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Formule 1
- Thread starter Kinga
- Start date
Tomorrow begins the Spanish Grand Prix! Wooohooo!!!
Here's an amazing article!!!!!
unk:
Spanish Grand Prix history - did you know?
With the arrival of the European Grand Prix to Spanish shores this year, Spain will host two races in 2008. Before the new Valencia street circuit makes headlines in August, however, there is this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to look forward to. The race may have been a fixture on the calendar for almost 40 years, but how much do you really know about the event?
- This year's race will be the 38th Spanish Grand Prix counting towards the FIA Formula One World Championship. The Circuit de Catalunya is the latest in a string of tracks that have at one time hosted the Spanish race, which originally dates back to 1913 when Carlos de Salamanca won at Guadarrama, driving a Rolls Royce.
- Alberto Divo won in 1923 in a Sunbeam, at Sitges, but from 1926 (won by Meo Constantini in a Bugatti) until 1935 (winner Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes), the race was held on the Lasarte circuit on the outskirts of San Sebastian.
- Five different circuits have been used for world championship races - Pedralbes (1951, 1954); Jarama (nine times between 1968 and 1981); Montjuich (four times between 1969 and 1975); Jerez (1986-90); and Montmelo-Catalunya (since 1991).
- The first world championship event was held in 1951 on the Pedralbes street circuit near Barcelona. Montjuich Park, in the centre of the city, then followed, interspersed with races at Jarama just outside of Madrid. Finally in 1991, Jerez succumbed to the new purpose-built circuit of Montmelo-Catalunya, 20 kilometres north east of Barcelona. Due to its status as one of Formula One racing’s premiere testing venues, the track is constantly upgraded. In 2006 it was resurfaced, while for last season’s race a new chicane was added at the end of the lap.
- Juan Manuel Fangio claimed his first world championship (at the age of 40) when he won the title decider in Spain in 1951, beating Alberto Ascari by six points and giving Alfa Romeo their final Grand Prix victory.
- The Spanish Grand Prix has produced amongst the largest and shortest winning margins in a world championship Formula One race - Jackie Stewart (Matra-Ford) finishing over two laps clear of Bruce McLaren (McLaren-Ford) at Montjuich Park in 1969, and Ayrton Senna (Lotus-Renault) beating Nigel Mansell (Williams-Honda) by just 0.014sec at Jerez in 1986.
- The closest five-car finish in a Spanish Grand Prix - and a spectacular sight - occurred at Jarama in 1981, when Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) led home Jacques Laffite (Ligier-Matra at 0.22 sec), John Watson (McLaren-Ford at 0.58sec), Carlos Reutemann (Williams-Ford at 1.01sec) and Elio de Angelis (Lotus-Ford at 1.24sec).
- Father-and-son victories have been achieved twice at the Spanish Grand Prix - by Graham and Damon Hill (1968 and 1994) and Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve (1981 and 1997). The two sons also contributed to milestone wins in Spain, Hill recording Goodyear's 300th Grand Prix victory in 1994 and Villeneuve the 350th in 1997.
- Pole position milestones recorded at the Spanish Grand Prix have included the 50th by Lotus (at Montjuich in 1973), the 50th by Ferrari (at Jarama in 1974), the 100th by Lotus (at Jerez in 1986), and both the 40th and 50th by Ayrton Senna (at Jerez in 1989 and '90).
- Amongst the firsts recorded at Spanish Grands Prix, the Lancia team made their race debut in 1954; Frank Williams became a Formula One entrant for the first time (with a Brabham for Piers Courage) in 1969; 1970 brought the first win for March (by Jackie Stewart in a Tyrrell-entered car); 1971 saw the first win by Tyrrell as a constructor (Stewart again); 1974 was the first Grand Prix victory for Niki Lauda; 1975 witnessed the only Grand Prix victory for Jochen Mass in a McLaren, the Grand Prix debut of Alan Jones in a privately-entered Hesketh, and the only time a female driver has claimed a points score - Lella Lombardi finished sixth in a March.
- Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver in Spain, with six wins, including the four successive victories from 2001-04 and seven pole positions. Mika Hakkinen, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Jacky Stewart have all won the race three times. Ferrari lead the table of team wins in Spain on 10, followed by McLaren (eight) and Williams (six).
- Eight Spanish drivers have taken part in their home Grand Prix - Paco Godia (1951, 1954), Alex Solar Roig (1971-1972), Emilio de Villota (1976-78), Adrian Campos (1987), Luis Perez Sala (1988-89), Marc Gene (1999-2000), Pedro de la Rosa (1999-2002,) and, of course, Fernando Alonso (2001, 2003-07).
source: www.formule1.com
Here's an amazing article!!!!!
unk:Spanish Grand Prix history - did you know?
With the arrival of the European Grand Prix to Spanish shores this year, Spain will host two races in 2008. Before the new Valencia street circuit makes headlines in August, however, there is this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to look forward to. The race may have been a fixture on the calendar for almost 40 years, but how much do you really know about the event?
- This year's race will be the 38th Spanish Grand Prix counting towards the FIA Formula One World Championship. The Circuit de Catalunya is the latest in a string of tracks that have at one time hosted the Spanish race, which originally dates back to 1913 when Carlos de Salamanca won at Guadarrama, driving a Rolls Royce.
- Alberto Divo won in 1923 in a Sunbeam, at Sitges, but from 1926 (won by Meo Constantini in a Bugatti) until 1935 (winner Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes), the race was held on the Lasarte circuit on the outskirts of San Sebastian.
- Five different circuits have been used for world championship races - Pedralbes (1951, 1954); Jarama (nine times between 1968 and 1981); Montjuich (four times between 1969 and 1975); Jerez (1986-90); and Montmelo-Catalunya (since 1991).
- The first world championship event was held in 1951 on the Pedralbes street circuit near Barcelona. Montjuich Park, in the centre of the city, then followed, interspersed with races at Jarama just outside of Madrid. Finally in 1991, Jerez succumbed to the new purpose-built circuit of Montmelo-Catalunya, 20 kilometres north east of Barcelona. Due to its status as one of Formula One racing’s premiere testing venues, the track is constantly upgraded. In 2006 it was resurfaced, while for last season’s race a new chicane was added at the end of the lap.
- Juan Manuel Fangio claimed his first world championship (at the age of 40) when he won the title decider in Spain in 1951, beating Alberto Ascari by six points and giving Alfa Romeo their final Grand Prix victory.
- The Spanish Grand Prix has produced amongst the largest and shortest winning margins in a world championship Formula One race - Jackie Stewart (Matra-Ford) finishing over two laps clear of Bruce McLaren (McLaren-Ford) at Montjuich Park in 1969, and Ayrton Senna (Lotus-Renault) beating Nigel Mansell (Williams-Honda) by just 0.014sec at Jerez in 1986.
- The closest five-car finish in a Spanish Grand Prix - and a spectacular sight - occurred at Jarama in 1981, when Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) led home Jacques Laffite (Ligier-Matra at 0.22 sec), John Watson (McLaren-Ford at 0.58sec), Carlos Reutemann (Williams-Ford at 1.01sec) and Elio de Angelis (Lotus-Ford at 1.24sec).
- Father-and-son victories have been achieved twice at the Spanish Grand Prix - by Graham and Damon Hill (1968 and 1994) and Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve (1981 and 1997). The two sons also contributed to milestone wins in Spain, Hill recording Goodyear's 300th Grand Prix victory in 1994 and Villeneuve the 350th in 1997.
- Pole position milestones recorded at the Spanish Grand Prix have included the 50th by Lotus (at Montjuich in 1973), the 50th by Ferrari (at Jarama in 1974), the 100th by Lotus (at Jerez in 1986), and both the 40th and 50th by Ayrton Senna (at Jerez in 1989 and '90).
- Amongst the firsts recorded at Spanish Grands Prix, the Lancia team made their race debut in 1954; Frank Williams became a Formula One entrant for the first time (with a Brabham for Piers Courage) in 1969; 1970 brought the first win for March (by Jackie Stewart in a Tyrrell-entered car); 1971 saw the first win by Tyrrell as a constructor (Stewart again); 1974 was the first Grand Prix victory for Niki Lauda; 1975 witnessed the only Grand Prix victory for Jochen Mass in a McLaren, the Grand Prix debut of Alan Jones in a privately-entered Hesketh, and the only time a female driver has claimed a points score - Lella Lombardi finished sixth in a March.
- Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver in Spain, with six wins, including the four successive victories from 2001-04 and seven pole positions. Mika Hakkinen, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Jacky Stewart have all won the race three times. Ferrari lead the table of team wins in Spain on 10, followed by McLaren (eight) and Williams (six).
- Eight Spanish drivers have taken part in their home Grand Prix - Paco Godia (1951, 1954), Alex Solar Roig (1971-1972), Emilio de Villota (1976-78), Adrian Campos (1987), Luis Perez Sala (1988-89), Marc Gene (1999-2000), Pedro de la Rosa (1999-2002,) and, of course, Fernando Alonso (2001, 2003-07).
source: www.formule1.com
Thursday press conference
Reproduced with kind permission of the FIA
Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Honda), Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren), Fernando Alonso (Renault), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari).
Q: Lewis had a little blip at the last race. How were you able to help him during that weekend and how have you been able to help him since?
PdlR: A blip? What do you mean? A blip could mean also to go up. We hope that the blip comes here. Yes, he had a bad weekend but all we can do from the team’s point of view is to make sure that we make it as simple as possible for him not to make any mistakes. That’s what we have been focussing on for the past few weeks, to make sure that this won’t happen again. Not that he has to change anything, but from our point of view we make sure that is simpler for him to activate everything he has to from the cockpit.
Q: Does your role include driver coach, giving advice to drivers or anything like that?
PdlR: That’s not a part which is included in my contract but obviously I am just trying to be helpful for everyone. I am just trying to listen as much as I can and know what the biggest problems are. For example this afternoon I will walk around the track and see if there is anything I can see. During test sessions I am driving around the corners on the side-road just to see with my eyes if I can help. If I see anything I don’t like I go to the guys and I just tell them. I am very open and they can rely on me fully. They know I will always help, that’s my role.
Q: Rubens, I think in Turkey it will be 257 times you have turned up to a race. Looking back at the last race you didn’t look like a driver about to retire, giving Fernando quite a hard time. What was that like?
Rubens Barrichello: It was bad. We were fighting for 10th place. I wish it were first and second. That would have been a lot better. He was having plenty of problems with his rear wing and I was having a lot of understeer on the car. Unfortunately in Formula One nowadays it is still very impossible to overtake. Hopefully in the future, if slicks really come into play, that will be the way to go. To play with a lot less aerodynamic devices and with a lot more grip from the ground and from the tyre that will give us the chance to follow other cars. As soon as I caught him I turned the revs down because there was nothing I could do. I was five kph slower on the straight. I feel very motivated. You talk to the young guys and they are all sort of fed up with F1, too much to do, PR. My life has kept on getting better and better. The first year with Honda I really did a lot of PR. But they put things in place and I am focussing and putting my energy on the car. I have been working quite hard. Last week I did 140 laps around Barcelona which I thought was phenomenal. I still feel young on that side. I am just going to prove Pedro wrong. I think I have many more years left.
Q: Going back to the car. Do you think you are close to scoring points?
RB: We had a god improvement last week and obviously the first race was what it was and we would have finished in the points already with the car. But the first race is always a bit crazy anyway. In Malaysia we were far out and in Bahrain we had the pace but we did not have the straight line speed to overtake. But I think we are very close to the points. I think Barcelona is open on that. The car is a good time better. I don’t know how much improvement the others made because last week was very difficult to read. It was slicks on the car, people with less fuel and more fuel, so it was really difficult to see. But the car is better – definitely better. We have made an improvement and hopefully that is going to put us on Q3 all the time and that will lead us to points and more.
Q: It would be a nice way to celebrate your record. Apparently the celebrations are going to last several races?
RB: There is a little bit of confusion. You ask everyone and the numbers seem to go up and down, so we decided to take Turkey because that is the races I have taken part in. The ones that are not happy with that, because it seems too early, then we have three races to celebrate – the Brazilian way.
Q: Fernando, the car has been modified quite a lot. Outward particularly – things that we can see – but obviously inwardly as well. How are you feeling about the modifications since Bahrain?
Fernando Alonso: I think we made a step forward in terms of competitiveness of the car and we will see this weekend what the result is. I think as Rubens said last week it was difficult to read times as it was a mix of slick tyre and more or less fuel between the teams, so you know we tried to concentrate on our performance and our car and I think we gained a couple of tenths in the car. We will see if it is able or not to make us easy in Q3 and not have the problems we had in the first few races and hopefully regularly get in the points. Obviously we were in Australia, we just had one point in Sepang and were not in the points in Bahrain. This is not possible for us, so we need to raise our level and hopefully here is the starting point.
Q: You have been in the top four here for the last five years including a win from pole position. What are the chances of maintaining that record?
FA: Very difficult this year. It is true that every time I come here to my home grand prix I had always the possibility to fight for the pole position and fight for the victory. If not, the podium was a real possibility always. This year I don’t think it is a real possibility, just a dream as it was in the first few races. Something strange needs to happen during the race if we want to reach the podium now. Hopefully this will be the first step we need to do during this season to be close to the podium. Sooner or later we need to start improving the car and I think this race will be the first opportunity to see if we are going in the right direction.
Q: The President of Ferrari had some interesting comments to make about your chances of joining Ferrari in the near future it would seem. Did they come as a surprise to you?
FA: No. I have nothing to say. People talk about me, normally very often, which is good. It seems I am quite famous here. Part of that I respect everybody.
Q: A lot of the press thought that you would be going to Ferrari next year. But you weren’t expecting to?
FA: I don’t expect anything. This is only the fourth race of the championship. I try to be better and better every year – a better driver. This year will be a tough season for me. It seems I will race in the middle of the group always, so at the end of the year I will be a better driver and for next year we will see.
Q: Kimi, what does it mean for you to be leading the championship at this time of the year, coming here for the start of the European season?
Kimi Raikkonen: Of course it’s nice but the season is only a few races old. It is a long way to go and it doesn’t help if you are leading now and you can’t keep it up and lead when it really matters. But so far it has been pretty okay. It could have been better at the start of the season but we are leading in the points, so I need to be happy.
Q: You won here in 2005 but it hasn’t been a fantastic circuit for you this one, has it?
KR: No, last year we didn’t finish. I think we only did nine laps in the race. I can’t remember all the things that have happened here but usually they are not very good results. It can turn around. Hopefully this year we can be strong and finish the race at least. We will see how it goes tomorrow.
Q: How do you feel about the modifications made to your car since Bahrain?
KR: I don’t really have a clear picture about it. I did four or five laps in the dry and it was a bit damp. The team is happy how we improved the car and we brought some new parts and they seem to work. It should be better. I tried the new front on a few laps on intermediates, so we will see how it goes over the weekend, how the car goes. It should be better than it was in previous races.
Q: So tomorrow will be a real discovery for you in comparison?
KR: I have been here before in dry conditions and every time you improve the car it should make it better. We have some work to do but I think for sure we can be fast here.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To Alonso, can you confirm you are using the mass damper here? If you are, is it a new motivation for you and your team to improve in the championship?
FA: No, we are not using the mass damper. We are using a different concept of suspension but most of the teams are using it already, so we just will be similar to everybody from this race.
Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) Kimi, how do you see the hierarchy between Ferrari, McLaren and BMW? Is the fight between the two of you or is BMW also a threat now?
KR: I mean they were second best in the last race, so for sure they are there. I think it all depends from race to race. If you look at the last couple of races they are very similar and we are a little bit ahead of them. I don’t know how it is going to be here. We need to wait and see really but it is going to be close between all the three teams.
Q: (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe) Pedro, has your role this season with two quite young drivers become even more major than it was last season with Fernando in the team?
PdlR: No, it is exactly the same really. The only thing for me that changes, that is more demanding every year for a test driver, is that you have very little kilometres available to you and whenever you are sat behind the wheel driving you have to be fully prepared. There is no room to have a run to feel warm and feel the car again. You have to prepare very well physically outside of the car because you are not that often in the car. That for me is the biggest challenge and maximising every kilometre you have. Every kilometre is a jewel you have and you have to use it. That’s why I think my experience is important. But from a driving point of view, the fact that they are young and Heikki being new to the team, it hasn’t changed much really. Fernando was new to the team last year, so it was a little bit the same.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, were you expecting some bigger improvements from the test?
FA: No not really. We had what we were expecting and we are quite happy with the car and the improvement we did. But, as I said, maybe we will not be happy anymore tomorrow when we see the others and they are quick as well. I think we did a god job and probably the others teams did a good job as well. It is just a matter of which team took the biggest step and we are optimistic we can improve, but we must improve what we did in the first few races. So let’s start from this race.
Q: (Toni Lopez – La Vanguardia) Question for Pedro and Fernando, today, the FIA has launched a campaign against racism. Do you agree that it starts here and now in Barcelona?
PdlR: He’s a two-time World Champion, he should take…
FA: He’s from Barcelona, so…
PdlR: I don’t really know what to say. I was not aware of that and all I can say is that the Spanish people will show to the world how good they are this weekend, and how good historically they’ve been. We’ve never had any problems here before and we will never have (them again). Wait and see. But I was not aware of this campaign or anything to be honest.
FA: Same. I was not aware but this weekend it will be OK and it will always be OK here. Everybody will be able to see that.
Q: (Jerome Bourret – L’Equipe) To Kimi and Fernando, can you imagine, during your career, racing two hundred and sixty GPs or will you be fed up with the PR etc before that point?
KR: What, whether I will do two hundred and sixty something races? I don’t even know how many I have now but probably not.
FA: I don’t know, I don’t know. I don’t think so either. I don’t know how many I have at the moment either, but 260 seems too many years.
RB: By the time that I finish I will have three hundred anyway, so…
FA: The problem is Rubens. Without Rubens you can go for the record but with him it will be tough.
Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) After the test here there was a lot of discussion about the coming ban of tyre warming blankets. A lot of series don’t have tyre-warming blankets and have pit stops. Is that going to be a problem for F1, to have this ban?
PdlR: My personal point of view is that obviously it’s a matter of safety. Running without tyre warmers, tyre blankets, obviously increases the chances… or makes the speed difference between the car that comes out of the pit lane and the car that is on a flying lap much greater, so the possibility of an accident is higher. We have seen the bigger accidents over the past few years happen when one car is slower than another, not necessarily a car is stopped on the track. The speed difference is a safety issue for me, that’s my point of view, so that’s what I am saying. I’ve raced all my career without tyre warmers but it’s quite different in Formula One, mainly because the compounds or the compound-operating window is very narrow in Formula One. So until they are at a very high temperature, they do not work at all. In other categories you have a much more progressive build-up of temperature and grip, so it’s easier. I find it more difficult here.
RB: Well, I think there are good and bad points to be honest. On the one hand people want to see some overtaking which is fair. We all want to see that, but the problem is that I think Formula One could become quite boring. People will invent a car that has a big tank again and whoever stays on the track gains the advantage of that one pit stop. I think at the end of the day it will become a little bit too much like IndyCars or something like that which is fine, but I think Formula One is about the competitiveness of what’s going on on the track. To add to that, I’ve also raced throughout my whole career before Formula One without tyre blankets but I never saw something like this. You go out of the pits and you already have a chance to spin out of the garage, and when you get to the first corner, it’s like an ice rink and so with that, if you get conditions like we’ve had at Nürburgring in the past or any race that is very cold and we take the wrong tyres, then it’s going to be very, very dangerous.
FA: Yes, same thing. I think it’s dangerous. As Pedro says, the speed difference between the cars and as Rubens said, the races will become boring because you need to stay on the track. When you pit, over the next two laps you will be eight seconds slower, so you cannot be creative with the strategy or anything like that, so it will become more boring. I know that in some other categories they don’t have tyre blankets like IndyCars, but they don’t have any corners either, they go around. I think Formula One is different, the compounds are different and as Rubens said, we should look for the maximum performance in the car. We are in Formula One, so it needs to be the peak of motor sports. And (the notion of) saving costs is a little bit ridiculous.
KR: I haven’t run the tyres at all, so I don’t really have any idea how it will be but I heard that, as Rubens and everybody else said, it’s going to be very difficult, so I’m not really in the right place to say. But if it’s purely for saving money, it’s the wrong place to save money. It’s not much and they are going to spend the same money somewhere else anyhow, so…
Q: So Pedro, is the GPDA planning to do anything about this?
PdlR: Well, first of all we are going to talk between ourselves to see what is the majority agreement of the GPDA and then we will act accordingly. We are very relaxed about it, we are not in a hurry. We were waiting until this week, because I tested the tyres at Jerez back in early December, I think, and it was extremely dangerous. It was very cold and I nearly put the car into the pit wall, just coming out of the garage. The car didn’t turn and I nearly hit the wall, so it would have been quite embarrassing if I had done so, but I just avoided a stupid accident. And then, when we came here, Bridgestone has made some further steps and now the tyres are easier to warm up, so they are working at a lower temperature range. They are still difficult; we were waiting for these tests to happen, so that we could have a meeting between the drivers who had done the tests with the tyres and then decide accordingly. We are pretty relaxed, we just know that the FIA will listen to us and we just have to be sure that we all have the same criteria, that’s all.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all of you, considering the information about the 2009 aerodynamic package that you have, do you think it’s a good direction for Formula One? Will it be easier to drive, easier to overtake?
RB: I think it follows the rule that I think all drivers want which is less aero and better mechanical grip, but whether it will be good or not is a bit too far ahead to know. But I think it is, it’s a step that… Honestly, I don’t know how we got into the grooves. We raced go-karts, formula cars and everything on slick tyres and all of sudden, for a boy who dreamed of racing in Formula One, they have this tyre that is just ugly. Of course, Bridgestone has done a super job with the tyres because we are going faster and faster, but you saw last week that when we put slick tyres back on the cars, even though it was a hard compound, we went 2.5s faster. That’s the way it should be: slick tyres.
PdlR: I would add that where we are, or where we think that the regulations should be for next year, or what I am aware of, is that it’s definitely in the right direction. These new regulations come from a thorough study by the technical working group and everyone involved in the FIA and there’s some scientific proof that less downforce and more mechanical grip will improve overtaking opportunities. Still, Formula One will always be Formula One, it’s going to be more difficult than motorbikes – here in Spain there’s always this tendency of comparing both – and we just have to be aware of that. It’s definitely in the right direction. I am very comfortable with that.
RB: Back in ’98, when I first tested the tyre, I had a crash that I really thought I was going to stop, but because of the lack of mechanical grip caused by the tyre, I kept on spinning and crashed. So I think we depend a lot on the grip level of the tyre. If we have the whole tyre on the ground, it’s going to help a lot on the safety side as well.
Q: (Carlos Miquel – Diario AS) Kimi, do you agree with Montezemolo when he says it might not be good for Ferrari to have Fernando Alonso as your team-mate?
KR: (Laughs) It’s better that I don’t say anything.
^^ this last sentence is the best!!! :wink:
Reproduced with kind permission of the FIA
Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Honda), Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren), Fernando Alonso (Renault), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari).
Q: Lewis had a little blip at the last race. How were you able to help him during that weekend and how have you been able to help him since?
PdlR: A blip? What do you mean? A blip could mean also to go up. We hope that the blip comes here. Yes, he had a bad weekend but all we can do from the team’s point of view is to make sure that we make it as simple as possible for him not to make any mistakes. That’s what we have been focussing on for the past few weeks, to make sure that this won’t happen again. Not that he has to change anything, but from our point of view we make sure that is simpler for him to activate everything he has to from the cockpit.
Q: Does your role include driver coach, giving advice to drivers or anything like that?
PdlR: That’s not a part which is included in my contract but obviously I am just trying to be helpful for everyone. I am just trying to listen as much as I can and know what the biggest problems are. For example this afternoon I will walk around the track and see if there is anything I can see. During test sessions I am driving around the corners on the side-road just to see with my eyes if I can help. If I see anything I don’t like I go to the guys and I just tell them. I am very open and they can rely on me fully. They know I will always help, that’s my role.
Q: Rubens, I think in Turkey it will be 257 times you have turned up to a race. Looking back at the last race you didn’t look like a driver about to retire, giving Fernando quite a hard time. What was that like?
Rubens Barrichello: It was bad. We were fighting for 10th place. I wish it were first and second. That would have been a lot better. He was having plenty of problems with his rear wing and I was having a lot of understeer on the car. Unfortunately in Formula One nowadays it is still very impossible to overtake. Hopefully in the future, if slicks really come into play, that will be the way to go. To play with a lot less aerodynamic devices and with a lot more grip from the ground and from the tyre that will give us the chance to follow other cars. As soon as I caught him I turned the revs down because there was nothing I could do. I was five kph slower on the straight. I feel very motivated. You talk to the young guys and they are all sort of fed up with F1, too much to do, PR. My life has kept on getting better and better. The first year with Honda I really did a lot of PR. But they put things in place and I am focussing and putting my energy on the car. I have been working quite hard. Last week I did 140 laps around Barcelona which I thought was phenomenal. I still feel young on that side. I am just going to prove Pedro wrong. I think I have many more years left.
Q: Going back to the car. Do you think you are close to scoring points?
RB: We had a god improvement last week and obviously the first race was what it was and we would have finished in the points already with the car. But the first race is always a bit crazy anyway. In Malaysia we were far out and in Bahrain we had the pace but we did not have the straight line speed to overtake. But I think we are very close to the points. I think Barcelona is open on that. The car is a good time better. I don’t know how much improvement the others made because last week was very difficult to read. It was slicks on the car, people with less fuel and more fuel, so it was really difficult to see. But the car is better – definitely better. We have made an improvement and hopefully that is going to put us on Q3 all the time and that will lead us to points and more.
Q: It would be a nice way to celebrate your record. Apparently the celebrations are going to last several races?
RB: There is a little bit of confusion. You ask everyone and the numbers seem to go up and down, so we decided to take Turkey because that is the races I have taken part in. The ones that are not happy with that, because it seems too early, then we have three races to celebrate – the Brazilian way.
Q: Fernando, the car has been modified quite a lot. Outward particularly – things that we can see – but obviously inwardly as well. How are you feeling about the modifications since Bahrain?
Fernando Alonso: I think we made a step forward in terms of competitiveness of the car and we will see this weekend what the result is. I think as Rubens said last week it was difficult to read times as it was a mix of slick tyre and more or less fuel between the teams, so you know we tried to concentrate on our performance and our car and I think we gained a couple of tenths in the car. We will see if it is able or not to make us easy in Q3 and not have the problems we had in the first few races and hopefully regularly get in the points. Obviously we were in Australia, we just had one point in Sepang and were not in the points in Bahrain. This is not possible for us, so we need to raise our level and hopefully here is the starting point.
Q: You have been in the top four here for the last five years including a win from pole position. What are the chances of maintaining that record?
FA: Very difficult this year. It is true that every time I come here to my home grand prix I had always the possibility to fight for the pole position and fight for the victory. If not, the podium was a real possibility always. This year I don’t think it is a real possibility, just a dream as it was in the first few races. Something strange needs to happen during the race if we want to reach the podium now. Hopefully this will be the first step we need to do during this season to be close to the podium. Sooner or later we need to start improving the car and I think this race will be the first opportunity to see if we are going in the right direction.
Q: The President of Ferrari had some interesting comments to make about your chances of joining Ferrari in the near future it would seem. Did they come as a surprise to you?
FA: No. I have nothing to say. People talk about me, normally very often, which is good. It seems I am quite famous here. Part of that I respect everybody.
Q: A lot of the press thought that you would be going to Ferrari next year. But you weren’t expecting to?
FA: I don’t expect anything. This is only the fourth race of the championship. I try to be better and better every year – a better driver. This year will be a tough season for me. It seems I will race in the middle of the group always, so at the end of the year I will be a better driver and for next year we will see.
Q: Kimi, what does it mean for you to be leading the championship at this time of the year, coming here for the start of the European season?
Kimi Raikkonen: Of course it’s nice but the season is only a few races old. It is a long way to go and it doesn’t help if you are leading now and you can’t keep it up and lead when it really matters. But so far it has been pretty okay. It could have been better at the start of the season but we are leading in the points, so I need to be happy.
Q: You won here in 2005 but it hasn’t been a fantastic circuit for you this one, has it?
KR: No, last year we didn’t finish. I think we only did nine laps in the race. I can’t remember all the things that have happened here but usually they are not very good results. It can turn around. Hopefully this year we can be strong and finish the race at least. We will see how it goes tomorrow.
Q: How do you feel about the modifications made to your car since Bahrain?
KR: I don’t really have a clear picture about it. I did four or five laps in the dry and it was a bit damp. The team is happy how we improved the car and we brought some new parts and they seem to work. It should be better. I tried the new front on a few laps on intermediates, so we will see how it goes over the weekend, how the car goes. It should be better than it was in previous races.
Q: So tomorrow will be a real discovery for you in comparison?
KR: I have been here before in dry conditions and every time you improve the car it should make it better. We have some work to do but I think for sure we can be fast here.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To Alonso, can you confirm you are using the mass damper here? If you are, is it a new motivation for you and your team to improve in the championship?
FA: No, we are not using the mass damper. We are using a different concept of suspension but most of the teams are using it already, so we just will be similar to everybody from this race.
Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) Kimi, how do you see the hierarchy between Ferrari, McLaren and BMW? Is the fight between the two of you or is BMW also a threat now?
KR: I mean they were second best in the last race, so for sure they are there. I think it all depends from race to race. If you look at the last couple of races they are very similar and we are a little bit ahead of them. I don’t know how it is going to be here. We need to wait and see really but it is going to be close between all the three teams.
Q: (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe) Pedro, has your role this season with two quite young drivers become even more major than it was last season with Fernando in the team?
PdlR: No, it is exactly the same really. The only thing for me that changes, that is more demanding every year for a test driver, is that you have very little kilometres available to you and whenever you are sat behind the wheel driving you have to be fully prepared. There is no room to have a run to feel warm and feel the car again. You have to prepare very well physically outside of the car because you are not that often in the car. That for me is the biggest challenge and maximising every kilometre you have. Every kilometre is a jewel you have and you have to use it. That’s why I think my experience is important. But from a driving point of view, the fact that they are young and Heikki being new to the team, it hasn’t changed much really. Fernando was new to the team last year, so it was a little bit the same.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, were you expecting some bigger improvements from the test?
FA: No not really. We had what we were expecting and we are quite happy with the car and the improvement we did. But, as I said, maybe we will not be happy anymore tomorrow when we see the others and they are quick as well. I think we did a god job and probably the others teams did a good job as well. It is just a matter of which team took the biggest step and we are optimistic we can improve, but we must improve what we did in the first few races. So let’s start from this race.
Q: (Toni Lopez – La Vanguardia) Question for Pedro and Fernando, today, the FIA has launched a campaign against racism. Do you agree that it starts here and now in Barcelona?
PdlR: He’s a two-time World Champion, he should take…
FA: He’s from Barcelona, so…
PdlR: I don’t really know what to say. I was not aware of that and all I can say is that the Spanish people will show to the world how good they are this weekend, and how good historically they’ve been. We’ve never had any problems here before and we will never have (them again). Wait and see. But I was not aware of this campaign or anything to be honest.
FA: Same. I was not aware but this weekend it will be OK and it will always be OK here. Everybody will be able to see that.
Q: (Jerome Bourret – L’Equipe) To Kimi and Fernando, can you imagine, during your career, racing two hundred and sixty GPs or will you be fed up with the PR etc before that point?
KR: What, whether I will do two hundred and sixty something races? I don’t even know how many I have now but probably not.
FA: I don’t know, I don’t know. I don’t think so either. I don’t know how many I have at the moment either, but 260 seems too many years.
RB: By the time that I finish I will have three hundred anyway, so…
FA: The problem is Rubens. Without Rubens you can go for the record but with him it will be tough.
Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) After the test here there was a lot of discussion about the coming ban of tyre warming blankets. A lot of series don’t have tyre-warming blankets and have pit stops. Is that going to be a problem for F1, to have this ban?
PdlR: My personal point of view is that obviously it’s a matter of safety. Running without tyre warmers, tyre blankets, obviously increases the chances… or makes the speed difference between the car that comes out of the pit lane and the car that is on a flying lap much greater, so the possibility of an accident is higher. We have seen the bigger accidents over the past few years happen when one car is slower than another, not necessarily a car is stopped on the track. The speed difference is a safety issue for me, that’s my point of view, so that’s what I am saying. I’ve raced all my career without tyre warmers but it’s quite different in Formula One, mainly because the compounds or the compound-operating window is very narrow in Formula One. So until they are at a very high temperature, they do not work at all. In other categories you have a much more progressive build-up of temperature and grip, so it’s easier. I find it more difficult here.
RB: Well, I think there are good and bad points to be honest. On the one hand people want to see some overtaking which is fair. We all want to see that, but the problem is that I think Formula One could become quite boring. People will invent a car that has a big tank again and whoever stays on the track gains the advantage of that one pit stop. I think at the end of the day it will become a little bit too much like IndyCars or something like that which is fine, but I think Formula One is about the competitiveness of what’s going on on the track. To add to that, I’ve also raced throughout my whole career before Formula One without tyre blankets but I never saw something like this. You go out of the pits and you already have a chance to spin out of the garage, and when you get to the first corner, it’s like an ice rink and so with that, if you get conditions like we’ve had at Nürburgring in the past or any race that is very cold and we take the wrong tyres, then it’s going to be very, very dangerous.
FA: Yes, same thing. I think it’s dangerous. As Pedro says, the speed difference between the cars and as Rubens said, the races will become boring because you need to stay on the track. When you pit, over the next two laps you will be eight seconds slower, so you cannot be creative with the strategy or anything like that, so it will become more boring. I know that in some other categories they don’t have tyre blankets like IndyCars, but they don’t have any corners either, they go around. I think Formula One is different, the compounds are different and as Rubens said, we should look for the maximum performance in the car. We are in Formula One, so it needs to be the peak of motor sports. And (the notion of) saving costs is a little bit ridiculous.
KR: I haven’t run the tyres at all, so I don’t really have any idea how it will be but I heard that, as Rubens and everybody else said, it’s going to be very difficult, so I’m not really in the right place to say. But if it’s purely for saving money, it’s the wrong place to save money. It’s not much and they are going to spend the same money somewhere else anyhow, so…
Q: So Pedro, is the GPDA planning to do anything about this?
PdlR: Well, first of all we are going to talk between ourselves to see what is the majority agreement of the GPDA and then we will act accordingly. We are very relaxed about it, we are not in a hurry. We were waiting until this week, because I tested the tyres at Jerez back in early December, I think, and it was extremely dangerous. It was very cold and I nearly put the car into the pit wall, just coming out of the garage. The car didn’t turn and I nearly hit the wall, so it would have been quite embarrassing if I had done so, but I just avoided a stupid accident. And then, when we came here, Bridgestone has made some further steps and now the tyres are easier to warm up, so they are working at a lower temperature range. They are still difficult; we were waiting for these tests to happen, so that we could have a meeting between the drivers who had done the tests with the tyres and then decide accordingly. We are pretty relaxed, we just know that the FIA will listen to us and we just have to be sure that we all have the same criteria, that’s all.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all of you, considering the information about the 2009 aerodynamic package that you have, do you think it’s a good direction for Formula One? Will it be easier to drive, easier to overtake?
RB: I think it follows the rule that I think all drivers want which is less aero and better mechanical grip, but whether it will be good or not is a bit too far ahead to know. But I think it is, it’s a step that… Honestly, I don’t know how we got into the grooves. We raced go-karts, formula cars and everything on slick tyres and all of sudden, for a boy who dreamed of racing in Formula One, they have this tyre that is just ugly. Of course, Bridgestone has done a super job with the tyres because we are going faster and faster, but you saw last week that when we put slick tyres back on the cars, even though it was a hard compound, we went 2.5s faster. That’s the way it should be: slick tyres.
PdlR: I would add that where we are, or where we think that the regulations should be for next year, or what I am aware of, is that it’s definitely in the right direction. These new regulations come from a thorough study by the technical working group and everyone involved in the FIA and there’s some scientific proof that less downforce and more mechanical grip will improve overtaking opportunities. Still, Formula One will always be Formula One, it’s going to be more difficult than motorbikes – here in Spain there’s always this tendency of comparing both – and we just have to be aware of that. It’s definitely in the right direction. I am very comfortable with that.
RB: Back in ’98, when I first tested the tyre, I had a crash that I really thought I was going to stop, but because of the lack of mechanical grip caused by the tyre, I kept on spinning and crashed. So I think we depend a lot on the grip level of the tyre. If we have the whole tyre on the ground, it’s going to help a lot on the safety side as well.
Q: (Carlos Miquel – Diario AS) Kimi, do you agree with Montezemolo when he says it might not be good for Ferrari to have Fernando Alonso as your team-mate?
KR: (Laughs) It’s better that I don’t say anything.
^^ this last sentence is the best!!! :wink:
The One.
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The One.
Proud Member
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^yes, of course. I'll send it in a minute. :smile:
here are the results of the 2nd practice! Looks cool! :wink:
Yay, it looks very cool!
Kimi - fastest in both periods..
Can't wait for Sunday!Friday analysis - who can catch Ferrari?
Much like at last week’s test at the track, drawing conclusions from Friday practice at the Circuit de Catalunya was not straightforward. Changing conditions and varied programmes meant some unexpected names in unexpected places, particularly in the afternoon session, when fast times proved harder to come by.
So have Renault really made the big step forward they predicted? Are McLaren really off the pace? One thing’s for certain, world champions Ferrari will still be the team to beat this weekend…
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen, 1m 20.649s, P1/1m 21.935s, P1
Felipe Massa, 1m 20.699s, P2/1m 22.228s, P5
Raikkonen said he was very happy with his car’s balance and reliability, and dominated both sessions. Despite spinning on his first flyer in the morning and flat-spotting a tyre, Massa was close, but traffic hindered him in the afternoon. It was the Brazilian’s birthday and he wants to give himself a nice present on Sunday. On today’s form that looks more than likely, as Ferrari are clearly very strong here.
Renault
Fernando Alonso, 1m 21.933s, P6/1m 22.032, P3
Nelson Piquet Jnr, 1m 21.936s, P7/1m 22.019s, P2
Both drivers focused on finishing off work begun at last week’s test, trying different configurations in both sessions. With more wind and less grip, however, conditions were different which called for further compromises. Alonso said he was satisfied with his day’s work, while Piquet said he was very happy. With a good second place in the afternoon, he might well have been.
Williams
Kazuki Nakajima, 1m 23.153s, P15/1m 22.172s, P4
Nico Rosberg, 1m 23.003, P12/1m 22.266s, P7
Like Renault, Williams enjoyed a one-two moment in the afternoon. Nakajima was very happy with his day, which included trying different set-ups in both sessions. Rosberg said he tried something which definitely didn’t work in the morning, but that his FW30 felt better straight away once that had been changed for the afternoon. He thought that the balance could still be improved, however.
Red Bull
Mark Webber, 1m 23.015s, P13/1m 22.238s, P6
David Coulthard, 1m 22.118s, P8/1m 22.289s, P8
Despite all the factors that were changed by warmer weather and greater wind than at the recent test, Red Bull had a decent day and in their own distinctive ways both drivers said they were relatively satisfied with what they had achieved.
Force India
Giancarlo Fisichella, 1m 23.196s, P17/1m 22.383s, P9
Adrian Sutil, 1m 23.156s, P16/1m 23.548s, P10
Force India by and large had a good day, with both drivers able to find a decent balance almost straight away and then enjoying the reliability to exploit it. They had similar problems to everyone else with the weather conditions, but after holding first and second positions for the first 30 minutes of the afternoon session they were very happy with ninth and 10th at the end of it.
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton, 1m 21.192s, P3/1m 22.685s, P11
Heikki Kovalainen, 1m 21.758s, P5/1m 23.264s, P16
The team had to change the gearbox on Kovalainen’s car after the morning following a problem with the oil pump, and he stopped early by the side of the track in the afternoon when a problem with the throttle control caused the engine safety system to activate. Hamilton, meanwhile, admitted that he had problems with the set-up of his car, fighting oversteer all day.
BMW Sauber
Robert Kubica, 1m 21.568s, P4/1m 22.788s, P12
Nick Heidfeld, 1m 22.278s, P9/1m 23.130s, P13
The deal at BMW Sauber was race set-up work all day, so nobody was particularly concerned about the lap times. Kubica said he needed to do a lot of running as he had been running the 2009 slicks in the test, and was pleased with the data he accumulated. Heidfeld said he had no noteworthy problems, but thought he could improve the balance for tomorrow.
Toyota
Jarno Trulli, 1m 23.141s, P14/1m 23.224s, P14
Timo Glock, 1m 23.002s, P11/1m 23.883s, P20
Both drivers said they struggled all day, as the wind made their TF108s hard to set up and conditions were so totally different to the test’s. Neither of them felt they achieved a decent handling balance.
Honda
Jenson Button, 1m 22.632s, P10/1m 23.263s, P15
Rubens Barrichello, 1m 23.353s, P16/1m 23.415s, P17
Button said that all of his Friday running was crucial as he didn’t get an test mileage here last week, and said that as a result they had not arrived yet at the best set-up for the distinctive new aero package, complete with nose wings. The biggest problem was attaining a decent balance. Barrichello admitted struggling in the changed conditions to get the RA108 working as well as it had when he set fastest time during one day of the test.
Toro Rosso
Sebastian Vettel, 1m 24.082s, P20/1m 23.661s, P18
Sebastien Bourdais, 1m 23.952s, P19/1m 23.684s, P19
Toro Rosso expected a tough weekend running their old car, so were not surprised to be only just ahead of the Super Aguris. Vettel thought they made progress in the afternoon even if it was not reflected on the stopwatch, while Bourdais struggled when the wind changed direction for the afternoon but still thought they made a step forward too.
Super Aguri
Takuma Sato, 1m 24.278s, P21/1m 25.118s, P21
Anthony Davidson, 1m 25.068s, P21/1m 25.163s, P22
Both drivers were simply relieved to be running after the team’s pre-race financial dramas. Sato said he was reasonably happy with his car in the circumstances, while Davidson said that the balance was ‘not far off’.
Much like at last week’s test at the track, drawing conclusions from Friday practice at the Circuit de Catalunya was not straightforward. Changing conditions and varied programmes meant some unexpected names in unexpected places, particularly in the afternoon session, when fast times proved harder to come by.
So have Renault really made the big step forward they predicted? Are McLaren really off the pace? One thing’s for certain, world champions Ferrari will still be the team to beat this weekend…
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen, 1m 20.649s, P1/1m 21.935s, P1
Felipe Massa, 1m 20.699s, P2/1m 22.228s, P5
Raikkonen said he was very happy with his car’s balance and reliability, and dominated both sessions. Despite spinning on his first flyer in the morning and flat-spotting a tyre, Massa was close, but traffic hindered him in the afternoon. It was the Brazilian’s birthday and he wants to give himself a nice present on Sunday. On today’s form that looks more than likely, as Ferrari are clearly very strong here.
Renault
Fernando Alonso, 1m 21.933s, P6/1m 22.032, P3
Nelson Piquet Jnr, 1m 21.936s, P7/1m 22.019s, P2
Both drivers focused on finishing off work begun at last week’s test, trying different configurations in both sessions. With more wind and less grip, however, conditions were different which called for further compromises. Alonso said he was satisfied with his day’s work, while Piquet said he was very happy. With a good second place in the afternoon, he might well have been.
Williams
Kazuki Nakajima, 1m 23.153s, P15/1m 22.172s, P4
Nico Rosberg, 1m 23.003, P12/1m 22.266s, P7
Like Renault, Williams enjoyed a one-two moment in the afternoon. Nakajima was very happy with his day, which included trying different set-ups in both sessions. Rosberg said he tried something which definitely didn’t work in the morning, but that his FW30 felt better straight away once that had been changed for the afternoon. He thought that the balance could still be improved, however.
Red Bull
Mark Webber, 1m 23.015s, P13/1m 22.238s, P6
David Coulthard, 1m 22.118s, P8/1m 22.289s, P8
Despite all the factors that were changed by warmer weather and greater wind than at the recent test, Red Bull had a decent day and in their own distinctive ways both drivers said they were relatively satisfied with what they had achieved.
Force India
Giancarlo Fisichella, 1m 23.196s, P17/1m 22.383s, P9
Adrian Sutil, 1m 23.156s, P16/1m 23.548s, P10
Force India by and large had a good day, with both drivers able to find a decent balance almost straight away and then enjoying the reliability to exploit it. They had similar problems to everyone else with the weather conditions, but after holding first and second positions for the first 30 minutes of the afternoon session they were very happy with ninth and 10th at the end of it.
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton, 1m 21.192s, P3/1m 22.685s, P11
Heikki Kovalainen, 1m 21.758s, P5/1m 23.264s, P16
The team had to change the gearbox on Kovalainen’s car after the morning following a problem with the oil pump, and he stopped early by the side of the track in the afternoon when a problem with the throttle control caused the engine safety system to activate. Hamilton, meanwhile, admitted that he had problems with the set-up of his car, fighting oversteer all day.
BMW Sauber
Robert Kubica, 1m 21.568s, P4/1m 22.788s, P12
Nick Heidfeld, 1m 22.278s, P9/1m 23.130s, P13
The deal at BMW Sauber was race set-up work all day, so nobody was particularly concerned about the lap times. Kubica said he needed to do a lot of running as he had been running the 2009 slicks in the test, and was pleased with the data he accumulated. Heidfeld said he had no noteworthy problems, but thought he could improve the balance for tomorrow.
Toyota
Jarno Trulli, 1m 23.141s, P14/1m 23.224s, P14
Timo Glock, 1m 23.002s, P11/1m 23.883s, P20
Both drivers said they struggled all day, as the wind made their TF108s hard to set up and conditions were so totally different to the test’s. Neither of them felt they achieved a decent handling balance.
Honda
Jenson Button, 1m 22.632s, P10/1m 23.263s, P15
Rubens Barrichello, 1m 23.353s, P16/1m 23.415s, P17
Button said that all of his Friday running was crucial as he didn’t get an test mileage here last week, and said that as a result they had not arrived yet at the best set-up for the distinctive new aero package, complete with nose wings. The biggest problem was attaining a decent balance. Barrichello admitted struggling in the changed conditions to get the RA108 working as well as it had when he set fastest time during one day of the test.
Toro Rosso
Sebastian Vettel, 1m 24.082s, P20/1m 23.661s, P18
Sebastien Bourdais, 1m 23.952s, P19/1m 23.684s, P19
Toro Rosso expected a tough weekend running their old car, so were not surprised to be only just ahead of the Super Aguris. Vettel thought they made progress in the afternoon even if it was not reflected on the stopwatch, while Bourdais struggled when the wind changed direction for the afternoon but still thought they made a step forward too.
Super Aguri
Takuma Sato, 1m 24.278s, P21/1m 25.118s, P21
Anthony Davidson, 1m 25.068s, P21/1m 25.163s, P22
Both drivers were simply relieved to be running after the team’s pre-race financial dramas. Sato said he was reasonably happy with his car in the circumstances, while Davidson said that the balance was ‘not far off’.
3rd practice results:
Gooooo Kimi Gooooooo!unk: unk:
Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:20.701 1:20.784 1:21.813 17
2 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:21.347 1:20.804 1:21.904 18
3 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:21.528 1:20.584 1:22.058 16
4 4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:21.423 1:20.597 1:22.065 13
5 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.366 1:20.825 1:22.096 14
6 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.430 1:20.817 1:22.231 15
7 10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:21.494 1:20.984 1:22.429 19
8 11 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:21.158 1:20.907 1:22.529 19
9 3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:21.466 1:20.815 1:22.542 20
10 6 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 1:21.409 1:20.894 1:22.699 18
11 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:21.548 1:21.049 12
12 8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:21.690 1:21.117 15
13 16 Jenson Button Honda 1:21.757 1:21.211 12
14 12 Timo Glock Toyota 1:21.427 1:21.230 16
15 7 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:21.472 1:21.349 15
16 14 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 1:21.540 1:21.724 15
17 9 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:21.810 6
18 15 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 1:22.108 10
19 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:22.516 11
20 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:23.224 8
21 19 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 1:23.318 9
22 18 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:23.496 9
What do you think about Alonso? less fuel??
Gooooo Kimi Gooooooo!
unk: unk:Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:20.701 1:20.784 1:21.813 17
2 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:21.347 1:20.804 1:21.904 18
3 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:21.528 1:20.584 1:22.058 16
4 4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:21.423 1:20.597 1:22.065 13
5 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.366 1:20.825 1:22.096 14
6 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.430 1:20.817 1:22.231 15
7 10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:21.494 1:20.984 1:22.429 19
8 11 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:21.158 1:20.907 1:22.529 19
9 3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:21.466 1:20.815 1:22.542 20
10 6 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 1:21.409 1:20.894 1:22.699 18
11 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:21.548 1:21.049 12
12 8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:21.690 1:21.117 15
13 16 Jenson Button Honda 1:21.757 1:21.211 12
14 12 Timo Glock Toyota 1:21.427 1:21.230 16
15 7 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:21.472 1:21.349 15
16 14 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 1:21.540 1:21.724 15
17 9 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:21.810 6
18 15 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 1:22.108 10
19 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:22.516 11
20 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:23.224 8
21 19 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 1:23.318 9
22 18 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:23.496 9
What do you think about Alonso?
less fuel??
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I hope Kimi will turn in the first corner first so after that it would be easier and let's hope there won't be any reliability problem with his car. He dominated the free practices on Friday too, looks confident and he said that he was happier with the car than in the last races. Btw, Jenni is with him in Barcelona this time also. It looks like she likes Spain.
It's also interesting that Massa made some mistakes, he was better in qualifying so far...
anyway good for Kimi! :wink:
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The One.
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YEAHHHHHH!!! You rock Kimi!!!
unk: unk:Btw, Mechi, was it a word game or just a typo - good finish or good finnish (man) :lol:
I'm so happy!!! Kimi is leading now with 9 points in the driver's championship!!!!!!!!!!!! :yes: and a Ferrari one-two!!!!!!!!!!
Btw, do you like Kimi's new hair? haha :lol: He's soo cute but I like it when it's a bit longer. I gave him a nickname: coconut-head :lol: When the hair is a bit longer and he makes that wet look I call him chicken-head
And, what a big accident for Kovalainen??!!!
I'm really happy that he's OK, and it was nice of Kimi that he mentioned him during the interview.Jenni
Kimi :wub:
happy birthday Felipe!
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The One.
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Yayy!! That was great. Probably not very hard race to Kimi, though.
I'm gonna be in Rome when the next race is on in Turkey..
We'll see how crazy Italian people are because I'm from Finland.. and I definitely need to see that race somewhere
I like his hair a bit longer, too :yes: :lol:
Yeah, that looked very dangerous when you couldn't even see the front of the car
I was terrified when I was waiting the info about him :mello:
So it's great that he is ok.
I felt also little sad for Alonso because it was his home race and it would've been nice to him to get in the 3rd place.. ( I was surprised myself too that I felt bad for Alonso whom I've never liked )
I'm gonna be in Rome when the next race is on in Turkey..
We'll see how crazy Italian people are because I'm from Finland.. and I definitely need to see that race somewhere
:lol: Chicken head LMAO :toofunny:
I like his hair a bit longer, too :yes: :lol:
And, what a big accident for Kovalainen??!!!
Yeah, that looked very dangerous when you couldn't even see the front of the car
I was terrified when I was waiting the info about him :mello:
So it's great that he is ok.
I felt also little sad for Alonso because it was his home race and it would've been nice to him to get in the 3rd place.. ( I was surprised myself too that I felt bad for Alonso whom I've never liked
)
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I felt also little sad for Alonso because it was his home race and it would've been nice to him to get in the 3rd place.. ( I was surprised myself too that I felt bad for Alonso whom I've never liked
Really? I felt exactly the same!If you'd have some experiences about the Italian people connecting to F1 or Ferrari, please do not forget to inform us.
:lol: That was a good one! :smile:
Here you can send your greetings to Heikki and wish him a speed recovery:
http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/f1/terveiset.shtml?0
Could you tell me please what does this mean? Was Kimi talking about Heikki?
Ferrarin Kimi Räikkönen oli voitokkaan Espanjan GP:n jälkeen tyytyväinen oman menestyksensä lisäksi siitä, että McLarenin suomalaiskuljettaja Heikki Kovalainen selviytyi rajusta ulosajostaan ilman vammoja.
- Onneksi Heikille ei käynyt mitään. Hän tuntuisi olevan ihan kunnossa ja eiköhän hän tule taas ensi kisaan vahvasti mukaan, Kimi sanoi.
Räikkönen ajoi Katalonian radalla hienon voiton. Ainoa vaikea hetki oli toinen varikkokäynti, joka venähti hieman suunniteltua pidemmäksi.
- Totta kai olen iloinen, kun voitettiin. Pystyin kontrolloimaan kisaa jonkin verran, eikä ollut mitään hirveätä hätää missään vaiheessa. Ainoa tilanne oli toisen varikkopysähdyksen aikana, kun oli vähän ruuhkaa, enkä päässyt lähtemään heti tankkauksen jälkeen. Siinä olisi voinut olla tilanne, jos ei olisi ollut johtoa niin paljon. Muuten hyvä viikonloppu, oltiiin nopeita koko ajan ja pystyttiin olemaan paalulla ja voittamaan kisa. Ei tästä voi enää parantaa, Räikkönen totesi.
http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/f1/terveiset.shtml?0
Could you tell me please what does this mean? Was Kimi talking about Heikki?
Ferrarin Kimi Räikkönen oli voitokkaan Espanjan GP:n jälkeen tyytyväinen oman menestyksensä lisäksi siitä, että McLarenin suomalaiskuljettaja Heikki Kovalainen selviytyi rajusta ulosajostaan ilman vammoja.
- Onneksi Heikille ei käynyt mitään. Hän tuntuisi olevan ihan kunnossa ja eiköhän hän tule taas ensi kisaan vahvasti mukaan, Kimi sanoi.
Räikkönen ajoi Katalonian radalla hienon voiton. Ainoa vaikea hetki oli toinen varikkokäynti, joka venähti hieman suunniteltua pidemmäksi.
- Totta kai olen iloinen, kun voitettiin. Pystyin kontrolloimaan kisaa jonkin verran, eikä ollut mitään hirveätä hätää missään vaiheessa. Ainoa tilanne oli toisen varikkopysähdyksen aikana, kun oli vähän ruuhkaa, enkä päässyt lähtemään heti tankkauksen jälkeen. Siinä olisi voinut olla tilanne, jos ei olisi ollut johtoa niin paljon. Muuten hyvä viikonloppu, oltiiin nopeita koko ajan ja pystyttiin olemaan paalulla ja voittamaan kisa. Ei tästä voi enää parantaa, Räikkönen totesi.
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The One.
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I try to translate is as well as I can:
Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen was satisfied after well gone Barcelona Gp, not only because of his own succees but also because Finnish McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen survived his frantic crash without injuries.
- Luckily nothing happened to Heikki. He seems to be OK and probably will be compete powerfully in the next race, said Kimi.
Räikkönen drove fine race in a Catalonian orbit. The only hard moment was second pit stop which prolonged little longer than planned.
- Of course I'm happy that we won. I could control the race little bit and there was no huge emergency in any period. Only moment was during the second pit stop when there was little rush and I wasn't able to leave right after the fill up. That would have been a moment if I didn't have so much lead. Otherwise it was a good weekend, we were fast the whole time, were able to be on pole and win the whole race. You can't get better than this, expressed Räikkönen.
^Thank you so so much! He has right, if he wasn't be leading with almost 4 seconds, than it would have been the worse thing to wait in the pit for 2 more seconds than needed...
Did you know that only one podium finish for Kimi and he will be the most successful Finnish driver in F1 in terms of podium finishes? Now Mika and Kimi both have 51!
Kimi is 9th in the highest championship points ranking (I hope by year's end he could beat David C, later possibly Senna and he would be 3rd!):
1369 Michael Schumacher
798,5 Alain Prost
614 Ayrton Senna
527 David Coulthard
519 Rubens Barrichello
496 Fernando Alonso
485,5 Nelson Piquet
485 Kimi Räikkönen
482 Nigel Mansell
420,5 Niki Lauda
420 Mika Häkkinen
.
.
.
Did you know that only one podium finish for Kimi and he will be the most successful Finnish driver in F1 in terms of podium finishes? Now Mika and Kimi both have 51!
Kimi is 9th in the highest championship points ranking (I hope by year's end he could beat David C, later possibly Senna
and he would be 3rd!):1369 Michael Schumacher
798,5 Alain Prost
614 Ayrton Senna
527 David Coulthard
519 Rubens Barrichello
496 Fernando Alonso
485,5 Nelson Piquet
485 Kimi Räikkönen
482 Nigel Mansell
420,5 Niki Lauda
420 Mika Häkkinen
.
.
.
The One.
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^Thank you so so much! He has right, if he wasn't be leading with almost 4 seconds, than it would have been the worse thing to wait in the pit for 2 more seconds than needed...
Did you know that only one podium finish for Kimi and he will be the most successful Finnish driver in F1 in terms of podium finishes? Now Mika and Kimi both have 51!
Kimi is 9th in the highest championship points ranking (I hope by year's end he could beat David C, later possibly Senna
1369 Michael Schumacher
798,5 Alain Prost
614 Ayrton Senna
527 David Coulthard
519 Rubens Barrichello
496 Fernando Alonso
485,5 Nelson Piquet
485 Kimi Räikkönen
482 Nigel Mansell
420,5 Niki Lauda
420 Mika Häkkinen
.
.
.
You're welcome
Yep, I've heard something about those rankings..
Now in Finland there is all the time some polls and questions like Which one of them ( Kimi or Mika ) is better driver or more legendary since Kimi is now beating Mika..
I would vote for Kimi, though I still love Mika too ^_^
^^^It's really interesting. What do they say? Who is better?
The 2 men are so different. I mean both are very talented but I think a lot of people don't like Kimi because they don't know him at all. They just see that he looks like he's bored all the time and doesn't care about anything. But this is just a mask. Mika was more talkative and more like a celebrity type man. For me Kimi is so unique, I haven't seen this kind of behaviour in F1 before. That makes him unique though. I think that the Iceman nickname is true when he's driving or when he has cameras or reporters, paparazzis around him. When he is at home or with his family, friends then he's like everybody else... likes to smile, likes to talk, etc. Just watch the driver's parade at races with Heikki or with other drivers or when he's talking with Jenni, his trainer, engineer. He's like an other person.
I liked Mika very much, but I just don't remember how was he like as a driver. I know his results, they are awesome, but I think Kimi would outshine him.
The homepage of our National Sport's newspaper announced a vote earlier this year about the question: who will be the F1 world champion in 2008?
the results so far:
Kimi Räikkönen 61 % (votes: 20004)
Felipe Massa 6 % (1995)
Lewis Hamilton 19 % (6278)
Heikki Kovalainen 2 % (528)
Fernando Alonso 10 % (3144)
other 3 % (1003)
more than 32.000 votes... and they keep coming! :wink:
Hungarian people like Kimi very much (especially the young girls :wink!
The 2 men are so different. I mean both are very talented but I think a lot of people don't like Kimi because they don't know him at all. They just see that he looks like he's bored all the time and doesn't care about anything. But this is just a mask. Mika was more talkative and more like a celebrity type man. For me Kimi is so unique, I haven't seen this kind of behaviour in F1 before. That makes him unique though. I think that the Iceman nickname is true when he's driving or when he has cameras or reporters, paparazzis around him. When he is at home or with his family, friends then he's like everybody else... likes to smile, likes to talk, etc. Just watch the driver's parade at races with Heikki or with other drivers or when he's talking with Jenni, his trainer, engineer. He's like an other person.
I liked Mika very much, but I just don't remember how was he like as a driver. I know his results, they are awesome, but I think Kimi would outshine him.
The homepage of our National Sport's newspaper announced a vote earlier this year about the question: who will be the F1 world champion in 2008?
the results so far:
Kimi Räikkönen 61 % (votes: 20004)
Felipe Massa 6 % (1995)
Lewis Hamilton 19 % (6278)
Heikki Kovalainen 2 % (528)
Fernando Alonso 10 % (3144)
other 3 % (1003)
more than 32.000 votes... and they keep coming! :wink:
Hungarian people like Kimi very much (especially the young girls :wink
!
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The One.
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If I remember right Mika still won the last poll I've read about.
Yep, I definitely agree with you!
It isn't a surprise for me at all.
I'm glad you think the same. :wink:
Have you heard the latest rumours about Kimi's retiring (at the end of this year!!!
)? The boss of Ferrari, Mr. Domenicalli has already made a statement rejecting this as follows:"It's nonsense. I have heard this rumour and there is not a gain of truth to it," he told.
"Kimi is motivated from head to toe and I know that he is not thinking of retiring," he added.
It's ridiculous, especially in these days... He feels himself happier and is motivated like never before!!!
I've read these lines on his official homepage, so true for him, it could be his motto:
"Kimi is enjoying Formule One more than ever and looks forward to defending his title this year and letting his driving do the talking..."
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The One.
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It isn't a surprise for me at all.
I'm glad you think the same. :wink:
Have you heard the latest rumours about Kimi's retiring (at the end of this year!!!
"It's nonsense. I have heard this rumour and there is not a gain of truth to it," he told.
"Kimi is motivated from head to toe and I know that he is not thinking of retiring," he added.
It's ridiculous, especially in these days... He feels himself happier and is motivated like never before!!!
I've read these lines on his official homepage, so true for him, it could be his motto:
"Kimi is enjoying Formule One more than ever and looks forward to defending his title this year and letting his driving do the talking..."
Yes, I have heard some rumours that this season would be last for Kimi.
Kimi himself have said that probably Ferrari is the last team he'lll drive in and that he may not drive so long that he could beat Schumacher's 7 World Championships..
We never know what's gonna happend. I hope that he won't retire now, I feel like now he only have begin :yes:
But whenever he decides to retire, I hope he does it on top, just like Schumacher did.
I bet he would retire on top. We won't see a 35-year-old Kimi in F1. Though I hope that he will lengthen his contract with Ferrari after 2009, for 2 or 3 more years! In 2009 he will be only 30 years old. It looks like he's enjoying his time in Ferrari so there isn't any reason he should go away or retire.