24/06/2006
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's free practice session the air temperature is 23 degrees C, while the track temperature is 34 degrees. The sun is shining, with just a few wispy clouds in the distance.
Fernando Alonso has said that Ferrari was sand-bagging yesterday, over the next hour we will find out of the Spaniard was correct. Several driver encountered problems yesterday, with lack of grip also giving cause for concern, as is so often the case on a circuit, such as Montreal, that is rarely used outside Grand Prix weekends.
Yesterday's pace-setter was the ever-improving Robert Kubica, however, the Pole, like the rest of the third drivers has (hopefully) finished his on-track activity for the weekend, as the 22 race drivers make their final preparations for this afternoon's qualifying session.
The lights go green and first out of the box is Franck Montagny, followed by Super Aguri teammate Takuma Sato. Tiago Monteiro, who crashed in yesterday's opening session, is next out.
Montagny, who is hoping to retain his seat for the forthcoming French Grand Prix, his home race, posts the first time of the day, crossing the line at 1:23.041. Next time around the Super Aguri driver gets down to 1:21.952.
As Montagny lowers the benchmark further (21.688), Coulthard and Trulli head off down the pitlane.
The Scot has no problem beating his French rival's time, the Red Bull breaking the timing beam at 1:18.627. Trulli goes second with a 1:18.847.
Liuzzi, Barrichello and Ralf are on track as Trulli goes quickest with a 17.503, Scot improves with an 17.750.
Liuzzi goes third (20.240), ahead of Barrichello and Ralf, as Massa and Raikkonen head out of their garages. Moments later, Montoya also leaves the McLaren garage.
As Barrichello goes third overall (18.125), having gone quickest in the final sector, Massa can only manage seventh (20.375).
Raikkonen goes quickest in the second sector, and again in the third, crossing the line at 1:17.341, to take the top spot. Rosberg, Klien and Button leave the pits as Montoya goes fifth (18.767).
Raikkonen improves again (17.018), as Coulthard takes third spot, ahead of Barrichello and Montoya. Moments later, Speed slips in behind the Scot with a 18.027. Massa locks up big-time, as he can only manage a 19.078.
As Michael Schumacher leaves the Ferrari garage, Fisichella goes tenth with a 19.269. Next time around the Italian pushes a little too hard at the chicane and goes off onto the grass.
Having gone quickest in the second sector, Christian Klien goes second with a 1:17.317, as Trulli improves (again) to third. Elsewhere, Jenson Button posts 18.540 to go ninth.
Local hero Jacques Villeneuve is on track, as his great friend Michael Schumacher goes third with a 1:17.431, perhaps Ferrari was sand-bagging after all. Elsewhere, Scott Speed complains of understeer, particularly at Turn 2.
Webber and Alonso, the only drivers that haven't posted a time, are now on track. Nick Heidfeld goes fourth with a 1:17.317, ahead of Trulli, Fisichella and Coulthard.
On his first flying lap the Spaniard goes eleventh (18.252), as Webber goes nineteenth (20.070).
Bang on half-time, Villeneuve goes quickest, crossing the line at 1:16.992. Raikkonen is second, ahead of Klien, Heidfeld, Michael, Fisichella, Alonso, Trulli, Coulthard and Speed.
A 1:16.890 sees Felipe Massa take the top spot, as the Brazilian posts 1:16.890.At the other end of the timesheet, Jenson Button is 4.246s off the pace, having completed just 5 laps.
Fernando Alonso goes quickest in the first sector, but loses time in the third, nonetheless he improve to fifth with a 17.147. Moments later however, he's bumped down by Liuzzi, who goes second with a 1:16.928.
Raikkonen goes quickest in the first sector, however, unlike Alonso he maintains the pace, going quickest in the second sector also. The Finn finally crosses the line at 1:15.902, the quickest time of the weekend thus far, and only 0.2s off last year's pole time.
On his next lap he once again goes quickest in the first sector. Losing pace in the other sectors, the Finn fails to improve, however, his teammate, Montoya, posts 15.975 to give us a McLaren 1-2.
Mark Webber gives williamsF1 a lift, posting a 16.710 to go third. Moments later, his teammate goes fourth with a 16.829.
In the WilliamsF1 garage 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg watches the monitors, his face impassive as his son attempts to improve his time.
Giancarlo Fisichella goes third, splitting the McLarens and WilliamsF1s, with a 1:16.601. Meanwhile, having failed to improve on 17.241 (twelfth), Michael Schumacher returns to the pits.
Things are better for teammate Massa, however, the Brazilian crosses the line at 1:16.348, to go fourth, as Heidfeld takes sixth.
Button, who has completed 12 laps, is thirteenth, one place behind Michael, on 17.332. Both Toyotas are at the wrong end of the timesheet.
Alonso, like Fisichella earlier, gets it wrong at the chicane, and consequently weaves the car in an attempt to generate more heat into his tyres. On his next lap the Spaniard loses time behind his former teammate, Jarno Trulli.
With ten minutes remaining, Scott Speed posts a 16.493 to go fifth, which means there are two Toro Rossos in the Top Ten.
With six minutes remaining, there are just five cars on track, two WilliamsF1s and Michael Schumacher. However, as the clock ticks, more and more cars head out of their garages as drivers make their final tweaks ahead of qualifying.
Klien is the first improvement, the Austrian going sixth with a 16.660. However, all eyes are on Michael Schumacher who goes second with a 15.959.
Nick Heidfeld goes quickest in the first sector, and again in the second, but Alonso is also on a very quick lap. The BMW driver goes quickest (15.616), but moments later he is eclipsed by the World Champion, who posts 15.455.
The partisan crowd cheers as Villeneuve goes second, the Canadian crossing the line at 15.554. However, his time is beaten by Fisichella (15.521), as Renault go 1-2.
The session ends with Alonso quickest, ahead of Fisichella, Villeneuve, Heidfeld, Raikkonen, Michael, Montoya, Barrichello, Massa and Speed. Trulli completed the most laps (24), but like his teammate remains at the wrong end of the timesheet.