2006 Spanish Grand Prix - Race 6/18

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Spanish GP: Friday notes - McLaren

Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya finished today's second free practice session in 15th and 18th position respectively. As planned, Kimi did not complete a lap in the first session this morning, whilst Juan Pablo left the Team McLaren Mercedes garage for one installation lap. In the second session Kimi completed four and Juan Pablo five laps.

Kimi Raikkonen: "Following my regular meeting with the engineers yesterday we decided that it would not be necessary to run in the first session this morning. I was scheduled to complete two timed laps this afternoon which I did. So an easy and trouble-free start to the weekend."

Juan Pablo Montoya: "I merely did an installation lap with my new engine this morning and then a short run this afternoon to evaluate our options for the weekend. My left mirror came loose and I had to pull it off, but no problem. So far so good, and I look forward to the rest of the weekend."

Ron Dennis: "The Barcelona circuit is well known to the team and drivers from testing and as a result our pre-planned programme was very limited today. We achieved everything that we intended and look forward to tomorrow's practice where we will do more running."

Norbert Haug: "As planned we ran the minimum programme. After having saved engine life and tyres today we will learn more tomorrow."
 
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Spanish GP: Friday notes - Super Aguri

Super Aguri drivers Takuma Sato and Franck Montagny experienced contrasting days in terms of running time and car performance for the start of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend today. The weather played an important role as a wet and cloudy morning caused the dusty track to become greasy, whilst the afternoon brought the sunshine and very different track surface conditions.

Takuma Sato: We did not do much running this morning due to the weather conditions, but towards the end of that session and by the end of the second session we had completed our full programme. We did some performance runs and it was encouraging to see that the balance of the car has improved and that the lap time and speed was much better, so we are happy with what we have been able to achieve today.

Franck Montagny: It was a very difficult day for me. This morning I completed only three laps because we had a hydraulic problem. This afternoon we did not find a good set-up for the car; it was very difficult to control, a lot of snap oversteer and many more issues. I do believe that we will find something right as Taku is fast here, but I think that we have a hard weekend coming.

Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: We haven't been lucky since we came back to Europe but we need to solve the problem as soon as we can. The team has been working so hard to improve the speed of the car and the motivation within the team is amazingly high. I am little concerned about the problems we have been having, but I am sure that we will be able to solve these issues come the race on Sunday.
 
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Spanish GP: Friday notes - Ferrari

Jean Todt: It's always the same on Friday, a day dedicated mainly to the comparison between the two types of tyre that Bridgestone has put at our disposal. From what we could see, the Japanese firm has done a good job, which should allow us to be competitive for the rest of the weekend. Even though both drivers had run here a few weeks ago, we worked on fine tuning the set-up of the car, adapting it to the current track conditions. We got a lot of interesting data which is now being studied by the engineers before making the tyre choice and deciding on settings.

Michael Schumacher: I am very happy with the work we have done today, centred on the Bridgestone tyres and on adapting the 248 F1 to the track conditions. Compared with the last time we were here we have a few updates on the car and steps forward with the tyres. I think we can be competitive, even though we have yet to go into detail on the data. There are a lot of factors to consider. Looking at the times this morning we were quick and the good thing is that this afternoon, over a longer distance we were both quick and consistent, so the situation looks pretty good.

Felipe Massa: This weekend has got off on the right foot. The day went very well and we worked almost exclusively on the Bridgestone tyres, obviously looking towards the race. Michael and I split the work load, using different types of tyre. Today I was not trying to do a time but just wanted to understand how the tyres performed over a long run. I am very satisfied with the 248 F1 and what we achieved today.

Ross Brawn: It was a good day and both drivers did a good job, getting through everything on their programmes. We got a whole heap of data, also doing some quite long runs on both types of Bridgestone tyre we have here. The balance of the cars seems quite good and the engineers only made minor adjustments.
 
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Spanish GP: Friday notes - BMW

It was a trouble-free first practice day in Spain for all three BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers. As usual Robert Kubica had a heavy work load and completed 55 laps, while Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve got used to the Barcelona track and its changing conditions, which saw rain in the morning and bright sunshine in the afternoon.

Nick Heidfeld: We had a trouble free day with everything running smoothly, and my work included the tyre comparisons.

Robert Kubica: In the morning the track was wet, so we had to wait for it to dry and there was no grip. We concentrated on tyre testing, and this went pretty well. We need to be sure of the right decisions for the race and we have come to some conclusions, so that is important. In the second free practice the track had a lot of rubber so I got a lot of understeer, but I had to complete my programme so could not adjust the car. Obvioulsy the more rubber that is laid down the better the track will get, and so tomorrow it should be pretty good.

Jacques Villeneuve: It is very windy so the track is very different to when we were here testing, and as well as that it is a lot hotter. I did a couple of runs. One was with high fuel for the race, as I am going to have to start from the back, so I have been concentrating on that. This is not a good overtaking track so it will be tough to move to the front.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): We completed our scheduled programme without any problems, and from the information have been able to base the decisions for our tyre choice and car set up. Today we witnessed Barcelona's well known characteristic of conditions that change quite often and at short notice. This affects the temperatures, rubber on the track and the wind.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): We are satisfied with our lap times and performance and had no mechanical problems. Our programme contained tyre comparison and race preparation work. It was quite a varied programme despite the fact all the teams test here quite a lot. We have to do this because the track changes frequently during the day. We now have a lot of data to check, but I think we are well prepared for the weekend.
 
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Spanish GP: Friday notes - Honda

Honda Racing F1 Team third driver Anthony Davidson returned to his more familiar position at the top of the free practice timesheets today as he helped the team to prepare for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Preserving most of their running for this afternoon's session, race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello ended the day 8th and 9th.

Despite the fact that the team tests regularly at the Circuit de Catalunya, no two days are the same in terms of track conditions so it was business as usual with a full programme of tyre selection and set-up work. At what is a home from home for all of the drivers, today's top 11 were separated by just a second, which provides a strong indication that tomorrow's qualifying and Sunday's race will provide a closely-fought battle.

Anthony Davidson: "It feels really good to be back at the top of the timesheets. The car feels a lot better than it did in the first session but we still have a lot of work to do to get the best out of it for the race. For me, tyre evaluation was the name of the game. Our work today has paid off and we have some interesting results to look through tonight. A good start to the weekend I'd say."

Jenson Button: "It was very windy out there today and it's difficult to get a good balance in those conditions. There was also a lot of traffic which affected pretty much every lap. It's always very different to the test because the conditions change from day to day but the basic car balance is okay. There are a few things we need to work on tonight but generally I'm pleased with the start we've made to the weekend."

Rubens Barrichello: "We've had a pretty straightforward day today. We are still looking for our real race pace and that's what I focused on today because we know the car is quick in qualifying. It's looking good so far but we still have a lot of work to do to prepare for tomorrow and Sunday."

Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director: "It has been a pretty normal day for us with no major dramas. The track conditions this morning curtailed some of Anthony's running nevertheless we collected plenty of data from him. For the same reason we elected not to run this morning with the race drivers. Overall there are still some improvements we can make to the balance of the cars but a good start."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Management Board Member - Honda Racing F1 Team, Engineering Director - Honda Racing Development: "The engines ran without a problem and it was a solid start to the weekend. We have more work to do on set-up for both race drivers, but it is encouraging to see Anthony back in P1."
 
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Spanish GP: Friday notes - Michelin

Nick Shorrock, Michelin Formula One director: "The track has evolved rapidly throughout the day, although we haven't quite yet reached the level of performance that we have seen during some test sessions here. We have four different tyre compounds this weekend and the primes and options are very distinct - much more so than they have been at some recent events.

"So far we seem to be very strong in terms of performance and consistency, but we need to take a good, long look at this afternoon's long-run data before we make any definitive suggestions about tyre choice for the race.

"We also have to keep a wary eye on the weather, because showers are forecast this evening and that could put us back to square one tomorrow."
 
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Spanish GP: Friday notes - Bridgestone

Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Manager: "The track was extremely green and damp after this morning's showers and consequently track conditions were quite tough - especially on the softer compound tyres.

"We did see some graining on the soft tyres and this is something we and the teams will have to take into consideration when making the final tyre selections.

"But, a lot will depend on how the track surface develops over the weekend. Most of our teams tried both their specifications today and we will combine the data from these and tomorrow's runs with our previous knowledge of this track before giving the teams our recommendations."
 
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Monteiro: no Midland/McLaren issues

While some Formula One commentators and fans still find themselves having a double-take when it comes to telling the difference between a silver and orange McLaren and a grey and orange Midland, the men in the cockpits are finding the similarities less of a problem.

One theory put around after the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring last weekend was that Kimi Raikkonen's chances of beating Felipe Massa to third place had been hurt by the time he lost lapping Tiago Monteiro's Midland in the middle of the race.

The suggestion was that Monteiro may have got confused about who was behind him at the time, especially because he spent much of the race fighting with teammate Christijan Albers.

In fact, a quick analysis of the lap times indicated that while Massa lost time on just one lap getting clear of Monteiro, Raikkonen was stuck behind the Portuguese driver for three laps. Those seconds could have made all the difference at the final pitstop.

But Monteiro himself has played down talk of any confusion over the difference between a Midland and a McLaren on track - even when looking through mirrors at 180mph.

"You do definitely tell the difference," he said. "You can see in the mirrors quite well. First of all the team lets you know who in the radio is coming, and if I know it is Kimi or (Juan Pablo) Montoya then I pay even more attention because I know the cars look a bit similar.

"But when you look in the mirrors what you see from the McLaren is a brilliant bright front wing - and that is all you can see. With our cars you see more of the rest of the car, so when you see a lot of bright orange then you know it is a McLaren.

"I don't think we get confused on that. If Kimi's times did drop a little bit last weekend (in the race) then it was probably normal because every time you lap someone you lose a little bit anyway. I don't think there is a problem there."
 
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Friday's press conference - Spain

Participating: Jenson Button (Honda), Kimi Raikkonen (Mclaren Mercedes), Ron Dennis (Mclaren Mercedes), and Nick Fry (Honda)

Q: Ron, the reason that the water pistols are on the desks, placed for your use by the FIA - regretfully - I'm sure Ron Dennis would love to explain

Ron Dennis: This is the consequences of actually saying to a journalist 'this is off the record, this conversation is off the record.' I suggested a whole range of things that could bring some humour into motor racing and I said on Fridays, the drivers could walk the circuit with the journalists. The journalists would find it very interesting if they were told that there are lines and other different aspects of driving round.

I said you could even put humour into it by giving them water pistols to use as they went round, and of course, inevitably, when you are taken out of context, there is always a bit of twist put to it. Not all the ideas were so silly, but it was an amusing exchange that was definitely off the record and of course, as always, there's no such thing.

Nick Fry (whose water cannon has been squirting water for several seconds): This one's got premature ejaculation, Ron.

RD: You should know about it. You should know about it. There's a reserve water tank under here, actually. (Much laughter).

NF: Doesn't work!

Q: A question for Ron and Nick: you were both pre-season favourites. How do you feel you've done so far, what is lacking?

RD (to Nick Fry) : It's a more difficult question for you.

NF: You can have time to think about it. It's age, Ron. You need more time. Could do better, I think is probably where we are. We're trying to beat the best of the best.

I still think that there are four teams which were probably the same teams at the start of the season which have a chance: clearly Renault and Ferrari and I think McLaren and ourselves. We've got more work to do. I'll be interested to hear what Ron says, but I think he will probably think the same.

But certainly, we're nowhere near thinking about giving up. The whole secret to this is just to keep going and to persevere. We're still absolutely filled with not only good ideas but enthusiasm and passion about this and we will be totally relentless and we will get there, whether it be tomorrow, whether it will be the next day but we will get there in the end.

And the team spirit for us is incredibly good. We've got a fantastic pair of drivers and great engineers and we're learning fast and there's stuff that we didn't find out in the pre-season (tests) which subsequently we've learned more about.

I think it's fair to say that we have learned more in the last two months than probably in the last two years about how to make the tyres work, but we've still got more to do, and the secret to all of this is to keep learning.

If we were sitting there thinking 'oh my Lord, what are we going to do next?' Then I would be worried but that's absolutely not the case. We're sitting there with a whole bunch of things, experiments that we need to do. We know we need to improve in a whole bunch of areas.

Making the tyres work with the car is clearly one of those. We've said before, our traction control system is not as good as it should be. We, like a lot of the others, have work to do on the engine and we've got work to do on the aerodynamics.

We're the only big team without a full size wind tunnel and ours is coming on stream as we speak, and it's something which will certainly help us in the latter part of the series, so disappointed, absolutely. Should do better but can do better and will do better.

RD: I see our position as being slightly different to Nick's. We always try to under-promise and over-deliver to everybody that we talk to, be it our drivers or our sponsors. But there is, inevitably when we had a relatively strong season last year and we were narrowly beaten to the championships, there's expectation, but the expectation is more in the media than with ourselves. We know how difficult it is to win in Formula One.

We've worked hard through the winter and we had minimal ability to determine how competitive or uncompetitive we were at the start of the season and of course, we all witnessed how difficult Ferrari's start to the season was, and how difficult... and that was reflected in their testing. So our expectations were to do our best and to try to go to the first race and win it.

You look back on what is fractionally more than a quarter of the season and we know where we can improve, we know where we are not as good as we know we can be. We have two drivers who can win races. We know that. Their contribution to the process is not just to get in the car and win, but it's also to help and work with the team when you're not winning.

Of course, with the uncertainty for Juan Pablo and for Kimi, they have choice. They have not decided where to drive and we haven't decided who's going to drive for the team other than obviously Fernando next year, and we try to respect each other's position.

But at the same time, as you're respecting it as regards the future, you respect it in the present and we are fiercely competitive, we want to win and we will want to win the last race as much as we want to win the first race, irrespective of where we sit in the championship.

But to write anybody off, and certainly to write McLaren off, and write Mercedes off after five races is not a particularly smart thing to do. We haven't got the strength of performance that we had this time last year but we were most certainly further behind in the points. We've had good engine reliability.

The only failure we've had in a race was when we knowingly exceeded its performance parameters but that it was worth it because we were out of the points with Juan Pablo.

But we are ever improving our car and engine and Kimi and Juan Pablo are coping with the difficulties that come out of the current regulations, and they are not good from a psychological standpoint.

It is not good, on a Friday, to run round at a thousand plus revs under your true potential, fuel loads which at least give you a constructive understanding of where the tyres are and you appear slow and you carry that mentally through the day and it's only really on Saturday afternoon where your true potential shows.

But that's a very short-lived period of time and it's only the race that really proves how competitive or uncompetitive you are. Friday is pretty much a non-event for anybody that is really focused on getting the job done in a race, where you really have to look after your engines.

It's not just a question of engines failing, it's a question of the harder you push on them, the more you take the edge off their top end performance, so you really have to look after an engine to have the best engine that you can have at the end of the second race life cycle.

Q: Kimi, does that uncertainty about your future hang over you, is it something you think about?

Kimi Raikkonen: Of course I think about it, but I don't think that changes anything on my driving, so I don't think it harms me at all.

Q: And is it difficult to slightly have to put a brake on your performance because of the engine?

KR: I think that's normal these days. It is what it is and we do the best what we can with how the rules are and how we need to run the car and engine. It's not nice but you know yourself within the team what we're doing and that's the main thing.

Jenson Button: As a team, for us, it's not so bad because we have a third car. We have Anthony running around. But for the drivers, for Rubens and myself, I think it is pretty tough because we don't do so many laps, because we are looking after the engine and Anthony does most of the running.

Q: From your point of view, have you made progress with race pace?

JB: I think we have. We've made improvements in many areas so far this season that have helped us. It's obvious that we still need to make more, and we know the areas we need to work in. It's not just one or two, it's quite a few little areas, but the progress that we have made has been positive and the mistakes that we have made we have learned from, and I think that is very important.

Q: Nick and Ron, it has been suggested that this is more a Michelin track than a Bridgestone track. Do you think 1) that is the case and 2) is that's what is going to happen throughout the championship?

RD: I think on what tyre is suited to this circuit I would just say wait until Sunday because nobody really knows at this stage. The performance of the tyres is very close. Ourselves and Renault selected the wrong tyres for the last event.

If we had gone on a different construction that was available to both of us, I think both Renault and ourselves would have been more competitive against the Ferrari, putting aside the difference between us and Renault. So I don't think we made the perfect choice for that event.

I think we flattered a little bit, the performance of the Bridgestone there, so we could have done a better job, but here, it's too early to say. It's inevitable that the tyre war is going to go to and fro' over the course of the year.

Of course, the concern is always that if Michelin's position is still that they intend to stop, which it currently is, then we hope that they will maintain their momentum of development and commitment that they're currently showing but so far they've fulfilled all the obligations that they made to us.

NF: Much the same. I think it's going to be nip and tuck probably for the rest of the season. I think both tyres are clearly doing a good job and putting in a strong performance. I agree with Ron, it's down to the choice of tyres and I don't think we had the same tyre as Renault and McLaren at the last race, as we have here today.

We didn't have for the first three races, we went our own way which was much publicised but ironically, they were probably stronger performances for us than for the last couple. But clearly tyres in general are going to be critical to the outcome of this season.

Q: Who do you think is putting up the better performance at the moment, Ferrari or Renault or are they roughly equal?

RD: I personally think that Renault have done a better job, certainly in the opening races, but they're very strong. It's still Renault with whom we measure our own performance. That puts aside a whole range of relevant differences between the cars and how they're run, but I still think Renault is the benchmark.

NF: I think one thing I've learned in my four years in Formula One is that everyone at the front of the grid does a fantastic job and I think people's performance varies slightly from race to race but in general, the level of skill all around, and the level of talent is unbelievable, and at a much high level than even I anticipated before I came into Formula One.

So I think it's very difficult to say, just generally, which one does a better job. I think it does vary day-to-day, but I think all of the top teams have immensely talented people who work jolly hard and do a jolly good job generally.

Q: Looking at them on the track, Jenson and Kimi, what are your feelings? KR: I think the Renault has been strong everywhere so you would think really that they are the team to beat because although Ferrari have done very well in the last few races, the Renault is always up there. They are very consistent this past year also, so I think they're the main guys.

JB: Obviously both teams have done a fantastic job this season, but it's easier for us to compare ourselves against Renault because we're both running the same tyres but personally, I think they've both done a fantastic job. They're the only two teams to have won races this year and they both seemed to be very competitive in Nurburgring, so we will have to wait and see where both of them stand this weekend.

Questions from the floor

Q: Kimi, yesterday Michael Schumacher announced that he will decide about his future only after the last race. I'm quite sure that Ferrari is one of your options for next year and that would mean that you have to take the decision without knowing if he's your teammate or not. How does that affect your career planning?

KR: I've said before already, that it doesn't matter who is my teammate. It's not going to make me change my decision wherever I go. I will go wherever I feel is right, and if I want to stay, I stay. I'm happy now here, but my decision is not about Michael. I make my own decisions and hopefully whatever I make is going to be right.

Q: Ron, if you were Kimi, what would you to say to yourself to make you commit to another two or three years at McLaren?

RD: If I was Kimi? Would I be married to his wife? It has some relevance. There are very few people - very few - who really understand Kimi. I'm not sure if he even always understands himself.

But one thing that Kimi wants to do is to be world champion. Three times we've failed very narrowly to give him the world championship that he seeks. There is an understandable underlying frustration there that is rarely seen by anybody and even rarely seen by I. I want him to be world champion.

I'd much prefer it to be in one of our cars than someone else's but I believe in choices and if Kimi chooses to stay or go or we chose to offer him a drive - all the other things, all the options just in, not that we both have, then I want him to succeed.

I'm absolutely sure that the best thing a driver can do is stay in one team - history shows that, but that's not always the opinion that a driver has. I respect everything he has done and all he's brought to the team and I'll continue to respect that if he takes up one of the options that he has and I'm sure that he'll respect us when we take up our options.

The position we're both in is exactly the same - we don't have a decision to take at the moment. Kimi knows everything about the team. The one thing we all know is that life looks greener on the other side of the fence.

All the things you could expect me to say to him and his management, I've said, and you can expect all the other teams that are interested in him have said similar things. They're not always truthful, but that's life - it's Formula One.

Q: There's a report today that the sporting working group, which represents teams in the world championship, it's clear the teams actually voted down the FIA's freeze on engine development for a fixed period of time - believed to be three years. Is that correct and does it mean the end for the FIA's proposal for an engine freeze?

NF: The reports I've had back from our representative at the meeting were that the meeting was an excellent one. They came back feeling that it was a worthwhile period of time. It certainly was the first of the sporting working groups established by the FIA and the processes that were put in place are ones that we applaud.

It is democratic and based on majority voting. The people that were at the meeting were people of huge credibility and people who have spent a lot of their lives in Formula One and believe in it.

I don't want to do a roll call, but we had Stefano Domenicalli from Ferrari, Dave Ryan from McLaren, Ron Meadows from our own team, Stevie Nielsen from Renault - they're people who really do know about Formula One and one of the things that was very encouraging is that theses people voted with extreme conviction and it was good that every vote was carried by a majority of eight or nine of the 12, so it's very encouraging that three quarters of the field agreed.

Were votes all votes that we at Honda would like? I have to say no, but some we like and some we didn't like so much, but the process was one that looks a good one. I think if the majority vote for or against something and they're people of that credibility, then we'd go along with it like a good process.

Obviously the outcome of that meeting has be ratified by the following groups: The Formula One Commission and the World Council, but with that sort of majority I'd expect things to be carried through and ifnine of the 12 teams or eight of the 12 teams - I'm not exactly sure of the numbers on that vote, but if eight or nine go that way on a vote, one would expect it to be carried through. Obviously we have more meetings to go.

RD: Slightly unusual answer to the question. Formula One owes me nothing and I owe Formula One everything and of course I try to play a role in Formula One which some people deem is controversial or too aggressive, but I feel that my role is primarily driven for a desire to Formula One better and grow and always improve.

When you look at the processes that unfolded last Wednesday I was encouraged by the fact that it was a democratic vote and it was not difficult to understand. All the people that went there had to work hard to understand the subjects and took a lot of time to prepare for the meeting.

I'm sure that their objectives were very consistent with mine and many others in F1. If that's the way we build the future - by a democratic process of evaluating all the options that unfold and that will be positive for Formula One, but it's got to be democratic and all the way democratic and that's what I hope to have.

Q: To Nick and Ron. I believed after July 1st, the group must vote unanimously to get a rule pushed through? Is that true?

RD: First of all, I'm not familiar with those regulations. The responsibilities of that part fall within our organisation. But I think your confusing the prefaces regarding 2006 and 2007. On the process for 2008, I haven't seen any formal documentation so I can have a clearer understanding of what each step of the process is. As far as I know though, that the working group operates on a simple majority vote.

NF: I'm with Ron. Other people in our organisation have a better understanding but I think you're confusing things with the technical working group and the sporting working group.

Certain things are different and I believe this is one that operates on a simple majority vote which would have appear to have worked well. I think in the case of a split vote then the FIA gets the casting vote but that clearly wasn't necessary. There was a clear majority and I can say in my short history of Formula One that is one of the few times I've seen such a clear majority.

Q: The proposal engine freeze was passed by the world motorsport council. It got the nod. Do you think the new sporting group will prevail?

RD: Again, that's dangerous territory and I don't know all the details. But I think that it was presented to the world council. It was a principle to go through the process. It was not a finalised concept. I share your view in that there seems to be some uncertainly as to how it will unfold.

Nick made reference to the meeting of the world council so we will see what actually happens to it when it gets there. But this was merely presented on the recommendation of experts. So hopefully if will be seen as that - an expert opinion which should be followed.

Q: Jenson and Kimi. You guys are race drivers and naturally you want to win. Other than winning, what gives you guys the biggest buzz in Formula One.

JB: I think doing the best performance that you possibly can. That doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to win the race, but making the best of the equipment that you have is always very satisfying. I've had to put up with that for most of this season, but it is the next best thing to winning.

KR: I think that when you drive a Formula car because you drive the race and testing but if you don't win then you don't win and when you give your best it's all you can do and I've been in a position before where you can win and last year we had a very good season.

I still think that okay we might not be there again but for sure we can win hopefully at least one win this year and if you work hard then finally you can get that win then it's a very nice feeling.

Q: Ron, when do you have to make a decision on the McLaren drivers for next season?

RD: Well I don't want to repeat myself, but I am not in a position where I feel I have to make a decision. It's still early in season and if something presents itself with regards to taking a decision then we will.

The continuity issue is the question that you have to say varies with the circumstances that exist at the time and when we have to make a decision we will. It's not particularly relevant and not something to massively influence a decision.

Q: Ron, one of your drivers has to leave the team because Fernando (Alonso) is arriving. But who is your first choice?

RD: When we have a case to make a choice, then we will make it. It's not a question of a first choice. When we make a decision on our driver line-up then we will answer your question, but it's immaterial now. I've given you an answer. It might be unsatisfactory but it's the answer I'm giving.

Q: Two aspects that have surfaced recently are safety in testing and revisions to qualifying. What are your views on both?

NF: On qualifying, it's important that we don't make a knee-jerk reaction. We've had five races and general agreement is that it's better than last year, so I think we would be extremely inconsistent to make dramatic changes at this stage. That doesn't mean we're against refining it but we, as a team, would not be in favour of major changes at this stage.

We need to know more about it and make changes later if we need to. At the moment the case for major changes are unproven. We can see some areas where we might like changes to tidy it up in a small way.

I think our general view is to make the tests as safe as they can be. In a testing agreement that we all signed, it was agreed with Gary Hartstein as to how we would do that. We put our signatures to it and I think that's what we should be working towards.

RD: As far as safety goes, we have a testing agreement and attached to that is a recommendation of Gary Hartstein. I think one thing that's been overlooked is that nobody's drawn a line between a test and a race. At a race you have a huge quantity of spectators and a potential impact on the road structure, but most importantly there is a strong desire to have the race continue.

If you have an incident there will be a doctor and a more intense medical team at a Grand Prix. At a test, if you have an incident the test stops and you have a deployment of the facility.

There's no question that it will take longer to get a medical team to the scene of the accident then it would be in respect to a presence of a doctor at the scene. As you can imagine, bringing in a quantity of doctors to a Grand Prix situation has the attraction of being the national event and these doctors gladly give their time - they are there to provide the maximum backup for driver.

It would be a challenge, but not impossible to find a large quantity of drivers for a test who are largely gonna be stood there all day - not for a two-hour race. They would have to be there for the duration - not for just a two-hour race.

These are different to a race and what you do must reflect those differences in a practical and sensible way. It's a challenge to hit the balance but you can never have it too safe.

These are highly skilled people who are standing by a track for three days and there is a significant difference in standing by a track for a race and a test. For qualifying, Formula One is about change - 5000 components in a car roughly for them to go quicker - why should any part escape change.

Any change should be well considered and not too often in a season, so whatever we change should be mid-season once and well considered. We can have a long discussion about can change but clearly what we have for TV is better but it should be limited to one change mid-season. That's my opinion.

Oh god - they've all got water pistols?!!? :D

Like the bit from Ron about the 'reserve water tank' :D

Possibly the most entertaining press conference I'ver read in a very long time. :D
 
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Flibster said:
The sooner silverstone is dumped from the F1 calendar the better!

Though last years race was dull, the two previous years produced absolute corkers. Not sure where else in the UK could really hold an F1 race.
 
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Saturday Free Practice.
Code:
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Time[/b]
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			1:15.658
2	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			1:15.707
3	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		1:16.057
4	15	Christian Klien		RBR-Ferrari		1:16.277
5	14	David Coulthard		RBR-Ferrari		1:16.352
6	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			1:16.399
7	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			1:16.410
8	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			1:16.595
9	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	1:16.660
10	3	Kimi Räikkönen		McLaren-Mercedes	1:16.705
11	12	Jenson Button		Honda			1:16.999
12	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		1:17.004
13	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			1:17.199
14	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		1:17.240
15	10	Nico Rosberg		Williams-Cosworth	1:17.645
16	9	Mark Webber		Williams-Cosworth	1:17.743
17	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		1:17.924
18	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			1:18.411
19	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		1:18.747
20	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	1:18.857
21	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		1:19.587
22	23	Franck Montagny		Super Aguri-Honda	1:20.031

Sector Times - Free Practice 3

Code:
[b]Sector 1[/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	22.519 
2	5	Michael Schumacher	22.531 
3	17	Jacques Villeneuve	22.544 
4	16	Nick Heidfeld		22.545 
5	6	Felipe Massa		22.617 
6	1	Fernando Alonso		22.646 
7	12	Jenson Button		22.759 
8	3	Kimi Räikkönen		22.815 
9	21	Scott Speed		22.865 
10	15	Christian Klien		22.877 
11	11	Rubens Barrichello	22.885 
12	14	David Coulthard		22.931 
13	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	22.983 
14	8	Jarno Trulli		23.032 
15	7	Ralf Schumacher		23.129 
16	9	Mark Webber		23.180 
17	10	Nico Rosberg		23.286 
18	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	23.325 
19	18	Tiago Monteiro		23.367 
20	19	Christijan Albers	23.636 
21	22	Takuma Sato		23.663 
22	23	Franck Montagny		23.747

Code:
[b]Sector 2 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	30.234 
2	15	Christian Klien		30.376 
3	5	Michael Schumacher	30.398 
4	14	David Coulthard		30.515 
5	11	Rubens Barrichello	30.555 
6	17	Jacques Villeneuve	30.630 
7	16	Nick Heidfeld		30.641 
8	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	30.658 
9	3	Kimi Räikkönen		30.699 
10	1	Fernando Alonso		30.711 
11	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	30.731 
12	6	Felipe Massa		30.744 
13	12	Jenson Button		30.773 
14	21	Scott Speed		30.917 
15	7	Ralf Schumacher		30.937 
16	10	Nico Rosberg		31.167 
17	9	Mark Webber		31.195 
18	8	Jarno Trulli		31.334 
19	22	Takuma Sato		31.528 
20	18	Tiago Monteiro		31.598 
21	19	Christijan Albers	31.849 
22	23	Franck Montagny		32.247

Code:
[b]Sector 3 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	5	Michael Schumacher	22.689 
2	6	Felipe Massa		22.830 
3	16	Nick Heidfeld		22.871 
4	14	David Coulthard		22.906 
5	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	22.946 
6	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	22.954 
7	11	Rubens Barrichello	22.959 
8	15	Christian Klien		22.997 
9	21	Scott Speed		23.056 
10	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	23.111 
11	3	Kimi Räikkönen		23.113 
12	12	Jenson Button		23.114 
13	1	Fernando Alonso		23.121 
14	7	Ralf Schumacher		23.133 
15	8	Jarno Trulli		23.175 
16	10	Nico Rosberg		23.192 
17	9	Mark Webber		23.290 
18	18	Tiago Monteiro		23.511 
19	17	Jacques Villeneuve	23.528 
20	22	Takuma Sato		23.666 
21	19	Christijan Albers	23.722 
22	23	Franck Montagny		23.983

Speed Trap

Code:
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time		Speed[/b]
1	17	Jacques Villeneuve	11:41:51	312.8 
2	6	Felipe Massa		11:38:23	310.6 
3	5	Michael Schumacher	11:43:41	309.7 
4	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	11:57:15	307.0 
5	16	Nick Heidfeld		11:58:50	306.2 
6	1	Fernando Alonso		11:57:52	305.6 
7	7	Ralf Schumacher		11:51:15	304.7 
8	21	Scott Speed		11:40:07	303.7 
9	11	Rubens Barrichello	11:44:45	303.7 
10	12	Jenson Button		11:43:14	302.8 
11	3	Kimi Räikkönen		11:58:56	300.8 
12	14	David Coulthard		11:51:49	300.5 
13	15	Christian Klien		11:40:55	300.4 
14	8	Jarno Trulli		11:56:31	299.6 
15	9	Mark Webber		11:35:31	299.0 
16	10	Nico Rosberg		11:26:08	297.2 
17	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	11:51:57	297.1 
18	22	Takuma Sato		11:57:26	295.0 
19	18	Tiago Monteiro		11:56:48	294.8 
20	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	11:58:24	294.6 
21	23	Franck Montagny		11:51:47	294.4 
22	19	Christijan Albers	11:58:07	292.2
 
Last edited:
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I Hope We See More Penalties

Jacques Villeneuve has urged the FIA to be harder on all driving discrepancies from now on.

The French Canadian, who drives for BMW-Sauber, was disappointed with stewards' decision to penalise him after an alleged blocking incident involving Giancarlo Fisichella at the recent Nurburgring race.

''I hope we see some more penalties,'' the 35-year-old told reporters at Barcelona, ''because I don't think I deserved to be punished.

''I hope they are now harder on everyone.''
 
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Possible VIP only Grand Prix at Ricard

Paul Ricard CEO Philippe Gurdjian has hinted at the possibility of a spectator-less Formula One race taking place at his circuit, amid speculation that the track could be part of plans for a Mediterranean Grand Prix.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone is understood to be considering the creation of a Mediterranean GP, which would be rotated between a number of circuits, starting with Valencia in 2008 and then possibly Paul Ricard the year after. Greece has also been linked with the idea.

Valencia has made no secret of the fact that it wants a race once its facilities and layout have been revamped, while Paul Ricard is already ready to hold a Grand Prix thanks to the major circuit upgrade that took place following Ecclestone's purchase of the track

Gurdjian said that the call about a race taking race at Paul Ricard would depend on Ecclestone - but said that he was open to the suggestion.

"Everything is possible, but Bernie will have the final decision," he said. "It is the perfect place to host a Formula One Grand Prix - and it would only take a few minutes to get the track ready. So why not?"

Paul Ricard's current use as a specific test track means that there are no grandstands and little spectator facilities, and Gurdjian has said that there would be no plans to enhance facilities on this front for the race.

The track is already hosting a FIA GT race in August where there are expected to be only 3,000 VIP guests.

"We would be happy with just the Paddock Club (corporate hospitality) guests, the media and television coverage," explained Gurdijan.

"It is possible to make a Grand Prix without spectators. It would be a race for VIPs."

That would be very freaky....
 
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Red Bull ridicule Klien rumours

The Red Bull Racing team have denied Austrian Christian Klien will be replaced this season and, as usual, the flamboyant squad have done it in their own special way.

Following Friday's practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull issued a statement ridiculing the rumours claiming Dutchman Robert Doornbos would take Klien's seat after this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix:

"In view of a spate of rumours on the Internet today, Red Bull Racing would like to clarify who will partner David Coulthard for the rest of the season:

Monaco: His Highness Prince Albert.
Silverstone: The new BRDC President, Damon Hill.
Canada: The singer Bryan Adams. Why? Because everything he does, he does it for us.
USA: Jim Morrisson. Why? Because we're told he's good at closing the Doors on other drivers.
France: General de Gaulle. Why? Because he's always got his nose in front
Germany: Kai Ebel. Why, because at last he'd wear some really smart clothes.
Hungary: Christian Klien as it's the nearest thing to a home race for an Austrian.
Turkey: anyone who can get over the Bosphorus bridge in time for practice.
Italy: Flavio Briatore.
China: some Wong number.
Japan: Eugene Ide. **

** Subject to FIA approval."

Thank you RBR... :D
 
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Zip said:
Thats a very mixed result for BMW

I wouldn't be surprised if Jacques has spent the morning running on full tanks. He's got a 10 place drop to come courtesy of his butter fingered team so he's likely to run long and hence it makes sense to find out how the car will behave in those conditions.
 
Man of Honour
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5 minutes...

5 tiny minutes...

they went fron Barcelona and the news to Jenson Button and Honda in 5 minutes..

And that includes the opening credits...
 
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Oooh..Competition time...

Prize isn't as good as last weeks but the answer is B.

And a very nice hotel it is too.. :D

Simon/~Flibster
 
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