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Japanese
Grand Prix — free practice
October 7,
2005
The first day of
practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, penultimate round
of the 2005 Formula One World Championship went according
to plan for Jordan Grand Prix. Race drivers, Narain
Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro, plus Japanese Friday
driver, Sakon Yamamoto spent the day acclimatising themselves
to the demands of one of motor racing’s most challenging
circuits, working on their car set-up and evaluating
the different types of Bridgestone tyres available.
The team was extremely satisfied with Yamamoto’s
performance, especially considering the fact that it
was only the second time he was driving a Formula One
car and he was quick in both dry and wet
conditions.
Free practice 1
| Sakon Yamamoto (EJ15B/03) |
20th |
1:36.295 |
23 laps |
| Narain Karthikeyan (EJ15B/01) |
22nd |
1:37.154 |
13 laps |
| Tiago Monteiro (EJ15B/02) |
24th |
1:38.250 |
17 laps |
Free practice
2
| Sakon Yamamoto (EJ15B/03)
|
17th |
1:34.829 |
19 laps |
| Tiago Monteiro (EJ15B/02) |
21st |
1:35.388 |
12 laps |
| Narain Karthikeyan (EJ15B/01) |
24th |
1:38.034 |
07 laps |
Team quotes
on the Japanese Grand Prix Friday free practice sessions
Sakon Yamamoto
“I have really enjoyed driving a Formula One car
round Suzuka, my home circuit. I am satisfied with my
job today as I managed to go through the programme my
engineers gave me. I have tried different types of Bridgestone
tyres and I am sure the team will make the right choice.
Unfortunately, the rain came in the afternoon session
and it limited a bit my running. Nevertheless, I had
a fantastic day and I would like to thank Jordan Grand
Prix for this great experience.”
Narain Karthikeyan
“I had a first good session this morning but then
in the afternoon I lost of bit of time as we wanted
to change some parts of the car and also because the
rain started. It is a pity the track got wet as I could
not try a new set of tyres, contrary to my teammates.
I really like the circuit at Suzuka, it is one of my
favourites in the calendar so hopefully I will be able
to do well here.”
Tiago Monteiro
“It was a good first day. I did not know the track
therefore I had to spend time learning the layout. Besides,
it is one of the hardest as there are so many different
corners and you need a lot of rhythm. We were struggling
a bit with our tyre choice in the morning but then it
got better in the afternoon and I did a good lap before
it started raining. I wish it rained a bit more so that
I could have driven in wet conditions. I will have two
more sessions tomorrow to learn more about the track
and improve the set-up of the car. As Narain knows the
circuit quite well, I hope he will be able to help me
on the set-up so that I can focus on getting used to
the track.”
Sporting director: Adrian Burgess
“We haven’t had a bad day today. All three
drivers enjoyed driving around this very challenging
circuit. Sakon has done a tremendous job in a competitive
environment. Tiago and Narain have been working on our
usual Friday programme. Narain lost out with the weather
a little bit as it came too early and also as we had
a slight delay changing some parts on the car, therefore
he could not run his new tyres. However, in general,
it was a positive day.”
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