Jordan Ford approaches the first European race of 2004 with renewed optimism after a productive test at Silverstone in which the team’s three drivers completed more than 2000km of test mileage. Promising work on Bridgestone’s tyre programme, some incremental developments with the car and the drivers’ satisfaction with their first test opportunity since the season began some eight weeks ago, have all contributed to the team’s hope for improvements in performance. The return to Imola this year marks the 10th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s fatal accident in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and in memoriam, Jordan and Bahrain will display an emblem of the Ayrton Senna Foundation on the engine covers of the EJ14 cars this weekend.
James Robinson, Head of Race and Test Engineering
"Imola is about engines, brakes and curbs, if you’re good on all three and can get the power down, then you’ll be up the front. It’s the only circuit, other than Brazil, to run in an anti-clockwise direction and that, combined with the track gradients, poses its own challenges for the drivers and their fitness levels – which should be a strength for Jordan. After three exciting ‘fly away’ races, we do look forward to returning to Europe as we are able to use our own trucks and motorhomes. The reduced travel time means factory staff are working to tight production schedules to get new car parts ready in time to be used at the track. The circuit has changed quite a lot in recent years for safety reasons although it is still a very exciting track, especially with the very special atmosphere among Italian fans. With Ferrari’s dominant start to the season I imagine the buzz at this race will be as thrilling as ever."
Nick Heidfeld
"The test we had in Silverstone was very positive and I’m pleased that on the days I was driving we were able to do a lot of laps. We concentrated mainly on tyre evaluation and also a few new things on the car – as always you want to test these things more and for longer but I’m fairly happy with how things went. I feel quite positive going into the San Marino Grand Prix and hopefully we will be as competitive as we were at the Imola test earlier in the year, when we were quite close to some of our rivals. It’s a nice track and a special circuit in the calendar. You have to make more use of the curbs more often than anywhere else and I hope the car will cope well with that. My experience so far this season has been an upwards curve, with the problems that stopped me finishing the first races and then spending much of the third race working to understand the tyres. It seems to be going the right way so I hope this weekend we will continue to move ahead.”
Giorgio Pantano
“The test was good as it helped me with more time in the car. I am glad we are about to start racing in Europe, where I know the circuits a little bit more. San Marino is like my home race and I have tested at Imola in the Jordan Ford EJ14 before in both wet and dry conditions so this should be better for me than the first three races. With the right conditions and the right set-up I know I can find the pace. We understand the car better and we can get further up the grid like we did in practice in Bahrain. If we find a good balance, I feel good with the car and that is improving all the time."
