Jordan: the speed vs reliability game

Jordan secured an impressive victory at the Circuit de Nevers in 1999, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, but the French GP has been a bitter-sweet experience for the Silverstone-based team. A dramatic accident for Giancarlo Fisichella during practice last year prohibited him from participating in the race

Providing there are no repeat performances of this, the team will be hoping to continue with the kind of reliability that brought both cars home in Germany. "The guys at the factory are all working very hard to make sure we have performance and reliability at each race and we are hoping to return to a points-scoring position," said team principal Eddie Jordan.

"We have won this race in the past with a combination of team-work, strategy and a good driver and we still have the potential to deliver those ingredients. So if we can do the job with our car package on the day and have a little bit of luck, there's a chance we can bring a few points home."

Although the circuit is notorious for producing processional races, changes in the Formula 1 qualifying regulations and new-for-2003 track revisions could shake things up a bit.

"Magny-Cours has a few decent fast corners which are demanding for everyone involved but there aren't really many overtaking opportunities," said director of engineering Gary Anderson.

"This race used to be a bit of a procession but I imagine the new rules will shake it up a bit and we'll see some interesting strategies come into play. The new pit entry and exit will change the time lost during pit stops so strategies will need to be devised after Friday.

"The traditionally hot conditions at this race haven't really suited us so far this year but we have done some development in that respect and we'll have to wait and see how we fare when we go out for testing on Friday."