Thursday July 6th, 2000

Eddie Irvine was fastest in testing at Silverstone yesterday.

After some overnight rain, the track remained damp in the morning but was dry by the afternoon when the fastest times were set.

Jos Verstappen impressed in his Arrows, setting the second fastest time of 1:26.62. The wet conditions in the morning saw Verstappen work his way through wet tyre options, while in the afternoon he tried several chassis settings over both short and long runs, with Jos and the team happy with the results.

Benetton continued with Alexander Wurz and Antonio Pizzonia, setting the third and eighth fastest times respectively. Wurz tried out a new engine spec that will be used in qualifying at the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix. Pizzonia also tested the new engine while running on a wet track in the morning, allowing him to get a feel for the Benetton on a wet track.

Jordan continued testing new aerodynamic parts as well as a new engine specification with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, setting the sixth fastest time of 1:27.53. Frentzen commented: "Today was very productive and I ran a total of 71 laps comparing both chassis, Jarno will continue work on the new package tomorrow."

Yesterday's times:

Pos  Driver        Team                Time 
 1.  Irvine        Jaguar-Cosworth     1:26.40
 2.  Verstappen    Arrows-Supertec     1:26.62
 3.  Wurz          Benetton-Playlife   1:26.63
 4.  Herbert       Jaguar-Cosworth     1:26.81
 5.  Diniz         Sauber-Petronas     1:27.00
 6.  Frentzen      Jordan-Mugen Honda  1:27.53
 7.  Villeneuve    BAR-Honda           1:28.12
 8.  Pizzonia      Benetton-Playlife   1:28.77
 9.  Lemarie       BAR-Honda           1:29.31