2007 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX MONZA 08 SEPTEMBER
QUALIFYING
After an encouraging start to its Italian Grand Prix weekend
yesterday, the Honda Racing F1 Team carried the momentum through
to this afternoon's qualifying hour with a further improved
showing. Drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will
now line up on the fifth and sixth rows of the grid tomorrow
after qualifying in 10th and 12th positions.
Rubens and Jenson easily passed through the first of the
three sessions, posting the 7th and 13th times respectively.
Both drivers also had a strong Q2 with Jenson easily inside
the top 10 at the close of the session in 8th place. Rubens
was also looking good for a place in the final Q3 shoot-out
but was caught out by understeer at turn seven which caused
him to run wide and lose valuable time across the gravel.
He ended his qualifying session in 12th position. In the final
session Jenson posted the 10th fastest time.
JENSON BUTTON
"I'm really pleased to have made it through into the
top ten for the first time in quite a while. It took some
time to really get to grips with the car this afternoon and
it wasn't working well for the first few runs. However, we
made improvements over the three sessions and got the best
out of the car in the end. We've made changes to the front
and rear suspension for this race, along with a different
aero package, which is definitely helping us. Aero has been
our main problem but we're not losing out too much with the
low levels of drag that you need around Monza. The car is
also looking after the tyres well which shows that it is mechanically
sound. If I can get a good start from 10th tomorrow then we
have to be aiming for the points. Strategy will be crucial
and I'm confident we have a good race package, but it will
also depend on the performance and reliability of the teams
in front of us. This is a step forward and although we're
unlikely to be scoring good points this season, it has given
a boost to everyone here and back at the factory and is a
small reward for all the hard work."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"We had the pace to get through to the final qualifying
session so it was disappointing to just miss out today. My
first flying lap was the one which really counted and I was
already two-tenths up at Parabolica, but unfortunately I just
got a little too close to Wurz and the car lost downforce
which cost me some time. On the second lap, the tyres had
gone off a little but I had to push hard nonetheless as we
had a good chance of getting through. I ran wide at turn seven
and lost the opportunity. When I rejoined the track it was
in front of Fisichella, who was on his crucial lap. I'm sorry
if I caused him a problem but I had nowhere else to go in
that situation other than to get back on track. We have to
look at our performance today as an improvement; the car felt
good around here, and P12 gives us a chance to fight for a
point tomorrow."
JACKY EECKELAERT
Engineering Director
"After focusing on our race preparation yesterday, we
concentrated this morning on our qualifying performance. We
have been working very hard on the car in recent weeks, including
bringing changes to the front and rear suspension and aerodynamics.
This has been rewarded here with improved performance and
the weekend so far has been very encouraging."
QUALIFYING STATS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice Qualifying 1 Qualifying
2 Qualifying 3
Jenson Button 7 RA107-04 P11 P13 01:23.639 P8 01:23.021 P10
01:25.165
Rubens Barrichello 8 RA107-05 P12 P8 01:23.474 P12 01:23.176
DNQ
Weather Hot and sunny
Temperatures Air: 27-28°C Track: 30-41°C
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