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Formula Sprint 2
Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka International Racing Course
Tuesday 2nd of April 2024 19:00:00
More
October 15, 2004
With Mikko Jakonen on 2nd on the grid and Zlatko Bratonja on 4th the team is in an excellent position to secure the Constructors Championship here in Japan. Also the Drivers Championship is within reach since Jakonen is 2nd on the grid next to Steve Elencevski. If Jakonen manages to finishes in front of Elencevski he will be crowned champion with still one race to go. Although this qualifying session was a wet one it looks like it will be dry when the race starts.

After the qualifying session the 2 drivers and manager Peter van Oostende gave their comments on this qualifying session.

First it was Jakonen who was approached by the press:

"Man, that wasn't easy. But it paid out pretty well in the end. I didn't particularly hope for rain here, luckily it seems it will dry out by race time. When I went out the car felt pretty good, but when I started my flying lap the first sector was already much more wet than during the warm up lap, and I had a few moment there. But it wasn't too wet and I managed to keep the car under control. This is actually my best qualifying result of the year, and being next to Steve, and actually on the driving line side of the track, is a very good thing. I intend to keep him very busy, and hopefully take the lead at the start, as it's very difficult to overtake here unless you're way faster than the other guy. But we know the track, it's home for Honda, and the team expects a good result here, not to mention all the fans. I hope everything goes well, it's one of the more demanding events of the year so I have to keep my eyes open. So far I've always finished higher than where I started from, and I hope I can do that here as well."

After Jakonen was done it was Bratonja's turn to speak to the press:

"I think we had a good session here, we managed to get the most out of these changing conditions on track. I think I know the car better now than I did back at France, I have much more confidence in the whole package. As for the session, I know I was slow in the first sector but I managed to make up for it in the other two. The race is going to be a whole different story, as those clouds are obviously dispersing, I think we made a good, balanced setup that will do well in dry too. I'm expecting a good race for us, and I'm optimistic that we can put the Constructors Championship in the bag here at Suzuka."

And finally it was up to co-owner van Oostende to say some final words:

"I'm more than pleased with this qualifying result. Both drivers drove an excellent lap and with Mikko on 2nd and Zlatko on 4th we are in a great position to take both championships. It all depends on whether Mikko can pass Steve and keep him behind him. If he does, both championships are secured. And with Zlatko on 4th I don't think we can possibly miss out on the Constructors Championship here.

We think we found a very stable setup for both drivers, so I hope we can have a great party after the race."