F1 season 2007

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

Σε αυτό το θέμα να καταγράψουμε όλη τη χρονιά.
Σχόλια, φωτογραφίες και αποτελέσματα.

Οργανωμένα για να μπορούμε να τα βρίσκουμε και με άνεση.....

Πάμε??

ΠΕΡΙΕΧΟΜΕΝΑ


1o Grand Prix: Australia, 18 Mαρτίου 2007

2o Grand Prix: Malaysia, 8 Aπριλίου 2007

3ο Grand Prix: Bahrain, 15 Aπρίλη 2007

4o Grand Prix: Spain, 13 Μαϊου 2007

5ο Grand Prix: Μonaco,27 Μαϊου 2007

6o Grand Prix: Canada, 10 Iουνίου 2007

7o Grand Prix: USA, 17 Ιουνίου 2007

8ο Grand Prix: France, 1η Ιουλίου 2007

9o Grand Prix: England, 8 Ιουλίου 2007

10o Grand Prix: Europe (Nurburgring), 22 Ιουλίου 2007

11o Grand Prix: Hungary, 5 Αυγούστου 2007

12o Grand Prix: Bernie Ecclestone's GP F1 (Turkey), 26 Αυγούστου 2007

13o Grand Prix: Italy, 9 Σεπτεμβρίου 2007

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

1ος ΑΓΩΝΑΣ:


Australian Grand Prix (Albert Park)

2007 FORMULA 1™ ING Australian Grand Prix

Friday 16 March

01:00-02:30

Friday Practice 1

05:00-06:30

Friday Practice 2

Saturday 17 March

02:00-03:00

Saturday Practice

05:00

Qualifying

Sunday 18 March

05:00

Race

According to your browser settings you are 9 hours behind local race time

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

Οι ώρες που εμφανίζονται παραπάνω, είναι τροποποιημένες στις ώρες Ελλάδας......

Οπότε, την Κυριακή έχουμε ξύπνημα στις.....4:30!!!!!!


Αν θέλετε περισσότερες πληροφορίες για το Albert Park κάντε κλικ εδώ

 

[GTX]

Με πρόλαβες!!! :mad_3::mad_3:
Δε κρατιέμαι αλλά είπα μην ανοίξω thread τόσο νωρίς :happy_5::happy_5:

Ωραία, άρα δε θα ανοίγουμε ξεχωριστό thread για κάθε GP!


Εν όψη του GP ο Ecclestone έκανε και κάποιες ενδιαφέρουσες δηλώσεις!!!

Θέλει λέει του χρόνου 20 GP ενώ φέτος έχουμε 17, ενώ το πιο ενδιαφέρον είναι η πρόθεση να έχουμε έναν αριθμό από νυχτερινά GP στις χώρες που λόγω διαφοράς ώρας μας "ξενυχτάνε". Έτσι πέρα από το ενδιαφέρον ενός αγώνα με φώτα μπορεί να έχουμε και κάποια GP με πιο φιλικές ώρες προς τους Ευρωπαίους :bravo:

Οι οδηγοί ήδη έχουν δηλώσει οτι θα στηρίξουν μια τέτοια κίνηση. Άραγε θα δούμε φορμουλίδια με φώτα ή απλά θα είναι φωτισμένη η πίστα?

Πηγή: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/57258
και http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/57264

 

[john_karis]

Καποιος που ξερει μπορει να γραψει με την σειρα τα καναλια που θα παιζουν ζωντανα τον αγωνα με την καλυτερη εικονα (περαν του HD)

ΔΟΡΥΦΟΡΟΣ
ΚΑΝΑΛΙ
ΣΥΧΝΟΤΗΤΑ
STREAM info (analysh eikonas sygkekrimenoy kanalioy)

Και μηπωσ γνωριζετε ποιο πακετο εχει τα δικαιωματα των αγωνων με μεταδοση ολων των καμερων ?

 

[GTX]

Καποιος που ξερει μπορει να γραψει με την σειρα τα καναλια που θα παιζουν ζωντανα τον αγωνα με την καλυτερη εικονα (περαν του HD)

ΔΟΡΥΦΟΡΟΣ
ΚΑΝΑΛΙ
ΣΥΧΝΟΤΗΤΑ
STREAM info (analysh eikonas sygkekrimenoy kanalioy)

Και μηπωσ γνωριζετε ποιο πακετο εχει τα δικαιωματα των αγωνων με μεταδοση ολων των καμερων ?

Τί????????

Έχεις στη διάθεση σου μια από τις καλύτερες μεταδόσεις στον κόσμο (ναι ναι για τον Alpha μιλάω :cool_1 και ψάχνεις για άλλους??? Αυτό λέγεται αχαριστία :happy_5::happy_5::happy_5:


PS. Όποιος έχει αυτές τις πολύτιμες πληροφορίες παρακαλώ και γω θερμά να τις παραθέσει :bravo:

 

[ak1s]

Ρε Παλομπαρίνι rulez!!!! Και ο άλλος ο τζιτζιφιόγκος...ούτε πώς τον λένε δεν θυμάμαι...τον έχω απωθήσει από την μνήμη μου...

 

[George D]

Απάντηση: F1 season 2007

Country - TV Network - Language

Albania Top Channel Albanian
Argentina Fox Sports Spanish
Australia Network Ten English
Austria ORF German
Belgium Canvas Dutch
Belgium Sporza Dutch
Belgium RTBF La Deux French
Bolivia Fox Sports Spanish
Brazil Rede Globo Portuguese
Bulgaria BTV Bulgarian
Canada RDS/TSN French / English
Chile Fox Sports Spanish
China CCTV-5/SH-G Chinese
Croatia HTV Croatian
Czech Republic TV Nova Czech
Denmark TV2 Danish
Estonia TV3 Estonian
Finland MTV3 and MTV3 MAX Finnish
France TF1 French
France Eurosport French
Germany N-tv German
Germany RTL Television German
Germany Premiere German
Greece Alpha TV Greek
Hong Kong Now TV - Star Sports Cantonese or English
Hungary RTL Klub Hungarian
India Star Sports English
Indonesia Global TV English/Indonesian
Ireland Setanta Sports English
Israel Chanel 5 Hebrew
Italy Rai Uno Italian
Japan Fuji Television Japanese
Latvia LNT Latvian
Lithuania TV3, Tango TV Lithuanian
Malaysia 8TV and ESPN Star Sports English (8TV and ESPN Star Sports) / Chinese (ESPN Star Sports only)
Mexico TV Azteca Spanish
Netherlands RTL Dutch
New Zealand TVNZ Digital English
Norway TV3 Norwegian
Philippines Star Sports English
Poland TV 4 Polish
Portugal Sport TV Portuguese
Qatar Al Jazeera Arabic
Romania TVR Romanian
Russia Ren-TV Russian
Serbia B92 Serbian
Singapore ESPN Star Sports English
Slovakia TV Markíza Slovak
Slovenia POP TV Slovenian
South Africa DStv English
Spain Telecinco Spanish
Spain TV3 Catalan
Sweden TV3 Swedish
Switzerland SF 2 German
Switzerland TSR 2 French
Switzerland TSI 2 Italian
Thailand Star Sports English/Thai
Turkey CNN-Turk Turkish
Ukraine Megasport Ukrainian/Russian
UK ITV English
United States Speed Channel and FOX English
Venezuela Televen Spanish
Wales S4C Welsh

ΤΑ ΚΑΝΑΛΙΑ ΜΕ ΚΟΚΚΙΝΟ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΑΥΤΑ ΠΟΥ ΙΣΩΣ ΜΕ ΚΑΠΟΙΟΥΣ ΤΡΟΠΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΣΕ ΚΑΠOΙΟΥΣ ΔΕΚΤΕΣ ΜΑΣ ΔΩΣΟΥΝ ΕΙΚΟΝΑ…ΜΕ ΡΟΖ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΕΝΑ ΣΕΡΒΙΚΟ ΚΑΙ ΕΝΑ ΡΟΥΜΑΝΙΚΟ ΠΟΥ ΕΝΔΕΧΟΜΕΝΩΣ ΝΑ ΔΕΙΧΝΟΥΝ ΧΩΡΙΣ ΚΛΕΙΔΩΜΑ…

ΤΙ ΤΡΑΒΑΜΕ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΨΩΝΙΟ ΜΑΣ….

 

[NikosK]

Βάλε και το ORF σε αυτά με κόκκινο.....

 

[Web_Nautilus]

Απάντηση: F1 season 2007

Θα υπάρχει μια μεγάλη σκιά φέτος πάνω από τις πίστες... φέτος? Ίσως όχι μόνο φέτος...

:respect:
:-( :-( :-(

 

[NikosK]

Ωπα γράψε λάθος.... βγάλε το ORF απο αυτα με το κόκκινο...
Αλήθεια ξέρει κανείς τι έγινε με αυτά? μήπως θα ήθελε κάποιος να βοηθήσει ένα φτωχό -πλην τίμιο- οικοδόμο... εεεε... κάτοχο Humax ήθελα να πω....

 

[GTX]

Το Σαββατοκύριακο που όλοι περιμέναμε, επιτέλους έφτασε :crazy_3: :crazy_3:

Λοιπόν έχουμε και τα αποτελέσματα από τα ελεύθερα δοκιμαστικά που γίνανε περίπου μια μέρα πρίν, ενώ σε λίγες ώρες θα γίνει και το qualifying. Φυσικά ο Alpha θα έχει κάτι καλύτερο να δείξει στις 4.30 το πρωί οπότε εμείς θα τα δούμε κονσέρβα στις 15.30 αύριο :mad_3:

και έχουμε και λέμε


Practice 1

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:29.214 23
2. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:30.707 + 1.493 7
3. Vettel BMW Sauber (B) 1:30.857 + 1.643 22
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:30.878 + 1.664 14
5. Button Honda (B) 1:31.162 + 1.948 15
6. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:31.401 + 2.187 21
7. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:31.528 + 2.314 9
8. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:31.571 + 2.357 20
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:31.661 + 2.447 16
10. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:31.737 + 2.523 12
11. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:31.782 + 2.568 7
12. Fisichella Renault (B) 1:32.011 + 2.797 14
13. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) 1:32.194 + 2.980 18
14. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:34.043 + 4.829 26
15. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:34.627 + 5.413 8
16. Albers Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:35.055 + 5.841 10
17. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:37.249 + 8.035 12
18. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:39.221 + 10.007 6
19. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:39.242 + 10.028 7
20. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:39.550 + 10.336 9
21. Speed Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:41.763 + 12.549 9
22. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:44.130 + 14.916 11

All timing unofficial


Practice 2

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:27.353 32
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:27.750 + 0.397 33
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:27.829 + 0.476 29
4. Fisichella Renault (B) 1:27.941 + 0.588 33
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:27.970 + 0.617 27
6. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) 1:27.981 + 0.628 31
7. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:28.040 + 0.687 25
8. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:28.055 + 0.702 29
9. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:28.281 + 0.928 26
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:28.495 + 1.142 23
11. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:28.727 + 1.374 28
12. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:28.921 + 1.568 33
13. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:29.009 + 1.656 23
14. Button Honda (B) 1:29.066 + 1.713 30
15. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:29.542 + 2.189 12
16. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:29.574 + 2.221 26
17. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:29.801 + 2.448 11
18. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:30.097 + 2.744 10
19. Speed Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:30.383 + 3.030 28
20. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:31.108 + 3.755 35
21. Albers Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:31.175 + 3.822 32
22. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:31.693 + 4.340 16

All timing unofficial


Οι χρόνοι του Practice 1 δε λένε και τίποτα πάντως γιατί έγινε με βροχή ;-)
Hamilton εντυπωσιακός, η Bmw φαίνεται να έχει κάτι καλό, η Renault καλύτερα απ'οτι περιμέναμε ενώ Ferrari και Mclaren φαίνεται να είναι η δύναμη :bravo:

 

[Gebreselassie]

Πρώτη pole για τον Kimi με τα χρώματα της scuderia ferrari και με εξαίρεση το πρόβλημα του Masa, το καλό δεν σταματά εκεί...

Ο 2ος Ισπανογκρίνιας, είχε 4 ολόκληρα δέκατα διαφορά από τον τρελό με τα κόκκινα... :cool_4:

Καλά πάμε, άντε να δούμε τι θα γίνει και στον αγώνα!

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

Αυτά είναι τα πλήρη στοιχεία (χρόνοοι) των δοκιμαστικών του Σαββάτου (για την pole position)

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

.....

Raikkonen puts Ferrari on pole

Mixed fortunes for Italian team; Super Aguri sparkle

17 March 2007

World championship rivals Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso will start from the front row in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, after the Finn beat the Spaniard by a hair over four-tenths of a second. But where Alonso’s McLaren partner Lewis Hamilton backed him strongly with a second-row start on his debut, Felipe Massa was only 16th after suffering gearbox problems.

In a session run under warm sun and on a bone-dry track, Raikkonen set the pace in first qualifying, was content to let Alonso do so in the second, and then banged in the 1m 26.072s lap that secured him the pole in the third and final runs. He thus became the first debutant Ferrari driver to take pole position since Juan Manuel Fangio back in 1956.

“Today we spent time getting a good set-up on car,” Raikkonen said. “For one lap it was still not ideal, not for me at least, but the main thing is it was quick enough. We have a good race package, so I am more confident for the race than for qualifying. This can be quite a funny race, but we’ll do our best and hope to win.”

Having been obliged to play second fiddle most of the weekend to Hamilton, Alonso pulled up in the final session with a lap of 1m 26.493s to depose the impressive young Briton, who also found himself pushed down a place by speedy Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber. Hamilton lapped in 1m 26.755s, completing another session devoid of mistakes, but dropped to fourth when the German took his F1.07 round in 1m 26.556s right at the end.

Alonso said he was still building his confidence in the car, and added: “I think at end we are there and to start where we are is fantastic news for the team. They have made a huge step forward since last year and we need say thanks to team. I really hope it will be a close race tomorrow, and it can be very interesting; we have been very competitive all weekend.”

Robert Kubica’s chances of improving on 1m 27.347s in the BMW Sauber were stymied by a mistake on his final run, leaving him fifth ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella, who did no better than 1m 27.634s for the hitherto dominant Renault.

Mark Webber boosted the crowd (and himself) with seventh-fastest time in his Red Bull, after a lap in 1m 27.934s, then, against expectations, came the Toyotas of Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher on 1m 28.404s and 1m 28.692s respectively. Both of them had initial dramas: Trulli inadvertently dragged a jack all down the pit lane and then on to the track when he first went out; Schumacher had a tyre problem and had to creep back to the pits before getting going again.

While they celebrated getting into the top ten, Takuma Sato was cock-a-hoop down at Super Aguri. A year ago the team had to borrow a show car from a local mall to make the race; 12 months on they made the top five rows on merit after a great performance yielded a best lap of 1m 28.871s. If there was anything bittersweet about the success, it was that Super Aguri team mate Anthony Davidson just failed to get through to the third session, but he will line up as second-fastest Briton in 11th place with a lap of 1m 26.909s. Nico Rosberg will be alongside him in the Williams with 1m 26.914s, followed by debutant Heikki Kovalainen in the second Renault on 1m 26.964s. He shares row seven with a very despondent Jenson Button, who did all he could to squeeze a disappointing 1m 27.264s out of his Honda.

Alex Wurz lapped his Williams in 1m 27.393s for 15th, while poor Felipe Massa had a gearbox problem in the second session and will start 16th for Ferrari with no recorded lap time.

The first session weeded out the second Red Bull, both Toro Rossos, both Spykers and Rubens Barrichello’s Honda. The Brazilian lapped in 1m 27.679s which left him 17th ahead of an on-form Scott Speed (1m 27.305s), David Coulthard (1m 27.579s), a troubled Tonio Liuzzi (1m 29.267s, before a defective refuelling rig prevented him getting enough juice for his second run), debutant Adrian Sutil (1m 29.339s) and Christijan Albers (1m 31.932s).

Thus the grid is set for the opening race of 2007, and a terrific battle is in prospect. If anything happens to Raikkonen or Alonso, could Hamilton become the first man since Giancarlo Baghetti back in 1961 to win on his debut?

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

Δεν έχω δει τα δοκιμαστικά οπότε προσπαθώ να βγάλω συμπέρασμα απόο τα αποτελέσματα!

Αυτό που ακόμα δεν μπορούμε να ελέγξουμε είναι η αξιοπιστία των μονοθεσίων αφού τα δοκιμαστικά δεν μας δίνουν τα απαραίτητα στοιχεία (και άλλωστε είναι πολύ μικρής χρονικής διάρκειας για να ζοριστούν τα μοτέρ αλλά και όλα τα ευπαθή σημεία των μονοθεσίων)

Ο Massa έβγαλε blr το σασμάν οπότε ξεκινά από το τέλος.........

Για πρώτο αγώνα δεν περίμενα τίποτε λιγότερο από την 1η θέση για τον Raikkonen. Ταχύτατος τόσα χρόνια (ίσως και ταχύτερος του μέγιστου Schumi σε πολλούς αγώνες) χρειαζόταν την υποστήριξη της ομάδας και του μονοθεσίου για να λάμψει. Φέτος μπαίνει σε τροχιά......

Alonso πεισματάρης. Φυσιολογικό να είναι στην πρώτη τριάδα και θεωρώ ότι η 2η θέση είναι ό,τι καλύτερο θα μπορούσε να κάνει. Η McLaren έχει φτιάξει πολύ καλό μονοθέσιο πράγμα που φαίνεται και από την 4η θέση του άπειρου Hamilton. Το ερώτημα είναι σαφές όμως: θα αντέξει η McLaren για έναν ολόκληρο αγώνα?? Αυτό μάλλον είναι το ερώτημα που βασανίζει και τον Ισπανό....

Αναμενόμενη και η επίδοση των δύο BMW αφού στα μέχρι σήμερα δοκιμαστικά των ομάδων τα είχαν πάει καλά. Ο Άκης θα είναι πολύ χαρούμενος σήμερα!!! :happy_5: "happy_1"

Πολύ μεγάλη εντύπωση μου έκανε η εκπληκτική επίδοση των Super Auguri :bravo: :bravo: με την 10η και 11η θέση, αφήνοντας πίσω τους μεγάλα ονόματα και ομάδες (Williams+Rosberg, Renault+Kovalainen, Honda+Button, Williams+Wurtz κ.ο.κ)

Πολύ άσχημη εμφάνιση από τις Honda (Button & Barrichello) και πρέπει οπωσδήποτε (το ταχύτερο δυνατό) ο Button να φύγει γιατί θα του μείνει μόνο η ελπίδα...:mad_1: :mad_1: ....

Πολύ καλή επίδοση και για τον Webber με την Red Bull ενώ ο "ταξιτζής" Fisιchella μάλλον μαζεύει ένσημα για την συνταξιοδότησή του :happy_5: :happy_5: :happy_8:

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

Αυτές είναι οι δηλώσεις των οδηγών

Qualifying - selected driver quotes

17 March 2007

Kimi Raikkonen on his first pole position for Ferrari; McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton on his debut Formula One qualifying session; and Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato on beating both Hondas. All the drivers report back on qualifying in Melbourne…

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (1st, 1m 26.072s):
“A great qualifying, but a shame for Felipe who was not able to get the sort of result he should have done. I think our car is more competitive in race trim than over a single lap. Usually here the race can be full of incidents so it’s impossible to know what could happen. If all goes the way it should, then we have a good chance, but it will be important to pick up as many points as possible. Tonight? I will sleep well, as always. Am I worried about Felipe’s gearbox problem? You can never be a hundred percent sure, but I am certain the team will do everything it can to make sure that I have a car in the best possible shape.”

Fernando Alonso, McLaren (2nd, 1m 26.493s):
“A great way to start the season for the team and I. We have worked so hard over the winter to get to where we are today and I would like to thank everybody for their efforts. There is still a slight gap to Ferrari but the improvements that have been made since the Bahrain test are fantastic. The car feels good. We made some changes this morning and worked on the set-up to prepare for qualifying and it seems to have worked out well. I'm also pleased that Lewis (Hamilton) is right up there with me which puts us both in the best position to score points for ourselves and the team. I can't wait for the race.”

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber (3rd, 1m 26.556s):
“It is very clearly a fantastic result for us to be third. I was sure we would make it into the top ten but more P5 or something like that. We had a good winter season, but you never know until you get to the first race. As regards reliability I am happier now after speaking to some people in the team, who explained to me what they had done to make everything work. On top of that we did a race simulation in Bahrain which worked fine. The car was not perfect today. In Q2 I was happy but with some fuel on board it was not that easy. From my view Ferrari is still ahead. We will only see tomorrow in the race how things are really going, however, so far I am really pleased.”

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (4th, 1m 26.755s):
“I'm overwhelmed to be on the second row for my first Grand Prix. A huge thank you to the team who have worked so hard both here at the track and back at base. This weekend is what I have been preparing myself for during the past 13 years and I'm enjoying every moment. I think we are in with a good chance in the race. Basically I want to get a good start and then work hard to score as many points for the team and myself. I'm not going to make any predictions because anything can happen but so far so good.”

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber (5th, 1m 27.347s):
“Performance wise I think we are where we thought we would be, and this is very good news. Also qualifying in general was good. In Q2 I had a very fast first run, but on the second lap I had traffic so couldn’t improve. In the end this does not make any difference to the result. In Q3 I missed my final chance of another lap by just one second. But that’s racing. You have to take the risk, some time you win, some time you loose.”

Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault (6th, 1m 27.634s):
“As always, it was a tough qualifying session, but I feel we didn’t achieve the maximum this afternoon. My position is pretty much as expected, behind McLaren and Ferrari, but I think I could have gained a place or two without traffic on my final timed lap, which slowed me down in the last three corners in particular. We had expected qualifying to be tough because we know the car’s speed on a single lap is not as competitive as the long runs at the moment. Now, we need to wait and see what the race pace is like. We were competitive this morning and yesterday afternoon, so hopefully I can make up some ground at the start - and then fight for the podium.”

Mark Webber, Red Bull (7th, 1m 27.934s):
“I didn’t think I’d be seventh, so it’s great. We lost time with a transmission problem yesterday, but the guys worked really hard last night, did a good job and we’ve got something out of it. We’ve done a lot of testing over the winter break, but it’s always interesting to actually get into the ring at the first race and see where we are. There’s still a long way to go tomorrow, we have to see if we can deliver in the race - it should be an interesting Grand Prix.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (8th, 1m 28.404s):
“We are all very happy because after a difficult winter of testing we came here without the highest expectations. So to have two cars in the top ten is a good result. I put in a clean lap in Q3 even if I must say the lap itself was not great. That means we probably still have a bit more potential in the car. We showed quite a good performance, better than we expected. Obviously it’s not over yet and we need to race and we need to finish to score some points. But now we can look forward to tomorrow’s race and do our best to come away with a good finish.”

Ralf Schumacher, Toyota (9th, 1m 28.692s):
“To come away with 8th and 9th positions is much better than we expected at the start of the session so we are very satisfied. It was not a perfect afternoon for me. We had a gearbox control problem during Q2 so I could only put in one flying lap. Then I made some mistakes on my lap in Q3 so that is why we were pretty average on the times. But it had been a difficult start to the week and the start of the season is usually difficult. So after all that to have both cars in the top ten is a good achievement. We will now do all we can to come away with something from tomorrow’s race. I’ve had some good races here in Melbourne so I hope there can be another one to come.”

Takuma Sato, Super Aguri (10th, 1m 28.871s):
“What can I say, it was an absolutely fantastic team effort. It was a difficult day again as it was spitting with rain and a set-up change took longer than expected in the practice session so we only completed a few laps. During the whole of qualifying the team worked well together, building up the car, step-by-step and things just went the right way. I was always going to be very happy if we made it into Q2, but I never imagined that we would reach Q3 - but we did, and it is a great feeling. Obviously this is just the start of the season, and we have a lot of work to do, so for tomorrow we just hope to have a good race.”

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

.

Anthony Davidson, Super Aguri (11th, 1m 26.909s):
“It was awesome. I felt really on top of the car and what I did in free practice continued on into qualifying. I was really enjoying it and then I went off on my first attempt and I lost a little bit of time. On my last run I lost a lot of time in the last corner and I didn’t set a good lap, but my next two split times were better than Taku, so I'm happy and generally really pleased for the team, but a little bit frustrated that I set my best time in free practice and not qualifying.”

Nico Rosberg, Williams (12th, 1m 26.914s):
“It was a bit difficult to get it right today as the car was quite loose, so I couldn’t really attack and I made a few mistakes. It’s unfortunate because it’s about time all our work started to produce some results. Twelfth on the grid is obviously not what we were hoping for as we are all determined to get ahead of where we were last year.”

Heikki Kovalainen, Renault (13th, 1m 26.964s):
“The car was fine and the balance was good, but I just wasn’t able to get the maximum from it on a single lap. I lost track time yesterday and this morning, and my times were a little bit off in every sector. Obviously, this performance is not good enough, but there is no point dwelling on it now. Starting from P13 is not ideal for my first Grand Prix, and I will need to race aggressively to get a points finish. That will be my target for tomorrow.”

Jenson Button, Honda (14th, 1m 27.264s):
"It hasn't been a good weekend for us so far. Today it was difficult to judge how hard to push the tyres. At the start of the lap I was getting understeer because the tyres were not up to temperature, then later in the lap I was getting oversteer as the rears were going off, which just shows the issues that we have. I got the best out of the car today and right now we are where we are. We'll obviously do what we can for the race, then we have some work to do to start addressing the issues we have identified."

Alexander Wurz, Williams (15th, 1m 27.393s):
“It was interesting to see how the qualifying sessions work from a driver’s point of view, I’d have to say it is fairly brutal. Naturally I’m disappointed not to make it into the top ten, but it would have been difficult to achieve this and on my last run I lost three or four tenths at turn 15 when I slid a bit wide. Yesterday we did some strong long runs, so the race is a different story, even if I have to start from 15th.”

Felipe Massa, Ferrari (16th, 1m 26.712s):
“What happened in qualifying with the gearbox was a shame, given the good car we had and the strong performance yesterday and today. So, we have to hope that this is the first and last time it happens this season. Tomorrow, my main aim will be to bring the car to the finish, trying to move up the order as much as possible. I am still confident because I know we have a car that is very good in terms of race pace. Of course it will be difficult to finish in the top places, but I will give it my best to at least try and finish in the points, going for every opportunity that comes my way.”

Rubens Barrichello, Honda (17th, 1m 27.679s):
"I was expecting that we would compete in the second session today so I'm disappointed by our performance in qualifying. I had a problem right from the start with the car bottoming out much more than it has been at any other point over the weekend. That is something we have to look at for the race tomorrow. It was very close at the end of the first session with so many cars fighting to get through but unfortunately we just couldn't make it this time."

Scott Speed, Toro Rosso (18th, 1m 28.305s):
“The car was no better than yesterday, because we are not going to be able to improve this car until we get some testing behind us. We are throwing darts in the dark and on top of that my qualifying was completely screwed by traffic, when as I came past the pits there were three cars coming out the pits in front of me going into Turn 1. Also on my last lap there was some dirt on the track and I had a moment at Turn 14. Tomorrow, if I can keep the car within the white lines I will be happy.”

David Coulthard, Red Bull (19th, 1m 28.579s):
"The first and second sectors of my last timed lap were good, but I came through Turn 15 and there was a lot of dust and dirt on the track, which got on my tyres. I then went in to the last corner, went out of the groove and on to the marbles, so lost all the time I’d gained in the first two sectors. What should have been a fairly easy ‘getting through’ session didn’t prove to be the case. I didn’t expect to be nineteenth on the grid, but that’s the reality, so now I’ll focus on the race and see what we can get out of that.”

Vitantonio Liuzzi, Toro Rosso (20th, 1m 29.267s):
“When I came into the pits there was a problem with my fuel rig and I ended up going out for my second run with no fuel. But this was just one of a host of problems we seem to have at the moment, because unfortunately we had very little testing time before this season. We might have done a bit better without that, as we has to settle for my time in the first run. But I don’t think we would have made it into the second session. We will have to work very hard to try and have a better day tomorrow for the race."

Adrian Sutil, Spyker (21st, 1m 29.339s):
“I'm happy with laps I did and I think I could have even beaten Liuzzi's time, but coming through the last corner someone went off in front of me into the gravel and brought a lot of dust and sand onto the track so I had to be a bit more cautious through the turn. We might be at back but I'm happy with my laps, I didn't make any mistakes and hope for the best tomorrow in the race.”

Christijan Albers, Spyker (22nd, 1m 31.932s):
"I'm disappointed to be this far behind, but I don't think this time is representative of where we really are. I lost first gear in the first session and lost a lot of time when the guys had to change the gearbox, which meant I didn't get a lot of running on the softer tyre that we ran in qualifying. As the tyres are now so important to the set-up and handling of the car, I could not get the best out of my laps."

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

Εδώ η Press Conference

FIA post-qualifying press conference - Australia

Reproduced with kind permission of the FIA

17 March 2007

Drivers: 1st Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), 1m26.072s; 2nd Fernando Alonso (McLaren Mercedes), 1m26.493s; 3rd Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), 1m26.556s.

Q: Kimi, what a fantastic opening weekend for you with Ferrari!
Kimi Raikkonen: Yeah, it has been good. OK, yesterday wasn’t perfect but I think the weather was the issue yesterday and today has been pretty good. We found a good set-up for the car. Unfortunately we didn’t have as good a result as we wanted as a team – Felipe had some problems – but hopefully we can sort out those problems and have a good race.

Q: It looked to be a well-paced qualifying session; not brilliantly quick in Q2 but fast when you needed to be in Q3.
KR: Yeah, I think in second qualifying the main thing is to get through and not really do anything silly. It was good in the last qualifying. I’m not really exactly happy with the car but it was quick enough and we need to do some work for tomorrow.

Q: How does it feel to be a Ferrari driver?
KR: It feels good. We have a very good team, everything works well, it’s a good atmosphere and I enjoy it a lot, so I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Q: Congratulations to Fernando Alonso, starting your first race with Vodafone Mercedes on the front row. Tell us about qualifying and your feelings about your new team?
Fernando Alonso: I think it’s been a difficult day for everybody. In the morning, we had some drops of rain again which was a little worrying. Qualifying is always difficult and the first qualifying of the year is always a little bit more stressful because you need to get used to the system again and for me, especially with a new team, getting used to the approach they have for this qualifying. I felt really really confident with the car all weekend. It’s true that we were a little bit up and down in the time schedule and I think at the end when we need to be there we are there. I think starting tomorrow is fantastic news. I think the team has done a fantastic job over the winter to make the car work and competitive. I don’t think we can forget that they weren’t so competitive last year so they’ve made a huge step forward. I think we drivers need to say thanks to the people.

Q: You were saying yesterday that you need to adapt a bit more to the tyre-car package. We had higher ambient temperatures today, how did you feel about that qualifying lap of yours in Q3?
FA: I felt OK but it’s true that you need to adapt yourself a little bit to the new tyres. For me it was a little bit of a double job because I need to get used to the new car and also the new tyres, so sometimes I can be a little bit confused but I did most of the job during the winter, so I just need to tune my style a little bit. It will come soon, I hope.

Q: It looks like it’s going to be a very close race between you and Ferrari tomorrow?
FA: I really hope so. For sure, I think it can be very interesting. I think we have been very competitive all weekend, even if yesterday we were conservative. I think we put everything together in qualifying and we are there, so why not tomorrow? I think we will be very good.

 

[Giovanni Dimitropoulos]

.

Q: Nick Heidfeld, a great resurgence in the second half of last year for Sauber BMW and that momentum continuing into the Australian Grand Prix; a fantastic result for you.
Nick Heidfeld: Yes, very clearly. We had a good winter season, but you never know until you get to the first race, but now it looks like the winter results are the same here. It’s fantastic to be in P3 at the moment.

Q: How do you view your performance at the moment, the best of the rest or are you really in position to challenge for the race win?
NH: In my view, Ferrari is still ahead. Before we came here we thought that as well and hoped that we might be in the pack behind them. Honestly I’m a bit surprised that Renault wasn’t quicker today. I expected them to be there as well. We will only see tomorrow in the race how things are going. It’s always the same, you never know how much fuel the others guys have, but we can be pleased.

Q: Many drivers are talking about the difference between last year’s car to this year’s with the new tyre package, the Bridgestone tyres. What’s it like from your point of view?
NH: Obviously it’s difficult for everybody, but I don’t think I have big problems getting used to these tyres. I have found it more difficult to get used to the tyres in terms of set-up and how you treat them rather than changing my driving style.

Q: Kimi, back to you; how do you see the race itself and the challenge from your old team?
KR: I think we have a good race package. I think we are more confident for the race than we were for qualifying. As long as everything works well and we don’t have any problems, I think we should be OK but you never know. So many things can happen. Usually the race here is quite a funny one, but we will do the best that we can and hopefully we can win. For sure the others will try and beat us which is a pretty normal situation. It is going to be close but we will do the best that we can.

Q: Kimi, it couldn’t be a better start to the season could it?
KR: Not for me, but for the team it could have been, but hopefully we can find out what is the problem and then we don’t have the same problem anymore.

Q: Did you have anything similar?
KR: No

Q: Absolutely, no problems at all?
KR: No

Q: You suggested that there is a little fine-tuning (needed) to make the car better. What can you do?
KR: I think so, for one lap, it is still not ideal. Not for me at least, but this is quick enough. I think that for the race we are much more comfortable. I think it is going to be more easy in the race, but you never know. Anything can happen so we need to work hard and do the best we can, but I am sure the qualifying will be more difficult (in the future).

Q: Is it an advantage knowing the team that starts beside you on the grid?
KR: No, I don’t think it is going to make any difference really. I don’t know what they are doing this year. Last year was last year. We are just going to do our own thing and hopefully it is good enough.

Q: Fernando, we got the feeling that your performance was not absolutely perfect for you in qualifying?
FA: To be honest, I thought it was very good! I think I had some problems this morning to try and find the right set-up and I think the team did a great job in putting everything in place for qualifying and I felt Q1 much, much better and in Q2 getting more confidence and in Q3 second so I think it is a great result to start the season and I think confidence for tomorrow’s race.

Q: So how do you approach tomorrow’s race – wait and see?
FA: No, we should try to win the race for sure. We are second so we are in the second-best position to win it and I think we can do it. We have made huge progress and improvement since the last test in terms of car performance in the long runs that was maybe our weakest point and I think tomorrow we will see the result. But we should be quite happy with our qualifying and optimistic for tomorrow.

Q: Nick, is this how you saw it panning out before the season?
NH: No, definitely not. I mean it is the way we hoped it would pan out after winter testing, but I didn’t expect to be here now today in third position. I was quite sure we could make it into the top ten but probably around P5 or 6 or something like that.

Q: How confident do you feel about reliability?
NH: I am happy now after speaking to some people in the team who showed me that we have done quite a few things to make it work and on top of that with similar parts we did the race simulation and it worked fine, but it is still a concern. We lost a lot of kilometres in testing, which is not ideal, but it is tomorrow that counts.

Q: Was the car perfect in qualifying?
NH: No, clearly not. In Q2 I was quite happy, but in Q3 there was some issue on board and it was not that easy.

Q: Can you do anything about that?
NH: No, we are not allowed to change the set-up with these rules unfortunately, but it is not too bad and I am quite happy.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) What is the difference between the two compounds for the race?
NH: One is hard and the other one is soft.
KR: I don’t know it is not easy to say really. Yesterday it could have been a bigger difference than today. I think in a long run it could make quite a big difference, but who knows what will happen tomorrow.
FA: Same thing. I think yesterday we saw a big difference, today less and tomorrow maybe even less again or the same. So, who knows...

Q: (Mark Fogarty – Auto Action) Fernando, how impressive is Lewis (Hamilton)’s performance?
FA: I think he has been doing a fantastic job so far this weekend. He has been competitive all sessions and in qualifying as well so tomorrow will be a good opponent and he can score many points for the team if things keep going in this direction.

Q: Does he push you harder than Giancarlo did?
FA: Well, I don’t know. Giancarlo had two years, very tough in some moments and I was behind him not often, but many more times than we remember and at the end of the day the final points after Brazil in October are the ones that count. Then we will see how I have done.

Q: (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Deutschland) Kimi, did you expect a tougher battle for pole and could you have gone faster?
KR: I did not mean it was easy. They are never easy. We expect to have a stronger car for the race than for qualifying, compared to the others so we did the best we could do today and it was enough so that’s the main thing and everything worked very well so we see what happens tomorrow.

Q: (Ottavio Daviddi - Tuttosport) Kimi do you think you will sleep well tonight or you will be nervous ahead of your first race?
KR: No. I am ok. It is not my first race – only my first race this year. So it is not going to change anything.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Kimi it looked like Massa had a gearbox problem in the morning and in the afternoon – so are you worried about reliability?
KR: I don’t know what happened exactly, but hopefully it was just a one-off problem and we don’t have it tomorrow, but you never know so we have to try and do the best we can whatever happens. Of course it is a concern, but hopefully we will be good enough.

Q: (Phil Branagan – Motorsport News) Fernando, with your team-mate behind you and Kimi’s team-mate well back on the grid, does it mean you take a different approach to tomorrow’s race – two against one?
FA: no I don’t think so. We will do our best in the race and push 100 per cent from the beginning to the end and it is the only way we are going to score points for the team and for ourselves so I think for sure it is a little better and easier for us if Felipe is not at the front because he has been very competitive until now and is also very strong opponent for the race itself. So it is good to have him at the back for us, but I think the approach will be more or less the same, to do our best.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, you said you have made a good step since the last test so is Ferrari more beatable now for you?
FA: it is difficult to say because they have been very strong here in the long runs on Friday and this morning so to be honest I have to say they should be quicker tomorrow and we should be having a little bit of a hard time if we want to beat them, but as we saw today, Felipe stops with a gearbox problem so the race is 58 laps tomorrow and we have to be there if we want to win so we have to push them and fingers crossed we should be in the points tomorrow.