French Grand Prix – Magny-Cours, 14th July 2006
Free practice - First session
Michael Schumacher: - - - chassis 254
Felipe Massa: - - - chassis 252
Temperatures: air 26/29 °C, track 37/42 °C
Free practice – Second session
Michael Schumacher: 6th 1.17.938 16 laps chassis 254
Felipe Massa: 13th 1.19.013 20 laps chassis 252
Temperatures: air 34/35 °C, track 46/50 °C
Jean Todt: “This Friday’s main
feature was the rather high temperatures, which means we can
assume we will have a very hot weekend. As usual, we worked
through our standard free practice plan, revolving mainly
around defining the best set-up for the 248 F1 and evaluating
the Bridgestone tyres. And also as usual, it is too soon to
have a clear picture of where we stand against our main rivals,
especially as we don’t know what fuel loads they were
running nor how the track conditions will evolve. Tomorrow,
we can expect to see a first real pointer.”
Michael Schumacher: “The situation
looks pretty good. We are reasonably satisfied with what we
have seen this afternoon. However, now we must take a close
look at the data to try and understand where we stand compared
to the others. We are well aware that tyres will be vital
in deciding the final outcome. Our Bridgestones seem to be
consistent over a long run, but at the moment we cannot say
how they will really perform over a single lap. We, and you,
will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!”
Felipe Massa: “It was a good day during
which we worked towards the race, both in terms of the car
and the Bridgestone tyres. I am pleased with what we achieved.
The balance of the car is satisfactory and the tyres delivered
good grip even at the end of the day. For all these reasons,
I am confident about the rest of the weekend.”
Ross Brawn: “We decided to only go
out in the second session of free practice because we knew
that here, the tyres degrade significantly after the first
timed lap and we wanted to evaluate our choices in consistent
conditions in terms of track and temperature. The cars went
well and the drivers seemed reasonably happy with the balance,
while the Bridgestone tyres worked well over a long run. It
is difficult to predict what might happen tomorrow: here,
the difference between qualifying and race pace is really
very significant.”
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