BULLETIN No 1

FRIDAY 15/03/02 - FREE PRACTICE

WEATHER CONDITIONS: VERY HOT, HUMID AND OVERCAST (TRACK 36-44�C/AIR 31-34�C)

2001 POLE POSITION: Michael SCHUMACHER (FERRARI), 1m35.220s

2001 RACE FASTEST LAP: Mika HAKKINEN (McLAREN), 1m40.962.

In torrid conditions here at Sepang the battle between the Bridgestone-shod Ferraris and Michelin-shod McLarens seemed finely balanced throughout the two hour-long sessions. Kimi Raikkonen came out on top ahead of David Coulthard with early pace-setter Michael Schumacher ending up third.

WEST McLAREN MERCEDES (1^st Raikkonen/2^nd Coulthard)

Technical: Three MP4/17s flown directly from Australia with aerodynamic adjustments for Sepang but no major changes.

Sporting: Raikkonen had generally trouble-free run, but struggled with excessive oversteer and general balance problems. Coulthard stopped on the circuit after three laps during the morning when an overheating exhaust collector caused the rear bodywork to catch light. David pushed the car almost 1km back to the pits so repairs could be started. Like Raikkonen struggled for balance in the afternoon and survived a spin into the gravel.

Quotes: Martin Whitmarsh: "David lost a lot of his set-up programme time due to his problem this morning, but generally we struggled for balance here."

SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO(3^rd M. Schumacher/7thBarrichello)

Technical: The same F2001s as in Melbourne, but fitted with minor unspecified new components and adapted for improved cockpit cooling.

Sporting: Schumacher had two spins, Barrichello one after which the Brazilian stopped on the circuit with engine problems. Both men admitting that it was very difficult making the choice between the two available Bridgestone compounds.

Quotes: Schumacher: "The car does not feel too bad, but we still have much work to do on the set-up."

BMW WILLIAMSF1 TEAM(4^th R. Schumacher/6^th Montoya)

Technical: The same three cars as used in Melbourne, including Ralf's FW24 which was repaired following its first corner collision.

Sporting: Both drivers spun during the course of the day with Ralf reporting his car felt particularly nervous in fast corners. Montoya reported that his car felt very difficult to drive.

Quotes: Montoya: "It was quite a struggle today and we really need to improve."

PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING (5^th Salo/11^th McNish)

Technical: Some new minor mechanical components for this race

Sporting: Salo concentrated on running in qualifying trim, while McNish concentrated on race set-ups. In the morning McNish managed only seven laps due to a clutch/electronic problem. Both men complaining of low grip generally.

Quotes: Gustav Brunner: "A very good performance by Mika, but we don't simply want to be Friday Kings and still have plenty of work to do tomorrow."

MILD SEVEN RENAULT F1 TEAM (8^th Button/9^th Trulli)

Technical: Revised rear suspension plus new floor and diffuser.

Sporting: Button quite happy with the feel of his car and concentrated on developing his race set-up. Trulli reported that he was struggling to find a decent handling balance.

Quotes: Trulli: "It was quite a difficult day for us with set-up and a problem with my car during the afternoon meant we didn't get as much work done as we'd hoped."

SAUBER PETRONAS (10^th Heidfeld/21^st Massa)

Technical: Cars repaired with new nose cones, suspension and radiators following the first corner pile-up in Melbourne.

Sporting: Heidfeld said car was quite good but not yet 100 per cent balanced. Later in the session he reported that a spate of yellow flags prevented him from completing a long run. Massa slid off into a gravel trap avoiding Bernoldi's spinning Williams and then stalled his engine.

Quotes: Heidfeld: "Overall I'm happy because I didn't have any problems and it felt quite comfortable in the cockpit despite the high temperatures."

JAGUAR RACING (12^th Pedro de la Rosa/20^th Irvine)

Technical: Revised bargeboards and undertray/diffuser for evaluation at this race.

Sporting: Both drivers effectively used the session as an extended testing opportunity, part of the process of evaluating what is precisely wrong with the Jaguar R3. De la Rosa stopped with a suspected engine problem near the end of the second hour.

Quotes: Niki Lauda: "Unlike most Friday free practice sessions we didn't spend any time working on tyres today, instead using it as a conventional test session."

ORANGE ARROWS (13^th Frentzen/15^th Bernoldi)

Technical: Same three chassis as used in Australia.

Sporting: Frentzen suffered a software problem in the morning while Bernoldi spun off while improving the chassis balance in the afternoon.

Quotes: Mike Coughlan: "Judged by the fuel loads we were running I'm reasonably happy with our pace."

DHL JORDAN HONDA (14^th Fisichella/16^th Sato)

Technical: No changes to the car specification for this race.

Sporting: A generally untroubled day with Fisichella reporting that the handling balance was not perfect on the low grip surface. Sato covered 44 laps during the course of a simulated race distance run.

Quotes: Sato: "This is the first time I have driven a racing car in these conditions and am very pleased I went for a week's training in Malaysia to acclimatise myself."

LUCKY STRIKE BAR HONDA (17^th Villeneuve/18^th Panis)

Technical: No changes to the cars for this race apart from minor aerodynamic adjustments.

Sporting: Panis had a throttle malfunction in the morning followed by a gearbox downshift problem. Villeneuve grappled with an hydraulic problem later in the day.

Quotes: Villeneuve: "Our day was spoiled by mechanical problems and I just got ten minutes in at the end to try some tyres."

KL MINARDI ASIATECH (19^th Yoong/23^rd Webber)

Technical: No changes to the cars for this race apart from better cockpit cooling.

Sporting: Webber spun off in the morning session then suffered an engine failure in the afternoon, but Alex Yoong had no problems.

Quotes: Yoong: "It was a pretty trouble-free day and I did quite a few laps without any problems."