Daily Update Formula1 News

After playing second fiddle to McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton for much of 2008, Heikki Kovalainen has his best chance yet of a maiden Formula One win on Sunday, following his spectacular qualifying performance at Silverstone.
However, with changeable weather predicted, the grid for the British Grand Prix may yet prove academic. After three sessions of qualifying in which rain spots and heavy crosswinds played significant roles, this is how it was formed…
McLaren
Heikki Kovalainen, 1m 21.049s, P1
Lewis Hamilton, 1m 21.835, P4
McLaren had the pace to get both cars on to the front row, but first and fourth places still make them statistically the team that starts with the strongest chances. Kovalainen reported his MP4-23 to be all over the place on his first run in Q3 thanks to the crosswind, but put a sweet lap together on his second run to take the first pole of his F1 career. Hamilton went off the road at Priory on his first run, and admitted that he was more cautious through there on his second try. Some of the gap between them may be explained by respective fuel loads, but the truth is that the Finn has been very hooked up all weekend. Will this be his big breakthrough?
Red Bull
Mark Webber, 1m 21.554s, P2
David Coulthard, 1m 20.174s, P11
Everybody was surprised to see Webber plant his Red Bull RB4 second on the grid, even the Australian himself. This is almost certainly the car in the top four with the lightest fuel load, but it was still a good performance that bodes well for a strong race from this emergent team. Coulthard was disappointed with 11th, and blamed the engine oil leak that lost him valuable track time to finish setting up the car in the morning.
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen, 1m 21.706s, P3
Felipe Massa, 1m 23.305s, P9
Raikkonen was much happier with his Ferrari than he was on Friday, but still felt that it was not as good as it had been in the previous week’s test due to changes in the track conditions. He is one driver for sure desperate to know the fuel loads of his immediate rivals. Massa looked good all through practice, but suffered a problem with the right rear wheel nut on his Ferrari during his final tyre change, and never made it out for his second run.
BMW Sauber
Nick Heidfeld, 1m 21.873s, P5
Robert Kubica, No time, P10
BMW Sauber were another team damned by ill fortune towards the end of Q3, when Kubica’s car suffered a mechanical problem at the rear which kept him in the pits when everyone else was doing their second runs. Heidfeld, however, was back to his old self with a strong run to fifth place, having run Kubica very close in Q2 when the F1.08s picked up a serious amount of pace.
Renault
Fernando Alonso, 1m 22.029s, P6
Nelson Piquet, 1m 22.491s, P7
Alonso said his sixth place was a satisfying result for Renault in the changing track conditions, and looks forward to a strong finish. Piquet was also pleased with his best qualifying performance in taking seventh, on his illustrious team mate’s tail. He was happy with his R28.
Toro Rosso
Sebastian Vettel, 1m 23.251, P8
Sebastien Bourdais, 1m 20.531s, P13
Vettel has looked good all weekend, and eighth on the grid showed that Toro Rosso are really getting to grips with their STR3. He was really happy with its balance and thus able to really lean on it in the fast stuff. Bourdais did a great job to leap to sixth place after the rain shower in Q1, and was relatively happy with the compromise set-up his crew arrived at on his car after struggling throughout practice. But he admitted that qualifying 13th was not satisfying.
Toyota
Timo Glock, 1m 20.274s, P12
Jarno Trulli, 1m 20.601s, P14
After Magny-Cours, Toyota came down to earth with a bump at Silverstone. Glock said he was mystified why things didn’t work out better than 12th place for him, while Trulli continued to struggle to get his TF108 decently balanced.
Williams
Kazuki Nakajima, 1m 21.112s, P15
Nico Rosberg, 1m 21.668s, P18
Williams were in trouble again on their home track. Nakajima got through to Q2 while struggling for grip, but Rosberg was a faller in Q1 as he blamed the way his FW30 jumped ‘around all over the place’ in the corners.
Honda
Rubens Barrichello, 1m 21.512s, P16
Jenson Button, 1m 21.631s, P17
Barrichello admitted honestly that 16th and 17th places were a reflection of Honda’s potential on such a quick track, and both he and Button were unfortunate that their final Q1 runs came just as the rain fell. Resultant lack of tyre temperature killed their slim chances of making it through to Q2.
Force India
Adrian Sutil, 1m 21.786s, P19
Giancarlo Fisichella, 1m 21.885s, P20
Sutil and Fisichella were encouraged by how close they got to the Hondas, but the former struggled with graining front tyres. Fisichella had a problem with his VJM01’s engine cover, and his chances of going quicker were frustrated when he spun in the complex on his final Q1 run.

David Tremayne
ref[formula1.com]

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Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:19.957 1:19.597 1:21.049 15
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:20.982 1:19.710 1:21.554 16
3. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:20.370 1:19.971 1:21.706 18
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.288 1:19.537 1:21.835 13
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:21.022 1:19.802 1:21.873 16
6. Alonso Renault 1:20.998 1:19.992 1:22.029 15
7. Piquet Renault 1:20.818 1:20.115 1:22.491 19
8. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.318 1:20.109 1:23.251 16
9. Massa Ferrari 1:20.676 1:20.086 1:23.305 16
10. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:20.444 1:19.788 12
11. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:21.224 1:20.174 14
12. Glock Toyota 1:20.893 1:20.274 14
13. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.584 1:20.531 16
14. Trulli Toyota 1:21.145 1:20.601 13
15. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:21.407 1:21.112 14
16. Barrichello Honda 1:21.512 9
17. Button Honda 1:21.631 11
18. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:21.668 6
19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:21.786 9
20. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:21.885 8

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Tyre warmers will remain in Formula One next year, autosport.com can reveal, after the FIA agreed to scrap plans to impose a ban in 2009.
The governing body had been scheduled to scrap the use of tyre blankets to coincide with the return of slicks at the start of next season in a bid to improve the racing and cut costs.

But that move led to concern from drivers about safety implications, after they tried out slick rubber without warmers in winter testing.
With a big difference in laptimes between cars on cold tyres and those with warmed up rubber, drivers feared about the increased chance of accidents.
Bridgestone was adamant though that the rubber it planned to use would not cause any safety problems - and it told the FIA that it saw no reason to scrap the tyre warmer ban for this reason.
However, one way of guaranteeing tyre safety was for Bridgestone to impose a minimum tyre pressure limit – and this was something the teams could not find a satisfactory way of imposing or policing.
Honda Racing team principal Ross Brawn told autosport.com recently: "You can run tyres for sure without blankets, lot of formulae do, but we are a particularly competitive formula and if you don't run blankets with tyres you need to have a minimum pressure control.
"We haven't worked out how to do that and that was the big concern – how to introduce it fairly and effectively for all the teams? And how do you avoid the massive overhead of policing it?
"The TWG (Technical Working Group) said it wanted to keep tyre blankets because it could not see a solution to controlling minimum tyre pressure, and that was a big worry. So the option of having blankets was the easiest.
"And interestingly tyre blankets are not prohibited in testing, so for efficiency of testing we will almost certainly be using tyre blankets in testing. So we will have had them in testing and not racing."
The FIA agreed that the tyre pressure problem was insurmountable in the short term and, allied to the fact that there would be little reduction in costs because tyre blankets would still be used in testing, the governing body's World Council this week agreed to scrap the ban.
ref[AS]
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Felipe Massa benefited from an exhaust problem for his Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen to take victory in the French Grand Prix and move into the world championship lead.

Ferrari's advantage was such that Raikkonen was able to retain second despite slowing his pace for half the race, while Jarno Trulli held off McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen to claim third and take Toyota's first podium finish since Melbourne 2006.

Lewis Hamilton was hit with a second penalty when he was awarded a drive-through for cutting the Nurburgring chicane while passing Sebastian Vettel on the first lap. The McLaren driver was only able to recover to 10th.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The French Grand Prix
Magny Cours, France;
70 laps; 308.586km;
Weather: Cloudy, then light rain.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1h31:50.245
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 17.984
3. Trulli Toyota (B) + 28.250
4. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 28.929
5. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 30.512
6. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 40.304
7. Piquet Renault (B) + 41.033
8. Alonso Renault (B) + 43.372
9. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 51.021
10. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 54.538
11. Glock Toyota (B) + 57.700
12. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 58.065
13. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 1:02.079
14. Barrichello Honda (B) + 1 lap
15. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 1 lap
16. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 1 lap
17. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
18. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:16.630

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Button Honda (B) 17


World Championship standings, round 8:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Massa 48 1. Ferrari 91
2. Kubica 46 2. BMW Sauber 74
3. Raikkonen 43 3. McLaren-Mercedes 58
4. Hamilton 38 4. Red Bull-Renault 24
5. Heidfeld 28 5. Toyota 23
6. Kovalainen 20 6. Williams-Toyota 15
7. Trulli 18 7. Renault 12
8. Webber 18 8. Honda 8
9. Alonso 10 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7
10. Rosberg 8
11. Nakajima 7
12. Coulthard 6
13. Barrichello 5
14. Glock 5
15. Vettel 5
16. Button 3
17. Piquet 2
18. Bourdais 2
ref[AS]

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Kimi Raikkonen claimed Ferrari's 200th Formula One pole in French Grand Prix qualifying, leading teammate Felipe Massa in a front row sweep.

Lewis Hamilton was third fastest for McLaren, but will drop to 13th on the grid due to his penalty for hitting Raikkonen in the Montreal pits.

That will elevate Fernando Alonso (Renault) to third place, with Jarno Trulli joining him on row two after an impressive effort for Toyota.

Hamilton's McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen and championship leader Robert Kubica (BMW) will complete the leading three rows.

Although Massa had dominated Q1 and Q2, it was Raikkonen who took charge in Q3, claiming provisional pole on his first run.

When Massa then failed to improve sufficiently to demote his teammate, Raikkonen chose to abandon his second lap, rightly believing he was assured of pole.

Hamilton's eventual third place was a comparatively successful result after an error at the Nurburgring chicane on his first Q3 run had left him eighth - and facing a potential ninth row start. He managed to vault to third with his second flying lap and minimised the damage.

Behind Alonso, Trulli and Kovalainen, Kubica took sixth place despite struggling in the earlier parts of qualifying.

He went out for two runs in Q1 to be sure of making the cut, and then came close to being eliminated in Q2, only just hanging on to 10th at the end of the session.

The Red Bulls will start seventh and eighth, with Mark Webber ahead despite being slowed on his first Q3 lap when Trulli had a spin in his path at the 180 corner.

Timo Glock was the final Q3 qualifier in the second Toyota, and will start ninth.

Nick Heidfeld's qualifying difficulties continued, despite the BMW driver's pre-event optimism. The German was just 0.063 seconds slower than teammate Kubica in Q2, but that was the crucial difference between 10th and 12th places.

Despite topping final practice, Renault's Nelson Piquet was edged out of the Q3 positions when Coulthard made a last-gasp improvement at the end of Q2. That left Piquet back in 11th, as the Brazilian missed the Q3 cut by a scant 0.047 seconds.

Toro Rosso looked set to produce an upset after Sebastian Vettel's rapid practice times, but in qualifying the German was only able to take 13th, one place and 0.2 seconds better than teammate Sebastien Bourdais, who will start his first ever home GP from his best grid position yet.

Nico Rosberg could only manage 15th place for Williams, and will fall to the back when the penalty for his involvement in the Montreal pitlane crash is applied. His teammate Kazuki Nakajima was knocked out in Q1, where he was just 16th quickest.

The Hondas and Force Indias were slowest of all. Honda's Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello have lacked speed all weekend and will start 16th and 17th once Rosberg's penalty is applied, while the Force India duo trailed the field by some margin, with 19th fastest Giancarlo Fisichella over 0.6 seconds slower even than the struggling Hondas.

Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:15.133 1:15.161 1:16.449 16
2. Massa Ferrari 1:15.024 1:15.041 1:16.490 17
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.634 1:15.293 1:16.693 15
4. Alonso Renault 1:15.754 1:15.483 1:16.840 18
5. Trulli Toyota 1:15.521 1:15.362 1:16.920 19
6. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.965 1:15.639 1:16.944 18
7. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:15.687 1:15.723 1:17.037 19
8. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:16.020 1:15.488 1:17.233 18
9. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:15.802 1:15.654 1:17.426 19
10. Glock Toyota 1:15.727 1:15.558 1:17.596 24
11. Piquet Renault 1:15.848 1:15.770 12
12. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:16.006 1:15.786 14
13. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:15.918 1:15.816 17
14. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:16.072 1:16.045 17
15. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:16.085 1:16.235 12
16. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:16.243 9
17. Button Honda 1:16.306 9
18. Barrichello Honda 1:16.330 6
19. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:16.971 10
20. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:17.053 9


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After going two races without scoring a point, reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen is hoping to get his title defence back on track this weekend with a victory for Ferrari in the French Grand Prix.
Raikkonen retired from the last round in Canada after being hit from behind in the pit lane by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. He also failed to score in the preceding Monaco event after losing control and colliding with Force India’s Adrian Sutil.
In fact, the Finn has not won a race since the Spanish round back in April. However, with the calendar moving from the street circuits of Monte Carlo and Montreal to the more traditional venue of Magny-Cours, Raikkonen is eager to put an end to his losing streak.

“I don't remember when I had such a great lust for winning!” he said. “Now we're heading back to Europe to tracks which have been built to be used by racing cars. I think that things will look really different at Magny-Cours, compared to the last GPs.”
Raikkonen is a big fan of the rural circuit, his victory there last year having been a turning point in his title-winning 2007 campaign. Now, armed with a Ferrari that he believes will be well suited to the demands of the Nevers track, he is he hoping for a repeat performance on Sunday.
“The smooth surface of the French track, its demanding corners and the quick changes of direction will underline the characteristics of the F2008,” he said. “It was here in France last year that my season practically started all over again; and this is what I need now, after the two races with no points. I like this track and I think that it's perfect for our car. I think we'll be competitive and that we can go for the maximum result.”
Raikkonen lies fourth in the driver standings on 35 points, seven behind leader Robert Kubica (42) and three adrift of Hamilton (38) and Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa (38).
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Robert Kubica took the lead in the drivers' championship after scoring his and BMW Sauber's first Formula One victory, with teammate Nick Heidfeld finishing second in an astonishing Canadian Grand Prix.

The win was a remarkable way for Kubica to mark his return to Montreal, 12 months after his ferocious accident at the track.

David Coulthard claimed his first points of the season in fine style by taking third for Red Bull, ahead of Toyota's Timo Glock and Felipe Massa's Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen made a bizarre exit from the race when the McLaren crashed into the back of the Ferrari in the pitlane during a safety car period.

Prior to that incident, Hamilton had looked set for a dominant victory. He calmly pulled away from Kubica and Raikkonen in the early laps, and led by seven seconds when the caution period was called on lap 17 to retrieve Adrian Sutil's Force India, which had parked in a difficult position near Turn 3.

The leaders all poured into the pits, with Hamilton falling behind both Raikkonen and Kubica. The Ferrari and BMW then dutifully halted at the pit exit because the red light was on while the safety car train came past, but Hamilton appeared not to notice the light and ploughed into the back of the Ferrari.

Williams' Nico Rosberg - who had been running a strong fourth after passing Fernando Alonso at the first corner - was also caught off guard and struck the back of Hamilton's McLaren. Unlike Raikkonen and Hamilton, though, Rosberg was able to continue after a second stop for repairs.

The leading eight cars had all stopped during the safety car, meaning that Heidfeld moved up to first position, ahead of Rubens Barrichello (Honda), Kazuki Nakajima (Williams), the two Red Bulls and the two Toyotas.

Kubica was the best of those who had already pitted, but was down in 10th place.

When racing resumed, Heidfeld made the most of this golden opportunity and charged off into the distance, lapping two seconds per lap faster than the heavier Honda of Barrichello.

With Kubica losing time in the traffic, Heidfeld was able to pull sufficiently far ahead that he emerged in front of his teammate when he stopped eight laps later, although with Heidfeld fuelled to the end of the race, Kubica was able to swiftly overtake on the next lap.

Long first stints then meant that Barrichello, Coulthard, Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock all had chances to lead the race, with Kubica moving ever closer to the front as those ahead stopped.

By the time Glock became the last to pit on lap 42, Kubica had a 10-second lead over Heidfeld, with Alonso third and putting the BMW under huge pressure.

The Renault was on the same strategy as Kubica and had another stop to make, only to spin into the wall at Turn 7 on lap 45. The former champion blamed the crumbling track surface at the chicane exit.

Once in clear air, Kubica was able to sprint away from Heidfeld and open up a large enough advantage to guarantee that he would lead BMW Sauber's historic one-two.

He made his final stop on lap 49, and rejoined six seconds clear of Heidfeld, a margin that he continued to extend in the last stint before crossing the line to clinch a remarkable victory.

Coulthard's late pitstop allowed him to rejoin ahead of most of the cars that had stopped under the safety car, meaning that he appeared in third place by the time the stops were all complete.

Barrichello was set for fourth place, only for a trip across the grass in the closing stages to let Toyota duo Trulli and Glock sweep past him and into the top five.

Massa then passed Barrichello a few laps later. The Ferrari driver had fallen to the back of the field when a miscommunication meant he made an additional stop during the first safety car period, and then lost more ground when he had to make a third and final stop with 18 laps to go.

The Brazilian charged to the end, making it past Trulli for fifth with two laps to go when the Italian had to back off as his teammate Glock went wide at the first corner. Massa then pushed Glock to the end, but had to settle for fifth.

Kovalainen was left in a similar situation after having to wait behind Hamilton when both stopped under the safety car.

He was running ahead of Massa until sliding wide on the fragile track surface at the hairpin while racing with Barrichello on lap 50, which allowed the Ferrari to cruise past both as they scrabbled for grip.

Kovalainen then spent the final laps embroiled in a huge battle with Barrichello and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel for the final point-scoring positions, but was unable to pass the young German and finished just outside the points in ninth.

Rosberg completed the top ten after his early delay, ahead of Button, Webber and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais.

Nakajima retired after breaking his front wing on the rear of Button's Honda. The dislodged wing then wedged under the front of the Williams and sent it into the wall in the pit entrance.

Nelson Piquet retired his Renault after spinning while chasing teammate Alonso, while Giancarlo Fisichella became the final retirement when he crashed his Force India on the way out of Turn 4.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Canadian Grand Prix
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada;
70 laps; 305.270km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1h36:24.447
2. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 16.495
3. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 23.352
4. Glock Toyota (B) + 42.627
5. Massa Ferrari (B) + 43.934
6. Trulli Toyota (B) + 47.775
7. Barrichello Honda (B) + 53.597
8. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 54.120
9. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 54.433
10. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 54.749
11. Button Honda (B) + 1:07.540
12. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1:11.299
13. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:17.387

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 54
Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 49
Alonso Renault (B) 47
Piquet Renault (B) 42
Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 20
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 20
Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 14


World Championship standings, round 7:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Kubica 42 1. Ferrari 73
2. Hamilton 38 2. BMW Sauber 70
3. Massa 38 3. McLaren-Mercedes 53
4. Raikkonen 35 4. Red Bull-Renault 21
5. Heidfeld 28 5. Toyota 17
6. Kovalainen 15 6. Williams-Toyota 15
7. Webber 15 7. Renault 9
8. Trulli 12 8. Honda 8
9. Alonso 9 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7
10. Rosberg 8
11. Nakajima 7
12. Coulthard 6
13. Vettel 5
14. Barrichello 5
15. Glock 5
16. Button 3
17. Bourdais 2
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McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton on scoring his second consecutive Canadian pole in spectacular style; Red Bull’s Mark Webber on crashing out of Q2; and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel on being forced to watch the action from the garage. All 20 drivers report back from Montreal…
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (1st, Q1 - 1m 17.886s):
"To achieve pole position here in Canada at the same place where I took my first Formula One pole just one year ago is really awesome. Our car feels good and we’re really on top of our game - even though the track started breaking up in places. On my penultimate lap in the third part of qualifying I lost a bit of time when I ran wide and I knew that Robert and Kimi were chasing me so I was aware I had to give it my all. On my final lap, I found more than six tenths which was enough for pole position. Thank you to everybody in the team, I hope I will be able to reward them tomorrow with a similar result."

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber (2nd, Q1 - 1m 18.498s):
"It was a very difficult qualifying with the track breaking up in some corners, which is a disaster. It was easy to make mistakes with these conditions. When you missed the racing line by just ten or 20 centimetres you were on the marbles with very low grip. However, I'm very happy with second. Certainly it will be a tough race tomorrow on this track. Unfortunately I shall not be starting on the clean side. McLaren particularly looks very strong and I shall also have pressure from the Ferrari, but we have to see who is on which strategy."

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (3rd, Q1 - 1m 18.735s):
"It's unbelievable how much time I lost at turn 10, lap after lap. The track was already beginning to break up in Q1 and I had no drive: it was like driving on ice and I never managed to find the right line at this point. It's a real shame because the car was going very well and I could have fought for pole position. I can't understand how things like this can happen: maybe it's down to the higher temperatures, or a repair job at this point not done properly but one thing's certain, in the race tomorrow, it will be very difficult to get through here. But the situation is not that bad. We are quick, as could be seen all weekend long up to qualifying and starting on the clean side of the track is definitely a good thing. Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow."

Fernando Alonso, Renault (4th, Q1 - 1m 18.476s):
"We have done very little running this weekend and there were still a lot of unknowns before qualifying. The car is still a bit sensitive and the track changes quickly here, and so I am very happy with my fourth place this afternoon - it's a good start to the weekend. The race is now totally open and that gives us the chance to score some big points tomorrow."

Nico Rosberg, Williams (5th, Q1 - 1m 18.844s):
“I am especially happy with my position in qualifying because it was very difficult, not just because the track has changed a lot from yesterday and even from this morning, but also because the surface was breaking up in various locations. The grip had dropped away, so the aim today was not to make a mistake as it would be heavily punished by simply going 5 or 10cm off line. Anyway, I managed to keep everything completely under control and avoid getting offline, and the reward was fifth, which is a great place to start tomorrow.”

Felipe Massa, Ferrari (6th, Q1 - 1m 19.048s):
"This is definitely not the result we were expecting and it's a real shame, as we had everything in place to do well. The car was very quick, both yesterday and this morning and, but for the problem which occurred at turn 10, I could definitely have fought for a place at the front. As for the rest, you just have to look at the times: the first and second sectors were very good, while I was losing all the time in the final one. Clearly, if these track conditions at that corner continue in the race, there will be a further element of uncertainty in a race which already traditionally, can be influenced by chance events. While in normal circumstances I'd have said that starting from sixth meant I had abandoned any chance of fighting for a top place finish, today, I don't think I can say that, especially as we have been so strong all weekend."

Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren (7th, Q1 - 1m 19.089s):
“We worked hard to improve the car all weekend so my grid position is mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t find a clear lap in the final session. The traffic meant I couldn’t get into a proper rhythm so I’m a bit annoyed with myself. But what can I do? I just have to drive a better race tomorrow. Congratulations to Lewis, he has done a great job for the whole weekend but this place has a habit of throwing up surprises. It’s always been a bit of a chaotic race so hopefully that will help me tomorrow.”

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber (8th, Q1 - 1m 19.633s):
“It was obviously better than two weeks ago. In Q2 I was just one tenth of a second behind Robert, but I'm not happy with my lap times in Q3. It is a start, but I still have a lot of work to do. Today it was extremely difficult to choose between the tyre compounds. First I thought the harder prime would be quicker, but in the end I went for the softer options. Normally the track conditions get better and better during qualifying, but here they became worse. We had an awful lot of marbles on the track. This has always been an issue here, but normally this has been in the race and not in qualifying."

Rubens Barrichello, Honda (9th, Q1 – 1m 20.848s):
"I'm really pleased for myself and the team today. After the points that we scored in Monaco at the last race, this is a great start for the weekend here in Canada. In the hot conditions, the asphalt on the track was breaking up this afternoon and you had to take a good line to avoid running wide where it was so slippery. So it gave me the chance to use my experience to put some good laps in and I had two strong runs in Q1 and Q2 to make it through to the final session. It is nice to qualify in ninth place and we did a solid job today. I can look forward to a good race tomorrow from here."

Mark Webber, Red Bull (10th, Q1 – no time):
“I was going okay, but the track was breaking up and there were marbles on the racing line. Unfortunately, on the way back to the pits at the end of the second session, I was slightly off line, got onto the marbles and couldn’t bring it back. I’m not sure how they’re going to manage with the track tomorrow, but everyone’s in the same boat. I think we’ll need to use motocross bikes, as it’s not realistic in a Formula One car, you’ll need to drive on the grass or on the inside of the hairpin.”

Timo Glock, Toyota (11th, Q2 - 1m 18.031s):
"That was just a really difficult session. It was very hard to find a good balance and I was far from happy. The main problem was as each session went on, the track just started to fall away. That made the second and third runs very difficult and everyone was making mistakes. In the end I just got the lap together for P11 and we were unlucky not to reach the top ten. It would have been good to make it back into Q3 but it just didn't work out. Now we will have to see what happens in the race. It is usually possible to overtake here but if there are similar track conditions it could cause major problems."

Kazuki Nakajima, Williams (12th, Q2 - 1m 18.062s):
“It was a bit of a shame today because I missed Q3 by a very small amount and I really had the feeling that I could do it here, but it got harder to set good times as qualifying progressed. But I think it will be an eventful race tomorrow, possibly with safety car periods, so I plan to keep a level head like in Monaco and if that happens, I will have a good chance to score some points.”

David Coulthard, Red Bull (13th, Q2 – 1m 18.238):
“The track is breaking up, as it did two years ago, and it was incredibly difficult to drive at Turn 7 and at the hairpin. The track was swept between the first and second session, but it was breaking up so quickly that it was like trying to drive on train tracks. When you’ve got that amount of horsepower on a car that’s slipping and sliding, it’s incredibly difficult. I think we had the pace to run inside the top ten today, but I had traffic on the last runs of both sessions. On the first I was behind Bourdais, and on the second behind Piquet. It’s unfortunate to have a continued series of problems, but we’re thirteenth tomorrow, and hopefully we can have a strong race from there.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (14th, Q2 - 1m 18.327s):
"Qualifying was exceptionally difficult today because the track conditions were a disaster. The surface was breaking up and getting worse with every lap. I don't know what was going on but I did my best lap at the beginning and then I couldn't repeat it any more. I spun on my quickest lap at the start of Q2, otherwise maybe I could have been in the top ten. But after that the track just got worse. Today was all about getting a clear, lucky lap. I don't know how the race will go but the track surface is a huge concern."

Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault (15th, Q2 - 1m 18.393s):
"It was quite a difficult session and the car had the pace to go through to Q1, but unfortunately I was not able to go any further than Q2. I'm still struggling a bit with this track, which is new to me, and I haven't managed to get as much running as I would have liked. For the race tomorrow I will try and stay out of trouble, move forward and hopefully fight for some points."

Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso (16th, Q3 - 1m 18.916s):
“The track is falling apart and the conditions are really difficult. Because of the wind, there was also a lot of debris and leaves, which made the track very slippery, plus the asphalt has got marbles on the racing line because it’s breaking up. After the morning, I could not afford to make any mistakes and run the risk of not taking up a start place for the race and in these conditions it was just unreal. For me this is one of the worst days of my career so far.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India (17th, Q3 - 1m 19.108s):
“We were almost there, but just not enough today and we will start in 17th. I actually had a worse feeling with the car and the tyres here than in the morning. The grip level was very, very low compared to that session and I think everyone struggled to find something. I think the lap time was alright compared to the others, just sadly not enough to get us into Q2 this time.”

Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India (18th, Q3 - 1m 19.165s):
“The grip this afternoon was definitely worse than the morning. It wasn't too bad in practice and we found a good set up and compromise with the aero and we were quite competitive. This afternoon I just lost a lot of grip and didn't have confidence in the circuit. It was practically undriveable and really disappointing that we could not have finished higher up. We will see what happens tomorrow, particularly if it rains.”

Jenson Button, Honda (19th, Q3 - 1m 23.565s):
"I had a problem with third gear right at the start of Q1 which meant that I had no drive and that was the end of my qualifying today. It's been a pretty tough weekend for us and it's very disappointing to be starting from the back of the grid. We will just have to see how the race develops and take advantage of any opportunities which might arise."

Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso (20th, no time):
“This morning I made a mistake, losing the rear end of the car and unfortunately here the walls are very close, without much run-off area. The impact was not that bad but bad enough to damage the monocoque in a way that it could not be repaired in the two hours we had available before qualifying. This year of course the rules ban spare cars, so we had to rebuild the damaged one which meant no qualifying for me today.”
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By Jonathan Noble
BMW Sauber and Honda Racing believe the FIA must do something to address fears of a split within the governing body in the wake of the vote of confidence in Max Mosley earlier this week.

Although Mosley comfortably won a majority in the vote on his presidency at the General Assembly meeting in Paris, it has not stopped some clubs criticising the decision and threatening to leave the FIA completely if Mosley stays on.
And with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone calling on Mosley to resign later this year for the good of himself and the FIA, BMW Sauber and Honda Racing have expressed concern about the damage such uncertainty within the governing body can cause to F1.

BMW motorsport boss Mario Theissen said: "We respect the decision of the FIA, but it is now a very critical situation for the FIA - between it and its membership clubs. And apparently this does not only affect the FIA, but also external partners like the car industry or motorsport.

"But none the less, only the FIA can solve this situation. So we respect the decision and now we have to see how it develops."
When asked by autosport.com if he was worried that the troubles within the FIA could damage F1, Theissen said: "I think it depends on what goes on in the coming weeks, within the FIA. It is quite critical.
"But what we will see now, is that this controversial situation between the FIA and the membership clubs will certainly make people aware of the fact that the FIA is not in the first instance motorsport. It is in the first instance a worldwide body for the motoring clubs."
Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry backed Theissen's view that he hoped the current uncertainty could be ended quickly.
"We recognise that the FIA reached its decision following due process," he said about the Mosley verdict. "However, the reaction of motoring clubs around the world demonstrates a genuine concern about the extent to which the President of the FIA is able to carry out his role following these events.
"Despite the strong contributions Max has made to the sport, we share this concern and we would wish to see a speedy end to the current instability."
Theissen added that he hoped the wranglings within the FIA would not have an impact on its ability to act as the governing body for motor sport and automobiles.
"We expect that the FIA as a body sticks to its role and handles it professionally, which means governing motorsport - governing F1 and the other series," he said.
"We also expect the current initiatives of cost reduction and introduction of future technology to be carried on and to be really put in place."
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