20/03/2005
NEWS STORY
As ever, the running order for today’s qualifying session will see the drivers run in reverse order from where they finished in Saturday’s qualifying session. In other words, Christijan Albers will be first out and Fernando Alonso last.
Air temperature is 34 degrees C, while the track temperature is a muggy 44 degrees, at 10:56. It’s cloudy, and there is an outside chance of rain within the next hour.
At 11:00 precisely, Albers heads off down the pitlane, the Minardi driver gets today’s events underway.
The Dutchman posts an aggregate time of 3:23.001, which puts him on provisional pole. However, as we’re looking at aggregate times he’s way off the pace and absolutely no threat to the Renault driver. Teammate Patrick Friesacher posts 3:21.186, while Monteiro posts 3:17.962.
In reality, looking at these second session times alone, the times actually posts by these three drivers are: Albers (1:42.569), Friesacher (1:41.918) and Monteiro (1:40.106).
Hopefully you’re beginning to see how ridiculous this new system is – or at least the way it is presented.
Based on aggregate times, Karthikeyan goes quickest but this won’t last long as by the end of the first sector Jacques Villeneuve is over3s up on the Indian. The former world champion takes provisional pole with a 3:12.995. Got it?
Anthony Davidson – who is standing in for Takuma Sato – is next out. He runs a little wide at turn one but is already 0.2s up on Villeneuve at the first split. At the second split he’s 0.7s up on the Canadian, crossing the line at 3:11.890, a smooth lap from the Englishman.
Rubens Barrichello is already 0.6s up on the BAR driver at the first split. At the second split the Brazilian is still around 0.6s to the good. At the line the Ferrari driver posts 3:11.502.
Felipe Massa takes to the track, the Sauber star completing the first sector 0.02s down on ‘pole man’, and fellow-Brazilian, Barrichello. He loses time in the second sector, finally crossing the line at 3:11.884.
All eyes on Michael Schumacher, who has no hope of taking pole, but will be running on race fuel, so may give away some idea of his race strategy. It’s evens- stevens at the first split, and again at the second. He crosses the line at 3:11.633, which puts him second. Not the tidiest of laps from the German, quite scrappy in fact.
A very strong lap from David Coulthard sees the Scot take provisional pole with an aggregate time of 3:09.700. His lap draws applause from his team, and so it should.
Looking at the ‘real’ times, they are well off yesterday’s pace, with David Coulthard’s ‘pole winning’ lap timed at 1:35.891, compared to his best time in qualifying one which was 1:33.809. Much of this will be down to the fact that the drivers are running with race fuel, and also the different conditions, as today’s session takes [place much earlier in the day.
DC’s teammate Christian Klien is next out. At the first split the Austrian is 0.06 up on the Scot. By the end of the second sector he’d down on Coulthard, but only just. He crosses the line at 3:09.5 to take provisional pole.
At this point the timing screens fail, which when you consider that today’s session is based entirely on relative times, makes things totally impossible.
Jenson Button has a poor lap and is unable to beat Klien’s time, BAR’s weekend of Malaysian misery continues.
Once again the timing screens fail and race fans around the globe fully appreciate just how shambolic, and totally frustrating, this new system has become.
Juan Pablo Montoya is another driver to have a poor lap, locking up in several places. The Colombian can only manage fifth, McLaren, and Monty, will be massively disappointed.
Mark Webber takes provisional pole, but thanks to the wonders of technology few in the ‘outside world’ are aware of the fact. Webber, of course, was a surprise visitor to the front row of the Sepang grid in 2004, with Jaguar.
Ralf Schumacher is on track. It’s understood that both Toyotas are running on fumes as the Japanese team goes all-out for pole. It’s a scrappy lap from the German, a bit of locking up, some understeer, messy.
Kimi Raikkonen goes out, but the Finn can only manage third quickest behind Webber and Ralf.
Melbourne winner Giancarlo Fisichella is next out, the Italian keen to repeat his Australian success. He’s up on Webber at the end of the first sector, and marginally increases the gap in the second. The Roman takes provisional pole with a superb lap, great stuff Fisi.
Toyota’s hopes rest on Jarno Trulli, who got the TF105 on to the front row in Melbourne. He’s on the pace in the first sector, and 0.4s up on Fisichella at the second split. The Italian takes pole, and how, much to the delight of the Toyota garage. He’s almost 0.5s up on Fisichella. A fine lap.
All eyes on Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard is already 0.1s up on Trulli by the end of the first sector, he’s pushing very, very hard, the only way he knows. At the second split he’s 0.2s up, it’s looking good. He takes pole, and Flavio Briatore leaps into the air, as well he might, a stunning lap from the Renault driver.
A superb result for Alonso and Renault, with the Spaniard on pole ahead of Trulli, Fisichella, Webber, Ralf, Raikkonen, Klien, Coulthard, Button and Heidfeld.
Meanwhile, Montoya will start from eleventh ahead of the Ferraris – Barrichello twelfth and Schumacher thirteenth – Massa, Davidson, Villeneuve, Karthikeyan, Monteiro, Friesacher and Albers.
Interestingly, looking at the actual individual session times, Alonso was still quickest (naturally), ahead of Trulli, Fisichella, Webber, Klien, Coulthard, Ralf, Button, Heidfeld and Raikkonen.
An interesting grid, and surely some interesting strategies, with all eyes on Ferrari wondering if the Italian team has something up its sleeve. If not, its in trouble and needs the F2005 as soon as possible.
In the meantime, well done Fernando, well done Renault.