2008 GERMAN GRAND PRIX HOCKENHEIM 19 JULY
QUALIFYING
Hockenheim was the scene of the most closely-fought qualifying
session of the season. The entire grid was separated by two
seconds in Q1 and the Honda Racing F1 Team improved its RA108
cars with each run. Jenson Button qualified 14th improving
on recent form, while Rubens Barrichello will line up in 18th
for tomorrow's German Grand Prix.
Grip levels had changed a lot between this morning's final
practice session and the start of qualifying, primarily due
to the blustery wind conditions. As a result, both Honda drivers
took to the track early in Q1 to ascertain what changes needed
to be made to their cars. They set their fastest laps of Q1
in the dying moments of the session. Jenson's effort of 1:15.993s
placed him 15th and just 0.1s shy of a place inside the top
10; Rubens was 0.2s slower than his team-mate but back in
18th place.
Having progressed through to Q2, Jenson completed two runs
and improved with each lap. His best lap was a 1:15.701s,
which placed him 14th and just 0.3s shy of a place in the
top 10. The team will now focus on strategy for tomorrow's
race, ahead of what should be a thrilling 67-lap race.
RESULTS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice Qualifying 1 Qualifying
2 Qualifying 3
Jenson Button 16 RA108-02 P11 P15 01:15.993 P14 01:15.701
Did not qualify
Rubens Barrichello 17 RA108-04 P18 P18 01:16.246 Did not qualify
Did not qualify
Weather Fine with sunny spells
Temperatures Air: 24-25°C Track: 29-35°C
JENSON BUTTON
Q. How was your qualifying today?
A. "Realistically we got the best out of the car today,
although it is frustrating that we were not quite able to
put a complete lap together. On my first run in Q2, the tyres
were graining during the last sector, so we tried to look
after them on my second run. Unfortunately that meant that
they did not work fully in the first sector, putting me two-tenths
down on my best lap time halfway round the lap. Once the tyres
started working well in the middle sector I was able to gain
all of the time back and improve my lap time. So it's a little
bit disappointing. However we improved all the way through
qualifying today and have generally been working well over
the weekend. It's a nice feeling as I haven't felt totally
confident with the car for the last couple of races."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
Q. A disappointing qualifying position today, although the
times were close in the midfield?
A. "The last time that I started 18th on the grid at
Hockenheim I won the race in 2000, so you never know what
might happen tomorrow! Realistically the car was just not
quick enough in a very competitive midfield today. We were
losing a couple of tenths in the first sector but it was the
long middle sector that really cost us time. We are having
to run a compromised downforce set-up because of the straights
and that then impacts the third sector through the stadium
complex, so it is difficult to hook up a consistently good
lap time. We are so close to the limit of the car's performance
that if you don't quite get it right, you can lose a lot of
places, and that's what happened today. I'm not sure that
it is going to rain tomorrow but that's what we need to have
a good race."
STEVE CLARK
Head of Race & Test Engineering
Q. You appear to have made good progress from yesterday's
practice, particularly with Jenson?
A. "We have made progress overnight and improved the
car from yesterday by adapting the set-up to the prevailing
conditions. This is the case for Rubens and Jenson as their
pace was very similar during qualifying today. Rubens lost
time in turn 6 on his final run which cost him a place in
Q2. Jenson's 14th position was the maximum that we could have
achieved the car today, but we are pleased to have had one
car progress to Q2."
Q. What are your expectations for the race tomorrow?
A. "With both cars starting fairly well back from the
start, there is an increased risk of incidents on the first
lap and it will be difficult to gain positions. We do not
expect any rain during the race tomorrow so the drivers will
have to be patient and take the opportunities which may arise
during the race. The track seems very inconsistent with a
number of mistakes evident so far this weekend. With this,
and the fact that the grid is very close in the midfield,
there will be many cars fighting over the points positions."
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