San Marino Grand Prix, Imola, 22- 24 April 2005
April 19, 2005

Jordan Grand Prix is looking forward to the first European race of the 2005 season after a productive test at Paul Ricard, in which the team's two drivers completed more than 1000km of test mileage. Their schedule concentrated on race simulation work for reliability testing along with further work on Bridgestone's tyre programme and some developments with the car, contributing to the team's hope for improvements in performance for the San Marino Grand Prix and the forthcoming races.

Team quotes on the San Marino Grand Prix

Narain Karthikeyan
"The test at Paul Ricard last week went very well. We did a lot of work trying to find the right Bridgestone tyres for San Marino but also for the next European races. We have also tested some new parts for the car and we are definitely making some progress. I did a lot of kilometres and I am particularly happy with my fitness. I do not really know what to expect from Imola because out of the Jordan drivers, I am the only one that has never driven on this circuit. It looks like I will need to use the curbs a lot to get a good time, which will probably be a bit tricky. But having said that, Malaysia was also difficult, however I did well there so I am ready for the challenge and I will give my best."

Tiago Monteiro
"The two-day test we had at Paul Ricard was quite successful and interesting. We worked on some tyre construction with Bridgestone and I think we are on the right direction. It was difficult to have a proper idea, as we were the only Bridgestone runners at the test. We also tested different pieces for the car not only for Imola but also for the forthcoming races. It was definitely a good test and a good motivation to move on and push harder every time. Imola is not an easy circuit for the kind of car we have at the moment but generally I like this type of track. It will be very bumpy on the curbs and very violent. Reliability throughout the weekend will again be very important and we will make sure we will keep on doing a good job as we have done since the beginning of the season and have a good result at the end."

Robert Doornbos
"I am really looking forward to Imola because it is the first round in Europe. I know the circuit very well, as it is where I had my first success in F3000 last year. I really enjoy driving there. It is a special track because you really need to set up the car for the high kerbstones and this will be a challenge for the drivers and the team. The three-week gap seems an eternity; I cannot wait to drive on Friday."

Trevor Carlin, sporting director
"We are really looking forward to going to Imola this coming weekend. We had a very successful test at Circuit Paul Ricard last week, where the drivers learnt a lot about the car and the team made a few improvements. Hopefully we can keep on building on our promising start to the season and keep improving in general on all different aspects."

Testing update
Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan carried out two days of testing for Jordan Grand Prix on the Circuit Paul Ricard, in the south of France on April 14-15, contributing to the team's preparations for the San Marino Grand Prix. The drivers' schedule consisted of intensive work on Bridgestone's tyre test programme, set-up work and potential modifications for forthcoming races. Karthikeyan completed the greatest number of laps on Thursday with 183 laps. Between them the drivers clocked up a total testing mileage of over 1000km and fastest lap time was on the last day with Monteiro's time of 1.00.505 (66 laps).

Paul Monaghan, chief race engineer, said "It was an encouraging test as we have made a little bit of progress; especially in taking a couple of small steps forward in terms of tyre development for Imola and the races beyond. We have done a lot of work on the set-up of the car, which looked quite promising. We have added more than 1000km to the car's mileage without serious problems so the reliability is good. Now the drivers need to develop their knowledge of the car a little bit more and get used to the kerbed circuit."

Media invitation
FIA-accredited media are welcome to come to the Jordan Grand Prix Motorhome for a wine tasting in courtesy of Mondial Wine Ltd, represented by Mr Francesco Dogliani, at 1700hrs on Saturday, April 23, 2005.