FORMULA ONE: Jarno Trulli Tops Free Practice in Malaysia
By David Treffer
Contributing Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
March 18, 2001Friday free practice in Formula One is an interesting day. First, no one puts much stock in the practice times. The real deal is tomorrow. Every team is working on a particular race scenario that they anticipate. The cars might have full fuel loads or they may be practicing on a marginal fuel load. Some engineers might be testing a new component. Friday practice day is really time spent for data acquisition. The timeframe of the free practice is limited to one hour. With time being of the essence the testing agenda for that one-hour period is usually narrowed down to a maximum of three scenarios. For some teams it might be just one area of the car that the team will devote an entire session testing.
In Malaysia today Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda driver Jarno Trulli sits atop the speed charts. For the Honda engineers the progress shown by all four Honda powered cars the day can be viewed as one of progress. With Trulli on top, Frentzen in seventh and Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda's Olivier Panis and Jacques Villeneuve posted ninth and 11th fastest times overall to round out an over-all good day for Honda.
What comes on Saturday could be an entirely different story. The anticipated rainstorms never materialized. The oppressive heat and humidity was present. None the less, the Honda engineers working with the Jordan and BAR design teams have to be pleased knowing that they are competitive.
Jarno Trulli summed it up best this way. "Today I had a good day. I just hope that I have a similar day tomorrow and not a repeat of Melbourne. I am confident that every time I step into the car I can push 100%. I am also satisfied because we don't appear to be too far from McLaren or Ferrari which is good progress. But as always, it's only Friday." Ever the realist. Trulli knows that the top teams (Ferrari & McLaren) never show their full hand until needed.
Another team which has to be encouraged by today's showing, is Jaguar. Eddie Irvine turned in the fifth fastest time. His teammate Luciano Burti was able to post the eighth fastest time. Maybe Bobby Rahal's presence and management style of the team is finally beginning to emerge.
Ferrari and McLaren were both pleased with today's results. Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello were second and third respectively. David Coulthard turned in the fourth fastest time, while Mika Hakkinen posted the sixth fastest time.
So, what about qualifying tomorrow? Anyone who follows F1 knows that qualifying is a game of chess. Move and then counter move. Will it rain tomorrow? How is the humidity effecting the engine performance? A great number of questions which are not answered until the final bell rings tomorrow.
The Top Times From Practice
1 Jarno Trulli Jordan Honda 1:38.846
2 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:38.929
3 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:38.931
4 David Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 1:39.300
5 Eddie Irvine Jaguar 1:39.520
6 Mika Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1:39.861
7 Heinz-Harald Frentzen Jordan Honda 1:40.197
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