Summary

Michael Schumacher came out very late in the first session, but took the fastest time from Heinz-Harald Frentzen with almost a second. In the second session his dominance was slightly less, but still there.

Very good results were there by Jarno Trulli, third, and Damon Hill, fifth. Both on Bridgestone tyres.

Notes

• Michael Schumacher uses the new chassis. The main difference with the old one is the weight. Schumacher didn't drive it until today because he was on holiday with his wife and child.
• Final spins were there by: Diniz, M. Schumacher.
• Frentzen and Magnussen went through the grass.
  • Weather during sessions: Dry, Some Clouds (33 Degrees Celsius)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.

M. Schumacher (Ferrari) G Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) G Trulli (Prost-Mugen) B Frentzen (Williams-Renault) G Hill (Arrows-Yamaha) B R. Schumacher (Jordan-Peugeot) G Barrichello (Stewart-Ford) B Fisichella (Jordan-Peugeot) G Irvine (Ferrari) G Herbert (Sauber-Petronas) G Villeneuve (Williams-Renault) G Magnussen (Stewart-Ford) B Berger (Benetton-Renault) G Verstappen (Tyrrell-Ford) G Alesi (Benetton-Renault) G Katayama (Minardi-Hart) B Morbidelli (Sauber-Petronas) G Diniz (Arrows-Yamaha) B Salo (Tyrrell-Ford) G Hakkinen (McLaren-Mercedes) G Nakano (Prost-Mugen) B Marques (Minardi-Hart) B 107% rule B: Bridgestone G: Goodyear

1m 17.583s 1m 17.810s 1m 17.848s 1m 17.884s 1m 18.161s 1m 18.368s 1m 18.565s 1m 18.686s 1m 18.734s 1m 18.796s 1m 18.805s 1m 18.856s 1m 18.923s 1m 19.346s 1m 19.358s 1m 19.521s 1m 19.567s 1m 20.002s 1m 20.106s 1m 20.176s 1m 20.414s 1m 20.707s 1m 23.014s

The Quotes

• Jean Todt on the new Ferrari chassis: "We knew that our chassis could be lighter so we worked to make it lighter and also to try and improve the technical level of the car. I think we achieved that and obtained a better weight distribution in the car. All this helps on the track. We may have gained only a little in time, maybe one or two-tenths of a second per lap, but this season especially it all helps."

• Berger: "It was a very hard-working day for us and we gathered a lot of useful information for the race. For qualifying, I think it is going to be difficult. My lap time is not indicative as I was delayed when Michael had his spin in front of me. However, although we know there is a lot more work to do tomorrow, I feel we shall have to wait and see how competitive we are before I can make any useful comments about our race prospects."

• Alesi: "I did not have such a bad day. We set out to do a long programme and I had no mechanical problems. Everything went quite normally. It is difficult to say where we are really because we did not change any tyres at all. Looking ahead to the race, I feel we can be quite competitive, but I have to say the lap time of the Ferrari also looks very competitive. It also appears to me that it is a good circuit for the teams with Bridgestone tyres as all their teams have done good lap times. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few of the Bridgestone cars on the first three or four rows. It is a little bit unpredictable, but I do feel, balance-wise, we are not far off and I hope to have a chance to get on the second row tomorrow."

• Hill: "They worked brilliantly as they had to take the whole box off and put it together again. With five minutes to go there was no floor on the car. I got into it while it was still up on the stands to warm the engine and I must have got out over the line with only a few seconds to spare. Before that, I really thought I wasn't going to be going out. I enjoyed it, it was very exciting."

• Johnny Herbert: "Our performance today has been encouraging, and we did some good work in both sessions. The balance of the car is not too bad and it's reasonable over the bumps here. I've got a bit of understeer in the slow corners, which I want to get rid of, and the grip level isn't what I want it to be, but otherwise I'm happy."

• M. Schumacher: "The balance feels good to me and I like the new lighter monocoque. It is my first time in the car like this and of course I am learning my way a little with it on a slippery track. But I am very happy and I am sure the set-up will improve. But we have to be careful as this is a difficult and unpredictable circuit with very low grip and if you go the wrong way you can make a big mistake."

• Ukyo Katayama: "I am delighted with our work today. The balance feels good and this circuit suits our car much more than Hockenheim. We still have to cure a slight understeer but it looks promising for tomorrow as qualifying is so important here for the race."

• Tarso Marques: "I had a very frustrating day. The team did a superb job and put the T-car's gearbox on my race car. The second session went better and I used it mainly to learn the circuit which is new for me. It is an easy track to learn and I like it. There are a lot of corners and it is interesting for the drivers. The only problem today is the dust."

• Gianni Morbidelli: "I think we did a good job sorting the car today, especially as we were thinking more in terms of the race than in pure qualifying performance. We improved the set-up through the day, but I still have understeer in the slow corners and we need to do something more about that. My arm is fine, and has given me no problem at all, and it feels great to be back in F1 again.

• Verstappen: "The balance and traction today were OK and the car feels quite good in general. Our lap times were very consistent so I think we will be well set for the rest of the weekend. The circuit is a bit bumpy, but apart from that I think is quite good for our car and for my driving. It is getting quicker and quicker as it cleans up, so times will be even lower tomorrow."

• Salo: "We have been trying a variety of set-up changes, because this track is unlike any other we visit. I have a combination of understeer and oversteer and on my fastest lap I had a problem with the gear shift around the chicane, so I am confident that when we get things sorted out tomorrow there is much more time to come."