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2005 Canada GP
Team Quotes - Saturday 11 June
Jean Todt: This qualifying session left us with mixed emotions. On the one hand there is the satisfaction of seeing a Ferrari, Michael's, on the front row of the grid for the second time this season. On the other hand, there is disappointment that Rubens was unable to do a qualifying lap because of a gearbox problem. It was the second failure of this component today, after Michael suffered a failure at the end of the morning session. Now we have to analyse what happened to see if they both had the same fault or if they were two different problems. Overnight, we worked to improve our situation and we succeeded. Bridgestone also deserve credit for this. Obviously we are happy with Michael's result, after seeing this morning that our cars were capable of performing well. Of course there is the unknown factor of how much fuel the other cars had on board, but we believe we have a good package for the race. Starting from the back of the grid, Rubens has a difficult afternoon in prospect, but he has shown at other times this year that he is capable of making the best of this type of situation.
Ross Brawn: This was quite a surprise in terms of our overall performance, because we were able to repeat the pace we showed this morning, while our opposition seemed to suffer a bit. Having said that, Michael did not even get a particularly clean lap. From where he is on the grid, he should be able to have a good race. What happened to Rubens was frustrating, because looking at other people's performance this afternoon, he would also have been in a very strong position.
The Lucky Strike BAR Honda team were thrilled to be on pole this afternoon after Jenson Button clocked the fastest time of today's Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session. In difficult low grip track conditions and sweltering heat, Jenson delivered a faultless lap to beat Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso to the front of the grid to post the second pole position of his F1 career.
Takuma Sato did an equally solid job to qualify 6th and will start tomorrow's 71-lap race from the third row of the grid.
Gil de Ferran: "In free practice this morning we were able to improve the car from yesterday and were looking competitive in the time sheets; which gave us cause for optimism for qualifying. However, having Jenson on pole and Taku in the third row is a fantastic result for our team. Jenson drove a beautiful lap and deserves a lot of credit for that. Starting at the front of the grid is always helpful, so we look forward to a good race tomorrow."
Shuhei Nakamoto: "A flawless lap by Jenson, and a very good performance from Takuma too. The latest spec engine has worked well so far and it will be great for Jenson to be starting with a clear track in front of him. We'll have to see how the various strategies play out, but we'll be aiming for a repeat of last year's podium position tomorrow."
The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team took a strong grid position during this afternoon qualifying session at the Canada grand prix. Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella will start tomorrow's race respectively in 3rd and fourth position on the grid. The RS25 confirmed the potential shown in this morning's free practice, where the cars had finished the session in 2nd and 4th position. The unusual results of today's qualifying indicate that the teams have opted for different race strategies. The Renault F1 drivers were satisfied with their results and they are both ready to fight for a podium finish in tomorrow's race.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: Track conditions were a bit more slippery today than they were yesterday. Also, the wind compromised slightly the cars' efficiency. The interesting thing is that it is obvious that teams opted for different strategies, which will make for a good race tomorrow. We are confident and we should be able to get the results we're aiming for.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Operations: Quite a good day for us: we didn't have any problem in the morning and we managed to go through a heavy programme. We were quick this morning and we confirmed it this afternoon. Our race strategy is good and we should be competitive tomorrow. Starting in front of both McLarens is certainly a positive thing, in terms of the Championship.
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team's drivers experienced today's qualifying session in completely different track conditions as Mark Webber went out second, while Nick Heidfeld was the penultimate driver to set a time. However, the pair achieved similar grid positions due to the fact they both made some mistakes. On another very hot and humid day, Nick qualified 13th, just ahead of team-mate Mark who was 14th.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): We had a disappointing qualifying session today, but a lot of things can change in the race. We have done our homework on brakes, tyres and strategy and expect to see a good improvement in tomorrow's pace. We had no mechanical problems.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): After the good results we achieved in the last two races, this was a disappointing qualifying. Neither of the drivers managed a flawless qualifying lap. Our starting positions for tomorrow's race are quite unfavourable, so we will see what outcome can come from these positions. We had no technical problems.
Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen will start tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix from fifth and seventh places respectively after setting times of 1:15.669 and 1:15.923 in today's qualifying session.
Ron Dennis: "Clearly a mixed grid reflecting the various strategies adopted by our competition. As shown in previous races both drivers normally make excellent starts and if we avoid any first lap incidents we should be in a position to have a strong race."
Norbert Haug: "Today's qualifying result is a good basis for our race tomorrow. Our strategy is good and our speed was there throughout both practice days."
Sauber drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa will start tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix from eighth and 11th positions respectively after this afternoon's qualifying session.
Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "This is a very good result for the team, and a remarkable effort from Jacques. My congratulations to him for such a great performance. I'm particularly happy that he was able to summon it in front of his home crowd and on the track named after his father. Now we have to make sure that we convert this promise into a strong result tomorrow."
After today's qualifying session, David Coulthard and Christian Klien will line up twelfth and sixteenth respectively on tomorrow's grid, for the start of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: Christian was handicapped being first out on a circuit that was always going to improve dramatically though the session but, despite that, he delivered a pretty clean lap. David had a few moments, which probably cost him a little time and a couple of grid places, but it's not the strongest circuit here for our car and the long straights highlight our deficiencies. I think it's quite an interesting grid for tomorrow, which suggests an interesting race and I think we'll see a lot of different strategies. BAR's result shows how quickly things can change in Formula One. The fact that Jenson (Button) was struggling behind us two weeks ago at Nürburgring, compared to where he is here, just shows how quickly things can turn around.
Günther Steiner, Technical Director: We worked to get the best aerodynamic efficiency during this morning's practice sessions, but it seems we're not the fastest car here. Qualifying was disappointing, but we showed what we can do during a race in Nürburgring and we will try to do the same tomorrow.
Panasonic Toyota Racing's drivers Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher will both line up in the top ten for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix after today's qualifying session. On another scorching day at Montreal, Jarno and Ralf took 9th and 10th places respectively on the grid. The team will now head into Sunday's race with the intention of getting both cars into the points as it bids to maintain its position in the top three of the constructors' championship.
Jarno Trulli lapped the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 1m 16.201s, good enough for 9th place on the grid for tomorrow's race. He will be giving everything to keep his third place in the drivers' championship with more points on Sunday.
Ralf Schumacher was the third driver out today so he missed the best track conditions. But he overcame that problem to join Jarno on the fifth row for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.
Panasonic Toyota Racing will look to bring both cars home in the points at tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix after they took over the fifth row of the grid.
Dieter Gass – Chief Race Engineer: "Having two drivers in the top ten gives us a good chance in the race tomorrow. It means we can fight for a decent finish. We would obviously have hoped to have Jarno a little further up the grid but the electronics problem we had on his car during this morning's practice sessions didn't help him finalise his set-up and gain the right confidence in the car. So that made qualifying difficult for him. It was also very difficult for Ralf to go out so early because the circuit was improving a lot throughout the session. So I think his lap was also quite good in the conditions. We're confident about our strategy for tomorrow so we'll look for another positive finish. A double points finish is what we have to target and that is certainly realistic from where we are."
Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro enjoyed productive free practice sessions to fine-tune the cars to their qualifying and race set-up and showed fairly good pace. Karthikeyan experienced a small gearbox related problem at the end of the third session, which was solved for the last Free Practice. In the afternoon, Karthikeyan set a time of 1.18.664. Team mate Monteiro finished 18th overall with a time of 1:19.034. Both drivers had a clean qualifying lap, were relatively satisfied with the car’s balance and are confident that they have a reliable car for tomorrow's 71-lap race.
Adrian Burgess: We had a balance change for both drivers from this morning and we are reasonably happy with the preparations and car set up for the Grand Prix tomorrow. The race will be long, we are satisfied with the decisions made and hope we will be there at the end.
A qualifying lap of total commitment this afternoon saw Minardi F1 Team driver Christijan Albers claim an excellent 15th position on the grid for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix. Despite running strongly earlier in the day, team mate, Patrick Friesacher, was not able to muster quite the same sort of pace for his qualifying lap, but will still start the race from 19th place. Prior to the afternoon qualifying session, Friesacher and Albers spent the final two official practice sessions of the weekend continuing to fine-tune the handling of their cars. Although they initially reported the track surface to be dirty and lacking in grip, the situation improved as the morning progressed and they were able to register promising lap times. Local weather forecasts continue to indicate there is a significant likelihood of rain in the Montreal area tomorrow afternoon, in which case, Formula One fans may be in for an unpredictable, and exciting, Canadian Grand Prix.
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: That was a ‘mega' lap by Christijan. It's always pleasing to see such an effort when it really counts, and P15 in qualifying is slightly better than we had expected. Sadly, Patrick struggled this afternoon to find the pace that he's had over the last two days of practice, but I'm sure he will do better in the race. All in all, it was a good team effort, and we look forward to tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix.
Michael Schumacher will start tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix from the front row of the grid after qualifying in second place with a time of 1m15.475s. The reigning world champion had been running consistently in the earlier morning practice sessions, despite a problem in the second session, and will be looking to make the most of his front row start tomorrow. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's Schumacher has won the Canadian GP for the last three consecutive years. His teammate Rubens Barrichello, however, was not so fortunate. A suspected gearbox problem resulted in him aborting his qualifying run this afternoon as temperatures rose into the high forties. Fellow Bridgestone runner, Minardi's Christijan Albers also had a good run this afternoon out performing his main competitors Jordan Grand Prix, as well as Red Bull Racing's Christian Klien.
Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport: The track has been evolving as the day has gone on, particularly the areas which were repaired overnight and we expect tomorrow to really see our tyre performance develop. It was nice to see Michael back on the front row of the grid. As always, having better grip does give you a better chance of a good result. Today's conditions have been quite hot with high track temperatures and it has been good to see that our tyres have the speed and consistency in these conditions. I am only sorry that Rubens had a problem which ruined his qualifying run. Christijan Albers, however, put in an impressive run. His hard work in the practice sessions in terms of car set up seems to be paying off.
Ross Brawn, Technical Director of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: A little surprised really in terms of our overall performance. We were able to repeat the pace we showed this morning while our opposition seemed to suffer a bit. And Michael did not even get a clean qualifying lap. Considering where he is on the grid, he should be able to have a good race. What happened to Rubens was frustrating, because looking at other people's performances this afternoon, he would also have been in a very strong position.
Jenson Button obtained his first pole position of the season – and the second of his Formula One career – during qualifying for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix. The Englishman's 1m 15.217s lap put him 0.258s clear of the field and maintained Michelin's unbroken run of F1 poles this season. It was also the 90th in Bibendum's F1 world championship history.
The Montreal track authorities have made several overnight repairs to their recently- resurfaced track. Fresh asphalt patches have been laid at six corners.
McLaren star Kimi Räikkönen has been fined $5000 (about 4125) by motor racing's governing body the FIA. The Finn has not been found guilty of any on-track misdemeanour. Rather, he turned up 14 minutes late for a scheduled media conference on Thursday.
Räikkönen set fastest time during this morning's final free practice sessions. His 1m 14.232s lap was four tenths quicker than his team-mate Pedro de la Rosa's pace- setting effort on Friday. Michelin drivers occupied the top seven positions.
Several drivers slithered off the track this morning. Those affected included David Coulthard (Red Bull Racing), who ran wide at the first turn on three separate occasions, world champion Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), who spun at Turn Seven, Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes), who misjudged the final chicane, Narain Karthikeyan (Jordan-Toyota), who ran off the track at Turns Seven and Nine, and Christijan Albers (Minardi), who spun twice.
Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello did not complete a qualifying run today. He abandoned his lap because of a suspected engine problem.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "Am I satisfied with the way tomorrow's grid will line up? Absolutely. It is clear that there will be a real fight here in Montreal and we thrive on that. Several of our partner teams will be involved, too.
"The track appeared to be about one second slower in qualifying than it was during this morning's free practice, but generally it has evolved as we expected. The fresh patches that were put in place overnight have not made any significant difference – the transversal loads F1 cars put through the circuit cause a sort of viscous effect, whereby a recently-laid track surface shifts gently, but the chemicals laid down should stabilise things for the balance of the weekend. I saw exactly the same thing happen at Dallas in 1984, when the organisers knew how to deal with it."
Nick Shorrock, director of Michelin F1 activities: "All three of Michelin's available tyre compounds will be used in tomorrow's grand prix – and the three fastest Michelin cars are using two of them. Despite the fierce heat and the high loads this track can place on tyres, we have not experienced any technical problems. Our tyres have been extremely consistent over long runs and our partners should be in good shape tomorrow."
Nick Fry, CEO, BAR-Honda: "That was a great lap by Jenson. We did a lot of solid preparation work with a number of long runs in this morning's free practice. Our Michelin tyres have been very good and I feel very optimistic for the race."
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