14/08/2004
NEWS STORY
Ahead of the first part of today's qualifying session the air temperature is 24 degrees C, while the track temperature is 40 degrees.
However, with minutes to go, there are ominous black clouds heading towards the track.
As a result of an engine failure in today's second free practice session, Felipe Massa required a new engine, which in turn means that he loses ten places on the grid.
First out for the first part of the session is German GP winner - indeed just about every other GP winner this year - Michael Schumacher, in the Ferrari F2004. He will be followed by Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and David Coulthard. Last out will be Ricardo Zonta, who is making his 2004 F1 race debut.
At 13:00 precisely, the reigning world champion leaves his garage, the session begins.
At the first split the German posts 28.3, as Jenson Button leaves the BAR garage. At the second split it's 28.5. At the line the six-time world champion posts 1:19.107, an unbelievable lap that is way, way faster than anything else we've seen this weekend.
Jenson crosses the line to begin his lap, completing the first sector 28.5s later. He's down on Schumacher, but it's marginal. At the second split it's 28.7, as he loses ground, finally crossing the line at 1:19.878, 0.771s off the German's pace.
Fernando Alonso is next out. The 2003 Hungary GP winner completes the first sector in 28.6, he's already 0.3s down on the Ferrari. At the second split it's 28.8, followed by 1:20.135 at the line. The Renault star goes third.
Apart from the fourth free practice session, the McLarens have been looking good, what can Coulthard do? At the first split the Scot posts 28.6, again, he's 0.3s down on Schumacher. At the second split it's 29.7, he loses vital time as he goes wide. At the line it's a highly disappointing 1:21.192, more than 2s off the pace.
Juan Pablo Montoya is next, he too has been looking good this weekend, now that WilliamsF1 has ditch that nose. At the first split it's 28.2, he's quickest. However, a minor mistake in the second sector costs him. He makes up time in the final sector but can only manage 1:19.821, which puts him second, but over 0.7s off the pace.
Mark Webber is next out, the Jaguars haven't looked good this weekend. At the first split the Australian posts 29.5, he's already over a second off Schumacher's pace. He makes up ground in the second sector, finally crossing the line at 1:21.452, which puts him sixth.
Antonio Pizzonia is next out, 'Jungle boy' has been looking very good so far. At the first split, the Brazilian posts 28.6, he's around 0.3s down on Schumacher. He loses a little more time in the second sector, but not much. At the line it's 1:20.019, which puts him fourth, behind Schumacher, Montoya and Button.
Takuma Sato is next, can he outpace his teammate? At the first split the Japanese driver posts 28.6, he's 0.3s down on the German. At the second split it's 28.6, as he makes up a little ground. At the line it's 1:19.695, he goes second fastest, without being particularly fast, or outstanding, in any of the sectors. Great lap Takuma.
Giancarlo Fisichella is next out in the Sauber. The Italian completes the first sector in 28.4, he's only slightly off Schumacher's pace. He loses ground in the second sector, but he's still in touch with the other pace-setters. At the line it's 1:19.668, he goes second. A brilliant performance from the Renault-bound Italian.
Christian Klien needs a good result, what can he do? At the first split it's 29.1, he's quicker than his teammate. At the second split he's still quicker, around 0.4s faster than Webber. At the line it's 1:21.510, as he loses a heap of time. He goes tenth, of ten.
Jarno Trulli is another driver that needs a boost, he's next out. At the first split it's 28.4, he's down on Schumacher, but it's marginal. At the second split it's 28.9, he's lost ground. At the line the Italian posts 1:19.879, to go sixth.
Rubens Barrichello had a nightmare race in Germany, he's next out. At the first split the Brazilian posts 28.2, he's up on his teammate. At the second split he's still quickest, around 0.3s faster than Schumacher. The Ferrari star is the first to break the 1:18s barrier, crossing the line at 1:18.436, an absolutely stunning lap. Quite superb.
Felipe Massa is next out, not only does he have a hard act to follow, he will lose ten grid positions following that engine change. At the first split he posts 28.2, followed by a 28.7s at the second, this is another good lap. At the line it's 1:19.658, which puts him fourth, behind the Ferraris but ahead of his teammate.
Olivier Panis is next out, the TF104B making its second race appearance this weekend. At the first split it's 28.5, he's down on Barrichello, but not by a lot. At the second split it's 29.2, he's lost a load of time. At the line it's 1:20.491, he goes eleventh.
Giorgio Pantano has been looking a lot better this weekend, he's next out. At the first split the Italian posts 28.8, followed by a 29.2 at the second. At the line the Jordan driver posts 1:21.187, which puts him twelfth, ahead of Coulthard and the Jaguars.
Local hero Zsolt Baumgartner is next, the crowd salutes him with air-horns blasting. At the first split it's 29.7, followed by a 30.8 at the second, business as usual for the Minardis. At the line it's 1:24.656, he's 6.2s down on Barrichello.
Teammate Bruni is next out. At the first split the Italian posts 29.4, he's 0.6s up on Baumgartner. At the second split it's 30.5, followed by a 1:23.362 at the line.
Nick Heidfeld is next out, the German is looking to secure a good seat for 2005, no disrespect to Jordan. At the first split the former F3000 champion posts 28.9, he's down on his teammate. He makes up a lot of time in the second sector, finally crossing the line at 1:20.439, which puts him eleventh. A brilliant lap from 'Quick Nick'.
Kimi Raikkonen is next, beating DC's time won't be difficult, but what about Barrichello's. At the first split it's 28.4, he's down on the Brazilian, but only just. He loses a lot of time in the second sector - like several other drivers - finally crossing the line at 1:20.066, which puts him tenth. Disappointing.
Last out is Ricardo Zonta. At the first split the Brazilian posts 28.7, he's down on his teammate. At the second split it's 28.9, followed by a 1:20.199 at the line. He goes twelfth, outpacing Panis by around 0.3s.
Therefore at the end of the pre-qualifying session, it's Barrichello ahead of Schumacher, Massa, Fisichella, Sato, Montoya, Button, Trulli, Pizzonia and Raikkonen.
Fernando Alonso is eleventh ahead of Zonta, Heidfeld, Panis, Pantano, Coulthard, Webber, Klien, Bruni and Baumgartner.
At 14:00 precisely Zsolt Baumgartner leaves the Minardi garage, the main session is underway. Air temperature is now 24 degrees C, while the track temperature is 35 degrees.
The Hungarian completes the first sector in 29.3, pushing the car hard, the Minardi looking very 'slippery'. At the second split it's 30.8, followed by a 1:24.329 at the line.
Next out is teammate Gianmaria Bruni. The Italian completes the first sector in 29.724, he's 0.4s down on the Hungarian. At the second split it's 1:00.793, he's half a second down on his teammate. At the line it's 1:24.679, he's second, a poor lap.
Next out is Christian Klien in the Jaguar. The Austrian completes the first sector in 28.794, which puts him half-a-second ahead of Baumgartner. At the second split it's 58.104, he's more than 2s up on the Hungarian. At the line it's 1:21.118, which is pretty impressive.
Teammate Mark Webber is next out. At the first split the Australian posts 29.097, he's 0.3s down on Klien. He makes up time in the second sector, completing it in 58.009. At the line it's 1:20.730, provisional pole by 0.388s.
Last out before the break is David Coulthard. The McLarens are running on harder compounds, not the right move in these weather conditions. At the first split the Scot posts 28.521, he's up on Webber, but so he should be. 58.022 at the second split, he's lost time. At the line it's 1:20.897, he's second, behind Webber.
At the first break it's Webber ahead of Coulthard, Klien, Baumgartner and Bruni.
Giorgio Pantano is next out. At the first split the Italian posts 29.185, he's down on Webber, but it's marginal. At the second split it's 58.679, he loses further ground. At the line it's 1:22.356, which puts him fourth.
Olivier Panis is next out in the TF104B. At the first split the Frenchman posts 28.894, which puts him 0.2s up on Webber. He loses ground in the second sector, going on to cross the line at 1:21.068, which puts him third. He'll be disappointed with that, but then we don't know what strategy he's on. However we do know he's on Michelins.
Nick Heidfeld is next out. At the first split the German posts 29s followed by a 58.856s at the second. He's 0.8s down on Webber. At the line it's 1:22.180, a disappointing fifth for the Jordan driver.
Toyota 'new boy' Ricardo Zonta is next out. At the first split the Brazilian posts 28.956, which puts him 0.14s quicker than Webber. At the second split it's 58.305, he's lost time to the Jaguar driver. At the line it's 1:21.135, which puts him fifth.
Last out before the second break, is 2003 winner Fernando Alonso. At the first split the Spaniard posts 28.595, which puts him half-a-second up on Webber. At the second split it's 57.464, he's still 0.5s up on the Australian. At the line it's 1:19.996, he takes provisional pole by 0.734s.
Kimi Raikkonen takes to the track in the second McLaren, the Woking team clearly struggling. At the first split it's 28.5s followed by a 29.2s at the second split. At the line it's 1:20.570, which puts him second, albeit 0.57s off the pace.
Antonio Pizzonia is on track, what can he do? At the first split it's 28.403, he's 0.19s up on Alonso. At the second split it's 57.540, he's lost a little time to the Spaniard. At the line it's 1:20.170, he goes second to the Renault.
Jarno Trulli takes to the track, the Italian is the only driver, other than Schumacher, to win a race this season. At the firs split it's 28.5, he's up on his teammate. At the second split it's 57.631, he loses ground to the Spaniard. At the line it's 1:20.411, he takes third.
Around the track, umbrellas are raised, as very fine rain begins to fall.
At the first split Jenson Button posts 28.716, he's already 0.121s down on Alonso. At the second split the Englishman posts 57.298, he's now 0.165s up on the Renault. At the line the BAR driver posts 1:19.700, he takes provisional pole by 0.296.
Last out before the final break is Juan Pablo Montoya. At the first split the Colombian posts 48.460, he's 0.256s up on Button. At the second split it's 57.625, he's lost a heap of time there, much like he did in the first part of the session. At the line it's 1:20.199, he's fourth, behind Button, Alonso and Pizzonia.
Despite the earlier scare, the rain appears to have abated.
Next out is Takuma Sato, who will be keen to out-perform his WilliamsF1-bound teammate. At the first split the Japanese driver posts 28.409, he's 0.307s up on Button. At the second split it's 56.911, he's still up on the Englishman, despite going very, very wide. At the line it's 1:19.693, taking provisional pole by 0.007s. A brilliant lap from Takuma.
Giancarlo Fisichella is the first of the two (Bridgestone shod) Saubers to go out. At the first split it's 28.635, he's down on Sato by 0.2s. At the second split it's 57.605, he's now 0.695s down on the BAR driver. At the line it's 1:20.324, which puts him sixth. A great lap from the Italian.
Next out is Massa, who of course forfeits ten positions. The Swiss outfit opts not to send the Brazilian out.
Therefore, next out is Michael Schumacher, the German was sensational in qualifying in German, will he produce something as magical today? At the first split the German posts 28.629, having made a slight error at turn one. At the second split it's 56.615, he's 0.295s up on Sato. At the line the world champion posts 1:19.146, beating the BAR driver by 0.547.
The only man who can beat him is teammate Rubens Barrichello, can he do it? At the first split the Brazilian posts 28.172, he's up on Schumacher by 0.09s. At the second split it's 56.730, he's lost time to the German. At the line it's 19.323, he's second by 0.177.
Michael Schumacher will start from pole for the seventh time this season, and for the fourth time this year it's an all-Ferrari front row. For Ferrari it's a special day, for its 174th pole comes on the 16th anniversary of the death of team founder Enzo Ferrari.
Behind the two red cars, we have Sato, Button, Alonso, Pizzonia, Montoya, Fisichella, Trulli and Raikkonen.
We know that overtaking is notoriously difficult here, which would suggest that Ferrari has got it made. However let's not forget that last year, following a first lap incident, Ralf Schumacher made up a whole load of places. Furthermore, there's that all-important run to the first corner.
BAR is looking good as are the WilliamsF1s and Renaults, while McLaren is uneasy about its tyres.
With the Button saga on hold, a little sanity has returned to the pitlane, as the action returns to where it belongs, on-track.
We'll avoid the hyperbole of the TV broadcasters and simply say that tomorrow should be interesting, though who is willing to bet against Michael taking a record twelfth win in a season, and Ferrari its sixth successive title?