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24th
August 2003 hungarian gp. race. Weather:
Hot and sunny
Temperature: Ambient, 34°C; Track, 44°C Congratulations Renault and Fernando!! That’s Renault’s first race win since they returned
to F1, hopefully the first of many, and Fernando takes the title of youngest
driver to win a GP. Not that it was too difficult for him, once the Williams
drivers messed up on the first corner and dropped down the field. Ralf
actually spun and rejoined at the back, while Montoya just lost places in the
scrum. Fernando just streaked off into the distance while the rest of the
field joined a train behind Mark Webber, who was running second. Jarno made a
good start, boldly taking to the even dirtier side of the track, to move up
to 5th behind Raikkonen and Barrichello, once things settled down.
When Barrichello made a mistake trying to pass Webber and had to drive across
the chicane, Jarno took advantage and also got past as Rubens had to give
back Webber’s place or face a penalty. By the time Webber pitted, Alonso had
built up a huge lead, even though he pitted early himself. It was enough for
Fernando to take back 1st place once Raikkonen made his stop.
Montoya jumped two places to 4th through the stops, while team
mate Ralf was busy making his way back up the field. Barrichello’s Ferrari
suffered a major rear suspension failure, hurling him into the tyre barrier
at turn 1. The gods smiled on Fernando, as no safety car was necessary to
recover the Ferrari and he maintained his lead. After the demise of Rubens,
Jarno had to resist the attentions of Montoya who was unable to get past
until Jarno pitted again. A series of Cosworth engine failures claimed
Wilson, Fisichella, and Baumgartner. Villeneuve had already retired with a
hydraulics problem and Panis failed to get away after his pitstop. Frentzen
ran out of fuel when his radio broke and he didn’t hear the instruction to pit!
Coulthard did a two-stopper, and came out in front of Michael Schumacher.
Actually he squeezed out between Jarno and Michael, who had had a slightly delayed stop when his engine
stalled and had to be re-started. Jarno wasn’t allowing DC in front of him,
and DC had to take avoiding action! After the final stops, Jarno fended off
Michael Schumacher until the end of the race, fighting for 7th
place, and both were lapped by Alonso on the way. Montoya had a spin towards
the end of the race but manage to retain his third place. Top 8: Alonso,
Raikkonen, Montoya, R.Schumacher, Coulthard, Webber, Trulli, M.Schumacher. Jarno Trulli R23B-05 Fernando Alonso R23B-04 Today at the Hungaroring, Fernando Alonso
became the youngest ever winner in the history of Formula 1, the first
Spaniard to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix, and offered Renault its first victory
since returning to the sport last season. From pole position, the young
Spaniard drove a faultless race, and was only led for a few laps during the
first pit stops. As for Jarno Trulli, he made an excellent start, and ran as
high as fourth on the third lap after Rubens Barrichello made a mistake.
Subsequently, suffering from a lack of grip, he lost positions, but
nevertheless finished seventh, ahead of World Champion Michael Schumacher. Fernando Alonso, winner: “I have said it a lot this
year, but this is the best day of my life. The car was perfect, the strategy
too, and I managed to drive a consistent race. We had some problems on
Friday, but the team worked hard to overcome them. Personally, I want to say
a big thank you to the whole team, here at the track but also back at the
factories in France and England. I am proud to be racing for Renault: winning
this for them, and becoming the first driver from my country to win a Grand
Prix, is fantastic.” Jarno Trulli, 7th position: “First of all, it is a special
day for the team, and I want to congratulate Fernando and all the team. My
race began with an excellent start, and made the most of Rubens’ mistake to overtake:
we had a good fight. However, at the start of each stint, I lost grip almost
immediately: the car was sliding all over the place. It is disappointing to
lose a position compared to where I qualified, but I still managed to keep
Michael behind during the final stint.” Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: “A fantastic day for Renault,
for the team and for Fernando. He drove a perfect race, and we made the right
choices with the strategy. This win proves the work that our people in
Viry-Châtillon and Enstone have accomplished. The champagne tastes good: we
will now work even harder to make sure the next win isn’t too long coming.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering: “I think this finally confirms
the improvement the team has made this year, and the promise we have shown
all season. It is always good to win, but particularly so when it is done in
such a dominant fashion, from pole. Before the race, I am sure many thought
our strategy was too aggressive: I think we have vindicated our decision. We
must not forget Jarno, who fought right through the race and did very well to
hold off Michael in the latter stages. I want to congratulate the whole team
and all those behind our victory today, including the excellent job done by our
technical partners.” ITV Watch : Fernando Alonso is James Allen’s latest
hero, and boy, don’t we know about it!!!! Naturally, he had to be compared
with Jarno, so we had their old view of Jarno rather than Friday’s. You’re
only as good as your last result on ITV, but they are not alone in that. What
a good thing Jarno finished ahead of Michael’s Schumacher’s Ferrari! Not that
he gets the credit for that with such a mega result for Fernando eclipsing
the rest of the race. We’ll see what they do with the highlights programme…. 23rd August 2003 hungarian gp. saturday qualifying. Weather: Hot and sunny Temperature: Ambient,
34°C; Track, 44°C Alonso drove a perfect lap today, eclipsing
his team mate for once, to take pole easily from Ralf Schumacher.
Unfortunately Jarno was unable to benefit from his last place, having a few
problems with oversteer and a tear off strip from his visor! Jarno came in at
6th place, still ahead of Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher. Top 6:
Alonso, R. Schumacher, Webber, Montoya, Barrichello, Jarno Trulli R23B-05 S1: 29.264 S2:
29.896 S3,:23.450 Fernando Alonso R23B-04 S1: 29.180 S2:
29.553 S3: 22.955 The Renault F1 Team scored its second pole
position of the season this afternoon at the Hungaroring. Both drivers
started towards the end of the second qualifying session for tomorrow’s
Hungarian Grand Prix, and confirmed the promise of yesterday’s results.
Having qualified sixth yesterday, Fernando Alonso produced a magnificent lap
to claim the second pole position of his career. Jarno Trulli, suffering from
a lack of overall grip, will start tomorrow’s race from sixth. Fernando Alonso, 1st position,
1:21.668 “It is a great feeling to get my second pole
position. Our car has been competitive since the start of the weekend, and I
don’t see any reason why that should change tomorrow. I had some problems
yesterday, but the mechanics worked hard to sort things out: I want to thank
them, as well as my engineers. As for the flying lap, I didn’t have any
problems, but I was driving right on the limit towards the end of the lap. I
think we are on the right strategy for tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to
the race!” Jarno Trulli, 6th position,
1:22.610 “Sixth position is
disappointing after yesterday’s result. I made some mistakes on the flying
lap, which must have cost me three or four tenths, and the car also lacked
grip. Nevertheless, sixth isn’t a bad grid slot, and I think I can fight for
a podium tomorrow.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering “A great lap from Fernando to take a
well-deserved pole position. Unfortunately, Jarno seemed to get oversteer in
the second half of his lap, which compromised his time. It’s a great shame,
because the two drivers have been running at a similar speed all weekend. Not
only does this put him down the grid, it also forces him to start from the
dirty side of the circuit. In spite of the changes to the circuit this year,
we still expect it to be difficult to pass, and therefore pole position is
all the more valuable.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “Firstly, it is pleasing to confirm the
promise we demonstrated yesterday: we are competitive with the very top teams
at this circuit. However, the gap between our pilots demonstrates that the
balance between getting the right set-up and the correct rhythm is extremely
delicate. Tomorrow, we will have to maintain our pace for seventy laps on a
demanding circuit for both cars and drivers. The new engine spec also met our
expectations, and it is a bonus to christen a new
development by taking pole position.” ITV Watch: how fickle they are! Suddenly
the Renault pair are “an exciting young partnership” according to James
Allen. Mind you, that was before Jarno did his lap: it will probably be back
to the criticism tomorrow. A general improvement in the number of driver
interviews and not just the Brits either. One blot on their copybook……no
press conference, not even 30 seconds of it. 23rd August 2003 hungarian gp. saturday practice. The first session was
marred by a massive accident for Jordan’s Ralph Firman. His rear wind fell
off and he slammed heavily into the tyre barrier, temporarily being knocked
unconscious. Fortunately he was able to walk to the ambulance, but will miss
the rest of the weekend: and fortunately Jordan have a test driver for once,
and by an incredible coincidence, he is Hungarian! Zsolt Baumgartner, who has
now completed two Friday test sessions for Jordan will drive the car in
qualifying and the race. Later in the shortened session, Coulthard almost hit
the barriers but survived and Ralf Schumacher also had a spin. Alonso was
quickest, ahead of both Ferraris. Jarno was 5th quickest. Top 6:
Alonso, M. Schumacher, Barrichello, R. Schumacher, Trulli, Montoya. The second session was
uneventful apart from a da Matta spin. Top 6: R. Schumacher, M. Schumacher,
Barrichello, Montoya, Webber, Raikkonen. Alonso was 7th, Jarno 8th. 22nd August 2003 hungarian gp. friday qualifying. Weather: Hot and sunny Temperature:
Ambient: 33°C ; Track: 42°C
A great result for Jarno in Qualifying
1……P1!!!! It looked like Ralf Schumacher had put in a lap that would be
difficult to beat, but Jarno managed it and no subsequent driver came close.
Alonso managed 6th place, still ahead of Montoya and Michael
Schumacher. Mark Webber also put in a good lap to take 3rd. Da
Matta was the only driver to mess up in a big way, spinning at turn 13,
before continuing. Top 6: Trulli, R. Schumacher, Webber, Coulthard,
Barrichello, Alonso. Jarno Trulli R23B-05 S1: 29.231 S2: 29.911 S3: 23.216 Fernando Alonso R23B-04 S1: 29.519 S2:
29.973 S3: 23.461 For the Renault F1 Team, Friday at the
Hungarian Grand Prix ends with the satisfaction of first place for Jarno
Trulli, but also the feeling that there is still work to do in order to be
competitive on Sunday. Trulli took the Friday ‘pole’ with a faultless lap,
while Fernando Alonso, after losing a large part of this morning’s free
practice session with an engine problem, nevertheless qualified sixth. Jarno Trulli, 1st,
1:22.358 “It is a satisfying result
after a difficult day: the track is very slippery, which meant that we
weren’t able to get the most out of our two hours this morning. I honestly didn’t
expect to be so quick, because the car isn’t well balanced at the moment. I
need to work hard with the engineers tonight to find a better balance and
improve the car for tomorrow.” Fernando Alonso, 6th,
1:22.953 “I’m in a good position for Saturday qualifying.
Given that I lost a large part of the practice session this morning, and that
the track conditions changed in the meantime, sixth is pretty good. At the
moment, the car hasn’t got enough grip, so I’m hoping to find more of that,
and a little bit of luck, for tomorrow.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering “Considering the balance of the cars is a
long way from being optimised, we can only assume that our competitors are
having more problems than us on this very low grip circuit. To see Jarno take
the pole is a credit to the whole team, both here at the circuit and back at
the factory, and I am sure that if Fernando had not lost time this morning,
he would have been capable of matching his team-mate’s pace. There are still
many questions to answer, but we will work through them logically
tomorrow.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “On the engine side, we
worked well this morning, and it is obviously satisfying to see one of our
cars set the fastest time. There is still a question mark over performance,
though, as we saw some cars go slower this afternoon than during practice.
That shows how fragile a good performance can be at this circuit, and also
indicates that it will be a tricky exercise to set the car up correctly for
seventy laps on Sunday.” ITV watch: a pleasant programme indeed,
with not one snidey remark about Jarno! Following the Hockenheim podium, the
2004 confirmation and his “Friday pole” it was positive comments all the way.
ITV think they know all about Jarno’s Renault contract now (they don’t) and
James even mentioned him moving in 2005….and not down the grid either! How
things change on one good result! TWO Trulli interviews as well! In fact, the
programme was a lot more balanced interview wise, like someone put some
thought into it for a change. Maybe they heard F1 Digital might be back next
year!!! 22nd August 2003 hungarian gp. friday practice. Apart from a couple of spins for Coulthard and Michael
Schumacher, an incident free session. Alonso had car problems and only
managed 4 laps. Panis came from behind with a blinding lap (1:21.770) at the
end, pushing Jarno down into second place. Jarno was on the pace as soon as
he hit the track, somewhat later than the others, leading the session for
part of the time. Barrichello was the fastest Ferrari in P4, while Michael
languished down in P9. Montoya also led the session at one stage, with his
Williams team mate in 7th. The McLarens were P8 (DC) and P11.
Minardi’s Kiesa never made it out at all in this session, so he will be
grateful for the test session. Jaguar’s Wilson also had big car problems and
only achieved 5 laps. Top 6: Panis, Trulli, Montoya, Barrichello, da Matta,
Webber. 22nd
August 2003 hungarian gp. friday testing. Weather: Hot and sunny Temperatures: Ambient: 26-30°C; Track: 27-32°C
Renault reigned supreme yet again in Friday testing, with
Alonso, McNish and Trulli filling the top 3 positions in that order. It looks
like Jarno was testing the harder tyre compound today. Baumgartner was again
testing for Jordan, and was fastest of the Jordan drivers, after Fisichella
suffered an engine failure and only completed 7 laps. Jaguar’s Webber and
Minardi’s Kiesa also had blown engines during the session. Best time:
1:22.23. Jarno Trulli 43 laps 1:22.855 Fernando Alonso 42 laps 1:22.230 Allan McNish 42 laps
1:23.092 A difficult first session for the Renault F1
Team in Hungary. With the circuit in extremely dusty condition, it was
difficult to make reliable judgements on the handling of the cars and tyre
behaviour. Nevertheless, the team’s three drivers led the way, Alonso ahead
of McNish and Trulli. Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering “The circuit conditions were appalling this
morning. We appreciate that this is an extremely dusty area, but it still
seems remarkable that the owners cannot have the track cleaned better than
this. Consequently, we were forced to concentrate on development areas not
connected with the cars’ handling, and still have much to learn.” Allan McNish, test driver “From my point of view, it was a good
session. Obviously, the circuit conditions were difficult, and we had to
monitor closely how the track was changing. However, taking that into
account, I think that we have a good balance on the car, and that Michelin
has brought a good tyre choice: our package is competitive here. As for the
circuit changes, they are pretty straightforward, but the grip level in the
new sections is even lower. It will need to improve significantly before anybody
can try overtaking.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “It was a normal session from the engine
side. We had a certain amount of fine-tuning to do, particularly in terms of
engine mapping and cooling, and we completed everything without any difficulties.
We hope to continue working this well for the rest of the weekend.” 18th August 2003 hungarian gp. driver preview. Jarno Trulli 3rd August 2003 german gp. race.
Weather:
Hot and sunny
Temperature:
Ambient, 34°C; Track, 48°C Excuse
me for just a moment……….YESSSSSSSS!!!! It’s
been a long time coming…….Jarno on the podium at last, in third place! He
drove a great race, lucky for once to avoid the accident at the start, and
then to drive his race and fight to hold off Michael Schumacher and David
Coulthard until his tyres could take no more close to the end. Another piece
of fortune (the prayers worked for once!) when one of Michael’s tyres did
collapse, and Jarno was heading for the podium. AND he had been ill all
weekend, which caused complete exhaustion after this extremely hot race; this
meant Jarno had to visit the medical centre instead of the press conference,
but Jarno is one of the fittest guys out there, and will soon recover. A
dramatic accident on the run to the first corner changed the pattern of this
race. Barrichello was slow to start for the second race in a row, and
Raikkonen saw the opportunity to get past the Ferrari into the first corner
by going down the outside. When Ralf Schumacher moved across in front of
Barrichello to block the Ferrari, Rubens became the filling in the sandwich,
and all 3 were too badly damaged to continue. Kimi had a violent crash into
the tyre barrier and damaged his leg as well, but just bruising, plus a stiff
neck from the HANS device. In the melee, Jarno, on the ‘best’ side of the
track for once, drove into second place, closely followed by Alonso, who had
overtaken the second slow starting Ferrari of Michael Schumacher. Montoya
began to disappear into the distance. Every driver had made their first stop
before lap 20 and the top 5 went back out in the same order. A change of
tactics saw many drivers change from 3 to 2 stops during the race, a gamble
for Renault with their soft tyres. All was well until the last 15 laps of the
race, when Jarno’s tyres developed huge blisters, and he was struggling to
protect his second place from Michael and DC. After quite a fight, they
managed to pass him, but to do so, Michael had to leave the track, which may
or may not have caused the puncture that saw him demoted to 7th by
the end of the race. Alonso had made a mistake on lap 31 which saw him lose 2
places, but he was back behind Jarno after the other two had gone and
continued for 4th on a good day for the Renault team. 12 cars
finished, after Frentzen and Firman retired after the accident which had knock-on
(literally!) effects further down the field; Wilson was also involved in the
chaos and eventually retired on lap 6; then Verstappen retired on 24 and
Fisichella, after an afternoon when virtually everything went wrong with the
car, on lap 61. Webber was classified but probably didn’t deserve it after
gambling on passing Jenson Button for 8th on the last lap, but
failing miserably as the tyre wall will testify. Luckiest man overall……10th
place qualifier David Coulthard, after benefiting from the accident and
moving up to 6th at the start, his tyre choice on a good car, then
Schumacher’s puncture to give him second place. Not that we want to complain
about the puncture too much! Nicolas Kiesa did well to finish his first GP,
with a steady drive to last place; can’t help that though, can he? Got to
just mention this again……congratulations, Jarno,
a well deserved podium. Only the top 4 cars finished on the same lap, so the
Renaults did very well.Top 8: Montoya, Coulthard, Trulli, Alonso, Panis,
daMatta, M. Schumacher, Button. Jarno Trulli R23B-05 Fernando Alonso R23B-04 After a long, difficult race, the Renault F1
Team collected eleven points from the German Grand Prix, reinforcing the
team’s World Championship position. JarnoTrulli won his first podium for Renault,
and only the second of his career, after starting from fourth position on the
grid and taking good advantage of the first corner accident. Second at the
start of the final stint, he suffered rear tyre problems which cost him two
positions, but following Michael Schumacher’s puncture he climbed back to the
final step of the podium. Exhausted after this hard race, Jarno underwent
precautionary medical checks. Fernando Alonso, who finished fourth, ran in
the wheeltracks of his team-mate for much of the race. A mistake at Turn 12
on lap 31 cost him two positions but, from eighth on the grid, fourth is a
pleasing result. Jarno Trulli, 3rd position: “It is a wonderful feeling to
score my first podium for Renault. I took advantage of the accident at the first
corner and, during the first two stints, the car was very good: Montoya was
faster than me, but I was controlling the people behind. However, fifteen
laps from the end, I started suffering from blistering on the rear tyres.
When the cars behind caught me, I lost two places, but Michael’s problem was
a stroke of luck which brought me a podium finish. We had a very good
weekend, we were competitive right from the first session, and this is a good
reward.” Fernando Alonso, 4th position: “The result is OK, and it feels
good to be scoring points again. We have been very competitive since
Silverstone, and this is a good result for the team in terms of the
championship. From my point of view, I pushed during the whole race: it was
tough, and my mistake didn’t help matters, but finishing fourth is not too
bad after starting from eighth.” Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: “This is good for the whole
team, and particularly for Jarno, his engineers and his mechanics, who have
scored their first podium for Renault. It was a hard race, especially in
these hot conditions, but we chose the right strategy. We will continue
working throughout the next three weeks in order to stay competitive in
Budapest.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering: “We always
knew this would be a difficult race, because of the very high temperatures
which have a detrimental effect both on the tyres and the engines. The high
quality of both of these enabled a double points finish for the first time
since Monaco, and our fourth podium of the season. The team and its partners
worked well to earn this result in the face of adverse conditions.” ITV Watch: Martin Brundle’s worst nightmare……having to praise Jarno for a good result,
and more importantly (as far as ITV are concerned) a great drive! How weird
though, that it wasn’t until the end, when Jarno was obviously struggling
after getting out of the car, that James mentioned that he had been ill all
weekend, which made the drive even more creditable. Mind you, between them,
Martin and James had mentioned the ‘poor race pace’ myth a couple of times
already in the commentary……lest people forget. They did get quite excited
about DC also, a little bit of bias coming through. Bizarre that Brundle
chose Montoya as his ‘driver of the day’……the guy who had the easiest drive
of the lot…..he even said so himself! Jardine chose DC though, so all’s well
at ITV. I also have
to mention the grid walk. Martin started at the back, so there was no danger
he had to speak to Jarno, and also because that was where most of the British
drivers were concentrated…..a little group, Wilson, Button and Firman, all
next to each other, which was handy. Bless. 2nd August 2003 german gp.
saturday qualifying. Weather:
Hot and sunny
Temperature: Ambient, 34°C; Track, 47°C A very hot day at Hockenheim, so good news
for the Michelin runners. Apart from DC, who still couldn’t manage a lap that
got past 10th place on the grid, even if he was in the spare car.
Barrichello put in a great lap to take pole for a time. Not even his team
mate came close. Drivers whose laps could have been better……Button, Webber,
Wilson……Button making Villeneuve look good. Kiesa did a fine lap in his first
qualifying, just a little slower than Verstappen who has been in the car all
year. Alonso’s lap was a little disappointing, down on the speed trap
figures. Jarno’s lap was “perfect”, as described by Martin Brundle. Woohoo!
He was second to Barrichello at the time, eventually finishing 4th
after the two Williams boys had completed their laps, with a car that has
been strong all weekend. Top 6: Montoya, R. Schumacher, Barrichello, Trulli,
Raikkonen, M. Schumacher. Jarno Trulli R23B-05 S1: 16.603 S2:
35.514 S3: 23.562 Fernando Alonso R23B-04 S1: 16.808 S2: 35.725 S3: 23.950 Mixed feelings for the Renault F1 Team after
second qualifying for the German Grand Prix. Jarno Trulli claimed an
excellent fourth place for tomorrow’s race while Fernando Alonso, whose car
was suffering from a currently undetermined problem, finished eighth. Jarno Trulli, 4th,
1:15.679: “It was a pretty busy day, but
the result is a good fourth place in qualifying. We tested a lot of things during
the different sessions, and the car is well balanced. I am pretty confident
that our race pace tomorrow will be competitive.” Fernando Alonso, 8th,
1:16.483: “I had a clean lap but, in the
end, it wasn’t particularly quick. I didn’t make any mistakes and I was
relatively pleased with the car’s handling. However, the lap time just wasn’t
there: we now have to take a long hard look at the data to understand where
the problem is.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering: “Another extremely good lap
from Jarno, and a well-deserved fourth place. Fernando had a problem with his
car that seriously compromised his ability to qualify well. At the moment we
are not sure what it is, but as he is eight kph slower on the straight, and
because we have also seen a problem with the braking system, we will start
looking there. In terms of the race, we still feel very confident with our
tyre choice. Of course, it will be on the limit, but that is what racing is
all about!” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager: “Today’s results are in line
with our expectations, even if we can be a little disappointed with
Fernando’s position. We continued where we left off yesterday, with a
well-managed programme. There are no changes expected in weather conditions
for tomorrow, and I think we are strong enough in the areas that will be
important during the race. Starting from where we are onthe grid, we can
legitimately hope for a good result tomorrow.” ITV Watch: ITV are
visiting the McLaren team this weekend, so expect a few attempts to make Kimi
seem human, and make excuses for DC’s dire qualifying performances. Ron
Dennis didn’t seem that keen on DC ….apparently it’s a “close call” if they
keep him, and only because they are loyal to their drivers! Not that good a
reason, maybe. What we want to know is…..when are they visiting Ferrari? On
the twelfth of never, probably. James has now realized for sure that Jarno is
staying at Renault, so mentioned that again. Brundle even praised Jarno for a
“perfect” lap…..hard to deny though. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that ITV
don’t praise Jarno before he goes out……I think ITV must be a jinx. They
certainly didn’t help Jenson, Justin or Mark Webber today, by over-hyping
them before they got the job done….which they didn’t. James Allen did his
usual classic moment when Ralf was on track trying to beat Montoya’s time…..
“he’s fast, he’s really fast, he’s going to beat the time, he’s going to be
on pole, he’s…….second!!!!!” Back to the padded cell, James. 2nd August 2003 german gp. saturday practice. Montoya was fastest in an uneventful first
session this morning. However, he did have to abandon his car and walk back
to the pits when it stopped on track after the chequered flag. Jarno was 6th
fastest and Alonso 7th. Top 6: Montoya, Barrichello, R.Schumacher,
M. Schumacher, Raikkonen, Trulli. The other Williams of Ralf
Schumacher took over at the top in the second session. This session was a bit
more interesting, with Michael Schumacher spinning into the tyre barrier,
allegedly because of a delaminating tyre, and DC doing a similar thing, which
he later blamed on changes they’d made to the car. This meant he had to use
the T-car for qualifying. Alonso was 4th and Jarno 5th.
Top 6: R, Scumacher, Barrichello, Montoya, Alonso, Trulli. Raikkonen. 1st August 2003 german gp. friday qualifying. Weather: Hot and sunny Temperature: Ambient: 30°C; Track: 37°C Another great job in qualifying meant that
Jarno was third quickest behind the two Williams drivers, and only marginally
slower than second placed Montoya. The second Renault driver, Alonso, was
fifth fastest, the 2 Renaults only split by Mark Webber’s Jaguar. Webber’s
new team mate, Justin Wilson, on his first day with his new team, was a
creditable 7th. Villeneuve had a slide, or was it a spin? Same
result: he goes out second tomorrow, and that only because Kiesa had a car
problem and failed to get onto the track. Top 6: R.Schumacher, Montoya,
Trulli, Webber, Alonso, Raikkonen. Jarno Trulli R23B-05
S1:16.326 S2: 35.304 S3: 23.374 Fernando Alonso R23B-04
S1:16.396 S2: 35.276 S3: 23.542 A pleasing first day for the Renault F1 Team
at the German Grand Prix. After making good use of this morning’s private test
session, the team’s two drivers finished third and fifth, Jarno Trulli ahead
of Fernando Alonso, in the first qualifying session. Jarno Trulli, 3rd,
1:15.004 “A good day! We worked on tyres
and set-up during the morning, and the result is that we have made a good
tyre choice and the car is reasonably well balanced. We lost a bit of time
this morning, which may have cost a little in terms of our competitiveness,
but I am looking forward to tomorrow. This could be a good weekend for us.” Fernando Alonso, 5th,
1:15.214 “I am in a good position:
everybody knows that the important thing on Friday is to make sure you get a
solid result, and my run tomorrow will be when the track conditions are at
their best. Today, our programme was based around tyre and set-up work. The
car is still understeering a little bit, but we can work on that some more
tomorrow.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering “A straightforward qualifying
session. The balance on both cars is nearly there, but there is still a
little work to do. The car obviously has the raw speed at this track, and our
concentration must now be on ensuring we get good straightline speed with our
race set-up, and look after the tyres, which are under a lot of strain at
this circuit in these hot conditions.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “Relative to
our performance this morning, we are where we expected to be. It has been a
satisfying first day, during which we completed our planned programme. We are
in a good position in terms of pure performance, and I think we can expect a
strong result from the rest of the weekend.” ITV Watch: Justin Wilson is a good driver but unfortunately for us, ITV are
nearly wetting themselves with excitement because he is driving for Jaguar.
What’s more, he was their “hero of the day” because he qualified 7th
and above the Ferraris. So we had the two JW interviews alongside the two JB
ones and the two DC ones. What, no Ralph Firman? He only outqualified
Fisichella today. And no Allan McNish? But we can’t complain….we had TWO
Trulli interviews, one before and one after qualifying . We think maybe
Louise has developed a little soft spot for our man. Or maybe she’s realized
he’s cooperative and easy to interview! He did deserve it though, as he’s
been quick all day. Only blot on the horizon is Brundle’s continuous
slagging…..it seems every race weekend he criticizes Jarno’s racing….this
time it was Silverstone, with no allowance for the tyres or car balance or
lack of speed being a problem. Yet they are happy to discuss the Renault’s
lack of power in general! And their penchant for stating the obvious is
becoming very irritating. 1st August 2003 german gp.
friday practice.
For much of the session, Jarno was the fastest
driver, and for a long time, one and a half seconds ahead of the next fastest
car. He was pipped in the dying laps by Coulthard’s McLaren. Team mate Alonso
missed much of the session, but pulled out a quick lap that was good enough
for third. The Ferraris were almost out of sight, in 11th (MS) and
16th (RB), as was Raikkonen in the other McLaren. The Williams
were 5th (JPM) and 8th (RS). Top 6: Coulthard, Trulli,
Alonso, Webber, Montoya, da Matta. 1st August 2003 german gp. friday testing. Weather: Hot and sunny Temperatures: Ambient:
21-27°C; Track: 24-33°C A few new faces in Friday
testing this morning, as Nicolas Kiesa began his Minardi career in place of
Justin Wilson, who has swapped his black and white car for British racing
green, alongside Mark Webber at Jaguar. Two other new boys were Gianmaria
Bruni, testing for Minardi, and Zsolt Baumgartner in a Jordan. The Renault
boys claimed the first 3 time slots, with Jarno quickest, then Alonso and
McNish. There was almost 0.5 of a second between McNish and the next fastest
car, Mark Webber’s Jaguar. Jarno Trulli 1:16.074 47 laps Fernando Alonso 1:16.190 52
laps Allan McNish 1:16.304 42 laps A good morning’s work so far for the Renault
F1 Team at the Hockenheimring, with three cars leading the way during the
private test session in Germany. In total, the three drivers completed 141
laps, which equates to more than two race distances, with Jarno Trulli ahead
of teammates Fernando Alonso and Allan McNish. Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: “Track conditions were good this morning, and
we ran with good circuit temperatures given that it was only Friday morning.
Consequently, we were able to complete some useful tyre work, evaluating
choices for this Grand Prix and future races. The balance of the cars is
quite good, and this session will prove a solid cornerstone for the rest of
the weekend.” Allan McNish, test driver: “I had an imbalance in the car this morning, perhaps
because of the low grip levels on the circuit, which meant we worked longer
than normal on set-up to resolve it. Once we had done, however, I had a
reasonably consistent car for our tyre programmes. Given the way in which the
temperatures are expected to change during the weekend, the tyre choice won’t
be easy, but I am pleased after a session in which we were
all on the pace throughout.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager: “A normal Friday morning
from the engine point of view: we concentrated on fine-tuning the engine, and
managed to complete our programme without incident. It is also worth noting
that our cars are already close to the qualifying times from last year.
Overall, this was an encouraging session.” 28th July 2003 german gp. driver preview. Jarno Trulli Jarno, you finished the race at Silverstone
but, once again, circumstances conspired against you. Do you think you can
have a problem-free race in Hockenheim? Before every race, I am
confident we can do a good a job. We have a strong package, and the essential
thing now is to get everything right on Sunday. Circumstances obviously
prevented that at Silverstone, but I am feeling good about the races ahead. From a driver’s point of view, what have the
modifications to the Hockenheim layout changed? The new circuit is completely
different: there is no comparison between them. The old layout was all about
low downforce and high speed, whereas we now have a medium downforce track.
We also have a lot of tarmac run-offs now: they don’t change our approach in
terms of driving, but it makes our life safer. The drivers have been pushing
a lot for these tarmac areas, and things are much better like this. And what will be the key factors in terms of
set-up? The circuit
now has just one long straight for overtaking, so I think we will need good
straightline speed to be able to match our rivals and be battling with them.
We know the car is strong through the corners, and on the exits of the slower
sections, so I believe we are in good shape for the race. 19th July 2003 british gp. race. Weather:
warm, sunny with broken cloud Temperature:
Ambient, 24°C; Track, 29°C
When the lights went out, Jarno stormed down into
Copse corner ahead of Barrichello, and very exciting it was too! Jarno comfortably
held the lead pursued by Raikkonen, who had also got past Barrichello, and
was pulling away, when Coulthard threw his loose headrest out of the car onto
the track, causing the safety car to be deployed. When David knew he had a
problem with the darn thing, why didn’t he pit to fix it? Jarno had it all to
do again, and was succeeding, when on lap 13 some moron decided that maybe
he’d lived long enough, somehow got onto the track and proceeded to run
against the traffic down Hangar Straight! In this case the traffic was doing
about 170 mph, so this was not a great idea. A marshal unceremoniously dumped
the lunatic on the ground and dragged him behind the wall, hopefully to give
him a good thrashing. The safety car was out by now and 13 cars, including
Jarno, decided to pit. Jarno came back out in 4th place, but the
balance and grip of the car had disappeared, and the Renault’s lack of
straight line speed began to hurt, as the faster cars were eventually able to
pass after a bit of a battle. 13 cars stopped during the second safety car
period, and Michael Schumacher dropped to 14th, when he had to
wait for service behind Barrichello, but eventually fought his way back up
the field to finish 4th. There was a lot of overtaking in this
race, as the Ferraris, Williams and McLarens carved their way through the
race. Raikkonen made a mistake, which dropped him down to 3rd in
the end. Montoya kept his head throughout to take 2nd place. There
were only 3 retirements: Pizzonia with an engine failure, Fisichella with a
broken rear suspension, and Alonso, with an electrical problem on lap 54,
which had caused a problem pit stop when he stalled and then lost traction
control. Villeneuve didn’t finish the race either after throwing the car into
the tyre wall during the last lap. Jarno was unable to hold off Coulthard in
the last few laps and finished 6th. It should be pleasing that he
finished and got points, and it is, but it was disappointing at the same time
because the afternoon started with so much promise. Top 8: Barrichello,
Montoya, Raikkonen, M. Schumacher, Coulthard, Trulli, da Matta, Button. Jarno Trulli R23B-05 Fernando Alonso R23B-04 A
difficult British Grand Prix for the Renault F1 Team. In spite of incidents
during the race which cost both drivers dear, the team nonetheless added
three more points to its championship score. Jarno
Trulli started second, and was leading the race when the safety car was
deployed on both occasions. After his first pit-stop, he suffered from a loss
of overall grip which prevented him from maintaining his early pace. He
fought throughout the race, notably with Michael Schumacher and David
Coulthard, and finished sixth. Fernando Alonso lost a significant amount of
time during the first pit-stop, made during the second safety car period, as
he was forced to queue behind his teammate. He was climbing back up the field
during his second stint, but suffered a major electrical
failure at his second pit-stop. His engine stalled, and he then drove without
certain electronic systems, including traction control, before a gearbox
problem ended his race. Jarno
Trulli, 6th position: “Mixed feelings for me at the end of this race: on
the positive side, I scored three more points, but it’s a disappointing
result given where I qualified. The car was perfect at the start of the race,
and I was pulling away from Raikkonen, but both safety car periods cost me.
After my first stop, the car’s handling changed, and I lost grip all the way
round the circuit. I was pushing all the way through the race, and had to
fight hard to defend my position: it was right on the limit a few items, but
always fair. Overall, I am not sure whether to be satisfied or disappointed.” Fernando
Alonso, retired, lap 52: “I
was unfortunate not to complete the race, because I think I would have
finished in a strong position. The car was handling well, and I felt I made
the right tyre choice. At my second stop, the idle speed of the engine was
very low, and it stalled. The mechanics pushed me to get the car going again,
and then I had to drive without traction control: it was a little
uncomfortable, but I was quite quick even so.” Mike
Gascoyne, Technical Director, Renault F1 Team: “A
very disappointing end to a competitive weekend. The two safety car incidents
ruined our race: Jarno was pulling away from the cars behind and, when he was
in the lead, things were trouble-free. As soon as he fell back into traffic,
though, his lack of straight-line speed hurt him and he lost places. Fernando
lost out by coming into the pits second at his first stop, and thus having to
queue. He was driving well to climb back up the field when his engine stalled
at the second stop. The car suffered a major electrical problem, and Fernando
had to retire when the gearbox would no longer change gear.” Denis
Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager, Renault F1 Team: “This
was a race in which being able to defend one’s position was essential, given
the number of overtaking manoeuvres we witnessed. The start of the race was
in line with our expectations, but was disrupted by some unusual incidents
which hurt us, and even though we go home with more points, we can only be
disappointed after qualifying so well.” ITV
Watch: ITV invited Arnold Schwartzenegger into the studio
for far too long and proceeded to suck up to him in a big way. Also had to
skip past the Lawrence Dallaglio “making parts for Jordan” item. When we
finally got on the grid, interesting to see Louise was given the Jarno
interview, while Brundle only wanted Flavio from the Renault team. Jarno
kindly mentioned his support at Copse corner……that was us! During the race,
ITV were clearly stunned to find Jarno in the lead and actually pulling away,
but they were relieved to see everything back to the way they like it after
the first pit stop, when the Renault lacked grip, and Jarno was back in the
pack. Funny how they make allowances for the tyres and lack of grip and track
conditions where other drivers are concerned, but when it’s Jarno, they imply
it’s always his fault. Funniest moment of the day though, was ITV missing all
the action when the madman ran onto the track: we just caught a glimpse of
the guy running along Hangar Straight when ITV went to a commercial
break…….which lasted all through the marshal tackling the idiot, and 13 cars
pitting and coming back onto the track! Incompetence and inflexibility……the
hallmarks of ITV’s F1 coverage! Then they had to replay all the action when
they came back, several minutes after the event. James Allen even mentioned
Villeneuve finishing the race, when we’d quite clearly seen him smack into
the tyre wall 30 seconds earlier. Oh dear…
19th July 2003 british gp. saturday qualifying. After failing to set a
timed lap in the warm up, a blinding lap from Jarno nevertheless gave him 2nd
position on the grid, at the end of qualifying 2. No one came close to
Barrichello’s quick time set at the beginning of the session, until Jarno
completed his lap sixth from the end. Then, one after another, the 2
Willliams, and finally Michael Schumacher, who made a mistake on his lap,
failed to compete with Jarno’s time. Button was unable to complete a flying
lap due to suspension failure, after he hit a kerb, so starts from the back.
Top 6: Barrichello, Trulli, Raikkonen, Montoya, M. Schumacher, da Matta. Weather: hot and sunny Temperature:
Ambient, 29°C; Track, 39°C
Jarno Trulli R23B-05 S1: 26.577 S2:
34.085 S3: 20.719 Fernando Alonso R23B-04 S1: 26.980
S2: 34.347 S3: 21.077 A surprising result for the Renault F1 Team
following the second qualifying session at Silverstone. Jarno Trulli was
unable to set a single timed lap during the warm-up session owing to an
engine sensor problem on his race-car, but in spite of this, he will start
tomorrow’s British Grand Prix from the front row, having taken second place
this afternoon with a perfect lap. Team-mate Fernando Alonso, on different
tyres, will start eighth. Jarno Trulli, 2nd,
1:21.381: “When I crossed the line at the
end of the flying lap, my engineer told me I was second: I couldn’t believe
it! This is a fantastic result for myself and the team, especially as this is
the home race for the guys from Enstone. We had some problems with the set-up
this weekend, but everything was perfect for my timed lap. We’re in a strong
position for tomorrow, but of course, it is only on Sunday that you score the
points.” Fernando Alonso, 8th,
1:22.404: “The lap was OK. We had some problems with
the set-up this morning: I’m not sure if it was because of the change in
track conditions, but the overall grip was not fantastic. We tried some new
things for qualifying, and they were an improvement. The race tomorrow is a
long one and, starting eighth, I am in a good position to score good points.” Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Renault F1
Team: “A superb result for Jarno. He had struggled
this weekend, but worked hard together with his engineers (Alan Permane and
Nicholas Chester) to get the car right, and they made a good tyre choice. He
then drove a fantastic lap. Fernando is running a different tyre, and
reported a lack of overall grip. But in general, it’s a very good result, we
are on the right strategy, and we are looking to win the race tomorrow.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager,
RenaultF1 Team: “After a qualifying
session like that, we have legitimate hopes for tomorrow’s race. Weather is
obviously still an unknown, but when you are starting from the front row,
anything can happen. We might regret that Fernando is not closer to his team-mate,
but he is nevertheless in good company on the grid. This weekend, we have
also benefited from a new lubricant produced by our technical partner Elf,
which certainly contributed to this performance. We know we are competitive;
we know need to confirm it in race conditions.” ITV
Watch: you can tick off the interviews with the
British drivers, one by one, as they come along. As sure as Michael
Schumacher is 5 times WC, you know ITV will interview each and every one of them……sometimes
twice. We’ll let them off as it’s the BGP, but we know it will be the same
next race as well. Annoyingly, once again James Allen found the need to cast
doubt on Jarno’s drive for 2004, suggesting that the team had still to take
up their option at the end of this month, and Rosenthal later said that
Jarno’s drive was only 98% confirmed! Blimey, 98% is quite good, isn’t it?
Only 2% off 100%. I’d be pretty confident with that. ITV negligently failed
to ask Flavio Briatore about his drivers when they interviewed him in France,
preferring to ask him ‘important’ questions about being a playboy……or, if
they did ask him they failed to show the answer…..so we can only assume ITV
prefer gossip and rumour to facts. Anyway guys, let me tell you……JARNO WILL
BE A RENAULT DRIVER IN 2004. His manager says so and the team says so……if you
care to ask them. Intriguingly, it seems James Allen has discovered a new way
to tell how the wind is blowing on the track……he looks at Flavio’s hair.
Strange but true….in Saturday qualifying James claimed he knew that the wind
had changed for the worst towards the end of the session, because at the end
of Jarno’s lap Flav’s hair wasn’t moving, but at the end of Fernando’s lap,
it was! Complete nonsense actually, because the replay shows that Flav’s hair
was blowing about both times, but that would spoil James’ theory that the
main reason Fernando (and Ralf, Montoya and Michael) qualified worse than
Jarno because they had worse weather conditions. Maybe Flavio’s hair was
blowing in a slightly different direction…… 19th July 2003 british gp. saturday practice. The McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen topped the
times in the first session, closely followed by the Ferraris. Villeneuve’s
Honda engine gave out just before the end of the session and Alonso had a
spin after the chequered flag. Alonso was 5th, Jarno 8th.
Top 6: Raikkonen, Barrichello, M. Schumacher, Montoya, Alonso, Villeneuve. The Williams of Montoya
was number one in the second session, closely followed by the Ferraris. Déjà
vu. Michael Schumacher had a little spin at Copse, but continued, and
Fisichella did the same at Stowe. Jarno was 7th, Alonso 9th.
Top 6: Montoya, Barrichello, M. Schumacher, R. Schumacher, Panis, Coulthard. 18th July 2003 british gp. friday qualifying. Weather: Covered skies, spots of rain Temperature:
Ambient: 19°C ; Track: 23°C
Light rain was falling just before and during
the first part of the session, but the only real problem was for Rubens
Barrichello, who made a mistake and beached the car in the gravel, and Justin
Wilson who was unable to go further than a few hundred yards due to a gearbox
problem. Jarno finished 6th and Alonso was 4th. Top 6:
M. Schumacher, Montoya, R. Schumacher, Alonso, Panis, Trulli. Jarno Trulli R23B-05 S1: 26.160 S2:
33.490 S3: 20.313 Fernando Alonso R23B-04 S1: 26.176 S2: 33.480 S3:
20.251 A positive result for the Renault F1 Team
after the first qualifying session at Silverstone. In spite of sometimes
difficult conditions, the team completed its planned programmes, and finished
the day 4th (Fernando Alonso) and 6th (Jarno
Trulli). Fernando Alonso, 4th,
1:19.907: |