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  • 1 year ago
Qualifying for Round 1 of the 2008 F1 season at Melbourne.
Transcript
00:00:00Formula One Management, in association with Speed Productions, presents F1, the 2008 season.
00:00:25The sights and sounds of racing's highest level come alive.
00:00:29With each corner through exotic locations, another chapter unfolds.
00:00:35Starring Kimi Raikkonen as the defending champion who is lightning fast.
00:00:40Featuring Felipe Massa, his fiery teammate looking to challenge.
00:00:45English driver Lewis Hamilton as the phenom racing for his first title.
00:00:51And Spaniard Fernando Alonso as the former champ looking to reclaim past glory.
00:00:57The speed, the glamour, and the excitement.
00:01:02F1, the 2008 season, coming soon.
00:01:06Right now, boys. Right now. Victory for the first time in his career.
00:01:23Come on, mate. He's ruining that race. Let's get past him.
00:01:26They touch. There's smoke coming off the track.
00:01:36After three sessions of practice, rife with rumours about who was carrying how much fuel, using which tyre, and trying how hard,
00:01:44it's time to show us exactly what you've got.
00:01:47It's knockout qualifying time for the first round of the 2008 Formula One World Championship,
00:01:52the Australian Grand Prix from Melbourne.
00:01:55G'day, everyone. I'm Bob Varsha with David Hobbs and Steve Matchett.
00:01:59If you were with us for our coverage of Friday's second practice,
00:02:02you saw how the Formula One cars we'll be watching this year slide around the racetrack,
00:02:07minus electronic traction control and engine braking.
00:02:11They can be spectacular to watch.
00:02:14So how are the drivers coping with the new technical formula in Formula One?
00:02:18Peter Windsor has more on that story.
00:02:23The 08 Formula One cars may look pretty similar to the 07 versions from the outside,
00:02:27but inside the cockpit, big changes this year.
00:02:30No more traction control for the drivers to play with and no more gear dependency under braking.
00:02:35That means a lot more finesse required on the throttle, steering and the brakes.
00:02:42Lewis, what was your first impression driving without TC on the car? First time you drove it?
00:02:47It was tricky. It was tricky and slightly more of a surprise to me than I perhaps anticipated.
00:02:56But just because I had driven in GB2 without TC and it was more of a smooth and progressive torque map and everything,
00:03:05and so it was a little bit easier. But this, all of a sudden, all the power's there and it was easy to spin.
00:03:11Actually on a one lap with new tyres it's not much different.
00:03:15But I think so when it's rain or tricky conditions it's quite exciting.
00:03:22But it's different, it's the same for everybody and you need to be a bit more awake all the time.
00:03:27But apart from that it's not bad.
00:03:32Most of the problems that you might imagine you would have on the entry to the corners
00:03:38without the engine braking and all those sort of things are relatively benign compared to last year with the engine braking.
00:03:43Except for the turn 9 I suppose the only exception is quite bumpy there and you probably would make some modifications if you had the old regulations.
00:03:49Getting off the corner obviously is a bit more game.
00:03:51You need to be more precise and a little bit more patient with the throttle obviously
00:03:55compared to what we could have been in the past with the traction control sort of helping and assisting us in all speed ranges.
00:04:01I mean of course we still, some of the quick corners we had the traction control helping us.
00:04:04And this year I was surprised today actually how many little sort of moments I had in real quick corners as well.
00:04:09But not in one lap, but the long run is another ball game, you've got to really be patient.
00:04:16The driver has got more input on it and has got more sensitivity and I really like it.
00:04:24This is the way I like driving the car, feeling it and driving around the corners with the throttle.
00:04:32And let's put it this way, I prefer this way, driving this way and it doesn't matter if there are some down points.
00:04:37There are always down points, but at least we have given the car back to the driver.
00:04:47And that's as it should be.
00:04:49So let's bring David Hobbs and Steve Matchett into the discussion right now boys.
00:04:52I expect even though it's probably 20 degrees cooler than it was at this time yesterday,
00:04:58these cars are going to slide around a bit on this temporary circuit.
00:05:01Well they always do Bobby, now as the weekend goes on of course it gets more and more rubber down,
00:05:05so it rubbers in as the saying goes.
00:05:07But this weekend it's very, very hot and it's windy, so dust keeps blowing back onto the track.
00:05:12But the fact is you can see from yesterday's practice and those shots there,
00:05:16that these cars are much more of a handful to drive for these guys.
00:05:20And I'm with Jarno Trulli, I think it does put the car back in the driver's hands.
00:05:25As Mark Webber said, going through some of the fast corners, he had quite a few moments as he said,
00:05:30and on the long run, either for a race or when it gets damp, they're going to have much more fun.
00:05:35What do you think Steve?
00:05:36Yeah absolutely, I agree with you.
00:05:38I think as far as traction control and electronics go from an engineering perspective,
00:05:42it's problems on the car that the engineers can fix,
00:05:45and therefore it's a frustration that it's been taken away from us.
00:05:48Does it make the racing looks more spectacular?
00:05:50Yeah.
00:05:51Is that a good thing?
00:05:52Well yeah, I guess it is.
00:05:53There's always been technical restrictions in Formula 1.
00:05:55The challenge for the engineers is how they react to that.
00:05:58Well we had an interesting session this morning,
00:06:00topped by the BMW Saubers of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld.
00:06:04We'll be back to Melbourne.
00:06:08Speed's coverage of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship is brought to you by BMW.
00:06:13BMW, the ultimate driving machine.
00:06:17For sure we want to try again to win the World Championship for drivers and for the team.
00:06:23I think it will be an interesting year.
00:06:25The rules are a bit different than it was last year.
00:06:28For sure we start the season as last season and try to prepare as well as we can
00:06:33and then see what we can do in the season.
00:06:36But definitely the aim is to win the World Championship again.
00:06:40Well after the off-season testing laps put in by world champion Kimi Raikkonen,
00:06:44his teammate Felipe Massa and the Ferrari squad,
00:06:47they are the pre-season favourites.
00:06:49The light has gone green and Sebastian Bourdais,
00:06:52the four-time Champ Car World Series titleist,
00:06:55is the first man on track in his Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari.
00:06:58Now, I mentioned we have a new Formula 1 qualifying format this year.
00:07:04OK Nico, so this first session is now 20 minutes
00:07:08and we plan to go out 8 minutes into it.
00:07:14OK?
00:07:15Remember, brake material is new.
00:07:17I'll remind you again.
00:07:19We've done the front wing adjustment we talked about
00:07:22and the tyre pressures as we talked about.
00:07:24And it's going to be a very, very tight race.
00:07:28We've done the front wing adjustment we talked about
00:07:30and the tyre pressures as we talked about.
00:07:32And the only other change is the ride height,
00:07:34so apart from the front and rear.
00:07:36We've just adjusted the ballast,
00:07:38rep your weight.
00:07:42So adjusted the ride height, the wing,
00:07:44the ballast, the tyre pressures.
00:07:47Other than that, it's just as it was this morning.
00:07:49And it's got new brake material.
00:07:51Oh well, oh well.
00:07:53And they've adjusted the ride heights by half a millimetre.
00:07:56That's a 32nd of an inch.
00:07:58It's about the thickness of a page in a book.
00:08:02Now as you see at the top of your screen,
00:08:04we are in Knockout Session 1, Q1.
00:08:07But this year it's been expanded from 15 to 20 minutes.
00:08:11At the end of that session,
00:08:13the slowest drivers will be knocked out
00:08:16and we'll go at it again.
00:08:18Six drivers will be eliminated.
00:08:20They will take up positions 17 through 22 on the grid.
00:08:24Then we'll have the traditional 15-minute Q2 or second session
00:08:28and eliminate six more drivers
00:08:30who will take positions 11 through 16 on the grid.
00:08:33And then finally, the ten remaining cars
00:08:36will go out for just ten minutes,
00:08:38not the 15 minutes of a year ago,
00:08:40just ten minutes and there will be no fuel burn period.
00:08:43They will go out on their fuel load for the race.
00:08:46Whatever they burn off, they cannot put back in the car
00:08:50before they go to the grid for Sunday's race.
00:08:53So sit back and enjoy Knockout Formula 1 qualifying.
00:08:57Watching Sebastian Bordet in the Scuderia Toro Rosso.
00:09:00He will put up the first time of the session
00:09:03and as he does, let's get back to Peter Windsor.
00:09:07Thanks, Bob.
00:09:08Well, I've got to say that out here in the paddock area,
00:09:10in the pit lane, there is as much confusion
00:09:12as I think there is out on the circuit in spectator land
00:09:15because the results from the session this morning
00:09:17with the BMWs suddenly coming out of nowhere,
00:09:19being 1-2, the Toro Rosso being quick,
00:09:22everybody is slightly bemused
00:09:24and I think everybody at the moment is just waiting to see
00:09:26what is going to happen.
00:09:27We have to assume that Ferrari and McLaren
00:09:29were probably running heavier fuel loads this morning
00:09:31but at the moment on the face of it,
00:09:32it could be anybody's race.
00:09:34Just a fantastic atmosphere here
00:09:36for the opening round of the World Championship.
00:09:38Well, I have to agree with you, Peter.
00:09:39That practice session this morning
00:09:41was just so on its head compared to both the practice sessions yesterday
00:09:44where the Ferraris and the McLarens were quite clearly the quickest
00:09:47and the usual cast of characters were right there,
00:09:49although Mark Webber was looking pretty strong
00:09:51yesterday morning and afternoon.
00:09:53Yeah, and suddenly, you know, there is Heikki Kovalainen,
00:09:57the second McLaren, down in 20th spot.
00:09:59Lewis Hamilton is in 12th.
00:10:01The first Ferrari is Felipe Masch in 11th.
00:10:04I mean, it is going to be funny,
00:10:06it is going to be really interesting
00:10:07to see how it shakes out this afternoon.
00:10:09Yeah, I think a lot of these guys were using P3,
00:10:12the practice session this morning,
00:10:13running on full tanks
00:10:15and just getting used to the car
00:10:17in what they will consider to be race conditions.
00:10:19It is very hot out there, nevertheless.
00:10:21A little bit cooler than it was yesterday,
00:10:22but I am sure a lot of the big guns
00:10:24are running more fuel in the car.
00:10:26Watching Fernando Alonso back with Renault.
00:10:29Yeah, for instance, he was third this morning's session
00:10:33and yesterday afternoon he was 15th.
00:10:35Oh, Timo Glackhoff.
00:10:38Glackhoff.
00:10:39Glackhoff.
00:10:42Look at that slide, man.
00:10:44You better be able to toss in
00:10:46just the right amount of opposite lock
00:10:48and, of course, all that dust that comes on the track,
00:10:50which we see everywhere you go,
00:10:52you see dust and debris brought onto the track
00:10:55and the years gone by,
00:10:56the tracks control helped you
00:10:58through those tricky situations.
00:11:00Now, as the track gets worse,
00:11:02as the race wears on,
00:11:03they are going to have to adapt their driving to it.
00:11:09Giancarlo Fisichella
00:11:11in the Force India car in P1
00:11:16for the moment.
00:11:18Sebastian Vettel.
00:11:19Looks like he may well take that away from him,
00:11:21his purple in Sector 1.
00:11:24But you are right, David,
00:11:25and the car is very different.
00:11:26The electronics on the car
00:11:28is very different configurations to how they were.
00:11:31So Bordet now going to provisional P1 by six tenths
00:11:34and the traction control that we have,
00:11:36the electronic controls on the Formula 1 car,
00:11:38is very different to how a road car
00:11:40traction control system works.
00:11:42Bear in mind that a Formula 1 race engine,
00:11:44they are very peaky.
00:11:45The power comes in very sudden.
00:11:47And they used to use the traction control
00:11:49to be able to just feather that power in
00:11:51through the electronics.
00:11:52Of course, now these guys got to be very careful
00:11:55how they put the power on
00:11:57coming out of the corner.
00:11:58All of a sudden you go from
00:12:00relatively little horsepower
00:12:01to massive amounts of horsepower.
00:12:03Of course, that's how it always was.
00:12:05The driver always did have to feather it in before.
00:12:08But my point is that the cars have evolved
00:12:10using that traction control,
00:12:12the way the suspension works,
00:12:13the architecture of the engines,
00:12:15the aerodynamics around.
00:12:16So the cars have changed enormously
00:12:18but using electronics.
00:12:19And as you say, now the electronics have gone away.
00:12:21These guys have got to relearn their trade.
00:12:25There's Rosberg sitting in the Williams garage.
00:12:27Let's get back to Peter Windsor.
00:12:30Well, just to continue
00:12:31what Steve was saying there, Bob.
00:12:32Notice right now,
00:12:34walking up and down the pit lane, Steve,
00:12:35that quite a lot of teams have gone
00:12:37to bigger front brake ducts today
00:12:39compared with yesterday.
00:12:40I guess that's a function, A, of
00:12:42yesterday was really the first hot weather running
00:12:44that many of the teams had had.
00:12:46Only Toyota and Ferrari, I think,
00:12:47testing in Bahrain.
00:12:48And beyond that, a lot of them saying
00:12:49that the switch to the standard ECU
00:12:51really has changed so many systems on the cars
00:12:53that they have to rethink the way
00:12:55even they approach brake cooling.
00:12:57And yesterday, we saw a lot of cars
00:12:59running very, very hot on brakes.
00:13:01And today, up and down the pit lane,
00:13:02larger front brake ducts sprouting everywhere.
00:13:05Yeah, right, Peter.
00:13:06And we had that conversation
00:13:07in yesterday's practice session
00:13:09talking about the fact that the aerodynamicists
00:13:11would prefer to have smaller brakes on the car
00:13:13but the mechanical engineers would prefer
00:13:15to have bigger brakes on the car.
00:13:17And sure enough, there's Timo running wide
00:13:19in the Toyota.
00:13:20Again.
00:13:21Had to react to that, yeah.
00:13:22Well, of course, the other thing that's going to happen
00:13:24is this engine braking system we're talking about
00:13:26on the electronic control unit,
00:13:28what it did was it took some of the...
00:13:31It stopped locking the rear brakes up.
00:13:33Well, now, to stop them locking the rear brakes up,
00:13:35in simple terms,
00:13:37now they're going to have to put more brakes on the front.
00:13:39So we're going to see a very different
00:13:42wear factor than we used to see before.
00:13:44We are going to see a lot more front brake wear
00:13:46and obviously that will need more cooling.
00:13:48There's Robert Kubica.
00:13:49You just saw the new Formula 1 television graphic
00:13:52showing the drivers
00:13:54with headshots and personal information.
00:13:56Robert Kubica lives in Krakow in Poland.
00:13:59And as I mentioned, he was the quickest man
00:14:01in this morning's one-hour session
00:14:03at 125.613.
00:14:07There are your top four.
00:14:08We've got a ways to go in knockout qualifying.
00:14:10Stay with us.
00:14:13I think after the success we had together here
00:14:17in the team with Renault in the past,
00:14:20now coming back here for sure is like coming back home.
00:14:26And I'm really happy
00:14:28and looking forward to this championship again.
00:14:33Why shouldn't Fernando Alonso be happy?
00:14:36He's being paid a reported $46 million a year.
00:14:40And there's also a rumor
00:14:41that he may have an out in his contract
00:14:45should the car not reach certain performance standards
00:14:48at Renault this year.
00:14:50A lot of people think
00:14:51he may be headed toward Ferrari in 2009.
00:14:55On board with Jarno Trulli,
00:14:57who scored Toyota's first ever front row start
00:15:00in Formula 1 here back in 2005.
00:15:03He was second on the grid.
00:15:07Jumps into the top slot for the 27.0.
00:15:10The 27.0 this morning's practice time
00:15:12got him down in 12th spot.
00:15:15So obviously a lot of heavy hitters to come,
00:15:17as you can see.
00:15:18Alonso, Piquet, Webber, Button, Barrichello,
00:15:22then Hamilton, Kovalainen,
00:15:23and of course Raikkonen and Massa.
00:15:26Can you see Alonso sliding that Renault chassis?
00:15:30Renault not really where they want to be
00:15:32coming out of the winter testing period.
00:15:34The car just didn't seem to have the pace
00:15:36that they wanted it to have.
00:15:38And they spent a lot of time
00:15:39developing and reworking the front of that Renault chassis.
00:15:42Gone to a zero kill.
00:15:43The V-kill is gone after all these years
00:15:45in favor of more aerodynamic preferences
00:15:48along the front of the car,
00:15:49but they really haven't got the pace out of it yet.
00:15:52As you see, coming down to eight minutes,
00:15:54most of the heavy hitters have been waiting.
00:15:56Raikkonen, Kovalainen here
00:15:57should put himself at the top of the timesheets, I think.
00:16:01Kovalainen by 1.2 seconds.
00:16:06Meanwhile, his teammate Lewis Hamilton
00:16:08is on a flyer behind him.
00:16:09Now, you see Hamilton's bow purple
00:16:12in the first two sectors,
00:16:13so this should put him at the top of the timesheets.
00:16:15But...
00:16:17There you go.
00:16:18That's traction control for you, Raikkonen.
00:16:20Traction control is at the driver's right foot.
00:16:24That probably will...
00:16:27Yeah.
00:16:29And, of course, that traffic in front of him didn't help.
00:16:31Yeah.
00:16:33Lost a full second.
00:16:3533.8 was Kovalainen and 34.8 Hamilton.
00:16:38So, just a tiny error now
00:16:40on the driver's right foot, guys.
00:16:41You're right.
00:16:42And that's what I'm talking about.
00:16:43It's so frustrating from the engineer's perspective
00:16:46because we could so easily cure it.
00:16:51I'll just start playing with the keyboard on my computer here.
00:16:54Plug it in and presto.
00:16:56You watch it now.
00:16:57He nails it there.
00:16:58But he holds it beautifully.
00:17:00He keeps his leg in it.
00:17:01Yeah.
00:17:02He's the old way down,
00:17:03but you saw how that car in front of him pulled away, too.
00:17:06Oh, there it is.
00:17:08Look at that.
00:17:10And I agree with you guys.
00:17:12It looks great.
00:17:13It looks thrilling.
00:17:15But, you know, I've always made that comparison.
00:17:17To me, it's like taking the ski poles away
00:17:20from a downhill skier.
00:17:21They look more dramatic,
00:17:22but they will be slower.
00:17:25The Ferraris have yet to take to the track
00:17:27as we come down to 6 minutes, 30 seconds remaining.
00:17:32Now, see the column of numbers left side of your screen.
00:17:34The red numbers are the drivers in the knockout zone.
00:17:37You don't have to be first in this session,
00:17:39but you don't want to be 17th or worse.
00:17:42Here's Sebastian Vettel,
00:17:43who was purple in the first of the three-time sectors.
00:17:46He goes to third behind Kovalainen and Hamilton.
00:17:49Those soft tires, look.
00:17:50Yeah.
00:17:51He's got the white stripes on,
00:17:52the softer of the two Bridgestone compounds.
00:17:54Two Sebastians driving together, Vettel and Bordet,
00:17:57in the Toro Rosso with the Ferrari engine.
00:17:59They were looking reasonably good in the winter testing.
00:18:01Here's Nick Heidfeld in the BMW.
00:18:04Second fastest this morning behind his teammate.
00:18:07Oh, that was inelegant.
00:18:11A lot of 90-degree corners there.
00:18:13Heidfeld down in 20th place right now
00:18:15and running out of time.
00:18:17Now, we've seen a lot of cars do that this weekend,
00:18:19run off there.
00:18:20They tend to lock up.
00:18:21But the other thing is they push a lot more,
00:18:23and I think you'll find that they're putting more push
00:18:25or understeer into these cars
00:18:28to prepare themselves for the inevitable oversteer on power.
00:18:32So I think you'll find they're setting the cars up
00:18:34with probably just a bit more push in them.
00:18:36So Kubica won't be happy with that.
00:18:38Reichen and they're spoiling that lap.
00:18:42Now, Kubica was purple in sector one.
00:18:44That was Felipe Massa on his warm-up lap.
00:18:46And he's a second and a half slower in sector two.
00:18:50Because of that run-in with Reichen,
00:18:52he won't be happy about that.
00:18:53Kovalainen's time through sector two, 23 dead.
00:19:03That might have been Reichen in the Ferrari
00:19:05that got Kubica's way.
00:19:07I'm sure he didn't mean to do it, but...
00:19:09I know, you've got to watch your mirrors off the hawk
00:19:11on this qualifying run.
00:19:13Phil Massa just on his first run there,
00:19:15locks up the right front just a little bit.
00:19:20Look how much steering input.
00:19:22All these guys.
00:19:23In comparison to last year, again,
00:19:25the cars really are sliding around a lot more.
00:19:28Yeah, it was Reichen.
00:19:29Yeah, I mean, he is right.
00:19:31I mean, he pulls over there pretty snappily.
00:19:33But that last Kubica, a full second.
00:19:37Massa, purple in sector one.
00:19:39And what we're talking about with these colours
00:19:41are each of the timed sectors
00:19:43comes up on the timing and scoring screen
00:19:45in a colour that tells you where the driver is
00:19:47with respect to the rest of the field.
00:19:49Purple means you are the quickest of all thus far
00:19:52in that sector.
00:19:53Green means your personal best.
00:19:58And Massa just went green in sector two.
00:20:01And purple in sector one,
00:20:03so he's on a pretty quick lap here.
00:20:06Less than four minutes to go.
00:20:09The driver's in danger of relegation,
00:20:11being knocked out in this first session.
00:20:14Sutil, Piquet, Sato, Davidson,
00:20:18Reichen and Massa.
00:20:20Not likely.
00:20:22And Jenson Button, unfortunately,
00:20:24is lurking at Rubens Barrichello.
00:20:26His teammates, 12.
00:20:27Massa to third, behind Kovalainen and Heidfeld.
00:20:33And now, how's Reichen doing?
00:20:35He's set his personal best, 28.723.1.
00:20:37He's moving.
00:20:38That bumps Fisichella.
00:20:40Suffered from a fever yesterday.
00:20:42Getting better today, reports the Italian,
00:20:44but he is now P17 and running out of time.
00:20:47Reichen is probably going to jump into
00:20:49third or fourth spot now, I would say.
00:20:51Push Jenson Button out.
00:20:53Push Jenson Button out, exactly.
00:20:56And there it is.
00:21:00Now, once again this year,
00:21:01if you begin your hot lap
00:21:03before the checkers come out,
00:21:05you don't have to finish it before the checkers come out.
00:21:07It will still count,
00:21:08but you must cross the start line
00:21:10before the checkered flag waves to end the Q session.
00:21:19There's Piquet.
00:21:20Now, he is outside.
00:21:22He spun in yesterday's first practice session,
00:21:24lost a lot of time,
00:21:26did a lot of laps in the second session,
00:21:28but by that point, he had damaged the transmission.
00:21:30They needed to change the gearbox in the car,
00:21:33so he is sorely under-rehearsed
00:21:35here on his first Grand Prix qualifying session.
00:21:38Davidson out on soft tires.
00:21:41But one of the last spots.
00:21:43But Piquet in the Renault,
00:21:45out on soft tires,
00:21:46just desperate to get out of P1.
00:21:50Sorry, Q1.
00:21:54Mind your Ps and Qs.
00:21:55Exactly.
00:21:57Very good, Bob.
00:21:58Now, there you see the fastest sector times
00:22:00adding up to the ideal lap.
00:22:03And as you saw, they were passed around.
00:22:06Well, in spite of losing traction control,
00:22:08in spite of these tires
00:22:10and one thing or another change they've made
00:22:12to slow these cars down,
00:22:14that 25.6 is still only a second slower.
00:22:18Now, Kimi Räikkönen is crawling around.
00:22:20He is safely through the session.
00:22:23But that is very slow.
00:22:25Obviously, he's got a problem, yeah.
00:22:27I thought he was sandbagging
00:22:29to let that car in front of him to have a go again.
00:22:31Last year's pole sitter and race winner.
00:22:33He was not a happy camper
00:22:35after yesterday's second 90-minute session
00:22:37that we saw here on Speed
00:22:39when he was 6th overall.
00:22:41Oh, he is in trouble, yeah.
00:22:43Yeah.
00:22:46He ain't gonna make it.
00:22:52Right now, he is 5th
00:22:53as we come down to the final 60 seconds
00:22:56of this first knockout qualifying session.
00:22:59Now, this is highly frustrating for Ferrari.
00:23:01The mechanics, they cannot go out and get that car.
00:23:04Except that if they cross that line,
00:23:06there's a white line as you go down towards the grid.
00:23:08If the mechanics cross that line,
00:23:10they will be disqualified.
00:23:12The car will be subject to all sorts of penalties.
00:23:14They have to allow the marshals
00:23:16to push the car into what they designate
00:23:19as the pit lane area.
00:23:20Then the mechanics can get a grip of the thing
00:23:23and work on it.
00:23:24Chris Dyer we're seeing on screen there.
00:23:26Kimi Räikkönen's race engineer,
00:23:28formerly Michael Schumacher's race engineer.
00:23:30Maybe saying something like,
00:23:32recycle the electrics.
00:23:35Don't know if he lost the fire in that car.
00:23:37David Coulthard, 15th.
00:23:39Sebastian Bourdais, the 4-time champ car titlist,
00:23:42is on the bubble in 16th.
00:23:44Oh boy, he looks pretty strong too.
00:23:46I think he thought the time he did
00:23:48was good enough to get him through this Q1.
00:23:51Well, Coulthard won't be a threat
00:23:53because Coulthard's already in.
00:23:55And he jumps up to 6th.
00:23:57Oh, one of the four Cyndia cars has spun.
00:24:00That's Sutil, the young German.
00:24:06Session is over.
00:24:08Here comes Kubica.
00:24:10No, excuse me, Barrichello.
00:24:12From a distance, the new Honda livery
00:24:14looks a lot like the BMW.
00:24:19Barrichello's in.
00:24:20He's fine.
00:24:21Sato, can he haul himself in?
00:24:24Nope.
00:24:2820th.
00:24:29Here comes Jensen Button in the other Honda.
00:24:32He is out.
00:24:34He's in.
00:24:35Button, with a clutch drive, goes to 10th.
00:24:39Wow, that's a bit close.
00:24:41And that bumps Bourd...
00:24:43So Bourdais was bumped.
00:24:45He's now 18th.
00:24:46Fisichella is now 17th and out.
00:24:49Is Fisichella still on track?
00:24:51Oh, he's crossed the line, so he's done.
00:24:53He's out.
00:24:54Fernando Alonso's in good shape.
00:24:58Here comes Anthony Davidson.
00:25:03Nope.
00:25:04He remains tail end.
00:25:06That's it.
00:25:07Boy, that's Nakajima.
00:25:10Nelson Piquet, Junior.
00:25:12He, 21 for Renault.
00:25:15So, the drivers on the outside,
00:25:18knocked out in this session.
00:25:20Giancarlo Fisichella, the Italian veteran.
00:25:22Sebastian Bourdais, that'll be a disappointment.
00:25:25Adrian Sutil, who spun.
00:25:28Takuma Sato.
00:25:29Nelson Piquet, Junior.
00:25:32Boy, oh boy.
00:25:33He is not having a great first weekend.
00:25:35And Anthony Davidson.
00:25:36Flavio Briatore, of course, got rid of Heikki Kovalainen
00:25:39because he did not want a repeat of last year at McLaren
00:25:42when the rookie, Hamilton, gave Alonso such a run for his money.
00:25:46Because Alonso is not very good at being challenged.
00:25:50And they took on Nelson Piquet.
00:25:52And there they are, the very first race.
00:25:54He's out in qualifying one.
00:25:5621st.
00:25:59Well, Piquet's father, the three-time world champion,
00:26:02Nelson Piquet, Senior,
00:26:03made some comments during the off-season
00:26:05about how important it was for his son to go out there
00:26:08and crush Fernando Alonso in the sister car.
00:26:11Not gonna happen in Melbourne, it would appear.
00:26:14We'll take a break and get ready for our second qualifying period.
00:26:1815 minutes in length.
00:26:2015 minutes in length. Stay with us.
00:26:24Back there's world champion Kimi Raikkonen
00:26:26back in the Ferrari garage.
00:26:28We do not know what caused him to creep into the pit lane
00:26:31and stop there.
00:26:33And there is Takuma Sato.
00:26:35Not a bad effort for him, but he has been knocked out.
00:26:38Let's do the numbers, boys, beginning with the survivors.
00:26:40Wow, look at that.
00:26:41Heikki Kovalainen at the top in the McLaren.
00:26:43And Nick Heifel, again, showing that form they showed this morning.
00:26:46And his teammate, Robert Kubis, I think would have been right up there
00:26:49if not blocked by Raikkonen.
00:26:51Massen, the first surprise in Raikkonen.
00:26:53Mika Rosberg doing a good job in the Williams.
00:26:55Rubens Barrichello doing an outstanding job in the Honda.
00:26:58And David Coulthard for Red Bull.
00:27:00Quicker than his teammate, which I'm a bit surprised at.
00:27:02But he'll be in the next ten.
00:27:05These boys also making it through into Q2.
00:27:07Jarno Trulli for Toyota.
00:27:08Lewis Hamilton in the MP4-23.
00:27:11Vettel, Button, Nakajima, Alonso, Weber and Glock.
00:27:14All those boys go through.
00:27:16These fellas, however, they go no further.
00:27:19Giancarlo Fisichella, of course, India.
00:27:22Raul Bordet in his first qualifying session for Formula 1.
00:27:24He goes no further than that.
00:27:26Adrian Sutil, Sato, Nelson Piquet Jr. for Renault.
00:27:31And Anthony Davidson.
00:27:32He will line up P22 for the best friends.
00:27:36Now, we want to take you back to Kimi Raikkonen.
00:27:38Moments ago, as he crawled to a stop in his Ferrari,
00:27:41after moving himself up the leaderboard,
00:27:43he spoke on the radio to his team.
00:27:45Let's listen in.
00:28:06That was Kimi crawling out of the car.
00:28:08Sorry, I thought we had a radio transmission on there.
00:28:10What you did hear, though,
00:28:11was him going down through the gearbox and shutting off.
00:28:14Yeah, all of a sudden,
00:28:15there's obviously a problem with the transmission.
00:28:17And now, of course, the 2008 regulations,
00:28:19that is a big problem,
00:28:21because any work on the transmission now,
00:28:23for all intents and purposes,
00:28:24will cost you five spots on the grid.
00:28:27Well, recall a year ago,
00:28:29when it was his teammate Felipe Massa
00:28:31having problems in Melbourne.
00:28:32Ferrari's talking it over. We'll be back.
00:28:37Welcome back to Albert Park.
00:28:41First round of three in Knockout Formula One qualifying
00:28:44now complete.
00:28:45There is Jenson Button,
00:28:46who was 13th in that session.
00:28:48He moves through in the new Honda.
00:28:50Now, we showed you a moment ago,
00:28:52as Kimi Raikkonen crawled to a stop,
00:28:55shut the engine off on track,
00:28:56coasted into the pit lane.
00:28:58We've just gotten word from the stewards
00:29:01that the world champion will not be permitted
00:29:04to continue any further in this qualifying.
00:29:08Well, it's pure speculation,
00:29:10but think back what we were talking about earlier on.
00:29:12Remember that rule that the mechanics
00:29:13are not allowed to cross the line
00:29:15until we get their car back in?
00:29:17It may be. We didn't see it.
00:29:18We didn't see the shot,
00:29:19but it may be that one of the mechanics,
00:29:21unaware of that regulation,
00:29:22did just that, crossed over the line and touched the car,
00:29:25and the stewards and Charlie White
00:29:26and the race director will be all over that.
00:29:28We'll follow that story and find out exactly what it is,
00:29:30but that will be my instinct at the moment.
00:29:34You've heard us talk about anvils dropping out of the sky
00:29:36on to Kimi Raikkonen before,
00:29:38when wings came off.
00:29:39Well, that looks like the first anvil the season's dropped,
00:29:41but, of course, it's some incredible déjà vu
00:29:44all over again from last year,
00:29:45when exactly the same thing happened to Felipe Massa
00:29:48in Q1 here.
00:29:49That's right. The gearbox broke.
00:29:51Let's get more from Peter Windsor in the pit lane.
00:29:56Well, yeah, it looks as if down here,
00:29:57a bit of mayhem, of course,
00:29:58at the back of the Ferrari garage, as ever.
00:30:00Luca Collegiani, the head of media,
00:30:01is out the back saying that it's a fuel pressure problem
00:30:04on Kimi's car,
00:30:05but the fact that he stopped before he got to the pit lane
00:30:08meant that he retired on the circuit, in effect,
00:30:10which means that he's out of qualifying.
00:30:12Ah.
00:30:14Uh-huh.
00:30:15Well, look.
00:30:17Hmm.
00:30:19So, that would mean, what, 16th on the grid
00:30:24for Kimi Raikkonen.
00:30:27Assuming everybody goes quicker than him.
00:30:30Yeah, well, anyway.
00:30:32Well, they can't go slower than him.
00:30:33A disaster for the Ferrari team already.
00:30:37Has a look down on Albert Park on another very hot day.
00:30:41We were expecting cloud cover today.
00:30:44Instead, we have bright sunshine
00:30:45and more temperatures climbing toward the 90s.
00:30:48And, as you can see, mate,
00:30:49the old grass in Albert Park's a bit dried up.
00:30:53Drier than a certain animal's certain part.
00:30:58Anyway, team of luck is through.
00:31:02Well, I can give a little clarification now,
00:31:04looking at the sporting regs that's affected Kimi Raikkonen.
00:31:07And Peter is right.
00:31:08Any driver whose car stops on the circuit
00:31:11during the qualifying session
00:31:12will not be permitted to take any further part in the session,
00:31:15which makes me believe
00:31:16if Kimi had just been able to roll over that white line,
00:31:19he would technically have been in the pit lane
00:31:22and the guys would have been able to get it back
00:31:23and work on the car.
00:31:24So, it's not effectively that the guys crossed over
00:31:27and touched the car.
00:31:28It's that Kimi just stopped short.
00:31:30Therefore, technically, stopped on track.
00:31:32Therefore, you cannot take any further part in qualifying.
00:31:34And, of course, with 20-20 hindsight,
00:31:36he should have stopped fiddling with it earlier
00:31:38and put it to neutral and let it start rolling.
00:31:40But, I mean, obviously, he's fighting to keep the thing going.
00:31:43There you see where he stopped.
00:31:44You can't quite see the white line,
00:31:45but it's up there where that guardrail curves in
00:31:48at the top of the picture there.
00:31:52Watching Nick Heidfeld.
00:31:53Peter Windsor has more.
00:31:56Well, I don't actually have more.
00:31:57I'm just putting on my cynical hat now, Bob and Steve.
00:32:00Oh, not you.
00:32:02Because there was a bit of a rumor yesterday
00:32:05that Ferrari had some sort of fuel pressure problem as well.
00:32:07They didn't really talk to it or admit to it.
00:32:10But I'm just wondering.
00:32:11This is a rhetorical question, of course.
00:32:12How long is it before Ferrari starts saying,
00:32:14Ah, yeah, but with the McLaren electronic ECU,
00:32:17it's very difficult, you know.
00:32:18You know, it's a McLaren thing.
00:32:22Yeah, you're right, Peter.
00:32:23Absolutely.
00:32:24I mean, there was a lot of that going around the pit lane
00:32:27and testing a couple of months ago.
00:32:29I mean, Ferrari were one of the first to say,
00:32:30Well, of course, McLaren are going to have an advantage
00:32:32going into the opening rounds of the season.
00:32:34We're all using their electronic control system.
00:32:37Well, here we are, four minutes into our second
00:32:4015-minute qualifying session,
00:32:43and already we have cars on track.
00:32:45Once again, the boys are waiting.
00:32:48Tomorrow night, join David, Steve, Peter and myself
00:32:50for coverage of the Australian Grand Prix.
00:32:52Here on Speed, the action begins at midnight Eastern time
00:32:55with our Acura pre-race show,
00:32:57and we'll be with you to the checkered flag and beyond.
00:33:00It's live and it's only here on Speed.
00:33:06Here's a little speed for you, Sebastian Vettel.
00:33:13Young is driving to have a score point.
00:33:28Tell you what, he is an impressive kid.
00:33:31He is.
00:33:33I mean, we haven't seen him put a wheel wrong
00:33:36that I can recall thus far this weekend.
00:33:43Here he is.
00:33:45Well, of course, he didn't have much time to get used
00:33:47to traction control and engine braking
00:33:49before it was taken away, so it's no big deal.
00:33:52Of course, Sebastian Bordet will be the same.
00:33:57Well, you can see how much more they're fighting the cars this year.
00:34:00Absolutely.
00:34:01They really are.
00:34:05Grand total of eight Formula One starts,
00:34:08as Sebastian Vettel.
00:34:23It's going to be a pretty good time, I think.
00:34:28We expect him to go right to the top of the charts.
00:34:31And so he does.
00:34:32Oh, someone off big time.
00:34:36Who's that?
00:34:38Mark Webber, the native Australian.
00:34:43It's over on the golf course sweeper.
00:34:46Oh, dear.
00:34:47Mark Webber will not be happy about that.
00:34:50Wow.
00:34:51His finest moment was getting a point here in the Minardi
00:34:54early on in his Grand Prix career.
00:34:56This is not what he wanted to do here.
00:34:58Red flag is out.
00:35:00Yep.
00:35:02Don't forget to put the wheel back on, Mark.
00:35:07You see the new cockpit surround the bolster
00:35:10with the higher cockpit sides around the driver's head
00:35:16after the incident a year ago at this race,
00:35:18which David Coulthard slithered right across the visor
00:35:22of Alex Wirtz in the Williams.
00:35:25Yeah, let's have a look at it.
00:35:27Roll it out in the air, then.
00:35:31Big burst.
00:35:32Is that brake smoke?
00:35:33Did he blow a brake disc or something?
00:35:38Wow.
00:35:39I didn't see any bits fly out,
00:35:40but that huge cloud of carbon dust.
00:35:43Well, it was black smoke, wasn't it?
00:35:44Yeah, it was black.
00:35:46It's like the car hardly slowed at all.
00:35:49You didn't see any sign of it from that on-board shot.
00:35:54This is a brake failure of some sort.
00:35:57Yeah.
00:35:59There's his father in the background of the dark hat.
00:36:03Oh, dear.
00:36:04That's disappointing.
00:36:08Well, red flag.
00:36:11So we'll take this opportunity for a break.
00:36:13You'll have another opportunity to watch
00:36:16the local favorite slither off into the gravel.
00:36:22Welcome back to Melbourne, Australia,
00:36:24where the second qualifying session, Q2,
00:36:28has resumed after a red flag.
00:36:31The local favorite, Mark Webber,
00:36:33apparently suffered a brake problem of some sort
00:36:36in his Red Bull Renault
00:36:37and slithered off the racetrack into a gravel trap.
00:36:41He is now done.
00:36:42This is the Ferrari of Felipe Massa,
00:36:44whose teammate, last year's pole sitter,
00:36:46race winner and world champion,
00:36:48Kimi Räikkönen,
00:36:49is taking no further part in the session
00:36:52after an apparent mechanical failure
00:36:54left him stranded at the very edge of the pit entry.
00:36:59If he'd just crossed the pit lane boundary line,
00:37:02he'd have been fine,
00:37:03but he didn't have enough momentum
00:37:05in the lifeless Ferrari
00:37:07to coax it back into the pit lane,
00:37:08and so Kimi Räikkönen is done.
00:37:10Ferrari's hopes now all rest on Felipe Massa's shoulders.
00:37:17Right now, David Coulthard tops the chart,
00:37:20Sebastian Vettel is second,
00:37:22and those are the only two drivers
00:37:24who have posted a complete lap.
00:37:32There's Lewis Hamilton.
00:37:34There's going to be a scramble any second now.
00:37:37Seven minutes, 7.05,
00:37:39just about seven minutes to go in this second session.
00:37:44Let's look at Kaz Nakajima
00:37:46following his father, Satoru Nakajima,
00:37:48into Formula One.
00:37:50First father-son Japanese driver combination.
00:37:55Nakajima and Nelson Piquet,
00:37:57who are in this race,
00:37:59of course their two fathers
00:38:01raced together at Lotus many years ago.
00:38:06Lotus-Hondas.
00:38:13Kaz, you remember, sure enough,
00:38:15Felipe Massa jumps to the top of the timesheet
00:38:18on those two sectors.
00:38:21This last sector seems to be
00:38:24very bumpy on approach to that breaker there.
00:38:27That's the problematic sector right there around the track.
00:38:29You see a lot of cars run wide on that corner.
00:38:33Massa well ahead of the pace.
00:38:35He's got only four tenths.
00:38:39He's going to get him into the 25s,
00:38:41which is a pretty good time.
00:38:46So he was green in sector one,
00:38:48meaning his personal best split.
00:38:50Purple in sector two, meaning best of all,
00:38:52although he was just one up,
00:38:54he's still in the lead.
00:38:56He's going to get him into the 25s,
00:38:58which is a pretty good time.
00:39:00Best of all, although he was just one upped by Jensen Button,
00:39:03currently shown in 11th.
00:39:05Button has gone green in sector one,
00:39:08purple in sector two,
00:39:10and now he is undone by Nico Rosberg
00:39:12in the Williams Toyota,
00:39:14who in turn is bumped by Robert Kubica,
00:39:16and Felipe Massa goes purple in sector three
00:39:19and goes to the top of the time charts,
00:39:21125.691.
00:39:23That is a pretty good time.
00:39:26Looking for Robert Kubica,
00:39:28purple in the first two sectors.
00:39:41There you get an idea
00:39:43of how much that traction control takes away.
00:39:47Kubica to the top.
00:39:50Could we see our first pole on pole?
00:39:52That's the fastest lap of the weekend so far, 25.3.
00:39:55He's fastest in sector two and three.
00:39:59There's Sebastien Bordet,
00:40:01who is done, knocked out in session one.
00:40:05Yeah, I thought he was looking pretty good.
00:40:07I think he's doing pretty well too.
00:40:09Hamz is just starting a flying lap.
00:40:12Let's ride along with him for a while.
00:40:25Just, yeah, that's where Mark Webber went off.
00:40:27Just a little tag ahead of Kubica there.
00:40:30His teammate, Heikki Kovalainen,
00:40:32has just gone P2.
00:40:36The car riding well over the kerbs.
00:40:39And look at the lack of steering input
00:40:41from Hamilton to compare to some of the people
00:40:43we've been seeing.
00:40:45It's just a matter of time.
00:40:47It's just a matter of time.
00:40:49It's just a matter of time.
00:40:51It's just a matter of time.
00:40:53At least some of the people we've been seeing.
00:40:57This is the golf course section.
00:41:00He's fastest through the first two sectors.
00:41:0228.3, sector one, 22.9,
00:41:04sector two for Lewis Hamilton.
00:41:06Substantially quicker.
00:41:15And again, remember, the objective, really,
00:41:17in Q2 is only to get into Q3.
00:41:19You do not have to set pole time now.
00:41:21You've got to be fast enough, but only fast enough to break into Q3.
00:41:25Oh, nice bit of holding there.
00:41:3225.1.
00:41:33Oh wow, now that is a heck of a time.
00:41:38Two tenths up on Kubica's best.
00:41:43Three tenths on his teammate Kovalainen.
00:41:45Cruising back, because as Steve has just said, this is not the one that counts.
00:41:49Although that could well end up as fastest qualifying lap of the weekend.
00:41:54Now look at the knockouts on the red numbers to the left.
00:41:57ALO is Alonso, Weber we know will not be back out.
00:42:00Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock, Kaz Nakajima and Kimi Raikkonen, who we also know will not be out.
00:42:08He used all the road on the exit of that last corner.
00:42:11Michael Schumacher found that wall a couple of years ago.
00:42:15There's Heikki Kovalainen's McLaren being pushed back.
00:42:18But as a result of Michael Schumacher doing just exactly that thing,
00:42:22it was very, very rough and bouncy, which caught him out badly.
00:42:25And they've graded it a lot, lot better now.
00:42:28There are your best sector times.
00:42:29There was only one Hamilton did not get, putting him two hundredths of a second away from the ideal lap.
00:42:36Combining the best sector times.
00:42:42But you're right, David.
00:42:43Picking up on what you were talking about, this may be the fastest qualifying time we see of the weekend.
00:42:47Remember, there's no fuel burn period in Q3 any longer.
00:42:51So the cars that start Q3 will have to have enough fuel on board for their first stint.
00:42:56So unlike last year, where you put the fuel on, burn it off,
00:42:59and then you may well end up with next to no fuel in the tank instead of comparative time to Q2.
00:43:04That ain't going to happen any longer because you're going to have basically race fuel on board as soon as Q3 kicks off.
00:43:10Which, of course, could affect people who are like in 10th, 11th, 10th, 9th, 8th and 7th.
00:43:14Because guys in 11th, 12th and 13th might have a better fuel situation.
00:43:19Yeah, absolutely. Those guys that did not make it out of Q2,
00:43:23those guys will be able to play with their fuel up until 90 minutes before the start of the race.
00:43:27Yeah.
00:43:28Last gasp for Rubens Barrichello.
00:43:30Was on the bubble in 10th spot for Honda.
00:43:35Here's Ross Brawn.
00:43:37New technical, new team principal, I should say, for the factory Honda team.
00:43:41Well, if he gets both cars into Q2, that will be a substantial step up from last year already in the first race.
00:43:48Q3.
00:43:48Q3, I mean, yeah.
00:43:50Barrichello said something interesting about having Ross Brawn in the team now
00:43:53with his great reputation for organization and calm under pressure.
00:43:58Barrichello says, we won't have situations like I had in, I believe it was Brazil or China last year.
00:44:03He said, the radio came on and you'd hear someone say,
00:44:06pit, pit, pit this lap, and you'd hear people in the background saying,
00:44:09no, no, no, don't pit now.
00:44:11He said, we won't have any more of that with Ross in the team.
00:44:13No, no, that wouldn't be very good, no.
00:44:18Of course, Barrichello knows Ross from his Ferrari days.
00:44:21Yeah.
00:44:23Typically, there is very little communication between team to driver.
00:44:26You don't want to distract him.
00:44:28Yep.
00:44:28Just tell him exactly what he wants to know and nothing else.
00:44:32Down to the last 10 seconds.
00:44:35Alonso, still in the knockout zone.
00:44:40Though he went green in Sector 1.
00:44:44Will he improve?
00:44:45Barrichello, yep, up to 7th.
00:44:47Vettel now on the bubble in 10th.
00:44:53There's Vettel up to 6th.
00:44:54Vettel goes to 6th.
00:44:55Wow.
00:44:56Here comes Kubica.
00:44:57So now Bunn on the bubble.
00:44:59P10 in Honda.
00:45:00He stays 2nd.
00:45:01Barrichello in 8th, as you can see on the graphic.
00:45:04Looking for Nico Rosberg.
00:45:06Here comes Nico Rosberg in 7th.
00:45:11He stays there.
00:45:12Stays there.
00:45:13And Jarno Trulli in the Toyota.
00:45:14Jarno Trulli.
00:45:16Nope.
00:45:17Oh, to 8th.
00:45:20David Coulthard is on the button.
00:45:23As on the bubble.
00:45:24Button is bumped.
00:45:26Here comes Alonso.
00:45:27He's got to get in.
00:45:28Does he do it?
00:45:29No.
00:45:30No, 11th.
00:45:30Alonso is out.
00:45:32And now he's bumped to 12th.
00:45:35Block is in, in the Toyota.
00:45:38Wow.
00:45:42Button and Barrichello are out, along with Alonso.
00:45:45Oh, boy.
00:45:47Yep.
00:45:50Wow.
00:45:52Barrichello, Alonso, Button, Nakajima, Weber, and Raikkonen.
00:45:57Well, the Honda guys were looking good for a time,
00:46:00but they didn't get it in the end.
00:46:0211th, Barrichello.
00:46:04Boy, they were looking pretty good.
00:46:06I thought they were in stoutly, but...
00:46:08It's amazing how those lap times fall in the closing seconds, isn't it?
00:46:12Both the Hondas do not make it into Q3,
00:46:14but nonetheless, a definite improvement in the team.
00:46:17You can sense that.
00:46:18This is only the second time in his career
00:46:21that Fernando Alonso has missed
00:46:23getting into the third and final qualifying session
00:46:27under the knockout format.
00:46:29Flavio Briatore can't believe it.
00:46:31On board with Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber.
00:46:35Using all that curve in that...
00:46:37Did he break something?
00:46:39Runs it down the rumble strip.
00:46:41I mean, it doesn't do him any good going over all that rumble strip,
00:46:44especially the bottom of these cars.
00:46:46They're so finely tuned for ground effect.
00:46:49Well, I wonder what Sebastian Bordet thinks of the fact
00:46:52that his teammate, young Vettel,
00:46:54just 20 years young, is up in 6th,
00:46:57and he will go to the run for pole.
00:46:59We'll be back to do the numbers in a moment.
00:47:01Stay with us.
00:47:05Welcome back.
00:47:06Felipe Massa's Ferrari in the garage,
00:47:08being prepared for the final round of knockout qualifying.
00:47:13Let's check the survivors first.
00:47:14Well, here they go.
00:47:15Lewis Hamilton with an absolutely incredible time of 25.1.
00:47:18Robert Kubica in the BMW,
00:47:20maintaining that from this morning.
00:47:22Kovalainen in the second McLaren,
00:47:23then Heidfeld in the second BMW.
00:47:25Felipe Massa in the Ferrari.
00:47:27Vettel, Sebastian Vettel, 20 years old,
00:47:29his 8th race in the Toro Rosso.
00:47:31Fantastic.
00:47:32Nico Rosberg, David Coulthard in Red Bull,
00:47:34and then the two Toyotas.
00:47:35They're looking better than ever as well.
00:47:37But look who's out.
00:47:39These guys do not make it into Q3,
00:47:41and look at some famous faces there.
00:47:43Rubens Barrichello in love with Ferrando Alonso.
00:47:45Back with Renault.
00:47:46He does not advance into Q3.
00:47:48Jenson Button, Kaz Nakajima, Mark Webber,
00:47:51and poor old Kimi Räikkönen there with fuel problems.
00:47:55These guys do not go any further either, of course.
00:47:57These didn't get out of Q1.
00:47:59Fisichella, Borde, Sutil, Sato,
00:48:02Nelson Pico, Jr., and Anthony Davidson.
00:48:05So no Renault in Q3.
00:48:08A pretty staggering run by young Sebastian Vettel.
00:48:11That's the first time the Toro Rosso Ferraris
00:48:13have had a car in Q3 in dry conditions.
00:48:17We'll be back to see how he does in a moment.
00:48:22Personally, I feel the only way is up.
00:48:24But I think I'm more determined than I was last year.
00:48:29I feel I'm more experienced, more confident.
00:48:35I think as a team, us together are stronger.
00:48:40And with Heikki on board as well,
00:48:42I think he represents real true talent.
00:48:45So I think it should be an exciting season for us all.
00:48:52Well, having one of the younger and least experienced
00:48:54driver combinations on the grid
00:48:56is certainly a gamble in 2008 for McLaren.
00:48:59How's Alonso going to take to being lapped by Lewis Hamilton?
00:49:03I don't know. We'll ask him.
00:49:05We'll find out tomorrow.
00:49:07We may well.
00:49:08Nick Heidfeld, how about the BMW Saubers?
00:49:10I tell you what, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica
00:49:13are right up there, so they are obviously the real deal.
00:49:16The clock is now running for the now 10 minute,
00:49:19shortened by five minutes.
00:49:20It's a 10 minute Q3 session.
00:49:23How much fuel they got on board, Steve?
00:49:27If we assume that they're going to run a short first stint,
00:49:30again, this is all speculative.
00:49:31Let's say they run 10 laps in the opening stint of the race now
00:49:34as opposed to 15 or so.
00:49:36They could be like 1.6 seconds slower than they were in Q2.
00:49:42Is Lewis Hamilton?
00:49:43It's difficult to say because we don't know how much fuel,
00:49:45how deep they're going to run in the first stint.
00:49:48I would guess a second and a half, 1.6, 1.7 seconds slower
00:49:52than we've seen them.
00:49:54Now the crowd is still reeling from watching Mark Webber
00:49:57go spearing off the racetrack after an apparent brake failure.
00:50:00Peter Windsor is with Webber.
00:50:04Yeah, we can see on the camera, on the TV, Mark,
00:50:06massive black smoke coming out as you hit the brakes going in there.
00:50:09Yeah, it looks like something's not happy,
00:50:11lined up or something's failed.
00:50:14It's hard for me to see that from the cockpit, so yeah.
00:50:17All you could do is just straight line the car
00:50:19and try and keep it on the island?
00:50:20Yeah, I tried to then swing it around
00:50:22so I go in a bit backwards as well, but gravel did OK for me
00:50:25and it looks like I just kissed the rear of the car on the fence.
00:50:29But yeah, it starts 7th now, so that's a pain.
00:50:33Thanks, Mark.
00:50:36More than a pain, I tell you, you know,
00:50:38it's nothing like doing something well in front of your home crowd
00:50:41and Silverstone was never my lucky track
00:50:44and it always used to disappoint me terribly
00:50:46and I can understand he must feel just absolutely gutted to be down there
00:50:49because that car has proven to be very quick this weekend.
00:50:52Both him and Coulthard have been quick all weekend.
00:50:54And you heard Webber say we'll start 7th or 8th,
00:50:56what he actually meant to say was 15th.
00:50:59Yeah.
00:51:00That's where Mark Webber will start.
00:51:01A worrying technical failure for the team as well
00:51:04because, you know, to have a brakeless failure in qualifying,
00:51:07if you're going to have a brake failure,
00:51:08you're expected to be towards the end of the race
00:51:10where everybody's worrying about, you know, brake condition.
00:51:13But in qualifying?
00:51:14Mm-hmm.
00:51:15Well, I wonder if one of the reasons why the car is so fast
00:51:17is because they're running the absolute minimum brake disc
00:51:20to keep the mass, keep the weight down
00:51:21and, you know, we know that weight and mass is everything
00:51:24and Adrian Dewey, an aerodynamicist, would want to keep that to a minimum
00:51:27but, well, you've got to tread very carefully
00:51:30when you hit that line of reliability.
00:51:32Might want to beef them up a little bit for Sunday.
00:51:34Yeah.
00:51:35Sebastian Vettel is already...
00:51:37Ooh, that was curve of the line and sort of trying to get out of the way
00:51:40but actually was right on line on the exit of that corner
00:51:42so that put Vettel off a little bit, I'll bet.
00:51:46It's so hard to get out of the way properly when you're racing.
00:51:49Getting out of the way is almost as difficult as overtaking people.
00:51:59Good look at the skyline of downtown Melbourne
00:52:01in the background of Albert Park.
00:52:04It's grown up a lot over the last few years
00:52:06since we've been covering this race, hasn't it?
00:52:08It's just changed enormously.
00:52:09Mm-hmm.
00:52:13Oh!
00:52:17Once again, the first time that a Toro Rosso Ferrari
00:52:21has been in a Q3 pole-qualifying session in the dry
00:52:27in the history of the format.
00:52:28They did it once at Fuji, but that was in the wet.
00:52:31Well, old Vettel actually led the race in Fuji in the wet.
00:52:36Yeah.
00:52:37Which was only, what, his sixth race? His fifth race?
00:52:40Chaotic race last year.
00:52:41He scored a point at the U.S. Grand Prix when he was only 19.
00:52:44In a BMW Sauber.
00:52:47He comes off, and we're on board with Nico Rosberg
00:52:50in the Williams Toyota.
00:52:51So Vettel obviously decided to abort that lap, too.
00:52:53Yeah.
00:52:54He went in the pit.
00:52:55He's yet to put one on the board.
00:52:58He's going to catch him up at the wrong place.
00:53:11Rosberg goes to P1.
00:53:12That's the first hot lap we've seen completed.
00:53:16Here comes Nick Heidfeld.
00:53:17Well, Heidfeld looks very quickly, doesn't he?
00:53:19Yes, he does.
00:53:20All on soft tires, but as Steve said,
00:53:22they're going to be slow if they were in that Q2 for sure.
00:53:25That time of Rosberg's a 29.1 compared to a 26 flat for Q2.
00:53:33Heidfeld to P1.
00:53:37Meanwhile, Massa has gone purple in Sector 1.
00:53:42On board with Heikki Kovalainen in the McLaren.
00:53:49Well, he did his personal best in Sector 1.
00:53:52Massa has done the best of the session.
00:53:54They've done purple in Sector 2 for Kovalainen,
00:53:56so he's on the hunt here.
00:53:59But Massa, well, went purple in Sector 2,
00:54:03and he was then beaten by Lewis Hamilton
00:54:05in the other McLaren Mercedes.
00:54:09Boy, they're down to five minutes now.
00:54:10This is, you know, none of that stooging around for five minutes
00:54:13or seven minutes.
00:54:14Whoa!
00:54:15Oh, Kovalainen getting an armful of luck there.
00:54:17I tell you, we're going to see a lot of that this year.
00:54:19Less than five minutes from our first pole of the year.
00:54:22Kovalainen, who was like Nelson Piquet this year in the Renault.
00:54:26Last year in the Renault, he had a dismal qualifying,
00:54:28a dismal race.
00:54:29So far, quickest in the 27.5.
00:54:32Surely, Massa, 27.1.
00:54:35Hamilton P1 at a 27 out level.
00:54:38This is going just the way we want it.
00:54:40McLaren and Ferrari taking it to each other in the first round.
00:54:44Awesome!
00:54:46Oh, wow.
00:54:48Hamilton, 27.0.
00:54:50Massa, 27.1.
00:54:52Kovalainen, 27.5.
00:54:54Now, will they come in for another set of softs?
00:54:57Will Hamilton follow Massa?
00:54:58Here you see that replay of Kovalainen there,
00:55:01getting an armful.
00:55:05Quick flick of the wrist.
00:55:07And you adjust it.
00:55:10Yet to see a time from Sebastian Vettel or Timo Glock.
00:55:16Wow.
00:55:19Choosing all the road and then some.
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00:55:42There's Robert Kubica.
00:55:43Did he get...
00:55:44Did he pass that car behind him there?
00:55:46I think he got caught up in traffic again.
00:55:49Not having much luck.
00:55:52That's Rosberg in the Williams, I believe.
00:55:54Yeah.
00:55:57Rosberg currently lying in seventh spot.
00:55:59Kubica in eighth.
00:56:02If you've got a pit, you better do it quickly.
00:56:04Yep, they're all in.
00:56:07New shoes and away we go.
00:56:09Oh boy, and then they'll all be complaining about the traffic.
00:56:12Wow, here we go.
00:56:15Makes the hair stand up on the back of your head.
00:56:17This is where the team come in,
00:56:18they've got to do a good job here,
00:56:19making sure everything's right.
00:56:21Looks like Vettel is done.
00:56:22Oh, Vettel's out.
00:56:24Uh-oh, engine cover off at the back.
00:56:26I hope he doesn't have a problem.
00:56:28He is ninth without a time.
00:56:30Timo Black does not have a time.
00:56:37Hmm, Hamilton.
00:56:40A little trouble with the right front.
00:56:42Take your time, boys, take your time.
00:56:44Just what you were talking about, David,
00:56:45you know, the pressure's on the team now.
00:56:47Well, McLaren's learning to use those front wheel covers.
00:56:50That may have been part of the problem.
00:56:53I wonder whether or not Vettel's strategy
00:56:56is not being able to take the fight further up the grid.
00:57:00You know that you've got to start the race
00:57:02on your opening stint of fuel,
00:57:04so why burn it off?
00:57:06Keep it in the tank.
00:57:08You know you're not going to be able to improve
00:57:09your qualifying position,
00:57:10just get your position set at the back of the grid
00:57:14of the first ten, and away you go.
00:57:16You've got a couple of laps more fuel on board.
00:57:17To be realistic, you know,
00:57:18there's no way he's going to be beating
00:57:19Hamilton, Massa, Kovalainen,
00:57:21or even the two BMWs, probably.
00:57:23Again, it's just speculation,
00:57:25but knowing how the fuel regs work now in Q3,
00:57:28you've got two more laps,
00:57:29three more laps on board by not racing him.
00:57:33We understand Glock has taken to the track,
00:57:35so Sebastian Vettel, it appears,
00:57:38will start tenth, but as you said,
00:57:40Steve, he'll have the majority of his fuel
00:57:43still on board when he starts the race.
00:57:45Maybe, maybe we'll follow it.
00:57:50Robert Kubica on his out lap,
00:57:52he's about to start his last timed lap.
00:57:58Every year ago, when the BMWs qualified so well here,
00:58:01Nick Heidfeld was on the second row,
00:58:02and Ron Dennis was so disparaging,
00:58:05saying, well, they obviously have a,
00:58:07you know, an untenable fuel strategy.
00:58:09Unraceable strategy.
00:58:10Unraceable strategy.
00:58:15Here's Hamilton, coasting along,
00:58:16timing, oh, wait a minute.
00:58:18Less than a minute to go, boys.
00:58:21Going to try to time it to get to start finish.
00:58:23He wants to get some heat in those tires.
00:58:25Oh, there's a car up front,
00:58:26which he's a bit nervous about, I think.
00:58:28Yeah, he should be in good shape.
00:58:30He'll get it started.
00:58:31Yeah, he will, but I think it's his engineers
00:58:33just trying to hang back, because it's...
00:58:35It's Kubica.
00:58:38Robert Kubica on her last, last lap.
00:58:41Can he, in fact, snag a pole position?
00:58:45Timo Block has just upstaged Sebastian Vettel.
00:58:47Not so far.
00:58:49The BMWs have been saying,
00:58:50we're coming this year, we want a race win this year.
00:58:53It's the first year they've said it,
00:58:54but they've been coming stronger and stronger every year.
00:58:57Now they're looking for a win.
00:59:01Oh!
00:59:03Frankie, that's crazy, the wall, that is.
00:59:06Oh, my boy.
00:59:07You want to leave those white letters on the sidewall.
00:59:10Doing the Mario there.
00:59:11Ah, look at that, up again.
00:59:12He can't.
00:59:14That'll cost him time.
00:59:17Not too much.
00:59:18He kept his leg right in it.
00:59:19I think he did.
00:59:20I don't know how he lost that much time.
00:59:22He may not be too badly hurt.
00:59:23Hamilton's quicker through sector one now.
00:59:26Checkered flag waves.
00:59:27This'll do it.
00:59:30Here's Hamilton.
00:59:34Quickest in sector two.
00:59:35This could be a special lap.
00:59:37Oh, wow, it is going to blow.
00:59:39It's like, it is.
00:59:45Kubica goes to pole.
00:59:49Even with that off,
00:59:51so he'll be just kicking himself.
00:59:53Kovalainen into second.
00:59:55Some smoke, a little brake lock-up by the car in front, I think.
01:00:00Final corner.
01:00:01He comes out of that last corner,
01:00:04just pushing that pedal through the floor.
01:00:08Hamilton!
01:00:10McLaren, 28.7, 23.3, 34.6.
01:00:15Now Massa slowed down.
01:00:17He does not have another time to post.
01:00:21Nick Heidfeld coming up now.
01:00:22Nick Heidfeld's done his personal best,
01:00:24but it's not going to be good enough.
01:00:25He's hoping for a second row, I believe.
01:00:28Come on, man, come on!
01:00:30No, the inside row three.
01:00:34And that'll do it.
01:00:36Lewis Hamilton.
01:00:37I'll tell you what,
01:00:38Lewis Hamilton did an outstanding time.
01:00:41Congratulations, boys.
01:00:42A 26.7.
01:00:43They did an outstanding job.
01:00:45So that's exactly 1.6 seconds slower, like you said.
01:00:49He's 1.6 seconds slower.
01:00:51I'll tell you, Dave.
01:00:52Pole number seven for Lewis Hamilton
01:00:54in his brief Formula One career.
01:00:57This was the moment for Kubica.
01:01:00And that is Robert Kubica there is second.
01:01:04He is...
01:01:06And he won a bad pole there.
01:01:07I don't think so.
01:01:08He's a second slower.
01:01:09I don't think that cost him a second,
01:01:10but it would have cost him five or six tenths for sure.
01:01:14But even so, that's an outstanding effort.
01:01:17Let's listen to Lewis.
01:01:25Or not.
01:01:31Well, he's speechless.
01:01:34So much for that.
01:01:35I misread the times.
01:01:37In fact, that probably did cost Kubica the pole.
01:01:39He's only one tenth slower.
01:01:40That was a fantastic lap by the BMWs.
01:01:43Now the question is,
01:01:44how much fuel does Lewis Hamilton still have on board?
01:01:47However much it is,
01:01:48he's going slow because he wants to conserve it all.
01:01:51We'll be back.
01:02:01Welcome back to Melbourne, Australia,
01:02:03where qualifying is now over,
01:02:05but the show continues, I can assure you.
01:02:07The Aussies love to put on a show.
01:02:09Let's go to the interview room and Peter Windsor.
01:02:13After a sensational qualifying session,
01:02:16congratulations are due to the fastest three qualifiers
01:02:19for the ING Australian Grand Prix.
01:02:21Third fastest for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes,
01:02:23Heikki Kovalainen.
01:02:25Second quickest and starting from the front row
01:02:27for the first time in his career for BMW Sauber,
01:02:29Robert Kubica.
01:02:30On the pole for the seventh time in his career,
01:02:33also for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes,
01:02:35Lewis Hamilton.
01:02:36Lewis, a new look to qualifying,
01:02:38a sensational qualifying session.
01:02:40Obviously, we don't know the fuel loads that were involved,
01:02:42but your friend Robert put you under massive pressure
01:02:44with two or three minutes to go.
01:02:46He did, and both these drivers here did a fantastic job.
01:02:49It's good to see Robert up there with us,
01:02:51but also to see Heikki.
01:02:53His first race with the team, he's done a fantastic job,
01:02:55and it was very, very close.
01:02:57Obviously, in the first session, Q1,
01:03:00I didn't really get a good lap.
01:03:02I got held up at some point.
01:03:03I don't know which BMW that was, but it doesn't really matter.
01:03:06But then the last lap, I was able to really string it out
01:03:10and put the sectors together.
01:03:12Spectacular driving over two days here in Melbourne.
01:03:14Your verdict on the new technical regulations
01:03:16and what it's like inside the car now?
01:03:18Well, I've always been for them.
01:03:21I really do like the new regulations we have.
01:03:24Driving without traction control,
01:03:26it's slightly different, obviously, than driving with it,
01:03:29but it really brings out, I guess,
01:03:32the best in all the drivers,
01:03:33and you really have to push yourself.
01:03:35But, you know, the feeling in the car is great.
01:03:37The car feels fantastic.
01:03:39I think the team have done a fantastic job, really,
01:03:41to prepare the car this weekend,
01:03:43but also get all the bits out here.
01:03:45So to all the guys back home, good job.
01:03:48Talk us through that pole lap, Lewis.
01:03:50A lot of pressure, as we say.
01:03:51How good was it? How does that rank with your others?
01:03:53I could do better, for sure.
01:03:56Being in pole, it's a great feeling,
01:03:59but there's always improvements you can make.
01:04:01But, no, I think the lap started off very well,
01:04:04but I find the gap is always very, very tricky,
01:04:07and I had a huge gap,
01:04:09but then all of a sudden, at the last corner,
01:04:11I saw there was a Williams up ahead,
01:04:13so I was pretty much behind the Williams,
01:04:16I think two or three seconds behind the Williams
01:04:18for most of the lap.
01:04:20So whether or not that makes a difference, who knows?
01:04:22But, you know, I'm happy with the result.
01:04:25Congratulations to you. Brilliant result for you.
01:04:27And, Robert, congratulations to you too
01:04:29for some unbelievable slides too.
01:04:32What a spectacular lap that was.
01:04:33Talk us through that quickest lap of yours.
01:04:36Yeah, fortunately, I made a mistake in corner 12
01:04:39where I went off over the artificial grass.
01:04:42I lost more than a couple of tenths there,
01:04:44but, you know, this is the risk.
01:04:46We knew we can make some good results in qualifying,
01:04:50and I took quite a lot of risk,
01:04:52which, yeah, in the end didn't pay off
01:04:55because I lost more and I could maybe stay in front of Luis,
01:04:59but anyway, I think it's a great achievement of all team,
01:05:02especially that beginning of the season,
01:05:04beginning of testing was quite hard
01:05:06for the people who have designed this car,
01:05:08who have built this car,
01:05:10but we have done a very good job.
01:05:12All people in Munich and in Himmel
01:05:14have worked very hard to be here,
01:05:17and thanks to them, I'm here.
01:05:19Talk us through the weekend,
01:05:21because yesterday didn't appear to be brilliantly quick,
01:05:24and then today, right on the pace from minute one.
01:05:27Yeah, yesterday we faced some problems.
01:05:30This year's car is pretty difficult to balance it,
01:05:33and it's extremely difficult to find the right balance
01:05:37and the right setup,
01:05:39especially when the track is green,
01:05:41and yesterday's conditions were very difficult, very windy.
01:05:44Also in qualifying, we had already some wind,
01:05:47but anyway, we have done a good job,
01:05:50and let's hope for the race.
01:05:52It looks like without traction control,
01:05:54without aids under braking,
01:05:56that you're loving it just as much as Lewis.
01:05:58Well, I found it really no difference with TC or not TC.
01:06:03I found it like two runs in winter testing,
01:06:06and I forgot how it was with TC,
01:06:08but what is strange,
01:06:10I found much better braking stability
01:06:12without engine brake assistance,
01:06:17which means that I think we missed something last year with this system,
01:06:23but anyway, it's gone.
01:06:24We think about the future,
01:06:26and I think we are in good shape.
01:06:29Congratulations to you.
01:06:31Hecky, turning to you, a fantastic result for the team.
01:06:33First Ferrari down in fourth place now,
01:06:35and you were quickest in Q1 as well.
01:06:37Talk us through qualifying.
01:06:39It was like all weekend has been fairly smooth.
01:06:42I've just tried to take things steady,
01:06:45not to make any mistakes,
01:06:46and just push a little bit more all the time,
01:06:50and Q1 was a reasonable lap,
01:06:53and the car felt pretty good,
01:06:55balanced all the way through the qualifying sessions,
01:06:57and just at the end,
01:06:59didn't manage to nail a perfect lap,
01:07:01but this is the way it is now.
01:07:03I think it's a very good start with my new team,
01:07:07and I'm very happy in this new team,
01:07:09and I'm really looking forward to the whole season
01:07:11and already the race tomorrow.
01:07:13Talk a little bit about the team,
01:07:15and the character of the team,
01:07:16and how you're integrating with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.
01:07:19Well, I think it's great motivation,
01:07:22back in walking,
01:07:23and also the support from Mercedes is fantastic.
01:07:26It's a huge team,
01:07:27a lot of people involved,
01:07:29and like this weekend,
01:07:31although we've had very good practice sessions,
01:07:34the boys worked last night until 5.30,
01:07:36they picked up a problem overnight,
01:07:38and managed to fix a problem
01:07:40which potentially could have been a threat in the race,
01:07:42so this is the type of energy
01:07:45that we have at the moment in our team,
01:07:47and it's really fantastic.
01:07:49I'm very lucky to be part of it now,
01:07:51and I will just make sure
01:07:52that I can keep my position here,
01:07:54and build up a good and strong future with them.
01:07:57Congratulations, great job.
01:07:58Lewis, returning to you for final thoughts,
01:08:00as Hecky said,
01:08:01a great fillip for the team this.
01:08:03Your thoughts on that,
01:08:04and also,
01:08:05I haven't escaped your notice,
01:08:06I guess,
01:08:07that Kimi Räikkönen is down in 16th place,
01:08:08Felipe Massa fourth,
01:08:09what a way for the team to start the year
01:08:11after the tribulations perhaps of 07.
01:08:14Absolutely,
01:08:15I think we just turned over a new leaf,
01:08:18and as Hecky said,
01:08:20Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have done a fantastic job,
01:08:23they've pushed right to the limit,
01:08:25and again last night we had a couple of problems,
01:08:27they were just ready to do whatever they needed,
01:08:30and they're here today,
01:08:31pushed very, very hard,
01:08:32got the car set up properly,
01:08:34and we're out there,
01:08:36and ready to start the season,
01:08:37it couldn't be a better position for both of us.
01:08:42Well, here's a sobering thought for pole sitter Lewis Hamilton,
01:08:44in 12 previous runnings of this race,
01:08:46the pole sitter has either led the first lap,
01:08:48or crashed.