San Marino: Practice - Toyota make a steady start
By Nick Sparkes
April 21 2006
Toyota’s return to Europe starts here with the first two practice sessions for this weekends San Marino Grand Prix. Jarno Trulli’s run of bad luck seems to have come to the end, with the Italian successful finishing inside the top ten whilst teammate Ralf Schumacher hit electrical problems.
Friday – First Session
As always neither session can give pinpoint indications on whom to watch out for this weekend. Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher set the fastest time, albeit completing only 4 laps in his updated Ferrari. Behind him came the stream of Friday test drivers, with Wurz, Kubica and Davidson finishing second, third and fourth respectively, completing 70 laps between them. Behind them came the second highest race driver, Jarno Trulli who put in a promising run to fifth, ahead of Doornbos in the third Red Bull Racing and Massa in the second Ferrari. Ralf Schumacher spent most of the morning in the garage.
| 1 | M. Schumacher |  |
Ferrari |  |
1:24.751 | 4 |
| 2 | A. Wurz |  |
Williams | |
1:25.132 | 19 |
| 3 | R. Kubica |  |
BMW |  |
1:25.942 | 24 |
| 4 | A. Davidson |  |
Honda | |
1:26.012 | 27 |
| 5 | J. Trulli |  |
Toyota | |
1:26.417 | 7 |
| 6 | R. Doornbos |  |
Red Bull | |
1:26.498 | 18 |
| 7 | F. Massa |  |
Ferrari | |
1:26.596 | 4 |
| 8 | D. Coulthard | |
Red Bull | |
1:26.678 | 7 |
| 9 | K. Räikkönen |  |
McLaren | |
1:26.938 | 5 |
| 10 | C. Albers | |
Midland F1 | |
1:28.048 | 13 |
| 11 | S. Speed |  |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | |
1:28.498 | 6 |
| 12 | G. Mondini |  |
Midland F1 | |
1:28.969 | 20 |
| 13 | C. Klien | |
Red Bull | |
1:29.106 | 6 |
| 14 | N. Jani | |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | |
1:29.695 | 13 |
| 15 | T. Monteiro |  |
Midland F1 | |
1:29.697 | 13 |
| 16 | V. Liuzzi | |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | |
1:30.348 | 6 |
| 17 | T. Sato |  |
Super Aguri | |
1:31.217 | 17 |
| 18 | Y. Ide | |
Super Aguri | |
1:31.482 | 17 |
| 19 | F. Alonso |  |
Renault | |
no time | 3 |
| 20 | R. Schumacher | |
Toyota | |
no time | 1 |
| 21 | G. Fisichella | |
Renault | |
no time | 2 |
| 22 | JP. Montoya |  |
McLaren | |
no time | 1 |
| 23 | N. Heidfeld | |
BMW | |
no time | 1 |
| 24 | J. Villeneuve |  |
BMW | |
no time | 1 |
| 25 | R. Barrichello | |
Honda | |
no time | 1 |
| 26 | M. Webber |  |
Williams | |
no time | |
| 27 | N. Rosberg | |
Williams | |
no time | |
| 28 | J. Button | |
Honda | |
no time |
Friday – Second Session
Fernando Alonso topped the times in the next session, on what was a more active racetrack with all the runners pumping in some serious lap times. But, just like in last years San Marino Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was right behind him. Kubica in the third BMW-Sauber put in another impressive drive in third, again ahead of Honda’s Anthony Davidson. Jarno Trulli once again featured in the top ten in seventh, completing 24 laps and finishing ahead of McLaren’s Friday tester Wurz. Ralf Schumacher spent most of the session in the garage again and after suffering from an electrical problem, which forced teammate Jarno to do the bulk of the running.
| 1 | F. Alonso | |
Renault | |
1:25.043 | 15 |
| 2 | M. Schumacher | |
Ferrari | |
1:25.371 | 13 |
| 3 | R. Kubica | |
BMW | |
1:25.421 | 31 |
| 4 | A. Davidson | |
Honda | |
1:25.699 | 31 |
| 5 | F. Massa | |
Ferrari | |
1:25.879 | 16 |
| 6 | G. Fisichella | |
Renault | |
1:25.991 | 15 |
| 7 | J. Trulli | |
Toyota | |
1:26.029 | 24 |
| 8 | A. Wurz | |
Williams | |
1:26.328 | 31 |
| 9 | JP. Montoya | |
McLaren | |
1:26.334 | 15 |
| 10 | N. Heidfeld | |
BMW | |
1:26.387 | 7 |
| 11 | J. Button | |
Honda | |
1:26.427 | 12 |
| 12 | K. Räikkönen | |
McLaren | |
1:26.500 | 16 |
| 13 | R. Barrichello | |
Honda | |
1:26.653 | 19 |
| 14 | C. Albers | |
Midland F1 | |
1:26.783 | 24 |
| 15 | J. Villeneuve | |
BMW | |
1:26.797 | 13 |
| 16 | R. Doornbos | |
Red Bull | |
1:26.917 | 27 |
| 17 | N. Rosberg | |
Williams | |
1:26.989 | 10 |
| 18 | V. Liuzzi | |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | |
1:27.128 | 24 |
| 19 | M. Webber | |
Williams | |
1:27.157 | |
| 20 | D. Coulthard | |
Red Bull | |
1:27.503 | 12 |
| 21 | T. Monteiro | |
Midland F1 | |
1:27.544 | 20 |
| 22 | R. Schumacher | |
Toyota | |
1:27.639 | 5 |
| 23 | S. Speed | |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | |
1:27.719 | 25 |
| 24 | C. Klien | |
Red Bull | |
1:27.990 | 12 |
| 25 | N. Jani | |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | |
1:28.361 | 21 |
| 26 | G. Mondini | |
Midland F1 | |
1:28.833 | 27 |
| 27 | T. Sato | |
Super Aguri | |
1:29.870 | 23 |
| 28 | Y. Ide | |
Super Aguri | |
1:31.042 | 20 |