Top 10: Massa, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Trulli, Alonso, Webber, Glock, Kovalainen, Coulthard and Kubica.
Knocked out: Piquet, Heidfeld, Vettel, Bourdais, Rosberg.
The 2008 French Grand Prix Thread
Moderators: cmlean, Ed, The Qualiflyer, The Heretic
3rd qualifying session about to start. Track temperature is at 44 degrees while air temperature is at 27 degrees.
It will be interesting to see the strategy that McLaren will adopt for Hamilton who will be penalised 10 places on the grid for the accident in Canada.
Will they give him the optimum fuel load or will he go out heavy ?
It will be interesting to see the strategy that McLaren will adopt for Hamilton who will be penalised 10 places on the grid for the accident in Canada.
Will they give him the optimum fuel load or will he go out heavy ?
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Julian Mayo
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Team by team summary following Qualifying (GMM)
FERRARI
On low fuel, Felipe Massa is the fastest man at Magny-Cours, but in Q3 race trim, Kimi Raikkonen snatched Ferrari's 200th pole by the barest of margins. Massa, who twinged his neck earlier this weekend in what he describes as a "stupid" elevator incident, said he overdrove in Q3.
MCLAREN-MERCEDES
McLaren is not quite on Ferrari's pace at Magny-Cours, but Lewis Hamilton's P3 becomes P13 after his ten-position Montreal crash penalty. "I have to apologise to the team for making a couple of errors on my final runs in Q3," he said. Heikki Kovalainen has been consistently a few tenths further back here, and his P6 becomes P10, after stewards ruled that he drove slowly on an out-lap and held up Mark Webber. He called the events leading up to the Webber incident, also involving Kazuki Nakajima, a "mix-up".
RENAULT
As at the recent Barcelona test, Nelson Piquet sampled life atop a F1 timesheet on Saturday morning at Magny-Cours. He has been closer to Fernando Alonso all weekend in France, but reality set in for qualifying and he just missed the Q3 cut. Alonso's impressive P4 becomes P3 on the grid after Hamilton's penalty. "The car has really improved and so for the first time this season we have the real chance to fight for the podium," the Spaniard said.
TOYOTA
Both Toyotas in the exclusive top ten, with Jarno Trulli - despite a Q3 spin - the standout performer. His P5 becomes P4 on the grid after Hamilton's penalty. "I didn't expect to be this quick," he said.
BMW-SAUBER
The morning timesheet gave a hint: despite the Montreal one-two, BMW-Sauber is not looking as strong as usual this weekend. Nick Heidfeld struggled the most and couldn't make it to Q3, but even championship leader Robert Kubica is just P7, albeit P5 after the McLaren drivers' penalties.
RED BULL-RENAULT
The signs were not good on Friday, but Mark Webber was as high as P2 in the morning practice session, and P8 - becoming P6 after the McLaren drivers' penalties - in qualifying. David Coulthard is the next man on the grid.
TORO ROSSO-FERRARI
Sebastian Vettel's sensational practice speed continued with his P3 in the morning, netting him 13th on the grid - which becomes 12th thanks to Hamilton's penalty - and his teammate Sebastien Bourdais also broke through the Q2 barrier. "I can't say I'm angry not to make Q3," Vettel said, "but I am disappointed."
WILLIAMS-TOYOTA
Nico Rosberg looked quick in the morning, but he went no further in qualifying after making it through Q1, and his P15 puts him dead last on the grid with his Montreal penalty factored in. "To be so far off the pace is surprising," he said. Nakajima failed to make it through P1.
HONDA
Another dreadful showing by the Japanese giant: similar pace from both drivers, but faster only than the Force Indias. 'Character-building' was how the team's official post-qualifying document described it. "There is no more to come from the car," Rubens Barrichello said.
FORCE INDIA-FERRARI
The Silverstone built racers are the slowest at Magny-Cours: a full sixth tenths behind the next slowest cars - the woeful Hondas - in the decisive session, but shuffled up a place each due to Rosberg's Montreal penalty. "It was a difficult qualifying session for us as the whole field is very close," said Fisichella, marginally quicker than Adrian Sutil.
FERRARI
On low fuel, Felipe Massa is the fastest man at Magny-Cours, but in Q3 race trim, Kimi Raikkonen snatched Ferrari's 200th pole by the barest of margins. Massa, who twinged his neck earlier this weekend in what he describes as a "stupid" elevator incident, said he overdrove in Q3.
MCLAREN-MERCEDES
McLaren is not quite on Ferrari's pace at Magny-Cours, but Lewis Hamilton's P3 becomes P13 after his ten-position Montreal crash penalty. "I have to apologise to the team for making a couple of errors on my final runs in Q3," he said. Heikki Kovalainen has been consistently a few tenths further back here, and his P6 becomes P10, after stewards ruled that he drove slowly on an out-lap and held up Mark Webber. He called the events leading up to the Webber incident, also involving Kazuki Nakajima, a "mix-up".
RENAULT
As at the recent Barcelona test, Nelson Piquet sampled life atop a F1 timesheet on Saturday morning at Magny-Cours. He has been closer to Fernando Alonso all weekend in France, but reality set in for qualifying and he just missed the Q3 cut. Alonso's impressive P4 becomes P3 on the grid after Hamilton's penalty. "The car has really improved and so for the first time this season we have the real chance to fight for the podium," the Spaniard said.
TOYOTA
Both Toyotas in the exclusive top ten, with Jarno Trulli - despite a Q3 spin - the standout performer. His P5 becomes P4 on the grid after Hamilton's penalty. "I didn't expect to be this quick," he said.
BMW-SAUBER
The morning timesheet gave a hint: despite the Montreal one-two, BMW-Sauber is not looking as strong as usual this weekend. Nick Heidfeld struggled the most and couldn't make it to Q3, but even championship leader Robert Kubica is just P7, albeit P5 after the McLaren drivers' penalties.
RED BULL-RENAULT
The signs were not good on Friday, but Mark Webber was as high as P2 in the morning practice session, and P8 - becoming P6 after the McLaren drivers' penalties - in qualifying. David Coulthard is the next man on the grid.
TORO ROSSO-FERRARI
Sebastian Vettel's sensational practice speed continued with his P3 in the morning, netting him 13th on the grid - which becomes 12th thanks to Hamilton's penalty - and his teammate Sebastien Bourdais also broke through the Q2 barrier. "I can't say I'm angry not to make Q3," Vettel said, "but I am disappointed."
WILLIAMS-TOYOTA
Nico Rosberg looked quick in the morning, but he went no further in qualifying after making it through Q1, and his P15 puts him dead last on the grid with his Montreal penalty factored in. "To be so far off the pace is surprising," he said. Nakajima failed to make it through P1.
HONDA
Another dreadful showing by the Japanese giant: similar pace from both drivers, but faster only than the Force Indias. 'Character-building' was how the team's official post-qualifying document described it. "There is no more to come from the car," Rubens Barrichello said.
FORCE INDIA-FERRARI
The Silverstone built racers are the slowest at Magny-Cours: a full sixth tenths behind the next slowest cars - the woeful Hondas - in the decisive session, but shuffled up a place each due to Rosberg's Montreal penalty. "It was a difficult qualifying session for us as the whole field is very close," said Fisichella, marginally quicker than Adrian Sutil.