Engine cooling problems encountered on the new EJ11 were identified and cured as Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli each spent a couple of days at the wheel. 'We've made good progress and everything has gone according to plan,' said Managing Director, Trevor Foster.

Frentzen drove for the first two days, concentrating on engine work and different configurations to evaluate temperature and performance changes. Trulli continued the work when he took over on Wednesday, managing long distance running without any serious problems.

'It's been good,' said Foster. 'We had early teething problems with the cooling system and that's the sort of thing initial testing with a new car is designed to highlight. We made significant progress and, on Thursday alone, Jarno did 97 laps as proof that the modifications we had carried out were successful.

'It's too early to tell how competitive we are until all of the 2001 cars run together, but I can say that the drivers have reported very few problems. The car is more predictable than before and behaves in a more stable manner, which is exactly what the drivers want. So, overall, everything has gone according to plan. Both Honda and ourselves are very pleased with the way the car has performed.'

Testing has already resumed in Barcelona this week with Jarno again completing a long 82 lap session with no problems.