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Formula 1 news, results and statistics when you need it |
2002
Canadian Grand Prix What the teams and drivers said - Saturday |
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Formula 1 news, results and statistics when you need it |
2002
Canadian Grand Prix What the teams and drivers said - Saturday |
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Drivers Championship
Constructors
Championship What the teams and drivers said - SaturdayWilliams ( Juan Pablo Montoya - 1st, Ralf Schumacher - 4th ) Sam Michael: "It was a very tight qualifying with the rain coming at the end of the session. It is very good for Juan to be on pole again, and it is a pity that Ralf could not join him on the front row. The potential was there, but after a problem with his race car he had to switch to the T-Car. We quickly had to change the T-Car from Juan Pablo's settings to Ralf's. For tomorrow's race I expect a strong fight between Ferrari and us. We will get ready for this now and also we will keep hoping for good weather on Sunday." Gerhard Berger: "We were hoping to manage to get on pole here in Canada and we are clearly very pleased. Already in this morning's practice sessions it was clear that there was going to be a good fight with Ferrari. Juan has set a perfect qualifying lap. It's a pity for Ralf, who had to jump into the T-car and couldn't improve his time. His race car was diagnosed with a leak in the engine pneumatic system. We should show strongly tomorrow, as in free practice we have prepared ourselves well for the race." Juan Pablo Montoya: "I am obviously pleased to start the second race in a row from pole position. We went out quite early because rain was threatening and we wanted to get a decent lap in. I knew there was still some room for improvement in my lap time of this morning and I gave it a go, trying to put three good sectors together. It makes a true difference to go out on the track when no one has still run as it is really slippery. The car has been very competitive so far, and the tyres play a very important role. It is going to be an interesting race tomorrow where strategy and tyres will be important factors." Ralf Schumacher: "To be honest I was expecting more, but under these conditions I must be happy with the second row. The T-car was set up for Juan but I have managed to take the best out of it anyway. There was no way I could aim for pole position, though. I am confident for the race, also because I am sure that Michelin are competitive here." Ferrari ( Michael Schumacher - 2nd, Rubens Barrichello - 3rd) Jean Todt: "Today, things turned out as we predicted yesterday with a very close fight for the top positions. We achieved our primary objective, in other words, getting both cars onto the front two rows. The complete F2002 package - car, engine and tyres – worked well. We can expect a very close fight with our main rivals tomorrow and I am convinced we can have a good race. Our aim is to bring home some important points for both championships. We know that this race is always tough in terms of reliability, especially for the engine and brakes." Ross Brawn: "Tomorrow should see a very interesting race. Our engine was really strong in qualifying which was a help. The tyres seem to be holding up pretty well and I think the situation is similar to the one we experienced in Monaco. I am therefore quite optimistic for the race tomorrow. We knew it might rain towards the end of the session, but the track was not at its best at the start. This afternoon, we did not extract the car’s full potential and could have done better, but generally it went well." Michael Schumacher: "It was an exciting session and with second place on the grid, I can be confident for the race. Our engine was very good for qualifying today and now we will try to make the necessary changes to also have a little bit extra in race conditions for tomorrow. I am a little bit disappointed not to have been able to fight for pole right at the end. We might have been able to get pole, but if you look at my sector times, we were very close but just didn’t get it together. On my third run, which was my fastest one, I lost some time in the first sector. I knew where I had lost it and why, so I was optimistic for my last run, but then came the rain. We knew there was a chance of rain but not when it could come exactly." Rubens Barrichello: "I went off the track in the morning, losing precious time in terms of preparing the car for qualifying. This afternoon, I therefore tried to make up for lost time. Obviously the car could not be great in these circumstances, but all in all, I am happy with the result. On my third run, I hit a kerb and spun. Then, for my last run, the track was already too slippery. We had a great engine, which worked really well. We can be optimistic for tomorrow because I think we are in a strong position to get a good result." McLaren ( Kimi Raikkonen - 5th, David Coulthard - 8th ) Ron Dennis: "Apart from David's problems, qualifying turned out pretty much as we had expected. If the forecasters are right and the weather improves, a podium position is still a realistic target. As is often the case here, the use of the safety car could play a significant role in the outcome of the race." Norbert Haug: "The third row of the grid was what we could have realistically achieved. The one second gap is definitely too big. David's second run was ruined by Sato's technical failure. We should do better in race configuration tomorrow." Kimi Raikkonen: "I think my grid position was the best we could have achieved today. We always knew that Canada would be difficult, as the circuit layout is not suited to our package. I might have been able to improve my time a little in my last run but then the rain just made it a bit too slippery. I'm hoping for a good start tomorrow and then a race finish and hopefully a reasonable result." David Coulthard: "I had a horrible session and believe that without problems I could have been on the third row at least. During my first run I hit traffic and lost a bit of time, my second stint was affected by the yellow flags following Sato's incident and then it started to rain during my final qualifying lap which caused me to spin at the last corner. I think we are capable of making a good start, which will be important, as overtaking is very hard at this track. As always we will do our best." Jordan ( Giancarlo Fisichella - 6th, Takuma Sato - 15th ) Gary Anderson: "We are obviously pleased with Giancarlo in sixth position as it’s our best qualifying result this year, and only 1.1 seconds behind Michael Schumacher, the quickest Bridgestone driver. Takuma was doing a fine job when he had a very unfortunate engine failure. He had a run in the T-car but it was set up for Giancarlo and didn’t have the same feel. The rain came before Takuma got his last run, so there was no chance to improve on 15th but nevertheless we’re pretty happy with that." Giancarlo Fisichella: "Top 6 was more than I expected so I am very pleased. We did a very good job with the engineers and mechanics and everything was going well. Especially with the car set-up. We improved it step by step and particularly for the last run when I did a very good lap. I have done well in the past here, it's a good circuit and I fell that anything is possible. I hope to score some points but my target is to get on the podium as I have done here four times before." Takuma Sato: "I am disappointed because I could have done better than this. The first run was reasonably easy, but we were improving the set-up and then the engine blew after my second run. The T-car was not set-up the same, so it's been a difficult day." Sauber ( Nick Heidfeld - 7th, Felipe Massa - 12th ) Peter Sauber: "Seventh place is a fantastic result after a couple of tough races, and especially as the time difference to sixth place is so small. Congratulations to Nick. Both Felipe and the team expected more, but he had some small problems that prevented him from repeating his morning speed." Nick Heidfeld: "My first two runs were good and I didn't have any problems on either of them. The car was going really well. For my third run we tried a small change that made the car worse, and my fourth was spoiled by the rain. It was a difficult situation, not knowing how much to risk pushing in the greasy conditions. Overall I'm very happy, though. It's frustrating to be beaten by seven thousandths of a second for sixth place, but I think seventh may be the better side of the grid anyway so I'm not too bothered." Felipe Massa: "This was a very frustrating afternoon for me. On my first run the differential settings were wrong and I didn't have any traction control, and then my second was spoiled in the second and third corners by oil from Sato's blow-up. For the third run we changed the downforce and the car did not feel as good, though I improved my time by a few thousandths of a second. By my final run the track was wet, so that was it. It's a great shame because I feel I have been running well all weekend and my car felt really good this morning." BAR ( Jacques Villeneuve - 9th, Olivier Panis - 11th ) David Richards: "We achieved a solid qualifying performance today which confirmed the view that we are heading in the right direction with the latest evolution of the car. We are in a good position to challenge for points tomorrow and, with Jacques performing in front of his home crowd, let’s hope we can deliver a good result." Geoffrey Willis: "We’re reasonably happy with what we’ve achieved today, which is our best team qualifying result of the season. We had hoped to do a little better and put both cars inside the top 10, but we did at least see the realistic potential for that today. Without Jacques’ engine problem on the last run, we certainly had room for further improvement. We’re in a good position for tomorrow so our aim is to get both cars home and be there to make the most of a points-scoring opportunity." Jacques Villeneuve: "I’m definitely pleased with our performance today. I was a little bit worried yesterday because we were playing around with fuel but we did better than I expected today. We managed to improve the car overnight and that gave us an acceptable qualifying today, so I’m quite happy. It was too bad that we had an engine problem on the last run because we timed it just right before the rain came and could have improved the lap. I think we’re in a position to fight in the race tomorrow and hopefully get a point. We’re not quick enough down the straights but we’re in a good position overall." Olivier Panis: "After the first signs of improvement with the car on Friday, I felt we had the potential for a top 10 qualifying position today. Jacques proved that to be the case and I had the car to do the same, so I’m disappointed with 11th. I had a gearshift problem at the end of my first lap which we corrected in time for the 2nd run. The first two sectors of my 2nd and 3rd runs were very good but we just couldn’t squeeze more on the third sector. We turned the car around quickly for my last run but it started raining when I left the garage. Still, we have to look on the positive side and be pleased with the improvement in the overall package." Renault ( Jarno Trulli - 10th, Jenson Button - 13th ) Pat Symonds: "A difficult qualifying session for us, as we were concerned about the weather at the beginning. Even though we managed to improve the car compared to this morning, we still cannot be satisfied with our positions. Jarno's cause was not helped by having to change to the T-car, whilst Jenson experienced some problems under braking which cost him time." Denis Chevrier: "Overall, a much better day for us in terms of our program, during which we attempted to make up a lot of the time we lost yesterday. After a good morning's work we were well prepared for qualifying, which meant we coped with the various incidents during the session without any difficulties. On the engine side, we didn't experience any problems, and can now approach the race having collected all the necessary information Jarno Trulli: "I must admit that I am a little disappointed with our result in qualifying. I made a mistake at a crucial time, when I was really pushing hard on the second flying lap. The car was behaving very well and the balance was good, so it's a shame that I couldn't make the most of it in these circumstances. The team did a fantastic job to get the T-car ready for me so quickly, as it was set up for Jenson. This car felt strong as well, but the rain at the end of the session spoiled the final run." Jenson Button: "It was a disappointing day for us. The car felt pretty good but one of my biggest problems was that I didn't manage to pick up a tow on any of my four runs. You gain a big chunk of time in somebody's slipstream at this circuit, but I just didn't manage it today." Jaguar ( Eddie Irvine - 14th, Pedro de la Rosa - 16th ) Niki Lauda: "Eddie and Pedro both did well today to complete qualifying without getting themselves into any trouble on the track. Many drivers fell victim to the demanding nature of this circuit and had we not have suffered from minor technical troubles in the garage, I am sure we could have done even better when you consider how close the times are. Eddie’s session was unfortunately compromised by a gearbox oil pump problem and as a precaution he jumped into the T-car while the issue was being addressed. The team did an excellent job of correcting the problem and even though he only completed two of his four flying laps, the end result is much more pleasing than we have generated over the past few races. Pedro was also looking on course to improve his time, but the rain showers at the end halted any chance he had. Nonetheless, we are satisfied with our qualifying positions and for the first time this season, we are starting a race from where we stand a chance of scoring points. Credit goes to Cosworth Racing for producing the new CR4 engine that has proved to be a step forward in terms of horsepower." Eddie Irvine: "My best qualifying position of the year and without doubt, a step in the right direction for the whole team. The new and improved Cosworth engine has helped us here and combined with the good set-up work, we have been rewarded with qualifying positions that allow us with a chance of scraping for points tomorrow. Michael Schumacher held me up on my first run, but my second run was clean. I lost most of the session while the team addressed the gearbox oil pump issue and because of this, I missed out on two flying laps which would probably have taken me a little further up the grid. Given the pressure at the time, the team did an excellent job of getting me back out before the end of the session and let’s now hope we can make something of this tomorrow." Pedro de la Rosa: "A good, all-round improvement and I am very pleased for the whole team. The new Cosworth CR4 engine helped make our lives easier today and with the added horsepower, our performance improved, particularly on the two long straights at this circuit. Apart from the rain at the end of the session, I suffered no problems during any of my laps and if we can stay clear of trouble tomorrow, we have a chance to reward ourselves. This circuit is very tough on cars and combined with the notorious first corner, it’s quite a challenge to cross the finishing line intact. Nonetheless, we are in reasonably good shape and I am looking forward to the challenge that tomorrow brings." Arrows ( Enrique Bernoldi - 17th, Heinz Harald Frentzen - 19th ) Graham Taylor: “We were caught out by the change in the track conditions today. There was a big shift in balance from this morning to this afternoon and the changes we made to the car in between sessions were negated by the changes in track conditions. We discovered Heinz’s car had a water leak after his first run and we lost a fair bit of time fixing that. We sent him out for his second run shortly after Sato went off to check the balance for the final runs. We couldn’t improve much on that run because of the oil on the track. Unfortunately the rain began on his third run so that was the end of the day for him. Enrique did a good job, steadily improving his lap times but his progress was also stunted by the changes in conditions. All in all a disappointing day so now we will put all our efforts into having a good race tomorrow.” Enrique Bernoldi: "Although I could improve with each run we just couldn’t get it together today. It is frustrating to be pipped for position by a Jaguar as they are our benchmark but that’s the way it turned out. Historically we are always better in race trim so I’m hoping for a more successful day tomorrow.” Heinz Harald Frentzen: “It wasn’t our day today. We made a few changes after this morning’s sessions to correct a little understeer but when I went out on my first run the car was unbalanced. I then had a water leak which knocked me out of my rhythm. Once we were back on track the weather took a turn for the worse and I couldn’t get any more time out of the car.” Toyota ( Mika Salo - 18th, Allan McNish - 20th ) Keizo Takahashi: "This qualifying was not very good at all and we were unlucky to be out on track at the wrong times. We missed the best time window towards the end because of rain and oil on the track. Hopefully the weather will be dry tomorrow for the race, where we will push as much as we possibly can." Mika Salo: "The car has not been balanced very well all day and it was a very disappointing session. I was unlucky with yellow flags and oil on the track, which meant that I had to abort two of my runs. We have to go through everything again today and do a lot of work before the race tomorrow." Allan McNish: "It was a difficult session, especially with the rain at the end. The circuit has not had much grip all day and neither myself, nor Mika could find a good balance for the car. Generally we have not been very quick but we will push for the race and I am sure race set-up will be better compared to today." Minardi ( Mark Webber - 21st, Alex Yoong - 22nd ) Paul Stoddart: "Despite bringing up the back of the grid for tomorrow’s Canadian Grand Prix, the KL Minardi Asiatech drivers put in a solid performance during this afternoon’s qualifying session, where there turned out to be less than one second between P9 and P21. While showing how competitive Formula One is, it also demonstrates what a good job the team is doing with its resources compared with many of its rivals. Mark put in his usual solid performance, and we’re confident that, but for a gearbox problem, Alex’s last run would have seen him close the gap to those ahead of him."
Mark Webber: "It was a pretty good
qualifying session for us, and that was the maximum that we could take
out of our package here. It would have been nice to get Allan (McNish),
but it just wasn’t on today. The guys again did a very good job and I
believe we are on the right tyres for tomorrow’s race. We sacrificed a
little bit today by not picking the softer ones, but hopefully we’ll
be rewarded in tomorrow’s race with a stable car."
Alex Yoong: "I made a mistake on my first two runs, and on the third, the time was not great, but then I felt I could have improved a lot on the fourth. Unfortunately, the gearbox broke at the beginning of the last run, and that ended any chance of setting a better time. Nevertheless, we are on the harder compound tyre for tomorrow, and I think we can have a good race."
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