OrangeArrows in confident mood for San Marino

By Huw Alban
April 29 2002

OrangeArrows are in confident mood for the San Marino Grand Prix where they beleive the circuit characteristics will suit the A23. The drivers too seem to be up for it, with Enrique Bernoldi a Formula Renault winner at the track. It all starts on Friday with first practice...

Despite the OrangeArrows team not making any public appearances on track, the team have been working hard at their Leafield base and say that they are ready for the challenge of Imola.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished sixth at the circuit in 2001, driving for the Jordan team, and is hoping for a strong show from the OrangeArrows car on Sunday. Speaking from the teams official pre-Grand Prix press release Frentzen said, "I'm looking forward to the start of the European season and Imola is a great place for it to start. The track is pretty special with some big braking areas and that gives us a new set of challenges. It is a strategic track and it should suit us well. I enjoy racing there, especially as the tremendous enthusiasm of the Italian fans makes for a great atmosphere."

Enrique Bernoldi has won here driving Formula Renault cars, and it will be his second time in a Formula 1 car. Rather than hoping for great things, Enrique will be satisfied just to get his first 2002 race finish under his belt this weekend. "I really like Imola - It's a circuit that is very challenging and enjoyable to drive," he has been quoted as saying. "The track has some nice turns and some pretty quick chicanes, so it will be important to find the right balance for the car so we can get a good lap time. I haven't been able to finish a race yet, so getting the car home really has to be my aim, but I'm confident that the car has good speed and hopefully we can mix it with the big boys here."

"Imola is a circuit that should suit our car quite well. It has a relatively smooth surface and has more tight to medium speed turns, which our car should handle better on, compared to circuits such as Interlagos. Brakes and tyres could be the main problems over the weekend, but we'll do our best to avoid those," added Technical Director, Mike Coughlan.

"It would be fair to say we were disappointed with Brazil – we had a quick car, which again showed great potential in the race so we're hoping to turn potential into positions here and we'll be working hard to get the right set up for the car from the word go."