27/05/2006
NEWS STORY
For much of this week, the drivers have been expressing their fears for qualifying. This year's format means that in the opening part of the session we will, at times, see all 22 drivers on track, while the second session will also be busy with 16 drivers attempting to make it into the final ten.
The fact is that, especially after the single lap format of recent years, it is going to be busy out there, and Monaco is a particularly unforgiving circuit. However, these are professional drivers, supposedly some of the very best in the world, therefore we trust that common sense will prevail and that we can get through the first two sessions without incident.
Ahead of today's session the air temperature is 24 degrees C, while the track temperature is 43 degrees. Conditions, other than the anticipated congestion, are ideal.
The lights go green and first out is Heidfeld, followed by Raikkonen, Rosberg, Villeneuve and a whole heap of others. Clearly many of the drivers want to get a 'banker' lap in… just in case.
Fifteen cars on track, including the Renaults, as Michael waits resolutely in his garage.
Liuzzi posts the first time, crossing the line at 1:17.146, but this is soon beaten by Alonso, who posts 1:16.311.
Scott Speed goes quickest, but is then leapfrogged by Button, the action is so furious that the timing screens cannot keep pace.
With just under nine minutes remaining, Michael leaves the pits. On track, Trulli has gone quickest, posting a 1:14.883.
Disaster for Massa, who on his 'out lap' hits the barriers at the exit from Casino Square. The session is immediately red-flagged.
As the marshals remove the Ferrari, Michael, is in the danger zone, having failed to post a time, along with Montagny, Sato, Rosberg and Webber. Trulli is quickest, ahead of Coulthard, Ralf, Klien, Fisichella, Button, Montoya, Speed, Barrichello and Alonso.
The session resumes with eight minutes remaining.
Fisichella goes quickest in the first sector, and again in the second. He crosses the line at 1:14.614, though Alonso quickly beats this with a 1:14.232. elsewhere, almost unnoticed, Michael takes sixth with a 1:15.423.
A 1:13.887 sees Raikkonen go quickest, as Webber goes third, and Klien takes fifth, having gone quickest in the final sector.
Button is in the danger zone, but manages to grab ninth with a 1:15.085. However, teammate Rubens Barrichello is still in danger.
Speed gets it all wrong at the Chicane, going very wide, as Ralf Schumacher goes fourth with a 1:14.412. The Toyotas looking a lot better than this morning.
A 1:14.766 is enough to put Barrichello in eighth, but this drops Albers into the 'danger zone', just when he looked to have made the cut.
Therefore, Massa is the first high-profile name to be lost this afternoon, along with Montagny, Sato, Speed, Monteiro and Albers.
Quickest was Raikkonen, ahead of Alonso, Webber, Ralf, Montoya, Klien, Fisichella, Barrichello, Trulli and Rosberg.
The second session gets underway, with Heidfeld leading Villeneuve and Liuzzi back to work.
Heidfeld is on a hot lap but catches up with a McLaren, however, he passes it in the tunnel. At the line the German posts 1:15.137, to set the benchmark.
However, both Renault drivers are on hot laps, indeed Fisichella posts 1:13.647, only for Alonso to post 1:13.622. The only man not on track is Michael Schumacher, he sits and watches, like a cat.
Raikkonen goes quickest with a 1:13.532, as Coulthard goes fourth ahead of Rosberg, Montoya and Barrichello. Elsewhere, Michael leaves the pits.
Mark Webber eases into fourth with a 1:13.728, as Michael goes quickest in the first sector. Despite losing ground behind a BMW in the second sector, Michael goes fourth with a 1:13.709.
With under seven minutes remaining, Button in is the 'danger zone', along with Villeneuve, Heidfeld, Klien, Liuzzi and Ralf.
Michael is called into the weighbridge, which will cost him valuable time. Meanwhile, back on track, Rosberg is on a hot lap, as is Montoya.
Button aborts his hot lap, opting for a fresh set of tyres. The Honda is under-steering like crazy. Meanwhile, Rosberg takes sixth and Montoya eighth.
Heidfeld stops at Portier, as Villeneuve fails to make the cut, which means that both BMWs fail to make it to the final round. Also out are Liuzzi, Klien, Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button. Therefore, British hopes rest on David Coulthard, who gets through to the final qualifying phase for the first time this season.
Quickest was Raikkonen, who finished ahead of Alonso, Fisichella, Coulthard, Michael, Webber, Rosberg, Trulli, Montoya and Barrichello.
There's a traffic jam at the green lights, headed by Michael Schumacher, who has the two Renaults, Raikkonen and Trulli behind him.
The fuel burn-off phase gets underway, some of the drivers putting in the occasional fast sector as they attempt to maintain a 'legal' pace. That said, David Coulthard gets a call over the team radio to up his pace.
Barrichello is the first to blink, diving into the pits for fresh rubber. A lap later, it is Raikkonen that pits.
Next to stop is Juan Pablo Montoya, followed by Michael and Alonso.
Raikkonen goes quickest in the first sector, and again in the second. The battle is on. The Finn crosses the line at 1:14.140, as Michael goes quickest in the first sector.
The German goes quickest with a 1:13.898, as Alonso goes second with 1:13.980.
Four minutes remaining and Webber goes third, ahead of Raikkonen and Fisichella.
Coulthard is the last driver to stop for fresh rubber, with less than three minutes remaining.
Surprisingly, both Renaults pit, Fisichella having previously made an unscheduled stop. The blue and yellow cars return to the track for a final assault on pole.
Raikkonen goes quickest in the first sector, but loses ground in the second sector. Meanwhile, Michael has gone quickest in the first sector, as Kimi fails to improve. The Ferrari star loses ground in the second sector, before getting it totally wrong at Rascasse.
The Ferrari is pushed to safety, but this compromises the flying laps of both Renault drivers. Fisichella and Alonso are both on hot laps, but are thwarted by the stationary Ferrari and the waved yellow flags.
Mark Webber takes a sensational third place, the Australian outpacing the McLaren and Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault.
Early days, but one wonders whether there might be some harsh words spoken as a result of Michael's 'mistake', Alonso, in particular, is sure to say, with good reason, that his lap was compromised.
Anyway, Michael takes pole, ahead of Alonso, Webber, Raikkonen, Fisichella, Montoya, Barrichello, Trulli, Coulthard and Rosberg.
A great come-back from Michael following the disappointment of Thursday, however, even as we write this, Flavio Briatore is just one person expressing unease - to put it politely - regarding Michael's Rascasse moment.
A great fight back by Toyota following this morning's disaster, while Jenson Button will surely be having words with the advisors that negotiated his Honda deal, as things go from bad to worse.
Once again, Michael Schumacher finds himself surrounded by controversy, as Pat Symonds (Renault) heads off to see the stewards.
If nothing else, Michael should receive some sort of penalty if not outright ban for those overalls, never mind the race stewards, somebody get the fashion police!
Footnote:
Michael Schumacher was subsequently stripped of pole position, the race stewards agreeing that the German had deliberately stopped his car on track in the closing moments of the session, thereby preventing rival drivers from beating his time.
"The stewards can find no justifiable reason for the driver to have braked with such undue, excessive and unusual pressure at this part of the circuit and are therefore left with no alternative but to conclude that the driver deliberately stopped his car on the circuit," read the statement.
"This is a breach of 2006 Formula One sporting regulations article 116 and hence a driving infringement," it continued.
"The stewards accordingly direct that the qualifying times of Michael Schumacher, the driver of car number five, be deleted.
"The effect of this is that the driver will start the race from the back of the grid."
Furthermore, Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella 'lost' his three fastest qualifying laps after the stewards decided that the Italian had impeded David Coulthard in the final phase of today's session.
Having heard evidence from both drivers, the stewards found that the Italian had held up the Scot, even if his action was not deliberate. Consequently, the Renault driver's three fastest laps were deleted.
The Italian will start from tenth on the grid.
To check out our Monaco qualifying gallery, click here