04/04/2003

Brazilian Grand Prix - First Qualifying Web Report

A rain-afflicted opening day at Interlagos gave rise to continuously changing tricky track conditions that made first qualifying for the third round of the F1 World Championship something of a lottery. In the end it was a highly satisfactory outcome for Panasonic Toyota Racing with Olivier Panis (1m25.614s) finishing up sixth fastest and home hero Cristiano da Matta (1m26.554s) 11th.

Both drivers went into the session with just two timed laps experience to call upon from morning practice.

New regulations this year mean that the tyre companies can only bring one wet tyre to a race and naturally they gravitate more towards an intermediate tyre than a full wet because that will give the better result in the majority of wet/damp conditions likely to be faced. When the rain is heavier however it makes things incredibly difficult for drivers which was the reason why nobody ran a total of more than 10 laps on Friday morning.

The weather led to a highly challenging set of conditions that confronted the drivers on Friday. Panis who was actually last of the 20 cars to run was a little frustrated with his lap despite it being good enough for a top 6 slot in sixth.

"I had some engine traction control problems the Frenchman explained. I was disappointed because the car was fine -- the balance was good the grip was good and the track conditions were quite favourable at the end. I just didn't have the power because of the traction control concerns. We are working on this during the afternoon and once we have solved the problem I am confident we will be competitive in tomorrow morning's free practice and qualifying."

Cristiano da Matta although racing at home in Brazil had not competed at Interlagos since 1994. "And that he said, was in a Formula 3 car which is a lot different. Even if I remembered which way the track went I don't think the experience translates into anything meaningful as far as F1 is concerned."

The weather meant that Da Matta had no chance to re-acclimatise. "It's impossible to say anything about the car or the set-up because there was simply no time. In the circumstances I am not disappointed with the overall result but I would have appreciated a bit more preparation! Hopefully the weather will be dry tomorrow to give me enough track time to get up to speed."

The top of the timesheets looked different yet again after a fine performance from Australian Mark Webber whose 1m23.111s lap topped the session for the Jaguar Racing team. Webber was the penultimate car out just before Panis so also benefited from slightly drier conditions..

Webber's time knocked Rubens Barrichello (1m23.249s) from the top of the time sheet the Brazilian having to be content with second fastest time for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro.

Both West McLaren Mercedes drivers were competitive despite running first and second on the wet track. Malaysian race winner Kimi Raikkonen (1m24.607s) ended up third fastest ahead of team-mate and Australian GP victor David Coulthard (1m24.655s).

World Champion Michael Schumacher renowned as a wet weather expert had to be content with fifth quickest (1m25.585s) as the rain intensified just in time for his arrival on the circuit. Panis's time in the Toyota TF103 was just 0.03s slower and the team is optimistic for the rest of the weekend whatever the weather throws up. The forecast is for more of the same.