20/08/2005
NEWS STORY
Sauber drivers Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve will start tomorrow's inaugural Turkish Grand Prix from eighth and 18th positions respectively after this afternoon's qualifying session.
Jacques Villeneuve: "The track was very slippery, a lot more than this morning, and I just pushed too hard. My lap was faster than I thought up until I spun. Turn 8 is a real challenge, and the car got away from me there. I probably should have pushed a little bit less, I guess."
Felipe Massa: "There was a lot of sand on the track so it would have been very easy to make a mistake, but I managed not to and had a good lap. Starting in the top eight is always very good for us, and I won't deny the possibility that we can score some more points tomorrow. It's going to be a tough race, because this is physically a hard track, but we can do well.
"I have six races left for Sauber before I leave, and I am really determined to do my best for the team to thank everyone here for all their efforts for me during my time here."
Willy Rampf (Technical Director): "Jacques was competitive in the first sector on his qualifying lap, but overall the grip level was poor this afternoon and unfortunately he spun in Turn 8. Felipe did a fine lap and given the poor track conditions was able to achieve a very good eighth place in difficult circumstances.
"As any new track, we have used our computer simulation programme to evaluate initial circuit characteristics and requirements; until track data became available from Friday practice sessions. The team has done a great job to find a well-balanced C24."