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Round 6 of the 2001 championship see the F1 circus stop in Austria. The A1 Ring is set in fabulous scenery, nestled within the Styrian mountains of the Austrian Alps. Modifications to the track in time for the 1997 Grand Prix made it much slower, with the now twisty circuit providing very few places to overtake. This medium-high downforce track has an unusual uphill straight into the first corner, and the smooth surface can promote understeer due to a lack of front end grip.
Spain was a bit of a disappointment for the Jordan team as Jarno�s 4th could have been a 2nd place, except for a poor pit stop strategy and execution which allowed Montoya and Villeneuve through.
During the start of the Spanish race Heinz-Harald was left on the grid as his launch control malfunctioned. This has been worked on in the recent Silverstone test and the team are now confident there will be no repeat performance. Unforeseen circumstances aside, both drivers are expected to use both the launch control and traction control during the entire weekend.
"I really like Austria. The food is great and I have a lot of supporters there," commented Heinz-Harald Frentzen with his mind obviously on the job at hand! "The A1 Ring isn't the challenging circuit that it used to be. There are only three kerbs where you can really go for it, but apart from that, there are many slow corners which upset the rhythm for drivers."
Jarno Trulli has mixed feelings abouth the A1 Ring, "I have strong memories, good and bad, of Austria. 1997 was my debut season and I was leading the Grand Prix when I stood in for Panis at Prost, until the engine failed. Austria is a beautiful place and I think we can do well there. In the past I have experienced problems during the race so hopefully this year we can get it right. It's a twisty track that is hard on the brakes."
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