The Sauber-Petronas team showed such an improvement at the recent French GP tests that it has high hopes for this weekend's race.



Drivers Jean Alesi and Johnny Herbert each topped the daily timesheets at Magny-Cours during the four day test, with Alesi sharing the overall fastest time with McLaren's Mika Hakkinen. Herbert finished the test with third best time. (I have tried three new things,) said the Englishman, (and they are all very good. The car is much more stable and the handling is better, which showed in the lap times.)

Jordan, too, had a better test, with Ralf Schumacher finishing Thursday in second place behind David Coulthard. Damon Hill backed up his team-mate with eighth best time in a full field. Jacques Villeneuve and Williams team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen both recorded good times, increasing optimism that the team may return to the front at the next race.



At the opposite end of the grid, Tyrrell's beleaguered driver Ricardo Rosset outpaced possible replacement Tom Kristensen, and looks likely to retain his seat for at least one more grand prix.