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.
Giorgio Pantano said "We did a very good start and I made up a few places right at the beginning, but then after we started pit stops a problem began with the hydraulics. Eventually it got so bad there was nothing I could do and the car developed other hydraulic related problems, so I just had to stop. Naturally I am disappointed."
Nick Heidfeld stated "I lost hydraulic pressure, then the differential shut down, up and down shifts stopped working, and finally the gearbox went altogether. I have mixed feelings about the race. One thing is we have to work more on the start. Also, I knew in qualifying that I did not like the feel of my first set of tyres but in the race the second and third sets felt much better. My lap times were quicker, I was in front of Jaguar and it wasn’t too bad. The positive thing is that we have been a lot quicker this race and the last one so we are definitely improving. But we don’t only have to improve lap times, we also have to improve reliability at the same time. If we carry on improving at the current rate, I’m quite happy. Although not finishing is always frustrating, motivation will never be a problem because I enjoy driving so much. I’m looking forward to Monaco!"
James Robinson, Head of Race and Test Engineering commented "A character-building day for Jordan Ford, you might say. In the race we had two technical problems with hydraulics which finally put both cars out. It’s good that we showed some increased pace this weekend but obviously we need to guarantee we can get two cars to the end of the race before we can think about a points finishing position."
Jordan Ford will test at Paul Ricard 11 to 14 May.