24.07.2004 “I’m quite happy. I had a good qualifying lap, considering the fuel we were carrying, and we were quite close to the right balance for the load we have" Minardi F1 qualifying report from Hockenheim

Other than a small excursion over a curb early on in the day, which damaged the front wing of Zsolt Baumgartner’s car, Wilux Minardi Cosworth enjoyed a trouble-free final day of preparations for tomorrow’s German Grand Prix.

Heavy overnight rain washed the surface of the Hockenheimring clean and, combined with lower ambient temperatures, meant Baumgartner and team mate, Gianmaria Bruni, spent much of Saturday’s two morning practice sessions readjusting the balance of their respective chassis to the new track conditions and working with different fuel loads. 

The technical programme was productive, and although Bruni and Baumgartner will line up in 19th and 20th places on the grid tomorrow, both drivers have high hopes for a positive outcome to the race.           

GIANMARIA BRUNI  Best lap: 1 min 18.055 secs  Position: 19th

“I’m quite happy. I had a good qualifying lap, considering the fuel we were carrying, and we were quite close to the right balance for the load we have.

"The guys also did a really good job today, and now I’m looking forward to the race.”

ZSOLT BAUMGARTNER  Best lap: 1 min 18.400 secs  Position: 20th

“As far as the qualifying run was concerned, we were missing a bit on chassis balance today and, as a result, I was struggling particularly in the Stadium section.  My first two sector times were similar to Gimmi’s, but then I lost quite a bit in the final section.

"Generally, today we weren’t able to find a satisfactory balance as quickly as we did yesterday, and the situation wasn’t helped by the fact I made a mistake in the first session this morning and lost time while the car was repaired.

"As a result, I wasn’t able to do as much running as I would have liked. Even so, I think we can have a strong car tomorrow and a good race.”

PAUL STODDART, Team Principal

“Both drivers put in quite good performances in today’s sessions and completed their technical programmes. I was particularly pleased with pre-qualifying this afternoon, which showed that we are as close to the Jordans as we expected to be.

"Gimmi and Zsolt will line up at the back of the grid for the German Grand Prix, but race strategy involves different fuel loads, and we have a healthy fuel load for tomorrow’s race. We look forward to an interesting race here at Hockenheim.”

Chassis allocation: Bruni (No 20) PS04B/02, Baumgartner (No 21) PS04B/01, Spare car (Baumgartner) PS04B/03