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Suzuka 2003

12/10/2003

11/10/2003

Webber Qualifies Well

Japan Grand Prix – Saturday Qualifying

Drivers Mark Webber and Justin Wilson qualified their Jaguars in the top ten today and will start tomorrow’s 53-lap Japanese Grand Prix from 6th and 10th positions respectively. Both Mark and Justin suffered slightly when very light showers began falling on the track but the showers turned heavier after Mark finished his lap, thereby compromising the performance of the front running teams to Jaguar Racing’s advantage. Ahead of the Jaguars on the grid tomorrow will be Ferrari (1st Barrichello), BMW Williams (2nd Montoya), Toyota (3rd Da Matta), Toyota (4th Panis) and Renaut (5th Alonso). Jaguar Racing’s key competitors in the chase for 5th place in the Constructor’s title are BAR-Honda and Sauber – both of whom will start the race outside of the top ten places, except Jenson Button who qualified his BAR-Honda in 9th place – just one tenth ahead of Justin Wilson. Even wetter weather is forecast for tomorrow in a race that promises to compliment or even better the excitement seen so far this season.

Dr Mark Gillan – Head of Vehicle Performance
“We have been on the receiving end of bad weather many times this season and for once it is nice to have been on the right side of the elements but our preparation going into this race has also been very thorough. We have generated over 1300kms of mileage in the past two days without a single reliability issue and the car’s balance around this demanding circuit is good in both single lap and endurance trim. As always, we have put our focus this weekend firmly into the race and having two cars start from the top ten is very good news for us. Both drivers did an excellent job in conditions that were far from perfect and apart from a tiny mistake Justin made going into turn one, I don’t think we could have asked for much more. With everything to play for and heavy showers forecast for tomorrow, bringing the cars home will be the order of the day and while points are never easy, we are well placed to make a serious challenge tomorrow. A good day and one we hope to maximise upon tomorrow.”

Mark Webber
“I’ll take that! A pleasing lap but one that got tricky towards the end with the showers falling around the chicane and I had to take it a little careful. I could have got a sniff more out of the car towards the end but it wasn’t worth the risk. I don’t think I could have made a serious challenge towards Oliver Panis and while we were a little lucky with the weather, it is about time too. P6 is a good place to contest tomorrow’s race from and we are well prepared. It’s obviously going to be interesting to see what strategies everyone is on for tomorrow’s race and while we are not interested in the battle between the front runners, the tactics employed by BAR-Honda, Sauber and Toyota will be critical to the outcome of our race.”

Justin Wilson
“A top ten position is pleasing although I could have done better. My sector two and three times were good but I ran a little wide through turn one which cost me some time. The balance and the handling of the car are quite good and I have been chipping away all weekend to the extent that my times have been getting better. The weather conditions tomorrow will no doubt play a big part in the race but the team’s preparation over the past few days has been very impressive. Between us, Mark and I have done over 1300kms of trouble-free running in the Jaguar R4 and as long as we remain reliable tomorrow, we should be in with a shout.”