No times for WilliamsF1 in 1st Saturday practice


Webber

By Andrew Hooper
March 4 2005

Neither BMW WilliamsF1 driver would set a time in the 1st Saturday practice as all the drivers had to cope with a wet track. Mark Webber would have several moments out on the track spinning at Turn 11 in the difficult conditions.

 
Australian GP Saturday 1st Practice
 

For the BMW WilliamsF1 team the opening Saturday practice would see neither driver set a time with Mark having several moments out on the track as the drivers had to cope with a very wet track after heavy rain had hit the circuit earlier in the day.

Saturday would see a poor start to the day with heavy rain and cold day and if you were in the Minardi team with the news that Paul Stoddart had withdrawn his court injunction that he was awarded Friday evening. As to whether the team would participate was in doubt. With the rain easing the session started
we would see the Minardi of Patrick Friesacher take to the track joined by Sauber's Jacques Villeneuve.

It was found that the Minardi team had put on the 2005 aerodynamic package to their cars allowing them to run. Paul Stoddart was quoted as saying: "the cars are safe... but whether they are any good is another story". Red Bull's Christian Klien would also take to the track joined by McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen and Jordan's Narain Karthikeyan. Both Toyota's would take to the wet track followed by Sauber's Felipe Massa and Minardi's Christian Albers.

Albers would set a time of 2m:17.127, followed by a 2m:04.184. Both BMW WilliamsF1 drivers would take to the track. Minardi's Friesacher would record a 2m:02.126. Albers would set the fastest time with a 1m:55.490. Mark Webber would have a moment on his exploratory lap running wide onto the grass but was
able to keep it going and returned by to his garage. Both Jordan drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro, would set times with Monteiro fastest with a 1m:53.457.

Raikkonen would easily beat the earlier times with a 1m:43.526. Ralf and Friesacher were also out. BMW's Mario Theissen would say that Nick Heidfeld said the conditions were very slippery and it is essential to stay off the white lines. Albers would have a big spin at turn 11 harmlessly spinning across the
grass. The Dutchman would set a time of 1m:48.566. The Ferrari team appeared to have no intention to send their cars out. Jordan's Karthikeyan would have a major moment but was able to get it all together and continue.

Mark Webber would have a big spin at Turn 11 but like others was able to keep it together and return to the pits. With the minutes counting down a large number of cars would take to the track. Joining them would be Rubens Barrichello and he would set a time of 1m:44.482 to be second. Jarno Trulli would move into sixth. Rubens would improve to go fastest with a goes one better and claims P1 with a 1:41.933. Michael Schumacher storms would pass his team-mate going fastest with a 1m:41.304.

Red Bull's David Coulthard would set a time good enough for fifth with a 1m:48.369, while BAR's Jenson Button was eighth. Button's team-mate Takuma Sato was in fifth with a 1m:46.768 as the chequered flag was shown to end the session.

 
Pos  Driver        Team                  Time      Laps
 1.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari           (B)  1:40.540  5
 2.  Barrichello   Ferrari           (B)  1:41.933  4
 3.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes  (M)  1:43.526  6
 4.  Karthikeyan   Jordan-Toyota     (B)  1:45.641  10
 5.  R.Schumacher  Toyota            (M)  1:45.687  6
 6.  Sato          BAR-Honda         (M)  1:46.768  3
 7.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Cosworth (M)  1:48.369  5
 8.  Albers        Minardi-Cosworth  (B)  1:48.566  10
 9.  Trulli        Toyota            (M)  1:49.623  8
10.  Button        BAR-Honda         (M)  1:51.364  3
11.  Monteiro      Jordan-Toyota     (B)  1:53.457  5
12.  Friesacher    Minardi-Cosworth  (B)  1:53.507  11
13.  Villeneuve    Sauber-Petronas   (M)  No Time   3
14.  Klien         Red Bull-Cosworth (M)  No Time   1
15.  Massa         Sauber-Petronas   (M)  No Time   3
16.  Montoya       McLaren-Mercedes  (M)  No Time   1
17.  Heidfeld      Williams-BMW      (M)  No Time   3
18.  Webber        Williams-BMW      (M)  No Time   3
19.  Alonso        Renault           (M)  No Time   2
20.  Fisichella    Renault           (M)  No Time   2
 
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