Fisichella leads Renault fightback

Giancarlo Fisichella put Renault just ahead of Ferrari at the end of Friday's practice for the Japanese Grand Prix. Fisichella made up for some of the criticism he came in for after last weekend's Chinese race by beating the scarlet cars of Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher into second and third places at Suzuka. Fernando Alonso was fourth. The Italian took his Renault round in 1m 34.337s to keep ahead of the Brazilian (1m 34.408s) and the German (1m 34.565s). Alonso was close behind them with 1n 34.863s and the day’s other ‘aces’ were Honda’s Anthony Davidson (1m 34.906s) and BMW Sauber’s Sebastian Vettel (1m 34.912s).

At the start of the session Davidson immediately lapped at the speed he had worked down to this morning (1m 45.347s) and the initially damp track conditions improved steadily until a dry line had appeared all round the lap by the end. That prompted a flurry of improvements.

Jenson Button had one good lap spoiled when he slid over the chicane, but he made amends with seventh fastest 1n 35.002s for Honda to pip McLaren’s Pedro de la Rosa (1m 35.064s), Toyota’s Jarno Trulli (1m 35.343s), Kimi Raikkonen (1m 35.367s) in the second McLaren, Ralf Schumacher (1m 35.375s) in the other Toyota, an impressive Michael Ammermuller, who at one stage was fastest for Red Bull (1m 35.433s), Honda’s Rubens Barrichello (1m 35.528s) and Williams’ Mark Webber (1m 35.866s).

Nico Rosberg just missed out on this 1m 35s bracket with 1m 36.176s which left him 15th for Williams ahead of Christijan Albers (1m 36.180s) in the Spyker MF1, Alexander Wurz (1m 36.234s) in the Williams, BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica (1m 36.299s), Super Aguri’s Franck Montagny (at one stage second fastest to Michael Schumacher and an eventual 19th on 1m 36.354s), Toro Rosso’s Tonio Liuzzi (1m 36.441s) and Scott Speed (1m 36.501s), Red Bull’s David Coulthard (1m 36.596s), Spker MF1’s Tiago Monteiro (1m 36.702s), Neel Jani in the Toro Rosso (1m 36.741s) and the Red Bull of Robert Doornbos (1m 36.788s).

At the back came local hero Takuma Sato on 1m 38.533s in the Super Aguri, followed by BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld on 1m 38.799s and Sakon Yamamoto on 1m 38.955s in the final Aguri. Adrian Sutil was last on 1m 43.914s after showing well in the early damp stages before his Spyker MF1 seemingly broke its Toyota engine.

The scene is thus set for a fantastic battle on Saturday between Renault and Ferrari, with the present indications suggesting they are very evenly matched.

Source - http://formula1.com/race/news/5077/768.html

Anyone else get the feeling that we are going to be seeing a lot of Vettel on podiums over the next ten years?

Quote from jtr99 :

Anyone else get the feeling that we are going to be seeing a lot of Vettel on podiums over the next ten years?

Not at this point

I wish the practice session times were more indicative of actual quali/race performance. Keeps me sweating till the last quali session, it does

Massa beats Michael to Japan pole Red cars run riot as Renault struggle to stay in touch

Ferrari, as expected, annexed the front row of the grid at Suzuka for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, with Felipe Massa just edging out Michael Schumacher to take the second pole position of his career, with 1m 29.599s to the German’s 1m 29.711s. The presence of the two Toyotas on the second row was perhaps an indication of the Japanese team's habitual strategy on home ground, but also endorsed the superiority of Bridgestone’s tyre. Ralf Schumacher just beat Jarno Trulli, 1m 29.989s to 1m 30.034s. In both cases the gaps between the team mates may be a reflection that one has to run a lap longer than the other in the race.

Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella both closed the gap to Ferrari with sterling efforts for Renault, but 1m 30.371s and 1m 30.599s left them only fifth and sixth with a mountain to climb in the race. And as the animals came in two-by-two, Jenson Button took seventh for Honda with 1m 30.992s, ahead of Rubens Barrichello on 1m 31.478s.

Nick Heidfeld made it through from Q2 for BMW Sauber, taking ninth place with 1m 31.513s ahead of Nico Rosberg, who made full use of the Bridgestone-shod Williams-Cosworth package to complete the top 10 on 1m 31.856s.

Kimi Raikkonen’s chances of getting into Q3 evaporated when he slid wide in the Spoon Curve, leaving him 11th for McLaren on 1m 30.827s ahead of Robert Kubica, who likewise lost out in his BMW Sauber after nearly brushing the bridge wall on the exit to Degner 2. The Pole lapped in 1m 31.094s. Pedro de la Rosa failed to get his McLaren through to the final session, stopping the clocks in 1m 31.254s which was just enough to stay ahead of Williams’ Mark Webber, who was another to survive a scare at Degner 2. The Australian thus relied on 1m 31.276s for 14th.

Tonio Liuzzi did a fine job as the only one of Red Bull’s four drivers to get through Q1, and pushed his Toro Rosso to 1m 31.943s. Christijan Albers had also made it through Q1 for Spyker MF1, and will line up 16th on 1m 33.750s.

Interestingly, the fastest man in that second session was M Schumacher, in 1m 28.954s. “There is so much grip and they fly through the Esses!” the former champion said. “It’s funny when you think we are running V8s engines.”

David Coulthard was the first of the Q1 failures on 1m 32.252s for Red Bull, with team mate Robert Doornbos right behind on 1m 32.402s. Scott Speed was next up on 1m 32.867s, after an off in Spoon Curve in the Toro Rosso. Takuma Sato beat Tiago Monteiro, Super Aguri versus Spyker MF1, with 1m 33.666s to 1m 33.709s, while Sakon Yamamoto failed to get a time after setting the fastest sector one time and then half spinning and stalling his Super Aguri at Spoon.

So Ferrari start just where they wanted, and with Renault where they’d have liked them to be. “Having Alonso behind me is more important than being behind my team mate,” Schumacher grinned, a man who knows that he might just clinch a record eighth world championship title on Sunday, if things keep going his way.

Source - http://formula1.com/race/news/5084/768.html

So is the Japanese GP this weekend?

EDIT: wow there weren't much time between the two races

Broadcast starts at 5am and race at 6am on ITV1 this Sunday morning.

Sweet, I'll be up for that.

Schumacher is quicker than Massa, you can see from sector times and speed trap. There is no doubt in my mind that Massa will let Schumi pass at some point. Possibly make the start easier for Schumi and Massa will ease off going into the first few corners blocking the opponents behind. Lets just see what happens I just have a strong feeling this will be the case :o

Oh and there are usually accidents on Turn 1 starts at Suzuka... we should see an accident there probably, or someone running off into the sand. I like Suzuka, wish it wasn't replaced by Fuji

Bridgestone seem to have the edge, not a surprise because they make the tires not so far away from the track. And oh the Ferraris are quick!

really looking forward to this grand prix. Will be interesting, cause no one knows how the weather will be. On rain, everything will change!

If Shumacher wins, and Alonso not finishing in the points. Shumacher clinches the title. Due to having more wins thank Alonso.

damn right! Gooo Schumey!

Who was screaming out about wanting a fair battle with no second drivers getting in the way? Yes, Mr Brawn...

Pathetic and even though Renault are appealing what's the chance of a penalty? In Monza you could hardly see Alonso from Massa's car and here in Japan we have Massa slowing down mid corner and then planting it on corner exit through the fast opening section of the lap, leaving Alonso forced to slow down but have no place to pass. During a fairly critical time with the threat of rain.

Article 116b of the F1 sporting regulations states: "If, in the opinion of the stewards, a driver deliberately stops on the circuit or impedes another driver in any way during the qualifying practice session his times will be cancelled."

The rule they penalised Alonso under at Monza, who looks closer in the pictures below...

Outlap of fuel burning phase is hardly a critical time. No one was too worried about rain at that point, as they were doing fuel burn laptimes. It was only after about 4 or 5 minutes, by which time Massa had cleared off, that weather started to become a bit of a worry.

Keiran, you are trying to find fault now where no fault lies. We all know in a straight fight Alonso isn't quick enough nor mentally strong enough to beat Michael, but clutching at straws and saying that Alonso was somehow impeded by Massa in the first two laps of final qualifying is rubbish.

Whilst Alonso is undoubtedly closer in your pics, remember that comparing one field of view to another, at different ranges and different angles is not a good comparison. In my mind you'd be better off deleting your last post as it makes you look spiteful and childish...

Quote from tristancliffe :

Outlap of fuel burning phase is hardly a critical time. No one was too worried about rain at that point, as they were doing fuel burn laptimes. It was only after about 4 or 5 minutes, by which time Massa had cleared off, that weather started to become a bit of a worry.

Keiran, you are trying to find fault now where no fault lies. We all know in a straight fight Alonso isn't quick enough nor mentally strong enough to beat Michael, but clutching at straws and saying that Alonso was somehow impeded by Massa in the first two laps of final qualifying is rubbish.

Whilst Alonso is undoubtedly closer in your pics, remember that comparing one field of view to another, at different ranges and different angles is not a good comparison. In my mind you'd be better off deleting your last post as it makes you look spiteful and childish...

Are you seriously trying to say with all that money spent on weather forecasting by every team that they didn't see the threat in advance? Even TV pictures showed before the start of qualifying the dark clouds and there was actually spits of rain during the final session.

Now it goes from an outlap to two laps in your one post? He was behind Massa for at least 2 laps being deliberately impeded as the FIA like to call it during Monza.

Massa did a brilliant job no doubt about that but to be the one shouting abuse for impeding during Monza when no one even noticed it until a penalty was issued then to do it deliberately visually on the screen is just illepall Alonso actually slowed down eventually and Massa then got on with it, that means Alonso lost 3 laps.

If you want to turn this into who is strong enough battle that is pretty stupid considering Hungary 03/4 if I remember rightly or was it Hockihme (spelling?) that Alonso lapped Schumacher? Imola 05, Imola 06 and Istanbul 06 to name a few.

From memory he has never cracked under the pressure put on from Schumacher yet Schumacher has cracked three times in the same weekend this year. His two flying laps at Istanbul and in the race he went off at T8. So unless I'm mistaken there is no fact to go against Alonso mentality. We all know how Schumacher reacts under pressure, 94, 97 and Monaco 06 when he saw it all slipping away during qualifying

I shall post more pictures then from the same angel Now correct me if I'm wrong but that's Massa driving slower than usual down the middle of the straight? Don't try tell me that Ferrari is slow in a straight line either as they clocked the fastest in the speed trap.

Quote from keiran :

..
Massa did a brilliant job no doubt about that but to be the one shouting abuse for impeding during Monza when no one even noticed it until a penalty was issued then to do it deliberately visually on the screen is just illepall Alonso actually slowed down eventually and Massa then got on with it, that means Alonso lost 3 laps.

Why didn't Alonso slowed down at the beginning of the qualification?
That's what I don't understand.
I would have done it because it's stupid to try to pass another (equal/maybe faster) car during qualification for 2 laps instead of leaving a bigger gap asap.

They were all on fast laps, so it's Alonso's problem if he didn't left enough space to Massa to do a normal fast lap.
He also talked on the Team radio that he tries to pass Massa. So I think he just tried to show the world his driving skills (yes I can take over that damn red car) instead of being clever.


Just my 2 Euro-cents

Quote from BBO@BSR :

Why didn't Alonso slowed down at the beginning of the qualification?
That's what I don't understand.
I would have done it because it's stupid to try to pass another (equal/maybe faster) car during qualification for 2 laps instead of leaving a bigger gap asap.

They were all on fast laps, so it's Alonso's problem if he didn't left enough space to Massa to do a normal fast lap.
He also talked on the Team radio that he tries to pass Massa. So I think he just tried to show the world his driving skills (yes I can take over that damn red car) instead of being clever.


Just my 2 Euro-cents

He would have been passed by both Fisi and Button had he done that. Massa wasn't on a normal lap thats what goes against the regulations he was slowing down midcorner and driving in a way which stopped Alonso from passing, that is deliberate blocking and is not allowed under article 116B, the very rule that Alonso was punished under at Monza.

The way Massa drove in the opening laps wasn't how he drove his two flying laps He did a brilliant job no doubt about that to out qualify Schumacher but you can't shout foul at another team to get them penalised and then do it yourself.

Boohooo... drivers used to get stuck in traffic all the time with the old quali system. This "he was on the same lap and messing up my aero" is just rediculous. It was in Monza and it is now. here Alonso wasn't even on important lap, either he could have been quicker, all teams with Michelins were weirdly slow. He should really consenrate on the race, put all the accusing and conspiracy theorys aside and try to keep his head cool.

Quote from tristancliffe :

In my mind you'd be better off deleting your last post as it makes you look spiteful and childish...

Maybe so, but if we applied that standard to the forums generally they'd be a very quiet place.

Quote from jtr99 :

Maybe so, but if we applied that standard to the forums generally they'd be a very quiet place.

but he did have a point :P

WOOT!! MSC Breaks!

Quote from BurnOut69 :

WOOT!! MSC Breaks!

*does the Alonso dance when he won in Spain*

Not really, I've slept 3 hours...

Lol, I went to bed at 12 GMT, might as well get some sleep in, before the race starts .

congrats Alonso, one of his greatest performances! bad luck MS... Now we need that blow up RC button for the renault in Brasil