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Barcelona 04

Gran Premio Marlboro de España

09/05/2004

07/05/2004

Jaguar Have Mixed Fortunes

Jaguar Racing driver's Mark Webber, Christian Klien and Björn Wirdheim took to the track today at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona (Spain) to complete two test sessions. Although the team is familiar with the circuit -- it remains one of their favourite winter testing destinations -- the team continued to work on tyre comparisons, set-up evaluation and aero development.

Mark, Christian and Björn posted their fastest times of 1:17.178, 1:18.615 and 1:17.676 respectively. The team are pleased with the progress being made and will be focusing on tomorrow's qualifying and of course strategy for the race on Sunday.

Mark Webber:
"It's been a busy day for us today here in Barcelona. Although we know this track very well thanks to the amount of testing we do here, we have still been working on tyre comparisons and general race set-up. The track changes here a lot and you have to keep changing with it. The temperatures have not been as high as perhaps we had expected so again working on the tyres is very important."

"The track feels good out there and the new layout on corner eight is keeping us busy. I am pleased with what we have worked through today as we have completed a full programme. Tomorrow is my focus now and I will be working with my engineers tonight to discuss our strategy and tyre choice."

Christian Klien:
"Not perhaps the day I have anticipated. I had hoped to fully complete my testing programme and although this morning went as planned I suffered a spin in the afternoon session and ended up in the gravel. Unfortunately I could not get back on track so I had to call it a day slightly earlier than we had planned."

"This morning I worked on set-up and I am happy with what we achieved. I know this track quite well and I have tested here in the R5 before so this makes my life a lot easier. I am going to be making the most of tomorrow's practice sessions as I would like to get a few more laps under my belt ahead of qualifying."

Björn Wirdheim:
"I've had a good day today and the team and I have completed a full test programme. I have been working specifically on aero validation and this has involved a lot of detailed and complex analysis. I enjoy this part of my job as I know that the data that we have gathered today is very interesting and we will be using it over the course of the weekend. Staying on track and completing this sort of work is crucial to the team and for Mark and Christian in preparation for Sunday's race."

Dr Mark Gillan -- Head of Vehicle Performance:
"I am pleased with the progress made today and the amount of work that we have managed to get through. We had a full programme to complete and we were focusing on our continued aero, engine and chassis development. Despite Christian suffering from a spin at the very start of his second session we have had a productive day and of course having three drivers on track makes it easier to achieve the results that we need in time for the race. Our pace here is encouraging and we will now be concentrating on optimising our set-up and race strategy, and of course tyre choice, for tomorrow."