2008 BRITISH GRAND PRIX SILVERSTONE 05 JULY
QUALIFYING
It was a difficult qualifying session for the Honda Racing
F1 Team at Silverstone today. An untimely rain shower led
to both drivers being knocked out after Q1 as Rubens Barrichello
qualified in 16th position and Jenson Button in 17th.
Rain clouds were looming overhead as Q1 got underway, so
both drivers took to the racetrack immediately to capitalise
on the dry conditions. Rubens completed one run to set a time
of 1:22.510, while Jenson did two laps to post a time of 1:22.312.
The drivers then made subtle changes to the set-up of their
RA108s before taking to the track once again. They both improved
their times, Rubens lapping in 1:21.512 and Jenson in 1:21.685,
but they were still down in 16th and 18th positions respectively
as rain began to fall at the southern end of the track, around
Stowe and Club corners.
The rain stopped with three minutes of the session remaining,
and despite less than ideal track conditions, both drivers
ventured out of the pits in an effort to move into Q2. Jenson
improved to a 1:21.631, despite being unable to get enough
temperature into his front tyres. He moved ahead of Nico Rosberg
on the timesheets, but it wasn't enough to see him take any
further part in the qualifying session. Rubens was unable
to improve on his existing time.
RESULTS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice Qualifying 1 Qualifying
2 Qualifying 3
Rubens Barrichello 17 RA108-04 P10 P16 01:21.512 Did not qualify
Did not qualify
Jenson Button 16 RA108-02 P11 P17 01:21.631 Did not qualify
Did not qualify
Weather Cool with wet-dry conditions
Temperatures Air: 18-20°C Track: 16-32°C
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
Q. A tough qualifying session in unpredictable weather conditions
today?
A. "It's unfortunate that we were not able to progress
further in qualifying today and I'm afraid that reflects the
true potential of the car on a dry track. Out on the circuit,
I thought we were through in 15th when it began to rain, but
unfortunately it was just raining in the section of track
that I was on and others were able to improve further round
the lap, dropping me to 16th. I wasn't able to improve on
my final lap at the end of the session as I had too much understeer
in the car and the tyres were graining on the damp surface.
We're expecting wet conditions for the race tomorrow which
should make it exciting and open up possibilities if we can
stay out of trouble."
JENSON BUTTON
Q. The rain during Q1 came just at the wrong moment for you.
How did that affect your qualifying today?
A. "It was a disappointing qualifying session today for
my home Grand Prix. The brief rain shower did come just at
the wrong moment for us as my final run on the completely
dry track was compromised by traffic through Becketts, which
left me in 18th when the shower began. So I had to go out
right at the end of the session to try to improve regardless
of the conditions. Unfortunately I couldn't get heat into
my tyres through the first sector, which is always difficult,
but even more so when the track was still slippery. I made
a little bit of progress to jump Rosberg into 17th but not
enough to make it into Q2. It's disappointing, but we know
the car is not that competitive in the dry. It'll be a tough
race but you can make progress here during the race, particularly
if we have the expected wet conditions."
STEVE CLARK
Head of Race & Test Engineering
Q. After a good start to the day in free practice, what went
wrong in qualifying?
A. "The car performed as expected this morning in both
wet and dry conditions, which was just outside the top ten.
Qualifying started with a little fluster as there were showers
predicted so everyone rushed out to get a dry lap in. In the
melée we found ourselves in the drop-out zone when
the shower eventually came. We were fortunate that it dried
in time for another run but the improvement was not enough
to carry us through to Q2. The drivers did not have the perfect
lap or balance, but in reality, had we made Q2, I don't believe
we had the pace to progress further in these conditions."
Q. What can the team achieve from here?
A. "Very little can be changed with the car due to parc
ferme regulations. In any case I don't think that we would
alter the cars' set-up very much as the basic balance is good
following the test here. The strategy will be adjusted to
suit our grid position, although in a dry race points will
be difficult. Rain is still predicted however, which could
make our chances much more interesting."
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