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28th September 2003 u.s.gp. race. Weather: cold and overcast
Temperature: ambient, 18°C; track, 20°C The weather intervened in
the WDC and played a big part in the race result. But first…in the dry, Raikkonen
kept the lead at the start. Montoya and Barrichello had poor starts and
dropped positions while Michael Schumacher was up to 4th by the
first corner. Ralf Schumacher had claimed second place in the order by
passing Panis. At the back Firman collided with Verstappen and had to pit for
repairs. A few laps into the race and Montoya decided it was time to pass
Barrichello, but succeeded in touching him and sending him off the track into
the gravel. The Renaults, in convoy from the first corner, luckily missed the
action. Montoya later paid for his action with a drive through penalty and
waved bye-bye to his championship chances. Michael soon passed Panis for
third place. Then the rain came and the Ferrari driver was on the back foot,
falling back to seventh as he was passed by Montoya and Alonso. The rain
eased and everyone else continued, although Panis and Villeneuve had already
changed to wet tyres. This was the window for the first pit stops and Montoya
was in on lap 17, only to be delayed by a fuel rig problem. Not his
afternoon. Michael made his stop, and immediately wished he’d been able to go
an extra lap, when the rain came pouring down in earnest and he had to go
straight back for intermediate tyres. Meanwhile the Michelin drivers had to
change to their full wets (as their intermediate can’t hack it…. all except
DC who, brave or stupid, stayed out on slicks, losing more than 15 seconds a
lap. When he eventually stopped, they put slicks on again (!), long before
the other drivers came back for their slicks as the rain stopped. Ralf
Schumacher, after a mix up with his pit crew, didn’t make it into the pits at
all to change to wets and hit the tyre wall instead. Mark Webber’s race
finished in a similar way. Button was leading the race from Frentzen and
Raikkonen, having stopped and made the right call on tyres at the right time.
Frentzen was also lucky with the timing. Button lapped Montoya as he exited
the pits. By now, the Renault drivers had swapped places through the pit
stops and some slow laps from Fernando, so Jarno was ahead and driving well.
Michael Schumacher overtook Raikkonen on lap 28 to take third, and then
passed Frentzen for second place 5 laps later. Panis had pitted 4 times
already with problems on his Toyota and sorted that all out by crashing into
the barriers on lap 32. By the end of the race his team mate da Matta had
made SIX pit stops! Michael overtook Jenson Button on lap 38 to take the race
lead. Coulthard was given a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit
lane but that proved irrelevant when he had to drive into the garage and
retire on lap 49. Button’s car had already ground to a halt with hydraulic
problems on lap 42, and Villeneuve’s Honda engine spectacularly expired a
little later. Firman pulled over with suspension failure and Alonso’s engine
also met its end in a cloud of white smoke. But Jarno’s trusty Renault saw
him through to the end after an impressive drive in all conditions which saw
him catch and pass Heidfeld for fourth place a few laps from the end, and match
and surpass the leaders’ pace for many laps. That Indy lucky star shone again
for Jarno, redeemed after his Saturday accident. Bravo, Jarno! Top 8: M.
Schumacher, Raikkonen, Frentzen, Trulli, Heidfeld, Montoya, Fisichella,
Wilson. Renault Press Release
Jarno
Trulli R23B-05
Fernando Alonso
R23B-06
The Renault F1 Team scored five additional
World Championship points this afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
but variable conditions, driver errors and reliability problems combined to
leave an overall feeling of disappointment. The result is all the more
frustrating because during the weekend, the car demonstrated itself
sufficiently fast to have fought for the victory. Nonetheless, Jarno Trulli’s fourth place
finish, from tenth on the grid, is the result of the attacking race he had
promised yesterday after qualifying. Ninth after the first lap, he pushed to
the limit throughout the race and, during the final twenty laps on a
completely dry track, he was the quickest driver on the circuit. Fernando
Alonso retired on lap 46 following an engine failure, the cause of which is
not currently known. He had climbed as high as third during the race, and was
running seventh when the engine failed. Jarno Trulli, 4th: “The car became more and more competitive
during the race and, towards the end, it was really fantastic. The conditions
made things more complicated today, but as a driver, you need to attack
whatever the conditions, and that is what I did today. We were quick in both
the dry and the wet, but I think the real damage was done by my mistake in
the warm-up yesterday. I should have got pole yesterday and, had I done so,
we could have looked for a much better result. I’m pleased with the
performance today, but it could have been better.” Fernando Alonso, retired, lap 46 (engine): “It’s only the fourth time I have retired
this year, but it is particularly frustrating because, with Ralf and Rubens
both going out as well, I could have taken fourth place in the championship.
We were competitive today, but I still wasn’t happy with the car: it has been
difficult to drive since the start of the weekend. We now have to look
towards Suzuka, which should suit our package well.” Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: “Jarno drove an impressive race, and his
lap-times right up until the finish demonstrated our real level of
competitiveness this weekend. In view of that, we can only be disappointed to
get a single car to the finish in fourth place. We will now work hard to get
the best from our package in Japan, and finish the season on a high.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering “Today was not so much
about strategy in the normal sense, but rather about trying to make the right
decision at the right time. Things were difficult for us when the track was
wet but in dry conditions, our cars were extremely quick and a fully dry race
should have brought a more satisfying result.” ITV Watch: horror of horrors! Jarno had to endure being interviewed by Martin
Brundle on the grid! Can’t recall when this has ever happened before, as
Brundle doesn’t usually go near him….can only guess JT was the only driver in
sight when Brundle went looking for JB and DC! It’s a good thing Jarno knows
he’s been a bit nicer to him lately! Maybe Martin was looking for brownie
points as he knew he was travelling back home with Flavio Briatore and didn’t
want to be left behind! During the commentary, James Allen did make sure we
knew that the Renault mechanics had been allowed to thoroughly check Jarno’s
car, and there was no reason why he shouldn’t maintain his speed throughout
the race….and so it proved! The car was fine, so Jarno’s pace was fine……OK,
James? Throughout the race, the ITV boys made sure they showed their British
bias…….Brundle was tempted to make Button his driver of the day! Funniest
moments were Brundle’s amazement that DC was STILL on slicks, and sliding
around when everyone else was on wets and had been on them for some time….and
his little joke was actually quite funny: when they knew DC was being
investigated for a rule infringement, Martin drily speculated that it might
be for having the wrong tyres! 27th September 2003 u.s.gp. saturday qualifying. Weather:
Sunny spells, warm
Temperature: ambient,
22°C; track, 34°C Saturday qualifying seemed
rather slow after Jarno’s record lap on Friday, although it did start with
the Minardis. Panis was the first driver to post a decent time and it was
good enough for third. Raikkonen took pole with his lap and remained
unbeaten. After his warm up adventures, Jarno only managed 10th,
with Alonso 6th. An interesting grid for this vital race; top 10:
Raikkonen, Barrichello, Panis, Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, Alonso, Michael
Schumacher, Coulthard, da Matta, Trulli. Renault Press Release Jarno Trulli R23B-05
S1: 22.391 S2: 29.930 S3: 20.245 Fernando Alonso R23B-06 S1: 22.287 S2:
29.572 S3: 20.228 A
disappointing overall result for the Renault F1 Team following second
qualifying at Indianapolis, with Fernando Alonso finishing sixth and Jarno
Trulli tenth. The
Spaniard worked throughout the morning on improving a difficult car balance,
and although the resulting qualifying set-up was still not perfect, he
managed to claim sixth place on the grid. Jarno Trulli suffered an accident
at the end of warm-up, sustaining damage to both the front and rear of his
car, but the Italian was last to run this afternoon, which gave the team
sufficient time to make the necessary repairs. However, he was unable to
repeat his performances from earlier in the weekend, and will start tenth
tomorrow. Fernando
Alonso, 6th,
1:12.087 “We
have improved the car since this morning, and I was happier with the handling
than during practice. Nevertheless, it still feels nervous, with understeer
in some corners and oversteer in others. Still, I will be starting from a
competitive position tomorrow. I know the title contenders are close by me on
the grid, but I will be looking to make up positions at the start and drive a
normal race. I don’t want to disrupt the fight for the title and the surest
way of doing that is to finish in front of them.” Jarno
Trulli, 10th,
1:12.566 “Firstly, I want to thank all the mechanics, who did
a fantastic job to get the car ready after my accident in the warm-up. As for
the qualifying lap, nothing felt quite right: I made small mistakes all the
way round the lap, and I perhaps had some trouble adapting to changing track
conditions. It is disappointing to start from so far back, but we have already
shown this weekend that our package is very competitive. We have chosen a
good strategy and I am intending to drive an attacking race tomorrow.” Pat
Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering “Fernando
and his crew have had to work hard to get the car balanced this weekend and
while it is still not perfect, they have made considerable progress,
resulting in a competitive sixth place on the grid. Jarno appears to have
suffered from his accident during the warm-up, and tenth position is not
representative of his pace all weekend. We are pleased with the tyre choice
we have made and our strategy, and expect to have a competitive, exciting
race tomorrow. Finally, a big thank-you to all the mechanics who worked so
hard to get Jarno’s car out for qualifying.” Denis
Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “Compared to our promising performance this morning,
I think we have good reason to be disappointed with the overall result.
Jarno’s position is a reflection of his incident during warm-up, while
Fernando’s in fact represents a steady increase in performance since the
beginning of the weekend. We are starting from further back than we had
hoped, but it will be a close fight tomorrow and we know the car is
competitive. We may not be able to demonstrate this competitiveness at the
very start of the race, but we should certainly see it emerge during what
will be a long race, and hopefully it will merit us a strong result.” ITV Watch: the programme was on so late (recorded) that it was hard
to stay awake, quite honestly! But Brundle and Allen were surprisingly
understanding and sympathetic about Jarno’s warm up accident and the possible
consequences on his qualifying lap. Maybe Brundle was recalling his own
accidents! It was a pleasant surprise anyway. Nothing outstanding about the
rest of the programme though. 27th September 2003 u.s.gp. warm up. Unfortunately this has to be mentioned,
because Jarno’s weekend got ruined here. One of the last drivers to come out for
his warm up laps, Jarno didn’t manage to set a time before spinning and
ending up in the gravel against the wall, with damage to the front of his
car. He accepted the blame for it too. It meant a busy hour for the Renault
mechanics to repair the car before qualifying. 27th September 2003 u.s.gp. saturday practice. And he does it again….Jarno is fastest in the
first session. The track was damp at the beginning of the session, and no one
much ventured out for a while. Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari broke down on his
installation lap, so he didn’t set a time, and the McLaren’s weren’t seen at
all. Top 6: Trulli, R. Schumacher, Montoya, Barrichello, Alonso, da Matta. The second session was not
quite as good for Jarno…he was only second quickest, to Barrichello. Ralf
Schumacher had a crash into a tyre barrier at the end of the session.
Meanwhile, da Matta’s Toyota engine let go when he was on his way back to the
pits. Top 6: Trulli, R. Schumacher, Montoya, Barrichello, Alonso, da Matta. 26th
September 2003 u.s.gp. friday qualifying. Weather: cold and overcast Temperature: ambient: 18°C; track: 21°C Jarno was quickest again! That’s 3 out of 3
sessions! What’s more, he was almost a whole second ahead of team mate,
Alonso, who was 7th, and he was just ahead of 8th
placed Michael Schumacher. Jarno’s lap time is also the fastest ever at
Indianapolis. Only he and Barrichello were in the 1:09s. The first few
drivers finished their laps while it was still dry. When Coulthard went out
for his lap, it began to rain a little; it continued lightly for Jarno’s and
Webber’s lap and gradually increased until it was raining heavily by the time
Panis went out. The last 7 drivers had the worst of the conditions and had no
chance of setting good times. Verstappens’s traction control didn’t work
either, and he gave up on his lap to save the car! Top 10: Trulli,
Barrichello, Webber, R. Schumacher, Montoya, Coulthard, Alonso, M.
Schumacher, Raikkonen, Button, Renault Press Release Jarno Trulli R23B-05 S1: 21.617 S2:
28.251 S3: 19.698 Fernando Alonso R23B-06 S1: 21.776 S2:
28.762 S3: 20.018 Mixed wet-dry conditions struck the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway this afternoon during first qualifying but the
Renault F1 Team nevertheless scored a pleasing result ahead of tomorrow’s
final session, with both drivers completing their timed laps before the rain
came. After topping the times during the first two sessions of the day, Jarno
Trulli confirmed his pace on the timed lap to take the provisional ‘pole’ position
by almost three tenths of a second. Team-mate Fernando Alonso, running
slightly earlier than Trulli, went seventh fastest. Jarno Trulli, 1st,
1:09.566: “Of course, I am extremely
happy with this result. Everybody did a very good job this morning, and this
result is based on that good work during testing and practice. I was happy
with the handling of the car straight away this morning, and we seem to be
very fast. Looking ahead, I am very confident for the rest of the weekend.” Fernando Alonso, 7th,
1:10.556: “No dramas for me on the timed lap. I have
been suffering from understeer all day, and that improved slightly on low
fuel for this afternoon’s qualifying session. Overall, I think we did a good
job this morning and Jarno has shown that the car is competitive here. We
still have some work to do on set-up, but with the information we gained this
morning, I think we will be strong for tomorrow and Sunday.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering “Jarno put in a fantastic lap to take a
well-deserved provisional pole position. With the possibility of rain
tomorrow morning, and drier conditions later, the fact that Jarno will be
last to run could prove a decisive advantage. The balance on Fernando’s car
has improved throughout the day, but is still not quite where he would like
it, hence his lower position. If it is dry tomorrow, it should be no problem
to fine-tune the set-up, and even if it is wet, we have enough data to get
very close.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “A superb first place for
Jarno this afternoon, which is the result of all the elements of our package
functioning at their optimum. Having said that, the gap between our two
drivers illustrates how important it is to have everything working right in
order to fight with our usual rivals. We will continue working this evening
and with everything we have learned today, I believe we will be very
competitive during the rest of the weekend.” JT interview post-qualy on
Members’ Page. ITV watch: the programme started at midnight
again, so no kind of priority from ITV. At one time it looked like they were
going to interview every top 8 driver except Jarno, the pole sitter, but
eventually we did get a Trulli interview. They tried to justify Jarno’s position
at the top by saying the track was getting faster all the time, ignoring the
fact that it was raining slightly during his lap and DC’s right before it
(before it finally chucked it down!). Radio 5 Live Extra said that it was
raining hard in the pit lane during this time. ITV also forgot to emphasise
that Alonso’s lap was driven in the dry and he was nearly a second slower
than Jarno. I bet we’d have heard about it if it had been the other way
round! 26th September 2003 u.s.gp. friday practice. Jarno was quickest man out
there. Even though he was late out, he managed to set his time before the
rains came. The session was stopped for 20 minutes so that Fisichella’s
Jordan with the exploded engine could be removed from the track along with
the oil if had dropped. When the session resumed, it began to rain, so the
earlier times could not be improved. Ralph Firman’s Jordan came out in
sympathy with the other EJ13, and stopped on track. Top 6: Trulli, R.
Schumacher, Panis, Barrichello, M. Schumacher, Alonso. 26th
September 2003 u.s.gp. friday testing. Weather: overcast and cold Temperatures: ambient: 15-17°C; track:
17-20°C This is a habit now….once again the three
Renault drivers were fastest in the first Friday session. Jarno was top of
the pile, followed by Alonso and McNish. There were 3 Jordans and 3 Minardis
today: Bjorn Wirdheim got his chance for Jordan and Gianmaria Bruni paid for
another go for Minardi. Jarno Trulli R23B-05 43 laps, 1:10.986 Fernando Alonso R23B-06 50 laps, 1:10.987 Allan McNish R23B-03 47 laps, 1:11.253 A productive morning’s work for the Renault
F1 Team during private testing for the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
Overall, the team’s three cars completed 140 laps, just under two race
distances. The drivers concentrated on evaluating tyres for both Indy and
Suzuka, as well as establishing the base-line set-ups for the rest of the
weekend. Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering “A productive morning for us during which we
were able to evaluate our Suzuka tyres as well as conducting our normal work
for the race. The general balance of the cars is close, and if the rain which
is forecast for tomorrow comes, we will have fully exploited the advantage
this extra session gives us." Allan McNish, test driver “From my point of view, I’m pleased with the
work we managed to do this morning: all three cars completed a good amount of
mileage, and we managed to test some tyres for Suzuka in addition to our work
for this race. On the chassis side, we need to work to dial out some
understeer and improve the low-speed grip, but these are
areas that you always need to work on here. This year, we have already proved
that we are competitive on every type of circuit, and I think our pace this
morning is encouraging.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “No problems at all on the engine side during
the two hours of testing this morning. We conducted our usual race
preparation work in addition to the final calibration of the engines, and
also managed to test the latest developments we have brought to Indy. Given
that weather conditions are expected to be variable for the rest of the
weekend, our work this morning could prove decisive.” 23rd
September 2003 2004 third driver. Renault F1 announced
today that Franck Montagny will be their third driver for 2004. Franck is 25,
and has spent 2003 competing in the “World Series by Nissan”, taking 8 race
wins out of 10 races, and currently leading the championship, 107 points
ahead of his nearest rival. Franck has conducted a wide range of work for the
team this year, including straight line tests and shakedowns, as well as
taking part in the Friday test at the French GP, as well as the recent
Barcelona test. Current
third driver Allan McNish wishes the team well and says he is deciding which
of his many options he should pursue. 22nd
September 2003 u.s.gp. driver preview. Jarno, this is the sole trip of the year Formula 1 makes to
the States: do you enjoy it? Definitely, yes: there is a
different way of living in the States, a different culture, and I enjoy that
a lot. At Indy, the evenings are always very lively and the people very
friendly and laid-back. It has also become something of a tradition for Mild
Seven to throw a party for the whole team, so we are all looking forward to
getting out there and having some fun! Indianapolis is one of the biggest names in
world motorsport. It must be special to drive there? To be honest, the circuit
itself is not particularly technical, and the key is to find a good balance
between aerodynamic and mechanical grip, to get enough top speed but also
good handling through the tight infield. As a venue, though, Indy is
fantastic: we go to a lot of circuits during the season, but some of them
still stand out. We have just visited Monza, which is one of the temples of
motor racing, and Indianapolis is another circuit which holds that special
status. Obviously, the Indy road course is used just
once a year: we are coming back to a situation in which Friday testing may
prove a distinct advantage… I think so.
None of the teams ever test there, so for the teams and the drivers it is a
little bit like a new circuit each time you go back. It just means we have
time to get used to driving there, the nature of the circuit, and also the
tyres we will be running. The sessions have been useful everywhere, but will
particularly help here, just they have done at the other flyaway races. 16th
and 17th September 2003 barcelona test. Franck Montagny tested for
Renault F1 in Barcelona this week. See 23rd September. 14th
September 2003 italian gp. race. Weather:
hot and sunny
Temperature: ambient,
28°C; track, 40°C Not
counting an accident scenario, Jarno probably had the shortest race on record.
After a brilliant start which saw him third into the first chicane, and
fighting Schumacher and Montoya into the second chicane, a probable
hydraulics failure which cut all systems and the engine as he exited second
Lesmo robbed him of a potentially interesting race. At the back of the grid,
Fernando had his own interesting start to the race. He pulled out to pass the
slow-starting Jordan of Baumgartner on the outside, changed his mind and
pulled into the middle, just as Jos Verstappen was doing the same to avoid
Justin Wilson’s Jaguar which had lost first gear. The resulting collision
sent Fernando flying into the air, but both cars made it back to the pits for
repairs. Fisichella had been the first casualty of the race on the parade
lap, when he had a gear problem and started the race from the pitlane. Da
Matta had a puncture or suspension failure a few laps into the race and spun
out. Coulthard was the first to stop on lap 11, so now we can see how bad his
qualifying lap was. By lap 14, Raikkonen, Gene and Barrichello had all made
their first stops, followed by Michael Schumacher on lap 15, which shows how
good his qualifying lap was. A lap or so later it was Montoya’s turn.
Fernando had another adventure as he tried to make up time, making a mistake
at a chicane and doing a bit of rally-crossing with bits of car flying off.
His luck held, as it proved to nothing terminal, or even important. Button
went out with a gearbox problem (what is it with these gearboxes today?) and
Panis retired on lap 30. That was the time Fernando made his one stop for
tyres and fuel. On lap 46, DC’s car also gave up the ghost. Montoya had been
threatening Schumacher’s lead throughout the race, but Michael had maintained
his advantage through the pit stops, with Barrichello running in third and
Raikkonen fourth. Gene, in the second Williams had put in a sterling
performance to be in fifth place. In the third stint, as they were making
their way through traffic (with a bit of resistance from Frentzen, it has to
be said) Montoya seemed to slow a little and settle for second place.
Frentzen’s car failed on the last lap and Heidfeld allowed Alonso to pass him
to take the last point, so not a great day for Sauber. A great day for
Ferrari though….Schumacher won the race, extended his lead in the WDC to 3
points and Barrichello was third. Top 8: M. Schumacher, Montoya, Barrichello,
Raikkonen, Gene, Villeneuve, Webber, Alonso. Only other finishers: Heidfeld,
Fisichella, Baumgartner, Kiesa. Post Script: for the
second time in a post race press conference this year, Barrichello has moaned
about Jarno. Both times probably to disguise the fact that Jarno has got the
better of him at the start of a race. What is his problem? At Silverstone
Rubens complained about Jarno hanging back during the parade lap, causing the
Ferrari’s tyres to cool….a ploy also used by Williams in the very next race,
and not illegal. This time Rubens seemed to resent Jarno being ahead of him:
“I had a little too much understeer to
begin with and I lost time with Trulli. He seemed to think that he wanted to
pass even Michael at the second chicane……” And your point is, Rubens? That’s what it’s about isn’t it? “…….so I lost time and all of a sudden
I almost crashed into him when he had a problem and slowed down so I had
quite a first lap.” Hardly Jarno’s fault,
though! One to watch. Renault Press Release Jarno Trulli R23B-05 Fernando Alonso R23B-06 Just one point for the Renault F1 Team after
an incident-filled Italian Grand Prix today at Monza. However, when one car is
forced to retire on the first lap, and the second is damaged in a start-line
collision, a point is better than nothing. Jarno Trulli made an excellent
start and was third after the first chicane. He was fighting with Juan Pablo
Montoya when he suffered a sudden failure which forced him to retire after
the second Lesmo. The team does not yet know exactly what caused the
incident, but suspects a hydraulic failure. Fernando Alonso started last, and
his car was damaged in a start-line collision with Jos Verstappen. He pitted
at the end of the first lap for a new nose, and the team took the decision to
fuel the car and run a one-stop strategy. In spite of a car that was not in
optimum condition, he pushed throughout the race and managed to score one
point after passing Nick Heidfeld’s Sauber on the last lap. Fernando Alonso, 8th: “Both myself and the team had a pretty
unlucky weekend: Jarno was in a good position when he had to retire, and I
had problems in qualifying and the race. Starting from the back of the grid
is always a risk and unfortunately, I lost the front wing at the start: I hit
Jos’ car as he was trying to avoid the Jaguar. I lost a lap by stopping and
after that, all I could do was push to the limit for the rest of the race.
Our lap-times were good but, with all the problems we had, it wasn’t enough
to score big points today.” Jarno Trulli, retired, lap 1: “There’s nothing much to say. I
got a flying start and was fighting with Michael and Juan Pablo in the first
few corners. I was going through the second Lesmo when I felt that the power
steering had failed, then the engine cut out. It’s a real shame, because the
car was good today.” Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: “I’m very sorry for Jarno, who made a
fantastic start and was competitive all weekend: we still don’t know exactly
what happened. As for Fernando, his car was damaged but he drove an
incredible race. His lap-times were extremely consistent, and that allowed
him to score points.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering: “Fernando’s race today was all about damage
limitation and after he had to stop at the end of the first lap, this became
even more the case. At this point, we decided to switch to a one-stop
strategy and we have to be grateful for a point at the end of a very difficult
day. Fernando’s lap-times towards the end were as quick as those fighting at
the front, and we can take some consolation from that. Jarno was extremely
unlucky, having put in a great performance all weekend. He stopped on the
first lap with what we believe may be a hydraulic failure.” ITV Watch: once again ITV managed to get through the
whole weekend without featuring an Italian driver on home soil. The only
Trulli interview came after he retired and for that reason. They still prefer
Allan NcNish. Fascinating insight into Jenson arriving at the track, talking
about eating in the motorhome, his relationship with his trainer……yawn. Of
course, no Ralph Firman this weekend, and very little DC or Justin Wilson.
Maybe they’ve gone off them, but they did have JB to play with. When it came
to the race, Jarno was complimented on his first half lap. Because he retired
we didn’t have to listen to Brundle and Allen slagging him off later in the
race when he couldn’t keep up with the Ferrari and the Williams. We noted
they made an excuse for DC dropping back because his car balance was going
off though……something they don’t usually take into account if Jarno has
problems. Rather amusingly, James Allen seems to have been on the romantic
pills: after da Matta was interviewed, James waxed lyrical about Cristiano’s
voice, saying he could listen to it all day. If I was James’ wife I would be
a bit worried! Then at the end, James described Michael Schumacher and Ross
Brawn as “like lovers in a Monza park.” OK, they were hugging, but
purrlease….. 13th
September 2003 italian gp. saturday qualifying. A rather exciting qualifying session for once, maybe
helped by Gene going out first and setting a benchmark time that proved good
enough for 5th in the end. It started to get interesting when
Jarno was able to get within a tenth of Gene’s time for second position at
that stage. Coulthard’s lap was only good enough for 8th although
he didn’t appear to make any mistakes. Alonso, out immediately before Jarno,
spun at the exit of the first chicane and finished 18 seconds down to start
at the back tomorrow. Webber and da Matta did not live up to their Friday
promise finishing 11th and 12th respectively. Raikkonen
took pole for a few minutes until Barrichello, then Michael Schumacher took
over. All eyes were on Montoya, the last runner, who came very close to
Michael, but had to settle for second place. Top 6: Schumacher, Montoya,
Barrichello, Raikkonen, Gene, Trulli. Renault
Press Release Weather:
Hot and sunny
Temperature:
Ambient, 27°C; Track, 38°C
Jarno Trulli R23B-05 S1: 26.528 S2:
28.036 S3: 27.380 Fernando Alonso R23B-06 S1: 33.022 S2:
32.029 S3: 35.354 An afternoon of two extremes for the Renault
F1 Team following second qualifying at Monza. Jarno Trulli exceeded
expectations with sixth place, while Fernando Alonso suffered a major
electrical failure at the beginning of his timed lap, thus depriving him,
most notably, of his traction control system. He consequently spun on the
exit of the first chicane, and will start last on the grid tomorrow. Jarno Trulli, 6th,
1:21.944: “It was a good lap and I am
happy with the result, particularly here at my home race. Having said that, I
think I could have gone a little faster: the car had the potential to be a
bit quicker. I have got a good balance, and the new engine spec ran well:
from the driver’s seat, you can feel the difference. I am confident we can
score points tomorrow.” Fernando Alonso, 20th,
1:40.405: “There’s not much to say really. I went into
the first chicane as normal, but the car spun on the exit because the
traction control was not working. As you would expect, I am disappointed, but
tomorrow is another day. We know it is possible to score points starting from
the back, so it’s not over yet.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering: “A great effort from Jarno, which has given
us a better grid position than expected. The new Michelin tyres are performing
very well in race trim, and this strong starting position gives us confidence
for tomorrow. Fernando, on the other hand, was extremely unlucky. It appears
there was a major electrical failure on his car as he started the timed lap,
which effectively knocked out all the control systems. Without warning that
this had happened, he lost control of the car as he exited the first
chicane.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager: “Mixed feelings for the team
after qualifying. Jarno’s performance has put us in a competitive position
for the race, although Fernando unfortunately suffered an incident which will
make things a little more complicated for him. Overall, I think we can note
that our level of performance in race trim is better than we were able to
show in Friday qualifying, and that at least one of our drivers can fight for
points tomorrow.” 13th
September 2003 italian gp. saturday practice. The
first session saw Ferrari take the top two places, followed by Coulthard.
Button pulled fourth place out of the bag. Ralf Schumacher has been replaced
by Marc Gene for the rest of the weekend after Ralf felt unwell after Friday
qualifying, and Gene was sixth quickest in this session, just four hundredths
of a second behind his team mate. Alonso and Trulli were 8th and 9th
respectively, also separated by the tiniest margin. Wilson was ahead of
Webber for this session, although they were 13th and 15th.
Top 6: M.Schumacher, Barrichello, Coulthard, Button, Montoya, Gene. The second session was also uneventful, the only incident
being a red flag for the removal of Panis’ Toyota after an engine failure a
few minutes from the end of the session. Trulli and Alonso swapped positions,
with Button squeezed in between: Trulli was 8th, Alonso 10th.
Montoya decided he’d been behind Michael long enough and took over first
place, while Marc Gene was third. Top 6: Montoya, M. Schumacher, Gene,
Raikkonen, Barrichello, Coulthard. 12th
September 2003 italian gp. friday qualifying. Weather:
hot and sunny
Temperature: ambient:
28°C; track: 37°C Several
drivers made mistakes in their qualifying lap today, although the final order
is not too out of the ordinary. Michael Schumacher, out first, set a time that
was beaten immediately by Montoya by half a second, but still finished third
in the session, with team mate Barrichello second. Toyota’s da Matta was the
surprise of the day in 4th place: or maybe not, with Toyota’s fast
engine, although Panis made a mistake and was 10th. Ralf
Schumacher cut the first chicane, so his time was disallowed, but he goes out
second tomorrow, as Minardi failed to get Verstappen’s engine going and he
never left the garage! Coulthard’s thousandth (must be!) poor qualifying lap
this year left him in 14th, a little bit down on Raikkonen in 6th.
Jarno was 7th and Alonso 8th. Top 6: Montoya,
Barrichello, M. Schumacher, da Matta, Webber, Raikkonen. Renault Press Release
Jarno Trulli R23B-05 S1: 26.557 S2:
28.065 S3: 27.412 Fernando Alonso R23B-06 S1: 26.439 S2:
28.122 S3: 27.542 First qualifying unfolded as expected for the
Renault F1 Team at Monza. After a good morning’s work during private testing
and free practice, Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso finished the day seventh
and eighth respectively in the midst of an extremely tightly-bunched group,
with one or two tenths won or lost equating to several grid positions. Jarno Trulli, 7th,
1:22.034: “A trouble-free day for me. The
car is handling OK, but we still have some work to do in order to find more
speed. Having said that, we are where we expected to be in the overall
standings.” Fernando Alonso, 8th,
1:22.103: “For my timed lap, the car was a little
nervous in the chicanes and I had a bit too much understeer. With this
low-downforce set-up, it is hard for us to be competitive with our usual
rivals. For tomorrow, we must look to improve the overall grip of the car,
close the gap to those in front and get a better grid position in order that
we can fight for a good result in the race.” Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering: “Surprisingly, the conditions this morning
during the test session were better than those in qualifying, as we did not
have to cope with the gusting wind that sprung up late this morning. This
wind made it difficult for the drivers to understand the car, especially in
low-downforce set-up. Having said that, the car appears to be reasonably
balanced but as we were expecting, we need more grip and to reduce the amount
of time spent on the straights in order to match our usual rivals. While we
may not ultimately be as competitive on this circuit as we are on others, we
have nevertheless spent time on our race set-up and are satisfied with the
result.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “We are in an area of the grid where a couple
of tenths can make as much as four or five places’ difference in terms of the
final position. Although today’s positions are not particularly flattering,
we managed to learn what we wanted to during the morning and now have this
evening and tomorrow during which to work on optimising our package. Given
how close things were today, extracting the maximum from what we have
available will be critical in order to qualify well.” ITV Watch: Gee thanks,
ITV, the programme started after midnight again. Rosenthal attempted to
explain the tyre rule problem at cretin level…..and we are supposed to be
visiting BAR this weekend…..Jenson is there so they must be happy. Allen
still can’t get his facts right even on trivial things……Robbie Williams has
given Jenson’s girlfriend Louise as song to record, but no, Robbie isn’t
planning a duet. The Undertakers (Brundle and Allen) were very confused about
Ralf Schumacher’s penalty for cutting the first chicane but eventually got to
grips with the fact that the stewards had disallowed his time. Nor did they
query the fact that Fisichella was using the spare car because he felt like
it….isn’t that against the rules? They were busy babbling on about Jarno
being happy for Fernando’s success in Hungary (they can’t understand that
either) while he was doing his lap, so it took a while for them to say that
Jarno had beaten Fernando’s time. In the interviews at the end, well done
Michael Schumacher for ridiculing Kravitz’s question about leading the
championship and going out first. Perhaps he often wants to punch them as
well and it’s not just us…… 12th
September 2003 italian gp. friday practice. Rubens Barrichello was the
fastest man in the morning session, closely followed by his team mate,
Michael Schumacher. Further down the order, Ralf Schumacher was the middle of
a Renault sandwich when Alonso was 8th and Trulli 10th.
Kiesa only managed 3 laps, after only 11 in the earlier test session…..not
getting the best chance, is he? Top
6: Barrichello, M. Schumacher, Raikkonen, Montoya, Coulthard, da Matta. 12th
September 2003 italian gp. friday test. Weather:
sunny
Temperatures:
ambient: 17-22°C; track: 19-26°C
Jarno Trulli 44 laps
1st, 1:22.083 Fernando Alonso 40 laps
2nd, 1:22.507 Allan McNish 40 laps 3rd, 1:22.533 A problem-free first session for the Renault
F1 Team today at Monza. During the two hours of ‘Heathrow’ testing, the three
drivers completed more than 124 laps in total, which equates to more than two
race distances. Zsolt Baumgartner is replacing Ralph Firman for this weekend,
as Ralph still has an inner ear problem following his crash at the Hungaroring.
Gianmaria Bruni was testing for Minardi in this session and was only two
tenths slower than Jordan’s Fisichella. Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering “We had a useful morning because, although we
tested here last week, we were not able to complete our programme. Our work
this morning therefore enabled us to concentrate on the final details. As we
would expect after two days of testing last week, the balance of the cars is
already close to what we want, but as ever, this afternoon will be the true
indicator of our performance.” Allan McNish, test driver “After testing last week, the team came here
with a good idea of the set-up we would need as well as plenty of data on the
tyres. As a consequence, I was able to do more work on chassis set-up than usual.
From a personal point of view, I am pleased to be back at Monza, driving on a
fast track that I have always liked. As for the car, the chassis inspires
confidence in the driver, which allows us to push to the limit. Overall, I
think we can be confident of a good result, even if it is likely to be a
tough fight.” Denis Chevrier, Engine Operations Manager “A normal Friday morning,
with good conditions and free of mechanical trouble. We conducted a typical
programme of fine-tuning the engine, which was completed without incident. We
can also confirm today, following last night’s results from the dynamometer,
that the new specification cylinder head will be used in the race.” 9th
September 2003 italian gp. driver preview. Jarno, for an Italian, what does it mean to be racing at
Monza? I’m definitely looking forward
to this year’s race. First of all, racing in Italy means lots of my fans can
get to the race, and it is always nice to see your supporters in the stands!
As well as that, I think we have a good chance of running well this year: the
car is very competitive at the moment. Generally, you are a fan of the more
technical circuits, while the layout at Monza seems relatively simple. What
is it like to drive? You need to be comfortable with
the car, and get it well-balanced under braking and in the changes of
direction. Good straight-line speed is critical. At Monza, though, the low
levels of downforce mean we have to drive more smoothly: we are usually right
on the limit in terms of grip, and any small sideways moment can be more
difficult to control. Last year, you raced from the back of the
grid to fourth place. Can we expect as strong a performance in 2003? It is always
difficult to make predictions, but I know for sure that I hope we don’t start
from the back this time! The car has been very quick recently, as we have
seen at the last few races: the circuits in Germany and Hungary were very
different, but we were fast at both. I think the whole team is confident of
getting a good result. 4th
September 2003 monza test. Jarno Trulli, R23-01, 83 laps (481 km) Fernando Alonso, R23-01, 99 laps (574 km) The Renault F1 Team today completed its two-day test at Monza in
preparation for next week’s Italian Grand Prix. The day’s work focused
primarily on set-up work for the race, as well as tyre evaluation. In total,
the cars completed over 1000km of running. Fastest was Michael Schumacher
closely followed by Montoya and Raikkonen. Fourth fastest was Alonso, fifth
Badoer’s Ferrari and sixth, Jarno. “We completed a very positive day’s testing,” explained Technical
Director Mike Gascoyne. “Both drivers focused on their set-ups and we are
confident that they made good progress. “Thanks to our technical partners at Michelin, who have reacted
incredibly quickly and effectively over the last few days, our tyre testing
also went very well, and using the new shape tyre, we actually noted a small
performance advantage over its predecessor.“ The Renault F1 Team will next be in
action on Friday, 12 September at the Italian Grand Prix. 3rd
September 2003 monza test. Jarno Trulli, R23-01, 84 laps (487 km): 1:22.413 Fernando Alonso, R23-01, 70 laps (405 km): 1:22.633 The Renault F1 Team today completed its first day of testing in Monza,
Italy, in preparation for next week’s Grand Prix. With race drivers Jarno
Trulli and Fernando Alonso in action, the team completed 154 laps, the
equivalent of nearly 3 race distances. The day’s programme included the first run of the low downforce
package destined for the upcoming race, tyre evaluation and engine
development work. In spite of rain during the late morning, the day was
deemed productive by Technical Director Mike Gascoyne: “It was a useful day
at Monza. We successfully evaluated the new low downforce package, and
completed a significant amount of tyre development, focusing on constructions
and compounds for the race. Jarno also ran with an uprated engine
specification today. Both drivers completed their programmes, although
Fernando was less happy with his car balance than Jarno. Tomorrow, we will
continue with our tyre development and also concentrate on general set-up
work for the Grand Prix.” Fastest on the day was Coulthard, followed by Raikkonen in the other
McLaren. Jarno was 8th fastest, Fernando 10th, out of a
massive 22 drivers……more than a grid’s worth! Villeneuve completed an
incredible 136 laps, finishing 6th…..well, he had a lot of
practice; do Honda engines actually last that long? Baumgartner was faster
than Fisichella for Jordan……has Fisi lost interest completely? Giancarlo must
be pleased to see Frentzen’s Sauber third fastest, as he will be driving a
Sauber next season! The Renault F1 Team will complete the test tomorrow, Thursday 4
September. Both race drivers will once again be in action. |