Hungarian Grand Prix – Qualifying

August 5, 2006 by
Filed under: Uncategorized 

Line-up changes:

  • BMW Sauber’s test driver, Robert Kubica, will be the first Pole to compete in an F1 Grand Prix this weekend as he’s standing in for Jacques Villeneuve. Seems straightforward enough (JV had an accident in the German Grand Prix last weekend) but the announcement from BMW (“We have a decision for this race and will evaluate the situation afterwards. There are no guarantees in life.”) sounds like this may be more permanent – will JB be back this season or next?
  • Williams announced that Mark Webber’s place in the team will be taken by their test driver, Alex Wurz, when MW (most likely) moves to Renault next season. Nico Rosberg is expected to retain his seat.
  • Ross Brawn, Ferrari’s technical director and the brains behind a lot of Ferrari’s victories, is expected to take a sabbatical next season, although this isn’t confirmed as yet.

Alonso lost his cool in Friday practice, and it’s going to cost him in today’s qualifying:

Hungarian Grand Prix stewards have penalised world champion Fernando Alonso for an incident involving Red Bull’s Robert Doornbos during Friday practice at the Hungaroring.

Alonso gesticulated at Doornbos, whom he felt had held him up, and then appeared to deliberately weave and slow his Renault in front of the Dutchman’s car during the afternoon’s session.

Stewards Tony Scott Andrews, Antonio Vasconcelos Tavares and Lajos Herczeg decided that Alonso’s actions were “unnecessary, unacceptable and dangerous”, and awarded him a one second time penalty to be applied to his fastest lap time in each of the qualifying sessions, Q1, Q2 and Q3.

Additionally, Alonso received a similar penalty for overtaking another car after the session had finished, under waved yellow flags.

He will thus get an aggregated cumulative penalty of two seconds in Q1, Q2 and Q3, effectively damning his chances on a circuit on which overtaking is virtually impossible.

[source: The Official Formula 1 Website]

Although we shouldn’t read too much into practice times, the top 5 in this morning’s session were:

  1. Michael Schumacher – 1:20.795
  2. Felipe Massa – 1:21.472
  3. Robert Kubica – 1:21.806
  4. Rubens Barrichello – 1:21.833
  5. Fernando Alonso – 1:22.119

Michael Schumacher is also going to receive a penalty today: he will be penalised 2 seconds on his fastest times after passing under red flags in this morning’s practice. (Funny, I thought ignoring red flags was an automatic disqualification?)

Unfortunately the red flags were because Jenson Button’s Honda had an engine fire, so he’ll get a 10-spot penalty for the subsequent engine change.

Christijan Albers will also be penalised 10 grid spots for an engine change.

Track temperature 34°C; air 23°C; wind 1.4m/s

Session 1:
R.Schumacher 1:24.231
Yamamoto 1:24.016 – a top time for the Super Aguri!
Barrichello 1:23.251
Coulthard 1:22.152
Button 1:21.957
Alonso 1:20.420 [pre-penalty time]
de la Rosa goes P2 with 1:21.288
Raikkonen 1:20.080
5mins left – yet to set a time are: Heidfeld, Fisichella, M.Schumacher, Massa & Kubica
3mins left
Massa 1:19.742
MS 1:19.440 [pre-penalty]
2mins left; bottom 6 are: VL, CA, SY, TS, TM, MW
1min left; bottom 6 are: SS, VL, TS, CA, SY, TM
Session ended, but current laps do count
FA posts 1:19.792 for P3
Remember both FA & MS have 2secs to add to their best time
The timing chart is updated – MS is now P13 and FA P14 – both safe for now; Massa was fastest with 1:19.742
Bottom 5 are: P17=Liuzzi, 18=Rosberg, 19=Speed, 20=Sato, 21=Albers, 22=Yamamoto.
(CA will also get a 10-spot penalty for an engine change)

Session 2:
With a 2sec penalty each, it seems unlikely FA or MS will be able to make it through to Session 3
Kubica is first on track
RK 1:20.891 [0.1s better than his Session1 time]
JT 1:20.656
NH 1:20.623
Despite setting fastest Sector1 time, MW posts a time slower the RK
MS 1:19.462 [pre-penalty]
GF goes P2 but teammate FA only manages P9
JB goes P2 with 1:19.943
RB takes P2 – 1:19.783
5mins left; KR, FM and TM yet to set a time in this session
KR takes P2 – 1:19.704
FM takes P2 – 1:19.504
3mins left; bottom 6 are RK, DC, MW, CK, FA, TM … but that doesn’t take FA’s & MS’s penalties in to account (MS will be in P14, pushing RK through to Session 3)
MS improves his time 1:18.875 – with the penalty, that’s P11
Session ended
FA takes P2 with 1:19.364, which will become P14
Before penalties, the bottom 6 are: P11=RS, 12=RK, 13=NH, 14=DC, 15=CK, 16=TM
The official FIA timing is taking a moment to calculate the penalties and consequent placings … and of course there will be the engine change penalties to apply once qualifying is over!
Revised bottom 6 are: P11=NH, 12=MS, 13=DC, 14=CK, 15=FA, 16=TM
Fastest was FM again – 1:19.504

Session 3:
The 10 drivers battling for the front of the grid are: GF, KR, PdlR, FM, RS, JT, MW, RB, JB & “new boy” RK
(Remember JB will get a 10-spot penalty for an engine change)
RK is first on track, but everyone is out trying to burn off fuel
The FIA timing seems to be struggling – it’s lost times for RK and KR although we can see them on-track
RK 1:26.382
GF 1:25.129
FM 1:24.991
JB 1:24.693
RS 1:23.965
…and that’s just the first lap :)
RS 1:23.907
GF 1:22.752
Renault already preparing new tyres for GF – we’re not even halfway through this session
8mins left; order is GF, RS, PR, RB, FM, JB, KR, JT, RK, MW
Everyone pits at once, at exactly half distance
FM locks up in to Turn 1, flat spotting his new front-right
GF 1:20.924
FM 1:19.886
3.5mins left; FM, RB, PR, KR, JB, MW, GF, RS, JT, RK
More pit stops
Slow tyre change for KR
FM locks up – same place, same flat spot – d’oh!
30secs left
Session ends, but the current laps will count (as usual)
FM doesn’t improve on his P1 time of 1:19.886
MW takes P2
JB goes P2
KR takes P1 – 1:19.599 – unexpectedly fast
Top 10: P1=KR, 2=FM, 3=RB, 4=JB, 5=PdlR, 6=MW, 7=RS, 8=GF, 9=JT, 10=RK
JB’s engine change penalty will see JB dropped to P13

Provisional grid:
KR, FM, RB, PdlR, MW, RS, GF, JT, RK, NH, MS, DC, CK, JB*, FA, TM, VL, NR, SS, TS, SY, CA*
(*engine change penalties)

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Comments

2 Comments on Hungarian Grand Prix – Qualifying

  1. Paul, Kerri and The Boys » Hungarian Grand Prix - race on Sun, 6th Aug 2006 8:03 am

    2. [...] The grid is almost as I calculated yesterday other than a penalty for Scott Speed has dropped him one place: KR, FM, RB, PdlR, MW, RS, GF, JT, RK, NH, MS, DC, CK, JB, FA, TM, VL, NR, TS, SS, SY, CA [...]

  2. paul on Sun, 6th Aug 2006 10:41 am

    3. Bernie says FA & MS are idiots :)

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