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McLaren unveils distinctive chrome livery
INDIANAPOLIS -- Fans attending the United States Grand Prix on July 2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will have no trouble identifying the two McLaren-Mercedes cars. This season the cars will feature a
unique, highly reflective chrome paint job.
“Wow,” said 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, who will drive the No. 4 McLaren. “What a beautiful-looking car. I have obviously been testing the MP4- 21 quite a bit already but seeing the car like this is something else.”
During winter testing, the 2006 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21 was painted with the classic orange colors of team founder Bruce McLaren. The team’s new livery was unveiled Feb. 10. “A lot of research and months of work have gone into creating this unique chrome finish,” said McLaren Marketing Managing Director Ekrem Sami. “We are always looking at innovative ways to allow our sponsor partners to differentiate their brands from the competition through their partnership with the team, and this unique livery is designed to be extremely photogenic.”
McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen, who finished second last year in the Drivers World Championship to Fernando Alonso, said the chrome car looks stunning.
“I had only seen illustrations of the new livery until now, but they do it no justice,” he said. “It looks fantastic and should create a bit of a stir when we drive it on tracks around the world. If we can make the car as fast as it looks, then we will be in good shape.”
AMERICAN SPEED TAKES FIRST LAPS IN USGP RACE RIDE FOR 2006
INDIANAPOLIS-- American driver Scott Speed wasted no time
dialing in the Scuderia Toro Rosso STR-01 in his first day in the new car, which he will drive in the 2006 Formula One season, including the United States Grand Prix on July 2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Speed, from Manteca, Calif., turned 79 laps in the new car Feb. 10 at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Teammate Tonio Liuzzi made the maiden run in the car Feb. 9 at Jerez.
“The car tended to oversteer, but we worked on the problem and by the end of the day, we had it improved,” Speed said. “We also did a long run at the end, and that went smoothly. It was our best run of the day, which shows we are making progress.”
Speed and the team also worked on adjusting to the unique power produced by the car’s V10 engines. All other F1 teams this season are using V8 engines according to new regulations, but Scuderia Toro Rosso is using a restricted version of the old V10 engines, allowed by a provision in the rules.
“It definitely has less horsepower and has a different power band,” Speed said.“It’s going to require a different driving style, carrying more speed through the corners as you feel the difference when you drive out of them.”
Speed, Liuzzi and the team will continue testing Feb. 13, at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain. That’s the site of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 12.
Speed is the first American to race in Formula One since 1993. When he races at the USGP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he will be the first American to compete in his home grand prix since 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever Jr. finished third in the 1989 USGP at Phoenix
FIA RESPONCE TO MICHELIN ANNOUNCEMENT
The FIA has responded to Michelin’s announcement that it will leave Formula 1 at the end of 2006 by staunchly defending its plans for a control tyre formula. Michelin cited the elimination of competition between tyre suppliers as the catalyst for its withdrawal, claiming that it ran counter to its long-held sporting philosophy. But the governing body has insisted that the single tyre supplier rule was introduced at the behest of all 10 F1 teams – and confirmed that it is now likely to be brought forward by a year. “The competing teams have repeatedly and unanimously requested the FIA to impose a single tyre supplier in Formula 1,” the FIA said in a statement. “This has been agreed for 2008, but Michelin’s announcement makes it probable for 2007. “The teams will certainly be glad of this.” The FIA reiterated what it believes are the benefits of a monopoly tyre situation, making reference to the infamous ‘Indy-gate’ fiasco that saw the seven Michelin-supplied teams pull out of the US Grand Prix on safety grounds. “A single tyre supplier will undoubtedly make Formula 1 fairer, safer and less expensive for the teams but, above all, it will avoid a repetition of the problem which arose at the 2005 US Grand Prix,” the statement said.
MICHELIN TO LEAVE F1 2007
Tyre manufacturer Michelin has announced that it will pull out of Formula 1 at the end of next season. The French company cited the single tyre supplier rule set to be introduced in 2008 – a long-standing grievance between itself and the FIA – as the reason for its withdrawal. It claimed the governing body’s insistence on eliminating tyre competition amounted to a fundamental difference in how the two parties conceive the role of tyre manufacturers within the sport. Chairman and CEO Edouard Michelin said: “This decision is the result of profound differences between Michelin’s long-standing sporting philosophy and the way Formula 1 is managed by the regulating authorities, which no longer provide a clear and sustainable environment to justify long-term investments.” Michelin left the door open for a return to F1 in the event that the rules and governance of the sport were to be changed. “For Michelin, leaving Formula 1 in no way represents abandoning motorsports, to which the Michelin brand has been committed for 117 years,” he said. “If F1’s ways of functioning were to be significantly modified, Michelin would not hesitate in proposing its services to the different teams once again.” Michelin stressed that his company's decision to withdraw will not affect its commitment to winning in 2006. “No matter what, Michelin will do everything possible to ensure that its partners receive the best service and the best tyres to help them win during the 2006 season, as has always been the case since our return to Formula 1 in 2001,” he said. “Michelin would have liked to have extended its long-term Formula 1 involvement, because the demands of Formula 1 as well as the collaboration with partner teams have been such a source of progress and fruitful exchanges. “Thank you to all of our partners for this.” Michelin had a tempestuous and bruising 2005 season, in which its success in trouncing rival Bridgestone was overshadowed by the notorious US Grand Prix fiasco and its subsequent war of words with FIA president Max Mosley. Its decision to quit F1 has been foreshadowed by several public statements and was widely regarded as a matter of 'when' rather than 'if'. The control tyre formula now seems likely to be brought forward to 2007.
MICHELIN TO REFUND US GRAND PRIX TICKETS
Michelin has taken a large step to smooth the PR blow inflicted by its teams’ withdrawal from the USGP, as the tire manufacturer has announced plans to refund the fans who attended the race at Indy two weeks ago. Furthermore, the company intends to hand out 20,000 free tickets for next year’s USGP among the spectators present at this year’s six-cars-only race.
“Michelin has decided to contribute to the costs incurred by the spectators present at the circuit on Sunday June 19th 2005 by offering to refund their tickets,” the company stated today. “This is an important decision, since Michelin is not at all legally bound to do this. Michelin deeply regrets that the public was deprived of an exciting race and therefore wishes to be the first, among the different groups involved in the Indianapolis race, to make a strong gesture towards the spectators.
“Michelin also offers to buy 20,000 tickets for the 2006 U.S. Grand Prix to be given to spectators who were present at the Indianapolis race in 2005. We are offering this to promote further Formula 1 interest in the United States,” it added.
The company’s initiative should also help its squads to get away with smaller penalties in tomorrow’s World Motor Sport Council hearing, scheduled by the FIA to analyze the matter. Still, the statement ratified Michelin’s stance of rebutting FIA president’s Max Mosley’s criticism towards the company.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to underline the fact that it is unacceptable that our partner teams have been accused by the FIA of having boycotted the Indianapolis Grand Prix,” it read. “The reality is that together, Michelin and its partners have done everything possible to assure that the race could take place in total safety.
“We are extremely disappointed that the proposals made with all our teams were not accepted. These proposals, including a chicane, were technically viable and totally met all safety requirements. On Sunday morning, June 19, the sporting authority had all the means necessary to preserve the interest of the race.
“And yet, the sporting authority rejected the proposed solutions. Why? In our view this is totally incomprehensible and reflects a lack of respect for the spectators,” the statement concluded.
Assuming Wednesday’s World Motor Sport Council hearing on the USGP fiasco doesn’t put this weekend’s French Grand Prix in jeopardy - Minardi boss Paul Stoddart said F1’s “Group of Nine” could boycott the Magny-Cours race if a heavy sanction ensues tomorrow, though none of the other eight squads backed the Australian’s threat - Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher should be back inside the TF105’s cockpit, two weeks after suffering a worrisome crash at Indy. The younger Schumacher complained of a blurred vision following the incident, which ended up being pivotal in Toyota's withdrawal from the race, along with the six other Michelin teams. Ralf was replaced by team tester Ricardo Zonta for the remainder of the Indy weekend. The Brazilian will not be in action at Magny-Cours as local hero Olivier Panis will handle Friday testing duties in France. "I'm fully recovered from my accident and I'm looking forward to getting back to racing in France," the 29-year-old German stated. "Magny-Cours is not my favorite track of the year, but the French Grand Prix is one of six races which I have won in my career so far…" Ralf did not participate in last year’s French GP, one of six ’04 races he missed due to back injuries suffered in an almost identical Indy crash on race day, when he still drove for Williams.
Cracked Block Puts Barrichello to Back of Spanish GP Field
Ross Brawn has revealed that the reason for Rubens Barrichello’s pre-qualifying engine change was a cracked block, a highly unusual problem for any team in F1, never mind Ferrari.
It occurred despite the fact that the Brazilian did no proper running on Friday morning in an effort to conserve the car.
"We had a crack in the cylinder block," Brawn admitted. "It happened at the end of practice. It started using more oil than we expected, and when we checked it was cracked. It’s the first time we’ve had it."
Brawn doesn’t anticipate that there will be problems with the other engines that the team is using in Spain.
"I don’t think it’s a batch issue, but it’s such an unusual problem, we’ve never seen it before. We’re not too concerned about it, but we’ve got to strip the engine down and understand what happened."
Barrichello’s 10-place penalty means that in effect he drops from his overnight position of ninth to 19th. From there it would seem likely that
Ferrari will put him on an "all or nothing" strategy, probably with a full tank of fuel
Raikkonen Over Alonso by 0.003 for Imola Provisional Pole
Seven different teams lined up on the top-seven positions of this Saturday’s first qualifying session for tomorrow’s San Marino Grand Prix.
As the gap between these seven cars was of, you guessed it, seven tenths, it came as no surprise that P1 winner Kimi Raikkonen’s edge over second-fastest Fernando Alonso was almost nonexistent: 0.003.
Raikkonen’s performance should give the F1 world a chance to finally assess the McLaren MP4-20’s full potential, as the car is set for its best starting position of 2005. The Finn, who started 10th, sixth and ninth in the previous three GPs of this season, has found himself “stuck” struggling through the midfield for most of those races.
The second row also marks stark progress, from Ferrari’s in Michael Schumacher’s third position and from Mark Webber’s Williams in fourth.
The Australian edged fifth-fastest Jenson Button by just 0.022, the BAR ace somewhat disappointed after having led today’s combined practice sessions in the buildup for Saturday qualy.
His advantage over second-row partner Jarno Trulli was of only 0.028. The Italian performed impressively, not only putting Toyota close to the frontrunners in a track admittedly unsuited for the TF105, but also being - again - a half-second quicker than teammate Ralf Schumacher, who ended up 12th.
Row number four was comprised of the surprising Sauber of Felipe Massa - in a not-so-fruitful effort, given that he’s due to lose 10 grid spots after tomorrow’s qualifying for having changed his engine yesterday - and the first “repeated” car, the McLaren of Alex Wurz. The Austrian is replacing the injured Juan Pablo Montoya for the San Marino race weekend.
Nick Heidfeld’s Williams and Takuma Sato’s BAR rounded out the top-10. Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello made two minor mistakes on sectors one and three to end up 11th, while Australian GP winner Giancarlo Fisichella badly missed the second Rivazza corner and could only manage the 15th-best time.
2005 San Marino Grand Prix - Saturday qualifying results (3.06mi road course):
1) Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:19.886
2) Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:19.889
3) Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:20.260
4) Mark Webber, Williams-BMW, 1:20.442
5) Jenson Button, BAR-Honda, 1:20.464
6) Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:20.492
7) Felipe Massa, Sauber-Petronas, 1:20.593
8) Alexander Wurz, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:20.632
9) Nick Heidfeld, Williams-BMW, 1:20.807
10) Takuma Sato, BAR-Honda, 1:20.851
11) Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 1:20.892
12) Ralf Schumacher, Toyota, 1:20.994
13) Jacques Villeneuve, Sauber-Petronas, 1:20.999
14) David Coulthard, Red Bull Racing, 1:21.632
15) Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault, 1:21.708
16) Vitantonio Liuzzi, Red Bull Racing, 1:21.804
17) Narain Karthikeyan, Jordan-Toyota, 1:23.123
18) Tiago Monteiro, Jordan-Toyota, 1:25.100
19) Christijan Albers, Minardi-Cosworth, 1:25.921
20) Patrick Friesacher, Minardi-Cosworth, 1:26.484
Gil de Ferran will go F1 Racing with Honda
Gil de Ferran, the twice former Cart series champion who also won the 2003 Indianapolis 500 driving for the legendary Penske Champcar team, is to join the BAR-Honda formula one team as its sporting director.
The 37-year-old Brazilian, who retired from racing at the end of the 2003 indy season, has been recruited because Honda believes the team needs more pit-lane direction from an experienced hand after three races so far this season in which they have failed to score a point.
Confirmation of De Ferran's appointment is anticipated within days, with BAR's current chief executive Nick Fry expected to assume a role administering the team's headquarters at Brackley.
De Ferran started racing in the Brazilian formula Ford series 20 years ago and became a team-mate to David Coulthard at Paul Stewart Racing during the 1989 Opel Euro series. He later won the 1992 British formula three championship but two years later, frustrated at the lack of opportunities in formula one, decided to switch to the US Indycar series.
He drove for the Jim Hall-owned Pennzoil team before graduating to the Penske squad, where he spent three seasons as a team-mate to his compatriot Helio Castroneves.
Vitantonio Liuzzi will make his debut for Red Bull in the San Marino grand prix on April 24, replacing Christian Klien who has been stood down as part of a trial. The 24-year-old Italian will also partner Coulthard in Spain and Monaco.
It's not a surprise that current CEO Nick Fry is under fire since this season has been a disaster for Jenson Button and Takuma Sato. After finishing third and eighth in the 2004 point standings, neither has made it to the end of a race and both have been off pace. And Toyota has scored a pair of podiums and pretty much humiliated their arch rival.
Fry replaced David Richards, who was credited with turning this team around but got left by the side of the road when Honda acquired the controlling interest last winter.
De Ferran is an accomplished race driver -- owner of the 2000 and 2001 CART championships, 2003 Indianapolis 500 and 1992 British Formula 3 title -- yet has never managed a team.
Bobby Rahal, who had a short term running the Jaguar F-1 program in 2000, was happy for his old rival in CART but also had a warning.
"Good for Gil," said Rahal from his shop in Columbus, Ohio. "I know he's never led a team but you know he's there because of Honda. Obviously, they think very highly of him and he's a sharp guy.
"Of course it's going to be a big challenge. It's seven days a week, 18 hours a day and it's going to be very demanding."
But Rahal, who was replaced by Niki Lauda after only six months when there was a change in upper management at Ford, believes that Gil has a better chance of sticking.
"Honda is not Ford and I think it's a relatively patient organization," continued the 1986 Indy winner who also made two starts in F-1 before becoming a three-time CART champ. "What undermined me at Jaguar weren't the people who brought me in. It was the next chain of command and I think Gil will have a good guy working with him named Otmar Szafnauer.
"I hired Otmar at Jaguar to be my COO but Lauda never allowed him to do his job so, after being paid by Ford for three years to do nothing, Honda hired him. He's good."
Still, Rahal has this advice for de Ferran.
"Ultimately, he still has to watch his back. It's a whole different world over there."
Since retiring from open wheel racing after the 2003 season, the personable de Ferran has worked as an IRL analyst for ABC and ESPN. He spent several seasons racing in England and his wife, Angela, is a native of Great Britain. BAR-Honda is located in Brackley, a suburb of London.
ALONZO WINS- SCHUMACHER DROPS OUT
With Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari alongside him on the front row of the grid, Bahrain was Fernando Alonso’s sternest test of mettle. But at the start the Spaniard made no mistake, and though Schumacher remained close to him for the first 11 laps the Renault driver was always in control and there was always a suggestion that Schumacher may have been running a lighter fuel load. That became moot on the 12th lap, however, when Schumacher plunged wide in Turn 10 and then pulled into the pits at the end of the lap to retire with an hydraulic problem that affected his gearshifting. It was the champion’s first mechanical retirement for 58 races, and left Alonso unchallenged on the way to the third win of his career.
At the start Jarno Trulli almost took his Toyota round the outside of Schumacher to snatch second place, but had to settle for third initially. As in Malaysia the Italian’s car lacked the outright pace to stay on the Renault’s tail, but it was still there in a strong second place, 13.409s adrift, when the chequered flag fell, boosting Trulli’s second place points score. To make it a wonderful day for the revitalised Toyota team, Ralf Schumacher completed an up and down race by taking fourth place, giving Toyota their best-ever result and maintaining their second place in the constructors’ championship.
Third place fell to Kimi Raikkonen, who was in challenging mood all afternoon in a McLaren that once again came to life in the race. The Finn fought with the two Williams of Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber, passing the former after their first fuel stops on laps 23 (Heidfeld) and 24 (Raikkonen), and then pressuring Webber into a big spin in Turn 10 on the 34th lap. Various offroad moments for Ralf Schumacher also helped the Finn, who finished a further 32s adrift of Trulli but set the third fastest lap.
As Heidfeld retired from seventh place on the 26th lap with engine failure, the other star of the race, Pedro de la Rosa in the second McLaren, stormed to fifth after the best drive of his Formula One career. Standing in for the injured Juan Pablo Montoya, the Spaniard drove pretty much as one might have expected the Colombian to, charging after Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello (who had sprinted up to the midfield after a post-qualifying engine change relegated him to the back of the grid). Barrichello blocked de la Rosa for several laps until he finally made a move stick in the final corner on the 41st lap, but the Brazilian’s defensive driving lesson was nothing compared to the one Webber gave de la Rosa. The Spaniard closed on to the Australian’s tail by the 46th lap, and they circulated literally nose to rear wing, with de la Rosa looking every whichway for an opportunity and Webber placing his car exactly where the McLaren driver needed to be. It was gripping stuff, conducted only millimetres apart and at high speed all the way, but it never bordered on the stupid. This was big boy’s racing, conducted cleanly and fairly, but without any compromise.
The Williams was not using its tyres as well as the McLaren, and de la Rosa was losing three seconds a lap to Raikkonen having earlier matched his team-mate. De la Rosa actually set the fastest lap on lap 43, but Webber was doing what Williams pay him to do and it was not until de la Rosa got a better exit from a corner and was able to pull alongside on the 55th of the 57 laps that he was able to make it stick.
Behind Webber, Barrichello looked set for seventh place but began losing time hand over fist as his tyres went off. First Massa passed him in Turn One to move his Sauber into seventh place for the team’s first points of the season in their 200th race, then David Coulthard grabbed eighth place literally on his final lap. With Alonso lapping Barrichello on lap 53, it was indeed a tough day for Ferrari.
There were plenty of disappointed drivers besides Schumacher and Barrichello. Giancarlo Fisichella’s terrible weekend came to an end in the pits on the fourth lap after he had already called through the previous lap. His engine was smoking ominously and he had dropped many places when it finally broke. Takuma Sato had run as high as sixth, fending off a train comprising de la Rosa, Barrichello and BAR team mate Jenson Button during the race’s mid-point, but the Japanese driver retired on lap 27 with a brake problem. Button seemed on course for a top six finish, but when the clutch failed during his final stop on lap 46 he was only able to creep to the end of the pit road after the team deliberately dropped the car off the jack to get it going again.
Sauber’s Jacques Villeneuve was in contention for the final point but was pushed into a spin by Coulthard on the 54th lap, the French-Canadian retiring in the pits with rear suspension damage.
Narain Karthikeyan was ahead of Jordan team mate Tiago Monteiro by the second lap, but retired his Jordan with an electrical problem. Monteiro, however, went on to take 10th place for the team.
Patrick Friesacher overcame Minardi team mate Christijan Albers for the first time in the weekend to take 12th place, with the Dutchman the final finisher in 13th.
There was huge disappointment too for Christian Klien, whose Red Bull stalled on the parade lap and therefore was pushed away to start from the pit lane instead of from seventh on the grid; unfortunately the team could not fire it up due to an electronic problem so he was the first retirement.
The race was run in sweltering conditions, and the result extends Alonso’s title lead over Trulli, 26 points to 16. Fisichella is third with 10, from Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard on nine apiece and Rubens Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya on eight each. Michael Schumacher’s title prospects have taken a huge hit, as the champion trails Alonso by 24 points after the three ‘flyaway’ races.
In the constructors’ stakes, Renault lead Toyota 36 to 25, with McLaren third on 19 ahead of Williams on 13 and Red Bull on 12. Ferrari are sixth with 10, and a mountain to climb.
2005 Bahrain Grand Prix - Final results:
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 57 Winner 1 10
2 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 57 +13.4 secs 3 8
3 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 57 +32.0 secs 9 6
4 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 57 +53.2 secs 6 5
5 10 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 57 +64.9 secs 8 4
6 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 57 +74.7 secs 5 3
7 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 56 +1 Lap 12 2
8 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 56 +1 Lap 14 1
9 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 56 +1 Lap 20
10 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 55 +2 Lap 16
11 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 54 +3 Lap 15
12 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 54 +3 Lap 19
13 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 53 +4 Lap 18
Ret 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 46 +11 Lap 11
Ret 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 27 +30 Laps 13
Ret 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 25 +32 Laps 4
Ret 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 12 +45 Laps 2
Ret 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 4 +53 Laps 10
Ret 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 2 +55 Laps 17
Ret 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 0 + 57 Laps 7
2005 Driver’s Championship standings:
Pos Driver Nationality Team Points
1 Fernando Alonso Spanish Renault 26
2 Jarno Trulli Italian Toyota 16
3 Giancarlo Fisichella Italian Renault 10
4 Ralf Schumacher German Toyota 9
4= David Coulthard British Red Bull Racing 9
6 Rubens Barrichello Brazilian Ferrari 8
6= Juan Pablo Montoya Colombian McLaren-Mercedes 8
8 Kimi Räikkönen Finnish McLaren-Mercedes 7
8= Mark Webber Australian Williams-BMW 7
10 Nick Heidfeld German Williams-BMW 6
11 Pedro de la Rosa Spanish McLaren-Mercedes 4
12 Christian Klien Austrian Red Bull Racing 3
13 Felipe Massa Brazilian Sauber-Petronas 2
13= Michael Schumacher German Ferrari 2
2005 Constructor’s Championship standings:
Pos Constructor Points
1 Renault 36
2 Toyota 25
3 McLaren-Mercedes 19
4 Williams-BMW 13
5 Red Bull Racing 12
6 Ferrari 10
7 Sauber-Petronas 2
ALONZO ON POLL-SCHUMACHER BESIDE
Formula 1’s new two-day qualifying format showed this Sunday in Bahrain how the second session can indeed be decisive, after serving as more of a “formality” in the Australian and Malaysian race weekends.
Renault’s Fernando Alonso left the session on the same spot he entered - first - but throughout the grid there was plenty of shuffling, as windy conditions made the track sandy, slippery - and unpredictable.
The biggest change was the swap of positions between Saturday’s second and third places, Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher respectively. Michaels vault to Position 2 gave the Scuderia its first front-row start of the year.
The Williams with Nick Heidfeld retained its fourth position then then was a major shuffling: Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault dropped from fifth to tenth, which meant Mark Webber jumped from sixth to fifth while Ralf Schumacher’s Toyota came from tenth to sixth.
BAR kept their disappointing pace so far to end up 11th (Jenson Button) and 13th (Takuma Sato), with Felipe Massa’s Sauber splitting the Brackley duo.
Positions 14-16 were initially unaltered: David Coulthard 14th for Red Bull, followed by Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello and Sauber’s Jacques Villeneuve. However, the Brazilian’s dark Bahraini weekend rolled on. He was forced to park his car immediately after completing his lap with an overheating engine.
The Scuderia opted for an engine switch, meaning Rubens will now have to start from the back of the grid. To add to Barrichello’s drama, his new gearbox, flown from Italy late Saturday, was damaged in the incident, and his Ferrari F2005 will have to make due with the hastily fixed unit that had bearing problems on Friday.
In the “F1-B” championship contested by the Jordans and Minardis, the highlight was Tiago Monteiro outpacing teammate Narain Karthikeyan for the first time in 2005.
2005 GP of Bahrain - Starting lineup:
1 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 3:01.902
2 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 3:02.357
3 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 3:02.660
4 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 3:03.217
5 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 3:03.262
6 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 3:03.271
7 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 3:03.369
8 10 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 3:03.373
9 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 3:03.524
10 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 3:03.765
11 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 3:04.348
12 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 3:05.202
13 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 3:05.563
14 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 3:05.844
15 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 3:07.693*
16 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 3:07.983
17 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 3:09.428
18 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 3:10.143
19 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 3:10.422
20 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 3:11.261
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA UNABLE TO COMPETE IN 2005 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX Woking, Great Britain, Wednesday 30th March 2005: Team McLaren Mercedes confirm that Juan Pablo Montoya is unable to take part in the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix this coming weekend, as a result of an injury he sustained whilst playing tennis during the Easter weekend. Juan Pablo was playing tennis with his personal trainer in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday morning (26th March) when he slipped and fell, sustaining a minor hairline fracture to his left scapula (shoulderblade). Following a number of tests, scans and an examination by one of McLaren's medical consultants, the team has been advised that Juan Pablo should rest to allow for the injury to heal. Further scans will take place in two weeks time to verify the healing process, but at this stage the team fully expects Juan Pablo to be able to compete in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola on 24th April 2005. Team McLaren Mercedes' nominated test driver for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Pedro de la Rosa will race the MP4-20 in Juan Pablo's place. The team's other test driver Alexander Wurz will pilot the third car during Friday's two practice sessions. Pedro has undertaken 2168 kilometres of testing with the MP4-20 since late January whilst Alex has been focusing on Michelin tyre development with the MP4-19B. Subsequently after a discussion between the team and Alex, it was decided that on this particular occasion Pedro was better equipped to race at the Bahrain Grand Prix. However following the Bahrain Grand Prix, Alex will commence his testing programme with the MP4-20, and will be able to share the test driver duties with Pedro at future races. MORE
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Giancarlo Fisichella cruised to his Second victory in F1 at Melbourne’s Albert Park today, losing the lead only while refueling after starting from the pole. Rubens Barrichello made use of clever strategy to take second, but it was Renault who stole the headlines with Fisichella’s teammate Fernando Alonso completing the Australian GP podium in the third spot.