Monaco Preview 2004

By steve
May 20 2004

Jaguar will be hoping for a reliable race at Monaco in 2004. The season has been plagued by misfortune and we don't want to see a repeat of last years double dnf due to mechanical failure.

Mark Webber knows this track well and enjoys driving here. He’s performed very strongly here over the past two years mechanical failure caused him to retire from a promising position in 2003. A delaminated tyre stopped him from possibly scoring points for minardi in 2002. Webber has also won here in F3000.
Expect to see Webber towards the front of Sunday.

Team-mate Christian Klien will be new to the track and will have to make the most of Thursday practice to familiarise himself with the racing line. It will be interesting to see how he performs

This weekend sees the introduction of some aerodynamic upgrades to the R5, also the loss of the rear-wing fences due to further clarification of the rules

Driver comments:
Mark Webber
“I have great memories of Monaco especially from my win here in 2001 when I was competing in F3000. The street-circuit tends to favour those who have experience here, so for me this is a track that I really enjoy although even with a few years experience it can still throw surprises your way. The on-track activities are starting on Thursday this week and we will be looking to make the most of having three cars on track in order to complete as much mileage as possible. The track is generally quite slow and also bumpy so the set-up and balance on the car can take some time to adjust.
Mechanical grip is important here, perhaps more so than aero. I know that the team will be doing a good job in preparing the R5 so it will be down to me to keep it on track. You need 100% concentration on this track at all times as there is no run-off areas, you don’t get a second chance if you make a mistake. I will be looking to qualify well as there are few overtaking opportunities and as a result you need to make the most of attrition, of which I am sure there will be some! You also need to be careful about getting stuck behind some of the slower cars as traffic on the track can really mess up your strategy. Whatever way we look at it, it’s going to be an interesting race and the spectators are always guaranteed some entertainment here!”

Christian Klien
“I don’t know this circuit at all so this is going to be a testing weekend for me on track. However saying that, this will not be the first track I will have raced at where I have no experience so I am going into it open-minded and motivated. I have read much about the circuit and the race weekend and I am looking forward to racing on a circuit that has so much history connected to it.
My team of engineers has been doing their best to describe the likely challenges of the circuit to me but until I get out there I won’t really know. I will be making the most of the Thursday testing and working on my set-up and balance here. The circuit is also likely to be quite hard on the tyres and traction will be important here. We have a good competitive car in the R5 and I will be aiming for the chequered flag here and points would be a bonus. If I can bring the car home in one piece and avoid the barriers I will be pleased.”