Nick and Ralph round off day three for Jordan.

Drier here...
By Phil Giles
December 5 2003

Nick Heidfeld has remained consistently faster than his other Jordan challengers during the teams final day of the final test session of 2003.

Jordan and Ferrari were present on the last day of the three day test in Jerez.  All three days have been damp which affected Jordan's test plans.  So much so that the cars were unable to run until mid-day today.  Nick lapped in best time of 1:27.89 having completed 49 laps. 

“Overall I’m really happy with the three day test. "Said Nick. "The only negative thing was obviously the weather, which prevented us from completing the planned number of laps and carrying out our plans for dry conditions. We thought it would be hard to get anything at all out of today as at times it was almost impossible to drive, but in actual fact we were able to do a Bridgestone wet weather programme, which was good. I would very much like to learn about the car in dry conditions but at least I know it is quite good and how to set it up in wet conditions.”

Ralph Firman said: “I’m very disappointed that today’s day of testing was ruined by rain. We had changeable conditions all day and there was a lot that we needed to do in the dry. However, it’s great to be driving the car again, at another new circuit for me, and nice to be working with the team and with James Robinson. It’s interesting to see what new things he can bring and help the team move forward.”

Gary Anderson's replacement James Robinson was present for his first test with the team.  He commented:  “We had very heavy rain and storms overnight which virtually flooded the track so standing water prevented us from running the cars until midday. Afterwards constantly changing levels of rainfall meant we saw anything from slightly wet to monsoon conditions and as we were working to a set Bridgestone tyre programme, our focus was on that programme rather than selecting a tyre for the quickest lap time in the conditions at any one moment. We have started some productive work with Bridgestone and we have also experienced a trouble-free few days with Cosworth on the engines.”

“The track began to dry during the last hour and at the very end of the session both drivers had a couple of laps on standard wet tyres," added Robinson. "Heidfeld’s lap time was quite encouraging particularly as he was restricted by engine mileage and he may not have been on the track at its best with the most appropriate tyre. Firman experienced more and more grip with each lap but he was learning the circuit and unfortunately the session ended as the track was at its driest. Despite the frustrations of the weather conditions, the test has been positive and we have made progress with Heidfeld getting used to setting up the Jordan and how the team operates and we have also carried out some important analysis for our 2004 control systems.”

Overall, despite the weather, Jordan seem happy with the way that the test ran.  No engine problems from Cosworth is a big plus for the team and in view of the comments made on the ITV-F1 site, a more reliable Cosworth engine is on the cards for next year.

Jordan Fans sincerely hope that Nick Heidfeld has made a good impression on the team and don't doubt that Eddie and the chaps back in Silverstone are working hard on securing the sponsorship they need to guarantee Nick a drive next year.