Eddie Irvine: �� 1998 �.


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��	3	78	1:52'04.973	140.588

��	7		1'21.712	148.341

��	8	28	1'24.457	143.519


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1-� ��	6	1'23.765	144.705

2-� ��	5	1'22.314	147.256

Warm-Up	5	1'24.611	143.258

Preview:
"From the first time I went there I loved the Monaco circuit and I really enjoyed driving it. Last year my car had too much understeer, so I could not push as hard as I wanted but I still managed to finish third. I think this track is definitely the ultimate challenge for a driver. I don't expect this year's cars will be much different to drive here. To be quick you need a car that is "on the nose," and that changes direction quickly. I think we can be closer to the McLarens and I will be trying to qualify well which is the secret of a good result. I love the atmosphere that goes with it. It really is the biggest event on the calendar, plus lots of the tifosi come over the border from Italy so we have plenty of support."

�� (��):
"Not bad for a first day. I am pleased my time is so close to Michael's and the car feels well balanced, without the understeer I used to have here in previous years. I did not take any risks as Monaco is all about doing as many laps as possible and getting into a rhythm. It takes a while to get your eye in here and towards the end I hit the barrier a couple of times. I never ran with new tyres and little fuel so the times mean nothing. For Saturday we need to find some more grip and tyre choice will be critical."

�� (��):
"I was on a very good lap when I had my accident, but I lost control of the back end of the car and went into the tyres. I do not think I have hurt myself but I might be a bit stiff tomorrow. Once Michael's race car became the spare car it was changed to my settings. I knew I only had one 3 lap run on which I managed to improve but it was not enough. On the positive side, I am on the right tyres for the race and the car is very good in race trim. But the hard part will be getting past Frentzen as I think he is on soft tyres."

�� (��):
"I am very happy to be third but not so happy with the performance of the car. Before the start I was worried that I would be stuck behind Frentzen as he was on soft tyres. After the first few laps I could close on him and I had seen he was weakest at the hairpin. I picked my moment and went down the inside. We made contact, but I was able to keep going. I was worried my car was damaged as we hit quite hard but after the next couple of corners I realised everything was alright. Once I got past him I had a lonely race. I pushed hard to keep up with Wurz, but I could not catch him. I left my pit-stop very late as I started with a big fuel load. I continued to push hard not to lose concentration and only backed off in the last few laps. We tested new tyres at Magny-Cours last week and I think we can go a lot better in Canada. I must say this car is fantastic to drive and I have never had so much fun driving here as I did over this weekend. Now we must improve the performance level."