Difficult qualifying for WilliamsF1 at Monza

Nico in 12th
By Andrew Hooper
September 9 2006

It would be a difficult qualifying session for the WilliamsF1 team at the Monza circuit, with Nico Rosberg finishing 12th and Mark Webber 19th. Neither driver look remotely like they would make it into the final qualifying period. A bit of luck will have to go the teams way to get a good result.

Italian GP Qualifying

With Massa fastest in the final practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, followed by Heidfeld qualifying would get underway. Nico and Mark were both outside the top ten in practice so it would be interesting to see how qualifying would turn out for the WilliamsF1 drivers.

Webber Q1 would get underway with Liuzzi leading Yamamoto out onto the track. They were joined by Sato. Both Toyota's would also come out joined by Speed and Coulthard. The second Red Bull of Klien was also out. Next came both of the MF1 cars. Mark Webber was also out on the circuit. He would be joined by team-mate Nico Rosberg. With ten minutes remaining we now had Button come out. The first time would go to Liuzzi with a 1m:24.344. He was followed by Trulli, Sato, Yamamoto,. Speed would move into second with a 1m:24.417 as Coulthard would go fastest with a 1m:23.453. Klien was now second, 1m:23.671, but Liuzzi would move ahead with a 1m:23.501.

We now had both McLaren's on the circuit joined by Barrichello. Mark had returned to his pit with Coulthard fastest from Liuzzi, Klien, Speed, Trulli, Ralf Schumacher, Sato, and Yamamoto. But we would have a red flag as their was debris on the main straight from a tyre failure on one of the Super Aguri's. Everyone would pit. It was Yamamoto's car that had the failure as he was going down the main straight. He would limp his way back to his pit. The
clock had stopped with 9:28 remaining.

We had yet to see Nico or Mark set a time in the period. Marshals would check the whole circuit to make sure that there was no debris from Yamamoto's car as it made its way back to the pits. Yamamoto would take no further part in qualifying. With the restart Massa was straight out followed by de la Rosa. Michael Schumacher and Raikkonen would also come out. Barrichello and Button were also out. Massa was on a quick lap and would go fastest with a 1m:22.028. De la Rosa was now second, 1m:23.004.

Rosberg Mark and Nico had now left the pit lane as Michael went fastest, 1m:21.711, from Raikkonen. Heidfeld would move into second with a 1m:21.764. Button was now in fifth, but del a Rosa would move ahead of him. Barrichello was in seventh. Mark would move into eighth with a 1m:23.356. Both Renault's were now out on the track. Nico's first lap would see him in seventh, 1m:22.581. Mark was now in ninth. Three minutes remaining and Fisichella would move into sixth and Alonso was now second, 1m:21.747.

Kubica had come out and would move into . Nico was now in tenth and mark fourteenth. Would Mark get pushed out on the top sixteen? Yes he was as cars would go faster seeing him down in nineteenth. Nico was in eleventh. Both of the WilliamsF1 drivers were in their pits as the session came to an end. Klien would spin at the second chicane stopping out on the circuit. Klien would be pushed away ending his qualifying. Those not make it into Q2 would be Liuzzi, Albers, Webber, Sato, and Yamamoto. Nico would finish with a time of 1m:22.581 compared to Mark's 1m:23.341..

Q2 would get underway with us not seeing the usual rush of drivers coming out. Kubica would be the first driver to come out, joined by Speed and the second BMW Sauber of Heidfeld. Now we would have both Renault's and Toyota's come out. Nico and Coulthard were also out on the track. The first time would be set by Kubica, 1m:21.617. Speed was in second, 1m:24.564. Alonso would go fastest with a 1m:21.526. Heidfeld was in third behind his team-mate. Kubica would pit.

Rosberg

Fisichella was now in fourth followed by Trulli, Ralf, and Nico in seventh, 1m:22.609. All the other drivers had come out and de la Rosa would move into sixth, 1m:22.147. Raikkonen and Michael were both on quick laps. Raikkonen would go fastest with a 1m:21.349. Michael was in second with a 1m:21.353. Barrichello was in sixth, 1m:21.863. But it would be the second Ferrari of Massa that would go fastest, 1m:21.225. As expected Klien would not take part in the rest of qualifying.

Everyone had a time with Nico down in thirteenth and outside the top ten with the WilliamsF1 team facing the prospect of having neither car make it into Q3. With three minutes remaining would Nico come back out. Yes he would in an attempt to make it into the top ten. Nico was now in thirteenth as Kubica moved into fifth with a 1m:21.617. He was followed by Heidfeld, Fisichella, and Barrichello. With the end of the session Kubica would move into second and Button would improve to be seventh. Nico was in twelfth, 1m:22.203. So those who would not make it into Q3 would be Trulli, Nico, Ralf, Coulthard, Speed, and Klien.

The start of Q3 would see Heidfeld lead the other nine cars out onto the circuit. The drivers would settle into the routine of burning off fuel. In the lead up to the first pit stops the only incident was when Alonso would suffer a right rear tyre puncture. He would make it back into his pit on three wheels as several drivers would pit. Alonso would suffer some damage to the bodywork of his car.

On their first flying laps Massa would go fastest with Michael second. But Raikkonen would move ahead of the Ferrari's while Alonso was down in eighth. With just minutes remaining both Ferrari's would make their final pit stops as Massa would remain in second but team-mate Michael would go fastest, 1m:21.486. But Raikkonen would spoil the Ferrari fans celebrations when he would beat Michael's time by 0.002 seconds. Heidfeld would move into third pushing Massa in fourth. Alonso was in fifth followed by Button, Kubica, de la Rosa, Barrichello, and Fisichella.

So we will see Nico start from twelfth and Mark nineteenth in what would seem to be a very difficult Italian Grand Prix for the WilliamsF1 team.