McLaren boss dismisses practice results
Mercedes chief Norbert Haug and McLaren boss Ron Dennis are still wary of the Ferrari threat despite being comfortably faster than their title rivals in Friday practice at Zeltweg
Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard were consistently quickest throughout the two hours of practice, although they were narrowly pipped by Jordan's Damon Hill at the end of the session. The Ferrari's of Eddie Irvine and Mika Salo were close in the morning but in the afternoon seemed to struggle with their handling. Irvine was ragged and made several mistakes on his way to 9th place, while Salo ended up 16th after spinning off early on.
Both Dennis and Haug suggested that Ferrari's true pace was hidden by a heavy fuel load however.
'The A1-Ring is a circuit where weight is a crucial factor,' said Haug. 'We will have to wait and see what the grid order will be. I do not expect our main opposition, Ferrari, to be in 9th position. Qualifying will demonstrate where everybody really stands.'
'Today's times are reflective of varying fuel loads and tyre degradation,' agreed Dennis. 'Our main competition remains unchanged.'
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