2006 Canadian GP - Free Practice
Tiago Monteiro (POR)
Chassis: M16-04, Car #18
First Timed Session Classification: 11th, 1:20.799 (+4.409),
8 laps completed
Second Timed Session Classification: 28th, 1:20.262 (+3.297),
18 laps completed
Quote: "This morning, we only did one
run and I ended up touching the wall on the last corner -
the infamous 'Wall of Champions', which has taken out quite
a few drivers in the past. I wasn't hurt at all, the car wasn't
too badly damaged and my crew did a great job to repair it
in two hours. That's the positive side of it, anyway! In the
afternoon, we stayed on the same tyres because we figured
there wouldn't be much to gain from switching to a new set,
so that's why it didn't look too good on the time sheet. We
focused mostly on balance, in order to see if we could run
with the softer tyres, which seem quicker but don't last very
long, so we need to work on that. Tomorrow, we'll be running
in better conditions with new tyres, so I'm expecting to see
a big improvement."
Christijan Albers (NED)
Chassis: M16-02, Car #19
First Timed Session Classification: 10th, 1:20.646 (+4.256),
9 laps completed
Second Timed Session Classification: 14th, 1:18.503 (+1.538),
20 laps completed
Quote: "The lap time doesn't look too
bad, but we're really going to have to work hard tonight to
improve the balance of the car. The car is still too nervous
and quite difficult to drive but in spite of this, I was still
able to post some consistent lap times. The motivation level
of the team is really high and everyone is working hard to
find a solution, so I'm optimistic that we will be able to
deliver a better result."
Giorgio Mondini (SUI)
Chassis: M16-01, T-Car
First Timed Session Classification: N/A, no time, 2 laps completed
Second Timed Session Classification: 23rd, 1:19.138 (+2.173),
24 laps completed
Quote: "The morning was very short,
with the car stopping on my second lap, so there isn't much
to take away from that. Luckily, the team found the problem
and was able to prepare the car for the second session. In
the afternoon, we tried to condense the programme. I did one
long run, but I wasn't happy with the balance, so we made
a few shorter runs to try and determine our tyre choice. We
were able to improve the car gradually as the day went on
but clearly, we've had better days. We need to some work to
get it where it needs to be, but considering the slippery
track conditions today, I was quite happy to bring the car
back in one piece."
James Key, Technical Director: "We
had an unfortunate morning with the T-car - a small assembly
issue that we were able to quickly solve between sessions,
but we lost a lot of running time with Giorgio as a result.
Both race cars ran later on in the first session, as it was
clear that the track condition was pretty poor. We got a bit
of a feel for things like temperatures, but otherwise didn't
learn an awful lot in the first session. Unfortunately, Tiago
hit the wall on his last lap, something we've seen in the
past many times before. The guys did a great job to put the
car back together and get him out in the afternoon, and that
was more of a proper session's work. Tiago concentrated on
set-up and learning a bit for the race, and Christijan concentrated
equally on set-up, but also on the tyre choice. I think he
did a good run at the end with our chosen tyre spec. Giorgio
also did a good job, and came to a similar conclusion. I suppose
that none of the cars felt optimal to the drivers today, but
that's to be expected because of the track conditions and
the reduced downforce levels. The balance started to come
together toward the end of the day, but there's some more
work to be done tomorrow. I'm sure that as the track condition
improves we'll get better, and we should be OK for Sunday."
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