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The 2nd Aggregate Qualifying Session for Round 4 of the 2005 F1 season at Imola.
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00:00Yesterday in first round qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen set a blistering pace in his McLaren
00:05to take the provisional pull by just three thousandths of a second from championship leader Fernando Alonso.
00:11But a mistake by either one could open the door for Michael Schumacher, hoping to lead a Ferrari resurgence.
00:17Can Raikkonen hold off the defending world champion and the potential future one?
00:22Final qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix begins now.
00:50After a dramatic first round of qualifying and heavy overnight rain,
00:54two of Formula One's young lions are about to face off with pole position at stake in round four of
01:00the Formula One season for 2005, the San Marino Grand Prix.
01:04Hello again, everyone. I'm Bob Varsha with David Hobbs and Steve Matchett.
01:08We're just about ready to begin the second round of qualifying to set the grid for today's race.
01:13The first session of the new two-part qualifying format took place yesterday.
01:17If you missed it, here's what happened.
01:21After three weeks of heavy testing since the last round of Bahrain, Michael Schumacher and Ferrari are trying to get
01:27their season on track.
01:28And Michael was looking good, going P1 in the session with a lap at 1 minute 20.260 seconds.
01:35He was an early runner and later on in the going, here comes Kimi Raikkonen in the McLaren,
01:39which has previously not done too well in qualifying and takes pole position provisionally.
01:44Then Fernando Alonso out in the Renault R25 chassis.
01:49So, so close. We'll become 3,000th of a second.
01:53Fabio Vietorio saying P2, P2.
01:56P2 good enough for the moment because remember, it's two rounds of accumulated time.
02:01Yesterday just set the stage for what we're about to see.
02:04Here is the running order for the second round, beginning with the new Minardis
02:08making their debut this weekend in the hands of Patrick Friesacker and Christian Albers.
02:14Rubens Botticello, you see, will be the 10th man on track.
02:17He had a dismal first run for Ferrari.
02:21Nothing good to talk about for Ralph Schumacher either.
02:24He's had a tough weekend for Toyota.
02:26And then the fast guys from the first round, beginning with Takuma Sato
02:29in what appears to be a rejuvenated BAR Honda.
02:33His teammate Jensen Button will be 5th from last.
02:37And then the two fast guys from yesterday, Alonso and Räikkönen.
02:42Now let's take a look at the first couple of runners from today's action.
02:46Patrick Friesacker has already been on track.
02:50And thus is the first man out.
02:52He posted the time everyone will shoot for.
02:54Big red one for the moment for the Minardis driver.
02:56And of course, a lot of rain last night.
02:58So the track is very, very green, as poor old Christian Albers found out to his cost here,
03:04going through the Variante Alta, just putting the nose into the tyre barrier there.
03:09He scrubbed a lot of speed off of this car.
03:11That concrete runoff area and just clipped that soft barrier.
03:14Saved a lot of potential damage to that new PSO5 chassis.
03:18Very little testing on this new car.
03:21The mechanics have been working very hard all weekend to get it to work.
03:25And then Thiago Montero of Portugal got a troubled first run.
03:30And the second one, not an awful lot better.
03:33But he did manage to move into P1 provisionally.
03:38Now it's time to pick up with our fourth slowest runner from yesterday.
03:44We'll do that in just a moment when we return to Imola for final qualling for the San Marino Grand
03:50Prix.
03:53Speed Channel's coverage of the FIA Formula One World Championship is brought to you by the new high-endurance oils
03:58from Mobil.
03:59The oil that's changing oil.
04:01By Michelin, a better way forward.
04:03And by Acura.
04:08Welcome back to Imola, Italy.
04:10And the Autodromo Enzo Edino Ferrari.
04:13Site of this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix.
04:15We're in final qualifying.
04:16This is Noreen Karthikeyan of India in the Jordan Toyota.
04:24As you can see, the track is still a little bit damp.
04:26There's a dry line forming.
04:27But you've got to stick to that dry line.
04:29Otherwise, it's very slippery.
04:30And, of course, the track temperature is 25 degrees cooler than it was yesterday.
04:34So, obviously, it's very slick out there for these guys.
04:38Especially these early runners.
04:39Yeah, it is very slick.
04:40It was, again, torrential rain last night.
04:42It started to dry very early.
04:45Karthikeyan deciding to go out on dry weather tyres.
04:51And a lot quicker in that first sector than his team mate.
04:54The water does drain very quickly off this high part of the track.
04:58Of course, down into Rivazza and the lower part, Varian Tabasa, around the pit lane entry.
05:04Just a considerably damp in comparison to this high part of the track right here.
05:09You can see it's quite dry here.
05:10Now, the line is spread almost across the width of the track.
05:13You saw the skid marks from Christian Albers just a couple of cars ago.
05:18Karthikeyan gets the air without any drama quicker in the second sector.
05:23His team mate's accumulative time or total time over two single car, single lap runs at the upper left of
05:29your screen is provisional pull.
05:31Karthikeyan did a 1 minute 23.123 second lap in first round qualifying yesterday.
05:41Now on race fuel and his race tyres, he moves into provisional pull position by 2.153 seconds with a
05:49lap at 128.976.
05:52About five seconds slower than he went in the first round.
05:55And you can attribute that both to the track and the heavier fuel load.
05:58Yeah, a lot slower today than it was yesterday afternoon.
06:00There's no doubt about it.
06:01It's very cool.
06:02The air temperature's down.
06:04The track temperature's way down.
06:05And it's still damp.
06:08Well, the cooler air temperature will give a little bit more horsepower.
06:11But you're right, the loss of time is really, the track very slippy.
06:17Of course, these guys are probably carrying sufficient fuel for 15, 16, maybe even 19 laps.
06:23This is Vitantonio Luzzi making his Grand Prix debut this weekend on home soil.
06:29Last year's FIA Formula 3000 champion replacing Christian Kleen in the Red Bull Cosworth partnering David Kupo.
06:37Part of the Red Bull strategy to give their two younger drivers a go at racing.
06:42Christian Kleen now becomes the Friday test driver.
06:44I'm not sure it's such a great idea because Christian Kleen went very well in Melbourne, Malaysia.
06:50Qualified extremely well in Bahrain.
06:53Unfortunately, there was a major glitch and he never took part in the race.
06:56I thought he was looking very, very good.
06:59And I'm not too sure about it.
07:00You see, although he did win the Formula 3000 race right here last year on his way to the championship.
07:07As you see, three seconds up on provisional pole sitter Noreen Karthikeyan to that point.
07:17Headed down towards Rivazza.
07:23Extremely anxious to do well in front of his home crowd.
07:26I wish there would be a large contingent on the hill to his left.
07:29We can't quite see it on that shot.
07:30Oh, there you see them in the background.
07:32Coming to the last corner.
07:35For a solid lap at 121.804 in the first round.
07:39Easily moving into provisional pole position now to the lap at 126.351.
07:45So a solid debut for Luzzi.
07:47Now he can plonder the start of his first career Formula 1 Grand Prix this afternoon.
07:53We'll take a break and return with more final qualifying from Imola.
08:21Welcome back to the Ferrari circuit in Imola, Italy.
08:24Now on track, the Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella of Italy.
08:28Third in the Drivers' Championship coming into this fourth round of the season.
08:32About to find his place on the grid for the San Marino Grand Prix.
08:36Bob Varsha, Steve Matchett, David Hobbs with you here on Speed Channel.
08:40Down into Tamburello goes Fisichella.
08:43Very disappointing time yesterday compared to his teammate Alonzo.
08:46Just not what he was looking for at all.
08:49Obviously, great rivalry between, always, between team drivers.
08:52Fisichella going into this year really thought he was in with a shout of beating his teammate,
08:59his younger teammate, less experienced teammates admittedly.
09:02But of course, Fisichella was on the pole and won the first race.
09:05Things were looking really good there.
09:06Have not looked so good since.
09:09Fisichella fell out of the last race in Bahrain.
09:11Very early on with a burnt pistol.
09:14And it crashed out of the previous race in Malaysia.
09:17The collision with Mark Webber.
09:19He looked a changed man going to the start of the season.
09:22I thought in the press conference, very calm, very controlled.
09:25He seemed to integrate himself into the team immediately.
09:29But, I don't know, maybe a little bit of that driver's confidence
09:32that is so vital to get the performance out of the car driver package
09:35is beginning to wane a little bit in Fisichella
09:38as the pressure builds from the incredibly talented and incredibly quick Alonso.
09:44You want to fight back at this guy, but, boy,
09:47once Alonso starts to pull away, it must really ease at a guy like Fisichella.
09:51Especially Fisichella.
09:52You know, he's a very emotional guy, always has been.
09:54And he wears his heart on his sleeve.
09:56And he's going to find it very tough if Alonso just continues to pound him into the ground.
10:001.21.708 on his first lap yesterday.
10:04A 1.25.002 here.
10:07And some polite applause from the garage.
10:09There's his team principal, Flavio Briatore,
10:12who has signed a new contract this weekend, we understand.
10:15He had flirted with the idea of hanging it all up at the end of the year,
10:18but he'll be back for another year in 2006.
10:25So with Fisichella now on provisional pole,
10:28here comes David Coulthard of Scotland in the Red Bull Cosworth.
10:31Here's a man vastly experienced, a lot of success at this racetrack,
10:35but he makes no bones about it.
10:38He absolutely hates our qualifying format.
10:40Here's one of the reasons.
10:40He overcooks it into Tamburello.
10:42Well, it's that stunning water, Bob, isn't it?
10:44The lowest part of the track there, just around Tamburello.
10:47Now you'll start to see the car climb up.
10:50And, of course, it's obviously natural that water will just flow downhill.
10:53And he tends to stay around that bottom part of the track.
10:56And it's so easy to catch these drivers off guard.
10:59And, of course, David Coulthard comprehensively outqualified
11:02by his younger teammate, Christian Clean,
11:04in the first three races of the year.
11:11It's hard to overstate the difficulty of this job,
11:13trying to control one of these cars on a slippery racetrack.
11:17We've been barking on about the curbs at Emelon,
11:20how important they are all weekend.
11:21Now they're your worst enemy, I guess.
11:23Now you watch them right here.
11:24Boom, boom.
11:25All those curbs are wet, they're cold.
11:27And if you get off line, if you hit the curb wrong, of course,
11:30if you hit it right, it's great.
11:31The car rides over it.
11:32If you hit it wrong and you get pitched off line,
11:35and then, of course, it becomes a nightmare.
11:37Here he goes over the curb on the inside,
11:38up to the curb on the outside.
11:43He'll be lucky to be quicker than his teammate
11:45with that major off at Cambrello on his openings,
11:48just at the opening of the lap there.
11:52At the beginning of the day,
11:53both the air and track temperature were about 60 degrees.
11:58But he does bring it back.
11:59He beats, he's quicker than Liuti.
12:01Now that is a surprise.
12:02With a 126.438,
12:06actually slower on that lap than Liuti,
12:08and he'll start ahead of him on the grid.
12:11We'll be back with more from Imola after this.
12:30Welcome back to final qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix here on Speed Channel.
12:35I'm Bob Barsher with David Hobbs and Steve Matchett,
12:37and this is 97 world champion Jack Villeneuve of Canada in the Sauber.
12:43A lot of discussion about this guy
12:45and the fact that he has not performed in his return to Formula One after a year away.
12:50Villeneuve, for his part, says the car just isn't right for him.
12:53And there was a story in a Canadian newspaper
12:58that Villeneuve has managed to convince the engineers at Sauber
13:01using that Petronas Ferrari-based V10
13:03to remap the engine to better suit his driving.
13:06Just dragging a bit there at the rear.
13:10Villeneuve looks for better days,
13:11but the question is,
13:13will the team allow him those extra days?
13:17And this has never been a great track for old Jack Villeneuve.
13:20He qualified third here in his debut year in 1996
13:23in the Williams and qualified on pole in 1997.
13:26But his finishing record here has been decidedly dodgy.
13:30His best positions were fourth in 1998.
13:33So this is not one of his favourite tracks, I would imagine.
13:36Down to the back.
13:39Hard on the brakes,
13:40which he was complaining a lot about the way the car brake,
13:42made them change the brake pad and disc composition.
13:46He wanted different material to what had been used before.
13:51His 13th quick in the first round.
13:54That's a little lock up there in the final chicane.
13:57Moves into provisional pole by 4.5 tenths
14:01with a lap at 125.260.
14:07Rufus smiles down there in the Sauber garage.
14:09There's another look at him torturing that left front Michelin.
14:12Doesn't seem to put any sort of a flat spot on it
14:14because don't forget these qualifying tyres.
14:15Now you've got to use them in the race.
14:18So if you should do any damage to your tyres,
14:20you're stuck with them for the rest of the day.
14:23Yeah, and they're the same tyres that were used
14:24in the first qualifying session yesterday.
14:27Of course, as soon as that set of tyres is on the car
14:29going into qualifying one,
14:30they should stay on the chassis
14:33until the end of the race.
14:34There's a guy with another good record here at Imola.
14:37Ralph Schumacher in the Toyota.
14:39But having said that, this has not been a promising weekend
14:42for the German thus far.
14:45Just 12th in the opening round of qualifying
14:48with a lap at 120.994.
14:51He's had a win here.
14:52He's qualified third here a couple of times
14:54and second in 2003.
14:57But this weekend is certainly not going as well as it could have been.
15:01Obviously, he's obviously up nearly four tenths of a second on that.
15:04But yesterday was a bit slow for him.
15:07Well, providing the rain stays away
15:10and the circuit continues to dry and rub in,
15:12we should expect to see the times improve
15:14as each car goes round
15:16because there's more rubber on the track, of course.
15:18The dry line improves.
15:20So you have to factor that in
15:21when we're trying to figure out
15:22how much fuel these guys are carrying for the race.
15:24When you have these mixed qualifying sessions
15:26between a very dry session yesterday,
15:28mixed wet dry session we're seeing today,
15:30it's very difficult to work out
15:33how much time you can fudge
15:34because of the fuel factor
15:35and how much would be down to the different tires,
15:38the soft compound, hard compound.
15:40I think all the Michelin runners we're hearing
15:43are using the softer compound tire here,
15:46which, of course, is going to give more grip.
15:48The thing is, will it last the duration of the race?
15:50Well, in these conditions, when it's not so hot,
15:53they should be looking in fine shape.
15:58Schumacher moves into provisional pole position
16:00by eight tenths of a second.
16:02And that lap, a 124.422, as you see there.
16:07But not very fast in the straight line,
16:08which is unusual for the Toyotas.
16:10184 miles an hour.
16:12We've had speeds of 189, 190,
16:15just about, from the Ferrari,
16:17but, in fact, also from the Minardi the other day.
16:21But 184 is not very quick,
16:22so they must be carrying quite a bit of downforce.
16:25Toyota did more off-season testing than anyone,
16:28over 50,000 kilometers.
16:31And here come the first of the cars
16:34they just love here at Imola.
16:37It is the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello.
16:40He, too, bitterly disappointed with his first round time,
16:43just 11th in the field at 120.892.
16:46Well, we're speculating yesterday on Barrichello's performance,
16:50whether or not this was Ferrari,
16:52particularly Barrichello's choice,
16:53to go conservative and run the harder
16:55of the Bridgestone tires,
16:57which would account, I guess,
16:59for his lackluster performance yesterday.
17:01But Ross Braun, after the session,
17:03and Barrichello's comments backing it up,
17:05saying, you know,
17:05we just really didn't have a good handling chassis yesterday.
17:09We wanted to play with the balance,
17:11but the way the regulations are worded now,
17:13as soon as the car goes into Park Fermet,
17:15you're not allowed to touch
17:16or play with the suspension on the car.
17:18As Ross Braun, the technical director,
17:20said yesterday,
17:21we're stuck.
17:21There's nothing we can do.
17:22The car is what the car is.
17:25Which wasn't good enough for Rubens,
17:27although he has picked up time there
17:28in that second sector
17:30through the Valiante Alta,
17:32starting section three,
17:34down through Rivaxa,
17:35which has been,
17:36some people have been extremely quick there
17:38and some have not.
17:39So we'll see how Rubens handles it.
17:43Four mile an hour quicker than Ralph Schumacher
17:45in the speed track.
17:51Ferrari desperate this weekend
17:52to turn their season around.
17:57To the line comes the Brazilian
17:59and he moves to Provisional Pole
18:01by 17 hundredths of a second.
18:04That lap a 124.351.
18:10So Barrichello's done his best.
18:12Ten drivers have now completed their second run.
18:14We have ten to go.
18:15We'll take a quick break
18:17as Barrichello goes as slowly as he can
18:20on his cool-down lap
18:21to preserve the load of fuel in the car
18:23because that is the fuel load
18:25he will start the San Marino Grand Prix with.
18:32Speed Channel's coverage of the FIA Formula One World Championship
18:35is brought to you by the new high-endurance oils from Mobil,
18:39the oil that's changing oil.
18:44Welcome back to the San Marino Grand Prix.
18:47I almost said welcome back to San Marino,
18:49which is not the case.
18:50San Marino's an independent republic,
18:52a tiny one,
18:53second only to Vatican City in Rome,
18:55among the world's smallest sovereign countries.
18:57It's about 50 minutes to an hour's drive
18:59from the Autodron Enzo e Dino Ferrari
19:03here in Imola, Italy,
19:04which since 1981 has hosted
19:06the San Marino round
19:09of the world championship.
19:11This is Takumisato of Japan
19:13and the BAR Honda,
19:14another team that tested massively
19:16during the three-week break
19:17from the last round
19:19in Bahrain,
19:20and it appears that their hard work
19:22is paying off.
19:23Picked up a lot of time yesterday.
19:25He was 10th fastest yesterday,
19:28the 120.8.
19:31So they're going a lot better
19:33than they were going earlier on in the year.
19:34BAR finished up second
19:36in the Constructors' Championship
19:37last year.
19:38Jenson buttoned third
19:39in the Drivers' Championship
19:42and then they start off the year
19:44absolutely desperately.
19:46Things are looking a lot better here.
19:48For the guys I've been talking to,
19:50the build-up to this race from BAR
19:52have all said exactly the same.
19:54Steve, you know,
19:54we have been working hard.
19:56Yes, we had problems on the car,
19:57but really, genuinely,
19:58we believe we will be in fun
19:59fine shape
20:00and we will be fast at Imola.
20:04Just finishing a race
20:06would be a step up
20:07for BAR Honda right now.
20:08That's how bad it's been.
20:10Sato retiring
20:11with complete brake
20:13dysfunction at Bahrain.
20:14We can see the smoke,
20:15the dust pouring out of his brakes
20:17and have to give up.
20:20And he takes his turn to move up
20:22to provisional pole
20:22as we work our way backwards
20:24from slowest to fastest
20:25in the first round of qualifying.
20:27Sato a lap at 123.807.
20:30The first driver we've seen
20:31in the 1 minute 23 second zone
20:33which may say something
20:34about his fuel load, Steve.
20:37Well, if we think
20:39general consensus
20:40seems to be
20:40the trend this year
20:42with the regulations
20:44worded as they are,
20:45it tends to be
20:46a two-stop race.
20:47Most of the races
20:47have been a two-stop race.
20:48Sometimes somebody will try
20:49something a little different.
20:50An average of two stops
20:51means that they're having
20:52to carry 60 kilos of fuel
20:54to get to lap 20 in this race.
20:56Well, 60 kilos of fuel,
20:58the weight penalty
20:58is something like
20:592 to 2.4 seconds.
21:02So you should see
21:03at least that time difference
21:04between the first qualifying session
21:06and the second.
21:07We're starting to see
21:08a little bit more
21:08and I think of that
21:09is down to
21:10the track conditions,
21:12you know,
21:12this damn track.
21:13And that's the difficulty
21:13for all the engineers
21:14on the pit wall
21:15trying to figure out
21:17what everybody else is doing.
21:18You have to fudge
21:19the figures a little bit.
21:20The track is getting faster
21:21by the minute
21:22and everybody that goes out
21:23is quicker than the guy before.
21:25But Sato must be pretty pleased
21:26to be half a second
21:27on aggregate quicker
21:27than Rubens Barrichello
21:29in the Ferrari.
21:31Well, we're
21:32still jumping down
21:33the pit lane
21:33from BMW camp
21:34saying, you know,
21:35we want to be a little bit
21:36conservative with our engines.
21:37We want to try and preserve them
21:38and take care of them
21:39but the revs
21:40we just saw Heidfeld's
21:42track of graph there
21:43is up to 19,000.
21:44So there's no sign
21:46of BMW backing off
21:47on the race for power
21:48right there, is there?
21:50Watching Nick Heidfeld
21:51with the Williams BMW
21:52as you see
21:53second segment
21:54slightly slower
21:55than the aggregate
21:56to current provisional pulsator
21:57Takuma Sato's BAR.
22:02Heidfeld nursing
22:03sore muscles in his back
22:04after he went through
22:06some spasming
22:06in testing
22:08this past week
22:09at the Paul Ricard circuit
22:09in southern France
22:10but he says he's good
22:11to go this weekend.
22:15And he comes up short
22:17by half a second
22:19to Takuma Sato
22:20but he moves into
22:21provisional second place
22:23with a lap at 124.389.
22:26Lots more to come.
22:27Stay with us
22:27for more from Imola.
22:34Welcome back
22:34to final qualifying
22:36for today's
22:36San Marino Grand Prix.
22:38Bob Varsha,
22:39Steve Matchett,
22:39David Hobbs with you.
22:40This is Alex Vertz
22:43making his racing debut
22:44for the McLaren team
22:46after four plus seasons
22:48of being the test driver.
22:50He's in for the injured
22:51Juan Pablo Montoya
22:52whom rumors say
22:53may not be ready
22:54to go two weeks
22:55from now
22:56in the Spanish Grand Prix
22:57in Barcelona.
22:58Vertz did himself
22:59proud in the first round
23:00of qualifying.
23:01He was eighth fastest
23:02with a lap at 120.632
23:04within seven tenths
23:06of a second or so
23:07of provisional pull sitter
23:08Kimi Räikkönen
23:09his McLaren teammate
23:10for the weekend.
23:12Of course,
23:12their other test driver
23:13Pedro de la Rosa
23:14who did drive in Bahrain
23:16three weeks ago
23:18also qualified
23:19in mid-pack
23:19with Kimi Räikkönen
23:20but in the end
23:22he came right
23:23through the field
23:23overtook a lot of people
23:24and had the two fastest
23:26laps of the race
23:26so Pedro de la Rosa
23:28standing down
23:29this weekend
23:29to Vertz.
23:30Vertz,
23:30because what the problem
23:31for him is
23:31he's six foot two
23:32so he's rough
23:33limitless
23:33to fit him
23:33into one of these cars
23:34and had to modify
23:35it quite a bit
23:36to get him in.
23:37He's about to have
23:37a second stab
23:38at that modification
23:39as well
23:40but look at the
23:41driver's knees
23:41there,
23:41Vertz's knees
23:42he does seem
23:43to have more room
23:44in that car
23:44certainly than he did
23:45at Bahrain
23:46where they modified
23:47the car
23:47for the first time
23:48and he was
23:49complaining that
23:50he was just
23:51in so much pain
23:52he couldn't do
23:52long runs
23:53where they've
23:53obviously got him
23:54more comfortable
23:55in that chassis
23:55had to drive
23:57one-handed at Bahrain
23:58when he was doing
23:59the test driving
23:59on Friday
24:00because he couldn't
24:01get any lock on
24:02because he ran out
24:03a lot
24:03with his hands
24:04getting jammed
24:04on his knees
24:05in the water bottle
24:07not the thing you want
24:08at 180 miles an hour
24:09perfect
24:10no
24:10so the Austrian
24:11moves into P2
24:16still short
24:17of Takuma Sato
24:18Vertz's lap
24:19do the math
24:20quickly
24:20one minute
24:2124.057 seconds
24:23this is Felipe Massa
24:25of Brazil
24:25in the Sauber
24:28and you notice
24:28the cars are moving
24:29in an anti-clockwise
24:30or counterclockwise
24:31direction
24:32around the racetrack
24:33Imola
24:33just one of three
24:35counterclockwise circuits
24:36on the calendar
24:37the other two are
24:38Interlagos
24:38in Brazil
24:39and the new circuit
24:40that we'll see later
24:41this year
24:41in Istanbul
24:42Turkey
24:44it does make a difference
24:46for engineering
24:47the car
24:47into such fine points
24:49as weighing the mass
24:51of the brake pads
24:52and the discs
24:53around the car
24:54although they're
24:54theoretically identical
24:55all the teams
24:56will weigh the mass
24:58of these parts
24:59and put the heavier
25:00components
25:00to the side
25:01that's going to be
25:01loaded the most
25:03well usually
25:04on a clockwise track
25:05the most loaded corner
25:06of the car
25:06is the left front
25:07around here
25:08it goes the opposite way
25:09the right front
25:10so you want to put
25:11the brake pad
25:12and the brake disc
25:13with the most wear
25:13or the most material
25:15onto that side
25:15of the car
25:16and of course
25:16for the tyre engineers
25:18when they're looking
25:19at the tyre wear
25:19throughout the weekend
25:21you have to bear in mind
25:22that they should be
25:23looking at the opposite
25:23corner of the car
25:24it's very easy
25:25to get caught out
25:26Felipe Massa
25:27did a good time there
25:29at first sector
25:30189 miles an hour
25:31and also the other thing
25:32of course
25:33from a driver's point of view
25:35going the wrong way
25:36around like this
25:36a whole different
25:37group of muscles
25:38come into play
25:39your neck especially
25:40is used to being
25:41stretched the other way
25:42now it's being
25:43stretched constantly
25:44to your right
25:46instead of your left
25:47Felipe Massa
25:48has gone through
25:49a reputation
25:50transformation
25:51as you see him
25:51slot into third place
25:53on the provisional grid
25:54once known as a crasher
25:56he took a season away
25:57to be a test driver
25:58for Ferrari
25:58since coming back
25:59he's been very
26:01very steady
26:01as mentioned
26:03regularly out
26:03qualifying his teammates
26:04and he currently has
26:06the longest active streak
26:07of finishing races
26:08he's finished
26:09his last eight in a row
26:12here comes
26:12Jarno Trulli
26:13of Italy
26:14second in the
26:15driver's championship
26:16coming in
26:16to the weekend
26:17ten points behind
26:19Fernando Alonso
26:21truly in the Toyota
26:22says
26:23the curbs around
26:24this racetrack
26:25just give him
26:26headaches
26:26yeah the car
26:27qualified
26:27second in Australia
26:28second in Malaysia
26:29and third in Bahrain
26:31and they haven't been
26:32putting that sort of
26:33performance up here
26:34they're putting it down
26:35for the fact
26:36the car's maybe not
26:37quite as good
26:37over the curbs
26:38it could be
26:38but look at that
26:39half a second quicker
26:40on that first sector
26:42so that is not
26:42too shabby at all
26:44this is half a second
26:45in Bahrain
26:54winner last year
26:55at Monaco
26:56new father
26:58that's the reason
26:59he has headaches
26:59he's not getting enough sleep
27:04lap in the first round
27:05at one minute
27:06twenty point four nine
27:07two
27:08just point six
27:09seconds
27:10off of provisional pole
27:16remains ahead of the pace
27:20again not much
27:20straight line speed
27:21his teammate
27:22Ralph Schumacher
27:23didn't have it either
27:23that's about
27:24183 miles an hour
27:25yeah we've just seen
27:27the Ferrari power
27:29the 189 and 188
27:31in the back of the
27:31sauber chassis
27:32so certainly down
27:34on straight line speed
27:35you're right Bob
27:36little more wing
27:37perhaps
27:38and it pays off
27:40with provisional pole
27:41bumping Takuma Sato
27:43Trulli's lap
27:44a 124.026
27:46so the fastest lap
27:47of the day
27:48remains in the hands
27:49of Takuma Sato
27:51but for now
27:51it's Trulli on pole
27:53with five drivers
27:54still to come
27:54the fast five
27:55from the first round
28:01and there it is
28:02pole by two tenths
28:04of a second
28:05Flavio Briatore
28:06loves it
28:07and a pole Fernando
28:08bravo bravo bravo
28:09bravo
28:10pole mate pole
28:11brilliant
28:12brilliant lap
28:16brilliant indeed
28:17Fernando Alonso
28:19dominant driver
28:20in the Formula One
28:20World Driving
28:21Championship this year
28:22he will come
28:23second to last
28:24of the five drivers
28:25we have yet to see
28:26beginning with this man
28:27Jensen Button
28:28in the BAR Honda
28:33clock is ticking
28:34on his BAR contract
28:36we understand he has a clause
28:38that says if he doesn't have
28:39more than 70%
28:40of the championship
28:41leader's points total
28:42at the end of July
28:44he becomes
28:45by contract
28:46a Williams driver
28:50and of course
28:51we've heard some various
28:52interpretations of that rule
28:53from various sides
28:57that's how lawyers make their money
29:00Jensen Button
29:01of course
29:01on the pole
29:01here last year
29:02the first guy
29:04to ever do a lap
29:04in under 80 seconds
29:07a couple of people
29:08did it yesterday
29:09could use one of those
29:10now
29:13go through the first sector
29:16that's the variante alta
29:18the high chicane
29:19now plunging downhill
29:22he doesn't do it justice
29:24down to Rivazza
29:32189.5 miles an hour
29:34from the Honda
29:34so a little bit more speed
29:36than the Saubra
29:38the two Saubra cars
29:39actually
29:41well
29:42the Honda
29:43reputed to have
29:44the most horsepower
29:44this year
29:45at 955
29:46are the estimates
29:49120.4 in the first lap
29:51his second lap
29:52a 123.641
29:54so he is the new
29:55fast man of the session
29:56and he takes
29:57provisional pole
29:58from his teammate
29:59and he was
29:59immediately
30:00off the power
30:01the split second
30:02he crossed the
30:03start finish line
30:04to record the time
30:05he was
30:05straight off the throttle
30:06to conserve that fuel
30:10Mark Webber
30:11the highly touted
30:12Australian driver
30:13driving for Williams
30:14this year
30:14Jaguar last year
30:15Minardi
30:16before that
30:17everybody has
30:18high hopes
30:19from Mark Webber
30:22not done too bad
30:23on qualifying
30:23this year so far
30:24third in Australia
30:25fourth in Malaysia
30:27and fifth in Bahrain
30:28terrific first lap
30:30yesterday
30:30a 120.442
30:32just a half a second
30:33off Kimi Raikkonen
30:38a little bit off
30:39button there
30:39he just pit button
30:41yesterday
30:43through Tosa
30:44now climbing the hill
30:53and the chassis
30:54should start to make
30:55very rapid progress
30:57now
30:57remember they were
30:58using that twin keel
30:59chassis last year
31:00now they've reverted
31:01back to a single keel
31:02design
31:02well it meant that
31:03they lost a year's worth
31:04of data but Williams
31:06are one of the major
31:08forces in international
31:09motorsport of course
31:10and as soon as they get
31:11into the wind tunnel
31:12they'll start to increase
31:13very very quickly
31:14they've got new barge
31:15boards on this car
31:16one or two aerodynamic
31:17tweaks around the chassis
31:18so it should start to improve
31:20at a great rate now
31:21relative to the competition
31:26the top end speed
31:28over 300 clicks
31:29187 and change
31:33through that final
31:34awkward looking chicane
31:35bouncing out of those
31:36chicanes
31:38into second place
31:40goes Mark Webber
31:41with a lap at 124.069
31:45following up on that
31:46120.4 in the first round
31:48another good effort
31:49by the Australian
31:50Mario Tyson
31:51looking at the screen
31:52not too sure
31:52what to think of that
31:55got to be relatively
31:56pleased I think
31:58very surprised
31:59those balconies
31:59in the background
32:00don't have more people
32:01on them
32:01I'm beginning to wonder
32:02if maybe somebody
32:03brought some sort of
32:05legal order
32:06or something
32:06that you can't
32:07get a freebie
32:08just looking over the
32:09wall into the racetrack
32:10if you happen to live there
32:11they wouldn't do that
32:12would they
32:13now here's the man
32:14everybody here
32:14is waiting to see
32:15Michael Schumacher
32:16Luca Montezemolo
32:17we just saw
32:18in the Ferrari pit
32:19he's the
32:20common tutorial
32:21Ferrari now
32:22looking a little bit
32:23worried there
32:24scratching his head
32:24before this man
32:25goes out
32:26qualified third
32:27yesterday
32:27tough days
32:28not only for
32:29the legendary
32:30Ferrari name
32:31but the parent
32:31company Fiat
32:32whose shares
32:33were suspended
32:34in trading
32:34last week
32:35when they plunged
32:36in value
32:37amidst concerns
32:39about the financial
32:39health of the company
32:40but of course
32:41none of that
32:41matters this weekend
32:42look at the crowds
32:43come alive in the
32:43grandstand
32:44for Michael Schumacher
32:46and Ferrari
32:49Michael said
32:50coming into the
32:50weekend
32:50Alonzo has to be
32:51careful now
32:52he's the championship
32:53leader
32:53I am going to
32:54attack
32:56and you can be sure
32:57that got Alonzo's
32:58attention
32:59a seven time world
33:00champion
33:00and what has been
33:01the best car
33:02on the planet
33:03for the last
33:04six seasons
33:07has new motivation
33:13not quick enough
33:14yet
33:15not as quick
33:15as button
33:18oh he's going
33:19wide
33:20oh
33:22well that's
33:23solved that
33:23problem
33:24or not
33:25that's the case
33:26maybe
33:26whichever side
33:27of the fence
33:27you're on
33:27so
33:28Michael Schumacher
33:29off at the
33:30back
33:30so that
33:30is going to
33:31dent his time
33:32big time
33:33because he went
33:33into the gravel
33:33picked up gravel
33:34so it won't be
33:35very quick
33:35and good
33:35through here
33:36and the damage
33:37is
33:4012
33:40wow
33:44126.984
33:45for Michael Schumacher
33:46and of course
33:46he's got
33:47Raikkon and Alonzo
33:48to go yet
33:48so he could get
33:49pushed out to 14
33:52speaking of Alonzo
33:53here he comes
33:53Alonzo's right there
33:55on the racetrack
33:56behind Michael Schumacher
33:57who like everyone
33:58else before him
33:59will be going
33:59very slowly
34:00to conserve fuel
34:01I wonder if the
34:01Spaniard and the
34:02Renault might catch him
34:04well Michael Schumacher
34:06when he had that
34:07moment earlier
34:08on he wasn't
34:08carrying excessive
34:09speed
34:10it was 187
34:11and a half
34:11miles an hour
34:12he tripped the
34:13speed trap
34:13which was below
34:14the speed
34:14of the two
34:15Saubers
34:15using the same
34:17engine
34:17nearly a second
34:18quicker Alonzo
34:19in that first
34:20sector alone
34:21in a 20
34:21just over 22nd
34:22sector
34:23eight tenths
34:24up
34:25wow
34:27that is
34:28throwing down
34:28the gauntletta
34:30as they call it
34:31here
34:31I'm sure
34:32they were
34:33into the
34:34Acqueminal
34:35Ali
34:37not using an
34:38all-floor road
34:38there
34:38car
34:39looking very
34:39good over
34:40those bunks
34:40on the exit
34:41hardly any
34:41movement
34:41through the steering
34:42with his hand
34:42there's Michael Schumacher
34:43not very far in front
34:44oh my
34:45is he gonna
34:46catch him
34:46in Rivata
34:53well Michael Schumacher
34:55could of course
34:55come right off the
34:57pace
34:57slow down
34:57pull to the
34:58side
34:58and let Alonzo
34:59go through
35:01190 miles an hour
35:02straight for Alonzo
35:03so that's the
35:04quickest time
35:04speed we've seen
35:05yet
35:08and Michael
35:08gets out of the
35:09way
35:09must have seen
35:10him come in
35:10and picked up
35:11the pace
35:11a little bit
35:12across the line
35:12comes Alonzo
35:13none the worst
35:14for the incident
35:15and he moves
35:16into provisional
35:17pole by
35:18six tenths
35:19of a second
35:21and that will
35:22place the target
35:23that Kimi Räikkönen
35:24the last man
35:25and only man
35:26who can threat
35:26Alonzo for pole
35:28will be next
35:30well he beat it
35:31by three
35:32thousandths of a
35:33second yesterday
35:35and of course
35:36as Steve's been
35:36saying all along
35:37it depends on
35:38the fuel load
35:38the track is
35:39getting better
35:40and better
35:40every car that
35:41goes
35:41the track gets
35:42better than
35:42the one before
35:43so he's got
35:43a slight
35:44a very slight
35:46advantage for
35:46in there
35:48one twenty
35:49three point
35:49five five two
35:50from Alonzo
35:51let's see what
35:52the fin
35:52Räikkönen
35:53can do
35:53that would be
35:54trusting in straws
35:55to say the track
35:55was significantly
35:56improved over
35:57where Alonzo
35:57ran just a few
35:58seconds ago
36:01never let the
36:02facts get in
36:02the way of
36:03a good score
36:04and Räikkönen
36:05is off
36:06Alonzo's pace
36:07through Tosa
36:09by one tenth
36:10of a second
36:12the McLaren
36:13team has been
36:13saying they have
36:14improvements
36:14coming
36:15they expect
36:15to be much
36:16better at
36:16Barcelona
36:17Räikkönen
36:18had a terrific
36:19lap yesterday
36:20119.886
36:22he and Alonzo
36:23both under
36:2480 seconds
36:29and now he's
36:31ahead
36:32boy
36:3360,000 a
36:35second
36:36so
36:36just 3,000
36:38separated them
36:39yesterday
36:39Alonzo
36:40versus Räikkönen
36:41and this is
36:42what we were
36:42expecting
36:44nice and steady
36:47186.7 miles
36:48an hour
36:49in a straight
36:49line
36:503 miles an hour
36:51slower than
36:51the Renault
36:53come on
36:53you can do
36:54this
36:58sliding one way
36:59and the other
37:01yes he gets
37:02him by half
37:03a second
37:04wow
37:04and he was
37:05down in the
37:06first sector
37:07up in the
37:09second sector
37:09by 16,000
37:10and picked up
37:11a huge amount
37:12in that third
37:13sector
37:13which of course
37:13includes the
37:14run down to
37:15and through
37:15Revasa
37:16and of course
37:17the last
37:17complex there
37:19nasty chicane
37:20that's great
37:23122.994
37:24the only man
37:25under 1 minute
37:2523 seconds
37:27how much fuel
37:27is on the car
37:29well
37:29it really doesn't
37:30matter right now
37:31because Räikkönen
37:32has pulled
37:33we'll worry about
37:33the race in a few
37:34hours
37:35it is a nice
37:36looking chassis
37:37and I
37:38I love to see
37:40McLaren being
37:40on the pace
37:41they're one of
37:42the big hitters
37:42and of course
37:43they've got that
37:43great rivalry
37:44between
37:46McLaren and
37:46Ferrari
37:47and that's a
37:47wonderful thing
37:48so he's 3 seconds
37:49quicker than he was
37:50yesterday
37:50how much fuel
37:51is that Steve
37:523 seconds
37:53slower than he
37:53was yesterday
37:54slower than he
37:55was yesterday
37:55I hope he's
37:56slower without
37:56fuel on board
37:57absolutely
37:573 seconds
37:59quicker without
37:59fuel on board
38:00the others
38:00are in pink
38:00though
38:01that's right
38:01probably about
38:0265 kilos
38:04of fuel
38:04on board
38:05let's say
38:06130,235
38:07pounds of fuel
38:10now the engineers
38:11will really have
38:12to go to work
38:12crunching the
38:13numbers for the
38:13race
38:15well this chassis
38:17MP420
38:18is a Mike
38:18Coughlin design
38:19oh that's
38:20Michael Schumacher
38:21big lock up
38:22into Rivazza
38:23now was that
38:24David was that
38:25smoke coming off
38:26the front tires
38:27being blown back
38:27on the diffuser
38:28or was it the
38:29rear tires
38:29lock
38:29and if it was
38:30the rear tires
38:30it's either got
38:31big brake bias
38:32problems or
38:33the transmission
38:34lock
38:34oh transmission
38:35lock
38:35surely
38:36something's
38:36something's
38:37right there
38:37that's that
38:38right rear
38:38and then of
38:39course
38:39it
38:40and there's
38:41Luca Montezuma
38:42looking on
38:43not happy
38:43about that
38:45he's not happy
38:46about it
38:47how people
38:47rise and fall
38:48with the fortunes
38:49of Ferrari
38:50well just basic
38:51the basic physics
38:52weight transfer
38:53on the car
38:54you would always
38:54expect to see
38:55the front tires
38:56lock not the rear
38:57certainly with the
38:57angle of the car
38:58going down into
38:59Rivazza
38:59there must have
39:00been transmission
39:01problems
39:01not a happy
39:02looking man
39:02you could almost
39:03tell what he was
39:04saying
39:04explain something
39:05to me my friend
39:06but remember
39:07it was transmission
39:08problems three weeks
39:09ago in Moraine
39:10that caught Michael
39:13Speed Channel's
39:14coverage of the
39:14FIA Formula One
39:15World Championship
39:16is brought to you
39:17by the new
39:17high endurance
39:18oils from Mobil
39:19the oil that's
39:20changing oil
39:25welcome back
39:26there's the
39:26Santerno River
39:27which separates
39:28the Ferrari
39:29circuit from
39:30downtown
39:30Imola Italy
39:31not far from
39:32Bologna
39:32the top three
39:33qualifiers are in
39:34the interview room
39:35with Peter Windsor
39:36let's go there
39:38the fastest three
39:39qualifiers in the
39:40Fosters Grand Prix
39:41of San Marino
39:41third quickest for
39:43lucky strike B.A.R.
39:44Honda
39:44Jensen Button
39:45second fastest for
39:47mild 7 Renault
39:48Fernando Alonso
39:49and on the pole
39:50for the fourth time
39:50in his career
39:51for West McLaren
39:51Mercedes
39:52Kimi Räikkönen
39:53and Kimi
39:54a devastatingly quick
39:55third sector
39:56there
39:56fantastic lap
39:57yeah
39:57the car was
39:59good already
39:59on Friday
40:00when we
40:00run with
40:01quite a bit
40:02fuel in
40:02and
40:03no I was
40:04happy with
40:04the car
40:05straight out
40:06of the first
40:07corner
40:07it was working
40:08the tires
40:08were working
40:08well
40:09a little bit
40:10got sideways
40:11in the second
40:11last corner
40:12but I guess
40:13it didn't cost
40:13too much time
40:14so I was
40:15very happy
40:16quite a big
40:17gap
40:18to Fernando
40:18half a second
40:19in fact
40:19is that
40:20realistic
40:21in terms
40:21of
40:21can we
40:22read anything
40:23into that
40:23in terms
40:23of strategy
40:24I don't know
40:25what the others
40:25are doing
40:26I only know
40:26what we're doing
40:27so I was
40:28very happy
40:29with the car
40:30so we'll see
40:30what happens
40:31in the race
40:31but I think
40:32we're in a
40:32strong position
40:34very well
40:34done
40:35Fernando
40:36very close
40:37yesterday
40:38but a bigger
40:38gap today
40:39as I say
40:39what do you
40:40read into that
40:41well
40:42I think
40:43today the
40:43conditions
40:44were different
40:45so hopefully
40:46this gap
40:47we found
40:48today
40:48is due
40:49to the
40:50different
40:50strategies
40:51and not
40:52due to
40:52the car
40:53balance
40:54or performance
40:54and this
40:55we'll find
40:56out
40:56in the race
40:58but so far
40:59I'm happy
41:00with the car
41:01no big problems
41:02in the balance
41:03and the
41:04consistency
41:04also should be
41:05should be quite
41:06good
41:07regarding the
41:08Friday's times
41:09so everything
41:11is ready
41:12for the race
41:12I think
41:12you're leading
41:13the championship
41:14of course
41:14interesting to see
41:15Michael going off
41:16at Rivazza
41:17in today's session
41:18and also you nearly
41:18caught him towards
41:19the end of your lap
41:19was that any sort
41:20of distraction
41:21and your thoughts
41:22about Michael's
41:23incident today
41:25well I saw
41:26the smoke
41:27from the tyres
41:27in Rivazza
41:28when I was in
41:29the out lap
41:30so I didn't know
41:32exactly what
41:33happened there
41:34and then yeah
41:35I had Michael
41:36very close
41:36all lap
41:37more or less
41:38the same distance
41:38150 meters
41:39or 200 meters
41:40in front of me
41:41and it was not
41:42disturbing me
41:43at all
41:43because it was
41:44a nice gap
41:45but anyway
41:46it's not nice
41:48to do your
41:48qualifying lap
41:49with someone
41:50in front
41:51but you know
41:52due to the mistake
41:54he had in qualifying
41:55and everything
41:57my qualifying lap
41:58was like this
41:58but it was okay
42:00no problem
42:01thank you
42:02thank you
42:03Jensen
42:03good to see you
42:04top three
42:05here
42:05in fact
42:06BAL Honda
42:07third and fourth
42:07today
42:07looking very good
42:08with fuel loads
42:10yeah we've been
42:11very strong today
42:12I think yesterday
42:13we were hampered
42:14a little bit
42:14by the early
42:16qualifying position
42:19but I think
42:19it shows
42:20we've shown
42:20our speed today
42:22I think we have
42:23a very very good
42:23strategy for the race
42:24I'm positive
42:26we can give
42:26these two guys
42:27a run for their money
42:28and it's great
42:29to be back
42:30in this position
42:31again
42:31fighting at the front
42:32can you talk a little bit
42:34about the build up
42:34of this race
42:35and the improvements
42:35that have been made
42:36to the car
42:36since Bahrain
42:37well there's been
42:38a lot of improvements
42:40reliability
42:40first off
42:41we've been doing
42:42a lot of running
42:43in Barcelona
42:43and Ricard
42:46and it's been going
42:47very very well
42:49aerodynamically
42:49we've really improved
42:50the car
42:51not just with downforce
42:52but also with
42:53the drivability
42:54and the stability
42:54of the car
42:55so there's improvements
42:56in a lot of areas
42:58and you know
42:59we've seen
42:59the end result
43:01today
43:03and hopefully
43:03we can do
43:04a little bit better
43:05this afternoon
43:05in the race
43:06perfect lap
43:07from your point of view
43:08no it was terrible
43:10it was very very slippery
43:12I thought
43:12and when I got
43:13to the top of the hill
43:14the top chicane
43:15where the big curbs
43:16I hit the first curb
43:17so hard
43:18and it set me
43:19a bit sideways
43:20lost a bit of time
43:21there
43:21but all in all
43:22it's reasonably
43:23good lap time
43:25definitely
43:25I would have to say
43:27so
43:27and there's
43:27Michael Schumacher's
43:28Ferrari
43:29parked in the garage
43:30engineers having
43:31a close look
43:31at those tires
43:32yeah a little bit
43:32of a flat spot
43:33on that left front
43:34as he came
43:34into the front
43:35but we think
43:35the right rear
43:36locked up now
43:37if that was
43:37a mechanical problem
43:38are they going
43:38to let him
43:38change that right
43:39rear or any
43:40of those tires
43:40will that put him
43:41at the back
43:42of the grid
43:43well we'll soon
43:43find out
43:44here are the results
43:45of today's qualifying
43:46the starting grid
43:46for the San Marino
43:47Grand Prix
43:48well Kimi Räikkönen
43:49there in the McLaren
43:50first time this year
43:51Alonso
43:51alongside him
43:52in the Renault
43:53staying right
43:54in the front
43:54Jenson Button
43:55looking very very
43:56good
43:56and Mark Webber
43:57right where he's
43:58been most of the
43:58year in about
43:59third or fourth
44:00spot
44:00Cuba Sato
44:01also looking
44:01a lot better
44:01yeah
44:02BAR are looking
44:03very good
44:04and not a bad
44:04performance at all
44:05there from
44:05Verts in the McLaren
44:06chassis
44:07a little bit
44:07further down
44:08there we have
44:08Villeneuve in
44:0912th spot
44:09in the Sauber
44:10Michael Schumacher
44:11down in 14th
44:13Imola
44:13can you believe it
44:14and Barrichello
44:14in 10th
44:18as Peter Windsor
44:19mentioned
44:19fourth career
44:20pole
44:21for Kimi Räikkönen
44:22now for those
44:23of you who can't
44:24wait for the
44:24San Marino
44:25Grand Prix
44:25turn to your
44:26local CBS
44:26affiliate at
44:271 o'clock
44:28this afternoon
44:28however
44:29those who can
44:30hold out for a
44:30while
44:31tune in to
44:31Speed Channel
44:32Friday April
44:3329th at midnight
44:34that's Friday
44:35night into
44:35Saturday morning
44:36and we'll bring
44:37you enhanced
44:38coverage of the
44:38San Marino
44:39Grand Prix
44:39you won't miss
44:40a second of the
44:40on track action
44:41we'll also have
44:42more in-depth
44:43post-race reports
44:44from Peter Windsor
44:44so don't miss
44:45it
44:45for Peter Windsor
44:46David Hobbs
44:47and Steve
44:47Matchett
44:48I'm Bob
44:48Barshish
44:48see you next
44:49Friday for the
44:49San Marino
44:50Grand Prix
44:55Wednesday