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Ferrari drivers Michael
Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello recording a one-two in the opening
qualifying session for this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix. But
WilliamsF1 BMW drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya ended up
third and fourth respectively this afternoon.
For Ralf this race was where he recorded his maiden F1 victory, and the
first of Michelin’s comeback season, in 2001. After a successful start to
the season in Australia, Malaysia and Brazil, Michelin had a positive
start to its European campaign. Five of its drivers recorded top-ten times
today.
Behind the WilliamsF1 BMWs,
Jaguar's Mark Webber backed up his excellent turn of speed in Brazil with
another strong performance, his qualifying lap would see him fifth. West
McLaren-Mercedes drivers Kimi Räikkönen (eighth) and David Coulthard were
eighth and ninth.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin Motorsport Director, commented on various
topics.
WILLIAMS THE CONQUERORS?
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team spearheaded Michelin’s challenge during the
opening day of this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix. Ralf Schumacher,
winner here in 2001, and Juan Pablo Montoya set the pace in free practice
and were third and fourth in this afternoon’s qualifying session. Mark
Webber (Jaguar) gave Michelin a further boost by backing up his excellent
Brazilian GP form with a strong run to fifth place. Michelin motorsport
director Pierre Dupasquier said: “There were one or two surprises today,
but overall we are pleased with the way our tyres have performed and there
is everything still to play for this weekend. You have to remember that
some cars might have been running on very soft rubber. The forecasters
predict that we might have rain, however.”
SLIP-SLIDIN’ AWAY
Michelin has brought three types of dry-weather tyre to this race – and
Pierre Dupasquier expects his five partner teams to race on the same
compound if the rain holds off. He said: “One of our three tyres proved to
be particularly suitable for this circuit. Things were quite difficult
right at the start of the day, because the track seemed to be much more
dusty than usual and tyres were beginning to grain quite quickly because
drivers were sliding around so much. The right fronts seem to be under
particular duress. Once conditions became more settled, however, the wear
rate improved dramatically and the decision-making process became
reasonably straightforward.”
STOP AND GO = NO PENALTY
Pierre Dupasquier predicts that the pit lane will be a busy place during
the San Marino GP. He said: “Everything points to drivers making at least
two stops on Sunday. The penalty for a heavy fuel load is quite
substantial here – about four- to five-tenths per lap for every extra 10kg
you carry – and the pit lane entry and exit are quite short, so refuelling
stops are not too time-consuming. If any driver opts for a longer run,
however, our tyres will sufficiently durable." |
