By pitpass.com (27/06/2003)
June 27 2003

Having absolutely dominated free-practice this morning it's going to be interesting to see how the Michelin runners fare this afternoon. We know that certain conditions suit the various tyre manufacturers but this morning's virtual whitewash was a bad portent. That said, we know that if it rains it's more than likely that Bridgestone runners will have the upper hand.

This morning of course the car in front - quite literally - was a Toyota, though whether this form can be maintained for the rest of the weekend remains to be seen.

As ever, the drivers will take to the track this afternoon in world Championship order, therefore Michael Schumacher will be first out followed by Raikkonen, Alonso, Ralf and Montoya.

Although this morning's session was run in bright sunshine it's now beginning to cloud over and much cooler, don't forget we're promised rain over the course of the weekend, but it's unlikely that we'll see any rain in the next hour, tomorrow and Sunday is another matter.

At 14:00 exactly Michael Schumacher takes to the track, this is the first time that the German has been first out for Friday qualifying since Melbourne.

The Ferrari crosses the line and qualifying is truly underway. At the first split Michael posts 29.7 followed by a 37.4 at the second. It's a clean lap and he crosses the line at 1:30.353 to set the benchmark. It's worth noting that this time is about 0.8s faster than Panis posted in free practice and 2.2s quicker than his own best.

At the first split Kimi Raikkonen posts 29.3 he's up on Michael already. At the second split he posts 37.5 he's still slightly up on the German. Over the line at 1:29.989 the Finn goes to the top of the timesheets. A good, clean, tidy lap from the McLaren driver.

Next it's Fernando Alonso. At the first split it's 30.0, he's down on Raikkonen and Schumacher. At the second split it's 37.9 he's half-a-second down on Raikkonen. 1:31.533 over the line, a poor lap and Fernando will be disappointed he's only 0.2s quicker than his best time this morning.

Ralf Schumacher is next out, the WillaimsF1 star has been on pole for the last two races. At turn 4 he goes very wide and loses time, it's 29.4 at the first split. 37.8 at the second split, he's losing more time. Over the line at 1:30.522 he goes third 0.533 off Raikkonen's pace.

Juan Pablo Montoya is on track, the last driver before the first break. At the first split he posts 29.5, he's already down on Raikkonen but it's still recoverable. At the second split he posts 37.8, he's lost more time. Over the line he posts 1:30.378 to go third having posted best time of the day in the final sector. He could have gone even quicker but locked up at the hairpin.

At the first break it's Raikkonen ahead of Schumacher, Montoya, Ralf and Alonso.

2002 winner Rubens Barrichello is next out, what can the Brazilian do? At the first split the Ferrari driver posts 29.7 he already well down on Raikkonen. At the second split it's 37.8 he's made up a little time. 1:31.842 over the line is good enough for fifth, almost half-a-second off his team-mate's time.

David Coulthard is next up, the Scot is eager to re-establish himself and his championship challenge. 29.6 at the first split, he's 0.3s down on his team-mate but he's still in with a chance. 37.9 he's lost more time and will be lucky to make it into the top three. 1:30.903 the Scot goes sixth, it was a nice clean lap but clearly not a fast one. Could the cooling temperature be the reason?

Jarno Trulli takes to the track, the Italian needs a good result this weekend. 29.6 at the first split, off the pace but quicker than his team-mate. At the second split it's 38.1 followed by a 1:31.143 over the line, only good enough for seventh (out of eight) just aherad of his Spanish team-mate.

Giancarlo Fisichella is next out, other than the Ferraris this is the first Bridgestone runner this afternoon. 30.2 at the first split, the Roman is already way off the pace. At the second split it's 38.4 he's lost a whole heap of time. 1:32.196 over the line, that's 2.2s slower than 'pole-man' Raikkonen.

Last out before the second break is Jenson Button in the BAR. At the first split the English youngster posts 30.2, off the pace but better than Fisichella. At the second split it's 38.3 he's lost a lot of time. Going into the final chicane he hits one of the cones which damages his front wing. 1:32.479 is only good enough for tenth, a poor performance from the BAR and the Bridgestones.

At the second break it's: Raikkonen, Schumacher, Montoya, Ralf, Barrichello, Coulthard, Trulli, Alonso, Fisichella and Button.

As Frentzen comes out the first spots of rain begin to appear, it's only light rain, but it's rain.

At the first split Frentzen posts 29.9 which is pretty good under the circumstances. 38.5 at the second split, he's lost time but not a great deal. 1:32.201 over the line, not a bad time and a typical 'workmanlike' lap from the Sauber star.

Mark Webber is next out, the Australian keen to complete his lap before the rain really settles in. 30.9 at the first split he's already way off the pace. 38.0 at the second split, he makes up a little time but clearly conditions are getting a little difficult. It seems to be at the top end of the circuit where the rain is really falling. 1:35.972 over the line is enough for eleventh.

Suddenly it really begins to bucket down and da Matta, running on grooved tyres is all over the place, at the first split he posts 49.2 as the conditions deteriorate. 49.8s at the second split the Toyota throws up the traditional 'rooster tails'. The Brazilian returns to his pit and aborts the lap.

Jacques Villeneuve goes out and posts 35.6 at the first split. The Canadian is really fighting with the car but loses as the car goes off into the gravel.. despite the fact that he's on wet weather tyres. Jacques climbs out of his car and looks thoroughly depressed, at which point the stewards stop the session.

The rain is really falling now and the stewards' decision seems to be a wise one, though JV will be asking why the session wasn't stopped when da Matta went off.

The remainder of the session has been declared 'wet' which means that drivers can now run their full wet tyres. This of course plays into the hands of the Bridgestone runners. Should tomorrow's qualifying session follow the same pattern - beginning dry and ending wet - then we could be in for one hell of a grid.

Olivier Panis is next out, the Frenchman will be gutted at how things have turned out this afternoon having dominated this morning's session.

At the first split Olivier posts 38.1s as he goes round on tippy-toes. The rain is now torrential and the Toyota driver posts 50.2 at the second split and 1:57.327 over the line.

At the third break there are just five drivers left to run, Heidfeld, Firman, Pizzonia, Verstappen and Wilson, it'll be interesting to see who can put in the best performance in these awful conditions.

Nick Heidfeld goes out in the Sauber, the German posting 37.9 at the first split, which could put him ahead of Panis. At the second split Nick posts 46.7 which is still good under the circumstances. 1:52.300 over the line the Sauber on Bridgestones leap-frogs Panis, who was on Michelins. This of course will favour the Minardis too.

Ralph Firman is next out and the Anglo-Irish driver is just a little to enthusiastic at the first corner. 37.7 at the first split he's already down on Heidfeld. At the second split it's 47.9, he's made up a little time. Over the line at 1:53.893, Ralph goes fourteenth ahead of Panis, da Matta and Villeneuve.

Next out is Pizzonia, the Jaguar driver is on Michelins however. At the first split it's 39.3 followed by a 48.6 at the second. Over the line the Brazilian posts 1:57.435, the slowest driver to complete a lap.

Now it's the turn of 'Jos the Boss' what can the Dutchman do? The answer is 39.3 at the first split followed by a 48.2 at the second. Over the line the Minardi star posts 1:55.921 to go ahead of Panis and Pizzonia.

Last up is Justin Wilson, all eyes on the young Englishman. At the first split he posts 38.8 followed by a 47.6, he's quicker than his team-mate, this is a great lap. Over the line Justin posts 1:54.546 to go fifteenth ahead of his team-mate, a superb lap.

So that's it, Raikkonen is quickest ahead of Schumacher, Montoya, Ralf, Barrichello, Coulthard, Trulli, Alonso, Fisichella and Frentzen.

Basically a session of two halves which if repeated tomorrow would lead to a crazy grid and consequently an interesting race.

As in the free practice session this morning we've seen that condition determine which tyre manufacturer has the upper-hand, and thereby which team. Hopefully as the season progresses we'll see a little more parity.

Following his run Olivier Panis complained about the conditions and feels that the stewards should have delayed the second part of the session. The Frenchman says that he will voice his thoughts at the drivers' briefing scheduled for later in the day.

As someone who was there to see Pedro Rodriguez in the Porsche 917 at Brands Hatch in 1970 in conditions worse than this, and when safety wasn't the issue it is today, we find that a little sad but indicative of the direction in which the sport is heading.


This article was written by pitpass.com and is ued with permission.