Eddie Irvine split the two McLarens today. He clocked the second best time on the Magny-Cours circuit behind Mika Hakkinen.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was fifth behind Olivier Panis. Jacques Villeneuve, who did not test, has stated that there is no way he could defend his championship now, in this Winfield-Williams: "I am always on the attack and ready to give it everything I've got. But after this, the fifth grand prix of the season, my world championship is history. This season, things have been very different. Nobody is denying there are problems within the team. We are all suffering with the current situation and want to improve. It's important to try and steady the ship with what we have available. We also need to be patient and wait for the improvements in the forthcoming aerodynamic and mechanical changes."

Damon Hill, who was sixth, stated: "It's tough and very frustrating when you're not doing as well as you should. However, I believe things will get better. I know it's difficult for some people to believe given our current performances but it will happen - eventually. The mechanics are working very hard on new parts and Mugen-Honda are trying to improve the engine. We'll work hard for the rest of the season with the Goodyear tyres. Next season everyone will be racing on the same tyres so we'll have to see what happens then."

Johnny Herbert was seventh in the Sauber. Sauber have stated that they also want the Mecachrome engines, just like BAR, next year. Sauber now uses a Ferrari spec engine.