2006 San Marino Grand Prix - Race 4/18

Flibster · 20 Apr 2006 at 23:15

New motorhome a big improvement says Liuzzi

One of the most talked about things in the San Marino paddock at the moment is the new enormous Red Bull Energy station that encompasses everything for not just Red Bull Racing’s needs, but also has more than enough room for their sister team, Scuderia Toro Rosso team. Speaking to the press here at Imola today, STR’s Tonio Liuzzi was quizzed on the massive structure as well as his recent test for Red Bull and his superfast teammate, Scott Speed….

Tonio, is the motorhome big enough?
It’s not big enough, I think, we can make it better! No, compared to last year it’s a big improvement but now there are two families living in it so maybe the one from last year was a bit small. I think Red Bull have shown again how strong they are in this kind of job and they did really good things with the big motorhome, the big tree house for the engineers. I think we have got a lot of space to play with.

You mean for girlfriends…
Both.

Tonio, since the last race you’ve tested for Red Bull Racing as well. How did you find that?
I was really happy because I tested a V8 engine for the first time and I definitely saw the technical difference between the two, and I was really impressed by the difference and how to utilise the two engines. The Red Bull car was pretty interesting because it was quite a big step into the ex-RB1. They did a really good job and the car is really good. Regarding the engine, I think the V8 is different, it has got a really short range of torque but in the areas where it works I think it is really strong, so I don’t think that, as many reports said, that the V10 can be an advantage because I felt the V8 was really strong in that range. For sure, it is a little bit different in the bottom slower corners but after, when you pick up the right revs, I have to say that it has big power. So I was pretty impressed about the car, especially because I think the team did a really good job developing the RB2 and now I think they will soon be getting the results they deserve.

What about your teammate? He’s been pretty quick in the first three races. Is he pushing you a little bit?
Yeah, he’s doing a good job, I think. He’s a rookie and he can be quick in qualifying, especially he can make some good laps. But he needs to work a little bit on the consistency but in Formula One you don’t get into it in a few races, you need to learn experience and cover kilometres so I think he’s doing some good performances but for sure he’s still got a lot to learn.

Flibster · 20 Apr 2006 at 23:18

Alex Shainder hits back at the media

MF1's voice continues to ring out, this time from the lips of the team's owner Alex Shnaider. Today Alex has added to his team's press release and poured scorn on the recent negative stories. We have also heard today that MF1 have been received far more positively in the F1 paddock in San Marino.

From today's Globe & Mail (Canada's national newspaper):

'Despite the constant rumours, I have not sold the team' Midland boss Alex Shnaider takes the media to task and tries to quell the nasty gossip about his outfit's future

After more than a year of being the favourite target of the Formula One media, frustrated Midland F1 owner Alex Shnaider has decided it's time to fight back.

Since he bought the Jordan outfit, the Russian-born Canadian businessman has endured almost constant speculation about financial crises, staff unrest and his desire to get out of the sport.

"I wonder what their motivation is for spreading this bull****, and why they never seem to grow tired of publishing the same lies, over and over again.

"The fact is, despite the constant rumours, I have not sold the team and it continues to operate at a healthy level," Shnaider said.

"It's lazy, irresponsible journalism, and in the end, the lies only serve to damage their own credibility. The media writing these rumours should go back and analyze everything they wrote about us last year and see whether anything they reported happened."

The Midland Group chairman seems to have a point. Since buying the financially troubled Jordan outfit in January, 2005, and admittedly struggling through its first year, the team made significant investments in a number of areas before the current season.

It built an all-new car for 2006 with Italian chassis designer Dallara, introduced a new colour scheme and logo, rebranded the team as MF1 and developed plans to upgrade the wind tunnel facility in Brackley, U.K.

"I will continue investing in the team for as long as I'm passionate about competing in the sport, and given that I've loved F1 since my childhood, I don't see that enthusiasm fading any time soon," Shnaider said.

"It frustrates me when people say we're not investing in the team, because we've been investing non-stop since we bought it."

While Shnaider promised the team a budget of $100-million annually, it is a modest amount in a sport where top teams shell out five times as much to go racing. But Shnaider also made it clear that he doesn't enjoy spending his own cash to keep the team going and he wants it financially independent as quickly as possible.

Part of Midland's early cash problems arose from the debt load they inherited from Eddie Jordan when it bought the Irishman's 14-year-old team. While the team has almost finished sorting out the financial mess, the intense loyalties and cutthroat politics in the F1 paddock continue to wreak havoc in the team garage.

"Certain people we brought to the team and certain people we inherited with the team were detrimental to MF1's development because they were following their own agendas instead of promoting the team's interests," Shnaider said.

"Unfortunately, I can infer from the latest round of rumours that some of these people are still pursuing those agendas."

With the constant negative press making the search for additional sponsors and partners more difficult, hitting the break-even point may be farther down the road than anticipated.

Things got so bad that the team took the unprecedented step of responding to the rumours last week with an official statement that attempted to quell the gossip.

It didn't work. A day after the statement hit the media, reports circulated that GP2 team owner Alfonso de Orleans Bourbon planned to sit down with Shnaider this weekend in Imola and discuss buying Midland.

"Yes, that one I find quite amusing, actually. I spoke to this Spanish gentleman once, at last year's Turkish Grand Prix, because he wanted to introduce to me to someone who was interested in buying steel," Shnaider said.

"But we never spoke about the sale of the team -- not once. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I was interested in buying a team, wouldn't it make sense for me to speak to the owners about it first, before going to the media?"

While he steadfastly denied the latest speculation of another possible buyer, Shnaider admitted that the team has received offers in the past, but they were all rejected.

It is thought that former F1 driver Eddie Irvine made an offer at last year's Monaco Grand Prix. Another rumoured suitor is former BAR-Honda owner Craig Pollock, who would not confirm whether he's spoken to Midland about a deal. "I guess funnier things have happened in life," he said when asked about buying the team.

Unfortunately for Shnaider, his willingness to discuss the team and its future may have been the starting point for much of the negative talk about the team.

Last year, when speculation began that he was unhappy with the way things were going, he made the rookie mistake of saying that the team would be sold if the right offer came along. The media latched on to it and have not let go, he insisted. "I made a comment to that effect last year and it keeps coming back to bite me, but I stand by what I said because it's common sense," he said.

"Even Ferrari could be sold tomorrow if someone would offer [parent company] Fiat enough money for it. The same is true for every team on the grid, without exception."

Flibster · 20 Apr 2006 at 23:46

Type_R said:
The man certainly knows how to spot talent

Have to say - that is the only picture I could find that I could post of her...

For a wonderbra model she sure likes getting them out..

Simon/~Flibster

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 00:46

BTW...

Like the new sig???

For this weekend only.. *and maybe next weekend too - although may have a Grand Prix Masters one for them*

Simon/~Flibster

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 10:48

Prodrive coy on 2008 entry reports

Prodrive boss David Richards refused to confirm his team have been granted the 12th spot on the Formula One grid for the 2008 championship.

Formula One's governing body has chosen a 12th team to enter the sport in 2008 with the Prodrive company run by former BAR and Benetton boss Richards tipped as likely winners.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) had no comment but confirmed an announcement would be made next Friday.

Richards, contacted by Reuters on Friday, would not confirm or deny increasing speculation that he had secured the slot.

"We have heard rumours of letters flying around but we have been told that the formal announcement will come next Friday and we await that with bated breath," he said.

Former Minardi boss Paul Stoddart confirmed, however, that he had received a rejection letter from the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

"We got a 'not at this time but stay in touch' sort of letter," the Australian entrepreneur told Reuters by telephone from Britain.

A spokesman for the governing body, who received 22 applications from teams seeking to fill the 12 slots in the 2008 championship, said it would be inappropriate to comment on which teams had been successful.

However, paddock sources said the decision had been made, with the existing nine teams expected to be joined by Banbury-based Prodrive.

Other hopefuls seeking an entry had included Carlin Motorsport, run by former Jordan sporting director Trevor Carlin, who have won a series of British Formula Three titles.

Stoddart, who had hoped to resurrect the Minardi name after selling his team to Red Bull last year, said he had always considered Prodrive as the favourite from the moment that Richards confirmed the application.

"When I applied there were only six confirmed entries but it was pretty much a foregone conclusion once the entries were submitted by the manufacturers," he said.

The Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA), the five carmakers who have been threatening their own rival series from 2008, have entered despite failing to nail down a new commercial agreement after 2007.

Stoddart said he was disappointed, but not surprised, to have been rejected but warned that he was not giving up hope entirely.

"It's not over until the fat lady sings and they (the manufacturers, governing body and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone) have got to get through a very interesting round of negotiations yet," he said.

The FIA had set March 31 as the deadline for applications for 2008, when the rules are expected to change significantly to cut costs and allow smaller privately-run teams such as Prodrive to compete with the major manufacturers.

Damn - Stoddy's out.

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 10:59

rpstewart said:
The new sig did kind of throw me a wee bit this morning but it's a nice touch. Good to see you've included Ratzenberger as usual, it's a shame he seems to get forgotten when that weekend is remembered.

GPM huh? Senna would have been eligible too this year (assuming he wasn't still racing) now that would be something.

Always nice to confuse people.

Considering doing a different sig for each race.

Will keep me amused anyway while waiting for the work servers to come back to life.

Ratzenberger's accident was much worse than Senna's. And tbh, Senna should have walked away from his. Barrichello's accident was worse as well - he was lucky that he was only knocked unconcious. Also given the injured mechanics from the Minardi wheel, the debris going into the croud at the start - they were lucky to have only the 2 fatalities that weekend really.

Would have been great to see Senna, Prost, Mansell, Fittipaldi all racing each other. If Senna was still around we may well be seeing Berger in GPM as well. Would almost be like an old boys club.

Oh well...

Simon/~Flibster

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:12

Friday Free Practice 1.

Code:

[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Time[/b]
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			1:24.751		
2	35	Alexander Wurz		Williams-Cosworth	1:25.132		
3	38	Robert Kubica		Sauber-BMW		1:25.942		
4	36	Anthony Davidson	Honda			1:26.012		
5	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			1:26.417		
6	37	Robert Doornbos		RBR-Ferrari		1:26.498		
7	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			1:26.596		
8	14	David Coulthard		RBR-Ferrari		1:26.678		
9	3	Kimi Räikkönen		McLaren-Mercedes	1:26.938		
10	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		1:28.048		
11	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		1:28.498		
12	39	Giorgio Mondini 	MF1-Toyota		1:28.969		
13	15	Christian Klien 	RBR-Ferrari		1:29.106		
14	40	Neel Jani 		STR-Cosworth		1:29.695		
15	18	Tiago Monteiro 		MF1-Toyota		1:29.697		
16	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	STR-Cosworth		1:30.348		
17	22	Takuma Sato Super 	Aguri-Honda		1:31.217		
18	23	Yuji Ide Super 		Aguri-Honda		1:31.482		
19	1	Fernando Alonso 	Renault				
20	7	Ralf Schumacher 	Toyota				
21	2	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Renault				
22	4	Juan Pablo Montoya 	McLaren-Mercedes				
23	16	Nick Heidfeld 		Sauber-BMW				
24	17	Jacques Villeneuve 	Sauber-BMW				
25	11	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda				
26	9	Mark Webber 		Williams-Cosworth				
27	10	Nico Rosberg 		Williams-Cosworth				
28	12	Jenson Button 		Honda

Sector Times - Free Practice 1

Code:

[b]Sector 1[/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	5	Michael Schumacher	23.793 
2	35	Alexander Wurz		24.196 
3	36	Anthony Davidson	24.281 
4	6	Felipe Massa		24.320 
5	38	Robert Kubica		24.342 
6	14	David Coulthard		24.420 
7	8	Jarno Trulli		24.430 
8	37	Robert Doornbos		24.466 
9	3	Kimi Räikkönen		24.609 
10	15	Christian Klien		25.109 
11	19	Christijan Albers	25.124 
12	21	Scott Speed		25.157 
13	39	Giorgio Mondini		25.241 
14	40	Neel Jani		25.264 
15	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	25.304 
16	18	Tiago Monteiro		25.475 
17	22	Takuma Sato		25.858 
18	23	Yuji Ide		26.182 
19	1	Fernando Alonso		715.417 
20	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	883.260

Code:

[b]Sector 2 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	5	Michael Schumacher	27.273 
2	35	Alexander Wurz		27.588 
3	36	Anthony Davidson	27.694 
4	37	Robert Doornbos		27.740 
5	38	Robert Kubica		27.870 
6	3	Kimi Räikkönen		28.058 
7	6	Felipe Massa		28.118 
8	8	Jarno Trulli		28.128 
9	14	David Coulthard		28.209 
10	19	Christijan Albers	28.535 
11	21	Scott Speed		28.758 
12	39	Giorgio Mondini		28.777 
13	15	Christian Klien		28.981 
14	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	29.073 
15	18	Tiago Monteiro		29.081 
16	40	Neel Jani		29.142 
17	1	Fernando Alonso		29.253 
18	23	Yuji Ide		29.667 
19	22	Takuma Sato		29.741 
20	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	29.852 
21	7	Ralf Schumacher		36.208 
22	17	Jacques Villeneuve	37.230 
23	16	Nick Heidfeld		37.303 
24	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	38.281 
25	11	Rubens Barrichello	42.890

Code:

[b]Sector 3 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	35	Alexander Wurz		33.299 
2	38	Robert Kubica		33.628 
3	5	Michael Schumacher	33.685 
4	8	Jarno Trulli		33.759 
5	14	David Coulthard		33.851 
6	36	Anthony Davidson	33.951 
7	37	Robert Doornbos		33.996 
8	6	Felipe Massa		34.158 
9	3	Kimi Räikkönen		34.271 
10	19	Christijan Albers	34.382 
11	21	Scott Speed		34.583 
12	15	Christian Klien		34.770 
13	39	Giorgio Mondini		34.937 
14	40	Neel Jani		35.034 
15	18	Tiago Monteiro		35.044 
16	23	Yuji Ide		35.464 
17	22	Takuma Sato		35.618 
18	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	35.624 
19	7	Ralf Schumacher		43.331 
20	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	44.439 
21	16	Nick Heidfeld		44.451 
22	17	Jacques Villeneuve	47.506 
23	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	48.772 
24	1	Fernando Alonso		50.860 
25	11	Rubens Barrichello	61.565

Speed Trap

Code:

[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time		Speed[/b]
1	5	Michael Schumacher	11:59:58	290.0 
2	6	Felipe Massa		11:58:07	289.6 
3	38	Robert Kubica		11:55:33	289.2 
4	8	Jarno Trulli		11:55:57	283.9 
5	35	Alexander Wurz		11:15:24	283.7 
6	36	Anthony Davidson	11:57:00	283.1 
7	22	Takuma Sato		12:00:15	282.7 
8	39	Giorgio Mondini		11:49:00	282.5 
9	3	Kimi Räikkönen		11:58:43	282.0 
10	37	Robert Doornbos		11:56:42	281.9 
11	23	Yuji Ide		11:57:30	281.9 
12	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	11:57:06	281.8 
13	21	Scott Speed		11:56:32	281.3 
14	18	Tiago Monteiro		11:56:46	280.7 
15	15	Christian Klien		11:57:11	280.4 
16	14	David Coulthard		11:56:55	279.2 
17	40	Neel Jani		11:39:16	278.4 
18	19	Christijan Albers	11:56:16	276.3 
19	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	11:49:24	271.7 
20	17	Jacques Villeneuve	11:53:33	257.0 
21	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	11:40:28	246.4 
22	16	Nick Heidfeld		11:48:20	231.0 
23	7	Ralf Schumacher		11:32:22	229.1 
24	1	Fernando Alonso		11:53:56	221.9 
25	11	Rubens Barrichello	11:54:46	116.9

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:16

Friday Free Practice 2.

Code:

[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Time[/b]
1	1	Fernando Alonso 	Renault			1:25.043		
2	5	Michael Schumacher 	Ferrari			1:25.371		
3	38	Robert Kubica 		Sauber-BMW		1:25.421		
4	36	Anthony Davidson 	Honda			1:25.699		
5	6	Felipe Massa 		Ferrari			1:25.879		
6	2	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Renault			1:25.991		
7	8	Jarno Trulli 		Toyota			1:26.029		
8	35	Alexander Wurz 		Williams-Cosworth	1:26.328		
9	4	Juan Pablo Montoya 	McLaren-Mercedes	1:26.334		
10	16	Nick Heidfeld 		Sauber-BMW		1:26.387		
11	12	Jenson Button 		Honda			1:26.427		
12	3	Kimi Räikkönen 		McLaren-Mercedes	1:26.500		
13	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			1:26.653		
14	19	Christijan Albers 	MF1-Toyota		1:26.783		
15	17	Jacques Villeneuve 	Sauber-BMW		1:26.797		
16	37	Robert Doornbos 	RBR-Ferrari		1:26.917		
17	10	Nico Rosberg 		Williams-Cosworth	1:26.989		
18	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	STR-Cosworth		1:27.128		
19	9	Mark Webber 		Williams-Cosworth	1:27.157		
20	14	David Coulthard 	RBR-Ferrari		1:27.503		
21	18	Tiago Monteiro 		MF1-Toyota		1:27.544		
22	7	Ralf Schumacher 	Toyota			1:27.639		
23	21	Scott Speed 		STR-Cosworth		1:27.719		
24	15	Christian Klien 	RBR-Ferrari		1:27.990		
25	40	Neel Jani 		STR-Cosworth		1:28.361		
26	39	Giorgio Mondini 	MF1-Toyota		1:28.833		
27	22	Takuma Sato Super 	Aguri-Honda		1:29.870		
28	23	Yuji Ide Super 		Aguri-Honda		1:31.042

Sector Times - Free Practice 2

Code:

[b]Sector 1[/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	1	Fernando Alonso		23.987 
2	5	Michael Schumacher	24.001 
3	6	Felipe Massa		24.107 
4	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	24.153 
5	38	Robert Kubica		24.214 
6	36	Anthony Davidson	24.239 
7	17	Jacques Villeneuve	24.350 
8	12	Jenson Button		24.355 
9	8	Jarno Trulli		24.372 
10	11	Rubens Barrichello	24.385 
11	35	Alexander Wurz		24.398 
12	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	24.400 
13	3	Kimi Räikkönen		24.404 
14	16	Nick Heidfeld		24.488 
15	19	Christijan Albers	24.561 
16	9	Mark Webber		24.579 
17	10	Nico Rosberg		24.612 
18	7	Ralf Schumacher		24.691 
19	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	24.700 
20	37	Robert Doornbos		24.755 
21	21	Scott Speed		24.767 
22	14	David Coulthard		24.789 
23	15	Christian Klien		24.862 
24	40	Neel Jani		24.951 
25	18	Tiago Monteiro		24.986 
26	39	Giorgio Mondini		25.026 
27	22	Takuma Sato		25.532 
28	23	Yuji Ide		26.002

Code:

[b]Sector 2 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	5	Michael Schumacher	27.745 
2	38	Robert Kubica		27.912 
3	36	Anthony Davidson	27.961 
4	8	Jarno Trulli		27.969 
5	1	Fernando Alonso		27.972 
6	16	Nick Heidfeld		28.015 
7	6	Felipe Massa		28.028 
8	12	Jenson Button		28.088 
9	35	Alexander Wurz		28.099 
10	37	Robert Doornbos		28.101 
11	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	28.130 
12	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	28.148 
13	11	Rubens Barrichello	28.171 
14	3	Kimi Räikkönen		28.206 
15	19	Christijan Albers	28.327 
16	18	Tiago Monteiro		28.352 
17	9	Mark Webber		28.438 
18	17	Jacques Villeneuve	28.458 
19	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	28.465 
20	10	Nico Rosberg		28.466 
21	7	Ralf Schumacher		28.497 
22	21	Scott Speed		28.605 
23	40	Neel Jani		28.616 
24	14	David Coulthard		28.634 
25	39	Giorgio Mondini		28.657 
26	15	Christian Klien		28.774 
27	22	Takuma Sato		29.236 
28	23	Yuji Ide		29.511

Code:

[b]Sector 3 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	1	Fernando Alonso		33.084 
2	38	Robert Kubica		33.286 
3	36	Anthony Davidson	33.499 
4	5	Michael Schumacher	33.508 
5	6	Felipe Massa		33.650 
6	3	Kimi Räikkönen		33.666 
7	8	Jarno Trulli		33.688 
8	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	33.690 
9	12	Jenson Button		33.703 
10	35	Alexander Wurz		33.704 
11	37	Robert Doornbos		33.764 
12	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	33.804 
13	16	Nick Heidfeld		33.837 
14	14	David Coulthard		33.859 
15	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	33.884 
16	19	Christijan Albers	33.895 
17	10	Nico Rosberg		33.911 
18	17	Jacques Villeneuve	33.989 
19	11	Rubens Barrichello	34.074 
20	9	Mark Webber		34.080 
21	18	Tiago Monteiro		34.178 
22	15	Christian Klien		34.217 
23	7	Ralf Schumacher		34.293 
24	21	Scott Speed		34.312 
25	39	Giorgio Mondini		34.455 
26	40	Neel Jani		34.539 
27	22	Takuma Sato		35.005 
28	23	Yuji Ide		35.284

Speed Trap

Code:

[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time		Speed[/b]
1	5	Michael Schumacher	14:59:40	293.4 
2	6	Felipe Massa		14:18:54	292.6 
3	1	Fernando Alonso		14:58:37	289.2 
4	38	Robert Kubica		14:33:27	289.1 
5	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	14:56:48	288.8 
6	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	15:00:48	287.4 
7	16	Nick Heidfeld		14:52:46	286.6 
8	17	Jacques Villeneuve	14:59:50	286.4 
9	36	Anthony Davidson	14:08:59	284.9 
10	22	Takuma Sato		14:59:55	284.8 
11	39	Giorgio Mondini		14:56:41	284.4 
12	35	Alexander Wurz		14:19:21	284.1 
13	37	Robert Doornbos		14:55:50	284.1 
14	12	Jenson Button		14:56:29	283.1 
15	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	14:53:51	282.9 
16	3	Kimi Räikkönen		14:57:38	282.9 
17	11	Rubens Barrichello	14:53:42	282.5 
18	23	Yuji Ide		14:53:58	282.1 
19	8	Jarno Trulli		14:56:47	281.9 
20	10	Nico Rosberg		15:00:19	281.7 
21	21	Scott Speed		14:04:42	281.2 
22	9	Mark Webber		14:56:53	280.4 
23	15	Christian Klien		14:53:39	280.1 
24	14	David Coulthard		14:54:50	279.9 
25	18	Tiago Monteiro		14:52:01	279.5 
26	40	Neel Jani		14:46:44	279.2 
27	19	Christijan Albers	14:46:33	279.2 
28	7	Ralf Schumacher		14:33:25	277.1

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:20

GPMA on the verge of signing up for F1

Formula One's manufacturers are on the verge of signing the Concorde Agreement to commit themselves to Grand Prix racing until the end of 2012 after the latest round of talks at Imola aimed at securing the sport's future.

Although the five members of the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA) have so far been unable to reach commercial terms with supremo Bernie Ecclestone, sources have revealed that meetings have taken place at this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix that could result in an imminent agreement.

Renault boss Flavio Briatore has been acting on behalf of the manufacturers in talks with Ecclestone and the sport's commercial owners CVC Capital Partners, which has been represented by Donald MacKenzie.

This has resulted in the latest offer being put on the table for the manufacturers to consider. This was due to be considered in a GPMA meeting that was taking place at Imola on Friday evening.

The five manufacturers have agreed to act in unison with regards to the sport's future, which means that they will either all sign the deal that has been offered to them or they will all reject it.

However, Renault boss Flavio Briatore told autosport.com that he was happy with what was now being offered to the teams and was ready to sign the deal.

"We are going to sign with Bernie, yes," he said. "But I haven't signed yet...I don't have a pen. We want to sign it as soon as possible."

Briatore would be unable to sign the deal if the other members of the GPMA - BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Toyota - decided that the terms were not acceptable.

Ecclestone himself said he was not getting overtly optimistic about a deal that would bring a final end to the threat of a breakaway championship.

When asked about whether he was confident a deal would happen imminently, he said: "I am confident when something happens. When people say they have paid a bill, I only believe it when the money is in the bank. Up until then it is conversation, so we will see.

"They are having a meeting again, but they have meetings all the time. I have said to them, 'look at all the money you have spent on mineral water in these meetings, that is more than you want anyway.'"

Ecclestone's original offer to the teams was for a share of 60 percent of the sport's commercial revenue.

"What we've offered they can take it or leave it. That is not being rude. What has been offered is all that is being offered. I think they are happy to be honest."

Speaking about whether he believed a deal could be done this week, he said: "I've no idea. I don't know. With these people it should have been two years ago."

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:21

New Imola chicane receives mixed reviews

Imola's revised Variante Alta chicane received mixed reviews following Friday's practice for the San Marino Grand Prix.

For this year's race organisers have flattened the kerbs and have made the corner tighter and slower, also resurfacing the area.

The end result is that the chicane is now taken like two corners instead of just one like in previous years.

The new asphalt has caused several incidents in today's two sessions, with some drivers expression their disappointment at the changes.

"Especially on the new surface, you have a big difference in terms of grip from the old asphalt and the new surface and that you need to take care and be careful," said Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

"I didn't like the chicane so much: it is much slower than before and you could even manage to make the chicane behind another car without losing grip, and now it is much slower so it will be impossible to overtake in the Rivazza."

Briton Jenson Button added: "It is not as exciting, it was a lot more fun last year. It is alright, it is just very, very slippery.

"The tarmac there is very slippery, it will need a lot of bedding in I think, and it is just strange coming from the previous corners where you have lots of grip compared to that one where it is completely different tarmac and that is the biggest issue you have got there.

"The grasscrete on the outside is good because it stops you from going off the circuit because it slows you down you so much so maybe it is a good idea for the future."

Button's teammate Rubens Barrichello believes the new chicane will create more overtaking opportunities.

"Obviously they could have put a huge corner in there, you would have loved it further, but the idea of not having a little kerb on the exit means that a lot of people will be making mistakes," he said.

"It is a pity that the track is not wider because then we would promote more overtaking at the Rivazza corners because it is left and right. The guy could choose to stay in the middle of it and you cannot pass, but it will definitely create more opportunities."

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:22

Ide confident of raising game

Yuji Ide is optimistic he will be able to raise his game with the Super Aguri team following the three-week break ahead of the San Marino Grand Prix.

The Japanese rookie has struggled to match to the pace of his more experienced teammate Takuma Sato since the start of the season, and very limited testing has not helped him.

Ide was scheduled to have a full day of testing at Barcelona last week, but problems with the car meant he could not run at all.

Despite that, the Super Aguri driver believes a meeting with his engineers before the Imola race will help him improve from now on.

"After the Australian Grand Prix I was not happy with my past results, so I had an important meeting with the engineers in UK before we came to Imola," said Ide.

"I am glad we had this particular meeting since I feel that the car is working much better for me and I think that I will be able to show a better performance than during the past races."

Ide was slowest in today's practice, over a second behind Sato.

"I was able to have a clear run today and I am feeling more confident about the qualifying session tomorrow. I won't be able to make up too many places, but I am hoping that it may be my best qualifying and starting position so far," he added.

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:23

Berger believes Toro Rosso could shine

Gerhard Berger is convinced that Scuderia Toro Rosso can beat some of their better funded rivals in Formula One - especially when new rules are introduced for 2008.

The Austrian, who returned to the sport as a part owner in Red Bull's junior team, is convinced that Toro Rosso can break the mould in F1 by achieving results beyond what are normally possible for small teams.

"On paper it is practically impossible for a small team to assert itself there, so why are we giving it a go anyway?" he said in a column in The Red Bulletin.

"It could be naivety, but in fact we are hoping to be able to go beyond the conventional standards with a particular racing flair and a feeling for the right people.

"The regulations from 2008 onwards will also play an essential role – this was a crucial factor in my decision to risk the step up to team owner together with Didi Mateschitz.

"Without the chance of a new approach to Formula One, with respect to clever cost saving, synergies and fresh ideas, it would make absolutely no sense at all for a small player to enter the fray against the big players and their enormous resources.

"My feeling is that these fresh ideas are really doing well and will give us a Formula One where one's rivals will not be beaten by purely monetary means."

The new rules for 2008 are expected to dramatically cut the costs of competing, which should in turn allow the non-manufacturer teams a better chance of achieving success on the track.

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:26

San Marino: Friday notes - Red Bull

David Coulthard: I don't think we're suddenly going to take a big step forward here, but we're starting to get a better understanding of the car. Inevitably that will help with future development. I honestly don't know where we are in the field at the moment – tomorrow will tell.

Christian Klien: I went out in the first session for just a few laps. The car felt not too bad overall, although there was some understeer. I had problems with the brake balance and, as a result, the rears kept locking up. I wasn't able to adjust the balance from the cockpit, so that's why I was off the pace. In the second session, after we'd made some changes to the brake balance, the car felt better.

Robert Doornbos: That wasn't such a good Friday for us to be honest. Normally we have a better day, but we struggled with the set up this morning. The car was very unbalanced, so it was quite difficult to do the tyre work and the set up at the same time, but we made the best of it this morning. This afternoon we did some long runs, which were consistent and we have a clear decision on tyres for the weekend. It's a very particular circuit to get the right set up right here, and hopefully things will improve over the weekend.

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:26

San Marino: Friday notes - Renault

The Renault F1 Team's weekend in San Marino began with two routine practice sessions today in Imola.

The morning session saw the team's two drivers completely only installation laps, before beginning their programmes this afternoon with several set-up changes to achieve a stable balance on the R26. Their work was hampered by poor circuit conditions and very low grip levels; as a result, neither driver was satisfied with the handling by the end of the session. In spite of this, the cars were encouragingly quick, and overnight set-up changes combined with additional running tomorrow morning, should see both Renaults in a strong position for the afternoon's qualifying session.

Fernando Alonso: As usual on the Friday, the grip levels were quite bad. That makes the car inconsistent to drive, and we began working on the set-up to try and improve things. We are not there yet, and we are suffering from too much understeer at the moment. I think we are quick as well but as always, the times on Friday don't mean too much. If we can make some good changes tonight, though, I think we will be a in a strong situation for the race.

Giancarlo Fisichella: I had a difficult day to be honest. The balance of the car is not good and the grip is very low on the track. The main problem is in the chicanes where the handling is inconsistent, which means you cannot attack them with any confidence. We have a lot of work to do tonight, to reach our normal level of performance.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: In very low grip conditions such as we experienced today, it is perfectly understandable that neither driver is particularly happy with the balance of the car at the moment. We made some limited changes to the set-up in the second session and we seem to be going in the right direction, so we will continue to study the data overnight to solve the problems. All things considered, our relative competitiveness seems to be where we would expect.

Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations: We had another normal day of Friday practice today. For the engine team, that means calibrating the engine mapping and control systems, which we did without incident. The weather conditions were perfect, contrary to some forecasts, and we hope they will stay that way for the rest of the weekend. It was pleasing to see both cars in a strong position after having done very little running, and Giancarlo's B spec engine is performing in line with our expectations. This has been a solid start, that we will look to build from in tomorrow morning's final practice session.

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:27

San Marino: Friday notes - BMW

The three BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers had two trouble-free practice sessions at the Imola track which sees the start of the European part of the F1 season with the sun shining. Test and reserve driver Robert Kubica was third quickest in both sessions.

Robert Kubica: This is my first ever Formula One practice in Europe. I already knew Imola, but they have changed the chicane and re-asphalted some corners. Where the grip level was poor the car was very unstable. We have worked to choose the best tyres, mainly concentrating on doing long runs to see the degradation, and I think we have done two really good sessions. I think it was a good Friday and I think the team will be happy with my driving and our job with the guys.

Nick Heidfeld: I only did a few laps to get familiar with the track. The Variante Alta chicane has changed, and some parts have new tarmac where the surface of the track is very slippery. I also had to deal with a nervous car. Physically I don't feel very well today, something with my stomach doesn't seem right.

Jacques Villeneuve: The track is very slippery, but it is not looking too bad. I think we can work on the car and be competitive. The major problem is we are lacking grip at the moment. They have changed just one chicane and the asphalt in a few places, but that is the same for everyone. At the end of the day the story for me is we are just low on grip.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): It was a good practice day. Robert had a very heavy workload, especially as he was comparing the different tyre compounds over long runs. With this data we have a solid basis to decide on the tyres and the set-up for both racing cars. Nick and Jacques carried out their planned programmes as well. We were able to complete all of this with no technical problems.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): We are happy with the first day. We have new aerodynamic parts for the cars and were able to collect a lot of data from these. We are now going to concentrate on fine tuning the set-up of the cars for the race.

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:27

San Marino: Friday notes - Toyota

21/04/2006

Panasonic Toyota Racing today began its preparations for the San Marino Grand Prix on a sunny day at Italy's Imola circuit. Fresh from his podium in Australia, Ralf Schumacher missed most of the day's running due to electronic problems but Jarno Trulli successfully completed his programme of tyre comparison and set-up work. The drivers will now look to make continued improvements over the rest of the weekend as Toyota bids for more points. Yesterday Toyota's Technical Director Engine Luca Marmorini received the Gold Medal from the Italian region of Emilio Romagna at the Lorenzo Bandini trophy evening. Now the team will be looking for even more to cheer after Sunday's race.

Jarno Trulli has high hopes for his home race after making progress with his set-up during last week's test.

Jarno Trulli: "I haven't had much fortune in the first three races, but I am more confident about this weekend. At last week's Barcelona test we took a different direction with set-up. That led to a big step forward, and today the handling of the car was pretty close to how I like it. We had to do more laps than usual because of Ralf's problems but we look good so far. We have some small steps on the car here and Bridgestone have brought some new tyres so that should give us a chance to get closer to the top teams. Historically Imola has never been a good track for Toyota, but I'm confident we can turn that record around."

Ralf Schumacher missed most of the day due to electronic glitches but he remains optimistic.

Ralf Schumacher: "Today was obviously not the perfect way to start the weekend. But Jarno showed that we have good potential here so I still have strong hopes. We saw in Melbourne that we can now get much more out of our package. We've made further improvements during testing so we hope to continue that progress here. We are making steps forward but we are still behind the top teams so we should aim for another strong finish in the points. That would be a good result as we continue our upward momentum."

Panasonic Toyota Racing enjoyed ups and downs during practice for Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix.

Dieter Gass - Chief Engineer Race and Test: "That was a day of mixed emotions for us. Some of the Imola track has been resurfaced so the grip was lacking early in the session but the modification to the Variante Alta is good. We had a very positive day with Jarno, who was happy with his car's balance. He was able to complete his programme of set-up and tyre evaluation, even though he struggled with traffic on his last run. Unfortunately we lost most of Ralf's running because he had some electronic problems so we have less data than usual for the tyre choice. We have an aero update here and overall this was a promising start to the weekend."

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:28

San Marino: Friday notes - Midland

Tiago Monteiro: "I'm a bit frustrated today. We lost a lot of time with the old tyres, which was the set programme, but we shouldn't have. I did 75% of my day's practice on tyres that obviously didn't work, and that led us in the wrong direction in terms of set-up, as well as the way I had to drive the car. So naturally, I wasn't too happy about that. But then, when we put the new tyres on, it was like driving a completely different car and I gained two seconds right away. Thankfully, we have one more hour of practice tomorrow morning before qualifying to optimise the set-up with the new tyres, so I'm confident we can be a lot quicker."

Christijan Albers: I think we had a reasonable day, but I'm not really surprised, to be honest, because I know what we're capable of when we're on our game. We are a serious team, and we made the most of our Friday programme today. I also think that tomorrow, when we go for qualifying, we'll be able to find even more time."

Giorgio Mondini: "This morning, I found the car difficult to drive, because it did not match my set-up preferences. But this afternoon, we made some changes that improved the handling quite a lot. The new spec front wing was much better but unfortunately, I broke it on a kerb, so we went back to the old one and I wasn't able to improve on my times. But I felt good in the car, and I think the team did a great job to keep moving up the time sheets. Christijan's fast lap, in particular, was excellent, so I think the engineers were able to get some good data."

Dominic Harlow, Chief Race and Test Engineer: "We had a couple of very productive sessions today, just working through the programme we'd planned for our car updates. We also seem to have a good direction on the tyres we've selected for this weekend. Now it's just a question of siting down and going through the data to see how we can improve again tomorrow. I think we can probably increase Tiago's pace a bit more and move him closer to Christijan's time. Giorgio's obviously given us a lot of feedback from his tyre work today, so we're quite pleased with the work we've put in."

Andy Stevenson, Team Manager: "We had a very productive test at Silverstone last week, where we ran the new aero parts for this weekend. Christijan arrived feeling very upbeat about the whole thing, and he's managed to put some very good laps together. He was consistently quick all the way through the session and then just steadily climbed up the table. Actually, if you take all the 3rd drivers out of the equation, we were 11th quickest today. So I think that puts us in a good position for the remainder of the weekend."

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:28

San Marino: Friday notes - WilliamsF1

The FW28s of Alex Wurz, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber today carried sidepod livery to celebrate Petrobras' achieving oil self-sufficiency for Brazil as annual production in 2006 has reached 1,910,000 barrels per day. This major resource advantage, the privilege of only a few developed nations in the world, in the context of increasing oil scarcity, has been achieved through groundbreaking extraction techniques in deep and ultra deep waters.

Sam Michael, Technical Director, WilliamsF1: "We had a productive day with Alex's car today and we went through the whole programme, particularly checking tyres. The tyre choice will be difficult, but we have plenty of data to go through to assist the engineers with this. Alex also tried a couple of different mechanical set-ups specific to the Imola circuit. We did two runs with Nico's car to give him more track time and one run with Mark's car to check the balance, so it was normal activity for a Friday."

Alex Wurz: "We completed a busy test programme today, so now we have to sit down and carefully analyse what did what and how it should translate to the race cars. My role is purely to evaluate our options and I spent all my time conducting long runs, which is why we do not appear higher up in the timing results, but this doesn't worry me at all. We just have to pull our whole package together a bit tighter and then we will be competitive."

Mark Webber: "I had a few laps at the end of the session to help with the tyre selections - not as many laps as you might like, but I'll make up for it tomorrow. The balance feels about right and we have lots of good information from Alex to look through tonight."

Nico Rosberg: "I think today's sessions went well and Alex did a good job again to find the right set-up, so I immediately had quite a good balance when I first went out. We divided my activity in two runs so I had a bit of time to look at data comparisons. All in all, the performance felt quite good today."

Simon Corbyn, Head of F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth Ltd: "All three CA2006 engines ran without problems today. As usual for Friday, Alex completed the bulk of the running and evaluated the effect of some engine map changes. The data will be checked tonight prior to finalising Mark & Nico's engine plans for Saturday & Sunday."

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:29

San Marino: Friday notes - McLaren

Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen finished today's practice sessions for the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix in ninth and 12th positions respectively. Juan Pablo set a time of 1:26.334 and completed a total of 15 laps whilst Kimi's time was 1:26.500 and he completed 20 laps.

Juan Pablo Montoya: "So far so good, and we achieved everything we needed. I did two short runs just to check the balance and then a long run to evaluate our Michelin tyres and all went well. I was stuck in traffic on what was meant to be a fast run, but that is life. We have a couple of new things here which seem to be working and the car feels good. I'm not too keen on the new chicane, but overall I'm quite pleased."

Kimi Raikkonen: "Everything went well, so it's a good start to the weekend. We spent our time working on the set-up and evaluating our Michelin tyres, and I'm pretty confident. The weather is a bit warmer than normal at Imola, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend. I think we have a good package, and we should be able to do well."

Ron Dennis: "Two uneventful but productive practice sessions where we conserved our equipment but still gained a lot of information which we will evaluate overnight. Both Juan Pablo and Kimi went through their planned programmes, and we are definitely heading in the right direction."

Norbert Haug: "We concentrated on going through our planned programme, and we are quite happy with the lap times so far."

Flibster · 21 Apr 2006 at 18:29

San Marino: Friday notes - Super Aguri

It was a positive start to the San Marino Grand Prix weekend for the Super Aguri team today. Yuji Ide pushed himself and the SA05 during the first Free Practice session to clock a best lap time that was only 0.2 seconds off the pace of team mate Takuma Sato. The team completed its planned programmes for the day and now focuses on the decisions to be made for the Qualifying session tomorrow.

Takuma Sato: We had a good day and were able to learn a number of useful things by varying our programme. It was interesting testing the two Bridgestone tyre options and we have collected important data. The car is unstable on the kerbs and bumps, so it is a bit difficult to drive. But I think that we improved throughout the sessions and we will just continue to work hard to prepare ourselves for tomorrow.

Yuji Ide: After the Australian Grand Prix I was not happy with my past results, so I had an important meeting with the engineers in UK before we came to Imola. I am glad we had this particular meeting since I feel that the car is working much better for me and I think that I will be able to show a better performance than during the past races. I was able to have a clear run today and I am feeling more confident about the Qualifying session tomorrow. I won't be able to make up too many places, but I am hoping that it may be my best qualifying and starting position so far.

Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: I think Yuji is getting used to handling the car and starting to feel more comfortable with it. It is good to see him growing in confidence and getting used to his F1 surroundings. I know that there are a lot of things we need to improve and our performances are far from the top level, however, we are taking very good steps forward. As I always say, we want to improve the team and performance step-by-step. I am looking forward to the Qualifying tomorrow.