Villeneuve praises new car

"The car definitely feels better than it did previously and the new aero package gives us more stability," said local hero Villeneuve. "Because we have a new package, it was important for us to do a comparison between high and low fuel to find out now if there is any difference in the way the car feels. Qualifying will give us a more accurate picture of where we are compared to everybody else."

Panis was quicker than Villeneuve in both sessions and was less than a second behind David Coulthard's best time for the day. Like Villeneuve, it was a trouble-free day for the Frenchman and he's feeling confident for qualifying.

"The new aero package certainly helped us to get better grip today and the car feels a lot more stable going into the corners, so we have to feel encouraged by that," said Panis, who was seventh. "I have to thank the team for all the hard work that has been done to get the new aero package ready for Canada."