European GP - Valencia - Saturday
Q. Lewis, a tight fight with your team-mate. But following on from your win in Budapest I bet you are wishing the season started in July rather than in March?
Lewis HAMILTON: That would have been fantastic, but it didn't. Here we are - a fantastic achievement from the team at the last race and then to come here not really knowing whether we would have the same pace or whether other people would have made a step forward. But clearly we have very good pace this weekend, myself and Heikki. And Heikki especially did a fantastic job through qualifying. It was very close between me and him. It was great to see us both there because I think for both of us we have been wanting a one-two qualifying experience for a long time. It is great to be here.
Q. Heikki, you were on target for pole until that penultimate corner. Tell us about your pain.
Heikki KOVALAINEN: Well, I clearly went over the limit. In hindsight you can always argue and think you could have done it a bit better. But in qualifying you have to go for it. It was incredibly close. Had I not pushed to the absolute limit I could have dropped three or four places easily, so I went for it. It didn't work out this time but luckily I did not lose more than one place, so it is fine. It is absolutely a great place to start tomorrow. I think we have done a good improvement from Hungary on my side of the garage, so I think everybody can be very pleased in the garage and also back in Woking. We have been working very hard this week since the shut-down and fingers crossed it is paying off now.
Q. Rubens, after the struggles of the last few grands prix what does this result today say about Brawn GP?
Rubens BARRICHELLO: The same for us. Like the McLaren guys after the shut-down it has been a lot of work. The team had a fantastic approach to it. In order to go forwards we had to go backwards a little bit and calculate some of the stuff. Between myself and Jenson we have had a fantastic job on Friday to do back-to-backs on set-up and things and I think we learned something. It is hot as you can see. The track is good for us. It is good to be back competitive. I wish next year's rules were already in place as I was fastest in Q2, so you never know how much fuel these guys have. But I hope I have more than them.
Q. Lewis, there was a lot of confidence about the way you attacked qualifying and saving a run in Q2. Is it the same confidence you take into tomorrow's grand prix?
LH: We haven't seen this for a long time. Last year and in 2007 there were times where we only had to do one run in qualifying. This year we have had to go in all guns blazing and use up every minute and every second of the qualifying session. But very fortunately I managed to do a couple of good laps, so I did not have to do too many. But it can always be improved, so for sure going into tomorrow we stand in the best position for myself and Heikki for a podium. But it all depends on strategy and how the start goes and how the rest of the race goes.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q. Lewis, only the fifth time this year that you've been in the top ten, so is this a reflection of how McLaren have bounced back?
LH: Absolutely, absolutely. I think that coming into the weekend we thought we'd be competitive but I don't think any of us really knew whether we'd be competing for the front row. It's a great result for us. The team has well deserved it. It's just great to know that we can continue with the momentum from the last race.
Q. And you lost the whole session yesterday afternoon; how important was that?
LH: The time that you lose... every little bit of time that you get on the track makes a huge difference for everyone. You find out more about the car, you fine-tune the car even more. I missed the whole session, a good hour and fifteen/twenty minutes, so in terms of dialling in the car, I had a lot of pressure on me this morning, but fortunately we did quite a good job. It wasn't perfect but there are always still improvements that you can make. But I was quite comfortable with the car this morning, I think we'd had quite a productive P3 practice session and going into qualifying, it was nice to be able to do single laps and get those laps in.
Q. Even this morning was cut short as well, but yesterday you were talking about having a loose rear end. Presumably you've sorted that out?
LH: Not fully, no. We still have a little bit of a loose rear end. Inevitably on my pole position lap it was OK, it was quite a good lap. The second lap was better but in a lot of places I lost chunks of time, so hopefully there should be a little bit more time in it and hopefully we will be able to extract that tomorrow.
Q. Heikki, you must be really pleased with this; only the fourth time in the top ten this year.
HK: Yeah, of course, it's a long time since I've been in this kind of position. I don't even remember the last time I was talking to you after qualifying. It's been a tough beginning to the season but I think we have just been focusing on working very hard, understanding all the problems, moving forwards and I think the team has done a fantastic job to improve our car to a point where we can now compete for pole position. Before coming here I knew that we could again be fighting for pole position, it's always very close but when you have that thing in your mind that if you just get everything right there is a chance to be on pole, it just gives you more drive. For me, of course, I would like to have been on pole but I pushed a bit too much in the last turn and I think I lost a little bit of time there but if you don't push, and if you lose pole because of that, I would be more disappointed, so I would rather go for it and eventually it will be right and I will be on pole, so no problems.
Q. We've heard quite a bit about spare parts from McLaren over the last couple of days, in fact the last couple of races. Have you got everything that Lewis has got now?
HK: In fact I would have everything if I wanted to take them, but because the parts arrived a bit late, the factory was just not able to push any more. Everybody has been stretched over the maximum in fact, to get all the pieces, so it was always a plan that Lewis would run them on Friday and I would get them perhaps for the Friday afternoon. But because everything was delayed and we had a very good balance yesterday, we decided not to run the new parts because you never know, you might lose confidence on Saturday morning which you really don't want to do. So in fact it was our decision not to run them but I think I would have had them and the team would have given equal opportunity for both of us, so no problems on that side.
Q. And your KERS wasn't working yesterday, presumably it was today. How important is it here?
HK: It's very important, I think it's one of the good circuits for KERS, or a very good circuit. It's always helping us but it's very good here. We can harvest quite a lot of energy and we can use it for the race, maximum power every lap which is very good. The reason it didn't work yesterday was because we had some experimental parts in the KERS and they didn't work, but it was no big deal. Today we went back to a normal race spec and we have such a level of confidence with the KERS at the moment that even if we have a day when it fails, we can go back to a normal race solution and it's working a hundred percent, and today it's been working, no problem.
Q. Rubens, once again you said yesterday that if we continue working in the right direction the car will be good, so how confident are you in the car?
RB: Like I said before to the guys on TV, it was an excellent job by the team when the doors were open to the factory, we were able to evaluate a lot of stuff. Sometimes in life, you know, you really need to go back in order to go forward, so a good job from Jenson (Button) and me on Friday to evaluate things and again, to comment and just to take the best out of the set-up. We did a good job, and the tyres are working again – in Hungary they were not – so here they are working quite well and the car is in good shape. As I said before, I wish next year's rules were already applied because I would have been on pole without the fuel&ldots;
Q. But you're always quick in Q2.
RB: Well, but that's why I want to race next year because then I will get pole. It's the fact that you never know. My Q3 time was really good, was really, really good. The fact is that I chose differently to Jenson. Jenson went for two (sets of) new tyres and I went for just one. I went for a couple of laps and he went for two (runs) of just one lap. I thought that was better, but in fact, with the heat outside, it might have overheated my tyres because the second lap was just on the border line and I couldn't back off, I just had to keep on trying, but unfortunately I just lost the car in turn eight. So it might have been better to go for two new sets but we will never know. I'm still very happy being able to be competitive, I'm driving well and going for the wins. It was a nice break for a good comeback and a good second half to the season.
Q. Well, it's an interesting second half, particularly from where you're sitting on the grid, because you've obviously got a championship rival in Sebastian Vettel beside you, but ahead are the two McLarens. Is there a target? Is there a strategy, or just try and win?
RB: Yeah, try to win, that's all that matters to me. Let's see what we have in a couple of hours when the fuel loads are put out and see. In one way, I'm not on the very good side of the grid because I think that this year they've turned (the grid around) and it's not very clean, so we need to see what that brings but I hope I have a really good start and I can be with the guys and if I have more fuel, to be able to win. But we never know, it's going to be a couple of hours before we can say anything.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q. (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Lewis, how is your relationship with the Spanish fans? You had some problems with them before because of your relationship with Fernando Alonso and so on. Do you think that's over now?
LH: Yeah, I think&ldots; I hope it's water under the bridge. I seem to have quite a lot of support here in Spain. The fans have been fantastic for me. For sure there are some that don't like me, but that's their choice, but there is quite a lot actually – surprisingly, even surprised me when I went to Barcelona, when I go to the tests, when I come here – there's quite a lot of support.
Q. (Sudhir Chandran – Chequered Flag, India) Lewis, I'm curious to know if this long threeweek break between races and more importantly your trip to India and playing cricket with the fans out there really helped you stay focused and continue your good form?
LH: I had a fantastic trip to India. I was looked after very well. The Indian people are so enthusiastic about motor racing. I'm sure a lot of people here in Europe have absolutely no idea that the people over there love Formula One just as much as them. So I'm very much looking forward to having the Grand Prix there in the future, because I think it will be quite a good show. Playing cricket, I hit the ball quite well, so for sure there was a bit of confidence. But I think spending time with my family and friends was probably the best way of relaxing and preparing myself.
Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Heikki, last time McLaren were on the front row of the grid, you won the race. Do you think you can do it tomorrow?
HK: Absolutely. That has to be the target but it's a very good day for us in the whole McLaren team at the moment because we are finally both back on the front row but of course my target tomorrow is to do everything to beat everybody else, like always. But sure, everybody around me will try to do the same. We will try to manage the situation accordingly but I don't see any reason why I don't have a chance, either.
Q. (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Lewis, how odd is it to have a car with which you can win a race, but not being able to fight for the championship?
LH: That's not a problem. Some you win, some you lose. For sure it would have been fantastic for us to have been competing for the World Championship and there's no doubt that us as a team, for me and Heikki, we are good enough to be able to do that, but it's just unfortunate circumstances that we missed the chance and all we have to do now is just continue to push our car and hope that next year's rules are similar to this year's, so that we can develop through this year and hopefully go into next year with a better car.
Q. (Naoise Holohan – Manipe F1) Rubens, are you still in the fight for the championship?
RB: Yes, I hope so. It's very important in life that you don't just dream but you believe in yourself and you believe in your work. I think I've done a lot of this but there has not been a time in my life which I have loved more than racing and driving now and I think I'm doing a really good job. At 37 I think I have reached the peak of my driving, so I'm really with the driving. There have been ups and downs this year, sometimes very happy, sometimes a little bit unhappy, but I think so, yeah, it would be very, very, very nice to win the championship at 37.
Q. (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Do you think the messages for Felipe Massa bring you luck, so you can maybe win tomorrow?
RB: Well, there are two separate things, to be honest. It's the fact that I'm his friend and I've been with him last week. He truly deserves a sort of dedication like this and I hope the whole of Brazil is hoping for his best recovery and the fact that he won here so well last year. I watched the race two days ago, just to be up to speed and everything, you end up learning with him, so I'm giving him back something which he really taught us quite a lot. I just hope he's back soon, more than anything and I hope that these last seven races are good enough for me to get back all the points to get in front.
Fernando Alonso - 8th: "It was very hot today and a tough session. At the beginning it seemed that we could be 3rd or 4th and then after Q1 we realised that we were not going to be as competitive as we thought. Of course, I'm not happy with 8th but since we had the same position in Q2 it seems that this was the limit of the car today. I'm disappointed for all the fans here for whom I would have liked a better grid position, but I'll do my best tomorrow in the race."
Romain Grosjean - 14th: "I am pleased to have made it into Q2 for my first qualifying session, especially as that was the objective I set myself yesterday. I want to thank the whole team who have been working with me and Fernando for all his helpful advice. To be fighting with the best drivers in the world is an incredible feeling and I'm really looking forward to starting my first Grand Prix tomorrow. I will give my maximum to get the best result possible from the race."
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "We were expecting more in qualifying today even with the disrupted third practice this morning because the car seemed good and we thought we would be nearer the front of the grid with Fernando. Romain has continued to have a very sensible first race and he should be proud of his grid position on this difficult circuit. I'm sure he will have a strong race tomorrow."
Adrian Sutil - 12th: "We've been quick here all the weekend and everything is working very well. I'm really happy about the upgrades we've put on the car, the team is doing a great job. We've made a big step forward in the last couple of months and I'm really enjoying every session now.
"This morning was the best way to prepare for qualifying, but we knew it was not going to be possible to replicate this position. Conditions for qualifying were actually pretty tough with quite low grip and high temperatures but the lap times are very close - it seems to be a characteristic of this circuit. We were just a few hundredths from Q3 so we just missed out in the end. We are in a good position now though so it's a reasonable goal for us to say we want to score our first points here."
Giancarlo Fisichella - 16th: "I am very disappointed with this result as I felt I could have easily got through to Q2 today. Unfortunately on the last run I got caught in traffic on my first lap and then lost about six or seven tenths in the last sector on my second lap, otherwise I really feel we could have got through after the weekend we've been having so far. It's going to be a tough race."
Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer: "Realistically Adrian was about where we expected to be in qualifying today and we are pleased that it's demonstrated again our continued improvement of pace. It's frustrating for Adrian to have just missed out on Q3 by the smallest of margins especially after getting P1 in FP3 on a reasonable fuel load, and equally for Giancarlo at the Q1 cut-off. There's no doubt though that the car has enough performance here to race with the top ten and there's a chance of points tomorrow."
Qualifying session
L. Badoer: 20th 1.41.413 13 laps
K. Raikkonen: 6th 1.40.144 7 laps
Chassis: L. Badoer 280, K. Raikkonen 279
Weather: air temperature 31/32 °C, track temperature 45/44 °C, sunny.
One driver on the third row, another in last place: those are the bare bones of qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. Clearly, the outcome has to be assessed in the light of the special situation in which the Scuderia finds itself for this race, as confirmed by Stefano Domenicali. “Sixth place for Kimi Raikkonen can be judged as a positive result, because it probably reflects our current potential, while Luca’s last place was widely predicted: returning to racing after so much time, furthermore on a track not known to him and one that is difficult to get to grips with, is a daunting task for him. Tomorrow, our race will be divided in two: on one side we will be aiming for a positive result to defend our third place in the Constructors’ classification, which should be within our ability, while with Luca we will try and finish the race, to obtain sufficient experience to tackle the forthcoming rounds in a different fashion.”
Luca Badoer: “Obviously, I’m a bit disappointed as it’s never nice to be last in any situation, but I always knew it would be tough. As I’ve said before, this weekend is a sort of test for me and the team and that is how we are tackling it. However, I do feel the situation is better than yesterday as the more laps I do, the more confidence I gain and the better it gets. Tomorrow it will be important to finish the race and that will be my target. I feel good physically and I have no problems on that score. For sure, if I’d had two days testing under my belt, it would have been a different story.”
Kimi Raikkonen: “Honestly, this was one of the best qualifying sessions of the season, even if we are not as quick as those on the front row. Our final result will depend basically on how the start goes. It will be very important to make up a few places, because if we end up behind a slower car, then the race is compromised. I think we are reasonably competitive in race trim, as could be seen in Q3, while we are struggling a bit on light tanks. So far, it’s been a good weekend and I am happy with the performance of the F60.”
Chris Dyer: “Qualifying had two sides to it for us. It was a very difficult day for Luca, who continued the process of learning about the car and the track. Lap after lap his confidence increased, but it was not enough to get him off the last place on the grid. The situation was definitely not helped by the red flag in FP3 which cost him valuable time. On the other hand, Kimi performed well, especially in Q3, where he did a great lap. Starting from sixth on the grid is a solid base from which to have a good race tomorrow.”
Rubens Barrichello - 3rd: "A great qualifying today but it was tough out there and of course I'm a little bit disappointed not to be on pole. We started the weekend well with a thorough job on Friday to get the best out of the set-ups that the guys worked on back at the factory. They did a great job and the car is in good shape with the tyres working quite well here in the heat. I went for a slightly different strategy to Jenson with just one new tyre run over two laps in Q3. The second lap was perhaps a bit too much for the tyres which started overheating and unfortunately I lost the car on turn eight. I'm really pleased with third place though and it's great to have the car back to a competitive pace."
Jenson Button - 5th: "It was a pretty good qualifying session for the team today and the car felt strong throughout. Unfortunately I made a mistake at turn four on my quick lap which compromised my position as I had just the one flying lap on my final run in Q3. It's a shame as the potential was there for more but fifth on the grid is not bad at all. The car is feeling pretty good with fuel so we will see what the race will bring tomorrow. It's not a great circuit for overtaking but I'll be giving it everything for a good result."
Ross Brawn: "It was a tricky session today with track temperatures escalating fast which meant we had to think on our feet and adapt our plan for Q3 during the break. This might have compromised our performance a little as Rubens' tyres went off on his second lap whilst Jenson had only the one flying lap on his final run. However third and fifth places on the grid is a strong position to be starting from tomorrow and we are generally happy with the performance of the car this weekend so we can look forward to a good race. It was another good day for our engine partner Mercedes-Benz with three cars in the top three grid positions."
Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today's running?
"Today we saw a further improvement from the track, even though we did lose almost half an hour of running in the morning practice session. There was a good improvement in tyre performance from both tyres related to the track improvement so we have good confidence for tomorrow. To see a KERS car on pole makes things interesting, as it is difficult to imagine a non-KERS car getting ahead at the start."
What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow's race?
"The super soft tyre is around 0.3-0.4 seconds faster than the soft tyre, however it is more susceptible to the lateral graining that we see here. The track improvement today however means that the super soft looks better than it did yesterday for its race duties, so actual strategy choices tomorrow will be interesting. To assist us with data we will analyse the strategies in today's GP2 Series race too. Looking at today's skies, I do not think we will have need of Bridgestone's intermediate and wet tyres for the race."
Sebastian Vettel - 4th: "I would like to be further forward on tomorrow's grid, but I think that's the most we could have hoped for, so I'm quite happy - especially after not doing many laps this morning. I'm quite confident about tomorrow, as we made a step forward for this morning and then another for qualifying. McLaren look strong and it's hard for the other cars to get close to them. We will see how quick they are in the race tomorrow, but starting in first and second position they have a good chance to win the race. We want to win too though, so we will see. I like this track, it's a bit more difficult for us to be at the top here – but it's a long and hot race tomorrow, so let's see."
Mark Webber - 9th: "We expected to have a tough qualifying session today and it turned out to be the case. We thought we would be in the top six or top eight, so it's not been the best day for us. It's one of our worst qualifying sessions for a long time, but let's see how we go from here. We'll fight like hell as normal, Red Bull knows how to do that, I hope we can get some points."
Christian Horner, Team Principal: "After a difficult P3 for Sebastian, when he lost an engine, it was a great effort from his side of the garage to get the engine changed and produce a competitive qualifying. The McLarens are too quick, their power advantage with the KERS here is significant, but we can be happy with P4. One tenth of a second for Mark would have made a big difference to his grid position – it would have been the difference between sixth and ninth – but with a bit more fuel in hopefully he can have a good run from there tomorrow. The key for us is obviously to finish ahead of the Brawns."
Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: "It was a very tough Saturday, beginning with the engine failure on Sebastian's car, which is very bad for us. We changed the engine for him ahead of qualifying. We are not as quick as usual on this track and it's difficult for us. We did our best in qualifying and we know we have to focus on getting the best possible result in tomorrow's race. It will be a tough Sunday."
Sebastien Buemi - 15th: "Even though I got into Q2, I'm a bit disappointed, because in Q1 I was sixth with a good lap time and then in Q2, we did not manage the tyre situation well, especially on my "out" lap and I ended up doing worse than in Q1. Now we must look at what happened, because I think I might even have had the possibility to get into Q3. We are making progress."
Jaime Alguersuari - 19th: "I know what I am capable of and with this being only my second F1 qualifying session, I have to be patient. I am happy that even though this track is longer than at my first race in Hungary, the gap to the drivers ahead of me is getting smaller. I am feeling more confident in the car every time I drive it. It's going to be tough tomorrow as it seems to be getting hotter and hotter. I think I can do a good job in the race, bring the car home and hopefully end up at least in the top fifteen."
Giorgio Ascanelli: "Not much to say: we got one car through to Q2 and both cars have run reliably over the past two days."
Timo Glock - 13th: "That wasn't a good result. We struggled a bit for pace this morning in the short third practice and in the end we were just a couple of tenths away from being in the top 10, which is a pity. I was having trouble in first qualifying but in the second session the car wasn't too bad until the final corners when the rear tyres dropped off quite a lot. I was pushing to the maximum but the tyres didn't really survive. So we have to start again from 13th as we did in Hungary and try to repeat what we did there by finding a way to get into the points. It will be a difficult task but I will do everything I can."
Jarno Trulli - 18th: "I was expecting qualifying to be a bit difficult but not as bad as that. This morning the car felt reasonable even if we were a little short of grip. But it was much worse in qualifying; I really had no grip and there was nothing I could do. I just kept pushing and took a few more risks than normal but it didn't work out. I don't know why we struggled so much; it is a mystery to me. For the race tomorrow I can just do my best and see what happens."
Pascal Vasselon - Senior General Manager Chassis: "We can only be unhappy about that result as it is another extremely disappointing qualifying for us. In the last races we have shown that our race pace is better and gives us a chance to move up the field, although obviously that will be tough. Now we have to take a close look at all our options to see how we can fight back as we did in Hungary. Track conditions are changing continuously so we will look at the effect of that on the tyres for the race and try to make the best of it."
Robert Kubica - 10th: "If lately you have been starting from the rear of the grid, you cannot be disappointed with tenth in qualifying. We have to be realistic. I think today overall was a good day. Unfortunately I had some traffic on my final run and I made a small mistake. This cost me a few tenths. Scoring points will be difficult tomorrow."
Nick Heidfeld - 11th: "It is the sixth time this year I have just missed the top ten qualifying and come 11th by fractions of tenths of a second. Of course I'm a little bit disappointed, but on the other side it means we have freedom regarding the fuel we carry and I hope for a good race. Everybody in the team is determined to put in a good performance and show what they can do for the future. Our car is generally somewhat better and I think from P11 points are possible."
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "We are satisfied with the qualifying result. Compared to recent races it was a step forward into the midfield, and this is what we had expected from our development package. With Robert we have got one car into the top ten and Nick in 11th is just behind. Q3 didn't go ideally for Robert, otherwise he could have finished even higher up. Congratulations to McLaren-Mercedes for having both cars on the front row. This proves how quickly things can change."
Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering): "Our goal was to get at least one car into the top ten. With Robert we did so. However we expected to be in a better position. Nick missed Q3 only by the blink of an eye. Overall we took a step in the right direction with the aero update. Technically we had a qualifying without any problems."
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-05
P3 programme
1m39.950s (12 laps, 8th)
Using the shorter-wheelbase car, and having lost track-time during yesterday afternoon's practice session, Lewis used his first run (on Primes, five laps, 1m39.950s best) to evaluate set-up changes. He declared himself very pleased with the results: "I'm really happy with the balance - the car feels great, particularly in the slower corners."
Having failed to get a run on Options yesterday, he only had a brief opportunity to try the softer tyres after the session was red-flagged. He completed two laps (1m41.426s) to finish the morning eighth overall.
Qualifying
Q1 1m38.649s (2nd)
Q2 1m38.182s (2nd)
Q3 1m39.498s (1st overall)
The performance of the MP4-24 this afternoon meant that Lewis only needed to complete a single run in each session. In Q1, he did a 1m38.649s best on Primes. In Q2, he ran two laps on Options, setting a fastest time of 1m38.182s. In the final stint, he attempted two runs on Options but his first lap of 1m39.498s was sufficient for the pole and enabled him to abort his final run.
This is Lewis's 14th career pole position in Formula 1.
"After winning in Hungary, we came here not knowing if the others would have closed the gap: clearly, we're still competitive. We haven't seen this level of performance for a long time: last year, I was able to do only one run in easy qualifying session but, this year, we've had to use every second of the sessions to get through.
"I managed a couple of very good laps today, so we'll start the race from a very competitive position - but a lot will depend on strategy and how the start goes.
"Congratulations to Heikki, he did a fantastic job - it's been very close between us all weekend, so this is great to see. We've got the front row to ourselves - and that's something we've all wanted for a very long time."
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-03
P3 programme
1m39.553s (8 laps, 4th)
A very limited programme for Heikki this morning as Sebastian Vettel's stoppage cost track-time. Nonetheless, Heikki managed a single flying lap (1m42.249s) before the red flag (setting fastest time in the first sector on his next lap before being forced to abandon the run).
At the end of the morning, he ran two laps on Options (1m39.553s) and declared himself very comfortable with his car, which is running in longer-wheelbase configuration.
Qualifying
Q1 1m38.816s (4th)
Q2 1m38.230s (3rd)
Q3 1m39.532s (2nd overall)
In Q1, Heikki did two runs, first on Primes, setting a 1m39.107s best, before switching to Options and recording a 1m38.816s best. Into the second session, he again completed two runs (on Options, 1m38.400s and 1m38.230s). For Q3, he did a slower single lap before winding up for two very fast laps - a 1m39.532s and a 1m39.586s. The latter looked set to put him on pole position until he pushed a little too hard in the final sector. Nonetheless, his second spot on the grid is his best qualifying position since Monza last year. It is the team's first one-two of the year and also its first since Hungary 2008.
Heikki said: "Obviously, I'm pleased that I'll be starting from the front row tomorrow, but I made a mistake at the end of my quickest lap and could have gone a little faster still.
"I knew qualifying would be very close, and I was sure our car would be competitive, so I decided to really go for it today. As a result, I pushed just a little too hard - but it was a calculated risk and I lost only one place - and, even better, I lost it to Lewis. So we nailed the front row anyway.
"The guys back in Woking have done a lot of great work this week, since the end of the summer shutdown, and I want to say thank you to all of them."
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
"A truly brilliant result for the entire team - well done, everyone! As for Lewis and Heikki, well, they were both brilliant, too. They made things look relatively easy, but in fact the conditions out there today were very difficult for all the drivers: it was hot and humid, and the circuit is an extremely demanding one. Heikki was totally on it today - he really went for it and very nearly pinched pole position at the very end. Lewis did a fantastic job, too, and I'm sure both our drivers will perform very well in tomorrow's race."
NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"A great result - nobody had fewer laps over the weekend so far, and nobody was faster than Lewis today. The lap time from his first outing in Q3 was strong enough that he could afford to abort his second attempt after two quicker sector times in order to save fuel for the race - a truly great job from Lewis.
"Heikki was only a friction - 0.034 seconds - slower and could have made the top spot as well: he was really strong from lap one on this track. Thanks to everybody in the team who worked so hard after the FOTA summer break. I have the feeling that in the week since even more work was done in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart than in three weeks of flat-out business before the summer break.
"Every one of us got the best reward today with this 'double pole' and only tomorrow the reward could be even better."
In sweltering conditions today at the Valencia Street Circuit, Nico Rosberg drove his FW31 through Q1 and Q2 and into the final round of qualifying in which he set the seventh fastest lap time. Team mate, Kazuki Nakajima, endured a frustrating afternoon caused by an as yet unidentified fault which prompted his engine to shutdown in the midst of Q1. Kazuki will therefore line up on the ninth row of the grid despite showing strong pace throughout the practice sessions.
Nico Rosberg:
Qualifying was generally ok. I’m in P7 with quite a lot of fuel, possibly more than anybody else around me, so I have a strong strategy for the race. There was no point in trying to out qualify the cars with KERS because they will overtake me off the line anyway. I’d prefer to qualify behind them, have more fuel on board and then beat them in the race. This track suits our car so we could have a pointsscoring race tomorrow.
Kazuki Nakajima:
We had a failure on my car which caused the engine to cut out during Q1 so I didn’t have a chance to show what we could do. It’s a shame because I think we were strong enough to have been in the top ten today. We have a good race pace, so I just need to use that to my advantage and do my best tomorrow.
Rod Nelson, Chief Operations Engineer:
Today was obviously disappointing for Kazuki. We are still looking into the problem which stopped him out on the circuit, but we do know it wasn’t driver error. We are reasonably pleased with where we are with Nico. He’s on the clean side of the grid, which is a large advantage here. He’ll have KERS cars on the dirty side next to him, but hopefully we’ll stay ahead of them this time. We’re happy with the strategy we’ve chosen.
Saturday August 22, Valencia, Spain. Williams F1 today announced the formation of its first non-forprofit Williams Foundation. The Foundation will be based in Angola and will be established in association with the team’s newly appointed partner, Ridge Solutions, a leading private investment group involved in real estate, agriculture and other sectors of the Angolan economy.
Williams F1 has identified three key areas in which it will seek to make a broader contribution to society, namely education, energy-efficiency and road safety. These areas have been chosen because they are close to, and consistent with, Williams F1’s core activities of racing and engineering. As such initiatives can only be promoted on the ground and with local partners, the Williams Foundation will establish relationships with private companies, NGOs and government agencies worldwide.
The first Williams Foundation, which will set a template for future work, will be established in Angola in partnership with Ridge Solutions. The Foundation will co-operate closely with Angola’s Ministry of Sports, the Fundo LWINI and the COCAN2010 football tournament. In order to launch the Foundation and its new relationships with Angola, the AT&T Williams race cars will carry the brands of Fundo LWINI and COCAN2010 from this weekend’s European Grand Prix in Valencia and for the remainder of the season.
Fundo LWINI is a major charity in Angola whose programmes include tackling the country’s landmine legacy through the provision of medical assistance, rehabilitation and training programmes to reintegrate victims back into society. The Fund also provides support for a large number of people rendered disabled through road traffic accidents every year on Angola’s roads.
The Williams Foundation will also support Angola’s COCAN2010 campaign which was awarded the honour of hosting the 27th African Cup of Nations football tournament, a project which will unite 16 African nations next January.
Commenting on the Williams Foundation, Williams F1’s Chief Executive, Adam Parr, said, “We are delighted to be establishing the Williams Foundation in Angola in partnership with Ridge Solutions. Angola is a wonderful country which has a strong programme of social and economic development following many difficult years. Road safety and education are important challenges for the people of Angola and we are pleased to be able to provide assistance in these areas. Motor sports offer opportunities for the country to develop both on the sporting front and economically and Williams are proud to be a part of the endeavour.”
