Chinese Qually-Toyota dissapointing in China
By Luke Marc Carlile-Stanton
September 30 2006
The Toyota team suffered disappointment in today’s very wet Qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix of 2006. Ralf Schumacher could only manage 17th and Jarno Trulli 18th. World Champion Fernando Alonso meanwhile took pole position for Renault.
Knock out 1
As the Rain started to fall in Shanghai the Qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix got under way. A lot of drivers were eager to get on track early due to the nature of the conditions including Jarno and Ralf, Both Super Aguri Honda’s, both Mclarens and both Red Bulls. Raikkonen set the opening lap time if 1.46.048. Judging by the conditions the teams would surely have to bring in their drivers to go on the extreme wet tire-intermediate just wouldn’t do. World Champion Fernando Alonso went top on a 1.44.128. Meanwhile Jarno and Ralf were in 15th and 18th respectively, they would need to go back out on track again but with the lap in China being so long due to sheer length of the track they would need to get out there quick. Honda’s Rubens Barrichello spun with just over 7 minutes to go whilst Mark Webber in the Williams and Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri both spun at the hairpin, the conditions proving to be treacherous. With just over 5 minutes to go Jarno fell into 17th place and the drop zone, and with Ralf 19th with brother, the 7 times World Champion Michael Schumacher and his team mate Felipe Massa in the Ferrari still yet to go out on track it was looking bad for Toyota. Michael went 12th, that wasn’t where the out-going championship contender would have wanted to be but what was even worse was that title Rival Fernando Alonso was three and a half seconds quicker than the German! Proving that the Michelin’s are working better than the Bridgestone’s in the wet, unfortunately for Toyota they are on the Bridgestone tire. Ralf improved with minutes to go-which sounds like a good thing, unfortunately it was only to 17th position and still in the drop out zone, but he had enough time for one more run, as did Jarno who was in 18th position but he was on track on a out lap. With 3.09 minutes left in the session Sypker-MF1’s Tiago Monteiro stopped of the exit of turn 1 bringing out the red flags, just as Jarno and Ralf were on hot laps, things were going from bad to worse for Toyota. As the session restarted there was a rush of cars heading out onto the circuit trying to get a lap in before the flag was flown. Williams’ Nico Rosberg blew his one chance at turn 1 as he like so many before aquaplaned off the track. This was fairly good news for Toyota as Rosberg was only 15th and not safe, one less person to get ahead of! Both Jarno and Ralf were on track but no one was setting personal best laps and it looked like they were wasting their time. Jarno came across the line as the session ended and stayed 18th, and Ralf stayed 17th. Huge embarrassment for Toyota, they have it all to do tomorrow. Alonso finished the period 1st underling Michelin’s dominance in the wet. Vitantonio Liuzzi was the star of the period, the Scuderia Toro Rosso driver finishing an impressive 5th.
Top 6: Alonso, Fisichella, De La Rosa, Raikkonen, Liuzzi, Button
Bottom 6: R.Schumacher, Trulli, Albers, Monteiro, Sato, Yamamoto
Knock Out 2
So for Toyota fans everywhere Chinese Qualifying for 2006 kind of fails into insignificance, but for the drivers still in qualifying there was a job to do, and with the wet conditions and the field so close the session could still spawn a few surprises. The knockout got under way with Red Bulls David Coulthard heading the Que. With 12 minutes to go Toro Rosso’s Liuzzi spun off the track us after setting the fastest first sector but it was early days in the knock out and Toro Rosso could still spring a surprise. Coulthard set the opening time of the session of 1.50.428 which wasn’t a time that was going to set the world alight! Liuzzi’s team mate, America’s Scott Speed spun at the final corner making it a Toro Rosso double spin! Felipe Massa went fastest on a 1.46.882, whatever Massa did in this session he would receive a 10 place grid drop for changing an engine. Alonso went off track at turn 1 on his first flying lap and team mate Fisichella followed suit straight after! Barrichello went into second place but Alonso blitzed everyone and went fastest on a 1.44.123, two seconds quicker than his title rival, Renault looking good in the wet. Speed went into 9th place which pushed Schumacher down to 10th and then Liuzzi went 9th, this was bad news for Ferrari, both Schumacher and Massa were outside the top 10 and both heading out of qualifying. The flag fell and Schumacher was on last flying lap, trying to save himself from the drop, team mate Massa was already out and with his 10 place drop he would start at the back. But for the Championship it was vital that Michael got through to the Pole shoot out…..he went 8th and was safe, just about. Robert Kubica in the BMW-Sauber went 7th. Christian Klien’s replacement at Red Bull Robert Doornbos finished and was through to the shoot out on his first experience of knock out Qualifying. Alonso was once again fastest. Speed, Coulthard, Massa, Liuzzi, Webber and Rosberg were all knocked out.
Top 6: Alonso, Fisichella, Button, Heidfeld, De La Rosa, Barrichello
Bottom 6: Speed, Coulthard, Massa, Liuzzi, Webber, Rosberg
Pole Shoot out
The pole shoot out would be fought; both the Renault’s, Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari (just), Both BMW-Saubers, Both Mclarens, both Hondas and Robert Doornbos in the Red Bull. With conditions still treacherous it was going to be interesting, particularly for the title battle between Alonso and Schumacher, and for the first time in months Renault had the upper hand over Ferrari. As usual the first few moments of the session brought the fuel burn phase meaning the first few laps do not count to the ultimate pole lap. However Alonso was the fastest driver in this phase on a time of 1.45.348. With just over 5 minutes to go the drivers started coming into the pits setting up their cars for the pole laps proper. As well as taking on fuel and tires, Button took on a new front wing after hitting Kimi Raikkonen’s mirror that fell off the Finn’s Mclaren. All the drivers were out on track and had pitted and were setting proper lap times but Alonso’s fuel burn time was still the quickest, underlining Renault and Michelins superiority in these conditions. De La Rosa chucked his car off the road at turn 8 with seconds to go in the session, it wasn’t a Mclaren friendly corner as that’s where Raikkonen lost his mirror. Alonso finally broke his fuel burn phase time and went fastest on a 1.44.360. Michael Schumacher had been struggling all hour but the German jumped from 9th to 5th, a good effort considering Bridgestone’s problems and that he was the only Bridgestone runner in the shoot out. Fisichella displaced Barrichello and went 2nd to make it an all Renault Front row. It was disappointment for Toyota in China but joy for Renault and Honda and Honda locked out the second row with Jenson Buttons setting exactly the same time as his time mate for fourth. It makes for an interesting race tomorrow and who knows-It may even rain!
So Alonso will start from pole, Fisichella 2nd ahead the Honda duo of Barrichello and Button. Then it’s Kimi Raikkonen in the first Mclaren followed by the man he’s replacing at Ferrari for 2007 Michael Schumacher. De La Rosa is seventh followed by BMW-Sauber drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. Robert Doornbos rounds out the top 10 for Red Bull Racing.
Top 10: Alonso, Fisichella, Barrichello, Button, Raikkonen, M.Schumacher, De La Rosa. Heidfeld, Kubica, Doornbos
