Hill a surprise quickest for Jordan
Despite another several off course excursions during the second free practice session, Damon Hill surprised everyone when he set the fastest practice lap of the day in the final minutes of practice. "The car feels every good. It's the first time I have been able to attack with it the way I wanted. I am very optimistic for qualifying," said Hill. Chances of a Jordan one-two on the time sheets were lost 20 minutes before the end of the session when Heinz-Harald Frentzen pulled his Jordan to a stop in front of the pits with a gearbox problem.
McLarens third and fourth
McLaren-Mercedes driver Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard shared the next two places, both driver having a trouble free session as they worked on the set-up of their cars and checked tyre performance. Hakkinen had a quick spin , but otherwise was delighted with his day. "We had a very productive day gradually improving the handling of the car throughout the day. David Coulthard was equally contented, especially to be as close as he was to Hakkinen whom he counts as his yardstick. "I know when I am ahead of him I am doing an excellent job. When I am just behind him, I know I am still doing not a bad job," said the Scot.
Zonta up front for BAR
Ricardo Zonta was delighted with his fourth fastest time of the day, his team-mate Villeneuve back in eighth place after complaining of traffic on his fastest lap.
Sauber's running well in Austria
Jean Alesi was a happy fifth fastest for Sauber. "The car is very good here. I was running low fuel, but otherwise the same set of tyres all day," said Alesi. His team-mate Diniz was also well up in seventh place, but baffled by the fact that he could not go quicker on a fresh set of tyres.
Ferrari ninth and sixteenth
Although Eddie Irvine was back in ninth spot, the Irishman was happy with his day's running in the Marlboro-Ferrari. "I ran the same tyres and race set-up most of the session. We have made good progress with the set-up of the car throughout the day," he explained. Mika Salo was disappointed with 16th time of the day, his session ending early when he tried a change to his car and spun off at a high speed corner ending up stuck in a gravel trap. Even so , he was happy with the improvements to his car throughout the day which also saw him practice pit stops for the race.
In brief...
Tora Takagi was sidelined early in the session with a blown engine which covered his rear tyres in oil and caused him to spin off. De la Rosa missed half an hour while the team finished his engine change. Alexander Wurz continued to have a bad day in front of his home crowd when he spun off and damaged the nose of his Benetton against the Barrier. Giancarlo Fisichella also had a spin , but was able to recover and get going again, but damaged a wing and the under-tray.
The two Prost's were a disappointing 17th and 19th, both drivers complaining of a lack stability under braking and general grip, while Panis was making up for lost time after an engine change early into the morning session.
Friday Free Practice - Accumulated Times
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Hill Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:13.303 212.111 kmph
2. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1:13.325 + 0.022
3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 1:13.376 + 0.073
4. Zonta BAR Supertec 1:13.685 + 0.382
5. Alesi Sauber Petronas 1:13.696 + 0.393
6. R.Schumacher Williams Supertec 1:13.711 + 0.408
7. Diniz Sauber Petronas 1:13.740 + 0.437
8. Villeneuve BAR Supertec 1:13.840 + 0.537
9. Irvine Ferrari 1:13.883 + 0.580
10. Barrichello Stewart Ford 1:13.923 + 0.620
11. Herbert Stewart Ford 1:14.008 + 0.705
12. Zanardi Williams Supertec 1:14.049 + 0.746
13. Badoer Minardi Ford 1:14.203 + 0.900
14. Gene Minardi Ford 1:14.333 + 1.030
15. Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:14.558 + 1.255
16. Salo Ferrari 1:14.608 + 1.305
17. Trulli Prost Peugeot 1:14.724 + 1.421
18. Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1:14.785 + 1.482
19. Panis Prost Peugeot 1:15.028 + 1.725
20. Wurz Benetton Playlife 1:15.107 + 1.804
21. de la Rosa Arrows TWR 1:15.651 + 2.348
22. Takagi Arrows TWR 1:16.067 + 2.764
All timing unofficial