David Coulthard, Christian Klien and Tonio Liuzzi clocked up 89 laps between them in today�s two practice sessions. During the first practice, Tonio spun his RB1 into the gravel at Turn 12 and damaged a front left push rod. In the afternoon, Christian�s session was cut short when he turned too sharply at the first chicane (Turn 6 and 7), clipped the inside kerb and spun into the tyre barrier, damaging his car�s floor and suspension.

Throughout the day, the air temperature ranged between 20�C and 24�C, while track temperature rose from 30�C in the morning to 37�C in the afternoon.

David Coulthard (Car 14):
Chassis Number: 3
First Practice Position: 12; Best Time: 1:17.168; Laps: 7
Second Practice Position: 10; Best Time: 1:16.371; Laps: 26

�A pretty normal Friday really. We�ve been evaluating the tyres the best we can and the balance of the car isn�t so bad. Obviously, we�ll have to see where we can make changes to get closer to the pace, but the balance doesn�t feel too far away now and, ultimately, that�s a good sign. If that�s right, everything fits into place. We�ll just have to wait and see how our pace is relative to the competition tomorrow.�

Christian Klien (Car 15):
Chassis Number: 1
First Practice Position: 13; Best Time: 1:17.343; Laps: 10
Second Practice Position: 22; Best Time: 1:18.897; Laps: 5

�In the first session, I completed ten laps to get a feel for the track and see how the balance of the car was. It felt much better than it did ahead of the last two races � a lot more stable at the rear and easier to drive. I think that, definitely, the car is more competitive here than at previous races. In the second session, I was quite quick through the first timed section, the car had good balance and grip. But, I turned in at the chicane a bit too early, hit the kerb, lost the rear and went off.�

Tonio Liuzzi (Test Driver):
Chassis Number: 2
First Practice Position: 18; Best Time: 1:18.876; Laps: 16
Second Practice Position: 15; Best Time: 1:16.987; Laps: 25

�In the first session I had a spin and went into the gravel, which caused some stone damage, so we had to stop. I waited while the team changed some parts before completing the practice. In the morning we did quite a few runs, which was important for us to look at the performance of the tyres, but I felt that the car was better in the second session.�

Christian Horner, Sporting Director: �Unfortunately Christian made a mistake at the high-speed chicane (Turn 6 & 7) and had quite a heavy impact, which damaged some of the new aerodynamic update that has gone onto the cars this weekend. Christian�s car will be repaired overnight and he�ll be ready to go first thing in the morning. Generally our performance looks quite good, David�s times were very respectable, Tonio worked well through the tyre programme and I think we�re looking in reasonable shape.�

2005 French Grand Prix - Main Page
2005 French Grand Prix - Team and Driver Friday Practice Reports Page

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