2007 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX FUJI
QUALIFYING
The Honda Racing F1 Team's Jenson Button will lead the challenge
of the Japanese teams in their home grand prix at Fuji tomorrow
when he lines up on the grid in sixth position. He delivered
a fantastic qualifying performance in wet weather and used
all his driver skill to push his RA107 to the limit in the
poor conditions and progress through to Q3.
His team-mate Rubens Barrichello had a disappointing session
when a small mistake on his flying lap cost him a place in
Q2 by just 0.1 sec. He will start from 17th position.
This morning's free practice session was abandoned due to
rain and low cloud which meant that the medical helicopter
would not be able to fly in the event of an incident. Both
Honda Racing F1 Team drivers had completed just two installation
laps each earlier in the session when there was a brief interlude
in the conditions.
Qualifying got underway in similarly wet and cloudy weather
and the drivers started the session by getting a feel for
the track conditions. Both reported very low grip. As continuous
running established a dry line, conditions began to improve
and the lap times started to tumble rapidly. It was in the
frantic closing moments of the session that Rubens had a moment
in turn five which allowed Liuzzi to squeeze him out of contention
for Q2.
Jenson easily qualified for the second session in 10th position
then improved to sixth place in Q2 to earn him a place in
the final shoot-out for the third time this year. He ended
the day as the seventh fastest driver but will start tomorrow's
Japanese Grand Prix from the third row of the grid in sixth
position.
JENSON BUTTON
"I love these wet conditions! A really good qualifying
session today and I am obviously pleased that we put in a
strong performance at our home race and in front of all the
Honda fans here at Fuji. They were pretty tough conditions
out there with the track getting greasy towards the end and
it was difficult to know which tyres to be on. The team did
a great job in deciding our strategy and we definitely got
the best of the car in Q1 and Q2. The third session was more
difficult as we were running our race fuel levels but I'm
happy to have qualified seventh but be starting from sixth
on the grid tomorrow. The driver can really make a difference
in these conditions so we will be hoping for a wet race as
we have a great starting position and there is everything
to play for at this end of the grid. I'm really looking forward
to the race tomorrow and if it is wet then we have a chance
to score some points."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"I am very frustrated to have lost the chance to go into
the second qualifying session by only 0.1sec today. The car
was capable of a lot more performance in these wet conditions.
Nevertheless I am happy for the team as Jenson did a good
job today. It will be a challenging race from here but this
track does have some overtaking opportunities so I will put
up a good fight to do my best in the team's home race."
JACKY EECKELAERT, Engineering Director
"In free practice this morning both Jenson and Rubens
did only two laps on extreme-wets and reported that the wet
track had good grip on those tyres. Then the session was aborted
and we went straight into qualifying. This session was wet
again and we decided to go for the wet tyres as with 22 cars
on the track, the standing water would disappear quickly and
then the extreme wet would probably overheat within just a
few laps. Rubens was competitive at the start of the session
but at the end of Q1, when the track became faster, he had
a moment in turn five and did not make it through to Q2. Jenson
progressed easily from Q1 to Q3. In the last session he qualified
in an excellent seventh position but we are obviously even
more pleased that he will be starting from P6 on the grid
tomorrow due to Rosberg's engine change penalty."
QUALIFYING STATS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice Qualifying 1 Qualifying
2 Qualifying 3
Jenson Button 7 RA107-04 No timed lap P10 01:26.614 P6 01:25.454
P7 01:26.913
Rubens Barrichello 8 RA107-02 No timed lap P17 01:27.323 Did
not qualify Did not qualify
Weather Wet with low cloud
Temperatures Air: 14-15°C Track: 20-21°C
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