European Grand Prix – Nürburgring,
Qualifying session
Session - Driver - Pos. - Time - Laps - Driver - Pos. - Time
- Laps
Q1 MAS 2nd 1.31.447 3 RAI 3rd 1.31.522 3
Q2 MAS 1st 1.30.912 3 RAI 4th 1.31.237 3
Q3 RAI 1st 1.31.450 10 MAS 3rd 1.31.778 10
Chassis: F. Massa 260, K. Raikkonen 262 Weather: air temperature
21 °C, track temperature 34 °C, cloudy.
Sixth pole from ten qualifying sessions to date this season
for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the second one courtesy of
Kimi Raikkonen. This is the third time that a Ferrari driver
will start the European Grand Prix from pole position, the
192nd in the history of the Prancing Horse in Formula 1. For
Kimi, it was his thirteenth career pole.
Jean Todt: “A lot of drama in this
qualifying! We got a real fright when we saw Hamilton end
up in the crash barriers and it was a real relief to see him
give the thumbs up to show he was okay. Then, it was all played
out over one lap with both our drivers doing a great job,
to finish first and third with Kimi and Felipe respectively,
thus confirming the potential of the F2007. Clearly the race
is the most important thing and as usual it will be very tough:
reliability, tyre wear, performance and strategy will be the
key factors. So far, we have been very competitive on this
track and we will try and maintain that form tomorrow.”
Kimi Raikkonen: “Finally! In qualifying
at the last race I made a mistake in the final part of my
lap, but today everything went well and I’ve managed
to get back on pole. In Q1 and Q2, I had some problems with
grip, but once the car was carrying the fuel load for the
first part of the race it was very good again. The wait after
Hamilton’s accident made the third session more complicated
but the biggest problem was that it was all going to be down
to one flying lap. Now I am in the best possible position
on the grid, but I am well aware that we can expect a very
tough race. All weekend the car has been very good but are
rivals are still very strong. Lewis’ accident? The important
thing is that, as far as we know, he is not badly hurt.”
Felipe Massa: “In Q1 and Q2 I was
very happy with the handling of the car. The break because
of Hamilton’s accident certainly did not help matters
and maybe I lost a bit of the right feeling. On my final lap
I was a bit slower in the first and third sectors, just by
a few hundredths but it was enough to make the difference.
But I am still confident because I know I have a really good
car in race trim. The black arm band? It is a sign of mourning
for the air accident that happened in Sao Paulo last Wednesday.
It is a difficult time for my country and this is the least
I can do for the families who have lost loved ones. Tomorrow,
I really hope I can have a good race so as to give Brazilians
a little happiness after such a great tragedy.”
Luca Baldisserri: "A good qualifying
with one driver on pole and one in third place, overtaken
at the veryend by Alonso by just a few hundredths. We are
very competitive and have been since the start of the weekend
and we have managed to find a good balance on the cars, even
on soft tyres. This means we can be confident for the race,
while still aware that we are up against some very strong
opponents and that when looking at today’s results we
have to take into account as always the unknown factor regarding
the amount of fuel taken on for the first part of the race.”
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