Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying *SPOILER!!*

Wet now but should be much drier for JPM by the end. Dry predicted for the race though !

 

Fast man and pole sitter, race winner will be JPM. (No, Sam I am in control of my computer!!)

Hope for good things from Ferrari but . . .

Carol

5 out and DC has pole, Monteiro has stopped (stuck in gravel trap -> end of grid for him) - pizzonia spins but recovers

fastest time set this am by MS 1.46:543

DC on intermediates when he set best thus far in qualifying

 

Full wets are pumping some good GPM's. But a soaked track today makes for an interesting(and dry) tomorrow.

 

Trulli looses it in the first running for the revised Toyota - back of the pack for him too - caution flag out. Lost it same place as Monteiro.

Carol

time for Sato (he's on intermediates) and the rain starts falling again

In his last "home race" with no confirmed seat in '06, Sato takes pole! oop's not for long - enter Klien to provisional pole sitter .377 up on Sato but Ralf is flying right now

 

Ya but only half way through the field so far ....

And he'll have to pit on lap 2

 

Not looking too good for Ferrari - Rubens struggling for grip and ending up in provisional 8th place.

Next five out should be VERY good - top times are very close considering track conditions right now.

Carol

Fisi out now for the last group and more umbrellas appearing - this could play into MS hand?

frog-strangler rain right now on circuit and out comes MS (Fisi took P3)

 

Ya but wet set ups for a dry race ? Or dry set ups for a wet qualy ?

 

A real gamble, huh? well, the intermediates only gave MS 14th place - it will be interesting to see if JPM comes out on full wets!

Carol

oour new Driver Champ is in 16th right now and he was on full wets!!!

 

Kimi out for a Saturday afternoon drive in the park - position is irrelevent at this time.

Carol

 

Actually time is more irrelevent . He's buried at over 16 secs slower than Ralf

 

Ralf on pole with Jenson only .035 behind. Montoya aborted run -> VERY smart move on his part. Will be interesting to see what the rain god does tomorrow at race time.

Trulli starting last is good for Ferrari with the 17 point differential between the two (F= 98, T=81). Fisi making things look good for Renault. But . . . the race isn't over yet!!

Carol

Kenny, you get the award for being the one who stayed up the latest to be on-line!! Guess I'll go watch qualifying on the tv now. Have a great weekend.

 

Good 5th place qualifying position for Sato in his last Japanese GP start for BAR.

 

It'll be interesting to see how this all turns out tomorrow. Can McLaren's luck be any worse? I just starts pouring right after Fisi qualifies 3rd.

It promises to be a nice chaser after a fantastic line-up of college football games. My wife will probably file a missing persons report.

 

wow...i must say, F cars are really struggling in the inters...what a waste, schumi should have gone with full wets, but too bad the rain came down as he crossed the s/f line. you can actually hear him half-throtteling in the back straight...proof the there's lots of water

 

And not just in the heavy rain. Sneer at Rubino if you must, but he does have a rep for being a good wet driver.

And still the Ferrari got took by the F-engined Sauber.

The data is in: It ain't just the tires. There's something rotten in the state of chassisville.

 

What a hilarious grid.

Hopefully it will be an exciting race, and not a repeat of what has happened previously this year when top runners find themselves at the back - namely getting shunted.

I'm praying Michael will not make any more stupid errors like he has done in the past when gridded near the back. I want to see some performances from Schumi / Alonso / Montoya / Raikkonen tomorrow like Rubens at Hockenheim in 2000!

 

What a sorry qualifying by Ferrari. The rain meister was HORRIBLE. This season just keeps getting worse and worse for the Tifosi.

 

Did anyone else catch Varsha saying that Massa has stated that he will be taking the fight to MS next year. Hobbs' response "Yeah right, good luck kid".
Priceless

 

Should be an awesome race with a topsy turvy grid.

Qualifying was awesome to watch these guys keep a 900 bhp monster on the track when there were buckets of water the race track. Superb car control displayed by Michael, Montoya and Alonso

I think it was a good strategic decision by Montoya to abort the lap - I believe he can change the settings of the car to suit the situation on Sunday. I wonder why Kimi didnt do the same considering he was going to lose 10 spots anyway.

Michael starts in P14 similar to 2003. Hopefully the top guys dont hit each other other or Monteiro on their way up grid - echoing Admiral's thoughts

 

Varsha also quoted Martin Brundle who was watching the Brazilian practice sessions on a couple of corners and noted that this year for the first time he thought Michael looked "ordinary" and not his usual brilliant self while tackling the corners.

I hope it is just the car and not Michael.