Monza Practice ***Warning Spoiler***

Times
01 P. de la Rosa McLaren 1:20.201 21 laps
02 M. Webber Williams 1:21.816 3 laps
03 K. Räikkönen McLaren 1:21.842 5 laps
04 JP. Montoya McLaren 1:22.078 6 laps
05 N. Heidfeld Williams 1:22.351 3 laps
06 R. Zonta Toyota 1:22.567 25 laps
07 T. Sato BAR 1:22.577 13 laps
08 M. Schumacher Ferrari 1:23.739 5 laps
09 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:24.001 4 laps
10 V. Liuzzi Red Bull 1:24.166 21 laps
11 R. Barrichello Ferrari 1:24.196 6 laps
12 T. Monteiro Jordan 1:25.134 12 laps
13 N. Kiesa Jordan 1:25.374 23 laps
14 C. Albers Minardi 1:25.497 11 laps
15 N. Karthikeyan Jordan 1:25.611 8 laps
16 R. Doornbos Minardi 1:25.853 11 laps
17 E. Toccacelo Minardi 1:25.896 17 laps
18 J. Villeneuve Sauber no time 3 laps
19 J. Button BAR no time 2 laps
20 F. Massa Sauber no time 3 laps
21 C. Klien Red Bull no time 1 lap
22 F. Alonso Renault no time 2 laps
23 G. Fisichella Renault no time 2 laps
24 J. Trulli Toyota no time 1 lap
25 R. Schumacher Toyota no time 1 lap

 

While I was watching MS go around the track and putting wheel after wheel off in the Lesmos I was wondering how long he could keep it on the track.

Sure enough he lost it in the Parabolica. He is ok, the car isn't.

Again the car went into a snap oversteer. Looked very much like Istanbul. Sudden stepping out of the rear end, but this time there was only kitty litter instead of paved run-off area so he helplessly skidded into the tire barrier.

This is one wicked chassis/tire combination. The expressions on the mechanics faces said it all.

 

According to F1-Live.com in should Zonta as P1. Where did Toyota find the pace?

1. 38 ZONTA Toyota M 1'20"531 258.966 Km/h
2. 10 MONTOYA McLaren Mercedes M 1'21"583 + 0'01"052
3. 9 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'21"735 + 0'01"204
4. 35 DE LA ROSA McLaren Mercedes M 1'21"922 + 0'01"391
5. 7 WEBBER Williams BMW M 1'22"032 + 0'01"501
6. 8 HEIDFELD Williams BMW M 1'22"107 + 0'01"576
7. 37 LIUZZI RedBull Cosworth M 1'22"253 + 0'01"722
8. 16 TRULLI Toyota M 1'22"278 + 0'01"747
9. 6 FISICHELLA Renault M 1'22"440 + 0'01"909
10. 5 ALONSO Renault M 1'22"594 + 0'02"063
11. 15 KLIEN RedBull Cosworth M 1'22"600 + 0'02"069
12. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'22"749 + 0'02"218
13. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas M 1'23"052 + 0'02"521
14. 17 R.SCHUMACHER Toyota M 1'23"126 + 0'02"595
15. 11 VILLENEUVE Sauber Petronas M 1'23"208 + 0'02"677
16. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'23"213 + 0'02"682
17. 4 SATO BAR Honda M 1'23"223 + 0'02"692
18. 3 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'23"415 + 0'02"884
19. 14 COULTHARD RedBull Cosworth M 1'23"506 + 0'02"975
20. 18 MONTEIRO Jordan Toyota B 1'23"994 + 0'03"463
21. 19 KARTHIKEYAN Jordan Toyota B 1'24"202 + 0'03"671
22. 20 DOORNBOS Minardi Cosworth B 1'24"233 + 0'03"702
23. 21 ALBERS Minardi Cosworth B 1'24"264 + 0'03"733
24. 40 TOCCACELO Minardi Cosworth B 1'25"245 + 0'04"714

 

Williams are looking good.

 

Toyota always has the pace in practice. Zonta or De La Rossa are usually at the top of the list. A fast lap is one thing. Race pace is another.

 

I'm surprised nobody is commenting on Schumi's crash. Isn't he the idol of half the board here?

 

Ferrari 1 - 2 !

 

Oh c'mon you cheeky monkey! That role is already taken by Impy.

 

Very good point!

 

hehe

I thought I'd beat impy to it ....

 

Todays best topspeed = Fisichella = 362.9 km/h


(Brazilian TV reports Villeneuve did a 375km/h and Montoya a 374km/h last week at Monza during a test day)

 

Luckily the kitty litter and the tire barrier reduced the impact. On pavement and guardrails it would have been a real blow. Still the crash was strong enough to brake of the rear right. I wouldn't just call that an oops.

What really frightened me (aside from the fact, that it happened in the super fast parabolica where other greats have lost their lives) was the sudden and violent snapping away reaction of the rear end. MS instantly countersteered, but it wasn't just a slide or a step over the limit; the car was totally gone.

That's why I said this is one wicked ride.

 

There wasn't much info about it (MS crash) on any of the F1 websites.

 

True, which amazed me even more. The cameras caught it from every angle though and Speed played all the tapes in slow mo: Side, front and on board camera.

I sure was relieved to see him climb out of the car

 

Ferrari 1 - 2!!!

I still believe!

Michael's incedent did not make this an ideal Friday but I think Ferrari are going to make the most out of this situation.

 

I didn't see the crash. Schumi said he made some changes to the set-up but it made the car a bit unstable
Anyway, I'm glad he is okay.

Apparently Schumi is concerned over Monza safety. He said the 2nd chicane(the Variante Della Roggia) is not safe.

 

Isn't that where Frentzen's wheel killed a track worker? I always thought that was an oddly built chicane. Just not much run off area.

 

Rumor has it that Michelin tires may not be able to survive that chicane.

The 7 Michelin teams were going to complain and blame Ferrari for not caring about the sport. Michael beat them to the punch and complained about the safety before Paul Stoddart could draft a press release for the 7 Michelin teams.

Flavio was shocked that Michael launch the complaint because he was about to get right on that after he had finished his 3 hour massage from hot new Renault intern!

 

Read this, you think this is affecting Micheals performance for this weekend. We all know he is worried about the safety at the chicane. But this is the third time this week we are hearing about it from Micheal. I hope nothing happens this weekend

http://f1.racing-live.com/f1/en/index.html

 

Actually pavement reduces the speed of the cars quicker than gravel traps. That's why they've been dispensing with gravel traps at various circuits over the past 3 years. I do think pavement spoils the aesthetics of the tracks (it gives them a 'car park' look), and makes it too easy for the drivers - if they run wide, they just rejoin the track.

Also, the entry to Parabolica isn't that fast. The cars drop down to around 160kmph (from around 350kmph), and take a very tight line around the inside, before sweeping to the outside and following the white line all the way around.

It looks like he just took too much speed into the corner and the rear gave way, much like what happened in Turkey and China last year.

"Nothing to see here folks..."

 

I think that is only true if the car skips across the gravel, which seems to be the norm these days (flat underbody and stiff suspension the culprits?).

I agree on the aesthetics point, however the fact that they can rejoin the race for me is a double positive: As spectators we get to see them continuing on and it allows the drivers to take some risks, which makes for better racing.

 

I think if they tried changing the color of the pavement for the run off to the 'reddish' style sometimes used on highways it would make up for the carpark look.