2006 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
ALBERT PARK, MELBOURNE
QUALIFYING
The Honda Racing F1 Team is celebrating in Melbourne today
after Jenson Button delivered the team's first pole position
of the 2006 season at the end of a tumultuous qualifying session
for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix. Jenson was "shaking
with excitement" after snatching pole in the most frenzied
session yet under the new knock-out system. Two red flags
and a sudden shower had made the track action even more frantic
than usual and Jenson delivered a flying lap when it mattered
most to achieve the third pole of his career.
There were a few surprise exits early in the session as the
red flags wreaked havoc. Unfortunately Rubens Barrichello
was one such casualty after the first session was restarted
and the entire field attempted to set a flying lap in the
closing minutes. A frustrated Rubens, who had been having
a good weekend up until that point, was unable to achieve
a clean lap unhindered by traffic and qualified a disappointing
17th.
JENSON BUTTON
"It's a fantastic feeling to be on pole here after such
a manic qualifying session for everybody. With two red flags
and the rain shower half way through, it was very difficult
to stay calm and get our thoughts together. That's exactly
what we did though and I'm so thrilled for the team. This
is a very special moment for everyone in Honda as it's the
first pole since they returned to works team status. I know
all eyes will be on us for tomorrow but we didn't get much
running done in race trim today. We know we're quick over
a lap but we will only know how competitive we really are
when we leave the grid tomorrow. All we can do now is give
it our very best shot, aim for a faultless race and make the
most of every situation."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"I'm obviously very disappointed with how qualifying
went for me today because everything was running much more
smoothly for us and the team have done a good job all weekend.
At the end of the day, I just lost out to traffic after the
restart in the first session. We have a tough mountain to
climb tomorrow but we'll see what we can do to challenge for
points nonetheless."
GIL DE FERRAN
Sporting Director
"We are absolutely delighted that Jenson is on pole for
the first time this season. Both car and engine were working
well as a result of some changes we made overnight and he
pulled out all the stops to produced a fantastic lap. However,
all three sessions were nerve-wracking to say the least and
at no point did we feel entirely comfortable with our position.
It all started with the red flag in the first session, which
unfortunately caught Rubens out on his new tyre run. Subsequently,
his best lap was ruined by traffic and he ran out of time.
Disappointing, but we know he has the pace to have a good
race tomorrow. The excitement continued with yet another red
flag prior to Jenson setting a time at all, but thankfully
he was able to get a clear enough gap before it started sprinkling
in the dying minutes of the session. That weather uncertainty
pushed us into setting a lap time early in the third session,
and once it was clear that there was no longer the threat
of rain, we focused on getting Jenson into clear air for his
last new tyres. The rest is history! Obviously this is the
best possible position to be in going into the race but let's
see what tomorrow brings!"
SHUHEI NAKAMOTO
Management Board Member - Honda Racing F1 Team, Engineering
Director - Honda Racing Development
"Well done to Jenson for an excellent qualifying session.
He reeled off some consistently quick laps before putting
in a fantastic effort for his pole position. Rubens was unlucky
to get stuck behind a slower car in the first qualifying session
but still has every chance of a good race tomorrow. Both engines
have been fine, and we're excited about tomorrow's race."
QUALIFYING STATS
Drivers Car No. Chassis Free Practice 3 Qualifying 1 Qualifying
2 Qualifying 3
Rubens Barrichello 11 RA106-01 P8 P17 Excluded
Excluded
Jenson Button 12 RA106-04 P13 P8 P8 P1 01:25.229
T-Car - RA106-03
Weather Drying track for qualifying, showers during morning
Temperatures Air: 18-19°C Track: 24-31°C
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