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The Thursday Qualifying session for Round 7 of the 2003 F1 season at Monaco.
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00:00Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2003 Formula 1 season on Speed Channel.
00:14Today we bring you live coverage of provisional qualifying for the streets of Monte Carlo, round 7 of 17.
00:20I'm David Hobbs and joining me today is our technical analyst, Steve Maché.
00:24And of course, by virtue of leading the Drivers' Championship, Kimi Räikkönen is the first driver to take the track and he's starting his warm-up lap.
00:31Steve, a very tricky circuit and I think qualifying all weekend today and tomorrow brought to you on Speed Channel.
00:37They're going to be great sessions.
00:38Absolutely, it's going to be terrific. This is the jewel in the crown, really, as far as Formula 1 races are concerned.
00:44Tensions are high. We just saw Räikkönen just seconds before coming on air,
00:48stall the car as he attempted to leave the pit lane on this warm-up lap.
00:50It's something that we very rarely see Räikkönen do, so you can see the tensions are high.
00:56Qualifying at an absolute premium today.
00:59These cars will be flat out, they will be desperate to get out last in the session tomorrow for qualifying for real to set the grid for Sunday's race, David.
01:08Of course, a lot of action taking place on this track this weekend.
01:11Obviously, normally, these are the everyday streets of Monte Carlo.
01:14We've got a Porsche Super Cup race, of course, we've got the Formula 3000 race, which we'll be coming to you live on Saturday morning after qualifying.
01:21That's tomorrow.
01:22So a lot of rubber's going to go down on this track.
01:24That's two days' time, of course, that's Saturday.
01:27But Kimi Räikkönen out first today, so the track is going to be at its worst now for this session.
01:32Yeah, the track is going to be very green, as you rightly say, David, all public roads.
01:36This is a very twisty, winding road course around the streets, really, of a very small French holiday town.
01:45This is not really what you consider to be a Formula 1 circuit in any true sense of the word.
01:49But because of the colossal amount of money that the sponsors are putting into this sport, this is the occasion that they all come out.
01:57They are wired and dined and treated to the absolute nth degree.
02:00Let's listen to Räikkönen's car.
02:02Oh, we didn't have long there, did we?
02:05This is the Mirabeau.
02:06As you can see, these downhill turns, very inducing of understeer.
02:10I'm going through this one here, the Lowe's hairpin.
02:12It used to be the old station hairpin, now the Lowe's Hotel's there.
02:14All this is very steeply downhill.
02:16And at Portier here, it all flattens out, and then they rock it into the tunnel.
02:20Yeah, about 190 miles an hour straight through this tunnel, flat out.
02:24There are huge arc lights to try and give the driver some assistance.
02:29Of course, shining away from his eyes, not towards him, of course.
02:31But it's tremendously difficult.
02:34Look at the suspension working on the McLaren now.
02:37These guys are normally the best in the field for getting their car to work mechanically over the course at Monaco.
02:43And you see a big slide there from Räikkönen as it comes down to the new swimming pool complex.
02:48Big changes here, David, to the circuit.
02:49They revised the layout just a little bit going down into that Raskas corner from the swimming pool.
02:54They have.
02:54Well, the whole swimming pool complex is new to try and give them more room in the pits.
02:58Now, Räikkönen, obviously, is going to be on the pole, certainly for the time being.
03:02With a 1.17.9 this morning, he was actually ninth quickest, and he did a 1.17.2.
03:08So he was quicker this morning than this afternoon.
03:11Yeah.
03:12Watch again.
03:13This is the McLaren.
03:14Just get in the back and step out a little bit.
03:17You see how they've resurfaced that area as well.
03:17Pretty nice rotation there, actually.
03:19Use that inside kerb to flick the car one way and seem to catch it all pretty nicely, I thought.
03:24But still in all, a 1.17.9 last year's pole was one Pablo Montoya, but a 1.16.6.7.
03:33And this morning, Webber, Mark Webber, did a 1.16.3.
03:37So some excitement to come from him.
03:39Michael Schumacher, of course, out second this morning.
03:42Obviously, desperately trying to be very quick today so he can be last out tomorrow, which is the day that really counts.
03:50You just saw on that high overhead shot there, you see how the circuit had changed going from the swimming pool down to Raskas.
03:56They've sort of evened the circuit out a little bit.
03:58It's not quite so acute now, the run-in, the approach towards Raskas to help them a little bit.
04:06Michael Schumacher, of course, having an incredible record here.
04:09Five wins.
04:12Three pole positions.
04:15Four.
04:15Five times on the front row.
04:17Seven times on the front row.
04:18Eight times on the front row.
04:20The amount of steering input there, Michael Schumacher, normally that Ferrari very, very sweet handling chassis, but look at it.
04:26Half a second quicker than Raikkonen on that first short sector, now into the tunnel.
04:31You can hear that traction control working overtime through Poitier there.
04:36Then that big shift of light again, back into natural sunlight, down into the Nouvelle chicane.
04:41Michael Schumacher locking up a lot in this morning's free practice session as he was taking the time to set the brake bias for that corner.
04:48Through the new swimming pool section.
04:50It's been opened up quite a bit here.
04:51Yeah.
04:53Wow, a second down.
04:57That is a big chunk on Kimi Raikkonen.
04:59There's the Raskas restaurant on the right-hand side.
05:02Now push up onto the main straight.
05:07If you can call it a straight.
05:091.16.3, that is almost exactly, well, a little bit quicker than Mark Webber went this morning.
05:21Fastest time of the weekend so far by, like I say, about seven hundredths of a second.
05:27But Michael Schumacher, pretty much the consummate Monte Carlo driver.
05:33Really quite extraordinary career he's had around here.
05:37This, really, the track as we watch the Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, it's mainly, I have to say, down to the commitment of the drivers and the skill of the drivers to be able to thread their car.
05:48Now, he's only been off the front row twice in his entire career, but eight times on the front row.
05:55He's finished his qualified third one year and sixth the very first year he came in.
06:00At Monaco, yeah?
06:01Not a bad record.
06:03No.
06:03Team-mate Ruben Barrichello, currently lying third in the championship.
06:07Now, here we go.
06:10Over the start, finish straight.
06:12Down into Sandoval, you'll notice this corner has been changed just a little bit to try and ease them away from that barrier, which has caused so much problem now in the approach to Sandoval.
06:23This to me looks like a tricky corner at the top of the hill.
06:27You can't see around any of it, especially from the driver's point of view.
06:30Down the hill now, around that bump, they all steer around that way.
06:33One of the side streets comes in, around Mirabeau.
06:36Ooh, the tail going down a little bit there.
06:39Now, the slowest part of the corner.
06:40Which, of course, they set it up for that on these slow corners, because otherwise you just end up with immense understeer.
06:45It's pretty much, as far as setting the steering and the chassis components on the cars go, it's pretty much everything out of the window.
06:52This is a very, very unique race as far as chassis setup is concerned.
06:55His first sector, very quick.
07:06There's that new section of track around the swimming pool complex.
07:10What they've done is to reclaim about 15 to 20 metres of land into the sea.
07:16Filled it with concrete and stones to extend the land back into the harbour.
07:23And the tyres squealing there as you went round the rascas.
07:32Just 0.33, slower than his teammate Barrichello.
07:36There it is, got enough for second position.
07:37Boy, he had some good times going, too.
07:40His first sector was very quick, but he lost a little bit in the second tube.
07:44Just a little bit slow on the entry to the Nouvelle Chicane there.
07:47See how the back end starts to come round if you clip those?
07:50Very, very difficult to get the car to work through here.
07:53You have to.
07:53It's a little bit like Imleren so much as you have to get the car to ride the kerbs.
07:57That means getting the soft springs and soft roll bars on the car.
08:02And crank as much wing and downforce on as the regulations will allow.
08:07You've got to be so careful on that kerb-hopping exercise.
08:09I mean, you can use it to so much advantage.
08:12Now, here's a car.
08:13The Renaults, we're really expecting to do well here.
08:16Their handling this year has been exceptionally good.
08:19But they're a little bit down on power.
08:20But, of course, power here, nothing like as important as it's a place like Barcelona and Imler.
08:25Keep your eye on the roll bar, the top of the roll hoop on the Renault.
08:35You see there's a little T-shaped wing just sitting below the T-camera.
08:38Whoa, lost a lot of time there going through Mirabeau.
08:40A lot went really wide.
08:41Full, full lot.
08:44Steering is modified for this race to get it round that hairpin.
08:49Alonso, a little bit of a scroll.
08:51Now, I think he'd have to lift off there too.
08:53He went in, got in too early and was headed for the kerb.
08:56And I think he had to back out of it there.
08:58Let's see what that second sector time does.
09:00Look at that top speed there.
09:0210 kilometers down, over 6.5 miles an hour slower.
09:05And these sort of mistakes are something you just can't make at Monte Carlo.
09:13No.
09:14But you've got to remember that old Fred Alonso is still only, what, 20?
09:1821.
09:20You have to be...
09:21There is absolutely nowhere to escape if you get it wrong here.
09:25Runoff errors are an absolute premium.
09:27There are very, very few.
09:28I mean, nothing.
09:29There's certainly no gravel traps.
09:31There are a few little escape roads you can get into.
09:33Alonso trips the beam.
09:341.18, 3.70.
09:35Good enough for fourth spot.
09:36Well, he was fourth quickest this morning and fourth quickest now.
09:39But, of course, there's a lot of quick runners to go.
09:41He isn't going to be ending up fourth quickest at two seconds off the pace.
09:44I would say he'll be lucky to be...
09:47He'll be down around about, I think, 15th or 16th at that time.
09:51Flavio Briatore shaking his head.
09:53Now, you see that little T-wing on top of the roll hoop there.
09:56Anything just to give it a little bit of extra downforce.
09:59Very, very restrictive now with the new regulations of what you can do.
10:02All those little winglets we used to see a few years ago have all been banned and scrapped by virtue of careful writing of the regulations to eliminate them.
10:10But that's one place where you can add a little extra downforce.
10:15Renault exploiting it.
10:16David Coulthard.
10:17In the old McLaren.
10:22The new McLaren has been unveiled.
10:24It has been tested.
10:25But it has not been cleared for race reliability yet.
10:30They've still got a lot of work to do on it.
10:32But it looks a very exciting machine, I have to say.
10:35But this, at the moment, the MP4 17D last year's chassis.
10:39Two-time winner here, of course, our David Coulthard, including last year.
10:44His qualifying here has been reasonably good.
10:47He's been third three times, second once, and on the pole in 2001.
10:51So, but he stalled on the pole, if you remember.
10:55I'm not sure whether he stalled it or whether his electronics let him down.
10:57But, yeah, I think they would put it down to electronics, David.
11:02A little bit slower there, but significantly quicker at this point than Alonso.
11:10Around the Rascas.
11:11Up to the old gas works.
11:14Whap.
11:17P3.
11:19There you go.
11:20So, as Norbert Haag looks on, as David Coulthard begins his slowdown lap,
11:26we're going to take a quick break.
11:28And we'll be right back to see Ross Brawn and more of the guys at Monte Carlo
11:32in just a minute.
11:33Stay with us.
11:34Speed Channel's coverage of Formula One is brought to you by BMW.
11:38Visit your local BMW center for a test drive.
11:41BMW, the ultimate driving machine.
11:43Welcome back to pre-qualifying for Monte Carlo.
11:52You haven't missed a thing.
11:53Ralph Schumacher is just starting his hot lap.
11:57Ralph Schumacher doesn't like this racetrack.
11:59He said he doesn't like it.
12:00He said they shouldn't race there.
12:02And his results have sort of borne that out somewhat, Steve.
12:06He's not really impressed too well, has he, at Monaco?
12:10But, David, is this down to driver confidence?
12:12If you're not happy at a circuit, you're not prepared to commit 110%,
12:15you're never going to deliver the lap times.
12:18Having said that, of course, Ralph Schumacher has scored points
12:21in every race so far this year.
12:25You know, the biggest problem is this is such a unique track
12:28by virtue of, well, I guess, really, the inherent danger of the place.
12:32There are no real runoff areas.
12:34You've got a harbour now right to the left-hand side of the car.
12:38Can you imagine if anybody approached the FIA
12:40and gave them the layout of Monaco for a proposed new track?
12:43It would be just absolutely laughed out.
12:45Well, year after year, they're back.
12:49Well, he's humming along there now.
12:51He's probably going to end up quicker than...
12:54David, no, he'll be his back.
12:57Fourth he'll be, probably.
12:59The back end of this car was very lively and free practice,
13:03but they have got a huge amount of grunt from that BMW engine.
13:08Good enough for fourth spot, David.
13:09Patrick Head looking his usual somewhat worried self.
13:14Ralph Schumacher looking his usual unworried self.
13:16Now, let's see how this car's reacting over the track.
13:21This is down into Sandoval.
13:23No, no, sorry, down into Mirabeau.
13:25He had trouble there, braking up there like Alonso did.
13:28He got in just a little bit wide than he wanted to do.
13:30Car was pushing.
13:32Looked good over the kerb there.
13:33He did.
13:33Didn't seem to upset the car much.
13:35We've seen all the cars have been very soft suspension.
13:38You can tell that if you look at the cars under Sloma,
13:40how much they pitch front and rear,
13:42how much they squat down at the back and pitch at the front.
13:44Good indication of having soft springs on.
13:46You notice there in that shot,
13:47Gerhard Berger back in his BMW role as sporting director.
13:51I think probably playing more of a PR exercise
13:54and trying to calm the waters between BMW and Williams.
13:57There's been a little bit of bad press,
13:59an ill feeling between the two.
14:00Is the chassis at fault?
14:01Is the engine at fault?
14:03Berger's been vocal,
14:04probably a little bit too vocal in saying
14:06that the problem lies with the chassis.
14:08Well, he's there back at the track.
14:10He's officially actually finished his role with the company,
14:13but he's there today.
14:15Now, the other Williams FW25 with Montoya.
14:18Juan Pablo Montoya, last year's pole sitter here,
14:21although he's 0 for 2 in the races here,
14:23blew up last year.
14:24And, Steve, you're going to be watching him
14:26drive a stock car at Indianapolis.
14:31It's going to be very exciting indeed.
14:32Looking forward to that.
14:33On June 11th, he's shown here on Speed Channel,
14:37he's going to be driving Jeff Gordon's stock car,
14:39and Jeff Gordon is going to be driving this car right here.
14:42Very exciting.
14:43Well, that should be exciting.
14:44Yep, the FW25 will be there at Indianapolis,
14:48so we'll get the cameras there as well.
14:50Montoya's first sector good enough for fourth or fifth.
14:54Top speed there, just a hair down on Barrichello.
15:03182 miles an hour to the swimming pool.
15:05We saw him crash heavily there in his very first race here.
15:09Last year he blew up.
15:10Watch the run-in to Rascas here.
15:13You see how it's changed?
15:15Made it much easier for the drivers to cope with that.
15:19Probably going to end up fifth.
15:20Or even fifth.
15:26Or even fifth.
15:28So, behind his teammate, Ralph Schumacher.
15:33Which is not what I think Patrick Head expected.
15:36However, don't forget that all this stuff today is null and void.
15:41Tomorrow is what really counts.
15:42This is not an aggregate.
15:44Ooh, no.
15:46That's what happened to that then.
15:47And don't forget, tomorrow is the day that counts.
15:51Today, of course, it's just going...
15:53I keep saying tomorrow.
15:54Of course, it's Saturday.
15:56It is, of course, Thursday today.
15:57They have this slightly quirky arrangement for the Monte Carlo Grand Prix
16:01where they do their original practice and qualifying on Thursday.
16:04And then Friday, they only do it to confuse people like me.
16:08But, yeah, qualifying will be Saturday morning.
16:10It's enigmatically known as the day off.
16:13Oh, Fisichella gets it wide there going into Saint-Divoc.
16:16And this morning, oh, Fisichella was running pretty good.
16:18At one stage, he was top of the sheets.
16:20He ended up seventh.
16:21But he likes it here, Fisichella.
16:24But he got a bit wide, going through Saint-Divoc.
16:26Down the hill.
16:27Over the bump.
16:28Mirabelle coming up.
16:29Let's see if he has a problem here.
16:31He looked pretty good through there.
16:32Yeah, now, stomp on the brakes.
16:34That was a good time, too.
16:35Tightest corner.
16:37And off.
16:38Well, that first sector time would be good enough for third, actually.
16:47Now, again, this long blast through the tunnel.
16:50It was coming out of the tunnel last year
16:52where his teammate had to give way for him in the race
16:55and had a horrendous crash.
17:02Through the new swing, Paul, you can see how it's opened up there.
17:08That's not a bad time, either.
17:11That is a very good time.
17:15So he could well snatch fifth away from Juan Pablo Montoya.
17:19Might even get fourth away from Schumacher, Ralph Schumacher,
17:22depending on how this last sector goes.
17:27Five.
17:32Boy, I tell you what,
17:34this new qualifying procedure
17:35has certainly closed the field up.
17:38Third is David Koolteller, 117.059.
17:42Fourth is Ralph Schumacher, 117.063.
17:46Fifth is Fishing Keller, 117.080.
17:49And Juan Pablo Montoya, 117.108.
17:53Very, very...
17:53That is pretty close.
17:55Very exciting on-board shot.
17:56Whoa, look at that to the rail there.
17:57Right up to the rail with his right rear.
17:59Earlier on, when we were talking about
18:00how the drivers have to thread the cars
18:02through the eye of the needle here,
18:04they were really great shots to indicate that.
18:06I mean, clipping the barriers left and right.
18:08Nigel Mansell always used to say
18:09you have to scrub the lettering off on the tyres
18:11to put in a quick lap round here.
18:12Yarno truly qualified second here in 2000.
18:22And had a bit of a miserable race career here.
18:26Retired for most of them for his seventh in 99 and fourth in 02.
18:29But Yarno truly certainly says he likes the place.
18:34It seems to go pretty well here.
18:35How's that third?
18:36Oh, good time there.
18:37That is as good as any we've seen.
18:42Slightly slower than Schumacher and Barrichello.
18:45So he could be third if he maintains that pace
18:48throughout the section, the next two sections.
18:51Very important.
18:51Good entry into the tunnel,
18:54which is important because that's the fastest part of the track.
18:56How's his top speed through here?
19:00Wow, look at that.
19:0110 kilometers down.
19:02So 176 miles an hour.
19:10Six miles an hour off the pace.
19:12But, ooh!
19:14Boy.
19:15No, picked up a lot of time in that second sector.
19:17That's not bad at all either.
19:22Yeah, I think he's heading for four.
19:23So we're going to get those 17 zeros.
19:26They're going to be a real bunch of them.
19:28Yeah.
19:34Third.
19:35Picked up a lot through Rascasse and Antinoghe.
19:39So he knocks David Coulthard down to four.
19:42Flavio not looking too happy with that result, was he?
19:45No.
19:45Well, we've got three cars in the 16s now.
19:48Michael Schumacher is 16.3.
19:50Rubens Barrichello is 16.6.
19:51And Trulia is 16.9.
19:54Then we go to all those 17 zeros.
19:56So very, very close.
19:57He was quick in this sector.
19:59It was only half a second clip.
20:01Yeah, went well over the barriers.
20:03The car looked good.
20:09There's your barge.
20:11There's your plank smoke coming up.
20:13That brown smoke.
20:15This is the run down into Portier.
20:17I'll tell you what.
20:17Look at this.
20:18He really gets on it here.
20:19He does a really good apex.
20:21Has the car pointing nicely into that tunnel.
20:23And got as good a run into the tunnel as you could expect.
20:25Which obviously he needed.
20:26It'd be six mile an hour slower.
20:32And so to BAR Honda.
20:36Jean-Claude Boutin.
20:37Or Jenson Button to you and me.
20:39Clipped the barrier right there this morning.
20:41But still ended up second fastest this morning.
20:44With a 16.4.
20:45So if he could repeat that time this afternoon.
20:47He'd be looking pretty good.
20:48Boy, they get so close to that barrier.
20:54Now the charge uphill.
20:56This is it.
20:57Around those boutique shops there on the left.
20:59And the lead into Casino Square.
21:01There's the casino on the right-hand side.
21:03And immediately straight downhill.
21:05Pass the tip-top bar on the left.
21:07Very good first sector.
21:09That is good for third spot at the moment.
21:13This could get him third if he could maintain that pace through the rest.
21:16What's he going?
21:18Comes through here.
21:20That looked pretty good.
21:21A little just up on the kerb there using all the road.
21:25Which is good when you consider the guardrails mounted on top of the kerb.
21:28There it is.
21:30289.5 kilometres.
21:32Pretty good rotation.
21:33Top speed.
21:36180 miles an hour top speed for Button.
21:40Through the tunnel.
21:41Over the kerb.
21:42Looked okay over the kerb.
21:43Oh, wow.
21:44Good time.
21:45Very good time.
21:47This could be actually...
21:49Well, he could be P2 if he really gets this last sector off.
21:53But he'd certainly be third.
21:56Nicely done.
21:57That's where he clipped the guardrail this morning.
21:59But it didn't seem to faze him one little bit.
22:01Come on, son.
22:02Whoa.
22:03Third.
22:05Wow.
22:05Just lost a little bit.
22:07Lost an absolute fraction in that last.
22:10David Richards looking very, very happy with that.
22:13Yeah, has he shot?
22:14Well, that's David Richards smiling all over his face.
22:16Jenson Button is now in third.
22:17We're going to take a short break.
22:18And we'll be right back with more from Monte Carlo in just a minute.
22:21Stay with us.
22:27Welcome back to Provisional Qualifying for the Monte Carlo Grand Prix.
22:36Heinz-Harald Frenzen is now...
22:37Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
22:37That's not good.
22:39That's not good at all.
22:41A very ominous puff of smoke out of the back of the Sauber.
22:44Certainly not.
22:44Ooh, more of it coming out.
22:46Oh, this doesn't bode well for him or the people who are following him.
22:52He doesn't pull in.
22:54Uh-oh.
22:58Well, let's see if that engine lasts long enough to get to the top of the hill.
23:03I'll put 10 francs on the fact that it won't.
23:05No.
23:06Oh, oh.
23:08Big time, Blan.
23:08As soon as you come out of Sandoval and you floor it on full throttle,
23:12it's game over if you've got a mechanical problem like that.
23:16Oh, I don't know why he's...
23:17You know, we don't really want the green flag out at this stage.
23:20I wouldn't have thought so.
23:22Oh, they've got the fire extinguisher going there.
23:25We can't see the car, but obviously...
23:26Some of that oil that's sprayed out of it is on fire.
23:31Certainly look like an engine coming out of the exhaust pipe rather than...
23:34Well, it looked like the breather at the back.
23:37Now, whether or not that breather was the engine breather or the transmission breather...
23:42Let's have a look.
23:42Yeah.
23:45Yeah, I still suspect it's out of the breather as opposed to the exhaust, David, at that point.
23:50But...
23:50They're breathing heavily because all the piston rings are pushed.
23:55And this is the problem.
23:57You floor it right there.
23:58Good-doing!
23:58Something coming out the back there.
24:01A little bit of piston ring or valve probably.
24:03Oh.
24:04And that is then exhaust and the whole lot goes up.
24:07That's coming out the breather, right, Steve?
24:09Not at that point.
24:10So, as poor old Heinz, how old French it goes off the track there with the car on fire.
24:15Peter Sauber looks on rather upset.
24:17We're going to take another break now.
24:18We'll be right back with more from Monte Carlo in just a minute.
24:20Welcome back to Provisional Qualifying from Monte Carlo.
24:27There you see some crowds on the balcony right over the track.
24:31Of course, they're cleaning up the track at the moment.
24:33And while they're cleaning it up, we'll take the opportunity to show you what the track here looks like.
24:37And there you see it.
24:38Pretty, pretty twisty.
24:40Every corner's got a name and a lot of elevation change from Sainte-de-Vot to all the way uphill to the Beau Ravage,
24:45which is where they're cleaning up right now.
24:47Then you have the Grand Hope.
24:50You have the long sweeper into the Casino Square.
24:52Then it goes downhill from Casino to Mirabeau, Port, all the way down to Portier.
24:57And through the tunnel, still going slightly downhill to the Nouvelle Chicane.
25:02It's pretty flat in the Nouvelle Chicane through Tabac, the Swimming Pool, and up to La Rascasse.
25:06Through Anthony Noguese and then, of course, the start finished straight.
25:10So while they're cleaning up, and poor old Mark Webber's watching very carefully where they are cleaning up,
25:16because he's out next, we'll take another quick break before Mark Webber takes the track.
25:19So stay right here with us.
25:20New York Vicene qualifying from Monte Carlo at all.
25:34Welcome back to provisional qualifying from Monte Carlo.
25:37The track is still closed down, cleaning up all the oil from the Sauber of Heinfeld-French.
25:43And the next guy out on the track is going to be Mark Webber in the Jaguar.
25:46And he was quickest this morning with a 1.16.373, which would certainly be good enough for second spot right now.
25:54And speaking of this morning, let's have a look at some highlights from this morning's pre-qualifying practice.
26:03Juan Pablo Montoya did not see Ralph Fuhrman come here.
26:05Whoops!
26:06Sorry, Ralphie, didn't mean to do that.
26:09I hope.
26:10Michael Schumacher locked him up in the Nouvelle Chicane.
26:13He ended up being sixth fastest this morning.
26:15And then Ralph Fuhrman went off at San De Vot at the end of the pit straight there, but luckily missed everything.
26:21Got her into the gravel, but no harm came to Ralphie.
26:24And here is Jenson Button in the BAR, just, just kissing the arm coat at the old gasworks, the Anthony Nogue's corner.
26:33Look at this, Jarno truly with a flat left front.
26:36He would come out later, they'd change the tyre and they'd get him back on track fifth fastest that session.
26:41Giancarlo Fisichella was seventh quickest.
26:44Here he's locking up at the Nouvelle Chicane this morning's time at 16.930.
26:47And a good morning for Jenson Button.
26:49Despite that brush for the arm coat, he was second quickest in the morning with a 1.16.476.
26:56Just slightly behind, Mark Webber, who put up a 1.16.373 to top the morning practice session.
27:04So he's going into the pre-qualifying, very excited, but of course he's got all that oil to handle now.
27:10And he's not going to know just exactly how clear the track is going to be.
27:14So that must be very unsettling for Mark Webber.
27:18Absolutely, it is.
27:18You notice as well on the Jaguar's bodywork, the Jaguar itself has now become a sort of dark pink to mauve colour on the bodywork.
27:27Very distinctive.
27:29Some of the beautiful people at Monte Carlo, including David Coulthard, of course, who lives here.
27:34Two-time winner here.
27:37Talking to Adrian Newey, the designer of the new colour.
27:42That's right, he has got a small hotel here.
27:44The hotel, the sort of things you can do with a Formula One salary, the Hotel Columbus.
27:50And here is Mark Webber.
27:51I'm sure that he's watching very interestingly how they're cleaning the track up for him.
27:55So as we look at another one of the beautiful people at Monte Carlo and a very excited fireman, we'll take a short break and we'll be back with more for Monte Carlo in just a minute.
28:04So stay right with us.
28:05Welcome back to pre-qualifying for Monte Carlo.
28:17There you see some of the boats in the...
28:20Oh, there's another very interested spectator there.
28:23Looking at a replay here of Michael Schumacher, who's so far on the pole.
28:27And one of the people who could upset him is Mark Webber, who was quickest this morning.
28:33But of course, Mark is waiting in the pitch for the track to be cleaned up after the Sauber engine of Heinz Harrell-Fringen expired.
28:40Fastest through the tunnel this morning there.
28:42Michael Schumacher, 192 miles an hour.
28:45Traction control working overtime there.
28:46She leaves the Nouvelle Chicane.
28:50Into the modified swimming pool complex, which unfortunately we don't see from above.
28:55We're on board with in there.
28:57Quickest so far this morning out of the 10 who've gone out so far.
29:03Well, 11, including Heinz Harrell-Fringen.
29:05Again, just to clarify, these are earlier pictures.
29:08While we're waiting for the marshals to clean the oil up from the Sauber.
29:15We just saw one of the Monaco street cleaning trucks going around the track as well.
29:20Actually looked pretty impressive, David.
29:21Riding the kerbs well.
29:23It did ride the kerbs well, yeah.
29:25Kicked up quite a bit of dust too.
29:27At the moment, it's out-qualifying Heinz Harrell-Fringen.
29:31Now, you see a slow motion.
29:32OK, you're the suspension expert, Steve.
29:34Tell us about all this slow motion.
29:35I love these slow-mo shots.
29:37I really do.
29:38They're not really revealing an awful lot on that one, but I love it to see the car pitching to and fro.
29:44It gives an indication, as we were saying earlier on, of the spring rate.
29:46Michael Schumacher said, who was that twerp out there?
29:50I could have done better than that.
29:53And there you see the time so far.
29:55Pretty close together.
29:570.6 seconds down to Trulli.
29:59A whole bunch of seven-tenths behind.
30:01And then a big jump to Alonso, who had two real major sort of screw-ups on his lap.
30:07One into Mirabeau and the other through Portier.
30:10So that lost him a tremendous amount of time.
30:12Well, for anybody who's watching Monaco Grand Prix weekend for the first time and wondering where the garages are in comparison to the other tracks, there they are.
30:21I mean, there is really absolutely nothing.
30:23There is a little shelter where the teams can store their tyres and a little pull-out screen to put over the car.
30:29But everybody is working in the pit lane.
30:32Well, Steve, while we're working on technical analysis, can you analyse these pictures we see here?
30:38Well, here we are.
30:39Now, this is the Monaguesk street-cleaning truck.
30:42And, David, I wouldn't be surprised whether or not you caught a lift back to the hotel about 3 o'clock in the morning from the tip-top bar on one of them.
30:48I can certainly remember a couple of Bannerton and McLaren mechanics doing exactly the same.
30:53Desperate to get back.
30:54It looked a bit undersprung to me.
30:56But here we see Heintzauer-Frenzen, and why he ever set off on this lap beats me, because he's going to have to start first tomorrow, whatever happens.
31:04There you see them putting the oil dryer down.
31:06There's those wonderful slow-mo shots.
31:08Mark Wepper's looking at them putting them down.
31:10Here comes the truck, still out there on the track.
31:13Yeah, it's looking very stable.
31:14I don't think the FIA would like those brushes put on the side.
31:16I'm sure they'd have those straight off.
31:18That was an unfair advantage.
31:19That means a slow vehicle in front.
31:22Not quite sure why they're waving those, because we've got no fast vehicles out there.
31:26But I tell you what, that hill is incredibly steep.
31:30The TV pictures are always very deceptive.
31:33As we're watching Frenzen trying to explain exactly what happened to his engine.
31:40I think it would have been better if he hadn't even attempted that lap, because we could see it smoky on his warm-up lap.
31:46And it was a bit foolhardy, because now they've not only got to change the engine, they've got to change the blown engine.
31:53Yeah.
31:54There's somebody looking on.
31:55It looks a bit too tonic.
31:56Maybe that's Heinz Harald Frenzen's partner, lady friend.
32:00Yeah, you're right, David.
32:01I mean, the big problem when these engines do go kablammo, is really it's all too late to try and figure out what happened.
32:07If you can catch it while it's smoking, you can strip the thing down and try and do a little bit of forensic investigation.
32:13But if it's gone, it's gone.
32:14Yeah, big time.
32:15So as the Ferrari guys...
32:16Oh, my Lord.
32:17Oh, there we see the Pool Queens onside along their boat.
32:20We'll take a quick break.
32:21We'll be back with more from Monte Carlo in a minute.
32:23Stay right here with us on Speed.
32:38Welcome back to pre-qualifying from Monte Carlo.
32:42There we see Dave Ryan from the McLaren Pits.
32:44Dave worked with me for a bit on that BMW McLaren I raced in 19...
32:50Well, a long time ago, anyway, here in the States.
32:51And Dave Ryan was just a young lad then doing Formula Ford himself.
32:54Yeah.
32:57Well, there you see the hill on the lead up to the Principality's Palace, which is right on the top, the old Grimaldi Palace.
33:04Grimaldi family have been running this Principality for, what, 600 years now?
33:08They have indeed.
33:08And, of course, Grace Kelly, the actress, was married into the family and was the princess here for many, many years before, tragically, dying in a car crash, which is incredibly ironic.
33:18While we've got more waiting for the track to be cleaned up, let's take a look at some highlights from last year's Monte Carlo race.
33:28There you see the scene set out.
33:34Huge crowd on hand, as always, for the race.
33:36The lights go off.
33:37And David Coulthard, on the right, gets his McLaren to hook up first and grabs the lead from Polster to one Pablo Montoya as the field streams through San Divo.
33:46What's the onboard now?
33:47Montoya moves left here to try and keep David Coulthard at bay, but it's all too late.
33:51Coulthard's car incredibly hooked up, takes the lead, which, of course, he was subsequently never to lose.
33:56And here's Alan McNish getting it all wrong, going down into the first corner, riding off one of the Toyotas.
34:03And then Takuma Sata has to move over from teammate Giancarlo Fisichella, has a massive shunt coming out of the tunnel.
34:10That will be the end of his race.
34:12Another driver from last year not making it this year, Alex Yoon, had an early exit in the Minardi.
34:16And there was smoke coming out of the back of David Coulthard's car, but McLaren was able to fix the problem from the pits and keep DC out in front, where he won the race.
34:26Of course, he can't do that this year.
34:27Rumens-Barrichello tried to pass Kimi Räikkönen, tough to do this on his tight circuit.
34:31And then J.P. Montoya's BMW Cablamo, game over for the Williams team.
34:40Jenson Button here trying to overtake Olivier Panis, but it doesn't go quite as smoothly as he'd hoped.
34:46So both are done for the day, and a very tense moment here for Felipe Massa, locked up the front and goes head first into the tyre barrier, destroying the car.
34:54As you can see there, pretty comprehensively, but he was okay.
34:59Just looking at the impact there from the other Toyota.
35:02That was Mika Salo's day over.
35:05And Michael Schumacher did his best to get around Coulthard, but it was never going to happen.
35:11David Coulthard takes the win.
35:14Leading every lap, finally putting a McLaren driver on the top step of the podium for the only time last year.
35:19A very happy David Coulthard kissing the cup, the only two-time winner here at Monte Carlo.
35:25Yeah, well done that, man.
35:27Well done that, team.
35:28And I have to say, there's that great shot.
35:30You see how the Renault is moving around a lot?
35:34They have these wonderful replays of everybody that's run so far going through the same corner,
35:38which must be great for the teams, because they can look at all these replays and see exactly how all the cars stack up against each other.
35:46There's it again.
35:47And that was Montoya getting just a little bit crossed up going into La Rascasse.
35:51Back end of that car is just not hooking up, is it?
35:55Fischkeller's car over the kerbs doesn't look too bad.
35:58Mark Webber still sitting in the pits.
36:00He must be getting very tense as he watches on the monitor in front of him there as they clean up.
36:07He's looking at all these shots as well like we are, but he also sees those marshals out there with the brushes,
36:11and he saw the high-tech truck go down there, sweeping up the oil drive.
36:16But nevertheless, he's going to be the first guy out.
36:18And this is one of the responsibilities.
36:20When the FIA and everybody agrees to this single lap qualifying, they have to try and make it absolutely...
36:25It's a big responsibility to them, not just the drivers, because they have to make the track as absolutely even as they possibly can,
36:32excluding, you know, natural things like rain.
36:35But you couldn't possibly send Mark Webber out, knowing that there was going to be oil on the track,
36:40which the other people had not had to contend with.
36:42Well, I was talking to the engineers before the start of this season,
36:45trying to get a handle on what was going to happen on this single lap qualifying,
36:48and they were all saying pretty much exactly the same as what you said there, David.
36:51What if, for example, on the cool-down lap, a car was to accidentally go off the track into the gravel trap
36:58and put all gravel on the track so that the car in front has probably got pole position
37:02and those behind are hampered by the condition of the track?
37:07Yeah, so it is a big responsibility for everybody concerned,
37:10but it's particularly tense for the drivers, and poor old Mark Webber,
37:13who, of course, had done one lap.
37:15He went out on his warm-up lap, and then, of course, they red-flagged it,
37:18so he came in, so he's done a lap, and that obviously changes the tyre complexion a little bit,
37:24changes his fuel load just a little bit.
37:26Are they allowed to top up now?
37:27They're allowed to do what they want at this session.
37:29They can, if the lap has to be aborted because of track conditions or a red flag,
37:34they're allowed to change tyres and re-top the fuel,
37:36but that really only comes into play for tomorrow's session.
37:40They're allowed to refuel and do what they want in this session anyway,
37:43but these are great shots of the aerodynamics around the cars.
37:45There again, look at the limited facilities they've got.
37:50Pierre de Pasquerie there, the Michelin tyre man on the right.
37:53Of course, Michelin made huge strides this year, very, very quick tyres.
37:58They've had still a little bit susceptible to cool conditions,
38:01and as you can see, it has actually clouded over a bit since the beginning of this session.
38:06They see how the mechanics, the running mechanics in the back,
38:08are beginning to pack up their equipment.
38:10That is because at the end of every session,
38:12they have to push and heave all the lister cabinets and tools,
38:15all their equipment, down into the harbour road,
38:19about sort of an eighth of a mile away from the pit lane.
38:21So, Flavio Briatore strolling through there,
38:24pretty happy about his man truly, not so happy about Alonso.
38:27So, while he strolls to the paddock,
38:29we'll go for a quick break and we'll be right back in a moment.
38:31Welcome back to Provisional Qualifying for Monte Carlo,
38:38and at last, after nearly 20-minute delay,
38:41Mark Webber gets out and Steve,
38:44as Mark Webber pulled out of the pit lane,
38:46we saw more smoke.
38:48Have a look at this.
38:49You just start to see him pull off.
38:50Now, a little bit of smoke out of the right-hand side of the car.
38:53I was wondering whether or not it was just blowing oil out,
38:55having fired the lump up,
38:57but then again, another puff of smoke.
39:00I hope that's not a ominous sign of things to come.
39:04That was all, how do they put down to soak the oil up by the marshals?
39:08But not a good start, David, to this lap.
39:10No, and as he went up the hill there on his exploratory lap,
39:13we saw a lot of dust coming out from underneath the car,
39:16so the track is not in great condition for Mark Webber, I don't think,
39:20and he's going to be concerned about it.
39:22As he starts, his hot lap after nearly a 20-minute delay there.
39:28After the Sauber team, I think, very unwise,
39:31he let Frensen go out with a clearly...
39:35There you see some of that dust.
39:37Yeah, that was just the point where the Ferrari engine blow up
39:41in the back of the Sauber.
39:46Now Mark Webber.
39:47Oh, got it wrong at Mirabeau.
39:52He's really got his work cut out, David.
39:54That was one of his worst sectors.
39:56I mean, he was...
39:57Oh, the back end sliding around.
40:02Well, I mean, you can't believe that he's...
40:05No.
40:05Was that dust there on the last?
40:08Yeah, it was.
40:09Yeah, I think...
40:10I think that street sweeper left more dust than it picked up.
40:20180 miles an hour.
40:21If you go to the swimming pool, look at it there.
40:23That wasn't there before.
40:26No, I mean, this has been put down
40:27certainly in this 20-minute delay session,
40:31and I'm guessing you're right, David,
40:32from that sweep street cleaner.
40:35I mean, Mark Webber's going to end up
40:37nearly two seconds slow than he went this morning.
40:40Well, ninth,
40:47which is not what Mark Webber was hoping for at all.
40:50Obviously, as I say,
40:51tomorrow is up to Saturday
40:53is what really counts.
40:54Saturday morning,
40:56eight o'clock here on Speed Challenge.
40:57You're going to see the real qualifying,
40:58and that's not what Mark Webber was hoping for.
41:00Flavio Briatore looking on
41:01with mixed feelings, no doubt.
41:03He's not driving for him,
41:04but he's one of his drivers.
41:05See, that is all.
41:09That was obviously put down
41:10by Heinz-Harald-Frenzson
41:11on his warm-up lap.
41:13They didn't do a very good job
41:14sweeping that up.
41:19I would say that
41:20Pizzonia has a very good chance
41:22of being quicker than Mark Webber
41:24this morning,
41:25or rather now,
41:26because Pizzonia has got
41:27about four cars to go yet,
41:29and they'll clean the track up nicely,
41:31but right about the time
41:33it's his go.
41:37Jack Villeneuve,
41:38another guy that's not that keen
41:40on the Monte Carlo track.
41:42He had a third here in 97,
41:45qualified third in 97.
41:47Other than that,
41:48he's 13,
41:498,
41:4917.
41:50The qualifier is not his big thing here.
41:52And he's retired
41:57from four of his races.
41:59Best finish here,
42:00fourth in 2001.
42:03I hear those tyres squeal.
42:05Yeah.
42:12I've been hearing those Bridgestone
42:13squeal, David,
42:14in the Friday practice session
42:16as well.
42:17Excuse me,
42:18in the Thursday practice session.
42:20So difficult to get used
42:21to the different calendar layout
42:22for this event,
42:23but not so much
42:24for on the Michelins.
42:29Not a bad top speed.
42:31Now,
42:31Button,
42:32Jenson Button,
42:32his teammates' time this morning,
42:34that's put him into P3.
42:35So far,
42:3516,895.
42:37So that's certainly
42:38the target for Villeneuve.
42:39But of course,
42:40the track is nowhere near
42:42what it was earlier on.
42:44No,
42:44this is very poor,
42:45I think.
42:46Villeneuve at this rate
42:50is going to be lucky
42:51to be 11th.
42:52Well,
42:53I wouldn't mind being
42:53a fly on the wall
42:54after he has a debriefing.
42:55He won't be taking
42:56that line down.
42:56No.
43:0111th he is.
43:01As you watch,
43:08Jenson Button
43:08and the BAR team
43:11watching the monitors
43:11and watching the same
43:13world feed
43:14that we're watching
43:17right now.
43:17high camera shot.
43:28That's mounted
43:28right up high
43:30on that banking
43:31we were seeing earlier on.
43:34Cristiano de Marta
43:35now taking the track.
43:36Last year's car champion.
43:38Oh,
43:38in his first year
43:39with Toyota.
43:39Of course,
43:39first time
43:40he's raced here,
43:41we think.
43:42He might have raced
43:42in Formula 3000,
43:43but I don't think so.
43:47So all is
43:51very new
43:52to Cristiano de Marta.
43:56The Michelin tyres
43:57and of course,
43:58again,
43:59the temperature
44:02looks like
44:02it's dropping to me.
44:03It's very much
44:04more cloudy
44:05than it was
44:05and his first sector
44:07was pretty horrible.
44:17another bad top speed
44:26179
44:27as opposed to
44:28very slow.
44:37Three seconds off.
44:38He was as slow
44:40as this morning,
44:40even slower
44:41than Goss Verstappen
44:42in the Minardi.
44:43So this is going to be
44:44a solid 13th
44:46by the Leverlings.
44:55Four seconds.
45:03Three tenths
45:04slow than he was
45:05this morning,
45:05but I do think
45:06the track has probably
45:07deteriorated quite a bit.
45:08I think it has.
45:09This, of course,
45:10is always one of those
45:11challenges
45:11of single lap qualifying.
45:14Let's have a look
45:17how he threads
45:18his way around here.
45:22Well, he didn't look
45:23too bad over the kerb,
45:24but he left himself
45:24a lot of room
45:25on the outside there.
45:34Nick Heidfeld
45:35in the second
45:36of the Sauber's.
45:38Let's hope he has
45:39more luck in qualifying
45:40than his teammate.
45:41trips the timing
45:52light.
45:55Bruce Sandoval.
46:01Nick Heidfeld,
46:0226 years old.
46:05This will be his
46:0557th Grand Prix.
46:07his first
46:10was in Austria
46:11in
46:112000.
46:132000.
46:36Down to this
46:36new belt
46:37chicane.
46:39Well,
46:40not bad.
46:40in 1998.
46:44Nick Heidfeld won
46:45the Formula 3000 race
46:46here.
46:49Car doesn't look
46:49too bad over those
46:50curves,
46:50but he's
46:51quite a bit
46:53slower.
46:57But he should
46:58beat
46:59Cristiano de Mara
47:00and Alonso,
47:04even.
47:04Alonso had a
47:05dismal run.
47:0510th.
47:09So he picked up
47:10quite a bit
47:10in those
47:11last two
47:11corners.
47:13Knocked off
47:13Kimi Räikkönen,
47:14who also
47:15had a pretty
47:15dismal run.
47:16It didn't look
47:17too bad
47:17at the time,
47:17but it must
47:18have been,
47:18he must have
47:19made a bad
47:19mistake that
47:20we missed
47:20somewhere,
47:21because
47:21Kimi Räikkönen
47:22was the
47:22first guy
47:23out.
47:24And he's
47:25down in
47:2511th spot.
47:26Nick Heidfeld,
47:2710th.
47:28Webb at
47:299th.
47:31So as we watch
47:31Nick Heidfeld
47:32slow down,
47:33we'll take
47:33another quick
47:34break here,
47:34and we'll be
47:34back with
47:35more live
47:36action from
47:37Provisional
47:37Qualifying for
47:38Monte Carlo
47:38in just a
47:39minute.
47:39So stay
47:40right here on
47:40Speed for more
47:41excitement from
47:41Monte Carlo.
47:55Welcome back to
47:56Provisional Qualifying
47:57for Monte Carlo.
47:57We're looking at
47:58Ralph Fuhrman in
47:59the second of the
48:00Jordans.
48:00This, of course,
48:01is definitely his
48:02first time here at
48:03Monte Carlo.
48:04There's
48:04Fischichello,
48:05his teammate,
48:05looking on.
48:06Had a shave today.
48:07It's unlike
48:08Fischichello.
48:10Ralph Fuhrman this
48:11morning was running
48:11pretty well for a
48:12good bit of the
48:12session.
48:13He was in the
48:13top four.
48:14He ended up in
48:1616th spot with a
48:17118.1.
48:23Ralph Fuhrman trying
48:24to get some heat
48:24in his tyres.
48:25He's also going to
48:29suffer from that dust
48:31on the track there
48:31on the exit there
48:32by going into the
48:33swimming pool.
48:34Not a good spot to
48:35be able to have to
48:36pinch your line a
48:37little bit.
48:38Yeah.
48:39You can see it's
48:40nowhere near as
48:41sunny as it was at
48:42the start of the
48:42session, David,
48:43is it?
48:43It's really those
48:45clouds are starting
48:46to form now.
48:47I think the weather
48:47changes so quickly
48:49here as it does
48:50really at all the
48:51coastal tracks.
48:57There goes Ralph
48:57Fuhrman up the
48:58hill in the EJ13
49:00chassis.
49:03Ralph Fuhrman spent
49:04a lot of time
49:05racing in the Far
49:06East, in Japan,
49:08in the Japan series
49:08for a number of
49:09years.
49:10Raced at Macau,
49:11which is a street
49:12circuit somewhat
49:13similar to this.
49:14And I think he's
49:15raced at Poe in
49:16France, which is also
49:17another tight street
49:18circuit.
49:19A little bit of a
49:20staking under
49:21braking going to
49:22Lowe's, but came
49:22through the corner
49:23looking pretty good.
49:24Yeah.
49:25Now, 48, the
49:29approach to the
49:30tunnel.
49:35Jordan powered by
49:36Ford Cosworth
49:37engines this year.
49:41Through the Nouvelle
49:42chicane and on.
49:50great shots.
49:54Great shots.
49:57Yeah, a little bit
49:58slow in that second
49:59sector.
50:03So, it looks like
50:04Ralph Fuhrman could
50:05take away 13th spot
50:08from Alonso.
50:10Yes.
50:1318-28.
50:14So, he was just
50:16an absolute hair
50:17slower than he was
50:18this morning.
50:18So, that was a
50:19pretty good time
50:19for Ralph Fuhrman.
50:24This is the climb.
50:25I'm pretty happy
50:25with his time.
50:26He's 7th fastest
50:27so far.
50:28Climb up the hill.
50:29Gives an indication
50:30of how Steven is.
50:31And then, look at it
50:31flatten out.
50:32And now, the lead-in
50:33threading it through
50:36Casino Square.
50:40Lots of interesting
50:41little aerodynamic
50:41tweaks on this
50:42chassis that no one
50:43else is running.
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