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Qualifying for Round 10 of the 2005 F1 season at Magny Cours.
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00:00:00As Formula One attempts to recover from the disaster of Indianapolis, the focus shifts back to the track and the
00:00:06fight for the World Championship.
00:00:09Fernando Alonso and Renault dominated the early part of the season, while Kimi Räikkönen and McLaren have been the team
00:00:15to beat of late.
00:00:16But don't look now, here come the defending world champions who made the most of their trip across the Atlantic.
00:00:23Yet the shadow of Indianapolis still looms, as the Michelin teams will be the first to run today.
00:00:29Giving the advantage to the Bridgestone runners once again.
00:00:32Will it be enough to hold off Michelin out to make a statement on home soil?
00:00:37Qualifying for the French Grand Prix is next.
00:01:06The air show has begun.
00:01:07I believe that is the Roulettes, the French national air show team, high above the Circuit de Nevers.
00:01:13And Manny Coors, we welcome you to Speed Channel's coverage of qualifying for the 10th round of the 2005 Formula
00:01:18One World Championship, the French Grand Prix.
00:01:21I'm Bob Barsha with David Hobbs and Steve Matchett alongside.
00:01:24We had an overnight rain here in central France.
00:01:28The track was damp this morning.
00:01:29It is dry now, but we have heavy overcast, very high humidity, about 75 percent, and a chance of more
00:01:36rain.
00:01:37Now we're going to put aside the mess at Indianapolis for a moment and talk about strategy here at Manny
00:01:42Coors.
00:01:43A track where light fuel loads and multiple stops can pay dividends.
00:01:46How many stops will work this weekend?
00:01:48Here's Peter Windsor with more.
00:01:52Two weeks on and it's back to business, qualifying for the French Grand Prix.
00:01:56A Circuit Manny Coors in the past that's seen multi-pit stop strategies.
00:02:00But of course, that was in the day when you could change tyres during the race.
00:02:03How will that phenomenon translate to the 2005 one tyre regulation?
00:02:10It's difficult to know what strategy to do because even though it's a quick pit lane, you can't come in
00:02:16and change tyres and go out and be blisteringly quick.
00:02:20So we've got a lot of work to do this evening to sort of understand what strategy we want to
00:02:24do.
00:02:25And a lot of that work will be done tomorrow because today has just been tyre work.
00:02:31It's true that there has been always three stops, four stops even for Michael last year.
00:02:36So this is something that we don't see this year that normally the cars are very quick at the end
00:02:41of the steams.
00:02:41So I think strategically it will be very interesting weekend.
00:02:47I think everybody has a little bit different tactics, but hopefully we'll find the best one and see how it
00:02:55goes.
00:02:56Potentially more three-stop strategies here.
00:02:59I don't know really.
00:03:00I think so.
00:03:01This is the one place where some people have used it.
00:03:05And I think the last year Ferrari won with that.
00:03:07So I think it could be a bit different here than in other places.
00:03:11Do you think at this race we might see more perhaps three-stop strategies than we've had this year?
00:03:16I really don't know.
00:03:17I really don't know.
00:03:18But it's more of an option here than it has been the last few races, definitely.
00:03:21But I really don't know what people are going to do.
00:03:24Perhaps more three-stop strategies this weekend?
00:03:27It seems that it can work here.
00:03:30I think it will be not anymore between one or two stops.
00:03:33It will be for sure between two and three, depending on how competitive you are.
00:03:39Naturally we have seen less pit stops over this season due to the tyre regulation compared to before.
00:03:44And that will continue to happen.
00:03:46How many that means?
00:03:47I haven't yet been with the engineers together.
00:03:50But it's obviously a three-stop could probably be an option, not knowing the facts.
00:04:00Well, anything could be an option here at Manicur.
00:04:03You heard references to three-stop strategies.
00:04:04Last year Michael Schumacher and Ferrari won this race.
00:04:07The first time ever in Formula One that a driver did so with a four scheduled fuel stop strategy.
00:04:14Well, of course, last year the big thing about the Bridgestone is they were so good over those short runs.
00:04:18So you had a light car with a light fuel load plus the addition of the brand new tyres, which,
00:04:23of course, that part of the equation has gone away this year.
00:04:26Yeah, this year's tyres a lot harder, of course, and Ferrari have been working very hard to get that temperature
00:04:31up in qualifying for that one lap shot.
00:04:33Remember, Indianapolis, we were talking a little bit about the tyre warmers that have Ferrari have been developing, those canisters
00:04:39in which they insert the tyre to try and get additional heat inside the rim, according to Ferrari.
00:04:45There is the running order for this upcoming single car, single lap qualifying, of course, with 14 Michelin shot cars
00:04:51pulling off track and not racing in Indianapolis.
00:04:54They will lead the way.
00:04:55The first man on track will be Ralph Schumacher, who, of course, did not run at Indy after an accident,
00:04:59knocked him out of the race for the weekend.
00:05:01And the six Bridgestone-supplied cars that actually contested the U.S. Grand Prix race will be the last six
00:05:08cars on track, topped by world champion Michael Schumacher coming off his first victory of the year at Indy.
00:05:15Now let's check out our Porsche track map.
00:05:17David, take us around.
00:05:18Well, there you see the 2.74-mile circuit.
00:05:20No elevation change at all.
00:05:21Very, very smooth circuit so they can run the cars here nice and low to get the best ground effect
00:05:26they possibly can.
00:05:27The ground curve there, absolutely flat out.
00:05:29Estoril, third gear, but a very quick corner, as you can see, getting quicker and quicker all the way through,
00:05:34leading down to that long straight into the Adelaide hairpin.
00:05:36Really the only place you can do any overtaking here.
00:05:38That 180-degree hairpin in the middle of the track there causes a lot of heat, suddenly going into the
00:05:43right front and right rear tyres.
00:05:45Himmler is the only elevation change.
00:05:47She dug out with a bulldozer.
00:05:48The Chateau d'eau there, another tight right-hander going down to the Complexe du Lycée, where we saw Barrichello
00:05:54pass truly on the last lap last year.
00:05:56Of course, it rained overnight and rained this morning, so going out first is going to be a definite disadvantage.
00:06:03In other words, going out last, like Michael Schumacher's going to do today, is going to be a huge advantage.
00:06:08And the first man on track will be a former pole sitter here at Manicourt.
00:06:12First career pole, in fact, for Ralph Schumacher.
00:06:15Just days past his 30th birthday, the German takes to the track in the Toyota.
00:06:24And as Ralph brings his Michelin tires up to temperature and gets ready to go, we'll take a quick break
00:06:29and return.
00:06:29You won't miss a minute of anybody's hot lap.
00:06:32We'll be back to Manicourt after this.
00:06:36Speed Channel's coverage of the FIA Formula One World Championship is brought to you by Acura.
00:06:45Welcome back to a cloudy, overcast, and very humid day in central France.
00:06:49We continue with single car qualifying for this weekend's 10th round of the Formula One World Championship, the French Grand
00:06:56Prix, here on Speed Channel.
00:06:58Bob Varsha, David Hobbs, Steve Matchett with you.
00:07:00This is Ralph Schumacher.
00:07:03And the Toyota.
00:07:04Of course, going out last, like his brother Michael Schumacher, should be a huge advantage today because of the rain
00:07:09overnight.
00:07:10However, look at that sky.
00:07:11It could rain halfway through this session, in which case it'll be a huge disadvantage.
00:07:16So, this is my...
00:07:17Shades of the season opener in Melbourne.
00:07:19Absolutely.
00:07:19Look at that sky.
00:07:23Over the curbing in that final right-left complex.
00:07:27I've seen so many incidents already this weekend, including Tiago Montero, all but ripping the left rear suspension off of
00:07:33his Jordan.
00:07:34This is that Estrell, that long, long, long right-hander.
00:07:37Puts a lot of load into the outside tires.
00:07:40And it doesn't go straight into the long straight because there's this little flick here, the gulf, which is a
00:07:45right-hand flick, which makes drafting down here not the best.
00:07:49Ooh, go on.
00:07:50See, that's because there's not much rubber down there.
00:07:52Because of that rain earlier on.
00:07:54I've seen a lot of that this weekend.
00:07:56Part of it, I have to believe, is due down to that lack of elevation change, as you talked about.
00:08:01It's really difficult to find your braking points here.
00:08:03Yeah, you can see from this shot just how flat the circuit is.
00:08:06It's that 180 left-hander, the only real left-hander here.
00:08:09Coming up on Chateau-Daux, another tight right-hander.
00:08:13We've seen a lot of problems, a lot of understir here.
00:08:15Watch.
00:08:15Well, first of all, it goes very similar, this right-left sweep, which is different.
00:08:20This is Chateau-Daux.
00:08:21Look at those brakes glowing away in this gloomy day.
00:08:28A lot of heavy braking here, but not from extremely high speed, except in the Adelaide hairpin, where they're doing
00:08:32nearly 200.
00:08:35You're right, the brakes glowing very visibly on the Toyota.
00:08:40Well, of course, Raoul Schumacher will take the one with a 115.
00:08:45It's actually not a bad time.
00:08:46There is Mike Gascoigne, the technical director of the Toyota Racing Operation.
00:08:52I'm surprised to see him here in one sense, because we know he's supposed to be concentrating on the new
00:08:57development car,
00:08:57and next year's car.
00:08:59Toyota issued a statement to say that we don't really expect to see Gascoigne at the tracks.
00:09:03But as we're saying in yesterday's practice show, because of the particular characteristics of this track,
00:09:08the very smooth layout nature of the track, it's an aerodynamicist dream.
00:09:12They love to work the cars here and try and get an idea of what the cars are working like
00:09:16in the wind tunnel and in reality,
00:09:18and have a look at those figures.
00:09:21On board with David Coulthard in the Red Bull.
00:09:25David Coulthard, one of the few drivers who two weeks ago at Indianapolis was absolutely flabbergasted that they hadn't started
00:09:31the race.
00:09:31He said, there's got to have been a way that we could have worked this out.
00:09:34And he was so right.
00:09:36There's that little king come talking about, the gulf sweeper.
00:09:39By not starting at Indianapolis, it broke David Coulthard's starting streak in Formula One after 183 Grand Prix.
00:09:48That's the longest streak to start any career in Formula One history.
00:09:54Right, left there, and this left-hander here is why these cars look like they're carrying a lot of rear
00:09:58wing.
00:09:59They do carry quite a bit of downforce here, but of course it's because of all these quite tight bits
00:10:05in the middle here that you need it.
00:10:06Well, you could really do without it on that long straight down to the Adelaide hairpin.
00:10:09I'm surprised when you look around the circuit layout here, and we have names like Adelaide and Lycie and Nürburgring
00:10:15and Grand Curve, Estoril.
00:10:17But that Turn 8, that sweeping, rather tight, that left-handle, of course, run over in the car, no name
00:10:23given to it at all.
00:10:24And yet, as you just referred to a couple of times, David, that little kink running down to Adelaide has
00:10:28a name, Gulf, but it's hardly a corner goal.
00:10:30Hardly a corner goal, yeah.
00:10:32David Coulthard has five fast laps in Grand Prix races here at Manicour, more even than Michael Schumacher.
00:10:39He slots into P2, six tenths off Ralph Schumacher's time.
00:10:43We'll be back for more from Manicour.
00:10:48Welcome back to qualifying for the French Grand Prix at Manicour.
00:10:52Bob Barsha, David Hobbs, Steve Matchett with you.
00:10:54Look at all that Renault blue in the grandstand.
00:10:56This is a home race for Renault, Michelin, and so many other French elements in the Formula One World Championship.
00:11:02Here's German Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Williams.
00:11:06These guys have been struggling a little bit.
00:11:08They've had some aerodynamic developments on the car for this race, and they don't seem to be able to replicate
00:11:14the results on track that they see in the wind tunnel.
00:11:18I wonder whether or not they've just got the car too stiffly sprung.
00:11:22Again, the aerodynamicists like to keep the car as stiffly sprung as possible because it takes any of the wallow
00:11:27out.
00:11:27It takes the chassis roll out of the car, and the attitude to the underside of the car, to the
00:11:31track, remains very stable, which is great for aerodynamics, yes.
00:11:35But you've got to make the car move a little bit, comply a little bit, to get the mechanical grip.
00:11:40Williams said yesterday, we're struggling to get mechanical grip.
00:11:43They must be trying to get grip with downforce because he only was going 191 miles an hour into the
00:11:48Adelaide hairpin, and yesterday De La Rosa was doing over 200 in the McLaren, so.
00:11:53But he did get some back there.
00:11:55Look, that's only just a little bit off there.
00:11:56Right now, he is splitting Ralph and the other qualifier we have in the books, David Coulthard.
00:12:03Heifeld having a pretty good season.
00:12:04He's been quicker most of the time than his teammate, much more heralded teammate, Mark Webber from Australia.
00:12:11Got a little bit of extra curb there.
00:12:14Ooh, a little nervous wiggle on the outside curb.
00:12:19And moves into Pete, too.
00:12:21Lost sometime in the last sector, four-tenths behind Ralph Schumacher's Toyota.
00:12:25Well, these curbs are brutal here.
00:12:26Have a look at the slow-mo shot.
00:12:28They're a kind of a double curb in a way.
00:12:30They have like an inch, an inch and a half rise.
00:12:33And then if you try and steal a little bit too much curb, it jumps to about four inches.
00:12:38I'd like to have seen the driver's perspective of that outside curb when he got on to start finish.
00:12:43Here comes Christian Kleen and the second Red Bull Cosworth.
00:12:48A team that will move to Ferrari supplied V10 or, well, I guess V8 engines next year.
00:13:22Yeah, as it stands at the moment, Bob, you're right.
00:13:24Very, very, very different.
00:13:27Christian Kleen struggling just a little bit there.
00:13:31Doing a good job with that 180.
00:13:33See, the road here constantly moves, which, of course, is great for the drivers.
00:13:37Good fun.
00:13:38But, of course, it makes overtaking very difficult.
00:13:42Yellow on the graphic to the right means he is off the pace of the provisional pole sitter.
00:13:47Now, the car's sliding around a lot, isn't it?
00:13:50Kleen's controlling it.
00:13:51It's under control.
00:13:51You can see it's very, the back end, very nervous.
00:13:55The front end's very nervous.
00:13:57For reference, the fast time in this morning's dry second practice was Giancarlo Fisichella,
00:14:03a one-minute 14.466 second lap.
00:14:07And he slots into P4, slower than teammate David Coulthard.
00:14:11But, of course, they've got race fuel on these cars now,
00:14:13so you just can't tell exactly what they were all doing this morning,
00:14:16who had what fuel in and everything.
00:14:18But now we know they've got race fuel in.
00:14:21And going back to what Peter was talking about earlier,
00:14:23because we don't know what their race strategy is going to be.
00:14:25Is that race fuel for a two-lap, a two-stop strategy, or a three-stop strategy?
00:14:29Yeah.
00:14:31You know, we talked about how smooth this circuit is, which it is,
00:14:33except for those desperate curbs on that last chicane.
00:14:37Oh, horrible.
00:14:38Which you really have to try and take into account
00:14:40as we watch Jacques Villeneuve start his time lap in this album.
00:14:50Gives you an idea of what that long, long esteril curve is like.
00:14:53Yeah, you saw Villeneuve there again, working the wheel,
00:14:56desperately trying to control the understeer on the car.
00:14:59A lot of understeer induced around there.
00:15:01That esteril turn, turn three,
00:15:03is the reason they run really so much downforce on the car,
00:15:06because the cars desperately want to run off into the gravel trap,
00:15:10and the team and the drivers having to fight them to keep them under control.
00:15:14191 miles an hour in straight-line speed there,
00:15:17with this Ferrari, the Petronas V10, pushing the Sauber.
00:15:25Stimler coming up.
00:15:29Swoop down.
00:15:29Head of the pace now, ahead of Schumacher for Paul.
00:15:34Well, don't forget, Michael Schumacher made that mistake
00:15:36at the end of the first sector.
00:15:38He went off the hairpin.
00:15:39I call it Ralph.
00:15:40Ralph, sorry, went wide at the hairpin there.
00:15:45Oh!
00:15:47Trying hard now, the 97 world champion,
00:15:49who's suffered so much abuse in his return to Formula One this year,
00:15:54goes to provisional pole.
00:15:55This is manager Craig Pollock,
00:15:57his buddy Patrick Lemarier.
00:16:02But there's Villeneuve torturing that right front Michelin,
00:16:06trying to get the car slowed, sliding a bit there.
00:16:09A lot of the drivers have been talking about understeer around this track.
00:16:12And, of course, you've got to be so careful
00:16:14not to flat-spot these tires big time,
00:16:16because these are the tires you're stuck with tomorrow.
00:16:18And we saw what happened to a flat-spotted tire
00:16:20a few weeks ago back in the Nürburgring,
00:16:22when Kibbe Räikkönen's suspension failed on the last lap
00:16:26because of a big flat spot he'd put on earlier in the race.
00:16:29It's important to remember, the suspension failed, not the tire.
00:16:33Of course, the tire was flapping while they were all over the place.
00:16:36The tire was flapping about like a one-armed paper hanger in a gale.
00:16:39There's Craig.
00:16:40Sauber sat on the front row for the French Grand Prix here at Manicourt,
00:16:44thanks to Jean Alessi back in 1999.
00:16:48Last year's poll, a 1-minute 13.678-second effort by Fernando Alonso.
00:16:54He'll be out in just a few moments.
00:17:00Welcome back to an overcast and humid day in central France.
00:17:04Single car qualifying for round 10 of the Formula One World Championship.
00:17:07The French Grand Prix continues here on Speed Channel.
00:17:11Somebody wake up that McLaren boy.
00:17:14Tell me these guys don't know when they're on camera.
00:17:17Oh, and Pablo Montoya just warming up.
00:17:19Yeah.
00:17:21Okay, that one's warm.
00:17:21Little hands in there, quickly trying to put more brake on the back there,
00:17:25with the bias bar.
00:17:28I imagine.
00:17:31Yeah, they're all keen to get heat in the tires, aren't they?
00:17:34It's clear.
00:17:35And temperatures are so low relative to what we've seen at the start of the season.
00:17:38Remember how old it was around at Bahrain and Malaysia.
00:17:44Montoya reportedly wept when he was unable to race in front of his home fans from Colombia
00:17:48two weeks ago at Indianapolis.
00:17:51Could be hoping to make up for it this weekend.
00:17:53But they won't be here.
00:17:56The 75th Grand Prix coming up this weekend.
00:18:08Of course, Montoya, an absolute master at car control
00:18:12and getting the best out of cool tires,
00:18:14which obviously this lap is so vital.
00:18:17You bring the tires up to temperature throughout the whole...
00:18:19Ooh!
00:18:20Is that tire smoke or is that engine smoke?
00:18:22I remember his teammate Kimi Räikkönen lost an engine yesterday in second practice on Friday.
00:18:28A lot quicker than anybody else so far.
00:18:32That's why you need the car stiffly sprung through there.
00:18:36Oh!
00:18:36Six and seven.
00:18:37And that's the penalty you pay for it as you go into turn eight.
00:18:43Still?
00:18:45Well, I can't say still.
00:18:46We're about to find out.
00:18:47Yes, still ahead of the pace.
00:18:48But you can see why they need downforce as well, the way this road moves all the time.
00:18:52This guy is so much fun to watch when he is on the gas, and that's all the time.
00:18:59McLaren has only won this race once.
00:19:01David Coulthard back in 2000.
00:19:02They've had a couple of poles, and right now this guy would love to give them another.
00:19:09Oh, one of those curbs, but there again.
00:19:12By nearly three-tenths, Juan Pablo Montoya and McLaren Mercedes go to the top of the charts, bumping Jacques Villeneuve.
00:19:19I'm amazed, actually, they're only three-tenths quicker than Jacques Villeneuve, quite frankly.
00:19:23They must have quite a bit of fuel on board.
00:19:25Peter Sauber talking, of course, to his next man, Felipe Massa.
00:19:29Obviously, Felipe Massa's main objective here is going to be to be quicker than his teammate, Jacques Villeneuve,
00:19:35which he has been quite consistently this year.
00:19:47Oh, man, as much throttle as you dare in that corner.
00:19:53That's golf.
00:19:55Social disease.
00:19:57Down into the half.
00:19:58It's been hard on the brakes.
00:20:00Pull around and push it up again.
00:20:02Quicker than Montoya.
00:20:05192 miles an hour in a straight line.
00:20:08So they're all surprisingly slow in a straight line.
00:20:11They must have all changed their wing angle from yesterday,
00:20:13unless De La Rosa, of course, had it feathered out to get a really good lap in practice yesterday to
00:20:18frighten everybody,
00:20:19which I'm sure it did.
00:20:23Also was the only man to use a two-stop strategy in this race last year.
00:20:27Last time in that second sector.
00:20:29So maybe he's got it feathered out a little bit too much.
00:20:35Section two here is all turned.
00:20:37Now, this will be an intra-team battle.
00:20:40Right now, he's right about at the performance of his teammate, Jack Villeneuve.
00:20:48And to the line comes the young Brazilian, and into P2, bumping his teammate, the world champion,
00:20:54but not good enough to get to our provisional pole sitter, Juan Pablo Montoya.
00:20:59Much appreciated in the Sauber pits.
00:21:02We'll be back to Manicourt.
00:21:05Back at Manicourt, qualifying for the French Formula One Grand Prix here on Speed Channel.
00:21:11Here comes Mark Webber of Australia and the BMW Williams,
00:21:15a team that's had trouble finding speed this weekend thus far in France.
00:21:24Through that long, long curve.
00:21:27This camera angle, by the way, is some absolute maniac standing on top of a crane
00:21:34that must be 150 foot high for an inch.
00:21:37A maniac, he's probably a world champion bungee jumper.
00:21:41The Williams cars have not been in the top ten in any session thus far this weekend,
00:21:46except this morning's opening 45-minute practice on a wet track
00:21:52where Webber and Heidfeld were sixth and seventh.
00:21:54Well, that first sector puts him just about dead even with his teammate, Heidfeld,
00:21:58and also with Coulthard, so he must pick up a little bit in the second sector.
00:22:02Well, the car looked very smooth, I have to say, going through six and seven
00:22:05and nine and ten around there, didn't it, through those left-right sections.
00:22:09Yeah, his main...
00:22:11They got it too stiffly sprung.
00:22:12I'm surprised that it didn't bounce a little bit more around there,
00:22:15but it seemed quite nice.
00:22:18Of the 14 previous pole positions earned here at Manicourt,
00:22:22Williams cars have held eight of them,
00:22:25making it an even bigger surprise that they've been having trouble
00:22:28finding the speed this weekend.
00:22:30Well, into fifth, 15.885.
00:22:34So he out-qualifies his teammate,
00:22:36which, of course, will have been one of his main objectives.
00:22:38Yeah.
00:22:40The car looked a little bit ragged going over those curves that I see there,
00:22:45but they all look ragged going over those curves there,
00:22:48because it's so horrible.
00:22:50Now on the clock, the BAR Honda of Takuma Sato of Japan.
00:22:54Let's ride with him for a moment.
00:23:24It looked very good through there.
00:23:26BAR steering wheel and allows them to change the clutch aggressive,
00:23:29the aggressive nature of the clutch for different circuits.
00:23:32Launch control band, but BAR have been working on a system.
00:23:35They can change how the clutch works
00:23:37to make sure they get the best start off the line,
00:23:39and the driver can change that on the line.
00:23:41Boy, a very quick second sector there.
00:23:43So the track picking up pace,
00:23:45and Takuma Sato doing a wonderful job.
00:23:47The car looks very smooth.
00:23:49He did a great line into that 180.
00:23:51Here's a guy who could use a brake.
00:23:53Back in Melbourne, the season opener,
00:23:54we mentioned that he's wearing car number four,
00:23:57which is an unlucky number in Japan.
00:23:59Here's his season thus far.
00:24:01Retired, did not start.
00:24:03Retired, DQ'd, excluded, excluded, 12th.
00:24:06Retired, did not start.
00:24:08And now Sato comes through in the 1.14 zone.
00:24:12Now that would have been the fourth quickest time
00:24:15in this morning's session.
00:24:16He's making his car work.
00:24:17Look at it.
00:24:19Gary Savage, the deputy technical director,
00:24:21I was talking to him when he was down in Careth
00:24:23testing last week in the sweltering heat.
00:24:26I said, how are you coping with the heat down there?
00:24:28He says, it's amazing how much heat you can cope with
00:24:30when you're fast.
00:24:32And here comes a Renault.
00:24:34So the Renault grandstand comes to its feet.
00:24:37This is a guy who could easily put this car
00:24:39on the pole for the day,
00:24:41but he's running just a little bit early in the running,
00:24:43probably.
00:24:46Fernando Alonso, the championship leader
00:24:49by 22 points over Kimi Raikkonen from McLaren
00:24:52and last year's pole sitter for the race here in Manicur.
00:24:56Driving the R24 last year.
00:24:58And last year's...
00:24:59Slower than the B.A.R. there.
00:25:00Last year's pole a 13.698.
00:25:03Well, I'd say slower than the B.A.R. there.
00:25:06Four thousandths of a second.
00:25:08Of course, going on about Takuma Sato's bad luck.
00:25:10We saw him blow up here last year when he was running well.
00:25:13He had a handful of those last year.
00:25:15He did.
00:25:17I would expect the Renault to be quicker through this second sector.
00:25:20Their handling on this infield sector just seems to be sublime.
00:25:24He is quicker now.
00:25:27Renault engines have had 12 pole positions in the French Grand Prix.
00:25:31Not necessarily all of them here at Manicur.
00:25:34And they won their first Formula One race here in France in 1979.
00:25:39Jean-Pierre Jabouy, the great race at Dijon,
00:25:42where Renault Arnoux and Gilles Villeneuve went at each other.
00:25:46To the line and into P1 goes the Spaniard.
00:25:501-14, 4-1-2.
00:25:53And that is faster.
00:25:54The fastest lap of the weekend, in fact.
00:25:58Nick Fry looking a little bit concerned there from the B.A.R. team.
00:26:05But a lot of rejoicing in the Renault team.
00:26:07Alonso, as you said earlier, on the pole.
00:26:09Why?
00:26:09Boy, he takes a big chunk of that first curb, too.
00:26:13You've got to be careful doing that on the first curb,
00:26:15because if that throws you off enough for the second curb,
00:26:17it could easily end in disaster.
00:26:20Well, Rod Nelson, Alonso's engineer,
00:26:23had given them permission to do that in qualifying
00:26:25and told them absolutely that guys were not to do that
00:26:28in race conditions if he wanted to finish the race.
00:26:31So with only two of the fastest sector times of the three available,
00:26:35Bernardo Alonso comes through with provisional pole
00:26:38by two-tenths of a second.
00:26:41It's a...
00:27:07And that's just a little taste of our newest offering here at Speed Channel,
00:27:11the FIA GP2 Championship featuring young American Scott Speed from Mantega, California.
00:27:17Join us tomorrow for the main course.
00:27:186.30 a.m. Eastern Time will bring you coverage of the sprint race from Manicur.
00:27:23For those of you who may not be familiar with GP2,
00:27:25it's the final step before Formula One.
00:27:28Today's GP2 winners may be tomorrow's Formula One champions,
00:27:31and you can meet them now tomorrow at 6.30 a.m. Eastern,
00:27:34only on speed.
00:27:37Here's Giancarlo Fisichella,
00:27:39fastest man in this morning's final practice session
00:27:41for the French Grand Prix in the Renault.
00:27:51There's his teammates' time at the top there, 1.14.4,
00:27:54the quickest lap so far this weekend, I believe you said, Bob,
00:27:57and Fisichella was quickest this morning.
00:28:00Obviously, they have different fuel strategies between these two cars.
00:28:05But Fisichella determined to regain the form he showed in Melbourne,
00:28:08and he's on the pole and won the race.
00:28:10Just since then, he's had a very, very unfortunate season.
00:28:14Well, since he did not start among the Michelin runners at Indianapolis two weeks ago,
00:28:19this weekend will mark the 150th career Grand Prix start for Giancarlo Fisichella,
00:28:24becoming the fourth Italian to reach that longevity mark.
00:28:28Ricardo Patrese, Andrea De Cesaris, and Michele Alvareto did it before him.
00:28:32And a hair quicker than his teammate, Alonzo.
00:28:35Can he maintain that through this next very tricky section?
00:28:41Turn 8.
00:28:42Turn 8 built inside, but the radius have turned through that long sweeper.
00:28:58And now projected second behind his teammate, Alonzo.
00:29:05Who is 10 years younger than the Italian.
00:29:10Depends how he attacks these curbs.
00:29:13Renault fans come to their feet.
00:29:15Oh, he lost more time.
00:29:19Third between Sato and Montoya.
00:29:24Desultory clapping from the Renault team and a slightly unforgiving look from Flavio Briatore.
00:29:33A little bit of slide there.
00:29:35Yeah.
00:29:38Carl looked a bit better over those curbs.
00:29:40His teammate, Alonzo, attacked that first curve very hard.
00:29:44Uh-oh.
00:29:45Maybe some money changing hands there.
00:29:47My man beat your man.
00:29:49All right.
00:29:50Now then, the BAR Honda of Jenson Button.
00:29:53Can he go quicker than his teammate?
00:29:54And can he go just that much quicker than Alonzo?
00:29:57I remember his teammate, Sato, in second position at the moment of the 14.655.
00:30:03Track picking up speed all the time as more and more rubber goes down after heavy rain overnight.
00:30:11Honda appears to be the most powerful engine out there at the moment.
00:30:18Off at the first sector.
00:30:21Quite a bit.
00:30:22191.2 miles an hour through the speed trap for Button.
00:30:25Down a little bit on speed to what most of the runners have done so far.
00:30:29So he must be carrying a good bit of wing which should help him through the second sector.
00:30:33Yeah, wing and or fuel, Dave, right?
00:30:36It is so difficult to know what these guys are running.
00:30:39Again, Peter Winder at the top of the show said,
00:30:41we just don't know if it's going to be a two-stop, a three-stop.
00:30:44Some may have even gone for a one-stop.
00:30:46Perhaps Sauber, we know they like to run long.
00:30:49Michael Schumacher again, as we said, last year running a four-stop.
00:30:52Well, that was changed on the fly during the race.
00:30:54They were scheduled to run a three.
00:30:55But it does make a significant difference, of course.
00:30:58Every ten kilos of fuel, what?
00:31:00About four-tenths of a second.
00:31:01Well, Button here is heading for fourth spot at the moment.
00:31:04He had a scare last week.
00:31:06He and David Coulthard were sharing a private airplane going to the Goodwood Festival from testing in Spain.
00:31:11He had to make an emergency landing, what turned out to be a minor problem.
00:31:15Into P4 goes the second VAR Honda.
00:31:18We'll take a break and return.
00:31:20Plenty more to come from qualifying in France.
00:31:27Welcome back to qualifying.
00:31:28This was Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren in Friday's second practice session.
00:31:32Just a couple of laps in, the engine let go in the McLaren.
00:31:37And at a very odd point on the racetrack, as you pointed out, Steve.
00:31:40Yeah, it was off-throttle under braking.
00:31:43You can expect most of these engines, most engine failures in F1 under full throttle when the load is maximum.
00:31:49But it was when he lifted off.
00:31:50So whatever Kimi does here, and quite frankly, I fully expect him to be quickest at this moment.
00:31:56He's going to have to lose ten spots on the grid because of that engine change yesterday.
00:31:59That was a new upgrade engine that Mercedes-Elmore had developed just for this point in the season,
00:32:06not just for this race, it was introduced in this race.
00:32:10Montoya's engine was the old spec and, of course, Montoya's engine running fine.
00:32:14I'm not sure at this moment whether or not McLaren and Mercedes have reverted back to the original old spec
00:32:20engine for this engine change
00:32:21or if they're using another brand new upgrade.
00:32:24I'm going to look into that story tonight.
00:32:35Well, I wonder whether or not David, bearing in mind that Kimi's going to run,
00:32:41he's going to lose ten spots, whatever, whether or not that's affecting McLaren's strategy
00:32:45and they're running a lot of fuel.
00:32:46I'm sure he's running a lot of fuel.
00:32:47I would think so.
00:32:51I would say he'll definitely be on a two-stop.
00:32:54Fastest man in the game in the five races leading up to Indianapolis.
00:32:57Won three of them.
00:32:58Probably should have won the other two.
00:32:59Well, if he's on a two-stop strategy and he's got a lot of fuel on board, that isn't too
00:33:04shabby.
00:33:04It is not.
00:33:07Well, that's immediately down to P12, isn't it?
00:33:10Yeah, but I mean, that was a heck of a time with what we are surmising is right.
00:33:18Pretty good over the bumps, Evans.
00:33:21It depends just how they clip that first one that counts.
00:33:24Here comes Yarno Trulli.
00:33:25Oh, by the way, pole sitter two weeks ago at Indianapolis.
00:33:29Yeah, which of course is a bit of a freak, really.
00:33:32He had absolutely no fuel on board because they knew when he set the pole that he wasn't going to
00:33:37be doing the race.
00:33:38So, yes, you've got to say there's a strong suspicion of that, isn't there?
00:33:41They seem to have enough fuel on board for the Indianapolis to do on that pole lap for another three
00:33:45laps.
00:33:46So, if they'd have started the race three laps later, they would have had to refuel.
00:33:50That doesn't seem right.
00:33:51Now, his teammate, of course, Ralph Schumacher, went out first because he was put out without accident at Indianapolis.
00:34:00Yarno Trulli has been pretty consistently quicker than Ralph Schumacher all year.
00:34:03And as you said, this circuit really is a suit for Toyota.
00:34:08A year ago in this race, he was passed by Rubens Botticello in the final corner for the third and
00:34:14final spot on the podium.
00:34:16And that, perhaps as much as anything, meant the end of his career at Renault.
00:34:21Never scored another point for them in the second half of last season before moving on to Toyota.
00:34:27And that was after winning in Monaco.
00:34:30Talk about a season that took a nosedive.
00:34:32He's looking pretty good over here.
00:34:34He could end up at P2 depending on how this last chicane goes.
00:34:37Looks rough over there, doesn't it?
00:34:38It does.
00:34:39It really is, too.
00:34:40Well called.
00:34:41They look like rally cars slamming over those curves.
00:34:44Well, Toyota was pretty good at that at one time.
00:34:47Yeah, true, yeah.
00:34:48A couple of world championships.
00:34:49So Alonso's still hanging on to that pole.
00:34:53Yano truly, of course, is one of the top qualifiers for the whole season.
00:34:58Second.
00:34:59He is very good in qualifying.
00:35:01Here's the first of the Minardi Cosworths.
00:35:03This is Patrick Friesacker.
00:35:08Picked up some fortunate points at Indianapolis two weeks ago.
00:35:11The car on Bridgestone tires.
00:35:16He knows this track well from his years in Formula 3000 and the other minor formula in Europe.
00:35:27This team have said they will use Rev Limited V10 engines next year.
00:35:35They will not go to the 2.4 liter V8s.
00:35:39And the team principal, Paul Stoddard, has been quite the lightning rod in all of the to-ing and fro
00:35:46-ing in the press since the fiasco at the U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
00:35:50I hadn't noticed.
00:35:52What I've noticed is that none of the other team principals have stood up to say either Paul speaks for
00:35:58me or Paul doesn't speak for me.
00:36:00Just let him go out there.
00:36:03Letting him, yeah, be there.
00:36:05Letting him be there in front, man.
00:36:06I think they are.
00:36:08And he's doing a pretty good job of it.
00:36:14Heard from Paul Stoddard on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain last Sunday night.
00:36:17You may hear from him again in the not-too-distant future.
00:36:2015th spot for the young Austrian.
00:36:23There's Jolt Baumgartner in the white T-shirt who drove for this team last year.
00:36:28Hungarian driver.
00:36:30Yeah, that wasn't a bad time.
00:36:32Three to be for Minardi to be only three seconds off Alonso around here.
00:36:35Actually, not too bad, I think.
00:36:37Considering the GP2 cars we're going to see on Sunday are about nine to ten seconds slower than the front
00:36:45-line Grand Prix machinery.
00:36:46We'll take a break and return.
00:36:58We've never seen a devastation.
00:37:23Five drivers still to come in qualifying for the French Grand Prix.
00:37:28Bit of a downtown look there on Vidantonio Liuzzi, the wild boy of Formula One, a Friday test driver for
00:37:35the Red Bull team.
00:37:36There's Paul Stoddard from Minardi.
00:37:37His man, Christian Albers, about to take to the track.
00:37:41Call him the Flying Dutchman.
00:37:44Have a look at the radiator chimneys on the bodywork just behind the Quest signage.
00:37:51Have a look, and I think they've got, like, clear helicopter tape along half of that duct to block it
00:37:57off.
00:37:58Right there.
00:37:59You just see it glowing.
00:38:00You just see a little bit of a sheen come off the bodywork where the radiator duct is not the
00:38:03exhaust chimneys.
00:38:04I think the reason for that is, well, there's two possibilities in my eye.
00:38:08A, they haven't got any more to change to because I think what they want to do is reduce the
00:38:13size of the opening because it's cooler today.
00:38:15And Minardi is struggling for parts.
00:38:17And they're trying to block the radiator ducting off to increase a little of the temperature underneath.
00:38:22Or they're expecting to become a lot hotter tomorrow.
00:38:25And in tomorrow's race, they'll take that tape off the ducting to increase the cooling.
00:38:30Remember, the cooling ducts that they have on the car now, they're not allowed to change because of the Parc
00:38:34Ferme regulations.
00:38:35The cars that are spec'd right now for the lap are either going to have to start the race.
00:38:40For the record, it says Ozjet on those side pods.
00:38:44That's team owner Paul Stoddard's low fare airline in his native Australia.
00:38:47I don't need to change my glasses.
00:38:49I'm going to say, you wouldn't believe it.
00:38:51You must have eyes like a certain type of rat.
00:38:53Yeah, but I can't read.
00:38:54You wouldn't believe I'd read and write for a living, would you?
00:39:00And Christian Albers goes on the clock.
00:39:03Right along.
00:39:12A bit of different steering input there to Sato's car.
00:39:17Going through there.
00:39:24One second off.
00:39:26First intermediate.
00:39:37Oh, Christian Albers there as he went into that twisty bit in the middle league.
00:39:41Obviously got a lot of understeer there through the 180.
00:39:44Can he be quicker than his teammate?
00:39:45Obviously it's going to be his main objective here.
00:39:47He can't be much quicker than anybody else.
00:39:49Christian Albers has had some pretty good qualifying sessions this year.
00:39:52Canada being one of them.
00:39:54Whoa.
00:39:56Sacre blood.
00:39:57Because he is a salooned car driver or a sedan car driver.
00:40:01So he's used to plenty of sideways movement.
00:40:04Looks like a USAC driver there.
00:40:05My goodness.
00:40:06Look at that.
00:40:06The number he's looking for is the 117-960 posted by his teammate, Patrick Freesacker.
00:40:12Here I come.
00:40:14Get after it.
00:40:16Fun to watch.
00:40:17Of course, he'll come nowhere close after that bit of meandering.
00:40:20But the crew's having fun with it.
00:40:22Did you see my man handle that slide?
00:40:24Good Lord.
00:40:26That was pretty hairy.
00:40:28Yeah, buddy.
00:40:28Try that, Michael Schumacher.
00:40:30Well, that's the thing, isn't it?
00:40:32You know, Minardi's all very slow, of course, relative to everybody else.
00:40:36But it's still a Formula One car.
00:40:38It's still a massively quick piece of machinery.
00:40:41Here comes the fourth place finisher at Indianapolis.
00:40:44Noreen Kadakean of India in the Jordan.
00:40:47These guys have had an interesting weekend.
00:40:49French health authorities found an overabundance of the bacteria that causes Legionnaire's disease in their hotels.
00:40:57They had to pack up everything and move somewhere else, which here in the Manicur area, where hotels are few
00:41:02and far between, is not an easy task.
00:41:05That's right.
00:41:05He could be in Paris.
00:41:08Now, this car's looking a bit ragged.
00:41:10Well, it's always looked a bit ragged.
00:41:10Of course, that's Jordan.
00:41:11No, it does look a bit ragged.
00:41:12I said yesterday that they were using the older version of the car, the EJ-15.
00:41:18The upgraded version is still being developed, but Donbass on Friday was using the upgraded version of the car, I
00:41:24believe.
00:41:24The B-Spec, yeah.
00:41:25Whoa!
00:41:26He's doing an album, isn't it?
00:41:35I think Kadakean's done a pretty good job this year, really.
00:41:37A lot of people are giving some stick, but I think generally he's done very well.
00:41:40And his teammate, Montero, of course, has had experience in champ cars over here.
00:41:44So he's had experience in big engine cars before.
00:41:46When Kadakean has not.
00:41:49And he moves ahead of the Minardis in that battle for pride of place toward the back of the grid.
00:41:58Well, there is quite a battle, develop, isn't there, between Minardi and Jordan Toyota.
00:42:04Look at the thing.
00:42:05Of course, he's put in a nice Bridgestone rubber down for Michael Schumacher to run over them.
00:42:08These guys are laying plenty of rubber down for him to have a grip, aren't they?
00:42:11Look at that.
00:42:12Yeah.
00:42:17Now, here comes the first and thus far only Portuguese driver to stand on a Formula One podium.
00:42:23After the event two weeks ago in Indianapolis, Tiago Montero in the Jordan, who got home from Indianapolis, checked his
00:42:30cell phone messages, and he had 84 of them.
00:42:37And if there was a bright spot at Indianapolis, it was the look on Tiago Montero's face as he stood
00:42:42on that podium.
00:42:43He was not going to be denied that moment of joy.
00:42:47Not as quick down as that first sector as his teammate.
00:42:50His teammate was only 0.7 seconds off the pole.
00:42:52He was over a second off.
00:42:53So Montero's slower through here.
00:42:55Is that Montero leaving plank?
00:42:57It is plank.
00:42:58Yeah, he was doing the same thing around the outer curb in Estoril as well.
00:43:03And you can see the car is visibly moving around.
00:43:06I mean, on suspension, it's a lot softer sprung than most of the others as well.
00:43:10I think to try and help it comply over the curbing.
00:43:13Remember, it was Montero yesterday that broke the suspension by riding over those curbs at the last corner.
00:43:21Former champ car driver in the United States.
00:43:24He had a wicked flight in Friday morning's first practice right here.
00:43:31Breaking the left rear suspension.
00:43:33He handles those bumps now and moves into 17th place.
00:43:36Slower than his teammate and the Austrian free sacker in the first of the minorities.
00:43:41Which is not greeted by universal approval by the team.
00:43:44No, he was ahead of Kartikeyan's pace for 15th early in that lap.
00:43:47But it all came apart, perhaps right here.
00:43:50Yeah, I'm running too wide as well.
00:43:52Oh, guys, as you were saying, when he was laying that plank smoke down, he was just scrubbing speed.
00:43:57There it is, right there.
00:43:58You see a little trail of it.
00:44:00Well, you expect it around there, around the curbs.
00:44:02But it's just running too wide.
00:44:05Right there.
00:44:06Here we see him going through.
00:44:09Here comes a seven-time world champion.
00:44:23Now, talking about the Ferrari tire warmers, remember these cabinets we keep talking about.
00:44:30A lot of teams are very upset by the fact that the FIA seem to have given Ferrari permission
00:44:36to have developed and used cabinets to warm the tires.
00:44:40To the regulations, you're only allowed to use tire warming blankets.
00:44:43Now, what Ferrari are keen to do is to put extra heat into the rim itself.
00:44:48Oh, quicker slew there.
00:44:49Not much, but he's quicker.
00:44:53Uh, just as a quick snap judgment, those tire warmers that they're using look horribly illegal,
00:44:59but horribly illegal.
00:45:01I want to know how they suspend the tire and rim inside the casing.
00:45:05Well, I think what they have is like a stub axle assembly,
00:45:08similar to how you'd have it on the car, Bob.
00:45:09So you kind of mount it as if you were going to mount it onto the wall on a spike.
00:45:14Let's get to the second sector.
00:45:16But Ferrari's answer is, well, we just used tire blanket elements inside the cabinet as well.
00:45:21It's just another way of mounting the tire blankets.
00:45:24Yeah.
00:45:25It just works better.
00:45:27Well, if you go by history, Barrichello is not a good bet for this race.
00:45:30Only one Brazilian has ever won the French Grand Prix at any location,
00:45:34and that was Nelson Piquet back in 1985.
00:45:37Wow.
00:45:37Ayrton Senna.
00:45:38Boyle, look at the amount of time he lost in that last sector.
00:45:41He was quicker everywhere until the last sector.
00:45:44He must have heard you.
00:45:46You must have bummed him right out.
00:45:47I'm telling him a Brazilian hasn't got hope in this race.
00:45:49Sorry, Rubens.
00:45:50I mean, I'm just rewarding the fast.
00:45:52No, I'll tell him.
00:45:54Don't shoot the messenger.
00:45:55Old Flavio looks pretty happy about that.
00:45:57Yeah.
00:45:57He's got a little jig.
00:45:59You're not supposed to do that.
00:46:00That's some ungracious of you.
00:46:02You're not supposed to smile at other people's misfortune.
00:46:05You're not supposed to smoke on the pit wall.
00:46:06He takes a real air over the second kerb.
00:46:09Barrichello was fastest through the speed trap, actually, so far today.
00:46:13193.7 miles an hour.
00:46:16Well.
00:46:17But, as you say.
00:46:18That guy maybe lost such a huge...
00:46:19Well, look, he lost a little bit.
00:46:20He lost over half a second.
00:46:21Well, I'm not picking on Rubens, but his best start of the year was seventh at the European Grand Prix
00:46:26and at Indianapolis.
00:46:29So, fifth, or perhaps sixth, depending on what this guy does.
00:46:32I was going to say, it's going to be sixth now, isn't it?
00:46:34Here comes Michael.
00:46:35Here is the seven-time world champion.
00:46:37This is the seven-time world champion.
00:46:38But now, I see his helmet properly.
00:46:41I've got to change these glasses.
00:46:45A craftsman never blames his tools.
00:46:48Oh.
00:46:49So, as David says, he has to change his glasses.
00:46:53Ooh.
00:46:57Ah, 10's up there.
00:46:58That's a lot.
00:47:00195 miles an hour.
00:47:02Quickest man down the straight.
00:47:03First is so far.
00:47:04Will he be able to maintain that there?
00:47:06Was he running a bit light on the old wing?
00:47:08And the gasoline, but it looks all right through there.
00:47:10You see him through there.
00:47:12That was amazing.
00:47:14The way these Formula One cars change direction, just absolutely.
00:47:18Particularly this Formula One car.
00:47:22Ooh, slow in that second sector.
00:47:24This is going to be tight.
00:47:31Is he going to get on the front row again?
00:47:33Oh, boy.
00:47:37That's his last hairpin'.
00:47:40His victory at Indianapolis may have been the most unfulfilled of his career,
00:47:44but it ended his losing streak.
00:47:46And here he comes to the line, and he, too, loses time.
00:47:49Wow.
00:47:53That sends the Renault fans and Flavio Prieto.
00:47:58John Todd not too happy about it, but.
00:48:00Well, that guy in the background is Willie Weber,
00:48:02who gets 20% of Michael and Ralph no matter what,
00:48:04so he doesn't care.
00:48:05I've never seen Willie Weber wear a tie before.
00:48:10Look at this.
00:48:11Oh, he just booms over these curves.
00:48:14Wow, he lost a lot in that last sector again,
00:48:16a bit in the middle sector.
00:48:18But, of course, where he is quick, he's down that straight.
00:48:20And as we've said earlier on, when the track map came up,
00:48:23that is the best spot for overtaking the Adelaide Hairpin.
00:48:26So that may play into his hands in the race.
00:48:29Woo-hoo!
00:48:29Reaction from everybody in a Renault shirt.
00:48:32Pole for Fernando Alonso.
00:48:35Now, keep in mind, Kimi Räikkönen,
00:48:37third quickest in this session, will drop back.
00:48:40That means Michael Schumacher moves up to third,
00:48:43Takuma Sato to fourth,
00:48:45Rubens Baracchello to fifth, and so on.
00:48:49There's the classification on time.
00:48:51We will remove Räikkönen and move him
00:48:53into the second half of the grid,
00:48:55thanks to that engine failure on Friday.
00:48:58Our fifth different pole sitter
00:49:00in our last five Formula One races.
00:49:04Takuma Sato put in a very, very good lap there.
00:49:08He looked very quick.
00:49:09It looked smooth and fast.
00:49:11Look at those gaps at the front.
00:49:13A tenth, a tenth, a tenth.
00:49:17All on the same tenth, I might add.
00:49:22There's the second half.
00:49:24And Christian Alba's slightly exciting trip
00:49:27through the eminent turn.
00:49:30Eight-time pole sitters at this track.
00:49:32Williams, 13th and 14th.
00:49:35Wow.
00:49:45And here's what a good driver does.
00:49:48Walks through the garage
00:49:49and finds every member of the team
00:49:51to thank him for his hard work
00:49:54as he makes his way to the interview room
00:49:56where our Peter Windsor awaits him.
00:50:02Well, Alonso having a pretty good year.
00:50:05That's his third pole of the year.
00:50:07But he really needed this.
00:50:08I mean, he's sort of been
00:50:09in Kimi Räikkönen's shadow
00:50:11for the last half-dozen races.
00:50:13Second pole in a row here at Manicur
00:50:17for the young Spaniard, Fernando Alonso.
00:50:19Fernando Alonso Diaz, formally.
00:50:23Approaching his 24th birthday.
00:50:26Oh, he's had it over the hill.
00:50:27Life is good.
00:50:29That's a cool-looking chassis that you ran out.
00:50:31It's very cool-looking.
00:50:34So we'll wait for Peter Windsor
00:50:36to speak with our top three qualifiers
00:50:38for the French Grand Prix.
00:50:39We'll take a break and return
00:50:40for more from Manicur.
00:50:44Stay with us.
00:50:59Welcome back.
00:51:00Fortunately, the rain held off
00:51:02for qualifying for Sunday's
00:51:04Formula One French Grand Prix,
00:51:05which you will see live here on Speed Channel
00:51:07in addition to the GP2 Championship
00:51:10second race of the weekend,
00:51:12the sprint race.
00:51:13Well, that was a pretty exciting
00:51:14qualifying session.
00:51:15The top six cars are only separated
00:51:18by just a few tenths of a second.
00:51:19Even though Schumacher seemed to drop off
00:51:21bad in that third sector,
00:51:23he's actually only less than
00:51:24a tenth of a second behind pole.
00:51:26Our top three qualifiers,
00:51:28Fernando Alonso,
00:51:29Jarno Trulli,
00:51:30and Kimi Raikkonen,
00:51:31who, of course,
00:51:32will take that 10-spot grid penalty tomorrow.
00:51:34But for now,
00:51:35he's in the interview room
00:51:36with our Peter Windsor.
00:51:38Let's go there.
00:51:39Congratulations to the fastest three qualifiers
00:51:42in the French Grand Prix at Manicure.
00:51:43Third quickest for West McLaren Mercedes,
00:51:45Kimi Raikkonen.
00:51:46Second fastest for Panasonic Toyota,
00:51:49Jarno Trulli.
00:51:50On the pole for the third time this year
00:51:52for mild 7 Renault,
00:51:54Fernando Alonso.
00:51:55Fernando,
00:51:56what a great place
00:51:57for you to be on the pole yet again.
00:51:59Yeah,
00:52:00last year,
00:52:00I had the pole here,
00:52:02the only one of the 2004 season,
00:52:05and I came here with good optimism
00:52:08and very confidence
00:52:10about this year's car
00:52:12and these characteristics
00:52:14of the Manicure circuit.
00:52:16So, you know,
00:52:17whole weekend has been good for us
00:52:19and the quali lap as well,
00:52:22with no mistakes,
00:52:23with a very, very good balance
00:52:25in the car,
00:52:27so everything went well today.
00:52:30A very nice-looking lap,
00:52:32but a lot of pressure,
00:52:33of course,
00:52:33half a second
00:52:34covering the top seven drivers.
00:52:36Yeah,
00:52:36we knew that
00:52:37always here in Manicure
00:52:38it's very, very tight,
00:52:40the times,
00:52:41and we knew that
00:52:42every tenth of the second
00:52:44is important
00:52:45for the quali lap
00:52:47here in Manicure,
00:52:48so I pushed from the beginning.
00:52:51I felt the car
00:52:52straight away,
00:52:54good balance
00:52:55in 10-3,
00:52:56in 10-5,
00:52:57so it gave me
00:52:58even extra confidence
00:52:59for the rest of the lap,
00:53:00especially the last sector,
00:53:02so I was extremely happy
00:53:04with the lap.
00:53:05And perhaps even more support
00:53:06than last year
00:53:07following your success
00:53:08so far this season,
00:53:09lots of blue out there
00:53:10in the stands.
00:53:10Yeah,
00:53:11a lot is after,
00:53:13I think,
00:53:14with Barcelona Grand Prix,
00:53:16the only two tracks
00:53:16we see more blue
00:53:18than red,
00:53:19and obviously for them
00:53:21I think it's also
00:53:22a good day,
00:53:24and for tomorrow,
00:53:25the great position
00:53:26we are,
00:53:27because also
00:53:28Giancarlo is in the top guise,
00:53:31I think we can have
00:53:32a very, very strong race
00:53:33in our team.
00:53:35We look forward to that,
00:53:36thank you very much.
00:53:37Jano, congratulations,
00:53:38your fifth appearance here
00:53:40as a top three driver
00:53:40in qualifying in 2005,
00:53:42it's getting to be
00:53:43a real pattern for you.
00:53:44Yeah,
00:53:44I couldn't believe
00:53:45when we started the season
00:53:46that we were performing
00:53:47so high,
00:53:48and I keep doing
00:53:50a very good job
00:53:50together with the team
00:53:51and all the engineers
00:53:52and mechanics,
00:53:53so we are extremely happy
00:53:54about our season.
00:53:55We have had some
00:53:56bad luck in the last few races
00:53:57as we could get
00:53:59some more podium,
00:54:00but nevertheless
00:54:00we're still here
00:54:01fighting,
00:54:02another good lap
00:54:03today in qualifying
00:54:04and another first row.
00:54:06And your thoughts
00:54:07on the competitive nature
00:54:08of qualifying
00:54:09and the strategies
00:54:10we're going to see
00:54:10in the race tomorrow.
00:54:11Usually a lot of pit stops here.
00:54:12Yeah, you're right.
00:54:14Normally we do
00:54:15two, three pit stops
00:54:16and we will get
00:54:18a better idea
00:54:19on what fuel
00:54:21everybody has run today.
00:54:23We'll definitely
00:54:24see different strategy
00:54:25and the race normally
00:54:28here is like a game
00:54:29and you play it
00:54:30on the strategy
00:54:32at Bistop.
00:54:33We look forward
00:54:34to seeing that game
00:54:35tomorrow.
00:54:36Kimi, turning to you,
00:54:37obviously a bittersweet
00:54:38moment for you,
00:54:39third quickest,
00:54:40but unfortunately
00:54:41that engine problem
00:54:42yesterday,
00:54:42changing engines
00:54:43and having to start
00:54:44effectively 13th
00:54:45on the grid tomorrow.
00:54:46Yeah, I think so.
00:54:47It was not the best way
00:54:48to start the weekend
00:54:49yesterday to blow up
00:54:51the engine,
00:54:51but what can you do
00:54:53is it's going to cost
00:54:54us a lot this weekend,
00:54:55but at least the car
00:54:56was very good
00:54:57and I think so we will
00:54:58have a good,
00:54:59strong race
00:55:00but unfortunately
00:55:01not where we should start
00:55:02so we just need to wait
00:55:04and see where the others
00:55:05are stopping
00:55:06and then we can really tell.
00:55:08Well, of course,
00:55:09that is the next point.
00:55:09How has that affected
00:55:10your thinking on strategy?
00:55:13We'll see it tomorrow.
00:55:15Did we do the right
00:55:16decision or not?
00:55:17But I think so.
00:55:17I'm pretty confident
00:55:18the car felt it's very good
00:55:19on the qualifying
00:55:20so we just need to wait
00:55:22and see really
00:55:23and that's the only thing.
00:55:24I still think that we can
00:55:26hopefully get close
00:55:28to the podium at least
00:55:29if not on the podium
00:55:30and we'll see.
00:55:32And Fernando,
00:55:33finally turning back to you,
00:55:34that of course
00:55:34lets your friend
00:55:35Michael Schumacher
00:55:36effectively start third
00:55:37in the Ferrari
00:55:38and I need to remind you
00:55:40it's been 22 years
00:55:41since Renault last won
00:55:42the French Grand Prix
00:55:43as a complete team
00:55:43so a big day for you tomorrow
00:55:45and a big day for the team.
00:55:47Yeah, of course
00:55:48every race is important
00:55:49but for the team
00:55:50we know that
00:55:51here in France
00:55:52it's even more important.
00:55:54I think
00:55:556,000 people are here
00:55:56inviting from the team,
00:55:58from the Renault dealers
00:55:59and a lot of big names
00:56:01of the Renault group
00:56:02will come here tomorrow
00:56:03and try to beat Ferrari
00:56:07and McLaren
00:56:08and Toyota tomorrow
00:56:09I think is our target
00:56:12and we can do it
00:56:14I think this weekend
00:56:15because it has been
00:56:16really, really strong
00:56:17for us
00:56:18performing-wise
00:56:19all weekend.
00:56:21All right, thanks Peter.
00:56:22Now be sure to join us
00:56:23again tomorrow
00:56:24when we'll bring you
00:56:25coverage of the GP2
00:56:26sprint race
00:56:27from Manicourt
00:56:28beginning at 6.30 a.m.
00:56:29Eastern time
00:56:30and that will lead us
00:56:31straight up to live coverage
00:56:32of the French
00:56:33Formula One Grand Prix
00:56:34starting with the
00:56:35Acura free race show
00:56:36at 7.30 a.m. Eastern
00:56:38Peter Windsor
00:56:38will have all the scoop
00:56:39from the paddock
00:56:40and at 8 o'clock
00:56:41the cars will roll off.
00:56:43Right now
00:56:43we'd like to take a look back
00:56:45at last year's
00:56:46dramatic French
00:56:47and Grand Prix.
00:56:49I was about to say
00:56:50dramatic and historic.
00:56:52We'll explore
00:56:52the reasons why.
00:56:53Of course,
00:56:54Fernando Alonso
00:56:54started from
00:56:55all in the Renault.
00:56:56Michael Schumacher
00:56:57in the Ferrari
00:56:57starting second.
00:56:58Alonso's then
00:56:59Renault teammate
00:57:00Yarno Trulli
00:57:00got by Jenson Button
00:57:02for third.
00:57:03Always exciting
00:57:03down there
00:57:04on the Grand Courbe
00:57:05at the start of the race.
00:57:06Schumacher
00:57:07pressured Alonso
00:57:08heavily
00:57:08waiting for him to pit
00:57:09hoping for a mistake
00:57:10but he did not pit
00:57:12so the first man
00:57:13into the box
00:57:14would be
00:57:15the world champion
00:57:16himself
00:57:17and that's where
00:57:18the story really began.
00:57:19That was on lap 11
00:57:21early there
00:57:22as Michael Schumacher
00:57:23came in for his stop
00:57:24took on some fuel
00:57:25four laps later
00:57:26Alonso himself
00:57:27of course
00:57:28had to come in
00:57:29but came out
00:57:30still in front of Michael
00:57:31holding on to the lead.
00:57:35There you see him
00:57:36coming out
00:57:36but just stays
00:57:37in front.
00:57:39Ferrari changed
00:57:40Schumacher's strategy
00:57:40because he was really
00:57:41turning some of the
00:57:42fastest laps of the race
00:57:43and getting in front
00:57:43of Alonso
00:57:44for the lead
00:57:45before he could get
00:57:46out of the pits
00:57:46on his final stop.
00:57:48but unfortunately
00:57:49for Juan Pablo Montoya
00:57:51and the Lycee
00:57:52chicane
00:57:53and the FW26
00:57:54Williams
00:57:54all sorts of
00:57:55handling problems
00:57:56he was miffed
00:57:58with the team
00:57:58to put it lightly
00:57:59had a lot of problems
00:58:00as did Sato
00:58:02in last year's
00:58:03BAR
00:58:03the 006
00:58:04engine failure
00:58:05on the Honda
00:58:06big disappointment
00:58:07because that car
00:58:08was running
00:58:08very well.
00:58:10So with Schumacher
00:58:11now on a four stop
00:58:11strategy
00:58:12Alonso had to
00:58:13keep the pressure on
00:58:15remember Ferrari
00:58:16changing their
00:58:17fuel stop strategy
00:58:18on the fly
00:58:19the first time
00:58:20anybody
00:58:20has turned out
00:58:22winning the race
00:58:23on a four stop
00:58:24strategy
00:58:25Alonso putting
00:58:25the pressure on
00:58:26but Ferrari
00:58:27managing to keep
00:58:28Michael Schumacher
00:58:29ahead of the game.
00:58:30On a glorious day
00:58:31in central France
00:58:32Michael Schumacher
00:58:33won what was then
00:58:34his 79th career
00:58:35Grand Prix
00:58:35but it wasn't over yet
00:58:36here's Schumacher's
00:58:37teammate Rubens
00:58:38Baracchella
00:58:38going down the inside
00:58:39of Jarno
00:58:40truly to take
00:58:41the third and final
00:58:42spot on the podium
00:58:43it caused a huge fuss
00:58:45at Renault
00:58:45although the Ferrari
00:58:47boys were obviously
00:58:47quite pleased
00:58:48that as much as
00:58:50anything
00:58:50meant the end
00:58:51of Jarno
00:58:52truly's career
00:58:53at Renault
00:58:549th victory
00:58:56in 10 starts
00:58:57for Michael Schumacher
00:58:58going over
00:58:59two seasons
00:59:00Fernando Alonso
00:59:01a very disappointed
00:59:02second
00:59:03and Rubens
00:59:04Baracchella
00:59:04in third
00:59:05here's a look
00:59:05at the previous
00:59:06winners of the race
00:59:07at Manicur
00:59:07notably German
00:59:09meaning Michael
00:59:10Schumacher
00:59:10and British drivers
00:59:11have won 13
00:59:12of the 14
00:59:13Grand Prix
00:59:14held at Manicur
00:59:15only Alonso
00:59:16back in 1993
00:59:18prevents a clean
00:59:19sweep for German
00:59:20and British drivers
00:59:21the Schumacher
00:59:22family looking pretty
00:59:23good from 97
00:59:23on David Coulthard
00:59:25sneaky in the wheel
00:59:25a win there
00:59:26Damon Hill
00:59:27in 96
00:59:28in the Williams
00:59:29and Michael Schumacher
00:59:30again in 94
00:59:31and 95
00:59:32Al Prost
00:59:33the Frenchman
00:59:34in 93
00:59:35this is the 15th
00:59:37Formula 1 Grand Prix
00:59:38to be held
00:59:38at Manicur
00:59:39in Nevers
00:59:40and interestingly
00:59:41the race
00:59:43was meant
00:59:44to bring
00:59:45economic development
00:59:46to this part of France
00:59:47didn't quite happen
00:59:48and in fact
00:59:49this weekend
00:59:49a prominent
00:59:50anti-consumerist
00:59:52Francois Schneider
00:59:53and his donkey
00:59:54Jujube
00:59:54are coming down here
00:59:56attempting to get
00:59:57the race cancelled
00:59:58in their effort
00:59:59to stop the encroachment
01:00:00of globalization
01:00:01more on that Sunday
01:00:07welcome back
01:00:07to Manicur
01:00:08the sun breaking
01:00:09through now
01:00:09the rain held off
01:00:11although this is
01:00:12a very wet time
01:00:13of year
01:00:13in this part of France
01:00:14the French Grand Prix
01:00:16at Manicur
01:00:16has only been rained on
01:00:17three times
01:00:18in 14 previous runnings
01:00:20and from that shot
01:00:21I see no sign
01:00:22of Jujube the donkey
01:00:23yet
01:00:23so I guess
01:00:24we're in good shape
01:00:25right now
01:00:25let's crank up
01:00:26the volume
01:00:27get ready for
01:00:27everybody's favorite
01:00:28segment here on
01:00:29Speed Channel
01:00:30the sounds of speed
01:00:32the sound of speed
01:01:21which is
01:01:21a challenge
01:01:21and that is
01:01:21the sound of speed
01:01:21loud
01:01:21and the sound of speed
01:01:24echo
01:01:24I can't
01:01:25not
01:01:31hear other oyun
01:01:32I don't know.
01:02:07I don't know.
01:02:38I don't know.
01:02:44I don't know.
01:03:00What are you doing over here?
01:03:30Back at Manicur.
01:03:42I don't know.
01:03:45I don't know.
01:03:45I don't know.
01:03:46I don't know.
01:03:54I don't know.
01:04:00I don't know.
01:04:27I don't know.
01:04:34I don't know.
01:04:39I don't know.
01:05:09I don't know.
01:05:19I don't know.
01:05:33I don't know.
01:05:58I don't know.
01:06:16I don't know.
01:06:24I don't know.
01:06:24I don't know.
01:06:25I don't know.