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When the rain
started falling late on Thursday afternoon at Suzuka
Circuit, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team members were not
too bothered, as although a small group of them including
Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa were playing football,
they were actually conducting the game indoors. However,
when the rain still had not eased up as this morning's first
free practice session got underway, the championship leader
and his team-mate opted to stay in the dry in the garage.
Schumacher and Massa were the only two not to even do an
installation lap, but only eleven drivers actually recorded
a lap time.
The forecast predicted the rain would ease up later in the
day and then disappear completely for the rest of the
weekend, so the Ferrari men decided to wait for the second
hour of free practice. Even this session, that started at 2
o'clock got underway on a damp track, although in about the
last ten minutes a line dry enough to use dry weather tyres
finally appeared.
All twenty nine cars were out on track during this hour and
in the end, it was the Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella that
set the quickest time in just over 1m 34s at what is the
longest lap on the F1 calendar. Then came the Ferrari duo of
Felipe and Michael, followed by the man who is level on
points with Schumacher, but currently second in the Drivers'
classification by virtue of one less race win, Fernando
Alonso in the second Renault.
Interestingly, the third drivers had unusually been kept out
of the top slots, but Anthony Davidson was the best of the
Friday only bunch in fifth place for Honda, while the
youngster Sebastian Vettel took his BMW-Sauber to sixth
spot, a commendable performance on his first visit to this
tricky circuit. The lack of laps, with both Ferrari men
doing ten, means there is plenty of work yet to do in
tomorrow morning's final hour of free practice prior to the
afternoon's qualifying, but that situation is the same for
most of the front runners.
Jean Todt: "This Friday was affected by changing
weather conditions that meant changing track conditions too.
Given the forecast we had been given, we chose to run
practically only when the track was dry. Despite this
limitation we gathered important data to prepare as well as
possible for the penultimate round of the season, which
takes on a special importance, given the situation in the
championships.
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Michael Schumacher: "All we have got is a flavour of the
situation and so it is hard to judge. The car and
the Bridgestone tyres seem to be behaving well and
there were no problems of any sort. The weather
forecast is supposed to steadily improve and that
can only be good for us. |
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Felipe Massa: "Overall, a positive day. We didn't run
much because of the rain, but towards the end of the
second session, once the track conditions allowed it
we did a series of laps on dry tyres. I'd say the
data we have seen looks quite promising." |
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"We must concentrate on ourselves and our work
load, trying to fend off the inevitable pressure that can
develop in these situations. Along with Bridgestone, we will
be trying to make the most of the package we have at our
disposal."
Felipe Massa: "Overall, a positive day. We didn't run
much because of the rain, but towards the end of the second
session, once the track conditions allowed it we did a
series of laps on dry tyres. I'd say the data we have seen
looks quite promising. I am reasonably happy with the
balance of the car and the behaviour of the Bridgestone
tyres in these conditions. All this means I reckon we can be
competitive in both qualifying and the race."
Michael Schumacher: "All we have got is a flavour of
the situation and so it is hard to judge. The car and the
Bridgestone tyres seem to be behaving well and there were no
problems of any sort. The weather forecast is supposed to
steadily improve and that can only be good for us. The team
is in very good spirits, concentrating on our work and
everything seems to be going well. As for qualifying, I
think we will be fighting Renault for the top places on the
grid. The race? I hope it goes well for us!"
Ross Brawn: "The weather affected the day with the
track only drying in the final moments of the second hour of
free practice. But we still picked up enough data for an
initial indication of the handling of our tyres and the
Bridgestone tyres and first indications are reasonably
positive. Obviously, we were not able to complete our entire
work load that we usually get through on a Friday, but we
have enough data on which to base our work for the rest of
the weekend. We were and we remain confident about our level
of competitiveness."
Free practice - First session:
Michael Schumacher: - - - chassis 255;
Felipe Massa: - - - chassis 256;
Temperatures: air 21 °C, track 21/23 °C; Free practice - Second session: Felipe Massa: 2nd 1.34.408 10 laps chassis 256;
Michael Schumacher: 3rd 1.34.565 10 laps chassis 255;
Temperatures: air 23/24 °C, track 24/25 °C
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