Italian GP - No Red On Row One
Monza, 8th September 2007
Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo made his traditional Saturday visit to Monza and was a keen spectator from the pit wall but he was not treated to the much hoped for result as Felipe Massa was locked out of the front row which turned into an all-McLaren-Mercedes affair, with Fernando Alonso taking pole position and Lewis Hamilton alongside him. The pundits had reckoned that BMW-Sauber would be a force to be reckoned with at this high speed circuit and the prediction has proved to be correct, as Massa has Nick Heidfeld alongside him, with Kimi Raikkonen lining up behind his Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team mate in fifth place on row three. For our Finnish driver, this was quite an achievement, as he had a heavy crash in this morning's free practice session at the Ascari chicane, which resulted in an extensively damaged F2007. Kimi blamed the accident on the fact that the rear wheels locked up as he braked over a bump going into the corner. The mechanics did a fantastic job - not to repair the car as it was too badly damaged - but to remove its engine and fit it in the spare car in time for qualifying, so that there are no grid penalties for Raikkonen and he will start from fifth spot tomorrow. While it is true that the "tifosi" were hoping for a Ferrari pole, the team knew from testing last week and the rest of this weekend, that the closest rivals had the F2007 slightly on the back foot when it comes to doing a single quick lap which of course is the key to qualifying.
However, unlike a track like Budapest for example, overtaking is a distinct possibility at this high speed and historic venue, which means we could be in for a fascinating contest tomorrow afternoon. Unless anything unforeseen happens, it won't take too long to see who gets to the top step of the podium, as in terms of time, the high speeds mean this is usually the shortest race of the year. In terms of strategy, Monza used to offer several possibilities, but the time now lost when making a pit stop, because of the pit lane speed limit means that a single stop is a possibility with two stops the only other real option.
Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo made his traditional Saturday visit to Monza and was a keen spectator from the pit wall but he was not treated to the much hoped for result as Felipe Massa was locked out of the front row which turned into an all-McLaren-Mercedes affair, with Fernando Alonso taking pole position and Lewis Hamilton alongside him. The pundits had reckoned that BMW-Sauber would be a force to be reckoned with at this high speed circuit and the prediction has proved to be correct, as Massa has Nick Heidfeld alongside him, with Kimi Raikkonen lining up behind his Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team mate in fifth place on row three. For our Finnish driver, this was quite an achievement, as he had a heavy crash in this morning's free practice session at the Ascari chicane, which resulted in an extensively damaged F2007. Kimi blamed the accident on the fact that the rear wheels locked up as he braked over a bump going into the corner. The mechanics did a fantastic job - not to repair the car as it was too badly damaged - but to remove its engine and fit it in the spare car in time for qualifying, so that there are no grid penalties for Raikkonen and he will start from fifth spot tomorrow. While it is true that the "tifosi" were hoping for a Ferrari pole, the team knew from testing last week and the rest of this weekend, that the closest rivals had the F2007 slightly on the back foot when it comes to doing a single quick lap which of course is the key to qualifying.
However, unlike a track like Budapest for example, overtaking is a distinct possibility at this high speed and historic venue, which means we could be in for a fascinating contest tomorrow afternoon. Unless anything unforeseen happens, it won't take too long to see who gets to the top step of the podium, as in terms of time, the high speeds mean this is usually the shortest race of the year. In terms of strategy, Monza used to offer several possibilities, but the time now lost when making a pit stop, because of the pit lane speed limit means that a single stop is a possibility with two stops the only other real option.
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