F1 round 5 - Spain

[Matra et Alpine]

Schumi on top again and by 1/2 second. Not hopeful.
Kimm 3/4s behind Coulthard, are the wheels falling off as well as engines blowing up for him ??
Pressure too much for Button ? - he ended up on the grass at Campsa and lost lots of time

P No Driver Manuf Time
1 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:15.022
2 3 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 1:15.639
3 10 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:15.809
4 7 Jarno Trulli Renault 1:16.144
5 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:16.272
6 4 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 1:16.293
7 17 Olivier Panis Toyota 1:16.313
8 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:16.422
9 14 Mark Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 1:16.514
10 5 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.636
11 16 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:17.038
12 11 Giancarlo Fisichella Sauber-Petronas 1:17.444
13 6 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.445
14 9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:17.575
15 18 Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford 1:17.802
16 15 Christian Klien Jaguar-Cosworth 1:17.812
17 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:17.866
18 20 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 1:19.817
19 19 Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford 1:20.607
20 21 Zsolt Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth 1:21.470

[Cotterik]

Im dissapointed for Jenson Button, he was on a realy fast lap until he ran wide at the blind corner Campsa .Although the Brit was able to continue and complete his lap, the damage was done and he will have to start from the seventh row on a track where overtaking is by no means easy.
Its good to see BMW up on the front grid for the first time this year, and Sato in third place!! I think the Williams will be the biggest threat tomorrow to Ferrari, with The renaults sitting in the middle of the race probably; Trulli is a great qualifier but lets himself down when it comes to the race. Montoya needs to make a move as soon as the race starts, otherwise Schumacher will pull away from the grid and the race will become too predictable. We need to see some more excitement at the front on the grid. Good Luck Williams!!

[DasModell]

i've read that jenson had a mechanical failuare at the left rear tire .. causing the tire to loose pressure .
also ... :: . he's just unstopable .. .. 6 tenhs ofer JPM and more than a second over Barichello . it could be different fuel strategies .. but that we will see tomorow

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by DasModell

i've read that jenson had a mechanical failuare at the left rear tire .. causing the tire to loose pressure .

Sato mentioned the gusts affecting the car on the corner.
ITV F1 site confirms from Jenson....
Jenson Button blamed the gusty winds for his mistake in second qualifying on Saturday.

The Briton was on target for his second consecutive pole at the Circuit de Catalunya after a dazzling first sector.

But a mistake at the Campsa corner cost Button dear and left him 14th on the grid, his worst qualifying position of the season.

He said: "My lap was very disappointing. It was going quite well early in the weekend, although I have been struggling a little bit with the set-up around here.

“The conditions have changed a lot since pre-qualifying as there's a lot more wind now, which is one of the reasons why I ended up having an excursion.

“The first sector was OK and I had lots of grip but then I got some understeer, went wide coming around turn 7, went onto the grass and had to lift off in the end, which was disappointing as it has put me down to 14th.

“Sometimes these things happen though.

“It's great for Taku, but for me it's not so good starting further down the grid. We'll have to think overnight on strategy options for tomorrow and see if we can recover some ground."

Instead it was Sato who brought the cheers after he qualified a career-best third.

The Japanese driver was delighted with his performance and thanked the team for their effort.

He said: "It's fantastic to be starting the race from third on the grid - my best ever starting position in a Formula 1race.

“It means a huge amount to me and all the people who support us.

"This is not an easy circuit; the track conditions are constantly changing and the wind was picking up during the final run.

“I knew I just had to concentrate every step of the way around the track and I'm pleased with the end result.

“We have a great opportunity to be on the podium. It won't be easy but I'll certainly be trying my best."

Team boss David Richards was full of praise for his Japanese charge and while he was disappointed with Button’s error he said the team were ready for the tough fight ahead.

He said: "I am delighted that Taku has done such a good job translating his winter testing form into this terrific performance today.

“I think he has shown in his short history with the team that he is not easily intimidated by the top names, and I expect to see him making an early challenge on the front row.

"As for Jenson, it is obviously a disappointment given that we know he has phenomenal speed at this circuit.

“However, my view is that as a team we have to take these challenges in our stride and that it is just part of the learning process. I fully expect that Jenson will be able to get back in the points, and provide strong back-up to Taku."

[Dino Scuderia]

Still no real challenger for Ferrari.

[Coventrysucks]

Still no interesting races

[DasModell]

first place in the WCC is rezerved .. to Ferrari . but for the second place . now it appears Renault and BAR ar favorites followed close by Williams . and if McLarn don't improve soon they could be passed even by Sauber good to see Fisichella back in the top eight

[Matra et Alpine]

So McLaren manage to get both cars to the finish ( but changing brains on Kimi's on the way ) and they clearly did it by detuning the engine.

They were NOWHERE near the pace of the mid-range cars never mind the Ferrari's.

ITV reported that Ron and Norbert have said they are DEFINATELY developing a B-version and doing NO work on the current car. So nothing new then, sound like last year, huh ??
Well the new McLaren factory opens this week.
Maybe they'll get a bit of focus after that

[Dino Scuderia]

Adrian admitted that the McLaren team is distracted, impossible to win a C'ship in that mode.

[DasModell]

what;s the distraction .. is there a beach full of naked womens around Woking ??

[Coventrysucks]

No, not in Woking

[Dino Scuderia]

Originally Posted by DasModell

what;s the distraction .. is there a beach full of naked womens around Woking ??

Adrian's designing boats and Ron is designing buildings, no time for F1.

[NAZCA C2]

I have'nt seen the race yet but I guess there is no reason to watch. Same results as the other races MS wins, shocking! What is shocking is that both (yes both kimi and DC) finished the race. I guess this year is a complete rebuilding year for Mclaren. I just hope that anybody other than a Ferrari can win a race this season. Monaco will probably be the best chance for a non-Ferrari to win since you can't pass at Monaco.

[cp01ae]

Another race, another red victory. As a fan of Ferrari, I love it. What I want to see happen is the return of Villeneuve to Williams. I know its just rampant rumors at this stage, but still, it would be nice to have a Canadian driver to root for again. Hopefully by then Williams will be able to mount a better challenge to the boys in red. Looks like JPM might soon regret his decision to jump ship if McLaren can't get their act together soon. But it is still early, and there is a great deal of time and racing ahead of us...

[henk4]

In spite of being a Ferrari fan time is getting nearer that I would like to discuss about reasons why they did not win. I couldn't watch it yesterday but I guess I did not miss much. Even JPM had no reasons to complain about MS's driving style.
Villeneuve back to Williams? I doubt it, Frank does not like to pay that sort of money. Is it conincidence that BAR is running pretty well after JV's departure?