Disappointing qualifying in Belgium for WilliamsF1


Montoya

By Andrew Hooper
August 28 2004

It would be a disappointing final qualifying in Belgium for the BMW WilliamsF1 team , seeing Juan Pablo and Antonio 11th & 14th. Both drivers would struggle in the difficult wet conditions with Juan Pablo been caught out on intermediate tyres as the rain began to fall heavier.

   
Belgian GP Saturday Final Qualifying
 
For the BMW WilliamsF1 team the final qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix would see both drivers struggle in the difficult wet conditions that had affected the circuit since the earlier practice sessions. It would produce a disappointing result that would see Juan Pablo Montoya and Antonio Pizzonia in eleventh and fourteenth grid positions. For Juan Pablo his lap was spoilt by heavier rain hitting the circuit just as he went out on intermediate tyres.

MontoyaAfter a minor off in the opening qualifying session Toyota's Ricardo Zonta was able to make it into the second after some quick work by his mechanics. On a drying but still wet track he would start his lap. He would finish with a time of 2m:03.895. Next came Minardi's Bruni and he would, despite a moment at the Bus Stop, easily beat Zonta's time finishing with a 2m:02.651. Toyota's Olivier Panis was next out and he was almost a two seconds faster than Bruni after sector two. He would finish with a time of 1m:59.552. Zsolt Baumgartner was next out in his Minardi. He would finish with a 2m:03.303 to be third. Nick Heidfeld was the last of the first five drivers to run. His time of 2m:02.645 would see him second.

The next group of drivers would see Klien come out first. After sector two he was some 1.2 seconds behind Panis, a time of 2m:01.246. With the rain starting to fall heavier again the following drivers were going to have a difficult time. Pantano was out and his lap would see him set a time of 2m:03.833 to finish well behind team-mate Heidfeld and to be in sixth.

PizzoniaNow it was mark Webber. His lap would see him just ahead of Panis after sector one, fastest in sector two, to finish with a time of 1m:58.729 to go fastest. Now it was Pizzonia's run and he was quicker than Webber in sector one, but would make a mess of sector two to lose 2.5 seconds, to finish in fourth with a time of 2m:01.447. BAR's Takuma Sato was the last of the first ten drivers and would finish his lap in fifth with a time of 2m:01.813. Team-mate Jenson Button was next out and he would set the fastest first sector time with a 31.3, on a drying circuit. But he would lose time in the second, finishing in third with a 2m:00.237.

Renault's Jarno Trulli was out on intermediate Michelin tyres and his first sector would be the fastest. He would continue this in the second and would finish his lap with a time of 1m:56.232. This would see him move to the top of the times. The second Renault of Alonso was out on his lap and he would finish just behind Trulli with a time of 1m:56.686, to be second.

MontoyaDavid Coulthard and Juan Pablo were the next two drivers. For Coulthard his lap would see him finishing in third with a time of 1m:57.990. For Juan Pablo his lap, on intermediate tyres, would see him a few tenths slower than Trulli in the first sector. But with the rain starting to fall again he would be caught out in the second sector and it would hurt his time seeing him finish with a time of 1:59.681 to be sixth. The first of the final group was Giancarlo Fisichella. His lap was one where he would lose time but still would come through into fourth position with a time of 1m:58.040. Team-mate Felipe Massa was next. His lap would see him move into sixth with a time of 1m:59.008.

The last of the Michelin runners was Kimi Raikkonen. He would make a mistake at the Bus Stop which would see him drop to sixth with a time of 1m:59.635. Now it was the turn of Rubens Barrichello, running on full wet weather tyres. His lap would see him fastest up until the Bus Stop chicane where he would run wide losing time finishing in fifth. Now it was all down to Michael in the second Ferrari.

He would be slightly faster in the opening two sectors but would not be able to beat Trulli's time finishing his lap with a time of 1m:56.304. Michael was to lose time in the final sector and give pole to the Renault of Trulli who was able to make the most of a drying track and intermediate tyres.

 
Pos Driver Team Time

1. (12) Trulli Renault (M) 1:56.230
2. (20) M. Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:56.304 + 0.074
3. (13) Alonso Renault (M) 1:56.686 + 0.456
4. (14) Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:57.990 + 1.760
5. (16) Fisichella Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:58.040 + 1.810
6. (19) Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:58.175 + 1.945
7. (8) Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:58.729 + 2.499
8. (17) Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:59.008 + 2.778
9. (3) Panis Toyota (M) 1:59.552 + 3.322
10. (18) Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:59.635 + 3.405
11. (15) Montoya WilliamsF1-BMW (M) 1:59.681 + 3.451
12. (11) Button BAR-Honda (M) 2:00.237 + 4.007
13. (6) Klien Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 2:01.246 + 5.016
14. (9) Pizzonia WilliamsF1-BMW (M) 2:01.447 + 5.217
15. (10) Sato BAR-Honda (M) 2:01.813 + 5.583
16. (5) Heidfeld Jordan-Ford (B) 2:02.645 + 6.415
17. (2) Bruni Minardi-Cosworth (B) 2:02.651 + 6.421
18. (4) Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth (B) 2:03.303 + 7.073
19. (7) Pantano Jordan-Ford (B) 2:03.833 + 7.603
20. (1) Zonta Toyota (M) 2:03.895 + 7.665
 
 
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