08/05/2005
NEWS STORY
Fernando Alonso: I was very pleased with the lap this morning – I was nearer the limit than yesterday, and only missed out on the front row by a small margin to Mark (Webber). However, in third place I am on the clean side of the circuit, and we know that our real strong point is the pace on the long runs. I am where I need to be to fight for the podium, and hopefully give all the fans something to cheer about.
Giancarlo Fisichella: I hit my target again: I am sixth, in the first three rows, after a good lap. The balance of the car was good, and we know that the race conditions favour our car. I am aiming for the podium this afternoon.
Minardi
Minardi F1 Team drivers Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher recorded the 17th and 18th fastest laps respectively in today's final qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix, and on aggregate times, would therefore normally start from those positions on the grid. With Tiago Monteiro, Nick Heidfeld and Rubens Barrichello all having to drop positions as the penalty for unscheduled engine changes to their cars, however, the Minardi drivers will each move up three spots on the starting grid.
Christijan Albers: This morning's run wasn't too bad from my perspective, and I'm quite happy with how things have gone, but the most important thing now is the race this afternoon. We are definitely going in the right direction with the car, although there remains development to do on it. The Bridgestone tyres are working well here, and every time we run the car we are finding out more about it and making steady progress. I'm feeling positive.
Patrick Friesacher: The car was not handling so well on that run, and therefore I couldn't really push to the maximum. I'm finding the front end just a bit too aggressive on turn-in, so we have to work on that. There is no doubt the PS05 has a lot of potential; we just need to spend some more time testing and in the wind tunnel to unlock that potential.
McLaren
West McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen will start today's Spanish Grand Prix from pole position after emerging fastest from today's second qualifying session. It's the Finn's second pole position of the season and his fifth in Formula One. Kimi's aggregate time is 2:31.421. Juan Pablo improved on his provisional starting position from yesterday by finishing seventh overall with an aggregate time of 2:33.472.
Kimi Raikkonen: "I'm pleased to be on pole position but there is still a race to go. Today's lap was pretty good and my aggregate time would have been even better if I hadn't made the mistake in yesterday's qualifying. Our package is obviously working well and if everything comes together I think we are in with a chance of winning the race."
Juan Pablo Montoya: "It was a good lap and I have gained quite a few places on the grid which is positive. I think it will be a great race as the car is working really well and we should be in a strong position to get some points. So far my shoulder has been fine but the real challenge will come in the race."
Ron Dennis: "A perfect lap from Kimi saw him achieving pole position and I'm particularly pleased with the gap to Alonso and the Toyotas. Juan Pablo also put in a strong performance and consequently gained quite a few positions. We are expecting a strong race where we want to challenge for the victory."
Norbert Haug: "A great job from both the drivers and the entire team. Kimi was faultless and Juan Pablo gained effectively three places on the grid. We think we have chosen the best possible strategy and after the second consecutive pole position from Kimi, the entire team is looking forward to achieve similar positions in the race."
Red Bull
David Coulthard: It was a straightforward morning. The car went well apart from some oversteer in the fast corners. I expected to loose a place to Juan Pablo as he has a quicker car and made a mistake in yesterday's qualifying. I expected the balance of the car to be a bit better, so we might struggle a bit at the start of the race, but it should improve as the tyres evolve.
Tonio Liuzzi: This was a good lap for me, with no mistakes. Obviously, the car felt a bit lazier on a full fuel load, but I think this morning's lap shows we should have a good race pace and I think we have made the right choice in terms of strategy. It is going to be a tough race, as overtaking is difficult, but we look in good shape.
Toyota
Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers Ralf Schumacher will line up in 4th and 5th positions on the grid for today's Spanish Grand Prix after a tough second qualifying session. Both drivers complained of understeer during their laps and while Ralf was able to maintain his position from yesterday, Jarno dropped onto the third row from his provisional pole. Both drivers remain in excellent shape for the race and they are optimistic that they can take more points for the team this afternoon.
Ralf Schumacher will line up in 4th place for this afternoon's Spanish Grand Prix, his best qualifying performance of 2005 so far. The German complained of understeer during this morning's lap but he is confident ahead of today's race.
Ralf Schumacher: "Today was a difficult morning because I had a lot of understeer in the car. We're not sure yet where it was coming from so we'll have to check the data and look into that. I still think we can aim for a good result in the race, especially coming from the second row. Both of us have had a good weekend so far - probably even better than we expected before the event. Now I'm looking forward to the race which will be long and tough. Overtaking is very hard here so a lot of what happens will depend on what strategy teams have chosen."
Jarno Trulli maintained his record of qualifying in the top five at each of the first five races of the year after this morning's second qualifying session. Understeer put paid to his chances of retaining the provisional pole position he took yesterday but he is hoping for a good result from this afternoon's Spanish Grand Prix.
Jarno Trulli: "Like Ralf, I had a lot of understeer this morning and lost nearly half a second because of that. So I wasn't particularly happy with the car and we will have to check the data before this afternoon. But I still think we could have a good race. Here it is important to have a good start and a good strategy and fifth is not a bad place from which to get points and aim for the podium. I'm sure the atmosphere will be great this afternoon with so many Spanish fans here. Now I just have to do the best I can in the race."
Panasonic Toyota Racing goes into this afternoon's Spanish Grand Prix confident of another strong points finish after the team secured two places in the top five of the grid.
Dieter Gass - Chief Race Engineer: "We had a bit too much understeer with both drivers this morning. We don't yet understand exactly how that happened so we will now have to investigate the data. But I still think were in quite good shape for this afternoon's Spanish Grand Prix. The race will be very tough on tyres and it is normally all about tyre handling. To start with two cars in the top five is quite good and I think we have the right strategy for this race."
WilliamsF1
Mark Webber will start from the front row for this afternoon's Spanish Grand Prix, having qualified second, just behind Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren and in front of local hero Fernando Alonso's Renault. Nick Heidfeld didn't take part in the final qualifying session. As a consequence of engine change penalties, he will start last anyway.
Mark Webber: It was a very good session for us this morning, which has put me in a good position for the race. We've been working on our starts and we're hopeful that it will come together well. I am planning to have a clean race running at my own pace from the front, this time. Clearly Renault and McLaren are still very strong but we hope we can collect some solid points today.
Nick Heidfeld: We had to change my engine twice during this weekend, so we decided not to go out for qualifying today because I will have to start the race from last anyway. I am happy that Mark is on the front row and also because our car seems to have made a good step forward at this race.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): This was a great qualifying lap from Mark which puts him in a strong position for the race this afternoon. We are looking forward to a good battle at the front. Because of the engine issues Nick has to start from the back of the grid anyway and therefore we chose not go out in the second qualifying session.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): Mark improved to take the second front row position by doing a very good lap. Nick did not take part in the final qualifying, neither did Rubens Barrichello due to the engine change penalty impositions . We had no technical problems.
Sauber drivers Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve will start today's Spanish Grand Prix from 10th and 12th positions respectively after this morning's final qualifying session.
Jacques Villeneuve: "After yesterday's bad qualifying it was important to feel the car out for the race during final qualifying. It was just a safe lap, really, because we couldn't overtake anyone or be overtaken by anyone. The car was quite good, so I think we should be okay for the race."
Felipe Massa: "Well, I'm in the top 10 as we had hoped. It was a good lap, quicker than David but not quite enough overall to move me ahead of him. The car felt nice and stable even with race fuel aboard, so we have a decent race set-up. I hope I can make a good start and maybe make up a position or two, but in any case I can fight for more points this afternoon."