2006 European Grand Prix - Race 5/18

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Klien furious at Sato

Red Bull driver Christian Klien was furious at Super Aguri's Takuma Sato, claiming the Japanese driver ruined his qualifying.

Klien failed to make the first cut today after Sato blocked him during his final flying lap.

Without time to complete another lap, the Red Bull driver was left out of the second session and had to settle for 17th position.

Klien, who was confused by the red flag which was shown by error during the dying minutes of the first session, admitted he was very angry at Sato.

"I'm massively *piddled* off," said the Austrian. "All weekend I've been quick, I was in the top eight this morning and it was a really good opportunity for me and the team to be in the top ten today. During a timed lap, my engineers told me there was a red flag, so I slowed down and prepared to come back to the pits.

"But I was then told to continue, which was very strange, as that normally can't happen under a red flag. So, I did another lap. My tyres were worn, but I was on for a good time until I came up to Sato. He didn't look in his mirrors and ruined my whole lap and whole qualifying session.

"For me it's a really *poo* day and makes the rest of the weekend pretty complicated."

Klien's teammate David Coulthard enjoyed a slightly better session, finishing in 14th position.

"My last lap was good until I lost some time on the last corner, so there's still some work to be done," he said. "I feel for Christian. It's always disappointing to get caught up in traffic, but it's unusual for such a timing error to occur.

"The red flag happened on my out lap, so we were able to rectify everything before I started my timed lap, but it's very disappointing for Christian, especially as he was going so well this weekend."

 

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Villeneuve baffled by Fisichella's anger

BMW driver Jacques Villeneuve has claimed he did not think he had blocked Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella during the second part of qualifying for the European Grand Prix.

Fisichella, who had shaken his fist at the Canadian several times as he followed the BMW driver on the track in the penultimate session, clearly blamed the 1997 champion for baulking him.

Standing in the BMW garage in front of Villeneuve's car, with the Canadian still sitting in it, the Renault driver, who missed the second cut, pointed his finger and made his feelings clear.

"Fisichella seemed to be really angry and I am not exactly sure what happened," he said.

"I thought I was ahead of him and I was trying to get out of his way, maybe I slowed him down a little bit but I never thought he was that close to me. I will go and talk to him because it was not done on purpose.

"I don't think I hindered him and don't know why he is furious. I saw him but I thought there was enough space."

Villeneuve admitted he was hoping for more in qualifying, despite a strong performance to eighth place.

"The plan today was to get in the top ten, but we were hoping to be slightly better than P8," said the BMW driver. We concentrated on our qualifying set-up for a change, which enabled us to start further up the grid."

Despite that, the Canadian was still optimistic of fighting for a points finish tomorrow.

"I think we can get in the points, but will have to see how our set-up lives in the race," he said.

Villeneuve finished well ahead of teammate Nick Heidfeld who, after starting from pole position in last year's race, endured a disappointing day to finish only 15th.

The German driver admitted he was unsure about the reason for his lack of pace.

"Of course I'm unhappy with my lap time and my position," he said. "The car was not bad, although in the second half of the lap I had some understeer and the overall grip was not ideal.

"I don't know why I didn't manage to record a better lap time as we definitely didn't have the difficulties today we had here on Friday or in Imola."

 

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Speed frustrated by traffic

American Scott Speed blamed traffic for failing to make the first cut in qualifying for the European Grand Prix.

"That was really frustrating," admitted Speed. "In Imola we were unlucky with traffic and exactly the same thing happened today in qualifying.

"I think our pace was good but, once again we did not get the chance to show it.

"Hopefully, some time soon, I'll get a clean qualifying lap and someone else will get blocked, but this time, I had to pass Sato on my quick lap and then I got held up by a Midland in the last chicane, as he came into the pits.

"The red flag didn't really affect me. That's what this qualifying format is about this year, so hopefully, we'll get lucky one time," added Speed, who qualified in 19th position.

The American was outqualified by teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi, who made the first cut but failed to advance to the final session.

Liuzzi, 16th quickest, said there was nothing else he could have done.

"We could not really expect more than this today, as we were pretty much at our limit," said Liuzzi. "But the car performed well and I think we have a good set-up for tomorrow's race. With a few cars changing engines, we can move up a few places."

 

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Midland unhappy about timing error

Midland managing director Colin Kolles believes his team lost out the most following a timing error during qualifying for the European Grand Prix.

The start of the second session was delayed by 10 minutes, with timing screens initially showing no lap time for BMW Sauber's Canadian Jacques Villeneuve or Super Aguri's Franck Montagny.

A red flag warning, which would have stopped the session, was also issued for no visible reason and then immediately rescinded.

When the problem was resolved, Villeneuve was found to have made the cut while others who thought they had gone through to the second phase, such as Red Bull's Christian Klien and Midland's Christijan Albers, were ruled out.

"We will look into what happened with that timing error, because I think it's pretty clear that we suffered the biggest disadvantage as a result of this problem," said Kolles. "But anyway, more importantly, the time gap to the front is shrinking all the time.

"We're still not where we want to be, but you can be sure we will work hard to get there."

Portuguese driver Tiago Monteiro was also unhappy at the situation after he lost one qualifying run.

"Inexplicably, we got penalised by that false red flag, which nobody seems to understand," said Monteiro, 20th fastest.

"I really hope the organisers have an explanation for that, because, in the end, it might not be a big deal for them, but it cost me my second run and a potential attempt to break into the second qualifying heat."

 

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Post-qualifying press conference - Europe

TV Unilaterals

Q. Fernando, it looks to have been a difficult weekend so far, but in the last 15 minutes of qualifying, it all happened for you.

Fernando Alonso: Yeah, it was not easy this morning to find the balance, nor yesterday, but I think we did a good job with the car. We made some changes overnight and now for qualifying. They seemed to work OK. Qualifying is always a bit stressful and difficult, especially Q2 when you cannot make a mistake, otherwise you are out. We are really close in the top ten normally. In Q3, everything worked fine for us today, no problems, no traffic, and completely the opposite of the last four qualifying sessions when I've had a little bit of everything in Q3.

Q. Michael, very quick all weekend. Dramatic last few minutes for you; tell us about those last two runs.

Michael Schumacher: The first one wasn't that clear in terms of traffic and preparation. Neither was the second; again there were quite a few cars just in front of me, but nevertheless, I'm on the first row with a strong package, good race pace, so it should be interesting tomorrow.

Q. Felipe, also looking strong all weekend and carrying on the good work from Imola.

Felipe Massa: Yeah, it's definitely very good for us to start on the first and second row. I think I did a good lap. It was a little bit windy; during the whole qualifying session it was not so easy to do a good lap. I'm quite happy to be here and as Michael said, we feel quite strong for the race. We have a good package, so hopefully tomorrow the pictures will be very good as well.

Q. Thoughts on the race tomorrow, Fernando. Ferrari are very close, looks like a good motor race.

FA: Yeah, it will be an interesting race, to see what happens. I think we have good race pace. They also have a good pace in the long runs, so hopefully it will be close and I hope to fight for victory. You never know what will happen in the end but at least it seems that we are there again and competitive and this is the important thing, to always be on the podium.

Press Conference

Q. Fernando, first front row, first pole this year; bit of a strange statistic...

FA: Yeah, we had four qualifyings which have been a little bit difficult in the first four races. Sometimes because of the traffic, sometimes by mistake and sometimes I made some mistakes also, like in Bahrain on my best lap. So we've never had a normal qualifying and today we had clear laps and we managed to make some changes to the car to improve it because yesterday we had some problems and I think we are in a much better position to start than in the previous race.

Q. The basic problem yesterday seemed to be a lack of grip, a lot of drivers complaining of that. Obviously the track conditions have changed, but you've changed the car as well.

FA: Yeah, we did the normal changes to make the car better overnight and everything seems to have worked quite well. It's always been difficult to start well here; the first corner is really tight so it's better not to be in the middle of the group so I'm really happy to be on pole here, maybe better than in Malaysia which is not so important because it's a very wide circuit.

Q. Except you have Ferraris on either side of you.

FA: Yes, Ferrari seem strong again this weekend and hopefully we can have a good race tomorrow with them.

Q. Michael, were you a bit surprised by the Renault speed?

MS: No.

Q. You were very quick this morning but they have become very quick this morning and have been certainly quick this weekend.

MS: Yeah, but they never been slow all season, so I'm not really surprised they're that quick.

Q. Did you change the car much from yesterday to today?

MS: We always work on the car. We always do some detailed work. At this circuit we haven't necessarily the need to make big changes.

Q. But as things have gone so far, it's been a regular weekend for you then?

MS: Yep.

Q. Are you disappointed not to be on pole then with things like your traffic problems?

MS: It wasn't necessarily a problem because the lap itself was free. The preparation was not as great but nevertheless, I'm pretty happy to be alongside Fernando on the front row and with Felipe just behind Fernando, so I think we will have a good performance tomorrow.

Q. Could this be a continuation of San Marino Grand Prix?

MS: Honestly, there is no reason why we should not be strong anywhere anytime.

Q. So still confident?

MS: Yep.

Q. Felipe, are you pleased to be third on the grid because you two have been pretty quick this weekend?

FM: Yeah, we've been quite quick and I'm quite happy. I think we were quick the whole time because we have a good package. I thought they did a great job last week and pretty much I know we have a very strong car for the race tomorrow and it is always very good to start in the top three.

Q. Was qualifying hectic with the two of you coming in for pit-stops at the same time? Fernando was on his own.

FM: Yeah, it was very tricky in this qualifying to find the right moment to go out and to try to avoid the traffic. Basically, I thought today there were maybe six or seven cars together in a very small gap between each other, so it was difficult to find my way, but we managed to have good luck. In the end, it was very difficult to find a free way in qualifying and this time it was no problem.

Questions From The Floor

Q. (Andrea Cremonesi - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Michael, one lap was very quick and the other two were not. Was that just related to the track or had it something to do with the set-up of the car?

MS: As you know, we're not allowed to work on the set-up.

Q. (Philippe Joubin - L'Equipe) Fernando, you said you made some changes with the car. What was wrong with the car (in the first place)?

FA: The grip was not there in the morning. We did the normal changes that we do on a Friday night to make the car better and more comfortable to drive. The tyres were not working.

Q. (Ottavio Daviddi – Tuttosport) Fernando, usually you have a very good start and do you think it will be a key moment of the race tomorrow?

FA: No, it will not be a key moment of the race. It is always better to have a car that can give you a start well enough to protect your position or to gain some positions. If you start well, it is much easier to drive through turn one. We normally have a good time in the first four races, so I am confident of keeping the first position in turn one.

Q. (Panos Seitanidis – Drive Magazine) If this is a continuation of Imola, how will your roles be with the cars on a track where you can overtake more?

FA: We will see tomorrow how the race develops. There are 60 laps so anything can happen. We will see how we play the strategies and we will see what happens for both the teams. We have to race on the track for sure. There are a little more possibilities – not many, but one or two more than in Imola.

Q. (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Germany) Michael, one thing that's important here is the tyre performance of Bridgestone. Until now, how happy are you with the tyre performance on long runs and how confident are you for the race tomorrow?

MS: Very confident. I think we understood what we did in Imola, we knew what changes we had to do to not run the same troubles and still have a good performance.

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - WilliamsF1

Sam Michael, Technical Director, WilliamsF1: "After morning practice we undertook engine changes on both cars which obviously changed our strategy for qualifying. Although this is a clear set-back in terms of start position and we will be starting the race from an unfamiliar position at the back of the grid, we are still determined to do everything we can to get the cars into the points. Our long runs in all the practice sessions have been competitive and that will help us in the race tomorrow."

Mark Webber: "Because of the grid penalty due to the engine change today, we obviously had to choose the right strategy for the race and I think our engineers have done the best job given the situation that we are in. We'll try hard in the race, but we couldn't really expect a huge deal more from qualifying. I tried to maybe go a bit too hard on my last lap and made a little mistake on turn three, losing a bit of time there, but I had nothing to lose, as I am going back anyway. I just scraped into the last ten while everyone else was obviously running on low fuel."

Nico Rosberg: "Again I missed those two little extra tenths that I needed to find in order to make it into Q3. With the grip increasing and only having one lap to fully exploit it, plenty of experience is very useful. Still, at least now I have the advantage of being able choose my fuel load for the race. I will be starting towards the back from where I will push. We have worked towards having a good race plan, so I think we can still do well."

Simon Corbyn, Head of F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth Ltd: "Cosworth identified some concerns with the engines after morning practice today and we could not therefore be confident of reliability. We have decided in consultation with Williams to change engines for both drivers prior to qualifying and we will unfortunately have to accept the ten place grid penalty for both cars. However, we took the opportunity to install the first upgraded 'Series 4' race engines and the session itself ran without incident."

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Toro Rosso

Tonio Liuzzi: We could not really expect more than this today, as we were pretty much at our limit. But the car performed well and I think we have a good set-up for tomorrow's race. With a few cars changing engines, we can move up a few places. The red flag worked against me in the first part as it meant I didn't use my second set of tyres. But it did not matter, as everything starts from zero again as long as you make it through to the second part.

Scott Speed: That was really frustrating. In Imola we were unlucky with traffic and exactly the same thing happened today in qualifying. I think our pace was good but, once again we did not get the chance to show it. Hopefully, some time soon, I'll get a clean qualifying lap and someone else will get blocked, but this time, I had to pass Sato on my quick lap and then I got held up by a Midland in the last chicane, as he came into the pits. The red flag didn't really affect me. That's what this qualifying format is about this year, so hopefully, we'll get lucky one time.

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - BMW

Jacques Villeneuve has qualified for the fourth row of the grid for the European Grand Prix. However, Nick Heidfeld was not able to get into the top ten qualifying session at the Nürburgring so could only set the 15th best time.

Jacques Villeneuve: The plan today was to get in the top ten, but we were hoping to be slightly better than p8. We concentrated on our qualifying set-up for a change, which enabled us to start further up the grid. I think we can get in the points, but will have to see how our set-up lives in the race. Giancarlo Fisichella seemed to be really angry and I am not exactly sure what happened. I thought I was ahead of him and I was trying to get out of his way, maybe I slowed him down a little bit but I never thought he was that close to me. I will go and talk to him because it was not done on purpose.

Nick Heidfeld: Of course I'm unhappy with my lap time and my position. The car was not bad, although in the second half of the lap I had some understeer and the overall grip was not ideal. I don't know why I didn’t manage to record a better lap time as we definitely didn’t have the difficulties today we had here on Friday or in Imola.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): This qualifying was again a thriller, although the time differences were not as close as in Imola two weeks ago. Jacques was quick in all three parts of qualifying and was able to secure a very good eighth position. Nick didn’t do well in the second part of qualifying and lost time through the whole lap, therefore, missing the top ten. However, for him this means we can adjust the race strategy. Technically both cars ran problem free.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): Overall we are happy with our performance today. Jacques did a good job and, considering how tight the competition currently is, it is already a success to make it into the top ten for qualifying. Starting from eighth place gives us a realistic chance to get some points. Nick performed well in the first part of qualifying, but in the second session unfortunately he was not able to record a perfect lap. With the times so close, this can make a difference of several rows on the grid.

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Red Bull

David Coulthard: My last lap was good until I lost some time on the last corner, so there's still some work to be done. I feel for Christian. It's always disappointing to get caught up in traffic, but it's unusual for such a timing error to occur. The red flag happened on my out lap, so we were able to rectify everything before I started my timed lap, but it's very disappointing for Christian, especially as he was going so well this weekend.

Christian Klien: I'm massively *piddled* off. All weekend I've been quick, I was in the top eight this morning and it was a really good opportunity for me and the team to be in the top ten today. During a timed lap, my engineers told me there was a red flag, so I slowed down and prepared to come back to the pits. But I was then told to continue, which was very strange, as that normally can't happen under a red flag. So, I did another lap. My tyres were worn, but I was on for a good time until I came up to Sato. He didn't look in his mirrors and ruined my whole lap and whole qualifying session. For me it's a really *poo* day and makes the rest of the weekend pretty complicated.

Christian Horner: Christian was extremely unlucky. When he was on his flying lap, the FIA timing screen crashed bringing on a red flag. It was immediately relayed to the drivers to slow down, so his lap was aborted. When it was clear that there wasn't a red flag, Christian started a second timed lap, but Takuma Sato blatantly blocked him, which cost him well over a second and any chance of moving into part two. It's a great shame, as he's been looking good all weekend. David looked as though he was on the bubble on his last lap, until a slight mistake in the last corner cost him a couple of tenths. It's frustrating to be where we are, but the potential's to be better. We'll move up two places due to the Cosworth engine changes, and tomorrow will be racing hard.

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - McLaren

Team McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen will be starting tomorrow's European Grand Prix from fifth on the grid having set a time of 1:30.933. Juan Pablo Monyoya's time of 1:31.880 means that he will be starting from ninth place. The first session saw Kimi finish with the third quickest time of 1:31.263 whilst Juan Pablo was ninth with his lap of 1:31.774. In the second session Kimi and Juan Pablo finished in second and fifth places with times of 1:30.203 and 1:30.671 respectively.

Kimi Raikkonen: "I am happy with the result today as we were not entirely comfortable with the car in the Friday practice sessions, but today was much better, and I was able to push and get the best out of the car. Everyone has worked really hard and as a result the balance of the car has steadily improved. I am confident that we can definitely be competitive in the race tomorrow, but it is always hard to tell until we see how the strategies unfold."

Juan Pablo Montoya: "This was not a great lap for me as I was still struggling a little with the set up of the car. We had to change quite a bit to improve the handling of the car throughout the practice sessions which resulted in a compromise. However our race pace is generally strong and I think that we have demonstrated good speed in the first two sessions. It looks optimistic for tomorrow's race, as long as we get a clean start of the line, as overtaking at this circuit is possible."

Ron Dennis: "As the grip improved our tyre choice steadily came right, which was reflected in both drivers results in the first two qualifying sessions. Now we will have to see how our race strategy unfolds tomorrow."

Norbert Haug: "Certainly not the places on the grid we have aimed for, but the team and both drivers have worked very hard since yesterday and achieved good lap times in Qualifying One and Two. Tomorrow we will see whether our strategy will pay off."

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Midland

After demonstrating promising pace in all three free practice sessions, Midland F1 tasted bitter disappointment today after a timing system error prevented both drivers from completing their final qualifying laps.

Following promising first runs by both drivers, an erroneous red flag was indicated by the timing system, ruining plans at a second attempt. As a result, Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro were pushed down to 18th and 20th positions, knocking them out of the qualifying session after the first heat.

Tiago Monteiro: "Considering the problems we had yesterday today was much better: we had very good performance this morning, and the car was feeling much better, actually. Then, this afternoon in qualifying, as the temperatures rose, the car was feeling even more balanced, so I was feeling extremely encouraged. But I made a big mistake in Turn 6 on my first qualifying lap and unfortunately, I wasn't able to fully capitalise on the car's improvement on that run. But I thought I would have two runs, so I was focusing on making the most of my second chance. And then, inexplicably, we got penalised by that false red flag, which nobody seems to understand. I really hope the organisers have an explanation for that, because, in the end, it might not be a big deal for them, but it cost me my second run and a potential attempt to break into the second qualifying heat. My goal is to be in front of my team mate and as close as possible to the others, and this error cost me that opportunity, so that's a shame. But I'm still positive for the race tomorrow. At least we've sorted out the handling issues and have a pretty good balance with those tyres."

Christijan Albers: "We could have been into the second group today and maybe even higher, because the car was running really well. I mean, the first lap I did was reasonable but not great, so I knew I could do even better on the second lap. And then, on that second run, my steering display was showing that I was about six- or seven-tenths quicker through the first two sectors, so who knows? I might have been able to knock off a one-thirty-one. It's really a shame that it had to end that way, because I really believed that it was possible for us to show what we're capable of today. But we were hit by bad luck again, just as we were in Imola. Hopefully, we can overcome it tomorrow."

Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "We will look into what happened with that timing error, because I think it's pretty clear that we suffered the biggest disadvantage as a result of this problem. But anyway, more importantly, the time gap to the front is shrinking all the time. We're still not where we want to be, but you can be sure we will work hard to get there."

Dominic Harlow, Chief Race and Test Engineer: "This is an unusually disappointing outcome from what was looking like being a good session for us. Extremely disappointing, in fact, because we need things at this stage to go well for us to make progress and make it into the later stages of qualifying. Today, because of a split-second occurrence, it didn't happen. We would like, perhaps, everyone to give some thought to what could be done in the future to avoid that sort of unfair outcome from happening again. Maybe they should have allowed more cars into the second session to make up for it, or perhaps considered extending the first session - something that would have allowed us to complete the qualifying runs we'd allowed time for. But yes, obviously, we're disappointed."

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Toyota

Qualifying for the European Grand Prix got underway today at the Nürburgring - a now modern track which is welcoming this grand prix race since 1984. Many changes have been made to the ring over the years, including making overtaking easier in some corners. Panasonic Toyota Racing's drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli will look to take advantage of this during the weekend to improve on the team's position. Today's results proved strong even though Ralf did not make into the third qualifying session. Nevertheless, Jarno can be satisfied with his 7th place starting position and Ralf will line up in 10th place on the grid after having received notification from the FIA that another driver who qualified in the first ten will have an engine change.

Jarno Trulli overcame the vibration concern in his car to take an optimistic 7th starting place after today's qualifying session.

Jarno Trulli: "First of all I have to thank my team and all my mechanics, because yesterday we had a problem with the car, which we could not solve during the practice. They all worked hard through the night changing out the chassis to give me the chance to run well today and to avoid any problems. This morning went quite smooth and we built up confidence with the set-up during the session. I am really satisfied with the lap I did at the end because being seventh is a definite improvement on the performance we have had."

Ralf Schumacher will start his home race holding 10th place even after having a small spin out during qualifying.

Ralf Schumacher: "The day started out quite positive during the practice session. The qualifying was a tough fight and I actually thought I would make into the last round. The car felt good, the grip was good, and we were hoping to make more of the session. Unfortunately I had a spin in Turn 1, and even though I went out again, I lost three tenths of a second time in the new lap. Now we will have to concentrate on gaining positions during the race, which will make for a challenging day tomorrow. Yet as in we saw in Malaysia, I am confident we can work our way up into the points."

Panasonic Toyota Racing experienced mixed fortunes during today's qualifying and is now focussing on taking home valuable points during tomorrow's race.

Pascal Vasselon – Senior General Manager Chassis: "Overall today's results are encouraging for the whole team. We are quite pleased with the final outcome for Jarno, considering the concerns we had yesterday. He was really motivated and pushed hard during all three sessions. Unfortunately Ralf missed the opportunity to resume in the third qualification after having locked up the brakes in Turn 1. He will start midfield which will not cause a large concern, as we will adapt our strategy accordingly. With both cars running reliably without any issues, we are optimistic going into tomorrow."

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Super Aguri

The morning's free practice session hailed mixed fortunes for the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM. Takuma Sato encountered a brake related issue, whilst Franck Montagny was able to find a reasonable set-up for his SA05. However, during the first session of Qualifying in the afternoon 'timing problems' and a Red Flag red herring caused confusion along the pit lane and out on the race track.

Takuma Sato: "We had a difficult start to the morning. We needed a lot of work to improve the balance of the car, but then as we suffered a brake related issue which required some time to investigate we were unable to complete the running we needed. The guys did a good job in solving this problem and we made a set-up change, then I was happier with the car balance for Qualifying. It is a shame that there was some confusion about the Red Flag situation during my second Qualifying attack, but I am feeling positive about tomorrow's race."

Franck Montagny: "During the practice session this morning we found quite a good set-up for the car and continued with it in the afternoon, making only a small modification. But we encountered many problems during the Qualifying session. Firstly, when I had to stop at the FIA weight scales, there was a problem with the starter so during this time my tyres were out of the blankets and were getting cold. When I re-started and put on new tyres five minutes later, the red flag situation came up, so I could not make a lap time. It is a little disappointing as this was my first Qualifying with the team, but there were no major problems with the car and I am looking forward to the race tomorrow."

Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: "It was a very frustrating qualifying session and it felt like it ended before we could actually start. The red flag was out when we needed to go out at the end of first 15 minutes and Franck and Taku couldn't really have a good attack. Taku went out with a new set of tyres and when he was ready to make his quick lap with the second set, the red flag was out. As both SAF1 Team cars did not finish in Imola I hope that we will have another two-car finish in the race tomorrow."

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Honda

The Honda Racing F1 Team will start tomorrow's European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in Germany from the second and third rows of the grid after a strong performance in this afternoon's qualifying session. Rubens Barrichello will line-up in 4th position for the 59-lap race whilst his team-mate Jenson Button will start directly behind him after posting the 6th fastest lap.

Both drivers enjoyed a productive morning's free practice running, working on long run performance for the race. This afternoon, both drivers continued to battle against the low-grip conditions but the Honda Racing F1 Team were one of only three teams to get both drivers through the first two knock-out sessions and one of only two teams to end qualifying with both drivers in the top six.

Rubens Barrichello: "I'm very pleased with 4th place on the grid. It's another demonstration of how good the car and the team is and that we are making real progress. We now just have to keep our feet on the ground and focus on the race because I think we have a good strategy and we have shown good pace in free practice this morning. I'm looking forward to it."

Jenson Button: "I couldn't get a good balance, which is pretty normal for me around here! The car just didn't feel good so I wasn't feeling comfortable. I locked up in turn one which didn't help my last lap time, but it didn't cost much; it probably wouldn't even have been a place. I think we showed this morning that our race pace is there and we found a nice balance for the long runs, so we'll just have to wait and see what the race brings."

Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director: "Both drivers sailed through Q1 but Q2 was a bit tighter, especially for Jenson. As a result, we were forced to do two runs to make sure he got into Q3. Once that mission was accomplished, we focused on making sure traffic wasn't going to play a part in Jenson and Rubens' fast laps. Rubens did a great job in Q2 and carried that speed over to Q3 placing him well for the start. Jenson was less happy with his car during the whole of qualifying but still managed to end up in the top six. As usual it is difficult to say what strategy everyone is on, but we feel we are in a good position going into the race."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Management Board Member - Honda Racing F1 Team, Engineering Director - Honda Racing Development: "We have had a good day - we improved the car throughout the morning and we did a good job in the qualifying session. Both drivers are well positioned to have a strong race tomorrow."

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Ferrari

Jean Todt: It was a very closely contested qualifying session, which saw us come away with second and third places for Michael and Felipe respectively. Drivers, team, chassis, engine, Bridgestone tyres and Shell fuel and lubricants all worked well and this result should allow us to fight as front runners tomorrow. The decisive factors that will influence the final outcome are the same as ever: reliability, strategy and consistent tyre performance.

Michael Schumacher: I am happy to be on the front row. We have been strong all weekend and so we can be optimistic about tomorrow's race. The fact that the Renault is on pole does not surprise me, but I think we have a great chance of fighting for the win. Naturally, strategy will be vitally important. I think we will see a very close race for the win and as you know, I like a fight.

Felipe Massa: This third place is a good starting point and I am pleased with my performance today. Our package works very well at this track and so I am confident for tomorrow's race, when I hope to improve on my performance in Imola. I am not surprised to also be competitive here at the Nurburgring, because the 248 F1 has proved to be strong right from the start of the season. My quick lap was very good. With this qualifying format, you need to be very careful about choosing the right moment to go out on track and today, I waited for a moment in pit lane after changing tyres, in order to create a space between me and the cars that had gone out before me.

Ross Brawn: I'm very pleased with the cars' performance and the balance that we had. We have made some genuine progress over the last few races and we saw that again here today. The Bridgestone tyres are very consistent which means we have a good tyre for the race and so I am optimistic for tomorrow. This afternoon, we had no problems, both drivers got clean laps, so it all points to a very exciting race tomorrow.

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Renault

"It was a good lap, a very good lap" crackled Fernando Alonso's radio this afternoon at the Nürburgring as the Spaniard learned from his race engineer Rod Nelson that he had secured his first pole position of the 2006 season for tomorrow's European Grand Prix.

The championship leader's time of 1:28.819 in the final part of qualifying will mean he starts tomorrow's Grand Prix from the best possible position, ahead of the Ferraris of Schumacher and Massa.

In marked contrast, Giancarlo Fisichella's afternoon was thwarted by a fellow competitor, as he was delayed through the final part of his flying lap in the second knockout session. The incident cost the Italian several tenths of a second in lap-time, which would have been enough to put him into the third qualifying session. Instead, he finished thirteenth and was knocked out. The only consolation is that the application of penalties to cars in front will see him start from eleventh position tomorrow, free to determine his fuel load for the opening stint.

Fernando Alonso: I had a very good lap today. We tried something a little bit different with our approach to qualifying, and it seemed to work well, so I am really pleased to be on pole for the first time this year. At previous races we have had problems with traffic or the fuel load, but today everything went smoothly and that made it much easier for me. I am looking forward to the race now, because I think it will be a good one. The Ferraris look very competitive, so let's see what tomorrow afternoon brings.

Giancarlo Fisichella: All I can say is that I am really angry – as people probably saw from the TV this afternoon. For me, Villeneuve's behaviour was unacceptable. As drivers, we know that if you are on the out-lap, you give way to the guys coming past on their quick lap. But Villeneuve didn't move over, and held me up all the way through the final sector and I lost a lot of time. I had the pace to get into the final part of qualifying quite easily but instead, we have to make some compromises on our race strategy. Hopefully, though, I can make up positions tomorrow.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: It is great to be on pole position again, and particularly in the knowledge that we have an excellent race tyre and a sound strategy. Fernando used two sets of tyres for the final part of qualifying, and if his first lap was impressive, the second was stunning. We are expecting strong competition tomorrow, but it is shaping up to be a great race. As for Giancarlo, he was unfortunate not to get through to the final part of qualifying, because he certainly had the pace to do so. However, an incident with Villeneuve in Q2 ruined his chances. Nevertheless, he will start 11th after penalties have been applied, with a free fuel load. Bearing in mind his great performance after starting from the pit-lane at this circuit last year [NB: 6th position], I am sure we can work something out to help him gain some positions.

Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations: Fernando's pole position this afternoon is the best possible start to the weekend. We came here knowing a good grid position was important, and an exceptional lap from Fernando gave us just that. Giancarlo was frustrated to miss out on the final part of qualifying once again, particularly as he knew he had the performance today and because we had taken a more aggressive approach. However, in such a close field, the slightest incident can cost four or five positions, and that's exactly what happened. In terms of the two engines, everything ran smoothly once again, and the B specification unit is performing in line with our expectations.

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Bridgestone

Bridgestone shod Michael Schumacher was just pipped to pole position in front of his home crowd this afternoon by reigning world champion Fernando Alonso. The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver set a time of 1:30.028 which puts him on the front row of the grid for tomorrow's 60-lap grand prix, one place ahead of his teammate Felipe Massa, who has also been on top form this weekend. Toyota Racing's Jarno Trulli has had a difficult start to the weekend after missing out on much of the practice sessions but his strong seventh place finish in the qualifying shoot-out puts him right into contention this weekend. His teammate Ralf Schumacher, who has been strong in the earlier practices, just missed out on a top ten place. The Williams pairing of Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg claimed 10th and 12th places respectively in qualifying this afternoon but will both have to take grid penalties of ten places due to an engine change for each driver. MF1 Racing's Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro qualified 18th and 20th while Super Aguri F1 Team's Takuma Sato and Franck Montagny qualified 21st and 22nd respectively.

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager - Bridgestone Motorsport: We were greatly encouraged by the competitive performance of the Bridgestone teams in this morning's third practice session. It was a real shame that Michael just missed out on pole but you never know what fuel loads our rivals were running. Four of our runners made it into the final qualifying shoot- out but we are also expecting those who did not make it into the top ten to have strong race strategies tomorrow. The track conditions were fine today and we are expecting similar weather for Sunday's race.

Ross Brawn, Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: We're very pleased with the car's performance and balance. We have made good progress in the last races and we saw that today. The Bridgestone tyres are very good here and very consistent and I think we have a good race tyre. We're optimistic and looking forward to an exciting race tomorrow.

Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis – Panasonic Toyota Racing: Obviously we can be happy with today. It was a little confusing during the first session, when we had a red flag, which turned out to be an error, but it had no consequences for us. We are quite pleased with the final outcome for Jarno and unfortunately Ralf missed the opportunity to resume in the third qualifying session after he locked his brakes in Turn 1. But we will adapt our strategy accordingly. Both cars are running reliably and without any issues.

 

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European GP: Qualifying notes - Michelin

World championship leader Fernando Alonso will start tomorrow's Grand Prix of Europe from pole position – the 10th pole of his F1 career and Michelin's 103rd. The Spaniard, who is chasing his third win of the 2006 season, lapped in 1m 29.819s – the fastest lap seen at the Nürburgring so far this weekend.

He is one of six Michelin drivers from four partner teams in the top 10: Rubens Barrichello, Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button, Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya are the others.

Nick Shorrock, Michelin Formula One director: Track conditions were very difficult for everybody during this morning's final free practice session – the circuit was very slippery. Things improved as the temperature picked up, however, and our partner teams made very effective use of three different Michelin specifications during qualifying.

We are delighted to have taken another pole position– our third of the year. We knew at the start of the weekend that we would be quick and consistent in race trim, but we didn't know whether we would have sufficient one-lap pace to take pole position. Fernando has just answered that question very effectively – and that gives us an added boost ahead of what is likely to be a very tight, competitive race.

Pat Symonds, executive engineering director, Renault F1 Team: We are confident that we have a good tyre for the race” “Some teams have clearly brought quite adventurous tyre specifications to this race, but together with Michelin we have taken a more conservative approach. Even with that, we have been able to take pole position and we are also confident that we have a good tyre for the race. This is an excellent example of the strong co-operation that exists between Michelin and Renault as we strive to develop good racing solutions.

 

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FOM apologises for first qualifying blunder

Formula One Management has apologised for the erroneous red flag signal that disrupted the final moments of the first qualifying session.

The session was thrown into confusion when a red flag notice was given with over three minutes to go before the end of Q1, causing drivers to abort their fast-lap.

The start of the second session was delayed by ten minutes, with timing screens initially showing no lap time for BMW's Jacques Villeneuve or Super Aguri' Franck Montagny.

When the problem was resolved, Villeneuve was found to have made the cut while others who thought they had gone through to the second phase, such as Red Bull's Christian Klien and Midland's Christijan Albers, were ruled out.

In a statement clarifying the situation, the FOM said: "Due to an electronic fault with the starting lights panel, an erroneous session abort signal was displayed on the start lights and timing information pages during the Formula One qualifying session.

"The timing system behaved correctly at all times.

"FOM apologises for any inconvenience caused."

 

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Updated odds from William Hill

Winner

F Alonso - 1.44
Michael Schumacher - 4.00
K Raikkonen - 9.00
F Massa - 13.00
J Button - 21.00
R Barrichello - 26.00
J P Montoya - 26.00
G Fisichella - 26.00
J Trulli - 41.00
Ralf Schumacher - 67.00
J Villeneuve - 67.00
M Webber - 81.00
N Rosberg - 101.00
N Heidfeld - 151.00
V Liuzzi - 201.00
D Coulthard - 201.00
C Klien - 201.00
S Speed - 301.00
C Albers - 301.00
T Sato - 501.00
T Monteiro - 501.00
F Montagny - 501.00


Podium Finish

F Alonso - 1.14
Michael Schumacher - 1.57
K Raikkonen - 2.25
F Massa - 3.75
J Button - 5.00
G Fisichella - 5.50
R Barrichello - 6.00
J P Montoya - 6.00
J Trulli - 9.00
Ralf Schumacher - 15.00
J Villeneuve - 15.00
M Webber - 17.00
N Rosberg - 21.00
N Heidfeld - 26.00
V Liuzzi - 41.00
D Coulthard - 41.00
C Klien - 41.00
S Speed - 67.00
T Sato - 101.00
T Monteiro - 101.00
C Albers - 101.00
F Montagny - 101.00