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2005 Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix
What the teams and drivers said - Saturday

Team and Driver Quotes following Saturday Qualifying

(selected team quotes, for a full team and driver preview click on the team name)

Renault ( Fernando Alonso - 1st, Giancarlo Fisichella - 5th )

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
“It is a nice feeling to see Fernando take provisional pole position once again. We are of course only halfway through qualifying, but the signs are certainly positive at the moment. Giancarlo was penalised by his early running time, when the circuit was very slippery. Looking ahead to the race, we are happy with the engine performance and the brakes, on a circuit where they are put under real strain.”

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

Toyota ( Jarno Trulli - 2nd, Ralf Schumacher - 11th )

Mike Gascoyne - Technical Director Chassis "In the end it was a disappointing qualifying session, despite the fact that we have placed one of our TF105s on the provisional front row of the grid. Ralf made a mistake due to oversteer at turn eight and lost a lot of time, which will make things difficult tomorrow. We have to look at moving him up the grid and into the top ten. Jarno did a reasonably good lap, but felt that he could have gained a couple of tenths. Yet again, we have a car in second position, but the team is now looking to achieve more than that. Tomorrow, we have to consolidate Jarno's starting position and aim to score at least our second podium."

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

Ferrari ( Michael Schumacher - 3rd, Rubens Barrichello - 15th )

Jean Todt: “The qualifying session was closely fought, right to the end. On its race weekend debut, the F2005 went well. Michael did a good lap which will allow him to run third from last in tomorrow morning’s qualifying. We knew Rubens would find it tough, as he did hardly any running in free practice. Nevertheless, he did a good job and has every chance of having a good race on Sunday. We can expect a very tough race tomorrow, with very high temperatures playing their part. Tyres will play a crucial role and we will have to wait and see whether Bridgestone or its competitor has made the best choice.”

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

Williams BMW ( Nick Heidfeld - 4th, Mark Webber - 6th  )

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
It was a good first qualifying from Mark and Nick who did not make any mistakes in difficult conditions. It looks like we are experiencing the hottest ambient temperatures we have ever raced in. Due to this reason, we have spent a lot of time in practice working on the cooling systems and strategy for the race. Now we have to finalise our grid positions in the second qualifying session and then we can look forward to the race.

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

McLaren Mercedes ( Kimi Raikkonen - 7th, Pedro de la Rosa - 9th )

Ron Dennis
"Kimi's entry speed into the last corner was a little optimistic and the resulting understeer cost him a significant amount of time. However trying hard and sometimes getting it wrong is what life is about. Hopefully tomorrow we will see him move up the grid. Pedro's performance was exceptionally good taking into consideration the very difficult track conditions that often prevail at the early part of qualifying. His current grid position should give him the opportunity to move forward tomorrow. "

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

Red Bull ( Christian Klien - 8th, David Coulthard - 14th )

Christian Horner, Sporting Director:
“Obviously a good session for Christian, being 8th on a very close grid. He likes this circuit, did a good job here last year and has done the same again today. David is still unhappy with the balance so far. We have a bit of homework to do tonight to find more speed in his car. However, another car in the top ten provides us with a good attacking position for tomorrow.”

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

Sauber ( Felipe Massa - 10th, Jacques Villeneuve - 16th )

Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "Felipe did an excellent lap and was the only driver to improve his time from this morning, even though the track temperature went up some 13 degrees. We are very happy with this result. It gives us another top 10 qualifying position with the SAUBER PETRONAS C24, which we have been able to improve further since Melbourne. Unfortunately, Jacques struggled with understeer after a competitive first sector, which led to him losing more time in the last corner."

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

BAR Honda ( Jenson Button - 12th, Takuma Sato - 13th )

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director: "Given our early qualifying slots, our result today was much as we expected. We have not been as happy with the car's handling here as we were at Malaysia, so during this morning's running we ran through a busy programme of set-up changes on both cars. The important thing for us this weekend is to get a good race finish, so we have concentrated on getting a consistent balance for the race tomorrow."

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

Jordan ( Narain Karthikeyan - 17th, Tiago Monteiro - 18th )

Trevor Carlin, Sporting Director: “We are slightly disappointed not to be a little bit closer to the ultimate pace as we had a very good morning run with both cars. Maybe the higher temperatures have just affected our balance, but we still think we have a good set up for the Grand Prix tomorrow.”

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Minardi ( Christijan Albers - 19th, Patrick Friesacher - 20th )

Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth

“All things considered, to be less than a second from our nearest rival with the old car is pleasing indeed. It inspires hope and a renewed sense of confidence in the team when we know how much quicker the new car should be in the coming races. We believe Minardi’s goal for this year, of finishing ninth place in the World Constructors’ Championship, remains realistic. As usual, both drivers, and the entire team, put in a sterling effort today.”

Full Team and Driver Qualifying Report  Back to Top

Bridgestone

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport, said: “Well, it’s good to see a Ferrari back near the top of the [provisional] grid. We do need to see what happens in tomorrow’s final qualifying session but based on the practice and first qualifying data it looks as if the package could be quite competitive this weekend. Rubens unfortunately has not had much running at all so his knowledge of the car’s characteristics is not as in depth as Michael’s at the moment but under the circumstances he did a good job. Jordan and Minardi put in their best efforts too, so overall I am quite happy with today’s first qualifying. ”

Full Bridgestone Qualifying Report  Back to Top

Michelin

Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director “Everything has gone to plan so far this weekend – but the hardest part is yet to come, particularly if conditions remain this hot for tomorrow’s 57-lap race. Our main opposition has clearly upped its game, but Michelin and its partner teams have retained the competitive edge that has been apparent since the start of the season.”

Full Michelin Qualifying Report  Back to Top

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