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28th June 2003
european gp. race. Weather: Sunny Temperature: On the grid: Air 24°C, Track
31°C Heidfeld started from the pit lane. No
problems at the nasty first two turns at the Nurburgring. Villeneuve was delayed
on the grid, but then got away for another nightmare afternoon, involving a
spin and clonking the bollards at the chicane removing his front wing, before
the inevitable retirement. Raikkonen stayed ahead while Ralf streaked by
Michael at the start. Alonso got past Panis, so the Renaults were in a little
procession, with Jarno ahead of Fernando. They kept pace with the Williams as
far as the first pit stops. Coming out of his, Fernando just got ahead of
Jarno and this is how they stayed until Jarno retired on lap 23, for reasons
that have yet to be revealed. Raikkonen retired even before Jarno, with an
engine failure. Panis spun twice in the same place, retiring after the second
time. With 7 laps to go the second Toyota of da Matta also
had an engine blow. Ralf had been leading the race for some time when team
mate Montoya decided he wanted to be second; in order to do that he had to
overtake Michael Schumacher. As Montoya went round the outside of the
Ferrari, the two cars touched, and unusually, Montoya proceeded unscathed,
while the Ferrari spun, parking its rear wheels in the gravel. Schumacher
called the AA for a push (oh, alright, the marshals), as his engine was still
going. Apparently the rules now allow this, so Michael was on his way again, in
6th place. Dangerous David (Coulthard) had found himself behind
Fernando Alonso after the pit stops, and was pushing hard to get past. Too
hard, as it happens, because DC couldn’t cope when Alonso’s car jinked
sideways before the chicane, just where David was planning to go, and as
braking was not yet on DC’s agenda, the McLaren took a long bouncy trip
through the gravel. If DC read my race reports, he would know about the force
field round Alonso’s car…….it hasn’t let Fernando down yet! Therefore, Fernando
kept his lucky 4th place, because of retirements and incidents,
although he seemed to be having some problems as Michael almost got past him
on the finishing straight. Hardly seen all race, Barrichello took third
place, with the Williams 1st and 2nd. Top 8: Ralf Schumacher, Montoya,
Barrichello, Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Webber, Button, Heidfeld. (Obviously
worth starting from the pitlane, it always seems to lead to points……..what
happened to the others who started ahead of him?) Jarno Trulli R23-05 Fernando Alonso R23-04 Fernando Alonso, 4th: “A good race for me, and a strong result
after a difficult weekend. I had a good fight with Jarno in the first few
corners, which he eventually won coming out of Turn 4. I managed to get past
him when he pitted before me, but I lost some performance during the last
stint, even though we made small aerodynamic changes at both stops. I was
under a lot of pressure during the last stint, first from Coulthard and then
Michael, but I managed to keep my position. Ralf’s win means I have lost my
third position in the Championship, but I’m not too worried: we did a good
job this weekend.” Jarno Trulli, retired: “Unfortunately, I think my car
stopped with a fuel pressure problem. Until the retirement, I was having a
good race: I managed to keep up with the leaders at the start, but then lost
time behind Fernando during the second stint: I was a little bit quicker, but
could not overtake. It looked like we were going to get two points finishes
today, and it is therefore a shame to leave with just one.” Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Renault
F1 Team: “I am very happy with the result. I’m sorry
for Jarno, who was very quick all weekend and did a fantastic job during the
race. As for Fernando, he didn’t crack under the pressure and scored some
more valuable points.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering, Renault F1 Team: “A very hard race for Fernando, who had to
push all the way through to hold off the challenges of David and Michael. He
withstood the pressure well, to give us a satisfying fourth place. Jarno
provided an excellent performance all weekend, and was looking very
comfortable in the race until what we believe was a fuel pressure problem
stopped him out on the circuit. The cars performed well in race trim, and our tyres
were well suited to this track.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager,
Renault F1 Team: “This was a race run under constant pressure.
There were no surprises with the conditions, and we didn’t suffer any
problems on Fernando’s car. There is still a question mark over Jarno’s
retirement, as the car stopped in a telemetry blind spot out on the circuit.
However, we believe he suffered a fuel pressure problem. In summary, this was
a good race where we showed ourselves to be, if not capable of beating the
front runners, certainly in a good position to challenge them.” ITV Watch: ITV did a lovely piece on Fernando, with Bev Turner (of course)
visiting Oxford and the Renault factory with him. They spoiled themselves a
little bit, when they forced some Renault workers to say Fernando was better
than Jarno (well, what would you say if he was standing there?). But why did
ITV run it this week, when they are featuring Renault next week? Duh! Brundle
actually interviewed some grid girls on his grid walk, which really is the
pits. Just as well he got a good interview with Norbert Haug to compensate.
It’s definitely “be nice to Trulli” weekend, because Brundle (yes, Brundle)
actually informed us that Jarno’s soft tyres could compromise his race pace.
They’ve never mentioned it before! 28th June
2003 european gp. saturday qualifying. Weather:
sunny
Olivier Panis was on pole for a while in
Saturday qualifying, until Jarno beat him. Then Barrichello and the other
Ferrari, both Williams and Raikkonen were faster than Jarno, so Jarno
finished in 6th place, half a second quicker than team mate
Alonso. The only driver to mess up was Heidfeld, who ran wide into the gravel
at the beginning of his lap and stalled. This was a shame, as his mechanics
had just completed an engine change in record time, so Nick could actually
qualify. He was obviously destined for the back of the grid whatever! It’s
Raikkonen’s first pole…..are they sure? Top 6: Raikkonen, M. Schumacher, R.
Schumacher, Montoya, Barrichello, Trulli. Jarno Trulli R23-05 S1: 29.869 S2:
38.266 S3: 23.841 Fernando Alonso R23-04 S1: 30.087 S2:
38.554 S3: 23.783 The Renault F1 Team goes into tomorrow’s
European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in a confident frame of mind,
following second qualifying this afternoon at the German circuit. Taking
strategy into account, sixth (Jarno Trulli) and eighth (Fernando Alonso)
positions constitute a satisfying result for the whole team. Jarno Trulli, 6th,
1:31.976: “I am definitely pleased with
my position, and also with the team’s performance this weekend. We have
worked hard since yesterday morning, because we had neither balance nor
performance when we began. After qualifying, however, our position is definitely
promising; I now hope the race will be good to us tomorrow.” Fernando Alonso, 8th,
1:32.424: “It was a good run for me: there were no
mistakes, although the car balance still wasn’t perfect. I haven’t had any problems
all day, and we worked hard to find the right compromise on set-up. I’m happy
to be starting from the top ten tomorrow.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering, Renault F1 Team: “We did not start the weekend in the best of
shape, but a lot of effort by the whole team, including the drivers, has
brought us to a much more competitive position. Bearing in mind the strategy
we have chosen, and the good performance of our Michelin tyres this weekend,
we feel we will have a hard but rewarding race.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager,
Renault F1 Team: “This is a very fair result, which puts us in
position to challenge our usual rivals tomorrow. We have learnt a lot since
we arrived yesterday, and we now have the tools we need, as much in terms of
speed as race preparation, to compete well. After a problem-free day, we are,
as usual, confident for tomorrow.” ITV Watch: And now we know why ITV are
being so nice. They are continuing their “meet the teams” series and next
weekend it’s Renault. We’d better warn Jarno! A proliferation of Jenson
interviews marked today’s qualifying programme, but we did get a Trulli
interview with a very ‘appy Jarno, played over the track pictures. They
didn’t manage today’s press conference though, but as it was Kimi, maybe they
did us a favour: at least we all stayed awake. One hilarious thing……when the
live programme began, the warm up was taking place, and the boys in the
studio were finding it difficult to make themselves heard over the constant
noise of the engines, but Jim Rosenthal assured us that “you’re not missing
any action.” Er……I think we were Jim. A revolutionary suggestion……..why not
incorporate the warm up into the live qualifying programme. It would mean
starting at 11.30 with a quick intro, then we could see the warm up, followed
by ITV’s usual news and chat session, then qualifying. How about that? 28th June
2003 european gp. saturday practice. Olivier Panis was fastest in the first
session, continuing Toyota’s fast pace this weekend. He beat Barrichello’s
Ferrari into second place. The Renaults slipped back into the midfield, with
Jarno 10th and Fernando 12th. Top 6: Panis,
Barrichello,Coulthard, Montoya, Raikkonen, M. Schumacher. For the first time, the FIA, at the request of
the teams, has decided to count each session separately, instead of one long
session in two halves, so the times are no longer collated. Hence, Ralf
Schumacher was fastest in the 2nd session, even
though his time was slower than Panis’ in the 1st session. This
time Panis was third. The session was fairly uneventful, although Webber’s
Jaguar stopped on track at Turn 15 and he had to walk back to the pits. The
Renaults improved to 7th (JT) and 8th. Top
6: R. Schumacher, Montoya, Panis, Coulthard, Raikonnen, da Matta. 27th June
2003 european gp. friday qualifying. Is Jarno’s luck changing? It rained heavily
half way through this session, and Jarno had already done his lap! AND he’d
beaten Fernando’s time. Pity it’s only Friday, as there’s a lot of the weekend
to go, and the planets can change yet again. After their good showing in
practice, the Renaults suddenly seemed to suffer from their slight lack of
engine power. The radio commentators’ reckoned that Fernando’s car was
unbalanced and not really coping with the track as well. Whatever, Jarno
finished 7th and Fernando 8th. After Button’s lap, the
heavens opened and especially flooded the third sector, so all the following
drivers had no chance of a decent time. Da Matta spun and aborted his lap,
and Villeneuve visited the gravel trap on his intermediate tyres. The session
had been declared wet, so drivers could use monsoon tyres and even with
those, the rest of the drivers struggled. Panis, the first driver out after
the red flag for Villeneuve’s incident, complained later that the session
should have been delayed. They didn’t do it in Canada though, when the
conditions were as bad for Jarno’s lap, did they? Top 6: Raikkonen, M.
Schumacher, Montoya, R. Schumacher, Barrchello, Coulthard. Weather: Overcast, rain halfway
through
Jarno Trulli R23-05 S1: 29.675 S2: 38.108 S3: 23.360 Fernando Alonso R23-04 S1: 30.089 S2: 37.986 S3: 23.458 Changing track conditions during the
qualifying hour saw Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso claim seventh and eighth
positions respectively following the first qualifying session at the
Nürburgring. Running early (Alonso third, Trulli eighth), both drivers
completed their single lap on a dry circuit, before heavy rain began to fall
halfway through the session. The change in conditions meant the times set by
the Renault F1 Team drivers were not bettered by any of the runners who
followed. Jarno Trulli, 7th,
1:31.143: “I had a clean lap this afternoon.
We worked throughout the morning on finding a good set-up, and the right
solutions for the tyres. We both changed our set-ups before qualifying, and
the result wasn’t too bad. However, we are not looking particularly strong at
the moment, and we have a lot of work to do tonight and tomorrow morning in
order to investigate, and try to solve, the problems.” Fernando Alonso, 8th,
1:31.533: “From my point if view, the balance of the
car was the best it has been all day. We had a good morning, and managed to
complete the programme without any problems, learning about the tyres and
set-ups. My lap was good, with the car well-balanced and I didn’t make any
mistakes. I am quite pleased, but we are still a long way from our
competitors, and we need to work tonight to try and find some solutions.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering, Renault F1 Team: “In spite of changes made for qualifying, we
still have not got the car working well at this circuit. We need to look at a
lot of data, and study our models, to make improvements for tomorrow. If the
wet conditions persist in the morning, we will have some difficult choices to
make.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager, Renault F1 Team: “Already this morning, it was difficult to establish
a reliable hierarchy of performance, but this became impossible after rain
disrupted qualifying. On the engine side, we are pleased to note that the
engines in each race car completed more than a race distance today. We now
have to continue working on our preparation for the race.” ITV Watch: ITV are being kind to Jarno
this weekend. He was complimented on his qualifying without mentioning the
“R” word (that’s “Race” for our irregular readers), although I think that was
James Allen rather than Brundle. James also informed the viewers that Flavio
has now told Italian radio that Jarno will definitely be at Renault in 2004,
complete with the “great driver” quote.
Brundle said nothing at all, although to be fair, James rambled
straight into something else, so Martin didn’t really get an opportunity.
Would have been interesting though….. 27th June
2003 european gp. friday practice. The
Renaults were out early today and Jarno’s immediately fastest time was not
beaten until 42 minutes into the session, when Panis set an amazingly fast
time which was never beaten. Jarno finally finished 4th, and
Alonso 5th. Who knows what Ferrari and Williams were doing, but
the fastest Williams driver was Ralf in 8th place and Michael
Schumacher was only 10th. Montoya was 11th and
Barrichello was 12th. Heidfeld managed to knock his front wing off
at the chicane, which caused the session to be stopped while they picked the
bits up. Webber had a couple of spins but set the second fastest time in the
end. Of the McLarens, Raikkonen was 3rd, and Coulthard 7th.
Top 6: Panis, Webber, Raikkonen, Trulli, Alonso, Pizzonia. 27th June
2003 european gp. friday testing. Weather:
Sunny
Jarno Trulli R23-05 1st, 48 laps, 1:32.085 Fernando Alonso R23-04 2nd, 45 laps, 1:32.311 Allan McNish R23-01 (then
R23-03) 6th, 30 laps, 1:33.935 Jarno was fastest in the morning test
session, with team mate Alonso second quickest. Renault’s third driver Allan
McNish, had to switch to the T-car during the session and was 6th.
Third was Pizzonia, then Firman and Webber. Fisichella was 7th,
then Verstappen and Wilson. Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering, Renault F1 Team: “We lost some time this morning when Allan’s
car stopped with a throttle problem, but by swiftly re-arranging our programme,
we obtained the tyre information we required. The balance of the cars is not
good at the moment, with both of them suffering from too much understeer.
However, the new engine specification is working well.” Allan McNish, Renault F1 Team test driver: “Obviously, it is disappointing not to have
completed a full session, especially as we had a busy programme this morning.
Nevertheless, the team worked hard to get me out in the T-car in order to
complete the necessary tyre testing. We still have some work to do for the
race, but it’s a good start to the weekend.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager,
Renault F1 Team: “The typical aim of a Heathrow session is
tyre evaluation for the weekend ahead, and this morning was no exception.
From an engine perspective, we concentrated on validating the new engine
specification and making detail adjustments to it. In spite of Allan’s
incident, which forced him into the spare car, we managed to transfer many of
our tests onto this car. Overall, we made good use of this morning’s session,
which has put us in a good position for the rest of the weekend.” 23rd June
2003 european gp. driver preview Jarno Trulli Nürburgring was the scene of your best result
in Formula 1 in 1999: what is your opinion of the circuit? “I’d call it a normal circuit.
I enjoy them all, and this is no exception! From a driver’s point of view, it
is actually fairly easy. The circuit is not particularly technical, and the
most important thing is to find a good rhythm. In terms of the changes made
last year, I wouldn’t say they are negative, but the straight is still too
short for it to be a genuine overtaking opportunity: if you are looking to
pass somebody, the back straight is still the best place to try.” The Nürburgring is known as a circuit where
local knowledge can pay dividends. You raced here in Formula 3, and do you
think it is still a benefit? “Yes, I do. I know the circuit
very well from my time in German F3, and that detailed knowledge is always
important. Local knowledge is crucial for getting a feel of what the weather
is likely to do, and planning your strategy accordingly. We should be
competitive, and I am looking forward to starting the second half of the
season with a good finish.” 19th June
2003 jerez test Fernando Alonso, R23-00, 104
laps (460 km) The Renault F1 Team today
completed its test session at Jerez in Spain, with Fernando Alonso again
driving a single R23 for the team. The day’s programme concentrated primarily
on tyre development, in two areas: firstly, the evaluation of new tyre
constructions and secondly, longer runs on compounds destined for the Grands
Prix which will follow the Nürburgring. The team also tested a number of new
suspension settings. Fernando was again the fastest driver on the track, same
order as yesterday. Executive Director of Engineering
Pat Symonds: “In general, this was a very
successful test in which we covered a high mileage. This session complements our
Heathrow testing extremely well.” 18th June 2003 jerez test Fernando
Alonso, R23-00, 103 laps (456 km) Fernando was
driving for Renault at Jerez today on the first day of a two day test. He and
the Team completed over one hundred laps. During the morning session, work
focused on tyre evaluation for the upcoming Grands Prix, while the afternoon
was spent completing mechanical set-up work for forthcoming races as well as
2004 development items. Fernando was also fastest, followed by da Matta (Toyota),
Raikkonen (McLaren), Gene (Williams), Coulthard (McLaren). Technical
Director Mike Gascoyne: “A very,
very productive first day. We had a trouble-free session, and Fernando’s
lap-times look very competitive. In addition, we obtained useful results from
the test items on the car.” 15th June 2003 canadian gp. race. Weather: dry circuit, broken cloud
“I want to
do a really big one…” said Crash, the shunt god, in excited mode. “Please,
please can I, can I?” “No, no” said the other gods, “We don’t want the race
delayed….we’re going out on the town tonight. It’ll be safety car, safety
car…. and we’ve got bored with that lately.” “Well, can I just do a small one
then?” pleaded Crash. “Oh, OK then…..” said the others. “Who’s it to be?”
“Alonso, Alonso, please can I make Schumacher crash in to him? Oh please, oh
please…” demanded Crash. Storm sighed, “I’ve told you before, Hurricane and
company have got a bet on him to finish third. Choose someone else. “ “It’s
got to be the other Renault then,” said Crash. “Not Trulli again, “ groaned
the others. “Storm targeted him the other day…..and so did you, Crash, twice
already this season in the races….and even yesterday in the warm up! “ chided
Scales the justice god. “I don’t care, I don’t care,” squealed Crash, jumping
up and down. “I’m going to do it anyway……here they come round the first
corners and I’m going to use……not Coulthard this time, but….Pizzonia……..!” Pizzonia clouted the back
of Jarno’s Renault, as they were going round Turn 10 on lap 1, causing a puncture
for Jarno, requiring a pit stop. He was starting to put in some fast laps, 3
laps down, (including a quick spin after Turn 10), when he had to pit again
with a broken FRONT wheel and eventually had to retire the car because of the
original damage. Jarno told Dutch TV, he’d had launch control problems on the
grid as well! Meanwhile, in the rest of the race……the lead was exchanged
through the pit stops between both Schumachers, with Montoya close behind.
Alonso, who had been in a small incident with Barrichello, causing Rubens
(naturally) to pit for a new front wing, led for a few laps as the pit stops
panned out and was closing on Montoya by the end of the race. Raikkonen had a
puncture also, but just before the pitlane. Of course, Jarno had to crawl the
length of the track to fix his. Retirees: Frentzen (engine), Villeneuve
(inevitably in Canada…..this time brake fluid leak), Button (gearbox), both
Jordans within a lap of each other (gearbox and oil leak), Heidfeld (engine),
Coulthard (gears), Wilson (gearbox), da Matta (suspension) Pizzonia
(brakes….ironically. Pity he didn’t use them earlier to save going in to the
back of Jarno.) Only 9 cars finished, but Panis got his first point for
Toyota. Driver to miss out: Verstappen. Top 8: M. Schumacher, R. Schumacher,
Montoya, Alonso, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Webber, Panis. Jarno
Trulli R23-03 Fernando
Alonso R23-04 The Renault F1 Team leaves Montreal’s Circuit
Gilles Villeneuve with contrasting results at the end of the Canadian Grand
Prix. While Jarno Trulli was forced to retire because of damage sustained in
a collision with Antonio Pizzonia at the start of the race, Fernando Alonso
finished fourth at the end of a thrilling race, during which he also set
fastest lap, with a time of 1:16.040 on lap 53. Fernando Alonso, 4th: “I’m happy with the result,
especially because I finished the race in the leading group. For the first
time this year, we were really fighting for the win, and it was a good
feeling! I lost sometime during my first stint, but managed to catch it up
again at the end, even though I could not get past the cars in front. It has
been a very positive weekend, and I particularly want to thank the team
because I didn’t have a single problem with the car all weekend. We go
to the next race in a strong position in the Constructors and the Driver’s
Championships.” Jarno Trulli, retired, lap 26: “To put it simply, nothing went
right for me today. At the start I seemed to find a lot of traffic on the run
to the first corner, then Pizzonia hit the rear of my car in the second
hairpin on lap two, which punctured the tyre. After that, I was having
trouble controlling the car and I pitted a second time, where the Team
identified a broken left front wheel. When I got back out on the circuit, I spun
on the exit of Turn 10 with a traction control problem, and then had to
retire because of the damage sustained in the collision. To say it was a bad
day for me would be quite an understatement.” Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Renault
F1 Team: “To finish just barely two
seconds from the winner is an incredible result for Fernando. We had good
pit-stops today and the whole Team, both on the engine and the chassis sides,
did a fantastic job. We are pleased to have strengthened our fourth position
in the Constructors. Championship, and for Fernando to have confirmed his
third place in the Drivers’.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering, Renault F1 Team: “After such a fantastic race,
it is frustrating not to finish on the podium, but that does not detract from
a fantastic result. Fernando drove impeccably, and the car and tyres were
faultless. It is unfortunate that Jarno was unable to join his team-mate at
the end of the race, but the damage sustained in his collision in the opening
laps affected his car, eventually causing his retirement.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager,
Renault F1 Team: “From a sporting perspective,
it was an extraordinary race for Fernando, who drove brilliantly throughout.
On a circuit which we didn’t expect to favour us, we showed ourselves capable
of placing at least one of our drivers amongst the leaders. On the technical
side, we saw one of our cars run without any problems, while the other
suffered problems from the grid onwards. Notwithstanding this, the real
motive for satisfaction at the halfway stage of the season is to have
confirmed our status as legitimate challengers for race wins.” ITV Watch: Allan McNish was taking Mark
Blundell’s place in the studio, and because of Fernando’s good result, they
were able to praise Fernando big time at the end. No mention of his
unfortunate team mate. Brundle was quite fair about Jarno’s problems, even
the spin, which they put down, correctly, to a traction control problem on
the car. What’s happened to them?!!!! Funniest moment of the day was Brundle
trying to interview Ozzy Osbourne on the grid walk. He made a big effort to
get Ozzy to the microphone, then wished he hadn’t bothered as Ozzy spouted
complete rubbish, sounding under the influence of something, possibly
illegal. 14th June 2003 canadian gp. saturday
qualifying. Weather: dry circuit
Despite being only second
out and in the unfamiliar spare car, Jarno did a good time in qualifying that
was pole for some time, finishing 8th by the end. Worst performance
came from Raikkonen, who took a trip across the grass and aborted his lap to
start last for the race. Coulthard drove a poor lap also, to start 11th
in the race. Ron will not be happy. The Jordans also struggled, especially
Firman, after his quick lap on Friday flattered to deceive. Panis and da
Matta did a great job, finishing 7th and 9th
respectively, either side of Jarno, although we wait to see their strategy.
We could imagine Alonso siphoning out the fuel, as the other teams’
strategies became clearer and he managed 4th place. Home boy
Villeneuve finished down in 14th, but ahead of his team mate
Button, who was 17th. The Williams boys locked out front row, with
the Ferraris 3rd and 5th. Top 6: R. Schumacher,
Montoya, M. Schumacher, Alonso, Barrichello, Webber. Jarno
Trulli R23-03 Fernando
Alonso R23-04 A promising result for the
Renault F1 Team at the end of the second qualifying session for tomorrow.s
Canadian Grand Prix. At Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Fernando Alonso
secured an excellent fourth place on the starting grid. Jarno Trulli suffered
an accident at the end of the warm-up, and was thus forced to use the spare
car for his run. He set a time good enough for eighth place in spite of
starting second in the order. Fernando Alonso, 4th,
1:16.048: “I am very
happy, not just with qualifying but with our work throughout the day. We had
a good morning, trying lots of different set-ups, and we were always competitive
in the wet. In qualifying, it was definitely a small advantage to be running
towards the end of the session. The car was good and I didn’t make any
mistakes: to be fourth on the grid is a good starting point for tomorrow.” Jarno Trulli, 8th,
1:16.718: “First of
all, I need to say a big thank you to my mechanics, who did a brilliant job
today. I had to use the spare car, which was originally set up for Fernando,
and the timed lap was my first in that car this weekend. Taking that into
account, I think I can be pleased to be starting eighth tomorrow.” Pat Symonds, Executive
Director of Engineering, Renault F1 Team: “Weather
conditions this weekend have a played a large part in the event so far. Our
Friday testing has paid off once again, and we find ourselves in a
competitive position. Jarno.s accident at the end of the warm-up forced him
to use the T-car, but this did not compromise his position as he felt the car
was good. Fernando.s position is particularly encouraging and we hope that he
will be able to make use of our launch control to further improve on this at
the start of the race.” Denis Chevrier, Engine
Operations Manager, Renault F1 Team: “In light of
the circumstances we have encountered today, I think we can say this is an
excellent result. We had a good day, with the exception of a single incident
which didn.t stop us from getting a favourable result. On the technical side,
the weekend has been problem-free so far, even if the wet conditions are less
demanding mechanically than in the dry. If the weather holds, I think we can
challenge strongly tomorrow.” ITV Watch: ITV have been worryingly nice
to Jarno this weekend. Sympathetic about the weather conditions for his
Friday qualifying lap and then Tony Jardine must have taken the compassion
pills…..he was very concerned about Jarno having to rush back to the pits for
the spare car after crashing in the warm up! Brundle and Allen were then
mildly complimentary about Jarno’s lap in the T-car, which he did well. We
even got a Trulli interview at the end! We’d already had Fernando twice
though….plus the usual suspects. 14th June 2003 canadian gp. saturday warm
up. Sad to say, the warm up has to be mentioned because
Jarno managed to crash his Renault about 3 minutes before the end of the
session, at the dreaded champions’ wall…..to the horror of his mechanics, who
thought they had a cushy 15 minutes before qualifying, but instead had to
make sure the spare car was set up properly for Jarno, who was to be second
out. He was 4th in the warm up too, and looking good. Fastest was
Ralf. Alonso was 5th. 14th June 2003 canadian gp. saturday
practice. Still drizzling in
Montreal, but not the heavy rain of first qualifying. Hence Barrichello, the fastest
man in first Saturday practice, was 4 seconds quicker than he was in Friday
qualifying. The conditions did lead to a few spins, especially at Turns 1 and
8, although Coulthard had a problem at Turn 2. As did Frentzen who actually
crashed into it. Justin Wilson had a problem with his engine cover, when he
had to drive slowly back to the pits to get a new one. Top 6: Barrichello, M.
Schumacher, Villeneuve, Alonso, Button, Heidfeld. Jarno was 10th. The rain stopped and track
dried out a bit in the second session, which brought more Michelin runners
into contention. The teams were not allowed to use their wet weather tyres in
this session, by order of the FIA. A few incidents included Michael
Schumacher just kissing the barriers in his Ferrari, and da Matta crashing at
Turn 7 (at least it was different). Frentzen had a different problem this
session…..a blown engine. Top 6: M. Schumacher, Barrichello. Fisichella,
Alonso, R. Schumacher, Villeneuve. Jarno was 9th. 13th June 2003 canadian gp. friday qualifying. Weather: Wet, consistent heavy
rain
Temperature: Ambient: 19°C; Track: 20° “Let’s have
some sport”, said Storm, the naughty rain god. “At the Circuit de Gilles
Villeneuve, we’ve got some Formula 1 drivers having to drive a qualifying lap
today. I love seeing Formula 1 cars sliding and aquaplaning all over the
place. Maybe they’ll even hit the wall! I have already instructed the rain
nymphs to soak the track, and they’ve done a pretty good job. But let’s vary
the rain throughout the session……a bit boring if they all have the same
conditions. Who shall we pick on for the heaviest rain? No, Thunder, not
Michael Schumacher, 5 times world champion: he’s celebrating signing a new
Ferrari contract. No, Lightening, not Fernando Alonso……Chief Rain God Hurricane,
and several of his mates, have a bet on him finishing third in the world
championship…why do you think he has done so well this season on the luck
front? Button? No……Shunt god targeted him in the last race, rather more than
he intended as well. What about the usual victim……Trulli? That’s always good
for a laugh. Make sure we all chuck down the rain as hard as possible when
he’s on his lap.…and he’s on Michelins…..that should ruin his day. Don’t
forget to ease off the rain afterwards….”
Top 6: Barrichello, M.
Schumacher, Heidfeld, Firman (!), Alonso, Raikkonen. Jarno
Trulli R23-05 Fernando
Alonso R23-04 Mixed feelings for the
Renault F1 Team after first qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix. While Fernando
Alonso, third to run, managed to claim fifth place on the Circuit Gilles
Villeneuve, Jarno Trulli, running several minutes later, had to struggle with
significantly heavier rain during his timed lap. As a result of these
particularly difficult conditions, he finished the session 19th. Fernando Alonso, 5th,
1:35.173 “First and
foremost, I had a pretty cautious lap today. In these conditions, the main
thing is to not go off the track, which I managed to avoid; our package could
have been even faster I think, but we didn’t get much running in the wet this
morning and my timed lap was my first proper ‘quick’ lap on a wet track.
Taking that into account, I think we can be pretty pleased with our
performance today.” Jarno Trulli, 19th,
1:41.413 “What can I
say? As I left the garage, it was as if a thunderstorm had just started - it
was raining much more heavily, which meant my lap was much slower than our
rivals. The car was aquaplaning everywhere on the circuit, and especially in
the left-hand curve after the second hairpin. Obviously, I’m very
disappointed with today’s result, but the consolation is that this is only
the Friday session. Things can only get better tomorrow.” Pat Symonds, Executive
Director of Engineering, Renault F1 Team: “Single lap
qualifying is, at all times, a difficult process for the drivers, who must
find the correct balance between speed and safety, and conditions like we saw
today only make the job more difficult. Fernando managed to find that balance
today whereas Jarno seemed to get the worst of the rain, and suffered as a
consequence.” Denis Chevrier, Engine
Operations Manager, Renault F1 Team: “A
characteristically unusual wet session, with big gaps between the different
runners, something which is also true of our drivers. Driving in wet
conditions is always about judging the risks you can take: Fernando came
outof the session as the fastest Michelin car while Jarno seemed to have more
difficulty. On the technical side, the data we gathered during our two ‘Heathrow’
hours this morning has been our most valuable exercise today. Given that our
direct competitors could only complete very limited dry running in free
practice, our work today could prove significant for the rest of the
weekend.” ITV watch: We only had the recorded
programme at midnight, as ITV did not see fit to delay Emmerdale and
Coronation St for F1, even though they regularly do it for football. No
complaints on the comments in the programme for a change. Brundle and Allen
acknowledged that the rain was considerably worse when Jarno had to complete
his lap, and that conditions comparatively improved afterwards. Maybe it
helped that Fisichella also got the worst of the rain, albeit a few minutes
later… and on Bridgestones! The usual Button, Coulthard, Firman and Wilson
interviews during the course of the programme meant situation normal…..oh,
and Barrichello, who is a bit of a favourite. And Alonso, also becoming a
favourite. They even got Michael, who will give an interview to ITV as long
as it’s not Brundle asking the questions. Footnote: Listening to Radio 5 Live Extra
did help to explain the changing conditions. Indeed, when Jarno went out, the
commentators were speculating on how long it would be before the session had
to be stopped, it was so bad! Jarno also got much praise for saving the car
when it aquaplaned and he had to take immediate action to avoid going off. At
least he stayed on the track, unlike many other drivers! 13th June 2003 canadian
gp. friday practice. Changing weather conditions in
Friday practice meant that Pizzonia’s early time of 1:16.621 was enough to
finish fastest. By the end of the session, when it was raining hard, drivers
were setting times 15 seconds slower. Several drivers had spins in the rain….Michael
Schumacher, Coulthard, and Villeneuve. Drivers who did not make it onto the
track before the heavy rain (Button, Trulli, Alonso) were stuck with their
slow wet weather times. The Renault drivers only came out for the last
quarter of the session, finishing last and last but one. Top 6: Pizzonia,
Montoya, M.Schumacher, Webber, Panis, R. Schumacher. 13th June 2003 canadian
gp. friday testing. Circuit: Circuit Giles Villeneuve, Montreal Weather: Covered skies, breezy Temperature: Ambient, 20°C; Track, 22°C Fernando Alonso was fastest in
this test session, followed by Pizzonia and Webber in the Jaguars. Jarno was
4th, and Allan McNish 5th. The two Jordans came next,
with the two Minardis bringing up the rear. Mark Webber was the first driver to
hit “Champions’ wall” but the car was
not badly damaged. Jarno
Trulli R23-05 Fernando Alonso R23-04
Alan
McNish R23-03 Allan McNish, Renault F1 Team
test driver: “We completed our standard programme
this morning, concentrating primarily on tyre comparisons. Unfortunately,
because the circuit was extremely dirty, perhaps more so than any other
circuit we have been to so far this year, we were unable to draw any
definitive conclusions from our work. In spite of this, though, everything
went according to plan and we were still able to complete a good amount of
mileage, which will be useful as we look ahead to scoring points in the
race.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering, Renault F1 Team: “Another productive session
even though we were hampered by the very poor track conditions. The balance of the
cars seems reasonable, even though the grip level is very low. However, both
types of tyre are working well and we will make our final choice later.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations
Manager, Renault F1 Team: “An opening session in which we were able to follow our programme as
planned. We had no incidents on either the technical or the sporting side
and, given that we completed over 600km between the three cars, we can
consider as a good start to the weekend and a mine of useful information for
our work ahead.” 10th June 2003 canadian
gp. driver preview. Jarno
Trulli, Race Driver: What do you think of the
atmosphere at Montreal? “I have to
say the Canadian Grand Prix is one of my favourites. I like driving on this
track and above all I love the way the circuit flows. Beyond the technical
and sporting aspects, though, I think the atmosphere you get in Montreal both
at the track and in town is great. Since the Canadian Grand Prix is normally
held in June, the weather is usually nice and you can make the most of the
long evenings to walk around the town and have a drink with friends in one of
the bars, and basically just relax after a hard day on the circuit. Every
time I get there, I’m glad to be back!” After a series of European
Grands Prix, the championship has taken us far away to North America. Do you
plan any specific physical preparation? “As for
every Grand Prix away from Europe, there are two things you have to take into
consideration, the first of which is the time difference. For Canada, I
manage to adapt to the different time quite well. I prefer to get here a few
days early so I can slowly adjust my body clock to the host country. As for
physical preparation, we have done a 3-day mountain bike session in England.
At this time of year, Canada always has mild weather that’s not too hot or
cold. It’s ideal for drivers, because we don’t have to endure intense heat
during the race.” Fernando
Alonso, Race driver: Last week, for the first
time since the start of the season, you and your team-mate Jarno Trulli took
part in a private test session on a circuit. What was the agenda for these
two days? “That’s
right, the team.s testing calendar was changed because of the Heathrow
Agreement. Since the start of the season, Allan has taken care of the
testing. For the session at Silverstone, it was Jarno and myself who took
part. Actually, the Silverstone tests were basically used to prepare for the
British Grand Prix. We carried out the tyre and aerodynamic testing for this
race, and we tested new engine set-ups we’ll be using. So it was quite a busy
session for both of us!” You’ve said before that
you don.t like street circuits, so what’s your approach going into the
Canadian Grand Prix? “It’s true
that Montreal is a temporary circuit, but it has features I like a lot, and
most of the track is laid out like a permanent circuit. I‘m looking forward
to this race: I feel calm but, at the same time, determined. I’m lying in
third place in the drivers’ championship and I’ll do all it takes to stay
there or do better. It’s likely to be a tough weekend because the track
doesn’t really suit our chassis and our engine, but I’m confident I’ll do
well.” Allan
McNish, Test driver: The Canadian Grand Prix
marks the halfway point of the season. How would you sum up the effect the
Heathrow Agreement has had on the Team’s testing? “I’d say that
after seven Grands Prix, it has had a very positive effect. For each race,
and especially the more exotic Grands Prix, we’ve been able to get the most
out of our extra two hours, and gather data that’s given us a real advantage
over the competition. Signing up to the Heathrow Agreement has meant we’re
limited to 20 days of testing during the year, though this hasn’t stopped us
carrying on with our development programme as planned. At this point in the
year the balance is definitely in favour of the Heathrow Agreement. Friday’s
private testing almost always follows the same schedule, which is decided
according to the characteristics of the circuit. We do lots of tyre testing
to fine-tune or improve Sunday’s tyre choice, but that doesn’t stop changes
being made to the schedule, like in Spain and Austria, where I concentrated
primarily on aerodynamic work.” What characteristics does
a driver need to do well on this circuit? “For me, the
Montreal track is a lot like Monza. You get very slow turns linking up with
fast straights, so you need a car with stable braking, good traction and a
pretty powerful engine.” 5th June 2003 silverstone
test. Weather: sunny with cloudy
intervals 18-21°, dry track R23-05 Jarno Trulli R23-00 Fernando Alonso This was supposed to be a 2 day
test, but due to heavy rain on Wednesday morning, and uncertainty about how
long the rain would last, the Renault F1 Team made an early decision not to
run all day Wednesday and thereby save 2 one car test days. As the fan club
had 40 guests there, the rain and the lack of running by the Renault team
could have ruined the day, but the circumstances meant that Jarno was able to
visit us in our hospitality suite, giving a short interview about the Monaco
GP, followed by the signing of many Trulli memorabilia items and photos.
Fortunately, Williams, Jordan and Toyota were providing the on track action. Today, the team had a good,
productive day, making up for lost time, with Jarno completing 91 laps and
Fernando 80. Jarno was either on track or in the garage for the whole of the
morning session from 10am to 1pm, and most of the second session from 2pm to
5pm. Fastest driver on the day was Ralf Schumacher for Williams followed by
Jarno and Fernando, then Fisichella and Firman for Jordan and Zonta for
Toyota. Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director of the Renault F1 Team: “Both drivers had a very busy
test programme today, which concentrated mainly on tyre development work with
Michelin. Fernando evaluated the
tyres for the French and British Grand Prix, then focussed on chassis set-up
of the R23 in the afternoon. Jarno worked on aerodynamics and general car
set-up, together with a tyre test in preparation for the forthcoming race in
Canada. Overall it was a productive
test with the drivers putting in a good deal of mileage.”
1stJune 2003 monaco
gp. race. Weather:
sunny Temperature: Air:
23-26°C Track : 26-30°C Monaco was fine and warm this
June Sunday afternoon ready for the Grand Prix. Jenson Button did not race
for medical reasons.The race for the first corner saw Montoya take second
place from Raikkonen and Alonso make up 2 places by getting past Barrichello.
Frentzen was the first casualty of the race when he misjudged a kerb and hit
the wall just after the swimming pool. The Williams pulled away from the rest
of the field, but the first pit stops began to change the order. Montoya took
over and maintained the lead when team mate Ralf pitted. Michael Schumacher
was obliged to stay behind Jarno until Jarno’s first stop. The Ferrari driver
eventually took over as race leader until he made his first stop on lap 30.
Raikkonen also led the race for a time during the second stint. Both Jaguars
and both Minardis retired with mechanical problems within a few laps of each
other. The only other retiree was Villeneuve, with a few flames at the back
of his car. Panis was the only driver to 1 stop, but finished 4 laps down.
Reliability was a significant factor, as all 8 of the top four teams’ cars
finished, and the pit stops proved crucial to the results, with excellent
stops carried out by all the teams. After his first stop, Jarno had Coulthard
close behind him all the way, even through the second stops when both drivers
entered the pits together. Then it was down to the teams and Renault just
managed to get Jarno out directly ahead of Coulthard. If they’d been any
closer, they would have crashed! No doubt Jarno was determined to stay ahead.
But there was a sting in the tail for Jarno. Alonso had been running directly
behind the pair, and late in the race, the team saw an opportunity, with a
super quick pit stop, to get Alonso out ahead of both of them…by the
narrowest of margins. Good team strategy, but poor Jarno. He does all the
best work....all weekend….and through fortunate circumstances, Fernando comes
along and jumps him for a place! For sure, the gods are still smiling on
Fernando. But points for both Renault drivers and the team, beating a McLaren
and a Ferrari (Barrichello, who had an anonymous race). Ralf Schumacher had a
strange race as well, after the first part of the race, finishing fourth. Top
6: Montoya, Raikkonen, M. Schumacher, R. Schumacher, Alonso, Trulli. Jarno Trulli R23-03
RS23 Spec D Fernando Alonso R23-04
RS23 Spec D T-car Jarno R23-01
RS23 Spec D T-car Fernando R23-00
R23 Spec B Fernando
Alonso, 5th, 1:15.397: “I think it was a quite good
end to a difficult weekend for me, since I hadn’t quite managed to get the
maximum out of the car in practice and qualifying. My fifth place is certainly
a good result and I’m glad to have scored some points for the team and to be
now third in the driver’s championship.”
Jarno
Trulli, 6th, 1:15.679:
“A disappointing result for me,
as I had been very competitive all weekend. I pushed hard throughout the race
but I got stuck in traffic and lost quite a lot of time behind the back
markers and one position in my second pit stop. It’s certainly not what I had
expected from this race and the three points I got are a very small
consolation.” Flavio
Briatore, Managing Director,
Renault F1 Team: “The only positive thing out of
this race is that we brought both cars through the chequered flag and scored
some points. We thought we would be more competitive on this track and we
were surprised today in the race by a much stronger performance than we
expected from the Williams.” Pat Symonds, Executive |