming for Race Finish

Jordan Grand Prix will be happy to come away from this weekend's season opening Australian Grand Prix with just a race finish following the huge upheaval that the outfit has experienced over the winter.

With new management in place, and two drivers who have yet to make a Formula One start, the outfit's sporting director Trevor Carlin knows that it would be foolish to set too ambitious a target for the first race of the season.

"I am very excited to be here," he said. "We only had five weeks to prepare for this race so everyone at the Jordan factory has done a fantastic job to get the cars ready. Hopefully we can be reliable, get both cars to the end of the race, maybe have a bit of luck and finish close to the top ten. That is the best we can hope for."

Rookie drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro are confident that they will not face too many dramas during their debut appearance.

Karthikeyan said: "So far the circuit looks quite dirty, but I think it is not too difficult to learn and it is going to be okay. I am looking forward to it. It is a steep learning curve as a rookie but I am up to the challenge and I will give my best shot."

Monteiro added: "The track looks interesting, dirty and bumpy but we will have to deal with that and I cannot wait to be in the car. I have been here since Monday and although I have enjoyed spending time in the city, I just cannot wait to drive the car. That's what I'm here to do and the moment that I get behind the wheel can't come soon enough!"