'It was a busy morning,' said Sam Michael, race engineer for Heinz-Harald Frentzen. 'Heinz had understeer and we changed a lot of things trying to get rid of it. We finally succeeded - and then went a bit too far the other way. But we got it back to where we wanted it. We think the car is okay now, although there was not enough time to really check it out. We're hopeful - but we've got to get through qualifying yet.'

Frentzen had a brief off-course excursion, as did Trulli, although the Italian was generally happier with his car as he prepared for qualifying.

'I would have been quicker had I been able to use the new tyres properly each time I put them on,' said Trulli. 'On the first set, I had traffic and, when I tried a second set, it started to rain slightly. But, overall, I'm happy. The car is nicely balanced and all I need now is a bit more luck than I had during qualifying in France two weeks ago. Once again, the times are going to be very close and you will need to get everything just right.'

Despite an eventful 90 minutes for both drivers, Frentzen and Trulli are quietly confident. The McLarens, lead by Mika Hakkinen, were fastest, ahead of the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

Mika Hakkinen set the fastest time despite a high-speed spin in the closing minutes. Coulthard reported no problems on his way to second fastest time and neither Ferrari driver was able to match the McLarens. Luciano Burti,
standing in at Jaguar for Eddie Irvine after the Ulsterman had been forced to withdraw through illness, was only able to complete 12 laps due to gearbox problems early on.

Jordan Grand Prix