[F1] San Marino Gran Prix!

[VTEC16]

This weekend will be the San Marino gran prix! This is the 'real' start of the season according to many - as the start of the season jitters have been weeded out, and the appropriate order of teams usually start to emerge on the leaderboard...

From what i have read, the big movers will be Honda and Renault....but im sure BMW and Ferrari will improve a great deal too....

Toyota and Mclaren are dont seem to be as 'on the ball'! :dance:

Here is the Timetable in San Marino time (ozzy time in brackets)

Friday 23 Apr 2004

11:00 - 12:00 Practice 1 (7pm)

14:00 - 15:00 Practice 2 (10pm)

Saturday 24 Apr 2004

09:00 - 09:45 Practice 1 (5pm)

10:15 - 11:00 Practice 2 (6:15pm)

13:00 Pre-Qual (9pm)

14:00 Qualifying (10pm)

Sunday 25 Apr 2004

14:00 Race (10pm)

...and as usual, these sessions are timed - and can be viewed at www.f1.com

Enjoy the weekend guys - ill be keeping us up to date.

cheers,

mike.

PS- Im predicting another podium for jenson.....sato has limited experience on this track - so keep that in mind.

[Rufes1]

Sweet. I am RRESALLLLY looking forward to this
3 days 23 hours 21 mins 10 secs to go
w000000t

[VTEC16]

LoL! I love the countdown!.....such a timewaster!

[VTEC16]

FRIDAY PRACTIVE 1

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:20.084

2 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:21.443

3 4 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 1:22.250

4 35 Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda 1:22.398

5 9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:22.448

6 3 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 1:22.796

7 7 Jarno Trulli Renault 1:22.927

8 6 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.054

9 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:23.083

10 38 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:23.161

11 5 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.197

12 14 Mark Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 1:23.417

13 11 Giancarlo Fisichella Sauber-Petronas 1:23.528

14 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:23.562

15 17 Olivier Panis Toyota 1:23.790

16 10 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:24.061

17 37 Bjorn Wirdheim Jaguar-Cosworth 1:24.152

18 16 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:24.752

19 18 Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford 1:24.955

20 19 Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford 1:25.375

21 15 Christian Klien Jaguar-Cosworth 1:25.679

22 39 Timo Glock Jordan-Ford 1:26.254

23 20 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 1:27.933

24 21 Zsolt Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth 1:29.312

25 40 Bas Leinders Minardi-Cosworth 1:29.414


....good start....not sure what happened to sato... practice 2 is on now!...

[McChook]

I hate Imola.... Well, it used to be an AWESOME track, but now it is boring, slow, and haunted

[VTEC16]

I hate Imola.... Well, it used to be an AWESOME track, but now it is boring, slow, and haunted

yeh i cant remember the last time i raced on that track.....so i couldnt comment :P

[McChook]

I hate Imola.... Well, it used to be an AWESOME track, but now it is boring, slow, and haunted

yeh i cant remember the last time i raced on that track.....so i couldnt comment :P

F1 2003 for me....

The track has too many chicanes now, and is only a scratch of its former self - used to be one hell of a fast track - and lethal.....

Now MONZA, that is a REAL race track....

[VTEC16]

FRIDAY PRACTIVE 2

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:20.966

2 10 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:21.159

3 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:21.164

4 6 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.586

5 7 Jarno Trulli Renault 1:21.604

6 35 Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda 1:21.643

7 3 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 1:21.661

8 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:21.788

9 5 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.795

10 4 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 1:22.057

11 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:22.096

12 14 Mark Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 1:22.167

13 17 Olivier Panis Toyota 1:22.768

14 16 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:22.780

15 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:23.043

16 15 Christian Klien Jaguar-Cosworth 1:23.211

17 11 Giancarlo Fisichella Sauber-Petronas 1:23.335

18 37 Bjorn Wirdheim Jaguar-Cosworth 1:23.470

19 38 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:23.500

20 18 Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford 1:23.866

21 19 Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford 1:24.091

22 20 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 1:25.653

23 21 Zsolt Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth 1:25.760

24 40 Bas Leinders Minardi-Cosworth 1:27.025

25 39 Timo Glock Jordan-Ford

....great to see us on top! ....also very good to see taku up there with jenson this time :thumbsup:

[toE]

but then again, what do practice session times tell us?? really??

[VTEC16]

but then again, what do practice session times tell us?? really??

you'll see mate.....ill make you take that back on sunday night! :P

[LUD02C]

Well F1 is in Europe now!
Imola now is ruined i would agree, the whole issue of "excitement" has made Bernie and the FIA do stupid things to this track :cry:
Nearly as bad as hockenheim! (oh they ruined such a beautiful track)

Imola is a Ferrari dominated track, its going to be hard for the teams to get Ferrari in my opinion!
Honda has built a good/reliable engine which is good to see!
But i can see Alonso shining through this weekend.
The reaults are quick of the start and if he can jump Rubens and a few others (depending on where everyone qualify's ofcourse) I think he can be contender!

Main thing to watch is the tyre war!

Can't wait to see the qualifying results.

[bizee_1]

QUALIFYING RESULTS

2004 San Marino Grand Prix

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:19.753
2 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:20.011
3 3 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 1:20.212
4 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:20.451
5 4 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 1:20.538
6 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:20.895
7 10 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:20.913
8 14 Mark Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 1:20.921
9 7 Jarno Trulli Renault 1:21.034
10 16 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:21.087
11 5 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.091
12 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:21.532
13 17 Olivier Panis Toyota 1:21.558
14 15 Christian Klien Jaguar-Cosworth 1:21.949
15 19 Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford 1:23.352
16 18 Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford 1:23.488
17 20 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 1:26.899
18 21 Zsolt Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth 1:46.299
19 11 Giancarlo Fisichella Sauber-Petronas No time
20 6 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes No time

[McChook]

Button was a good .3 of a second faster than Shumi...... amazing

[bizee_1]

but then again, what do practice session times tell us?? really??

you'll see mate.....ill make you take that back on sunday night! :P

hehehe can't wait till they see this 8)

[McChook]

but then again, what do practice session times tell us?? really??

you'll see mate.....ill make you take that back on sunday night! :P

hehehe can't wait till they see this 8)
I reckon HA

[VTEC16]

:D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave: :D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave: :D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave: :D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave: :D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave:

wooohooo!!!!

HOW GOOD IS THAT??!?!?!?!?!!!!

if i wasnt really tired, drunk and broke (casino will do that to you), id be jumping for joy....like i was when jb got his first podium!

Cant wait for the race......shumacher is scared!

:D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave: :D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave: :D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave: :D :thumbsup: :twisted: :dance: :nod: :iluvu: :wave: :D :thumbsup: :twisted:

[VTEC16]

He's been threatening to do it for a few races now, and in Imola this afternoon Jenson Button achieved the breakthrough and scored both his and BAR’s first pole position with some excellent driving that put sufficient pressure on Ferrari that Michael Schumacher made an error when it mattered most.

After his strong performance this morning Button was 'only' fifth fastest in pre-qualifying, but when it really mattered the 24 year-old Englishman was right on the pace, shoving Rubens Barrichello aside to snatch pole with a lap of 1m 19.753s. That was even faster than Juan Pablo Montoya's best from pre-qualifying (1m19.805s), and the fastest of the weekend. It made Barrichello's 1m 20.425s seem pedestrian, though of course we must await the race to see precisely what respective fuel loads the cars were carrying.

David Coulthard, the Schumacher brothers and Montoya all ran after Button. Coulthard, as expected, did not have the pace to do better than 1m 21.091s, good enough for 11th on the grid for McLaren. Ralf did 1m 20.538s for fifth, and then came Michael. The world champion dipped below Button's time in the first sector and was on for pole, but then he ran too wide on the exit of the tricky Variante Alta, where most of this weekend's driver problems have occurred, and the time lost proved critical. He managed 1m 20.011s, and Jean Todt's face looked thunderous.

Now only Montoya could depose Button, but the Colombian also came up short. Nevertheless, his 1m 20.212s was enough to push Barrichello over the second row.

Now, of course, the race will show just how accurate a picture qualifying painted of their respective strengths. None of that bothered either BAR team principal David Richards, or Button.

"They key to the lap was not to push the tyres too hard through the last two sectors," Button said. It's tremendous for the team and for me. And the best thing about starting from pole is that there isn't anything in front of me! It's been a while since I've had that. What I did in the first two sectors was absolutely the best I could do, and now I absolutely can't wait for the race!"

Both of his main rivals were also open-mouthed and magnanimous. "I really had to push," Schumacher admitted, "when Jenson set me that target. I thought I had it covered. He did a brilliant lap!"

Montoya said that when he saw Button's time, he was amazed. "I thought 'where did that come from?' It was a very good lap."

The performance was further proof of BAR's growing challenge, although there was less joy for Takuma Sato who lines up seventh on 1m 20.913s, right behind Fernando Alonso's Renault which the Spaniard wheeled to 1m 20.895s. Jarno Trulli lost the advantage he seemed to have over his team mate for much of the weekend, and is ninth on 1m 21.034s, beaten by Mark Webber who placed the Jaguar eighth on 1m 20.921s.

Cristiano da Matta rose to the occasion for Toyota to claim the final top 10 position with 1m 21.087s, and after Coulthard came Felipe Massa in the leading Sauber on 1m 21.532s. His team mate Giancarlo Fisichella was very quick with low fuel in pre-qualifying, but would in any case have been penalised a second on his eventual qualifying time after speeding under yellow flags in practice. That all became academic when a third gear failure on his pre-qualifying in lap prevented him getting out at all in qualifying.

The session was also a disaster for Kimi Raikkonen, who aborted his attempt and stalked white-faced to the motorhome cursing the need for yet another engine change.

Of the rest, Toyota’s Olivier Panis outpaced Christian Klien, who drove smoothly to lap a second off Jaguar team mate Webber, while Giorgio Pantano was delighted to out-qualify Jordan team-mate Nick Heidfeld for the first time on his home ground. Minardi’s Gianmaria Bruni was 17th, ahead of partner Zsolt Baumgartner, who became another victim of Variante Alta.

So, a BAR are on pole, with a Williams splitting the two Ferraris. We could be in for the best race so far this season.

~www.f1.com

[LUD02C]

I know how much i bag Jenson and i wasn't going to come online incase some rubbed it in.
But i'm man enough to say, WELL DONE to him and i hope he can keep the effort up

[VTEC16]

I know how much i bag Jenson and i wasn't going to come online incase some rubbed it in.
But i'm man enough to say, WELL DONE to him and i hope he can keep the effort up

Your gonna have to get over it mate -he's not a bad guy!

He obviously has a boat-load of tallent.

why is it you dont like him again?

[VTEC16]

CHANNEL 10s COVERAGE OF THE GP IS ON NOW!!!

[toE]

woot!!

[VTEC16]

WELL DONE JENSON!!!

It was an exciting 9 laps.......then a relatively boring race to end up in P2!

....i was VERY worried when sato's engine decided to act like a smoke flare....buttton slowed down after that!

2004 San Marino Grand Prix


Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 62 1:26:19.670 2 10

2 9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 62 +9.7 secs 1 8

3 3 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 62 +21.6 secs 3 6

4 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 62 +23.6 secs 6 5

5 7 Jarno Trulli Renault 62 +36.2 secs 9 4

6 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 62 +36.6 secs 4 3

7 4 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 62 +55.7 secs 5 2

8 6 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 61 +1 Lap 20 1

9 11 Giancarlo Fisichella Sauber-Petronas 61 +1 Lap 18

10 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 61 +1 Lap 12

11 17 Olivier Panis Toyota 61 +1 Lap 13

12 5 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 61 +1 Lap 11

13 14 Mark Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 61 +1 Lap 8

14 15 Christian Klien Jaguar-Cosworth 60 +2 Lap 14

15 21 Zsolt Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth 58 +4 Lap 19

16 10 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 56 +6 Lap 7

Ret 18 Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford 48 +14 Lap 16

Ret 16 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 32 +30 Laps 10

Ret 20 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 22 +40 Laps 17

Ret 19 Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford 6 +56 Laps 15

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher 1:20.411

[LUD02C]

First 9 laps were excellent :D
Michael caught him good, and played a better statagery! (see experience does have its advantages)

Best thing of the night was watching the press release and the body language michael was letting off towards Juan!
God i luv Juan, just like Irvine!
Pisses everyone off, just takes them right of there game!

[toE]

damit...spewing the reporter (or wateva) din ask Michael to respond to Juan's comments.. would have loved to see how he would've handled it..

buuut...congrats to Button and B.A.R. Honda...they're getting there... woot!!