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Saturday’s
qualifying
session
at
Interlagos
ahead of
today's
Brazilian
Grand
Prix was the
longest
in the
history
of
Formula
1, as
red
flags
and Race
Control
decisions
to delay
it at
times,
to wait
for
safer
track
conditions
meant it
ended at
around
16.45,
two and
three
quarter
hours
after it
began.
The rain
was at
its
worst in
Q1 and
conditions
meant
cars
were
aquaplaning
down the
straights
and
losing
control
in the
corners.
Unfortunately,
one of
the
victims
was
Giancarlo
Fisichella,
who was
left
stranded
out on
track.
He lost
control
on the
treacherously
wet
surface
and in
his
attempt
to
control
the
spin,
accidentally
hit the
engine
cut out
switch.
So,
although
his car
was
undamaged,
his
session
was over
and he
starts
on the
back row
in
twentieth
place.
Kimi
Raikkonen
however,
produced
another
great
drive,
given
the
overall
competitivity
of the
F60
compared
to the
quicker
cars in
the
field,
to make
it
through
to Q3,
securing
fifth
place on
the
third
row of
the
grid.
Maintaining
concentration,
staying
calm and
adapting
to the
changeable
conditions
– the
track
gradually
started
drying
out
towards
the end
– were
the key
factors
for the
Finnish
driver
and the
Scuderia
crew in
the
garage.
Only in
Q3 did
conditions
improve
enough
for the
top ten
cars to
fight it
out
for pole
position using
Bridgestone’s
Intermediate
tyres.
Actually,
Kimi
would
have
preferred
a bit
more
rain, as
he felt
more
comfortable
running
the
Extreme
wets.
There
was no
need to
look at
the
timing
screens
to see
who had
set the
fastest
time, as
the
information
came
from the
crowd,
as local
favourite,
Rubens
Barrichello
gave his
fellow Paulistas
a great
reward
for
sitting
in the
pouring
rain for
so long.
Lining
up
alongside
him on
the
front
row
tomorrow,
will be
Mark
Webber
in the
Red
Bull. A
last
minute
charge
saw
Adrian
Sutil
secure
third
place
for
Force
India,
just
ahead of
the
Toyota
of Jarno
Trulli.
There
are two
Ferrari
engines
on row
three,
as Kimi
shares
it with
the
Ferrari-powered
Toro
Rosso of
Sebastien
Buemi.
Today,
Kimi
will be
targeting
a good
haul of
points,
as
Ferrari
attempts
to
maintain
its
third
place in
the
Constructors’
classification.
That
task
will be
helped
by the
fact
that
closest
rivals,
McLaren-Mercedes
did not
have the
best of
days,
with Heikki
Kovalainen
and
Lewis
Hamilton
qualifying
down in
18th and
19th
places.
“Tomorrow we face a race
that will be very important
in the battle for third
place and it’s a shame we
will not be tackling it with
both our cars in the top
half of the grid, given that
our main rivals are quite a
way back," said Team
Principal Stefano Domenicali
after the chaotic session
came to a close. "However, we also
have to keep an eye on
Toyota who are not too far
behind in the
classification.”
Giancarlo
Fisichella: “When
qualifying started the
conditions were almost
impossible. I ended up
spinning even though I
wasn’t going that quickly,
but I was at a point where
the track was flooded. As I
turned the wheel, I hit the
engine cut-out switch and
that was my qualifying over
with. A shame, because the
car goes well in the wet, as
could be seen from Kimi’s
performance. I hope he
manages to bring home a good
number of points, but for me
that will be tough as I’m
starting from the back row.
At the moment, everything
seems to be going wrong: I
am very unhappy, because I
so much want to show my
worth in a major team like
Ferrari. I hope that,
starting tomorrow, some luck
comes my way, as it has not
done so far.”
Kimi
Raikkonen: “Overall, I’m
pleased with this result. On
the extreme wet tyres, we
were very competitive and I
actually think that if the
conditions had stayed bad
enough for these tyres, I
could have done better than
fifth place. However, on the
intermediate tyres the car
was no longer as easy to
drive, because it is harder
to get them working at their
best. If it rains tomorrow,
it will be very tough,
because here, you see almost
nothing if you are behind
another car and the
conditions become really
difficult. I think that
today, it was the right
decision to delay
qualifying: at least it
meant we were able to drive
in acceptable conditions,
rather than just trying to
stay on the track. The F60
worked well: we know we lack
grip, but this is the
problem we have carried with
us since the start of the
season.”
Chris
Dyer: “A bitter sweet
qualifying for us. Once
again, Kimi produced a
fantastic performance to
take a good fifth place,
while Giancarlo, having felt
comfortable in the wet this
morning, was unfortunate in
that his spin occurred when
track conditions were at
their worst. We have gone
for a strategy choice that
should allow us to have a
good race whatever the
weather. Well done to the
team who remained
concentrated throughout the
entire qualifying session.”
Qualifying session
Raikkonen: 5th 1.20.168, 9 laps
Massa: 20th 1.40.703, 3 laps
Chassis: G. Fisichella 280, K. Raikkonen 279
Weather: air temperature 17 °C, track
temperature 18 °C
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