2006 Bahrain Grand Prix - Race 1/18

Qualifying Notes - Red Bull

Phew! The drama was certainly put back into Saturday afternoon today, as the 2006 F1 season got underway with a nail-biting qualifying session. In the first 15-minute stint, nineteen drivers including David Coulthard and Christian Klien got caught up in last minute traffic when the session was re- started after being red flagged. In part two, Christian Klien set the eighth quickest time, which got him through to the final top ten shoot-out, while David, who was unhappy with the balance of his RB2, had to settle for 13th.

David Coulthard: "It was obviously pretty tricky in the first 15 minutes when all the cars were queuing up after the session was re-started. In the second one, the car had too much oversteer and so, to be honest, I wasn't surprised that I didn't get through to the final ten. I wasn't comfortable with the car's balance and so couldn't attack the corners as I would have liked. Christian did well to get through though."

Christian Klien: "The new format is really challenging – there's a lot more pressure on you with the different heats. The first and second parts were pretty good and I was comfortable with the car's performance. The difficult part was the third one when I had more fuel in the car along and new tyres. The car's balance was altered and the heavier fuel load meant the braking points changed too."

Christian Horner, Sporting Director: "I think that was respectable performance, we've got a reasonable strategy for tomorrow and, as it's the first time using new FIA regulations, it's going to be very interesting to see how the race turns out tomorrow. David being out of the top ten means he can now adjust fuel levels for tomorrow, which is beneficial, so I think he'll be in good shape. The team has all been working very hard all winter and throughout this weekend so hats off to them for all their efforts here today."
 
Qualifying Notes - BMW

In a thrilling qualifying session for the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship opener the two BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers, Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve, qualified 10th and 11th respectively for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Nick Heidfeld: To start with, it was great that I was able to make it to the final part of qualifying. It was quite tricky to find the right set-up this afternoon in order to get the best out of the tyres over just one lap. But that worked well for us in the first 15 minute session, better still in the second and even better in the final part. The first two sectors of my lap were very good, but then I pushed a little too hard in Turn 13. I braked late and as I came off the racing line I lost a lot of time. Otherwise I could have qualified as high as fifth, so naturally I am a little disappointed.

Jacques Villeneuve: Our initial strategy for the second session was to do only one run at the end when the track should have been at its best, but then we changed to one run at the beginning and one at the end. Unfortunately I left the pits too late and could only do one lap before the finish, and today the time always came on the second lap.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): This is the best qualifying format that we have ever had. First, two knockout rounds, and then a final session in which everything is at stake all over again. That was really great, an hour of intense action. This is exactly what was missing in recent years. It was also a good start for our new team. We had no technical problems whatsoever, and now it will be crucial for us to get the best out of our grid positions.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): The new 'knockout' qualifying format is pretty exciting! The timing of each run is the biggest challenge. Jacques got stuck in traffic and then just dropped out of the top 10 at the end of the second session. And Nick lost some time and therefore grid positions in the final sector of his last lap. But overall we are happy with our new car and its performance under the new qualifying regulations.
 
Qualifying Notes - Renault

The Renault F1 Team completed an exciting first qualifying session under the new-for-2006 format disappointed to see its drivers only 4th (Fernando Alonso) and 9th (Giancarlo Fisichella) on the grid for the 2006 Bahraini Grand Prix.

As expected, the format created both surprise and incident during the hour, which intensified when Kimi Raikkonen brought out the red flag with just 5 minutes to go of the first session. In spite of this, both Renaults successfully negotiated the first two Heats of qualifying, but were unable to extract maximum performance during the final Super-pole session.

Fernando Alonso set his fastest time on his second quick lap at the end of the Super-pole, thus sacrificing some tyre performance, while Giancarlo Fisichella suffered a loss of performance from the moment he fitted new tyres, which left him only ninth at the end of the hour. However, in spite of this disappointment, both drivers remain confident in their race strategy, and the innate pace of the R26. Only as the race unfolds tomorrow, will the true state of play emerge.

Fernando Alonso: A pretty disappointing result for me really. The qualifying session was very busy, like we expected, and as I had said before the weekend, it didn't change too much for me because the aim was still to complete three quick laps during the hour. The car felt good, and we didn't make any changes to the front wing or anything, but I made a mistake on my first timed lap at the end of the session, and that meant I had to do another one. Obviously, the tyres weren't in such a good condition by then, which meant I ended up only P4. Still, the second row is not too bad, we know the car is quick, so let's see what happens tomorrow.

Giancarlo Fisichella: I am really disappointed to be only ninth. We saw the car was competitive in the two qualifying Heats, as we could set good times quite easily. Things were running smoothly, until I put the new tyres on and suddenly the performance was not there – I lost a lot of speed, and just couldn't do the times we should have been capable of. We don't know why yet, so we will be looking carefully tonight. Still, I think it was quite an exciting hour for the spectators with lots happening on track, and we have a good strategy. Even from ninth, we can have a strong race.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: There was a lot for the teams to learn today to maximise their performance under the new rules and as always, we did some things well, and there is still room to improve on others. With Fernando, we fortunately left ourselves a safety margin at the end of the Super-pole session. This meant that when his first lap on new tyres was not competitive, he was able to continue on a second quick lap. Giancarlo lost speed as soon as he put new tyres on, and we do not yet know why. From a team point of view, we are on the second row with what we believe to be a competitive strategy which bodes well. Our main concern is with identifying and resolving the problem with Giancarlo's car before assessing his chances.

Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations: We saw plenty of incident during the new qualifying format but in the end, for the Renault team, the deciding factor was once again the ability to extract maximum performance over a single timed lap – just like last year. Fernando made a mistake on his first lap and set his fastest time on the second, which puts his relatively high grid position in a favourable light. Things were less positive for Giancarlo, who did not have a normal level of performance at his disposal as his car lost speed during the final part of the Super-pole session. We will be investigating this closely tonight to find the reason. As for the overall picture, we find ourselves in a very similar situation to last year, with the same question marks at the same point of the weekend. I think the real picture will only begin to be clear after the first dozen laps of the race.
 
Qualifying Notes - Super Aguri

During the third practice session that took place this morning Takuma Sato was able to improve his fastest lap time set yesterday by over half a second. In a reverse of fortunes, a drift shaft problem brought Yuji Ide's running to a premature end following an impressive start to the weekend by SUPER AGURI FORMULA 1 team's new rising 'son'.

The team worked unremittingly to ensure that Yuji's car would be ready for the first qualifying session under the new knock-out format. Following an exciting and eventful first session of the afternoon, the SUPER AGURI F1 drivers qualified in 20th and 21st positions for the grid tomorrow, ahead of McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.

Takuma Sato: "Well done to everyone in the team - I am delighted with the result. Both cars qualified and we are on the grid for the race tomorrow, which was our target for this weekend of course, but is a great achievement by the team. We have to work hard on improving our performance going forward, but for now we have accomplished everything that we wanted to achieve so far this weekend and we hope that both cars have a good race tomorrow."

Yuji Ide: "Everything happened so quickly in the qualifying session; it felt like it happened in few minutes. It was so short that I didn't have time to be nervous or excited. My first F1 qualifying time is not fast and even though I am not in the last position, I am the practically the last! However, I am confident that I could get a higher qualifying position as the season progresses and I am very happy to be able to race tomorrow and will do my very best to finish the race safely. I am very grateful to the mechanics for their hard work in making sure that I am on the grid tomorrow."

Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: "I am glad we will be able to have both cars on the grid tomorrow. Yuji had a hard time during the practice and the red flag made the situation tougher for him, but I am glad he will be on the starting grid. We have to move up step-by-step, and I am glad that we will be able to make our very first step forward into the F1 world tomorrow."
 
Qualifying Notes - Toyota

Panasonic Toyota Racing will head into tomorrow's Bahrain Grand Prix with a lot of work to do after a disappointing performance in today's qualifying. At a windy Sakhir circuit, Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher took 14th and 17th places respectively in this afternoon's sessions. The new qualifying system introduced for 2006 consists of three parts – two sessions of 15 minutes after each of which the slowest six cars are eliminated, followed by a 20 minute shoot-out between the remaining ten quickest cars. Unfortunately neither of the Toyota cars made it into the final group so the team will have its work cut out in tomorrow's race. Nevertheless the team will give everything to salvage a strong result from the first race of the season.

Jarno Trulli will start the Bahrain Grand Prix from 14th place on the grid following today's qualifying sessions.

Jarno Trulli: "There wasn't a lot more that I could do out there today. In the first session I was on a quick lap when the red flag came out so I had to abandon that. When we started again we hit traffic so it was not very quick but it was good enough to make it through. The two laps I put together in Session 2 were both good laps and they were about as quick as I could have expected. From a driving perspective, the new qualifying system doesn't change very much in the first two sessions. You need the same kind of approach, putting together a lap when it matters with the track getting quicker all the time. Of course there is traffic that we didn't have last year so timing is important. Still, our performance shows that as a team we have a lot of work to do to make it up to the level of the top teams."

Ralf Schumacher will line up in 17th place on the grid for tomorrow's Bahrain Grand Prix after a difficult afternoon.

Ralf Schumacher: "It is obviously very disappointing that we just missed out on making it through Session 1 today. I was just starting a flying lap when the red flags came out. Then, when everyone went out for their quick laps I was at the back of the pack. I just lost the temperature in the tyres and I couldn't warm up the tyre again before my lap. That meant that I was sliding around for most of the lap and I was not particularly surprised that I didn't make it through to the other sessions. A disappointing day, then, that confirms that we have hard work ahead to force our way up the grid. But it is very early in the season and the full picture of relative performance will only emerge after the first few races."

In the wake of today's disappointing qualifying session, Toyota will push hard to gain ground in tomorrow's race.

Mike Gascoyne – Technical Director Chassis: "That was a disappointing qualifying session, especially given our performance this morning. After the red flag in the first session, Ralf got caught in traffic and therefore set a time that meant he didn't make it through that session. With Jarno we had reasonable expectations of qualifying in the top ten. But with the track getting quicker and quicker than this morning we didn't seem to be able to improve our lap times as the others did. So it is a disappointing result but it's all part of the learning process. We have to look to get both cars home to the finish tomorrow, hopefully to pick up some points and also hopefully to learn about the performance of the car in race conditions on our tyres. We're free to play with race strategy so we have to look tonight to have the best strategy to get both cars into the points."
 
Flibster said:
European Grand Prix - suspension failure due to a flat spot on the tyre.

Lasted 30 laps like that and another 3 miles would have been a superb victory - but most people just called him and McLaren stupid for not pitting...

Them - unlike Raikkonen and McLaren are not racers though - I certainly wouldn't have pitted. There was no way to know if the suspension would fail - it had lasted 30 laps already all it needed was another 1...

Simon/~Flibster

I remember that. The wheel was dancing about like anything. I wouldnt of pitted either. It was go for broke and unfortunatly it broke.

Its not the situation I was referring to though. When the center part of the rear wing on Kimi's car flew off and he went into the tyre barrier. must have been German grand prix then I think. You'll remember.
 
Qualifying Notes - McLaren

Team McLaren Mercedes driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished today's qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in fifth position on the grid with a time of 1:32.164. Kimi Raikkonen will start tomorrow's race from the back of the grid after a right rear suspension failure on his first flying lap which meant that he failed to set a time. This was the first time all the teams experienced the three-stage knockout system introduced for this year. In the first session Juan Pablo Montoya set a time of 1:33.233 and finished in fifth place and the second session saw him finish with the second fastest time of 1:31.487.

Juan Pablo Montoya: "I think we did a good job with the new format, and it ran very smoothly for me. I am a little surprised to finish so far up as we had not been looking good in the earlier sessions when I have been suffering from understeer, but that is what the car could do when it counted. I think we have a good strategy for the race, so we will have to wait and see what will happen tomorrow."

Kimi Raikkonen: "There is not much I can say about today. It is very disappointing to not even complete one timed lap as I believe that the team had a good strategy for the new qualifying system, and I could have been amongst the quickest. Although it is far from ideal to start from the back of the grid, there are overtaking opportunities at this track, and I have done this before and still achieved good results. We will just have to see what happens in the race tomorrow."

Ron Dennis: "A painful first experience of the new qualifying. Our overall competitiveness is still difficult to judge as the fuel load used for the final qualifying still plays a significant role in respect of race strategy. Juan Pablo's set up is still not perfect and Kimi's car suffered a rear suspension lower wishbone failure which was caused by a manufacturing fault, which, after many thousands of kilometres of testing, is difficult to come to terms with."

Norbert Haug: "It is a shame that Kimi suffered from a rear suspension failure. In more than 8000km of testing we have not experienced such a breakdown. We have what we think is a good strategy and a solid basis for a good performance in the race and our speed so far looks OK."
 
Qualifying Notes - Ferrari

First race of the season and first pole position for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team, with both the F248 F1 cars on the front row. For the 180th time a Ferrari driver has set the fastest time in an official F1 qualifying session. Michael will start from pole for the 65th time in his career, and for the second time on this circuit. Felipe starts from the front row for the first time on his debut race for Ferrari.

Jean Todt: "Obviously this first qualifying session of the season is very positive for us. It's been since the 2004 Hungarian Grand Prix that we haven't managed to put both cars on the front row of the grid. I am particularly pleased for Michael because today he has equalled Ayrton Senna's record of pole positions, and for Felipe who qualified on the front row for the first time in his career. Over the last few months the team has worked very hard and today we have seen the results of all this effort. I would also like to thank all our partners, especially the technical ones like Bridgestone and Shell. Now we have to face the most challenging part of the weekend, the race. During the 57 laps we will have to deal with all kinds of changing circumstances. Reliability will be the crucial factor. Even if it is undoubtedly early days yet before one can come to any kind of conclusion, it is certainly a matter of fact that now we have a competitive car-engine-tyre package that can compete at the highest level."

Michael Schumacher: "Amazing result. To be honest I wasn't expecting to be on pole, I thought we might be in touch with the leaders but not in front of everybody, so it really is a wonderful surprise. I'm so happy for the team because they all worked so hard to achieve this result, especially when one considers where we were at the end of last season. What happened in 2005 really hurt and it forced us to react. We have worked very hard and I would also like to thank all the test team for what they have done during the winter months. It is always very difficult to reverse a negative trend but last year's troubles have had the effect of making the team even more closely knit together: this is the mentality that makes Ferrari such a special team. Today I've also equalled a rather special record, that of the number of pole positions set by Ayrton Senna: something I'm very proud of."

Felipe Massa: "This is a day that won't be easy to forget. To qualify on the front row at my first race with Ferrari makes me feel very proud of myself and for what the team has managed to achieve. It's a pity that the traffic on the last lap prevented me from perhaps improving on my time: these are things that happen with this new qualifying format. Maybe next time it might be my turn to take advantage of the situation ! What is important is that now we have a competitive package right from the start of the season. Tomorrow it's going to be a difficult race: we know that our rivals are very strong but we'll give it everything we've got to try and bring home the best result possible."

Ross Brawn: "Obviously the final qualifying session was with race fuel so until the race starts to develop nobody can be sure where they are in the sense that we don't know what strategy the others were on. Knowing the fuel we have and the strategy that we have chosen, I'm quite encouraged by the performance today. It's a good start. If we can hold our positions on the front of the grid tomorrow, then I think we can expect a good race."
 
Qualifying Notes - Honda

The Honda Racing F1 Team's Jenson Button was the third fastest driver today in the first of the new-for-2006 knock-out style qualifying sessions in Bahrain. At the end of an action-packed hour of fevered activity in the garage and on the racetrack, Jenson posted a time just 0.10 secs behind pole position and declared the new qualifying format a success, despite missing out on a front row grid slot.

His new team-mate Rubens Barrichello was less happy with the set-up the car in the qualifying hour and will start tomorrow's 57 lap Bahrain Grand Prix form the third row of the grid.

Jenson Button: "I'm reasonably happy with third place. We had a good qualifying strategy but it was difficult to be consistent and get good clean runs because of the track conditions. The wind was an issue again today but it was gusting in a different direction to yesterday, so the track was still a bit of an unknown quantity. Looking at how the new qualifying panned out, for me it was very exciting. It was non-stop for me in the car and it must have been great for the fans watching at home. Traffic is always an issue with this format but we'll get used to it I'm sure and I think the team did a great job of handling what must have been a very pressured session. On to tomorrow now when we'll see how everyone's fuel strategies play out. It should be a great race and I'm looking forward to it."

Rubens Barrichello: "I think it was okay to be 6th today because I was struggling big time with the set-up of the car through yesterday and this morning. We analysed the problem earlier today and we felt sure there was room for improvement, so we changed things for qualifying and it was a little better. Now we just need to see what the race brings tomorrow."

Gil de Ferran: "From where we were standing this must have been one of the most exciting and tense sessions we experienced to date! It all started early with the red flag in Q1, that forced us to quickly adapt our running plan to ensure we were going to make it to the last elimination round, which we did and came very close to being on the front row. Jenson had to contend with traffic and did a great job fighting for pole all the way. Rubens wasn't entirely happy with the balance of his car, nevertheless is in a good position on the third row. Although we just went through our first qualifying session of the year, there are still a lot of unknowns in terms of strategy for tomorrow. As we said prior to the event, we look forward to the race when the picture will become much clearer!"

Shuhei Nakamoto: "The new qualifying format was an interesting challenge! Both drivers showed their experience and did a calm and solid job. Until the other teams' fuel loads become clear tomorrow in the race it's hard to make a prediction, but I think we are in quite good shape. The engine is running well and we're looking forward to the race."
 
Qualifying Notes - WilliamsF1

Mark Webber: "Not a bad effort at all. We have still a lot of work to do but we could not really have asked for much more today, considering a few teams have been testing on this track in the last two weeks and have of course better an understanding of the conditions here. We will learn a lot more tomorrow in the race, let's see how it goes. The new format of qualifying is a bit of a mess for the drivers and the teams in terms of organization. We have to see how it looked on TV, though."

Nico Rosberg: "I am not too unhappy about today's result, even if qualifying has been a bit of a chaos, due to the new format, but I still enjoyed it. I could have done a little bit better, maybe not much. I was pushing very hard and spun on my fast lap, towards the end of the session, but it can happen. The fact I didn't make it to the final part of qualifying means I have some small advantage for tomorrow, since we will be able to put in the car as much fuel as we like. I am now looking forward to a reasonable race."
 
Qualifying Notes - Bridgestone

The first ever running of this season's new-style qualifying format brought plenty of excitement today at the Bahrain International Circuit as seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and new Ferrari teammate, Felipe Massa, claimed a stunning 1-2 in the final minutes of the three-part qualifying session. Schumacher's pole not only equals Ayrton Senna's record of 65 poles but it is Bridgestone's 91st since entering F1 in 1997. Fellow Bridgestone runner, WilliamsF1's Mark Webber was also on good form today, posting the seventh fastest time in the top ten shoot-out period while his F1 rookie teammate, Nico Rosberg, will be pleased with a respectable 12th position on his F1 qualifying debut. The Toyotas of Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli fared less well today but they will be looking for a stronger race performance on Sunday. For MF1 Racing's Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro and Super Aguri's Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide it was a brief qualifying with all four being knocked out in the first part of qualifying.

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager - Bridgestone Motorsport: "All of us at Bridgestone are delighted with today's results. A 1-2 is a great way to start the season - especially as it has been some time since our last pole in Hungary 2005. Mark Webber's 7th place is also an excellent achievement from one of our new teams and these results are a reflection of all the hard work put in during winter testing. But, this is only round one qualifying and there is a whole season to go. The most important thing now is tomorrow afternoon's race result so we shall be busy this evening checking the tyres again and giving some final advice to the teams to maximize their chances. Today's weather has been very changeable and we've had a lot of sand blown on track. The temperature is also significantly lower than yesterday and some drivers had difficulty getting the temperature up in their tyres. This is something we need to improve and we will keep working closely with our teams to do so."

Ross Brawn, Technical Director - Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: "The final part of the qualifying session was run on race fuel levels so until the race starts tomorrow no-one really knows where we are. However, it was a good start to the year and we are definitely encouraged by today's performance. If we can hold our positions on the grid it should be a good race."

Sam Michael, Technical Director - WilliamsF1: "This is our first race weekend on Bridgestone tyres and it's going well so far. The tyres are clearly working well here in Bahrain but we will have to wait and see how the strategies compare to see where we are. We are confident of our long run performance."
 
Qualifying Notes - Michelin

Jenson Button (third) and world champion Fernando Alonso (fourth) will lead the Michelin challenge in the season-opening Bahraini Grand Prix, following the first running of the sport's ground-breaking, knockout-style qualifying system.

Seven Michelin drivers – representing five of the company's six partner teams – made it into the final top-10 shoot-out. Juan Pablo Montoya will start the race fifth, ahead of Rubens Barrichello (sixth), Christian Klien (eighth), Giancarlo Fisichella (ninth) and Nick Heidfeld (10th).

This morning's final free practice session began slowly – the Bahraini track was covered in a layer of sand after strong winds blew across the adjacent desert. Jenson Button (Honda/Michelin) eventually set the pace – but he Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) and world champion Fernando Alonso (Renault/Michelin) were covered by little more than one tenth of a second.

An electrical problem has been pinpointed as the reason for McLaren/Michelin driver Kimi Raikkonen's failure to complete yesterday's second free practice session.

Raikkonen was eliminated during the first segment of today's inaugural knock-out qualifying system. He spun off when his car suffered a rear suspension failure and spread debris all across the track. The session was red-flagged with four and a half of the 15 minutes remaining – at which stage 12 drivers, including world champion Fernando Alonso, had yet to set a time. Every driver bar Raikkonen eventually completed a lap. Alonso was quickest, on 1m 32.483s, while Raikkonen, Christijan Albers, Tiago Monteiro, Yuji Ide and Takuma Sato were the first six drivers to be eliminated.

Jacques Villeneuve, Nico Rosberg, David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed stumbled during the second knock-out qualifying segment of the qualifying session.

Nick Shorrock, Michelin Formula One director: "For a first run -out, I think the new qualifying system proved to be very interesting – and teams clearly need to be on their toes, as we saw in the first segment, because unexpected incidents can impact on strategies.

"The track was dirty and very slow to begin with, because of all the sand that has blown across, but conditions improved throughout the session. Our partner teams will use six different types of tyre in the race and I am very satisfied with the way all our products performed.

"The weather has been a little cooler than originally anticipated, which has made it tricky to get the absolute best from the rubber, but I think we'll be strong in the race and I'm eager to see how the final part of the weekend unravels. Our partners have worked extremely hard throughout the winter and it is rewarding to see that several of them look to be in extremely competitive shape."

Nick Fry, chief executive officer, Honda Racing F1 Team: "We benefit from a fantastic collaboration with Michelin and have come to this race extremely well prepared. We ran very strongly yesterday, when Anthony Davidson posted the fastest time, and were quick again this morning, when Jenson Button set the pace. I think the latest qualifying system is fantastic – it tested teams' nerves at every stage. Even if it is slightly disappointing not to have made the front row, it's only tomorrow that we'll find out who really is the fastest and I think we are in a very good position."
 
Qualifying Press Conference

Welcome back Michael, your first pole since Hungary ’05.
Michael Schumacher: Yeah, I’ve had to wait a long time to get back up here. Hard work in the meantime, an amazing result. All winter we knew that we seemed to have a good package but then you wait, very strongly for the final confirmation and here and now we have the confirmation for all the hard work. Every engineer, every mechanic has been giving everything to put us back up here and it’s the best way to pay back all our guys. There’s such a great feeling and emotion. It’s been too long ago, too long time ago.

And a bit of a race there with your team mate, 31.5s and then a 31.4s for the pole.
MS: Yeah, absolutely. It was very obvious right from the beginning and even before: Ferrari - not without reason - took the decision to take Felipe on board. We knew about his qualities and today he has proven them. It’s a great combination. We’re getting on very well, very focused and I hope the success story will continue after a year’s break.

There was non-stop action from the outside; what was it like from your point of view? Sixth in the first two periods and then pole in the third.
MS: Yeah, it has been very exciting, particularly in the first session as we wanted to leave it towards the end, then we had the red flag and we just got in the one lap in which it would have been very easy to make a mistake. From hero to zero wasn’t very much at that moment. The second session was a little bit more straightforward: just be safe and play to stay in the top ten and then we had a good concept and a way to arrange ourselves to go for pole position. The team has worked very well. We have had some struggles over the winter, we couldn’t do the whole programme that we sometimes wanted to do, but nevertheless we came here very focused, very concentrated and very organised.

Felipe, turning to you, not only on the front row but the first time that you’ve ever qualified in the top three as well.
Felipe Massa: Yeah, I’m really happy for that. I would say I’m very happy to be with the Ferrari team and feel comfortable here. It’s amazing how the team works and I knew from the first test I did that it was going to be a much more competitive year for me, to show what I can do and it was definitely a great start. I was really happy to be in the top two in the first race of the season. As for my lap, I’m really happy to be second, but honestly, I have to thank Giancarlo (Fisichella) because he took away my pole position, because I was going to improve my lap time on the last run and I hit traffic, but anyway, great start. Hopefully we can always do this kind of qualifying and I think it’s a great start for me, for everybody in the team.

Jenson, you’ve been looking strong all winter and strong now: P3.
Jenson Button: Yeah, it’s quite interesting, the new qualifying system. I’m sure for the spectators and it is for us. It’s always go, you’re always doing something and it turned out reasonably well for us. It’s quite difficult to get clean runs, especially in the last session which I think we all struggled to do a little bit, but I think that our strategy was very good in doing two sets of new tyres and yeah, it’s good to be in the top three and hopefully we can improve on this tomorrow.

What were the conditions actually like in that traffic period at the end, and also given the wind conditions today?
JB: It was pretty difficult out there today with the wind. It’s coming from a completely different direction from yesterday. There’s a lot of sand on the circuit, so it’s very difficult to be consistent and when you’re trying to do a fast lap on the edge, it’s tough. But that’s what it’s all about, and it’s great to be third. It’s been a tough winter, very very long but very good for us and I think we will show that tomorrow.

Michael, obviously a different format for the race tomorrow, tyre changing coming back into Formula One. Your thoughts on that?
MS: I think it makes racing a little bit more interesting. You drive more on the edge, you push harder, you fight, you overtake, you take a little bit more risk so it’s a good thing.

Press Conference

Michael, a busy hour - or just over - did the strategies work out pretty much as you expected?
MS: Obviously nobody could have expected the red flag in the first session and the session to be stopped. Except for that, I guess it was pretty normal.

Nothing’s normal at the moment, it’s all pretty much up in the air, isn’t it?
MS: I’m pretty sure that the guys on TV who have to commentate on all this and explain it to the fans have had a hard job.

Do you think we are going to see you do two stops for tyres in every race?
MS: We will certainly stop more than we have been doing last year, no doubt! (Laughter)

I meant in qualifying…
MS: That depends very much on the strategy you think you need to apply to your own needs, honestly. We chose that strategy.

Of course, the question is how many sets of tyres have you got left now?
MS: Enough!

Your pole position total is now equal to the record. Do you have a comment to make on that?
MS: It makes me proud, that’s probably all I should and can say about it.

Felipe was very very close in that qualifying…
MS: Yep, I think that’s the reason why Ferrari took him because we knew he’s performing very very well and he will give fresh air to the team. As I’ve mentioned several times, I never expected him to be anywhere else than where he has shown himself to be. As I’ve said before, he had the possibility to go quicker but for traffic, and it’s always a question of who can do what or whatever. Nevertheless, it’s going to be a tight and nice race between us and pushing each other to good results.

You weren’t allowed to change the car very much, only the front wing and tyre pressures. Would you have liked to have made changes?
MS: Being here, we knew pretty much what to expect and what to do so it certainly helped in this respect to know exactly what to do and not to move around other bits and pieces.

Felipe, well done, it must be a really nice feeling…
FM: It’s a great feeling, fantastic feeling, fantastic opportunity to go to Ferrari and I think the team did a fantastic job in the winter tests to develop the car. We’ve had some issues with the car, but we saw straight away that the car was good and was quick and was performing a lot better than they were used to last year. So for me, it was a great opportunity. I think it is the best way to start the championship, not just starting in second place but also fighting. The pole position thing was really really good for me, and I have to say that I’m really happy and hopefully we can see each other many times.

And so close to Michael as well.
FM: Yeah, it was a great fight, I have to say, and on the last run, I had a little bit of traffic from Giancarlo and anyway it was a great fight and hopefully we can have this fight all the time.

What about the track conditions, the wind as well?
FM: Well, the track conditions were not easy, there was a really strong wind and it was not so easy to find the right balance so it was very very difficult and in a couple of corners you had understeer, and in other corners you had a lot of oversteer so it was very difficult to drive, but fortunately we didn’t make a mistake and we just made a good lap.

Jenson, obviously happy to be in the top three, but disappointed not to be on the front row?
JB: Yeah, I think that’s the same for everyone who isn’t on the front row. We all want to be on the front row and spearheading the grid tomorrow afternoon. But third place was good. I’m reasonably happy with that and it was good, I thought it was very exciting. I’m sure it was the same for all the fans out there watching, because it was non-stop for me. I was in and out of the garage, especially with Räikkönen’s problem in the first session. It made it a very busy session, but it was good fun and it’s nice to be up here in third position and it’s just the normal thing which is the same for everyone: if the traffic is an issue, and it always has been with this sort of system but that’s something we’ve got to sort out ourselves.

But it’s good to have the traffic back again!
JB: Yeah, I think so. It’s great having runs and having to do them at certain times during the hour. I think that does make it extra exciting and we have to be out on the circuit to do the times and I think that’s great, it’s good for the fans and I’m sure it’s going to make for some upsets this season and for some very different grids, I think.

Interesting to see that amongst the three of you, you’re from two teams that tested here before. Do you think that was significant?
JB: It might be. We have the experience on the tyres here and all the other teams don’t. I think these two (Schumacher and Massa) probably had the best experience; they were here for nine days but also the weather was very up and down while we were here and it seems to be very different here for the race. It’s very windy and there was a lot of sand on the circuit which makes it difficult to drive and I think that adds a little bit of excitement to it as well, trying to keep the car in a straight line on the straight. But yes, it’s great that we’ve got a good position here for tomorrow and hopefully we can gain those two positions tomorrow.

Would you like to have changed more in qualifying?
JB: No, not really. I think we had a good balance and in these conditions it’s difficult because in some places, you’ve got quite a bit of understeer, in some places you’ve got quite a bit of oversteer. It matters which direction the wind is. I think we pretty much got the maximum out of the car, it was just getting the maximum out of the circuit, more than anything else.

Questions From The Floor

(Mathias Brunner - Motorsport Aktuell) Michael, last year you were very critical of qualifying - saying we changed the system far too many times. Would you say this is the right system to keep?
MS: I don’t think it matters what I think in this respect because it matters what the fans think and you write about it. It looks like after all the changes we have made we have something which is exciting and I hope everybody likes it. For us, we can deal with it and it makes it even exciting for us and gives you more opportunities and is very fair if you have changing weather conditions and so on. In a way I think it’s pretty good.

(Niki Takeda - Formula PA) Michael, how much did this pole mean to you after such a long period of not being in front?
MS: Honestly, after the weekend was progressing, I was not exactly expecting it. I thought we would be a little behind. I thought we might be touching the front but now to be here and actually have Felipe in the front row and be so competitive, that’s a very nice surprise, in particular if you imagine what happened last year and if you think about what is the normal trend. When you have such a story of success, usually there is a downtrend, and when you have a downtrend, to move it to an uptrend is probably the most difficult to achieve this and it’s an amazing result for all who have worked so hard for that result, and to be able to give that and give this extra motivation to keep on going. We have good reasons to believe that the whole season is looking strong for us. We are looking very strong and every so often we get updates on the car and really it’s the best, best way to pay (them) back for all this hard work and really I’m so happy for all of us.

(Anthony Rowlinson - Autosport) Michael, you said recently that last year you struggled to get the best out of yourself without the car being fully competitive without the car being the best. Do you think this year you can see yourself getting back to your peak?
MS: It certainly helps to just be at the peak, absolutely. As I said, very often when you just have no chance, it’s very difficult to get this extra little bit out and you feel it’s not worth it. Certainly it’s worth it now.

Michael, The norm in Formula One is for drivers to wear the same caps and overalls for example. Now, apart from a couple of personal sponsors, you and Felipe are both wearing totally different sets of overalls and whatever. Will that be the Ferrari norm for this year?
MS: Really?

Yes. If you look at Felipe’s shoulders, you’ll see they’re a different style to yours.
MS: They’re both the same colour. There are a couple of differences, and that’s where you personalise yourself. That has always been, but maybe it’s been less obvious for example.

(Mark Fogarty - Auto Action) Michael is this result one in the eye for many people - including many of the teams - who didn’t put Ferrari in the calculations pre-season?
MS: I don’t think it’s important what other people think and mean about us. It’s more important what we do ourselves and what we have suffered last year and the amount of work we have put in to satisfy ourselves is important.

There is a suggestion that leading up to this race the team weren’t showing their hand? We call it sandbagging.
MS: It’s difficult to understand the question.

JB: Were you driving around slowly on purpose?

MS: There are always certain thoughts about what you might or might not do. If you go testing, you try to explore what you have available. Initially when we were testing with other teams, we didn’t have the full aero package or everything together and again the same here when we’ve been together just a day. BAR (Honda) left and our bits had just arrived. It’s not purposefully done but it’s to do with the timing. That’s the way it was and the car certainly had improved. It was obviously very good for us to stay in Italy after that instead of going to Valencia and working six days instead of three days. All this sort of pays out.

(Mark Fogarty - Auto Action) Jenson, in the past few years, it’s fair to say a victory would have been a bonus. Is there a new mentality in the team now? If you don’t win this year, will it be a failure?
JB: I think we’d be very disappointed if we don’t get a win this year, but whatever we feel at the end of the season or next year, we’re just concentrating on the moment we have a good package and had a fantastic winter and we’re just looking forward to tomorrow. If we don’t get that win that we’re looking for then so be it. We’ll be back out challenging again in Malaysia next weekend.

(Hemu Gorde – Khaleej Times) Michael, how much of the success of your pole position do you attribute to the new Ferrari and Jenson, how do you find the challenge now with the Ferraris on pole?
JB: It’s obviously very good for them, and not so good for us. They look very strong but we still don’t know what people are doing with fuel loads or anything. Tomorrow is the day that counts.

MS: In these days, we drivers are on pretty close levels and it matters very much on the car you have and what you can get out of it, so it’s a big tribute to have competitive car because you saw last year that without one, you can do nothing.

(Ottavio Daviddi - Tuttosport) Felipe, when you joined Ferrari, did you expect to be this quick in your first Grand Prix?
FM: I expected to be competitive. I was always competitive in my career and I was always trusting what I can do, so I expect always to be competitive and that is my goal always. For sure, if you look at the championship last year, you have some feelings that I was not so easy to change completely and to make a very good car, but if you look the other way, you can see that Ferrari is a very good team and they are able to do that because they have very good people and they are always able to work towards improving the car. Last year was a mistake and there were a lot of combinations that made the car not so quick, but I was in a small team and always when you have the chance to go to a top team to fight for better positions is always the target.

(Juha Päätalo - Financial Times Deutschland) Michael, it’s interesting to look at the times between the sessions. Your time was remarkably better in the last session with a race fuel load. Can you explain why? Is it the tyres, is it that you didn’t risk so much in the first sessions?
MS: First session, you don’t risk everything. Secondly, I only did one lap due to the red flag. Thirdly, it was much dirtier on the track. Fourthly, we had used tyres.

(Pascal Dro - Formules) Felipe, you’re still a young driver. Do you feel something special going into the track as your first qualifying for Ferrari?
FM: Yes, sure. Always when you go on the track you always have the feeling that you need to do your best and get the best out of you and I have to say I was not excited – I was just concentrating on doing my lap and that’s what I did. You have always some emotions, but you have more when you are out of the car. When you are in the car, you have only the felling to do your best.

You look exhausted. Are you?
FM: No, now the emotion is coming so I need to prepare myself for these things after qualifying. I’m not tired, I’m just happy.

(Alessia Cruciani – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Michel, Kimi Räikkönen only wants to sign a contract with Ferrari. What do you think of that?
MS: Maybe.

In you’re running, you’ve come up against two cars running different engines to the rest of you. What are your opinions on the performance of those two cars?
JB: Well, they’re supposed to have more horsepower and that’s about it really. I haven’t been behind a Toro Rosso this weekend so I don’t know how quick they are in the straights, but they’re supposed to be more powerful than any of the V8 cars.

MS: I wouldn’t be surprised if they have more horsepower, but they’re not that far off. They have a reasonable car from last year and nevertheless if you look at where the first team is and the second team. It’s maybe hard for teams like Midland and Aguri to run with the V8 and they don’t know exactly. You always assume there is more than you think, but I think if you give them a V8 they could do the same.

FM: If I have to think about it as a Ferrari driver, you see the rules is that everyone has the V8 and you see another team with a V10, which is maybe not 100 percent fair because nobody is right and 100 percent reliable. They are 100 percent reliable because they have the car from last year. If I was a Midland driver, I would be angry because you work a lot through the winter and then see another car running with a V10.

How do you rate this circuit and how did you find the hospitality?
JB: This is a circuit I enjoy. It’s had some great racing over the last few years, and also for me, it’s a great place to start the season. The hospitality is fantastic, we’ve been welcomed here with open arms and put on a great show, so yes, I’m really happy with the way things have gone this weekend and I’m sure everyone is looking forward to the race tomorrow.

MS: Very similar. It has been even more obvious for all three of us because we have been here for a whole week of testing. You have more time to get out and meet people and I found the people very nice and very helpful and I’ve really enjoyed the time.

FM: The same. I really enjoy the circuit. It’s very well done, the paddock and everything. Also the place. I was here nine days testing and I really enjoyed it. The time goes by quickly because it’s a really nice place to be.

The grid off-line is quite dirty compared to other circuits so how will that affect your starts?
JB: I’m on clean side so I’m okay.

MS: Me too.

FM: Me too. I did not hear the question so maybe me too. Oh yeah, I’m on the dirty side, so maybe it’s not good, but hopefully we can have a good start and maybe keep the position.

(Mark Fogarty - Auto Action) Felipe will you and Michael be on different strategies or can we expect a straight fight?
FM: I think wait tomorrow and you’ll see.

JB: I’m just wondering how you’ll get information out of him, sitting up here. It would be quite impressive.

Is the team encouraging you to battle Michael hard?
FM: The team is encouraging both drivers to push very hard and be in the best position possible. We are starting first and second but I think our competitors are very strong. We will not have an easy race so both drivers will have to push hard from beginning to last lap.

(Niki Takeda - Formula PA) How enjoyable was qualifying, trying to find the best lap in traffic?
JB: It was a lot of fun, I enjoyed it. It was weird seeing other cars on the track, but getting out on the track when it’s dirty is an experience. I know how the Minardi guys felt last year. I think it will work with the fans and with us.

MS: I enjoyed it.

FM: I enjoyed it much, but not the traffic. I think it is a good system and I hope the people at home enjoyed it. It was interesting.

(Sonorita Chauhan - Gulf Weekly) Jenson, you said you like flowing tracks, but this is stop-start. Do you like it here? Also, as a new home-owner, does it change things? Will we be seeing more of you?
JB: Hopefully. It’s not built yet but hopefully I’ll be coming out. It’s a great way to relax and it’s not too far from Europe as well. The track, well, we’ve had some good races here and for me that makes it a good racetrack. We’re able to overtake and race against each other.
 
Bennah said:
I remember that. The wheel was dancing about like anything. I wouldnt of pitted either. It was go for broke and unfortunatly it broke.

Its not the situation I was referring to though. When the center part of the rear wing on Kimi's car flew off and he went into the tyre barrier. must have been German grand prix then I think. You'll remember.

That wasn't last years German GP, Kimi stopped on track last year. Think that was the previous year. Or was that the year he slammed into the back of someone at the start.
Kimi'll be glad when Hockenhiem starts swapping years with Nurburgring :eek:
 
Ralf Hoping Toyota is Last Stop in His F1 Career

Ralf Schumacher says he would be happy to race out his formula one career with the Toyota team.

The 30-year-old German, on a multi-year contract with the Cologne based marque, told the 'Welt' newspaper that he was not looking around the paddock for a new challenge.

''I do not know exactly when my career will end,'' Schumacher said, ''but if everything goes to plan, Toyota will be my last stop in F1.''

Toyota launched its new TF106 car amid expectations of a maiden win this year, but Ralf has told the media that he does not yet expect to land the title.

The team endured a nightmare start to its 2006 campaign in Bahrain, Ralf flopping around some four seconds off the pace on Friday.

He also said in the interview: ''We want to become the best Bridgestone runner, so we want to beat Ferrari.

''Our goal for this season is to win races.''

Don't worry Ralf - I'm sure with your performance today *and recently - comments about the team and car* will ensure that Toyota will be your Last stop in F1....

No-one else will want you once your contract is over.. :p
 
Flibster said:
Don't worry Ralf - I'm sure with your performance today *and recently - comments about the team and car* will ensure that Toyota will be your Last stop in F1....

No-one else will want you once your contract is over.. :p

He really is a petulant little kid isn't he.

As far as I am aware he's the only person who will never be invited back to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He was there with Williams at one point and annoyed all and sundry by huffing the entire time because he wasn't the centre of attention.
 
rpstewart said:
He really is a petulant little kid isn't he.

As far as I am aware he's the only person who will never be invited back to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He was there with Williams at one point and annoyed all and sundry by huffing the entire time because he wasn't the centre of attention.

Always seems to be running his mouth off rather than his flab off.. ;)

He always seems to be either wingeing or sulking - kind of liek Mansell in that respect.

Anyway - A1GP now on so.. :D
Laguna Seca Baby!

Simon/~Flibster
 
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