2006 Australian Grand Prix - Race 3/18

2006 Australian Gran Prix qualifying results

Code: 
[b]Pos	Driver			Session 1	Session 2	Session 3[/b]
1	Button			1:28.081	1:26.337	1:25.229
2	Fisichella		1:27.765	1:26.196	1:25.635
3	Alonso			1:28.569	1:25.729	1:25.778
4	Raikkonen		1:27.193	1:26.161	1:25.822
5	Montoya			1:27.079	1:25.902	1:25.976
6	R.Schumacher		1:28.007	1:26.596	1:26.612
7	Heidfeld		1:27.796	1:26.014	1:26.937
8	Webber			1:27.669	1:27.075	1:27.579
9	Villeneuve		1:28.460	1:26.714	1:29.239
10	Trulli			1:27.748	1:26.327	No time
11	M.Schumacher		1:28.228	1:26.718
12	Coulthard		1:28.408	1:27.023
13	Liuzzi			1:28.999	1:27.219
14	Klien			1:28.757	1:27.591
15	Rosberg			1:28.351	1:29.422
16	Massa			1:28.868	No time
17	Barrichello		1:29.943
18	Albers			1:30.226
19	Speed			1:30.426
20	Monteiro		1:30.709
21	Sato			1:32.279
22	Ide			1:36.164
 
Decisions..decisions..

Cold Pizza, Chocolate Gu, crisps and other snacks or bacon and egg and hash brown buttie with chili sauce...

Hmmm.... :confused:

SImon/~Flibster
 
Creature said:
*sigh* Ok, scrap the crisps and other snacks, just have the pizza, chocolate gu, and the buttie.
Click to expand...

Decided to have a full english buttie. :D

Sausages are now frying, soon to be joined by bacon and eggs and more importanty - the black pudding to reheat it. Onions are in another pan slowly browning.

Beans are in the microwave ready to go and the fresh bread is ready to be sliced and toasted.

I can feel the veins and arteries solidfying as I type. :D Great!

Simon/~Flibster
 
Red Bull Racing draft Liuzzi for testing

Scuderia Toro Rosso's Vitantonio Liuzzi has been drafted in by Red Bull Racing to join their testing programme at Paul Ricard in France next week.

The Italian raced for the team last year and, with Red Bull's current duo David Coulthard and Christian Klien unavailable, he has been asked to join test driver Robert Doornbos at the two-car test.

"Tonio is part of the Red Bull family, so it is only natural that we can make use of him," said Red Bull Racing sporting director Christian Horner.

"We want to evaluate some new parts, and Toro Rosso were happy to lend him to us because they are not testing next week."

Although Liuzzi's participation in the test has led to inevitable speculation that he could be evaluated with a view to a drive with the team in 2007, Horner insisted that this was not the case.

"No, this is just a test. We are already more than aware of Liuzzi's capabilities," said Horner, who added the team were unlikely to make a decision about their driver line-up until the late summer.
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Qualifying results
Code: 
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			First		Second		Third	[/b]
1	12	Jenson Button		Honda			1:28.081	1:26.337	1:25.229	
2	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			1:27.765	1:26.196	1:25.635	
3	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			1:28.569	1:25.729	1:25.778	
4	3	Kimi Räikkönen		McLaren-Mercedes	1:27.193	1:26.161	1:25.822	
5	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	1:27.079	1:25.902	1:25.976	
6	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			1:28.007	1:26.596	1:26.612	
7	9	Mark Webber		Williams-Cosworth	1:27.669	1:26.075	1:26.937	
8	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		1:27.796	1:26.014	1:27.579	
9	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		1:28.460	1:26.714	1:29.239	
10	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			1:27.748	1:26.327	
11	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			1:28.228	1:26.718	
12	14	David Coulthard		RBR-Ferrari		1:28.408	1:27.023	
13	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		1:28.999	1:27.219	
14	15	Christian Klien		RBR-Ferrari		1:28.757	1:27.591	
15	10	Nico Rosberg		Williams-Cosworth	1:28.351	1:29.422	
16	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			1:28.868	
17	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			1:29.943	
18	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		1:30.226	
19	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		1:30.426	
20	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		1:30.709	
21	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	1:32.279	
22	23	Yuji Ide		Super Aguri-Honda	1:36.164


Sector Times - Free Practice 2

Code: 
[b]Sector 1[/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	28.614	
2	1	Fernando Alonso		28.708	
3	3	Kimi Räikkönen		28.748	
4	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	28.829	
5	16	Nick Heidfeld		28.855	
6	12	Jenson Button		28.879	
7	9	Mark Webber		28.903	
8	8	Jarno Trulli		28.921	
9	6	Felipe Massa		28.977	
10	7	Ralf Schumacher		28.992	
11	14	David Coulthard		29.041	
12	17	Jacques Villeneuve	29.062	
13	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	29.163	
14	5	Michael Schumacher	29.220	
15	15	Christian Klien		29.316	
16	10	Nico Rosberg		29.349	
17	11	Rubens Barrichello	29.732	
18	21	Scott Speed		29.745	
19	19	Christijan Albers	30.038	
20	18	Tiago Monteiro		30.143	
21	22	Takuma Sato		30.608	
22	23	Yuji Ide		32.006

Code: 
[b]Sector 2 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	12	Jenson Button		22.950	
2	1	Fernando Alonso		23.010	
3	9	Mark Webber		23.056	
4	16	Nick Heidfeld		23.087	
5	3	Kimi Räikkönen		23.098	
6	5	Michael Schumacher	23.119	
7	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	23.146	
8	8	Jarno Trulli		23.156	
9	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	23.176	
10	17	Jacques Villeneuve	23.217	
11	6	Felipe Massa		23.264	
12	14	David Coulthard		23.297	
13	10	Nico Rosberg		23.358	
14	7	Ralf Schumacher		23.375	
15	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	23.387	
16	15	Christian Klien		23.518	
17	11	Rubens Barrichello	23.641	
18	21	Scott Speed		23.644	
19	19	Christijan Albers	24.190	
20	18	Tiago Monteiro		24.238	
21	22	Takuma Sato		24.268	
22	23	Yuji Ide		24.894

Code: 
[b]Sector 3 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	12	Jenson Button		33.400	
2	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	33.575	
3	1	Fernando Alonso		33.794	
4	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	33.925	
5	3	Kimi Räikkönen		33.927	
6	16	Nick Heidfeld		34.072	
7	9	Mark Webber		34.116	
8	8	Jarno Trulli		34.156	
9	7	Ralf Schumacher		34.195	
10	5	Michael Schumacher	34.261	
11	17	Jacques Villeneuve	34.435	
12	15	Christian Klien		34.557	
13	14	David Coulthard		34.575	
14	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	34.669	
15	10	Nico Rosberg		34.730	
16	6	Felipe Massa		34.745	
17	21	Scott Speed		35.166	
18	11	Rubens Barrichello	35.631	
19	19	Christijan Albers	35.657	
20	18	Tiago Monteiro		35.940	
21	22	Takuma Sato		36.865	
22	23	Yuji Ide		39.018

Speed Trap

Code: 
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time		Speed[/b]
1	17	Jacques Villeneuve	14:14:08	303.4	
2	1	Fernando Alonso		15:07:30	303.4	
3	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	14:13:10	303.2	
4	5	Michael Schumacher	14:32:17	302.1	
5	16	Nick Heidfeld		14:27:36	302.0	
6	3	Kimi Räikkönen		14:28:10	302.0	
7	9	Mark Webber		14:41:19	302.0	
8	6	Felipe Massa		14:13:18	301.9	
9	15	Christian Klien		14:39:57	301.0	
10	12	Jenson Button		15:08:02	300.6	
11	21	Scott Speed		14:03:24	300.2	
12	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	14:04:48	300.0	
13	14	David Coulthard		14:15:23	299.5	
14	10	Nico Rosberg		14:39:57	298.6	
15	7	Ralf Schumacher		14:55:26	297.9	
16	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	14:30:59	297.4	
17	22	Takuma Sato		14:12:24	295.4	
18	11	Rubens Barrichello	14:15:57	295.3	
19	8	Jarno Trulli		14:13:50	295.0	
20	23	Yuji Ide		14:15:54	294.1	
21	19	Christijan Albers	14:12:56	293.3	
22	18	Tiago Monteiro		14:15:36	292.9
 
Oh dear Murray...

Got straight back into the habit haven't you...

"Villeneuve is faster than his teammate, probably because Heidfeld hasnt left the pits"

And "Fernando Massa" Errrrrrrrrr....

:D

Simon/~Flibster
 
Rebels promise no more in-fighting

Formula One rebels have promised they will not return to petty squabbling, even after a deal is struck to secure the sport's long-term future.

The sport has been beset by in-fighting for years, with teams trying every trick in the book to gain an advantage over rivals.

However, talks to extend the ruling Concorde Agreement, which expires in 2007, have prompted an unprecedented show of unity.

Five car companies - Honda, Toyota, Renault, Mercedes and BMW - formed the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association [GPMA] to pressure the sport's rulers in talks over the future.

A shared desire to extract more money from Bernie Ecclestone and a greater say in rule-making from Max Mosley prompted a unique alliance of top teams more used to arguing among themselves.

A solution is in sight but the GPMA intend to remain united even though their raison d'etre will have been achieved.

Honda boss Nick Fry said: "The big car companies are spending large amounts of money on Formula One and the dialogue between them is better than it has ever been.

"It allows them to get their act together before talking to the FIA. I would see an ongoing role for that kind of group because it's a constructive thing to do."

Norbert Haug, boss of McLaren's engine partner Mercedes, claims the bitter dispute over Formula One's future has had a positive effect on the teams.

"The manufacturers have had very constructive discussions in the right direction - compare that to five years ago and we are on a really good path," he added.

"At least it is respectful and we listen to each other. The discussion leads us in the right direction."

Renault technical chief Pat Symonds wants the manufacturer alliance recast as a force for good after threatening to form a breakaway series for two years.

Symonds, whose Renault team joined their GPMA colleagues in entering the 2008 championship this week, said: "We should look at all the positive things that have come out of GPMA - there are many.

"I don't think we should focus on whether the threat of a second series has gone away, but the many positive things that have happened in the last year or two as a result of the GPMA."

One bone of contention remains a proposal from FIA president Mosley to freeze engine development, unless changes are made in the interests of safety or reliability.

Haug dismissed the idea, claiming "freeze is for the fridge, not Formula One", but backed other moves to slash costs.

"If we could cut the costs in half that would be perfect, maybe that is feasible," he said. "Mercedes are very open on new regulations that help to make that happen."

Fry, whose Honda team oppose any move which dumbs down the sport, also stands firm against an engine freeze.

He added: "Car manufacturers are spending an enormous amount on changing engines year on year but we are not convinced at all that a freeze is a good idea.

"I don't think there's any great evidence that it's a good thing for racing."
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ARSE!!

Pole nicked away from Team GBR in the A1GP finale in the last few seconds...

At least it wasn't the bloody frogs...

Simon/~Flibster
 
Australia Saturday notes: Toro Rosso

It was an "if" sort of day, along the lines of "if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle" but all the same, Tonio managed to qualify 13th, splitting the two Red Bull Racing cars.

Tonio Liuzzi: "I have to say I'm satisfied with how this session went, even if we didn't make it through to the final shoot-out. We were really so close, but the rain came at just the wrong time and stopped us from setting a time and before that I had trouble with traffic. If we had left the garage one minute before…who knows? But its clear we had the potential to be in the top ten. The car was much better today, so it will be an interesting race tomorrow as overtaking is difficult here."

Scott Speed: "I had a good start to the session even if as expected it was tough to warm up the tyres. The second run was better still until I lost the car in Turn 14. We're not sure exactly what caused that, maybe it was down to the tyre pressures we were running. Up to that point, I was on a lap that would have easily been good enough for thirteenth or fourteenth place. My final lap was also good enough for fourteenth but I did it crossing the red light. All the same, I think we have a good race car for tomorrow."

Gabriele Tredozi (Technical Director): "A very difficult day with the red flags and rain, but the whole team did a very good job. I'm a bit disappointed for Scott, because his performance was very good too, even if circumstances meant he did not progress to the second part of the session. But the car is fast and has a good balance for the race and we have also worked out a good strategy. The team is coming together and has improved a lot and we have a good basis for the future."
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Australia Saturday notes: Midland F1

Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "It's obvious from race to race that the gap between us and the cars in front of us is getting smaller, so that's a positive sign. We're moving in the right direction and we will continue working hard to improve. Both our drivers are putting in strong performances and the team is also doing a good job. With this kind of effort, I'm sure we will see some better results in the near future."

Adrian Burgess, Sporting Director: "Not a bad effort, but we're not totally happy with it. We were a little bit late getting Tiago's car out due to a few issues we had. The red flag helped us, so he got his laps in, but he was held up by a slower car on both his runs, which obviously didn't help Tiago. Christijan had a small problem with the car, which affected his lap times somewhat. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings. I think we're on top of the reliability issues from the last event, so we can focus our energy on finding more pace."

Tiago Monteiro: "It was very annoying, because we were running smoothly all weekend, making steady progress, and then you get to qualifying, with only 15 minutes to make the cut, and we got impeded by traffic. On both tentative laps, I couldn't get up to speed because of slower cars ahead of me. The track had a lot less traction than yesterday because of the rain, but I'm just really annoyed that I couldn't get a run at a clear lap. It's really frustrating, because this heat wasn't indicative of our true performance. We could have gone a lot faster."

Christijan Albers: "Obviously, I'm not pleased with where we ended up. I ran into some traffic on my fast lap. Actually, I was surprised, because the car that held me up was a Honda and I couldn't believe how quickly I came up behind him. But overall, it wasn't too bad out there. I was encouraged by the performance of the tyres - they were a lot better than the ones I had yesterday. The guys worked hard to solve our problems and the car as a whole was working much better. It's a shame that I spun this morning, because it would have been nice to collect some more information in wet conditions, but these kinds of things happen. This is Formula 1, after all, and there are a lot of electronic aids and other mechanical things that operate outside the driver's control. But, as I said, the car is improving all the time and I'm looking forward to a good race tomorrow."
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Australia Saturday notes: WilliamsF1

Sam Michael, Technical Director, WilliamsF1: "We really expected to have both cars in the top ten today. Nico got caught by the rain, but it's the same conditions for everybody - we simply didn't get the job done with his car. Mark was good for another position on his last run, but he encountered traffic. We are confident of the car's long run pace for tomorrow and are aiming for points with both cars. The new tyre Bridgestone have brought here is working really well."

Mark Webber: "It was a pretty interesting session today, the heart rate is always there with these sessions! The car was really good on low fuel, but we perhaps didn't get as much out of it as we should have carrying more weight. Ultimately while our last runs were good, I would have liked to be a position or two higher on the grid. That said, I feel good about tomorrow and I think seventh isn't such a bad place to start the race from - all the strategies are 'in' the cars now and we'll see where we are tomorrow."

Nico Rosberg: "Qualifying was really difficult today for a combination of reasons. I kept coming across traffic in Q2 but if I slowed down to make some space, my tyre temperatures dropped because of the cold weather. The main problem was caused by the red flag coming out, which made the second session very busy when it re-started and when I found some space on the track, it rained! It just didn't go my way this time, but I'll do my best tomorrow."

Sean O'Mahony, Principal Engineer - F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth Ltd: "It was an uneventful day on the engine front. The wet conditions this morning didn't show up any engine driveability issues as is sometimes the case. It was good to see the drivers using maximum revs again in qualifying and with the relatively low ambient temperature of 190C, the delivered engine power will have been the highest so far this season."
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Australia Saturday notes: Red Bull

David Coulthard: "I'm annoyed with that because I felt confident with the car this weekend. I had more laps available as a consequence of not finishing in Malaysia and had a good run yesterday. I locked up in Turn 3 on my last lap and lost some time. But, there you go, at least now we have more choice over strategy for tomorrow. You never quite know what to expect here with the changing weather conditions, I could have stayed in Scotland to get rain and wind like this… It should make tomorrow interesting."

Christian Klien: "It was difficult today as I struggled to find enough grip throughout the qualifying session. The warm up performance of the tyres didn't seem as good as usual and I had a lot of understeer going into corners. As a result, I couldn't go back onto the throttle as quickly as normal. I made it in to the second qualifying and my final lap was going well, but then there was some rain on the last corner and I went wide, running over the kerb and grass. I lost half a second there and that was it."

Christian Horner, Sporting Director: "We'll ultimately finish up eleventh and thirteenth on the grid after the penalties are taken into account, which is a respectable but slightly disappointing performance. It was unfortunate for David to miss getting into the last ten, as he looked as if he had to potential to do that today. However, we're in a good strategic position ahead of the race tomorrow. We have the ability to pick our fuel load tonight and evaluate what our competitors ahead have done."
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Australia Saturday notes: BMW

After Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve set the best times in the third practice session this morning, they finished qualifying for the Australian GP in eighth and ninth positions respectively. However, Jacques will lose 10 grid positions following an engine change prior to qualifying.

Nick Heidfeld: I am disappointed. After our very strong showing this morning as well as in the first two parts of qualifying, a significantly better result was possible today. But in the end I didn't have a fresh set of tyres available so eighth was the best I could expect.

Jacques Villeneuve: Since I will lose 10 positions because of needing a new engine, we concentrated wholly on race strategy in the third part of qualifying, running a representative fuel load. I just did some laps to make sure I got a time and with Trulli not running I finished ninth, which means I will start from 19th position. The race pace that we have is very good so I am still optimistic for tomorrow as Felipe Massa proved in Malaysia what it is possible to do even when you have to start towards the back of the grid.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): For the first time both cars are in the top 10. As we disclosed yesterday, we changed the engine on Jacques's car prior to qualifying. As he will lose 10 grid positions, he only did one outing in the final part of the session to achieve a lap time. With the right strategy he should still have a realistic chance to be competitive in the race. Nick, meanwhile, is in a strong position.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): Both cars in the top 10 in qualifying: this is very positive even though Jacques will be penalised due to the engine change prior to the session. The handling balance of the F1.06 is good, so we should nevertheless be able to challenge in the race.
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Australia Saturday notes: Super Aguri

Takuma Sato: "It was another difficult day for us. I lost about three-quarters of the practice session running due to a hydraulic problem, but the boys in the team did a great job to recover as much time as possible and get me out onto the track for a few laps in the wet conditions. The track dried out considerably for the qualifying session and I tried my best but unfortunately encountered traffic on my fastest lap. It would have been nice to make up a couple more tenths, but I think under the circumstances I am happy."

Yuji Ide: "I was struggling to find the right setup of the car. I used two sets of tyres but they didn't warm up as I wanted it to so I went off the course few times. I couldn't get much grip for some reason so we will find out the cause of it and hopefully we could have a good race tomorrow."

Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: "The weather did not help us today at all and we had some problems throughout the day. We were not able to test set-ups for the car very much and Yuji spun a few times during qualifying. I must say today was the toughest qualifying for us so far. However, we shall discuss all of this in our overnight meetings and we should be able to have a better set-up for the race tomorrow."
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Australia Saturday notes: Ferrari

Jean Todt: "It was a disappointing qualifying session. In the second part, first we had Felipe going off track after he clipped a kerb with the left rear wheel, losing control of the car. Then Michael did not manage to get the most out of his first set of tyres and, at his second attempt, a few drops of rain meant he could not improve. This result does not reflect our potential but we have to accept what happened. Tomorrow, despite the handicap of less than ideal grid positions, we will do our best to make up the ground we have lost today."

Michael Schumacher: "Obviously, we cannot be satisfied with this qualifying. In the second part, I used two sets of new tyres, but I did not get the most out of them. Clearly, the few drops of rain did not help just as I was on my second attempt, but the main problem today is that we were just too slow. Now we have to find out what happened and try and do something to be quicker tomorrow. The cooling fan that stayed on the car when I left the garage? It happened right after the red flag and this is always a frenetic time, so things like this can happen. Tomorrow, it will definitely not be nice to start from this far back on the grid, but we will try and make the most of the situation."

Felipe Massa: "What happened was a shame, because I was on a good lap at the time I went off. I had gone into Turn 11 when I lost the rear of the car. I touched the kerb and I could not correct it in time and that was the end for me. Fortunately, the car was undamaged, which is the most important thing. It should have been a good lap, but now we have to accept this situation and do a good race, just as we did in Malaysia."

Ross Brawn: "We struggled a bit this afternoon. Track conditions were not ideal for us and maybe the tyre we have chosen is the right one for the race, but was not ideal for the temperatures we saw today. Now we have to hope that tomorrow it will be a bit warmer, the track cleans up and the tyre works well. At the moment, we are not completely sure what happened to Felipe, so we will have a look at the data to find the cause."
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Australia Saturday notes: Toyota

Panasonic Toyota Racing goes into Sunday's Australian Grand Prix with two cars in the top ten of the grid after today's qualifying session. On a day of changeable weather at Melbourne, the morning practice session took place on a damp track. The rain then held off until a downpour at the end of Session 2, by which time Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher had both qualified for the final session. Unfortunately Jarno suffered an electronics glitch and a damaged rear wing when he ran over some debris so he took no further part in the action and he will line up on the fifth row. Ralf had a better final session, putting in a good lap to qualify in 6th position. The team will now fight for points in the race.

Ralf Schumacher achieved Toyota's highest qualifying result of 2006 as he made the third row for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher: "I'm delighted to have qualified so high and it's a good achievement for Toyota to be looking so good after the problems we have had. Yesterday was hard but already this morning our pace looked better so we're pretty pleased with what we have achieved today. It was a difficult afternoon, especially when the rain came down at the end of Session 2, but the circuit improved quite well in the last session due to the wind. The tyres felt good and the car was better than I expected on heavy fuel at the end. We've been struggling for grip but the last session was the best I have felt all season. Tomorrow depends on strategy but my target is to score points and we look pretty good for that."

Jarno Trulli qualified for Session 3 but took no further part due to an electronics problem and a damaged rear wing.

Jarno Trulli: "It's great that we are starting to improve but this has been a very unlucky weekend so far for me. I'm struggling with the flu and I am completely blocked up. When I started qualifying the balance and tyres felt okay and even though I had a lot of traffic in both sessions I still managed to do good laps. Then at the last run when I was going even quicker I had an electronic problem and damaged my wing when I ran over some debris. Nonetheless, of course I am delighted about the pace we have shown here. It's good for the team and good for everyone that we have shown we can fight near the front – just a little bit unlucky for me. I've always performed well in Melbourne but I have also endured very bad luck. I hope that can change tomorrow and that we can score some points."

The first day of April brought colder conditions than usual for this race but it brought a good afternoon for Toyota.

Mike Gascoyne – Technical Director Chassis: "We're reasonably happy with qualifying. Ralf put in a fine effort to qualify on the third row but we're disappointed for Jarno. We had an electronic problem that damaged fifth gear on the in lap of his last run of Session 2 and on his fastest lap he also had his rear wing damaged by debris. I'm sure he could have done well in Session 3 but because we wouldn't have had time to fix it, we didn't go out to give us more options for tomorrow from a strategy point of view. The red flags made this session quite exciting but it's the same for everyone and it fell reasonably well for us in terms of where we were at the time. The car has been pretty good all weekend so overall many thanks to Bridgestone for their support in bringing along a tyre that works so well in these conditions. We now have to look for a solid points finish with both cars in the race."
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Australia Saturday notes: McLaren

Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya will start tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix from fourth and fifth on the grid after setting times of 1:25.822 and 1:25.976.

Kimi Raikkonen: "My qualifying today was OK but not perfect. I think we could have gone quicker if we had managed to get everything working, but the changing weather conditions made things a bit more of a challenge. The race tomorrow should be exciting, and I think we are in with a good chance. It should be possible for us to get our package to work perfectly, so we will see what happens. I'm looking forward to it that is for sure."

Juan Pablo Montoya: "I'm quite disappointed as I think we could have been on the front row if I hadn't messed it up when I was on the new tyres. I came into Turn Five a bit too aggressively, hit the kerb and lost it, and that was it. However the car feels great and I know we have a strong strategy for the race, but I have just made things a bit more difficult for myself, but we will see what happens tomorrow."

Ron Dennis: "Considering our race strategy we can be quite pleased with the outcome of qualifying. The variable track conditions throughout today made things more of a challenge but the team coped very well adapting to the changing weather. As one can imagine we are looking forward to the race tomorrow. "

Norbert Haug: "I think we have quite a good basis with Kimi's fourth and Juan Pablo's fifth places. The front row was possible taking into account that Juan Pablo was fastest after the first two sectors and Kimi is a little bit less than two tenths from the front row. However we think we are in good shape for the race."
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