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2005 Brazil GP
Team Quotes - Friday 23 September
Jean Todt: It has been a normal Friday, with work centred on finding the best set-up on the cars and comparing the two types of tyre that Bridgestone has brought here for us. It is difficult to make predictions about the rest of the weekend. We know we can improve but we don't know how much room for improvement the other teams could have. And as usual, the other unknown factors are fuel loads and tyres.
Ross Brawn: No major problems over the two hours of free practice. The car was a bit difficult to drive over the bumps to begin with, but the engineers came up with some good changes to deal with that. As usual, we managed to carry out a full assessment of both types of Bridgestone tyre. The softer one is faster over the first lap, but it grains a bit more. Tonight we will look at all the wear figures to decide which tyre to use. In general terms, the car is not bad.
BAR Honda's Brazilian Grand Prix challenge got underway in Sao Paulo today as Jenson Button and Takuma Sato took to the track for the first day of running in today's free practice sessions.
Conditions were warm and sunny as the drivers reacquainted themselves with the notoriously bumpy Interlagos circuit and moved to the top of the timesheets in the first session of the day. Takuma finished the morning session in 2nd position with team-mate Jenson close behind in 4th position.
This afternoon, as conditions cooled for the second session, Jenson and Takuma continued to develop their set-ups to the demands of the anti-clockwise circuit and further evaluated tyre options for the rest of the weekend. Unlike many teams that chose to run with new tyres, for BAR Honda this meant longer runs exclusively on used tyres which saw Jenson and Takuma finish the session in an unrepresentative 17th and 20th position respectively.
Gil de Ferran: "We've run through our usual Friday programme today, spending the majority of time evaluating tyres and set-ups. Everything went smoothly and we collected lots of data which will be carefully analysed tonight prior to us making our tyre choice. The car and engine are performing well, nevertheless there is still some work to do tomorrow to improve the car balance."
Shuhei Nakamoto: "Both cars ran well today so we were able to collect a lot of data which we will analyse this evening. We had a good test last week in preparation for this race and we hope to find a good set-up for this track."
For the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team, the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend began with two solid practice sessions today at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo. Both drivers completed a large number of laps – 39 each – as they worked to determine the tyre choice for the rest of the weekend. The R25 showed impressive consistency on its long runs, and both the new D spec engine and new aerodynamic package are working well at this circuit. Following the tyre selection, the team will concentrate on fine-tuning the car balance tomorrow morning before qualifying and Sunday's race.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: We ran through our normal Friday programme today, evaluating the tyres on short and long runs to inform our choice this evening. We are happy with the car's performance, and the new developments are all working well. As is usual, we don't yet have a perfect balance on the car, but we will tweak that tomorrow morning to get it to the drivers' liking. Generally, a good, solid start to the weekend.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Operations: The first task for the engine team today was to check the sound operation of our new engines, which all went smoothly. We have introduced the D-spec for this weekend, and so far we have had no incidents to report while we worked to tune it to the demands of this circuit and its location at comparatively high altitude. As always, our afternoon programme focused almost entirely on tyre work, conducting two long runs with each car to assess the durability of the tyres. We have collected plenty of information, and it will now be down to us to make the best possible use of it through the rest of the weekend.
It was a productive first day of practice for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. Antonio Pizzonia and Mark Webber carried out their scheduled work in preparation for the Brazilian race.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): We have had a good practice session going through our normal programme with checking brakes, tyres and cooling for the race. We have collected data on both tyre compounds for our decision tonight. Brazil is different to all other tracks, in particular with the lower air density which influences a lot of things. There is a chance of rain which could cause set-up changes. In the event of a wet race everyone will benefit from their recent experience in Spa. We had no mechanical problems today.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): Our drivers went through their scheduled programmes. Neither driver is completely satisfied with his car yet. From the data we have collected today, we will work on improving the set-up for tomorrow and we will make our tyre choice. We experienced no engine problems in today's sessions.
Team McLaren Mercedes driver Alex Wurz topped the time sheets in today's two practice sessions for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix with times of 1:11.701 and 1:12.083. Juan Pablo Montoya set times of 1:13.256 and 1:12.694 whilst Kimi Raikkonen times were 1:13.065 and 1:13.172. Juan Pablo was seventh and second whilst Kimi ended up fifth and sixth.
Ron Dennis: "An uneventful first day of practice here at the challenging Interlagos circuit. We obtained a lot of information and will continue our work tomorrow when track conditions hopefully will be less dusty."
Norbert Haug: "A positive Friday's practice where we covered a lot of mileage which should be a good basis for qualifying and the race. Alex's long runs provided us with good data in respect of tyre comparison and race set-up"
Sauber drivers Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve finished fourth and seventh respectively after today's first practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "This is certainly not an easy track on which to find a suitable set-up because of the compromises it demands. We tested both qualifying and race set-ups, with different fuel levels. Most of all it will not be easy to make the tyre choice."
Christian Klien's second practice session was cut short today, when he braked on the approach to Turn 10 and lost control of the rear of his car. Spinning 180 degrees, the Austrian went backwards off the track into the tyre wall and sustained rear suspension damage to his RB1. Christian was unhurt in the incident and the team has confirmed his car will be fully repaired ahead of tomorrow's two final practice sessions.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: The practice times were quite mixed today with Brazilian drivers in third, fourth and fifth position and other cars out of their normal places. As a result it's pretty hard to gauge where we are overall from those two sessions, but we've identified some handling characteristics we need to work on. Christian's okay after his accident, but we need to fully understand what happened. His car sustained rear end suspension damage, but will be fully repaired ahead of tomorrow's final two practice sessions.
Panasonic Toyota Racing today made a positive start to its preparations for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix. On a dry and sunny day at Interlagos, Toyota's race drivers Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher both had trouble-free days of practice. The team's Brazilian third driver Ricardo Zonta enjoyed his return home, putting in 65 laps over the course of a busy Friday and ending the second session with the third fastest time. Toyota is hoping for more points this weekend in order to close the gap on the top three in the constructors' championship.
Jarno Trulli believes the outcome of the Brazilian Grand Prix could still hinge on what the skies bring on Sunday.
Ralf Schumacher spent Friday working on set-up and tyre choice for the weekend on the slippery Interlagos track.
Ricardo Zonta had a busy return to Brazil, recording the 3rd fastest time of the second session despite hitting traffic.
Toyota is on course for another positive weekend after today's practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Dieter Gass – Chief Race Engineer: "That was quite a typical Friday practice session for us. We tried to get as much data as possible about the tyres from Ricardo. The choice doesn't seem to be straightforward so we will really have to look carefully at the data tonight. Apart from that we had no real problems. Ralf is not yet happy because he was struggling to find grip while Jarno was more satisfied. Unfortunately Ricardo couldn't find a clear lap on new tyres or he would have gone even quicker."
Practice for the only South American round of the 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship got under way today at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace in dry conditions. Jordan Grand Prix drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro, plus Friday driver, Nicolas Kiesa, spent the day adjusting their cars to the demands of the Brazilian circuit and testing different types of Bridgestone tyres. Despite the Interlagos circuit's bumpy nature, all three drivers have been able to improve their lap times with each run and by the conclusion of the afternoon session, the Friday technical programme had been completed.
Adrian Burgess: Today was not a bad day. The three cars were reliable and we were able to gather a lot of data on the tyres and chassis changes we have performed today. I think we know which way we will go regarding the choice of tyres for the rest of the weekend. Tiago's laps were ok, Narain did not really have a flying lap on his new tyres as he had a lot of traffic problems. The circuit is relatively short so it can be quite busy when the 24 cars are out. Nicolas completed a great number of laps, which will give us a lot of useful information. The times were all relatively close so now we will wait and see what tomorrow will bring.
The Minardi F1 Team arrived in Sao Paulo optimistic of a strong performance in this Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix. Apart from the Faenza squad having performed well at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in previous years, the Minardi Cosworth PS05 chassis being used by drivers Christijan Albers and Robert Doornbos this weekend are fitted with a number of significantly revised aerodynamic components, including the front wing, floor and diffuser, which should assist performance levels. At the start of Friday's two free practice sessions, Albers and Doornbos reported the track to be dusty and lacking in grip. As is the norm, however, grip levels improved as air and track temperatures rose and rubber was deposited on the surface. Both drivers concentrated on fine-tuning the handling of their chassis, and Doornbos, who turns 24 today, gave himself a memorable birthday present, recording the 14th fastest time of the afternoon. Albers, who found himself caught in traffic on his new-tyre run, completed the day in 19th place, but still ahead of five other drivers. The team's official Friday tester, Enrico Toccacelo, is not present in Brazil, as he is competing for Team Italia in the inaugural round of the A1 GP Series at Brands Hatch this weekend.
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: "To be ahead of three Red Bulls, both BARs, a Toyota and three Jordans can't be a bad birthday present for any racing driver! Both Minardi drivers did a solid job today on a track where, given our modest expectations, we've always performed well. We look forward to continuing this progress through the weekend."
The Brazilian Grand Prix weekend got off to a good start today in dry conditions with the teams using the two, one-hour long practice sessions to good effect. A dusty track in the morning saw the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers running in 12th and 13th places but by the time the track had cleaned up and some set up changes had been made to cope with the bumpy surface, the pair finished the afternoon session in more upbeat fifth and eighth positions. Minardi's Robert Doornbos, who has the benefit of having run in Brazil in 2004, set the pace among the remaining Bridgestone runners, finishing the second session in 14th place, ahead of not only his teammate and the Jordan runners but also several other strong members of the opposition.
Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Manager: "As usual the track was fairly dusty this morning so grip levels were quite low at first. However, the grip did improve quickly, resulting in some fast lap times towards the end of the first free practice session. The Bridgestone teams all used the time efficiently to test their two specifications and although we did notice some graining on the front right tyres, especially the softer specification, it wasn't too bad and shouldn't be a problem this weekend. Some of the cars were bouncing quite a bit due to the bumpy nature of the track and the drivers were complaining of lack of grip but the teams will work on car set-ups for that. From a tyre perspective, we just need to look at all the data, make wear and blister checks and ensure we make the right recommendations to our teams."
Ross Brawn, Technical Director of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: "Just a regular Friday in Sao Paulo. We had no major problems although the car was a bit difficult over the bumps to begin with. The engineers made a few changes to overcome that. We had a good look at the two Bridgestone tyre choices. As is often the case, we have one tyre which is faster but it degrades more quickly so we shall need to look at the data this evening to make sure we choose the right tyre. Overall, not a bad day."
Team McLaren Mercedes test driver Alexander Wurz was fastest in both free practice sessions on the opening day of the Brazilian Grand Prix meeting at Interlagos. The Austrian's pace-setting lap in the opening session (1m 11.701s – 216.348kmh/134.514mph) was the best of the day and put him almost a second clear of team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya, who was quickest of the regular racers.
Michelin drivers took a clean sweep of the top 10 positions on aggregate. Ricardo Zonta was third ahead of Felipe Massa, Takuma Sato, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Giancarlo Fisichella) and Jacques Villeneuve.
Michelin partner BAR-Honda has confirmed that Jenson Button will stay with the team in 2006, to partner new signing Rubens Barrichello.
Williams-BMW reserve driver Antonio Pizzonia is standing in for Nick Heidfeld again this weekend. The German, who missed two races after concussing himself in a testing accident at Monza, is now recovering from a cycling injury.
Red Bull Racing driver Christian Klien escaped unhurt after crashing heavily at Turn Nine during today's second session.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "There might not have been a great deal of difference between the lap times in today's two sessions, but the track conditions changed significantly during the day. They are likely to evolve again before the cars run tomorrow – but it is difficult to predict quite how. The weather forecast seems to change every couple of hours.
"We have brought three different types of tyre to this race– two primes and one option – and all were well suited to today's conditions. It is far too soon to know what our seven partners will choose for the race, but they have completed an enormous number of laps and we will have to pore over the data with great care. Our engineers have a great deal of thinking to do this evening."
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