Mike Gascoyne: Putting the pieces together

Gascoyne arrived too late to have any direct input on this year's car, but he has had an influence on the much-revised package that will make its debut at Hockenheim. For Silverstone the team will still have to rely on what they've had all season, so nobody's expecting anything too special.

It's a little difficult to predict how the team will fare, because as in the two previous seasons, form has fluctuated wildly. There were signs of improvement in Canada, where the team edged into the points, only to lose out to illegal brake duct dimensions. But there was a proper leap forward at Indianapolis, where Olivier Panis finished a respectable fifth. A lot of quick cars retired, but it was a very solid performance by the Frenchman.

"What was most pleasing was our level of competitiveness," says Gascoyne. "Olivier drove a very good race. We felt we were competitive, and we felt the car was good in the long runs. And the tyres were very good in the race. It was just a shame for Cristiano - he got punted up the rear at the first corner, which destroyed the diffuser, and then he lost first gear, then second, then everything. But a good result just makes it easier for everyone in the factory to keep pushing and do all the work."

However, in France the team slipped back again. The lack of attrition really emphasised that as da Matta and Panis - who dropped to the rear at the start - finished way down the order. Afterwards Gascoyne had time to reflect on the disappointing afternoon.

"Friday and Saturday were not so bad, Sunday was obviously was a lot worse," he says. "We had a very disappointing race pace. We qualified exactly where we expected to be, and really we have to look at why we couldn't race at the same pace as the Jaguars, because that's where we should have been.

"We knew that we would be less competitive than over the last couple of races, but certainly not this bad. Obviously with Olivier, the start didn't help him. Just getting caught in traffic meant that it's very difficult to get into a rhythm. But overall we just weren't as competitive as we were for the rest of the weekend.

"It's not because of fuel levels or anything. The car just lacked grip for some reason. Tyre performance wasn't an issue. Pressures were a bit high on the first set, but I think it's more fundamental than that. It was obviously a lot hotter, but then it was a lot hotter for everyone else, and we were on the same tyres as them."

All hopes are of course pinned on the car that will be seen at Hockenheim, which among other things features a lighter chassis. Hopes are high, but nevertheless the apparent backwards step in France is not encouraging. Mike is keeping things in perspective.

"I think you've got to not panic and react. We've had some good races, and this wasn't so good. We expected it not to be good. At the end of the day Williams got one point despite getting two cars to the finish, so it wasn't a race where we were going to score points. But we shouldn't have been as uncompetitive as that. So we have to take that on board and make sure we improve it."

So what then of Silverstone? Da Matta hung on at the head of the field in impressive style after the safety car situation got him to the front, but he deserved to be there after qualifying well. That race saw the debut of a new aero package, but since the team is stuck with the old one for now, Gascoyne isn't getting too excited.

"I think it will be pretty similar to France, to be honest. But we could certainly have a lot better race pace than we had in Magny-Cours."