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Editor/Photographer : Mark Charles

May 8 2004

SPANISH GRAND PRIX – SATURDAY QUALIFYING

Weather: Dry and Sunny - Track Temp: 41 degrees Air temp: 21 degrees

Blue skies and higher then expected temperatures greeted the Formula One drivers today as they took to the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona (Spain) to qualify for the Spanish Grand Prix. Mark Webber (27) and Christian Klien (21) recorded times of 1:16.514 and 1:17.812 respectively, placing them 9th and 16th on the grid for the start of tomorrow’s race. Mark completed two clean sections but unfortunately a minor error cost him a few tenths in the third sector and a few places on the grid. The car has been reliable throughout the weekend and the pace of the R5 is encouraging. The team will be looking to secure points this weekend at what is one of the more demanding circuits on the calendar.

Mark Webber Position: 9th
Best time: 1:16.514 Chassis: R5- 02
My second practice session was productive this morning and I was happy with my set-up and preparation going into qualifying. My first two sectors were clean and I was going well until unfortunately I made a minor error in the final section and I lost a few tenths. The team has done a great job all weekend and I would like to have given the boys a few more places on the grid, but there you go, it’s the nature of the game. We are well prepared for the race tomorrow and as this is quite a challenging track there are likely to be a few suprises along the way. I am confident that the R5 is in good shape for the race and there is no reason why I should not be challenging for points tomorrow. The car is capable of it so lets see what we can do.

Christian Klien Position: 16th
Best time: 1:17.812 Chassis: R5- 01
I spent most of this morning working on set-up evaluation and I completed a good number of laps. After my spin yesterday I felt that I needed to make a few more changes to the car before I would be completely happy and I managed to make these changes in the morning sessions. I then went into qualifying very happy with the balance of the car and my set-up. Both of my qualifying laps were clean, although the track was slower in the second session and you can see this in the times. I am disappointed that I did not manage to extract more but my strategy for the race is good and I am looking forward to getting out on track tomorrow. There are a few overtaking opportunities here so I will be making the most of these. I will be aiming for the chequered flag tomorrow and will capitalise on any attrition.

Dr Mark Gillan

Head of Vehicle Performance
Mark did a very good job today and I am pleased with his 9th position although I know that he would have liked higher, his minor error cost him a number of places. However, 9th is a good points challenging position to start from and we will be looking to our strategy to stand us in good stead. Christian unfortunately has not had as much time in the car this weekend and was unable to capitalise on the R5 inherent pace as much as we had hoped. The pace of the car is there so we need to be aiming higher in qualifying with Christian if we are to gain the points that we know we are capable of. The car continues to be reliable and I am looking forward to the race tomorrow. The track is a difficult in places and can catch even experienced drivers out so we will be making the most of this and looking for the chequered flag and some points to reward the hard work of the team.