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FIA Formula 3000 Championship
Round 3/12, Barcelona, Spain
Race, April 27 2002
Weather: warm, slightly overcast 

Mario Haberfeld: 5th, 32 laps in 52m 04.256s
Rob Nguyen: 14^th, 32 laps in 52m 49.157s 

Mario Haberfeld maintained his FIA Formula 3000 title challenge by finishing fifth in Barcelona to score his second points finish of the season.

Having qualified fourth, the Brazilian forced his way into third place before the first chicane, but he was edged back to fourth as he exited the corner and then lost another place when his car briefly lost grip as he entered Turn Three. After that he settled into a comfortable fifth place that he held for the balance of the 32-lap race. The finger injury he sustained in the previous race at Imola caused him no discomfort throughout the weekend.

For most of the afternoon his team-mate Rob Nguyen was involved in a close fight for 15^th place with fellow Australian Ryan Briscoe. On a track notorious for destroying rear tyres, Rob admitted his inexperience was a disadvantage because he found it tricky to adapt to a car that oversteered more and more as the race wore on. Although he eventually slid off the track and lost a couple of places, he recovered to finish 14^th. 

Mario Haberfeld

“I’m pleased to have come away with another points finish. I made a decent start and was side by side with Giorgio Pantano at the first corner, but although I briefly nipped ahead I was on the wrong line and he repassed me.

“I was expecting my car to oversteer and decided to make a small set-up change on the grid – and in hindsight that was a mistake. When I got to Turn Three I began to understeer, which caught me by surprise and allowed Ricardo Mauricio to overtake. After that I adjusted my driving to suit the car and pushed as hard as I could until the end. In the final stages my tyres began to cause a vibration, which was a bit strange, but although I worried for a few laps that I might not be able to hold my position everything turned out fine. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Austria. No one has tested there previously with the new F3000 chassis so we will start on a level playing field – a bit like Brazil where I finished second.” 

Rob Nguyen

“I learned a lot more about F3000 today, which is a big plus. The biggest problem was that the car oversteered more and more as the tyres faded – and that’s not a situation I’m used to. It caused me one or two difficulties and led to me going off the track, but I finished the race and picked up more valuable experience. Now I am really looking forward to the next race at Austria’s A1-Ring because it is one of only two tracks I know on this year’s schedule.” 

Mikke van Hool, team principal

“We just weren’t quite quick enough this weekend. Our former driver Giorgio Pantano won today because he was the only one to save a brand-new set of tyres for the race. We considered doing that but eventually decided against it, which in hindsight proved to be a mistake. Clearly it worked for him, however, and it’s a tactic we might try at other, similar tracks later in the season.”