111th Pole for Bridgestone in Belgium

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) claimed the 111th pole position set on Bridgestone Potenza tyres after setting a 1min 45.994secs time on the soft compound Bridgestone Potenza at Spa Francorchamps for this weekend's ING Belgian Grand Prix.

Raikkonen also set the day's fastest lap time, a 1min 45.070secs, also on the soft compound, in Q2. Joining the Finn on the front row tomorrow will be team-mate Felipe Massa, who was 17 thousandths slower, also setting his best time on the soft compound.

McLaren Mercedes team-mates Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton will make up the second row on the grid, Alonso recovering from a spin in Q3 to set third fastest time just before the end of the session.

Raikkonen also topped the morning practice with a 1min 46.137secs, set on the medium compound, late in the hour-long session. Massa was the second fastest in this session with a time of 1min 46.388secs. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) set the fifth fastest time in qualifying but will start from 15th place tomorrow due to a ten place penalty for an engine change.

Today's pole time was four tenths faster than the 2005 pole, a 1min 46.391secs set by Juan Pablo Montoya (McLaren Mercedes).

Kees van de Grint, Bridgestone Motorsport Head of Track Engineering Operations said:
"In comparison to yesterday track conditions were much improved and both compounds of Bridgestone Potenza worked well. All drivers set their fastest lap time on the soft compound, but this is not a surprise because the data we saw yesterday showed that this was the quicker tyre. Today, if a driver managed a clean lap, the soft compound was worth about six tenths over the medium. The soft does have slightly higher degradation relative to the medium, but both compounds are good in terms of wear life. This leaves the tyre strategy choice to team and driver preference."

Stats of the Day 
Total amount of laps completed by all drivers: 622 laps 
Average number of laps per car: 28 laps 
Most laps by a driver: 37 laps - Nico Rosberg 
Fastest lap: 1m 45.070s - Raikkonen in Q2 
Compounds: Medium and soft 

Belgian Grand Prix in 2005 (no Belgian GP in 2006)
Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes) won the last Belgian
Grand Prix, in a wet race where tyre choice was crucial.
Fernando Alonso (Renault) finished in second, almost half
a second behind. Jenson Button (BAR-Honda) finished third. 


Temperatures     Ambient     Track       Weather 
Practice - AM    16C-15C-17C 22C-21C-23C Cloudy 
Qualifying - PM  16C-18C     24C-23C-24C Cloudy