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The Circuit de Catalunya, just outside Barcelona, is very well known to drivers and teams as a lot of winter testing is carried out here. Generally, if a car is fast on this track, it will be quick on many of the other circuits. There were no rewards for Jordan Ford at the Spanish Grand Prix with Nick Heidfeld and Giorgio Pantano retiring from the race with technical trouble. Heidfeld stopped on the track with a hydraulics-related gearbox problem on lap 34 while another good start for Pantano ended in disappointment as he returned to the garage on lap 54 due to a power steering seal failure.
Formula One supreme Bernie Ecclestone gave an impromptu press conference at the Barcelona circuit on Saturday, touching on a range of subjects from tobacco sponsorship to the British GP to qualifying. At a conference to announce that the circuit of Catalunya has extended its contract to stage the Spanish GP to the end of 2011, Ecclestone stressed that, if anti-tobacco legislation was brought into effect, then the race could be lost. "I hope we can get that all sorted out in Europe so we don't have to keep disappearing out of Europe. It's a pity that each country can't make its own decision on the tobacco advertising.” Currently half the F1 grid, including Jordan with backing from Benson & Hedges, relies on sponsorship support from the tobacco industry.
Neither Nick Heidfeld nor Giorgio Pantano could exploit the Jordan Ford EJ14 package to the maximum today at the Circuit de Catalunya and they qualified 15th and 19th respectively for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix. Heidfeld strove to overcome balance issues and Pantano made a driving error, sliding wide of the racing line at turn six but recovering the car and completing a lap time which put him ahead of one other car despite the lost time.
A trouble-free day at Barcelona gave Jordan Ford the opportunity to complete its Free Practice programme, with aero modifications and a successful test in Vairano indicating positive lap time results. Glock set the quickest time of the Jordan drivers after a cautious start to the day, while Heidfeld gave positive feedback about the car’s progress and Pantano admitted he was not satisfied with his performance. All three drivers are confident that there is more to come from the car at this Circuit de Catalunya in qualifying and the race
The Kingdom of Bahrain continues its campaign of cultural messages with a tribute to Salvador Dalí on the Jordan Ford EJ14 cars at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation is marking the centenary of Salvador Dalí’s birth near Barcelona (11 May 1904) with “Dalí Year 2004”, a celebration of the Spanish avantgarde artist’s work. Barcelona currently hosts a major exhibition at the Caixa Forum called "Cultura de Masses" which forms the centrepiece of the celebration of the Dalí year 2004 in the Catalan Region and exhibits Dalí‘s adoption of mass culture as a major influence of his works.
“We did a lot of miles last week in Vairano and although it was only straight line testing, every minute in the car helps me improve and gain confidence. We collected a lot of data which I hope can be used in the next races. I am looking forward to taking part in practice at the Spanish Grand Prix because I tested with Jordan Ford in Barcelona at the beginning of the year. So I don’t need to spend time learning the track and can get straight to work on accumulating data for the weekend.”
“I raced in Barcelona in F3000 and in Formula 3 and I was always quite quick there in those series. The Circuit de Catalunya is one of my favourite circuits, so I hope to do well there for the first time in F1 with Jordan. I like the track because of the fast corners and the fact that it’s a technical circuit. It’s less ‘stop-start’ than other tracks, with a real mix of all the elements of a good racing circuit. The atmosphere is usually good too. I am looking forward to enjoying the Spanish Grand Prix and we are hoping to pull everything together for a good result."
"The Circuit de Catalunya is a nice circuit to be at, as a driver. Luckily we didn’t do as much testing there last year as a few years previously because it actually became boring because all the drivers knew the circuit so well! The track is demanding for both driver and car and it’s meant to be one of the circuits where aerodynamics are even more important than other tracks. One of the corners has been changed for this year which will make the track safer and hopefully make it a bit better for overtaking but I don’t think it will make a huge difference. I finished in the top six at Barcelona twice out of the four times I’ve raced there in F1, coming 4th in 2002. While we may not be in a position to match that at the moment, if everything goes smoothly I am confident of a good race.”
The Spanish Grand Prix was a strong points-scoring race for Jordan Ford and the team is upbeat about its chances at this year’s race in Barcelona. All three drivers are familiar with the circuit: Nick Heidfeld has two top six finishes in F1 here and tested at the Circuit de Catalunya with Jordan Ford at the beginning of 2004 with Timo Glock, while Giorgio Pantano knows the track well from experience before entering F1. The team tested Bridgestone tyres for this race in April and since the San Marino Grand Prix it has also carried out 1000km of aerodynamic testing over three days at Vairano with Timo Glock from 27 to 29 April.
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