Fernando storms to China pole
By Renault F1 September 30 2006
Fernando Alonso has claimed pole position alongside his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of China. With the heavens having opened since practice, the drivers still found the Shanghai circuit wet...
By Renault F1 September 30 2006
Fernando Alonso has claimed pole position alongside his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of China. With the heavens having opened since practice, the drivers still found the Shanghai circuit wet...
Under a deluge of rain as they took to the tarmac at the start of the first 15 minute session.
-SESSION ONE.
With the heavens having opened since practice, the drivers still found the Shanghai circuit wet and under a deluge of rain as they took to the tarmac at the start of the first 15 minute session.
Kimi Raikkonen was the first driver out as everyone but the Ferraris and the Spyker of Albers left the pits as soon as the session began. The Finn’s benchmark lap of 1:46.048 kept 12 drivers behind him until Giancarlo Fisichella popped in his first lap to go top on 1:44.714. Fernando Alonso however immediately went quicker, posting a 1:44.128 to hold provisional fastest time in the first session.
Next time through Giancarlo improved to a 1:44.378 to remain second as de la Rosa took third with Liuzzi fourth. Behind the leaders the conditions were proving tough with Barrichello spinning and Sato and Webber running wide at the slow hairpin at the end of the long and fast back straight.
The Ferraris were on track with a third of the session remaining, Schumacher taking 12th and Massa 13th with their first laps. The drop zone was filled by Yamamoto, Ralf Schumacher, Monteiro, Trulli, Sato and Albers as the clock hit four minutes. Ralf improved his time but only as far as 17th, leaving him stuck in the bottom six. Monteiro’s chances of getting out of the drop ended as his Spyker ground to a halt in the first sector, bringing out the red flags with 3:09 left on the clocks.
As the session got going again, there was a sudden rush back onto the track, with the Toyotas aiming to get ahead of the 15th and 16th placed Williamses. Only the top five of Alonso, Fisichella, de la Rosa, Raikkonen and Liuzzi considered their positions safe enough to stay in the pits.
Rosberg ran wide at the first turn while his team-mate Webber spun at the same point, as behind them the qualifying laps of almost every driver appeared to be impeded by the sheer weight of numbers. Nobody improved their times, and so Yamamoto, Sato, Monteiro, Albers, Trulli and Ralf Schumacher were eliminated.
-SESSION TWO.
The Red Bulls and Liuzzi were the first drivers on track in the second session, with the rain showing no sign of abating. Indeed every driver but the two Renaults and Raikkonen were out within the first two minutes. Liuzzi again was the man on a mission but he spun in the second sector having set the quickest first sector time.
Coulthard was the first driver to go top with a 1:50.428, conditions taking their toll on the laptimes. Webber and then Button took over at the top, the Briton with a 1:47.244 however. Michael Schumacher and then Felipe Massa however brought the laptimes close to the first session, with the Brazilian leading the way on 1:46.882.
Scott Speed spun at the final corner, necessitating a re-entry to the pits, while de la Rosa and then Button again took P1 on a 1:45.952.
Alonso was out on track with eight minutes to go, but on his first flying lap the Spaniard went ride at Turn 1, with team-mate Fisichella following suit in the same place but adding a spin over the gravel to his repertoire. Fernando was still able to set the 10th fastest time though before going for another lap and easily taking top spot with a 1:44.123.
Doornbos, Rosberg, Webber, Liuzzi, Kubica and Heidfeld were in the dropzone with two minutes to go. Liuzzi sent in a great lap to go ninth, leaving both Ferraris in the dropzone with Massa 11th and Schumacher 13th. But a final flurry of thrilling efforts, left Rosberg, Webber, Liuzzi, Massa, Coulthard and Speed as the six eliminated drivers.
Pole would be decided between Alonso, Fisichella, Button, Heidfeld, de la Rosa, Barrichello, Kubica, Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher and Robert Doornbos.
-SESSION THREE.
All ten drivers were instantly out on track, with conditions starting to clear and a dry line forming. Pedro de la Rosa led from Robert Kubica for the opening laps, until Fernando Alonso took over at the top with ten minutes to go.
Nick Heidfeld took second position with Raikkonen going third as his McLaren fell apart, his wing mirror falling off and getting smashed by Fisichella’s passing Renault. The knock did little to dent Giancarlo’s speed however as he leapt up into second position behind Fernando.
With two minutes remaining, Raikkonen jumped into second, before Barrichello took over the provisional front row slot from the Finn, whose team-mate de la Rosa spun in search of the extra time to lift him from fifth.
Fernando meanwhile was imperious, setting an incredible lap of 1:44.360 to leave no doubt over his pace or intentions. To be honest it never looked like being anybody else’s pole from the start of the first session. And when Giancarlo took second position, Renault’s perfect session was complete.
Barrichello and Button created a Honda second row, with Raikkonen fifth and Michael Schumacher back in sixth position. Pedro de la Rosa wound up seventh with the BMW pairing of Heidfeld and Kubica next up and Doornbos tenth for Red Bull.
2006 China Grand Prix Qualifying.
Pos No Driver Team Q1 - Q2 - Q3
1 1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:44.128 - 1:43.951 - 1:44.360
2 2 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:44.378 - 1:44.336 - 1:44.992
3 11 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:47.072 - 1:45.288 - 1:45.503
4 12 Jenson Button Honda 1:45.809 - 1:44.662 - 1:45.503
5 3 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:44.909 - 1:45.622 - 1:45.754
6 5 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:47.366 - 1:45.660 - 1:45.775
7 4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:44.808 - 1:45.095 - 1:45.877
8 16 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW 1:46.249 - 1:45.055 - 1:46.053
9 17 Robert Kubica Sauber-BMW 1:46.049 - 1:45.576 - 1:46.632
10 15 Robert Doornbos RBR-Ferrari 1:46.387 - 1:45.747 - 1:48.021
11 21 Scott Speed STR-Cosworth 1:46.222 - 1:45.851
12 14 David Coulthard RBR-Ferrari 1:45.931 - 1:45.968
13 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:47.231 - 1:45.970
14 20 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Cosworth 1:45.564 - 1:46.172
15 9 Mark Webber Williams-Cosworth 1:48.560 - 1:46.413
16 10 Nico Rosberg Williams-Cosworth 1:47.535 - 1:47.419
17 7 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:48.894
18 8 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:49.098
19 19 Christijan Albers MF1-Toyota 1:49.542
20 18 Tiago Monteiro MF1-Toyota 1:49.903
21 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:50.326
22 23 Sakon Yamamoto Super Aguri-Honda 1:55.560
-SESSION ONE.
With the heavens having opened since practice, the drivers still found the Shanghai circuit wet and under a deluge of rain as they took to the tarmac at the start of the first 15 minute session.
Kimi Raikkonen was the first driver out as everyone but the Ferraris and the Spyker of Albers left the pits as soon as the session began. The Finn’s benchmark lap of 1:46.048 kept 12 drivers behind him until Giancarlo Fisichella popped in his first lap to go top on 1:44.714. Fernando Alonso however immediately went quicker, posting a 1:44.128 to hold provisional fastest time in the first session.
Next time through Giancarlo improved to a 1:44.378 to remain second as de la Rosa took third with Liuzzi fourth. Behind the leaders the conditions were proving tough with Barrichello spinning and Sato and Webber running wide at the slow hairpin at the end of the long and fast back straight.
The Ferraris were on track with a third of the session remaining, Schumacher taking 12th and Massa 13th with their first laps. The drop zone was filled by Yamamoto, Ralf Schumacher, Monteiro, Trulli, Sato and Albers as the clock hit four minutes. Ralf improved his time but only as far as 17th, leaving him stuck in the bottom six. Monteiro’s chances of getting out of the drop ended as his Spyker ground to a halt in the first sector, bringing out the red flags with 3:09 left on the clocks.
As the session got going again, there was a sudden rush back onto the track, with the Toyotas aiming to get ahead of the 15th and 16th placed Williamses. Only the top five of Alonso, Fisichella, de la Rosa, Raikkonen and Liuzzi considered their positions safe enough to stay in the pits.
Rosberg ran wide at the first turn while his team-mate Webber spun at the same point, as behind them the qualifying laps of almost every driver appeared to be impeded by the sheer weight of numbers. Nobody improved their times, and so Yamamoto, Sato, Monteiro, Albers, Trulli and Ralf Schumacher were eliminated.
-SESSION TWO.
The Red Bulls and Liuzzi were the first drivers on track in the second session, with the rain showing no sign of abating. Indeed every driver but the two Renaults and Raikkonen were out within the first two minutes. Liuzzi again was the man on a mission but he spun in the second sector having set the quickest first sector time.
Coulthard was the first driver to go top with a 1:50.428, conditions taking their toll on the laptimes. Webber and then Button took over at the top, the Briton with a 1:47.244 however. Michael Schumacher and then Felipe Massa however brought the laptimes close to the first session, with the Brazilian leading the way on 1:46.882.
Scott Speed spun at the final corner, necessitating a re-entry to the pits, while de la Rosa and then Button again took P1 on a 1:45.952.
Alonso was out on track with eight minutes to go, but on his first flying lap the Spaniard went ride at Turn 1, with team-mate Fisichella following suit in the same place but adding a spin over the gravel to his repertoire. Fernando was still able to set the 10th fastest time though before going for another lap and easily taking top spot with a 1:44.123.
Doornbos, Rosberg, Webber, Liuzzi, Kubica and Heidfeld were in the dropzone with two minutes to go. Liuzzi sent in a great lap to go ninth, leaving both Ferraris in the dropzone with Massa 11th and Schumacher 13th. But a final flurry of thrilling efforts, left Rosberg, Webber, Liuzzi, Massa, Coulthard and Speed as the six eliminated drivers.
Pole would be decided between Alonso, Fisichella, Button, Heidfeld, de la Rosa, Barrichello, Kubica, Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher and Robert Doornbos.
-SESSION THREE.
All ten drivers were instantly out on track, with conditions starting to clear and a dry line forming. Pedro de la Rosa led from Robert Kubica for the opening laps, until Fernando Alonso took over at the top with ten minutes to go.
Nick Heidfeld took second position with Raikkonen going third as his McLaren fell apart, his wing mirror falling off and getting smashed by Fisichella’s passing Renault. The knock did little to dent Giancarlo’s speed however as he leapt up into second position behind Fernando.
With two minutes remaining, Raikkonen jumped into second, before Barrichello took over the provisional front row slot from the Finn, whose team-mate de la Rosa spun in search of the extra time to lift him from fifth.
Fernando meanwhile was imperious, setting an incredible lap of 1:44.360 to leave no doubt over his pace or intentions. To be honest it never looked like being anybody else’s pole from the start of the first session. And when Giancarlo took second position, Renault’s perfect session was complete.
Barrichello and Button created a Honda second row, with Raikkonen fifth and Michael Schumacher back in sixth position. Pedro de la Rosa wound up seventh with the BMW pairing of Heidfeld and Kubica next up and Doornbos tenth for Red Bull.
2006 China Grand Prix Qualifying.
Pos No Driver Team Q1 - Q2 - Q3
1 1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:44.128 - 1:43.951 - 1:44.360
2 2 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:44.378 - 1:44.336 - 1:44.992
3 11 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:47.072 - 1:45.288 - 1:45.503
4 12 Jenson Button Honda 1:45.809 - 1:44.662 - 1:45.503
5 3 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:44.909 - 1:45.622 - 1:45.754
6 5 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:47.366 - 1:45.660 - 1:45.775
7 4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:44.808 - 1:45.095 - 1:45.877
8 16 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW 1:46.249 - 1:45.055 - 1:46.053
9 17 Robert Kubica Sauber-BMW 1:46.049 - 1:45.576 - 1:46.632
10 15 Robert Doornbos RBR-Ferrari 1:46.387 - 1:45.747 - 1:48.021
11 21 Scott Speed STR-Cosworth 1:46.222 - 1:45.851
12 14 David Coulthard RBR-Ferrari 1:45.931 - 1:45.968
13 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:47.231 - 1:45.970
14 20 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Cosworth 1:45.564 - 1:46.172
15 9 Mark Webber Williams-Cosworth 1:48.560 - 1:46.413
16 10 Nico Rosberg Williams-Cosworth 1:47.535 - 1:47.419
17 7 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:48.894
18 8 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:49.098
19 19 Christijan Albers MF1-Toyota 1:49.542
20 18 Tiago Monteiro MF1-Toyota 1:49.903
21 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:50.326
22 23 Sakon Yamamoto Super Aguri-Honda 1:55.560
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