10/07/2004
NEWS STORY
Ahead of the first part of today's all-important qualifying session, the ambient temperature is 18 degrees C, while the track temperature is a fairly pleasant 29 degrees.
Since this morning's second practice session there's been a rain shower, which has left the track damp in patches.
Having dominated three of the four free practice sessions, Kimi Raikkonen will be keen to be quickest when it really matters, while teammate David Coulthard, twice a winner here, will have something to say about that. Then there's the other 'local hero', Jenson Button, second quickest in both of today's sessions.
In the first part of today's session, the cars will run in the order in which they finished the previous race, which means - not for the first time - the Michael Schumacher will get proceedings underway.
At 13:00 precisely, the six-time World Champion leaves his garage. At the first split the Ferrari star posts 24.9s, followed by a 34.9 as he locks up. He spins a 360 at Priory, much to the delight of the crowd, but keeps going and finally crosses the line at 1:30.293.
Fernando Alonso is next out, the Spaniard forfeits two grid spots tomorrow. At the first split the Renault star posts 25.4, followed by a 34.7. He almost spins, but controls it. At the line it's 1:21.923, he beats Schumacher by 8.370.
Rubens Barrichello is the third driver out. At the first split the Brazilian posts 25.1, but then he too has a moment, losing precious time. At the line it's 1:24.817, he's second 2.894s off Alonso's time.
Jarno Trulli is next out, he's still in Renault's bad book following his error in France. At the first split the Italian posts 25.7, followed by a 34.9 at the second. He's understandably cautious, but still manages to go quickest, with a 1:21.496.
Local hero Jenson button is next out, much to the delight of the crowd. At the first split the Englishman posts 25s, followed by a 33.9s at the second, he's quickest in that sector. At the line it's 1:18.872, he goes quickest by 2.624s.
David Coulthard is another driver with a lot of support here, what can he do? At the first split the Scot posts 25.2, he's slower than Button, but it's marginal. He's pushing hard, consequently he's fastest in the second sector, posting 33.8s. At the final corner he inexplicably seems to slow, crossing the line at 1:23.521.
Although the rain has stopped, the wind is strong.
Next out is Kimi Raikkonen, who has set the pace for much of the weekend. At the first split it's 25.2 followed by a 34.1s at the second. However, like DC, Kimi slows while he negotiates the stadium complex, crossing the line at 1:21.639 to go third.
Juan Pablo Montoya is next out, the Colombian needs a result this weekend. He makes a mistake in the Beckets complex, consequently he completed the first sector in 25s followed by a 34.2s at the second. At the line it's 1:34.386, he's slower than Schumacher. Clearly the teams know something that we don't, which means they want to be out last in the second session. Is Button going to be a victim of his own success?
Mark Webber posts 25.5s at the first split followed by a 34.5s at the second. Then he too slows once he enters the complex. He crosses the line at 1:35.853.
In all honesty, this is taking the piss. The crowd is bewildered.
Marc Gene is next out, the Spaniard going quickest of all in the first sector with a 24.8. At the second split the WilliamsF1 driver posts 41.9 as he slows to a ludicrous pace. At the line Gene posts 1:34.981, he goes ninth of ten.
Christian Klien is on track in the Jaguar, the Austrian posting 25.9s at the first split. At the second split it's 34.9, crossing the line at 1:34.648 to go straight to the bottom of the timesheets.
Giancarlo Fisichella is next out in the Sauber. The Italian goes quickest in the first sector, posting 24.8s, but promptly spins off, though he's able to continue. He completes the second sector in 46.1 and then pulls off into the pits. Don't forget, the Sauber driver forfeits ten grid spots as a result of his engine change yesterday.
Teammate Felipe Massa posts 24.8s at the first split, followed by a 34.4 at the second. Unlike his rivals, Massa doesn't slow in the stadium, and consequently crosses the line at 1:19.317, to go second.
da Matta completes the first sector in 25.8, going on to complete the second in 35.6. At the line the Brazilian posts 1:22.507 to go sixth.
Teammate Olivier Panis is next out, the Frenchman keen to remain in F1 next season. At the first split the Toyota driver posts 25.2s, followed by a 33.9s at the second. At the line it's 1:19.697, which puts him third on the provisional grid.
Jordan's Nick Heidfeld takes to the track, the German is currently linked with a move to WilliamsF1 for the remainder of the season. At the first split he posts 26.1s followed by a 39.4 at the second. Like Fisichella, Heidfeld returns to his garage, not having posted a time.
Teammate Giorgio Pantano is next out, will he too fail to post a time. At the first split the Italian posts 25.4, followed by a 35.2s at the second. The Jordan driver crosses the line at 1:21.350, to go fourth.
Gianmaria Bruni is on track, Minardi in mourning following the death of sporting director John Walton. At the first split it's 26.3, followed by a 35.2 at the second. At the line it's 1:22.529, he goes ninth.
Zsolt Baumgartner was one of only two retirements in France, he's next out. At the first split the Hungarian registers 26.5, followed by a 35.8s at the second. At the line it's 1:23.116, which puts him tenth, right behind his teammate.
Last out is Takuma Sato, who will either play it straight and post a serious time, or will opt to follow the example of Schumacher et al. At the first split it's 25.5, followed by a 34.2 at the second. At the line the Japanese driver posts 1:28.910 as he too eases off.
Therefore ahead of the main qualifying session, the order is Button quickest ahead of Massa, Panis, Pantano, Trulli, Raikkonen, Alonso, da Matta, Bruni and Baumgartner.
As for those propping up the grid, Coulthard is eleventh quickest, ahead of Barrichello, Sato, Michael, Montoya, Gene, Webber, Klien, Fisichella and Heidfeld.
Now we'll see if all the 'gamesmanship' has paid off. We now know that rain cloud are heading towards Silverstone, however, at what point will they hit the track?
Speaking ahead of the second session, Ferrari's media man Luca Colajanni admits that "sometimes it's important to look at all the available options", clearly several teams followed Ferrari's example.
The air temperature is 19 degrees and the track temperature 30 degrees, as Nick Heidfeld leaves his garage. At the first split the German posts 26.210, followed by a 1:01.453 at the second. He's pushing hard, crossing the line at 1:22.677, to take provisional pole.
Giancarlo Fisichella won't be going out, his crew pushes the car straight to parc fermé.
Consequently, Christian Klien is the second driver to come out. At the first split the Austrian posts 25.724, going 0.486 up on Heidfeld. At the second split the Jaguar driver posts 1:00.852, he's now 0.601 up on the German. At the line it's 1:21.559, provisional pole.
Mark Webber is next out. The Australian completes the first sector in 25.279, he's 0.445s up on his teammate. At the second split it's 59.613, he's more than a second up. At the line it's 1:20.004, provisional pole for the popular Aussie.
Last out before the break is Marc Gene. At the first split the Spaniard posts 25.373, he's 0.094s down on Webber. At the second split it's 59.932, he's even further off Webber's pace. At the line it's 1:20.335, which puts him second. Either he's running heavy, in which case he'll be delighted, or else he's running light, in which case he'll be bitterly disappointed.
At the first break it's Webber quickest, followed by Gene, Klien, Heidfeld and Fisichella.
Teammate Juan Pablo Montoya is next out, as the storm clouds gather. At the first split the Colombian posts 25.264, he's 0.015s up on Webber. At the second split the WilliamsF1 driver posts 59.009, he's now 0.603s up on the Jaguar driver. At the line it's 1:19.378, provisional pole for the Colombian.
Now it's Michael Schumacher's turn to shine, what can he do? At the first split the German posts 24.888, he's 0.376 quicker than Montoya. At the second split the Ferrari driver posts 58.720, he's now 0.289s up on the WilliamsF1. At the line it's 1:18.710, he takes provisional pole by 0.668s.
Takuma Sato is next out, this should give us an idea of the BAR's pace. At the first split the Japanese driver posts 25.368, he's already around 0.250s down on the German. At the second split it's 59.603, as the BAR driver loses even more time. At the line it's 1:19.688, he goes third.
2003 winner, and pole-man, Rubens Barrichello is next out. At the first split the Brazilian posts 24.611s, he's 0.277s up on his teammate. At the second split it's 58.297, he's now 0.423s up on the German. At the line it's 1:18.305, provisional pole for Rubens, a quite stunning lap.
Last out before the break is McLaren's David Coulthard. At the first split the Scot posts 25.203, he's 0.592s down on Barrichello. At the second split it's 59.060, he's 0.763 down on the Ferrari. At the line the Scot posts 1;19.148, which puts him third. The car looked good, but clearly doesn't have the pace.
Therefore at the second break, the order is: Barrichello ahead of Schumacher, Coulthard, Montoya, Sato, Webber, Gene, Klien, Heidfeld and Fisichella.
Zsolt Baumgartner is next out, an unusual slot for the Hungarian. He's already more than 2s off the pace at the first split. At the second he posts 1:03.005, he's 4.708 off the pace. At the line it's 1:24.117, which puts him tenth, ahead of Fisichella.
Teammate Gianmaria Bruni is next out. At the first split the Italian posts 26.551, he's 1.940s off the pace. At the second split it's 1:02.481, he's now 4.184s off the pace, the Minardi is all over the place. At the line it's 1:23.437, which puts him tenth.
At the first split it's 25.428s for Toyota's Cristiano da Matta. At the second split it's 1:00.278, he's 1.981s off the pace.
Meanwhile the wind is picking up, as the storm-clouds hover ominously.
Fernando Alonso is next out, but all eyes are on the sky. At the first split it's 24.991, he's 0.380s off Barrichello's time. At the second split the Italian posts 58.857, he's now 0.560s down on the Ferrari. At the line it's 1:18.811, to take third. He was quickest of all in the final sector.
Kimi Raikkonen is on track, can he maintain the pace he's shown all weekend? At the first split the Finn posts 25.050, he's 0.439s down on the Ferrari. At the second split it's 58.567, he's now 0.270s down on the Brazilian. At the line it's 1:18.233, he takes provisional pole having gone quickest in the last two sectors. Ron Dennis sports a rare grin.
With five drivers left to run, the order is Raikkonen ahead of Barrichello, Schumacher, Alonso, Coulthard, Montoya, Sato, Webber, Gene and da Matta.
Next out is Jarno Trulli, who barring a major upset will start ahead of his teammate tomorrow, since Alonso forfeits ten grid slots as a result of his engine change. The Spaniard is one of four drivers who will lose grid spots.
At the first split, Trulli posts 25.141, he's only 0.091s off the pace. At the second split it's 58.938, he's now 0.371s down on the Finn. At the line it's 1:18.715, he goes fourth… missing out on third by five-thousandths of a second.
Giorgio Pantano is on track. At the first split the Italian posts 26.101, he's more than a second off the pace. At the second split the Jordan driver posts 1:01.736, the car is highly erratic, seemingly having a mind of its own. At the line it's 1:22.458, which puts him ahead of his teammate.
Olivier Panis is on track in the Toyota. At the first split the French veteran posts 25.573, he's 0.523s down on Raikkonen. At the second split the former Monaco winner posts 1:00.198, he's 1.6s down. At the line it's 1:20.335, he goes tenth, ahead of Gene and da Matta.
Felipe Massa takes to the track in the Sauber. At the first split the Brazilian posts 25.374, he's 0.324s down on the McLaren. At the second split the Brazilian posts 59.699, having lost time as a result of Panis. At the line it's 1:20.202 to go tenth. If it hadn't been for Panis' dawdling he could have been even quicker.
All eyes on Jenson Button who is last man out. At the first split it's 24.944, he's 0.106s up on Raikkonen. He's giving it 100%, completing the second sector in 58.624, he's lost time, but it's marginal. At the line it's 1:18.580, which puts him third behind Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello.
Although the McLaren team looks delighted, and quite rightly so, Ross Brawn is sporting a big grin, possibly aware of something that the rest of us are totally oblivious to.
Other than the shambles that was the first part of the session, this wasn't too bad, confirming, as it most definitely has, that McLaren is back.
Kimi Raikkonen start from pole for the third time in his career, and the first time since Indianapolis last year. In France we saw that reliability doesn't appear to be an issue which means that David Coulthard is in with a shot too.
As ever, the Ferraris are on the pace, with Barrichello and Schumacher both qualifying in the top four. Button will have the 'British boost' behind him, and we all know what that did for Mansell and Hill, while Trulli will be keen to make amends for his mistake in France.
A disappointing performance from the WilliamsF1 duo, and Gene really needs to pull something out of the hat tomorrow.
Summing up, Kimi Raikkonen starts the 2004 British GP from pole, ahead of Barrichello, Button, Schumacher, Trulli, Coulthard, Montoya, Sato, Webber, and Massa.
An interesting grid, and with the ever-present threat of rain on Sunday, we could be in for an interesting race. Though Ross Brawn's smile of satisfaction has us worried.