Archive for August, 2004
Trulli Takes Pole For Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher Second
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS (Belgium) Aug 28 - Italian Jarno Trulli claimed his second career pole position on Saturday after a gamble on the weather kept him ahead of Michael Schumacher in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Trulli used standard wet tyres on a drying track to set a time of one min 56.232 secs and flying world champion Schumacher, who could claim his seventh world title this weekend, just failed to better his time after rain fell late in the session.
Renault driver Trulli started from the front in the Monaco Grand Prix in May and went on to claim his maiden victory in the only race that Schumacher has failed to win this year.
Heavy rain has poured on the forested circuit since Friday afternoon but it stopped before qualifying and Renault looked to have secured a one-two when Spaniard Fernando Alonso put his car just behind Trulli in second place.
But Schumacher displayed the advantage his car has given him this year when he mastered his favourite track in worsening conditions to finish just 0.072 seconds slower on a much wetter track.
Scot David Coulthard finished fourth fastest in his McLaren with a time 1.758 seconds slower than Trulli while Italian Giancarlo Fisichella claimed fifth place for Sauber.
Rubens Barrichello had looked set to better Trulli’s time but made a mistake under braking into the Bus Stop chicane, when he went straight on, and finished down in sixth in the second Ferrari.
Australian Mark Webber put his Jaguar up to seventh, just ahead of the second Sauber of Brazilian Felipe Massa, with Frenchman Olivier Panis, of Toyota, and Finn Kimi Raikkonen, of McLaren, completing the top 10.
Toyota’s Ricardo Zonta, of Brazil, was the first driver out but only just made his scheduled running slot after his team were forced to frantically repair his car following a high-speed spin in the pre-qualifying session.
He put in a cautious lap but his French team-mate Olivier Panis set the early running before Australian Mark Webber stepped up the pace with a time of one min 58.729 secs to go top.
Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia, who crashed at the Rivage corner in practice on Saturday morning, failed to push as hard as he should and finished 2.718 seconds down on Webber’s effort in his Williams.
The drying track left the teams with a difficult decision over whether to choose extreme rain tyres or standard wets and BAR-Honda pair Takuma Sato and Jenson Button both struggled on the extreme wets.
Trulli was the first driver to go for standard wet tyres and he set a lap of one min 56.232 secs to go 2.497 secs faster than Webber. Alonso failed to improve after losing half a second in the final sector and finished second. And then the rain began to fall again.
Montoya gambled on standard wet tyres but that failed to pay off and he finished 3.449 secs off the lead pace to put him sixth with five runners left to hit the track.
Only Ferrari could come close to the Renaults in the worsening conditions but Barrichello made a mistake and Schumacher was also slow in the Bus Stop chicane and lost vital tenths on his flying lap.
Schumacher had set the quickest time in pre-qualifying when he set a time of one min 53.755 secs to finish more than a second faster than Barrichello with Raikkonen, the last man on the track, in third.
The drivers enjoyed two trouble-free dry practice sessions on Friday but had just 15 minutes of wet running on Saturday morning after low fog prevented the medical helicopter from taking off and forced the sessions to be shortened. - AFP
Utusan Malaysia
Schumacher In Stratosphere
Schumacher in stratosphere
BUDAPEST,
AUG. 15.
Michael Schumacher set another record in winning Sunday’s Hungarian GP, becoming the first driver to claim 12 races in a single season. He has failed to win only once all season (Monaco), and he probably should have won it, too.
Schumacher’s victory, with second for teammate Rubens Barrichello, also brought Ferrari its sixth straight constructors’ championship with five races remaining.
Schumacher could wrap up an unprecedented seventh drivers’ title in two weeks at the Belgian GP.
In the most lopsided season in F1 history, the 35-year-old German on Sunday also became the first to win seven consecutive races in a single season.
Italian Alberto Ascari won nine straight, but that was over two seasons, 1952-53, and in a different era.
Schumacher won five straight to start the season. In Monaco, he was leading when he was knocked out in a freak crash with Juan Pablo Montoya as the cars were running under the safety flag.
Renault’s Fernando Alonso, who won in Budapest last year, was third and 44.5 seconds behind the winner with fourth place for Williams-BMW’s Juan Pablo Montoya. Jenson Button of BAR-Honda was fifth followed by teammate Takuma Sato.
Starting from the pole with Barrichello alongside, Schumacher took the lead on the first turn and never trailed, not even after his three pit stops.
In a season made dull by Schumacher’s dominance, this race was another non-event, free of incidents with little passing in a processional parade behind Schumacher. Only five cars failed to finish.
Schumacher was in complete control, and led Barrichello by 20 seconds with 20 laps to go in the 70-lap event. He slowed at the end, allowing the Brazilian to finish just 4.4 seconds behind.
Amazing achievements
A look at the major Formula One records held by Michael Schumacher:
— most victories in a season (12).
— most career victories (82).
— most series championships (6).
— most points (1,158).
— most consecutive wins in a single season (7).
In this season’s constructors’ championship, Ferrari has 202 points. Renault is No. 2 with only 91.
In the drivers’ standings, Schumacher has 120 with Barrichello on 82. They are followed by Button (65) and Jarno Trulli of Renault (46).
Anyone hoping for Schumacher to be knocked out by a mechanical failure can forget it. He hasn’t gone out of a race that way in three years.
Jordan owner Eddie Jordan summed up Schumacher’s dominance.
“We had just better sit down and pray that Michael retires sooner rather than later,” Jordan said.
Hindu On Net
BUDAPEST (HUNGARY), AUG. 14. Michael Schumacher claimed the pole for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix with Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello alongside on the first row.
Saturday’s qualifying marked the fourth time this season that Ferrari will start from both front row spots on the grid and, for Schumacher it was his seventh pole in 2004 as he shoots for a record-12th season victory on Sunday.
BAR-Honda took both places on the second row with Japanese Takuma Sato qualifying in 1:19.693, just ahead of English teammate Jenson Button (1:19.700). Renault’s Fernando Alonso was fifth (1:19.996) with BMW Williams driver Antonio Pizzonia in sixth (1:20.170).
The next four spots went to: Juan Pablo Montoya of Williams (1:20.199), Giancarlo Fisichella of Sauber (1:20.324), Jarno Trulli of Renault (1:20.411) and Kimi Raikkonen of McLaren (1:20.570).
Few would bet against Schumacher winning his 12th of 13 races this season. The only race he failed to win was in Monaco. There he was leading when he was knocked out in a freakish accident while a safety car was on the track.
He has won in Hungary three times, although he was eighth here a year ago — one of his worst finishes of the season.
“Compared to last year, it’s definitely better,” Schumacher said. Asked if he was surprised by the shape of the grid, Schumacher shrugged.
“No, not really,” he said. If he wins on Sunday, he would become the first in F1 to take 12 races in one season. He’s already the first to have won 11, and he’s done that twice.
To be honest, Formula One needs someone besides Schumacher to win a race. Although, mathematically he can’t clinch his seventh drivers’ title on Sunday — this is likely to come in two weeks in Belgium — Ferrari can win the team title if Renault fails to garner at least 10 more team points than Ferrari. Five more races remain after Sunday.
Ferrari has 184 points to lead the constructors’ race with Renault 99 behind.
In the drivers’ championship, Schumacher has 110 points in 12 races with Barrichello on 74. Button is next (61) followed by Trulli (46) and Alonso (39).
Although the weather on Saturday was overcast with a hint of showers, Sunday’s weather is expected to be in the high 70s (25C) with clear skies. — AP
Hindu On Net
Ferrari Takes First Row
Ferrari takes first row