Minardi F1 Team
drivers
Christijan Albers
and
Robert Doornbos
will start tomorrow’s
inaugural Turkish Grand Prix
from
16th and 17th
positions on the grid
respectively after this
afternoon’s incident-packed
official qualifying session.
Doornbos was the first of
the two on track, but a
problem caused by the
incorrect fitting of a brake
pipe meant he was unable to
complete the run, while
Albers, although not
entirely happy with the
balance of his car, drove a
clean and committed
qualifying lap in setting
his time. Earlier, the
drivers spent the final two
practice sessions of the
weekend continuing to work
on chassis set-up and
preparing for the
all-important qualifying
runs. A number of new
aerodynamic components are
also being evaluated this
weekend, which are a direct
result of an ongoing wind
tunnel programme for the
Minardi Cosworth PS05.
CHRISTIJAN ALBERS
(Best lap: 1 min 32.186 secs;
Position: 16th)
“We did a
lot of work on the car, and
it was more stable in the
qualifying run than we’d
managed this morning, when
the rear was quite
nervous. I was happy with
that and with the fact we
gained some grip. The only
real issue in qualifying
related to a gear-shifting
problem, which cost me quite
a bit of time. That said,
the car is definitely going
in the right direction, and
although it will be a tough
race tomorrow, I think we’ll
be all right.”
ROBERT DOORNBOS
(Best lap: No time;
Position: 17th)
“It was
obviously a disappointing
qualifying for me. I was
hoping for a very good run,
because although we had a
difficult tyre choice to
make this morning, I think
we found a good set-up for
the race and things looked
promising.
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A number of new aerodynamic
components are also being evaluated this weekend,
which are a result of an ongoing wind tunnel
programme for the Minardi Cosworth PS05
car |
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Minardi drivers Christijan Albers
and Robert Doornbos will
start the Turkish Grand Prix from
16th and 17th positions on the grid
after the incident-packed final
qualifying session |
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"As a result, there
was something to look forward to in qualifying, but even on
the out lap, I knew the car was not how it should be, and
that there was a problem with the brakes. They suggested
over the radio that I just carry on and try to complete the
lap, but the problem got worse and worse, and the car was
very slow on the straights, just like the handbrake was
still on. I really hope I can have some better luck tomorrow
and do something special in the race.”
PAUL STODDART, Team Principal,
Minardi Cosworth
“It was an interesting start to qualifying, with Robert’s
spectacular incident at the entrance to the pit lane. Sadly,
a brake pressure problem had left him with no choice but to
abort his flying lap. Christijan, on the other hand, with a
substantial fuel load on board and what we believe is the
correct choice of tyres for tomorrow’s race, put in a steady
performance, and will benefit from the strategy as the event
progresses. Throughout this morning’s practice sessions,
everything went pretty much according to plan.”
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