By Luke Marc Carlile-Stanton
August 6 2006

The Toyota drivers of Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli had a fairly average qualifying session and they will start 6th and 8th on the grid respectively for tomorrows Hungarian Grand Prix after an action packed qualifying session. McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen will start on pole position ahead of Felipe Massa in the Ferrari and Rubens Barrichello in the Honda.

As we headed into Qualifying big news had been coming out of the steward’s room. World Champion Fernando Alonso would receive a penalty of 2 seconds added onto each of his qualifying laps after an incident with Red Bull Racing's third driver Robert Doornbos in Friday Practice. The Stewards deemed Alonso had brake tested the Dutchman and his actions were "dangerous" and "unnecessary". But the steward room controversy didn’t stop there. Alonso’s main rival for the World Championship of 2006 Michael Schumacher had also been given the same time penalty after an incident in the mornings practice session. Schumacher had overtaken under red flags and the stewards deemed that was as punishable as Alonso’s offense, so with Schumacher and Alonso taking time penalty’s and Jenson Button in the Honda taking a 10 place drop after an engine failure in the mornings practice, this could play into the hands of Toyota, with a better chance of both cars reaching the pole shoot out and a top position at the end of it all, it would be a thrilling session.

Knockout One

So with so much buzz surrounding the Hungaroring, qualifying got under way and it was Ralf was the first driver out on the circuit in what was shaping up to be a cracker of a qualifying session. Ralf set the first time of the day a 1.24.231, not a time that would set the world alight as proven by Super Aguri driver Sakon Yamamoto who went quickest on a 1.24.016, a great effort from the Japanese rookie to be ahead of a Toyota, but for Ralf highly embarrassing, he could do better.

With nine minutes to go Fernando Alonso left the pits and with his penalty his lap would need to be fastest to stand any chance of getting through to the second session. Alonso set a time of 1.20.420, a good solid lap from Renaults World Champion, time would tell how he did. Meanwhile Ralf and Jarno were in 10th and 11th respectively and needed to go quicker or face being eliminated early on.

With just over 5 minutes to go Kimi Raikkonen in the McLaren went fastest on a 1.20.080, as at the same time the Toyota drivers left the pits to go on their final laps and trying to improve on their current positions. Ferrari's main hope for this weekend Felipe Massa went fastest on a 1.19.744 and was looking good to take his first pole position and maybe his first win this weekend. Team mate Schumacher went quicker on a 1.19.440, which with his penalty would make his time a 1m21.440s.

Both Toyotas had fell into the bottom 6 with these times and the drop zone but thankfully both Ralf and Jarno moved themselves up the order, Ralf going into 8th and Jarno 12th. As things stood Michael Schumacher’s penalty would get him into the second session but Alonso was far from safe he was classified in 4th position, add on the two second penalty and the Spaniard dropped all the way back amongst the Midlands and Super Aguri’s in 18th position. The World Champion was on a hot lap though, could he get in? His time of 1.19.792 put him second but with the penalty that became 15th, a good effort from the Renault driver.

Ralf moved into 5th and Jarno went 11th after Schumacher’s time penalty, despite Ralf moving into 5th it was hardly a convincing performance from Toyota. The big surprise of the session was that Williams’s rookie Nico Rosberg was a big-name knock out in the first period; he finished 18th overall, very bad for struggling rookie. Massa was classified as fastest at the end of the session.

Top 6: Massa, Raikkonen, Button, Kubica, R.Schumacher, Barrichello.
Bottom 6 and knocked out: Liuzzi, Rosberg, Speed*, Sato, Albers*, Yamamoto.



Knock out 2

Both Toyotas were through to the second period but both Jarno and Ralf would need to up their game for the second period, to get into the pole shoot out. But with Alonso and Schumacher’s time penalty Toyota could maybe pray on getting through on that.

BMW-Sauber driver Jacques Villeneuve suffered a slight injury after a heavy crash at the final corner in the last race at Hockenhiem last weekend and on Tuesday it was announced he had ruled himself out of racing here at Hungary. Instead his place has been taken by Polish driver Robert Kubica, the team’s third driver on Friday. Kubica impressed highly as he finished 4th in the first period, and if keeps the momentum up the German Grand Prix might have been the last we saw of 1997 World Champion Villeneuve. Kubica was the first driver out on track in the second knock out and set the opening time of session; a 1.20.712, a tenth of a second faster than the Polish rookie managed in the first knock out.

Jarno became the first Toyota driver to go out on track and went fastest setting a time of 1.20.656 displacing Kubica from the top spot. Michael Schumacher needed a miracle to get through to the final, he went fastest on a 1.19.464, a relatively good lap from the 7 times world champion and maybe that was good enough for the final period. Jarno was 3rd place and Ralf was 4th-things looking up for Toyota, but there was still al long way to in the period. Alonso went 10th on a 1.22.228, that wouldn’t be good enough to get into the pole shoot out but maybe he was playing it safe for tomorrow’s race with his tires.

Barrichello went 2nd for Honda slotting in ahead of team mate Jenson Button who was 3rd. Massa went second on a 1.19.504 slotting in behind team mate Schumacher, but keeping in mind Schumacher was going for broke due to his penalty a good effort by the Brazilian. But from the Toyota view of things that put Jarno in 9th and Ralf back in 10th and of course on the brink of being knocked out of qualifying.

With only 2 minutes to go both drivers would need to go out and better their times. Jarno moved into 7th and Ralf moved in just behind in 8th, it was hardly safe but it wasn’t looking bad, Schumacher bettered his time to a 1.18.875, that would still put him out of qualifying but he wouldn’t take such a big plummet down the order, Alonso moved into 2nd, with his penalty that would be 15th, it knocked Ralf back into 11th and in the drop zone but Schumacher and Alonso hadn’t done enough to get through, even if it was never on the cards, both Toyotas were through.

Top 6: Massa, Raikkonen, Barrichello, Button, De La Rosa, Webber.
Bottom 6 and knocked out: Heidfeld, M.Schumacher*, Coulthard, Klien, Alonso*, Monteiro.

Pole Shoot out

Thankfully both Toyotas were through the final shoot out, but Ralf was in on merit due to Alonso and Schumacher’s time penalty’s. Jarno and Ralf would fight it out for pole between both of the Mclarens of Raikkonen and Pedro De La Rosa, the Honda duo of Button and Barrichello, Button of course taking a 10 place grid drop due to his engine change, Giancarlo Fisichella in the sole Renault, Felipe Massa’s Ferrari, Robert Kubica making a dream debut for BMW-Sauber in the top 10, and Mark Webber in the Williams - Williams this week announcing that test driver Alex Wurz would replace Webber in the team alongside Nico Rosberg, and with Toyota power next season Williams would be entering a new age.

The First few minutes of qualifying brought the fuel burning laps which don’t count for pole position proper. Still Kubica set the first time of the session; a 1.26.382, with Jarno going 7th and Ralf then going fastest ahead of Kubica, with a time of 1.23.965, but remember these laps do not count for pole proper. Fisichella went fastest on a 1.22.752, with 7 minutes to go.

It was about time the front runners came into the pits to set up their cars for a shot at pole and indeed it was Fisichella who was the first to blink, putting on fresh tires and going on track for a proper crack at pole and straight away the rest of the field followed suit. Fisichella set a time of 1.20.994 to go fastest but straight away Massa displaced the Italian on a 1.18.886, but damaging a set of tires in process after a lock up at turn 1.

Ralf was 9th and Jarno was in 9th position with just over 3 minutes to go but both drivers swiftly came into the pits getting ready for a shot at pole followed by other drivers, this would be the ‘last chance saloon’ for the remaining drivers.

Kubica continued his impressive form going into 8th with seconds to go in the session and pushing Ralf and Jarno back into 9th and tenth, but they were out on track and on flying laps. Ralf moved to 5th, Massa went slower on his final lap but remained in pole, Jarno moved up only one place into 9th, a disappointing effort.

Time was up and drivers came round the circuit to finish their final runs. Webber sprung as surprise going into second, a great lap by the Australian but he quickly fell backwards, displaced by Button, but at the last Raikkonen went fastest! A great effort from the Finn, setting a time of 1.19.599, punishing Massa for the errors the Ferrari driver made on his final run and taking pole. Ralf ended up 7th and Jarno 9th, this would become 6th and 8th with Buttons 10 place grid drop.

So Raikkonen will start on pole, Felipe Massa robbed of pole at the very last moment will start 2nd with Barrichello in the first of the Hondas, with team Button just behind 4th but that would become 14th with the 10 place drop. De La Rosa finished 5th in the sister Mclaren, with Mark Webber a great 6th. Ralf finished 7th overall ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella, disappointing from the top Renault driver. Jarno finished 9th which was quite disappointing and Robert Kubica on his F1 debut finishes his first Qualifying session in 10th position.

Top 10: Raikkonen, Massa, Barrichello, Button*, De La Rosa, Webber, R.Schumacher, Fisichella, Trulli, Kubica.

* Notes

Jenson Button will start 14th after an Engine change and Nick Heidfeld enters the top 10 for BMW-Sauber. Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Scott Speed was stripped of his 3 best runs and will start 20th, Christijan Albers in the Midland F1 also received an engine change and will start last promoting Yamamoto in the Super Aguri to 21st.