09/09/2006
NEWS STORY
Sam Michael, Technical Director, WilliamsF1: "It's a bit disappointing not to have the cars further up the grid because we have been competitive here testing and in practice. Nico got the best out of the car in qualifying, but unusually for Mark, he didn't make it through Q1. The car looks consistent on long runs, so we'll be looking to try and capitalise on strategy tomorrow and pick up some points."
Nico Rosberg: "I was pretty happy with the car, it felt good and I thought I could achieve a good grid position, maybe as high as 7th or 8th. I went into Q2 and normally the oversteer goes away as you go further into qualifying and we usually get stronger and stronger, but today the car went the other way. As the track changed during the session, I found myself lacking rear grip. However, we have good tyres for the race tomorrow and I am confident we can get a positive result."
Mark Webber: "It was a tough session for me today - I've never had too much of a problem with qualifying in the past, but today I couldn't find the car for some reason. I was struggling for pace and couldn't get close to Nico, even though I had saved new tyres for qualifying so it was a surprise - not quick enough, it's as simple as that!"
Mike Janes, Team Leader, F1 Track Support, Cosworth: "There were no issues to report from an engine perspective from today's running. Satisfied operationally in terms of engine performance, practice today comprised of final checks in readiness for Sunday. Unfortunately, the outcome of qualifying was not as expected but we look forward to being able to make the extra engine duty available for this event to count towards a good finish tomorrow in the race."
To check out our Italy qualifying gallery, click here