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Tough qualifying for Jordan

Qualifying did not live up to expectations for Jordan Ford in Monaco, as Giancarlo Fisichella and Ralph Firman put their EJ13s in 12th and 16th positions on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Despite a promising start to the weekend on Thursday and during this morning’s free practice sessions, the drivers reported deteriorating grip levels as the track temperature rose to 32 degrees.

Giancarlo Fisichella: "On Thursday our performance level wasn’t too bad so I was expecting to be in the top eight today so naturally I am a little disappointed with 12th. We lost a lot of a grip just in the qualifying session and the car was very nervous. Because of that I made quite a few mistakes. I’m more optimistic for the race."

Ralph Firman: "I had a bit too much understeer towards the end of the lap but things were looking relatively good until then. I’m looking forward to the race as I’ve really taken to the circuit here and am quite happy with how it's going. I’ll push hard tomorrow, try not to touch the walls and hope to score some points."

Gary Anderson, Director of Race and Test Engineering: "I’m disappointed with our positions. It all fell apart a bit when it got hotter and we lost a lot of grip. We have experienced this all year and it’s something we’ve got to chase down. In reality we have to wait until tomorrow and see how the strategies all work out - we’ve done what we think is reasonable for the race."


31 May 2003 17:18

Jordan Grand Prix