Benson & Hedges Jordan Honda joined the rest of the teams in running the latest electronics systems for the first time during an official practice session.

A relaxation of the rules allows the use of traction control, fully automatic gearboxes and launch (start) control from this race on. Jordan spent the two one-hour sessions fine-tuning the electronic systems as well as setting up the cars for tomorrow's qualifying and the 65-lap race on Sunday.

'A routine day for us,' said Trulli. 'We worked basically on car set-up and making adjustments to the latest electronic systems. Unfortunately, a clutch failure this morning meant I lost the first session, which effectively meant we had to do all our work in the second and final session in the afternoon. From what we can see, there is quite a lot of work to do because in these conditions - it was pretty windy in the afternoon - the car doesn't seem so well balanced. The wind at this circuit can affect some cars badly and others a bit less and it looks like we are suffering a lot at the moment.'

Frentzen lost time in the first session after spinning into a tyre barrier.

'I was not very happy with myself today,' said Frentzen. 'I went off two times at the same place and I have to say I'm a bit upset. I'm trying to find a better set-up for that particular corner and I'm obviously having a few problems there! As for the rest, everything is pretty much on schedule. We may know this track very well but the challenge is coping with the conditions on a given day, seeing which way the wind is blowing and so on. We have done a lot of testing here but this is the first time we have run officially with traction control. That makes it a little bit easier for the driver and helps with tyre degradation ­ but things can still go wrong when braking! It's a bit embarrassing; I don't want to speak about it!'

David Coulthard was fastest, the McLaren driver feeling confident in the handling of his car, unlike team-mate Mika Hakkinen, who spun twice due, it is suspected, to gearbox problems created by the electronics systems.

Although second fastest, Eddie Irvine explained this was due to a lap run with fresh tyres and very low fuel, the Jaguar driver having lost most of the day with gearbox hydraulics leaks.

Rubens Barrichello was third despite losing time with a broken half shaft on his Ferrari. Team mate Michael Schumacher, fifth fastest, spent the day tyre testing. Ralf Schumacher, winner of the San Marino Grand Prix two weeks ago, found difficulty setting up his Williams to suit the circuit and the latest traction control software. Juan Pablo Montoya (13th) had an engine failure on his Williams-BMW while Jacques Villeneuve had a massive transmission breakage on his BAR Honda, both failures probably due to
problems with the latest electronic software.

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Jordan Grand Prix