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The 2nd Friday Practice Session for Round 5 of the 2004 F1 season at Barcelona.
Transcript
00:00Of the 18 circuits across the world that make up the 2004 Formula One World Championship,
00:27none is as familiar to the teams and drivers as the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain.
00:33Hello and welcome to Speed Channel's coverage of the 2004 Formula One season.
00:37The Spanish Grand Prix is on tap. This is Friday Practice.
00:41I'm Bob Varsha along with David Hobbs and Steve Matchett.
00:44You see the cars rolling off. There's Anthony Davidson in a new Friday livery, they're calling it.
00:50The third car from BAR Honda, a team very much in the news this weekend,
00:54given the success of Jenson Button over the last three Grand Prix.
00:58There's already been one free practice session earlier today. Let's take a look at the highlights.
01:05Now normally we don't expect the teams to rush out onto the track here at Barcelona,
01:10a track they know so very well, but they did go out and BAR was looking strong.
01:14There is Davidson, who wound up third in the session overall at 1 minute 16.616.
01:22Davidson looking pretty strong there in the BAR Honda, but look at this.
01:25Look at all the cameras waiting outside. Guess who's pit?
01:27Yep, Michael Schumacher, who went out and immediately didn't disappoint his fans by topping the charts at a 1.15.658.
01:36Jenson Button coming off that career-best second place at Imola, Italy two weeks ago.
01:42Fifth quickest, but a second and a half off the Ferrari's pace at 1 minute 17.0.
01:48Of course, he is the man that everybody in Spain came to look at, Alonso, who finished second here last year.
01:52But he was seventh fastest in the session at a 1.17.
01:55Late in the session, this happened.
01:57That's the sound of Michael Schumacher, who did a complete lap in one gear.
02:07That's Yarno Trulli in the Renault, flashing by on the outside to get back to the garage.
02:12No explanation from the pit lane, and Schumacher, after he climbed out of his car, appeared to be completely nonplussed.
02:19So apparently, no problem there. Michael just couldn't be bothered to shift.
02:22Now look at that time, about two seconds under Michael Schumacher's pole on this track a year ago,
02:28as the tire war between Michelin and Bridgestone continues to drive lap times down.
02:34Boy, it certainly does. Everywhere we've been this year, the pole position's been way under last year's,
02:38and this is another example. Just straight away, right out of the box, on his first flying lap, Michael Schumacher,
02:43two seconds quicker than his last year pole time, which is quite extraordinary.
02:46Yeah, that time from last year, 1.17762, I think, in the F2003GA Ferrari, and that's primarily down, of course,
02:54to this, as you say, guys, this tire war between Michelin and Bridgestone.
02:58Approximately two seconds, which kind of pans out what we've seen so far with the pole time falling.
03:03In spite of the fact that one of the corners, La Caccia, we'll see that later has been changed.
03:08It's a lot tighter than it was before, but the track is, in fact, a few hundred feet shorter than it was,
03:13so any record set today will be new anyway.
03:16This is Timo Glock, third driver for the Jordan team.
03:20They've been in the headlines this week.
03:22Jasper Stoppen of the Netherlands stopped by the factory near the Silverstone racetrack in England
03:27to have a seat fitting.
03:29Whoops, someone is off. It's a Jaguar.
03:33Christian Kling, the young Austrian.
03:35Ah, no, that's going to be very bad for him.
03:38Car's beached, and that'll be him done for the day,
03:41so he's going to lose time on the track.
03:43He did not do many laps this morning.
03:45He did a few, but not many.
03:47Yellow flag is out.
03:49Let's have a look what happened to Kling.
03:52Ooh, just lost it under braking big time.
03:55Notice the tire marks.
03:57The track at Barcelona, very, very abrasive.
04:00Tire wears very high.
04:01Yeah, indeed.
04:03Those tires will be absolutely wrecked.
04:05Not because of that, because of that whopping flat patch
04:07that he put onto the rear tires there as he locked up under braking.
04:10Oh, my God.
04:11Got all that gravel in there, too.
04:12Mechanics' dream come true.
04:14Oh, terrifying.
04:16Kling crashed heavily on the Saturday two weeks ago at Imola.
04:20That car was rebuilt and is being used as the T-car this weekend.
04:24And I have a feeling...
04:25I was just going to say, I can't see any yellow flags being displayed there,
04:28but right, the camera's caught it right now.
04:30It's the SEAT corner.
04:31This is about the slowest corner here.
04:33First gear downhill left-hander.
04:35So, difficult to brake for anyway, because you are going downhill
04:38and the car's all sort of weight transfers already starting to take place
04:42while you're braking hard.
04:44So, that'll put extra pressure on drivers Mark Webber
04:46and their third driver, Bjorn Bertheim,
04:49to get through the work for the Jaguar team.
04:56Fernando Alonso will be seeing a lot of him this weekend
04:59in his home race from the town of Poviedo
05:03in the small province of Spain known as Asturias.
05:08Very much the crowd darling this weekend.
05:10We'll be back to practice in a moment.
05:13Speed Channel's coverage of the FIA Formula One World Championship
05:16is brought to you by BMW.
05:19BMW, the ultimate driving machine.
05:27Welcome back to practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.
05:29This was Rubens Baracchello moments ago
05:31trying just that little bit too hard as he approached the scene
05:34where Christian Clean went off
05:36and no doubt left some dust on the racetrack.
05:39Here's one Pablo Montoya in the Williams
05:41down at the newly reprofiled La Cacha corner.
05:46It's a very tight entry there
05:47and we've seen lots of cars going wide.
05:50That's Rubens passing the scene of his lockup moments ago.
05:54He was on a hot lap, but he aborted before coming around.
05:58While we have a moment,
05:59let's take a look at the Porsche track map with David Hobbs.
06:03Well, there you see the layout.
06:04Some very, very fast turns here.
06:06It's extremely tough on the driver's necks,
06:08but they're all very familiar with it.
06:09And as you said earlier,
06:10it's got a very abrasive track surface.
06:11Nearly 200 miles an hour into Elf,
06:13which is where you're going to see all the overtaking.
06:15And as you sweep up through turn two,
06:17and it's that Renault,
06:18you can see it's a long, long, long right-hander.
06:20A real neck stretcher as his reps all.
06:22Then it's downhill to Seat.
06:23That's where we saw Christian Kling go off.
06:25Tight, tight to a left-hander.
06:27Downhill all the way to Wurt.
06:29You've got to get this one right
06:30because up to Kamsa there,
06:31it's quite a steep uphill.
06:32You want to make Kamsa very fast.
06:34There's a good run down to La Cacha there,
06:37about 185 miles an hour.
06:39La Cacha now a real double apex left-hander
06:41and a very short job into Bank Sabadell.
06:44It's another long right-hander.
06:45And then look at that.
06:46Europe car in New Holland.
06:48As they exit New Holland,
06:48they're doing about 155 miles an hour.
06:51So you've got to get that one right
06:52because it launches onto that long straight.
06:59This is Takumasada with the BAR Honda.
07:02This is that with the Bank Sabadell corner.
07:04This is going down to that Seat.
07:06As you see, it's pretty downhill
07:07to this tight left-hander.
07:09It's where Christian Cleans spun,
07:11where Ruben's had a problem.
07:13Still going downhill.
07:16This is Takumasada.
07:18This is at Wurt.
07:19You've got to get this one right
07:20because it's a steep uphill climb out of it.
07:22Whoops.
07:22Chasing the time set by tester Anthony Davidson,
07:26currently the quickest in the session
07:27at 118.569.
07:30But that will come down quickly.
07:31And he was quickest, Bob,
07:32through the speed trap as well.
07:34206.7 miles an hour from that BAR Honda.
07:37Wow.
07:38These are those last two very fast right-handers.
07:40Just look at the speed on this one.
07:41Big lift.
07:46Incredibly important that you launch
07:47onto this long front straightaway
07:49with all the speed you can muster.
07:51Six-tenths of an improvement
07:53for Michael Schumacher,
07:54who goes to P1 in the Ferrari.
07:56But still two seconds slower than he was this morning,
07:58so one has to assume
07:59he's got a lot more fuel on board.
08:01Well, again, as we always say
08:02during these Friday sessions,
08:03that's exactly the point of it, really,
08:05is to try out the two different compounds
08:08and constructions of the tyres.
08:09First is the fuel load.
08:11Trying to work out
08:12whether to do two or three stops.
08:14Well, I think pretty much
08:16all these races this year
08:17with the increased speed
08:18in the pit lane
08:19up to 100 kilometers an hour
08:20on race day,
08:21I think they'll all be going
08:22for a three stop around here.
08:24And, of course,
08:25as these tyres get quicker and quicker,
08:26and obviously one assumes
08:27softer and softer compounds
08:29and different constructions as well,
08:30but, you know,
08:31you really only want to run your tyres
08:33for a minimum amount of laps.
08:34But the Fridays,
08:35a lot of data input going into them,
08:38and, of course,
08:38they do the testing tyres
08:40for longevity
08:41and the fuel consumption
08:42and all that other stuff,
08:43so you never know
08:43what they're doing on Friday, really.
08:45By the way that car changes direction.
08:47God, like slot cars, aren't they?
08:49I mean, just almost unbelievable.
08:53Traction, extremely important
08:55around this track,
08:56as well as trying to
08:57keep the downforce to the minimum
08:58because of that tremendously
08:59long front straight,
09:01but you need to get the traction
09:02right coming out of the slow corners.
09:05Traditionally,
09:05it's always been the left front tyre
09:06that sees the majority
09:08of the wear around this track.
09:10Well, of course,
09:10when you look at the map,
09:11you can see it, can't you?
09:12Those long right-handers.
09:13Particularly that Renault corner,
09:15that long sweeping corner
09:16going around onto Repsol,
09:18that puts all the load on the tyre.
09:20And Pat Simmons at Renault
09:21was saying, you know,
09:21you have to take great care as well
09:23of the rear tyres,
09:24even with traction control,
09:25because the guys are so quick
09:27to get on the power
09:28coming out of these low-speed corners
09:29to launch the car.
09:32But you still get the tyres
09:33breaking free of the asphalt.
09:36This is Kimi Raikkonen.
09:38Who at the last race
09:39finally broke into double figures
09:40for laps completed this year.
09:43And picked up his first
09:44championship point of the season.
09:461.3 seconds off this best time.
09:49Michael Schumacher
09:50has knocked it down
09:50to 117.919.
09:53The Takuma Sato second
09:54and Rubens Botticello third.
09:55I apologize for any audio problems.
10:01If you hear an on-board engine note
10:03while we're looking
10:04from outside at someone,
10:05it'll remind you
10:06that our pictures come to us
10:07from a World Feed broadcaster.
10:10And I must say,
10:11after watching the morning session,
10:13whoever's running audio
10:14is a little bit out of step.
10:19Enjoying a Thursday night
10:21out on Las Ramblas
10:21in downtown Barcelona, perhaps.
10:23But, boy, he was
10:24a little behind the curve.
10:29In the testing
10:30after Imler going into this race,
10:32Ferrari was saying
10:33and certainly Michael Schumacher,
10:34their number one driver,
10:35saying our key concern here
10:37is going to be the performance
10:38of the BAR Honda,
10:39how much it has improved.
10:41And certainly the three
10:42quickest cars
10:43through the speed trap so far
10:45are all BAR Honda cars.
10:48920 brake horsepower.
10:50That thing's kicking out.
10:50on-board with Anthony Davidson now.
10:54This is not Kimi Räikköne.
10:56No, I'm hanging on to Kimi Räikköne now,
10:58Anthony Davidson.
10:58At the moment,
10:59there's Kimi going,
11:00putting into the pitch.
11:05Fantastic, futuristic grandstand on the left.
11:09Although Davidson's not worried about that at the moment.
11:10No threat to Gaudi's
11:15immortal
11:16Familia Sagrada Cathedral
11:18in downtown Barcelona,
11:19but still nice.
11:21The last time I visited that cathedral
11:22about three years ago, Bob,
11:24I would say it was about 30% finished
11:26and they began working, what,
11:271885,
11:28something like that,
11:29and it's,
11:29it's even,
11:30parts of that cathedral
11:31are beginning to crumble away
11:33already,
11:34and it is nowhere near finished.
11:35That's a shame.
11:36Now, talking about these tyre compounds
11:39and how,
11:40how much grip
11:42these things are producing,
11:43again,
11:43Pat Simmons was saying from Renault,
11:45not only did the soft compound
11:47actually dig into the asphalt
11:48and grip,
11:49so you actually get gripped
11:50by the fact that
11:51the tread is digging into
11:53the granular appearance
11:54of the asphalt,
11:55but there's actually
11:56a chemical reaction
11:57taking place now
11:58in the rubber compound,
11:59so that the molecules
12:00of the track
12:00and the molecules
12:01of the tyre
12:02are actually attracted
12:03to each other,
12:03chemically.
12:04So there's a bond
12:05being formed
12:06as the car drives around
12:07once the tyre
12:08gets up to temperature.
12:10Can you believe that?
12:11It is.
12:12It's pretty unbelievable.
12:13There's so little
12:14of confepery tyres,
12:15it's actual natural rubber.
12:20This is going to be
12:21a pretty good lap.
12:27Six tenths off.
12:31Just pipping Rubens Barrichello
12:32as Anthony Davidson
12:33continues his good work
12:35for BAR Honda.
12:38I'm surprised more teams
12:39haven't opted
12:39to put a different
12:40commercial livery
12:41on their third car
12:42as they're allowed to
12:43under the rules.
12:45Now you notice
12:45the sunshine.
12:46Whoa!
12:47Side wheels off slightly.
12:49The sunshine has gone away.
12:50The clouds are definitely
12:51building overhead.
12:53It was absolutely gorgeous
12:55weather this morning
12:56in Barcelona,
12:57but it appears
12:57to be clouding up
12:58and rain is in the forecast
13:00at a couple of different points
13:01during the weekend.
13:03Current temperature
13:04about 65 degrees.
13:06Track temp
13:07a little over 100.
13:08There are the numbers.
13:10Fairly high humidity
13:11for this part of the world.
13:13And the wind's
13:14out of the north.
13:14Now the wind
13:15can also be a factor
13:17here at
13:18the Circuit de Catalunya.
13:19What we saw this morning
13:21earlier on,
13:21the dust coming off the track
13:23because there's a lot of
13:24whoo!
13:25They're not very far
13:25from the Mediterranean here
13:26and the beaches
13:27and they get a lot of sand
13:28blown onto this track.
13:30And of course,
13:30they come in,
13:31they'll do a week of testing
13:32and they'll come back
13:32the following week
13:33and the times have gone
13:34completely to hell
13:35and everybody says,
13:35what the heck happened?
13:36You know,
13:37I mean,
13:37nothing happened.
13:38It's a very strange circuit.
13:40There's Juan Pablo Montoya.
13:41He says the Williams team
13:42has already done
13:4313 full testing days
13:45on this circuit
13:46covering more than
13:476,200 miles.
13:50So you can see
13:51why the drivers
13:51know it so well.
13:53We'll take a quick break
13:54and return with more live.
13:56Here's another look
13:57at Juan Pablo Montoya
13:58torturing that
14:00left front Michelin.
14:01We'll be back.
14:12Welcome back to live
14:16coverage of practice
14:17for this weekend's
14:18Spanish Grand Prix.
14:19Bob Barsh along
14:20with Steve Matchett
14:21and David Hobbs with you
14:22and there is David Coulthard
14:23with the beleaguered
14:25McLaren team
14:26hoping for some more
14:30luck this weekend
14:31because thus far
14:32they haven't had much
14:32of it in 2004.
14:34Well,
14:34I should be going
14:35on Wednesday next,
14:37the 12th,
14:37to the opening
14:38of the Paragon,
14:39their brand new
14:40race center in England
14:41which I believe
14:41is costing about
14:42300 million pounds
14:43on which I understand
14:45Mr. Dennis,
14:46Ron Dennis
14:46is having an awful
14:47lot of input
14:47and I think maybe
14:48that's where some
14:49of their
14:49have been distracted
14:51somewhat.
14:52That'll be quite a
14:53moment in British
14:54motorsport.
14:55I understand you're
14:56going to be
14:56dining with
14:58Her Majesty.
14:59We're lunching
15:00with Her Majesty
15:01the Queen
15:01and Prince Philip.
15:05Liano truly locking
15:06up.
15:06We saw him locking
15:06up.
15:07Whoa!
15:07That's not locked up.
15:08You better keep going.
15:09I'm going to get beached.
15:12That won't be a quick lap.
15:14No.
15:15Change those tires
15:16now all covered in
15:17because that same
15:18you know,
15:19tire sort of
15:19osmosis you were
15:21talking about later on
15:21it must pick up
15:22that gravel
15:23and get dug right
15:24into the tire.
15:25Absolutely.
15:25It does.
15:26Jaguar fans
15:27on your feet.
15:27Mark Webber
15:28now the fast man
15:29of the session.
15:29We haven't seen him
15:30but that 1.17.2
15:32betters Felipe Massa
15:33and the Sauber
15:34by 7 tenths.
15:35Siat's a nasty
15:52looking corner
15:53very downhill
15:55very tight
15:56the weight transfer
15:57across the car
15:58must be halved
15:58awkward little sod
15:59to break for
16:00this is an important
16:02one
16:03and this is Kampsa.
16:07And we're going to
16:08see the new layout
16:09at La Caccia here.
16:12There's the old corner
16:13going up to the right.
16:18There were a lot of guys
16:19in the first session
16:19struggling with that
16:20didn't we?
16:21But I think what these
16:22guys are doing
16:22during that first session
16:23is just trying to find
16:25just how far they can
16:26push the edge
16:27in breaking there.
16:28That's the session
16:29to get it wrong
16:30that first one.
16:30Not much of a lift
16:34there for Trulie.
16:43You notice the engine
16:44note there
16:44not rising much
16:46down that long
16:47straight.
16:47They carry a lot
16:48of downforce here
16:49considering there's
16:49so many fast corners.
16:51There's the Aussie
16:52Mark Webber.
16:53There's the fastest
16:53man of the day
16:54so far.
16:56The track temperature
16:57has dropped
16:58chance about 10
16:59degrees in the last
17:0010 minutes.
17:01You can see that
17:01cloud cover coming
17:02over.
17:02We were talking
17:03about it earlier
17:03on.
17:05That should probably
17:06help get a little
17:06bit more poke
17:07out of the engines.
17:09Remember as the
17:10cloud comes over
17:11and the ambient
17:11temperature drops
17:12as well as the
17:13track temperature
17:13you get more
17:14oxygen in the air
17:16per cubic meter
17:17or per cubic foot
17:18however you want
17:19to slice the oxygen
17:20up.
17:21That produces
17:22a fraction
17:23more horsepower.
17:24but they'll have
17:29it.
17:29They'll have all
17:29they can get.
17:31You also notice
17:32if you're familiar
17:33with the Barcelona
17:34circuit there seem
17:34to be a bevy of
17:36temporary grandstands
17:38built.
17:39Evidently the
17:39promoters are
17:39expecting quite a
17:40large crowd this
17:41weekend and that
17:42in itself was a bit
17:43of a surprise
17:43because the true
17:45love of Spanish
17:46racing fans is
17:47motorcycle racing
17:48the Spanish round
17:50of the MotoGP
17:50championship took
17:51place just a week
17:52ago the extreme
17:54southern part of
17:55the country at
17:55Jerez de la
17:56Fortera won by
17:58native son Sete
17:59Gibranau so Fernando
18:01Alonso has had
18:02a rival for the
18:03hearts of his
18:04countrymen over the
18:04last week.
18:06I wouldn't be at
18:06all surprised Bob
18:07if it's Fernando
18:08Alonso that's
18:09produced those extra
18:11grandstands in a
18:12way because of his
18:13success around here.
18:16Anthony Davidson
18:17continues to pound
18:18out the miles he's
18:19done 16 laps.
18:22Our teammate Sato
18:23has done four and
18:24Jenson Button just
18:26five and neither of
18:28the varsity so to
18:29speak or BAR Honda
18:31are on track right
18:32now.
18:32It's all down to
18:33Davidson.
18:33We'll be back in a
18:34moment.
18:35Stay with us for
18:35more live coverage.
18:41Welcome back to
18:42live Speed Channel
18:43coverage of practice
18:44for round five of
18:45the Formula One
18:45World Championship
18:46the Spanish Grand
18:47Prix where local
18:48favorite son Fernando
18:51Alonso has become the
18:53fastest man of the
18:53session.
18:56Ooh, Michael
18:56Schumacher pulling up
18:57behind one of the
18:58Minardis.
18:59That was Bass
19:00Leaners, their third
19:01driver.
19:02And reducing our
19:03favorite son to
19:03second spot.
19:04Good move by Leaners.
19:05Get behind Michael.
19:07Learn something.
19:07for as long as you can.
19:11Yes, you watch this
19:12long, long right-hander's
19:14going to duff that gap
19:15up enormously.
19:17Ferrari having the best
19:19aerodynamic passage out
19:20there.
19:20Now, don't forget to join us
19:23tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.
19:24Eastern for coverage of
19:25qualifying for the
19:26Spanish Grand Prix.
19:28We'll see if Michael
19:28Schumacher can edge ever
19:29closer to the late Ayrton
19:31Center's record number of
19:32pole position.
19:3365 for the Brazilian.
19:35Again, qualifying tomorrow
19:36at 8 a.m.
19:36Eastern, only on speed, but
19:38subject to blackout.
19:41Michael Schumacher, five
19:43victories at this racetrack,
19:45and he has been the only
19:46pole sitter here at the
19:47Secre de Catalunya in this
19:50decade.
19:52Pretty stunning.
19:55Just continues to rack up
19:56the milestones, and this
19:58weekend he'll go for his
19:59fifth consecutive victory
20:01to open the season.
20:04It's a tie, Nigel Mansell.
20:06He did it back in 1993,
20:08en route to the
20:08championship.
20:09What do we have here?
20:10This is the LaKaisha
20:11corner, and one of the
20:13Renaults just beating that
20:14curb to death.
20:14Ooh, we've got a video
20:15overlay here.
20:16Very smart.
20:19Comparing Michael's line to
20:20Alonso's, Michael's was
20:22the more elegant.
20:22Yeah, well, very odd to
20:24run over the curb on the
20:25way into the corner.
20:26That's not going to help
20:27you grip it as you want to
20:28turn, make that final turn
20:30to the left there.
20:32There's that cloud coming
20:33on the front of you
20:34on the left.
20:34Look at that.
20:44As we watch Michael Schumacher
21:00trying to improve on his best
21:02of session lap at 116.9, the
21:05Jaguars are going well.
21:07Mark Webber hanging on in
21:08third at 117.2, now joined in
21:10fourth by his teammate, the
21:12third driver, reigning F3000
21:14champion Björd Vertheim.
21:19That's now changed to Rubens
21:20from just keeping us all our
21:22metal.
21:23From Schumacher to Rubens.
21:24And the track temperature is
21:27continuing to drop again.
21:29Chaps now down to 90 degrees
21:30F with that cloud cover coming
21:32over and taking the heat out
21:33on the side.
21:33It's like a big drop.
21:34Yeah.
21:37You know, you keep thinking
21:38about different tracks and
21:39how it suits different chassis
21:40and different teams and
21:42those with a lot of power
21:43and not very good aerodynamics
21:44are always going to shine on
21:46those high power tracks.
21:48But here, really, Ferrari,
21:51this chassis just seems to
21:52work well everywhere.
21:53There's low speed corners,
21:55high speed corners, power,
21:57aerodynamics, brakes.
21:58It seems to have it all.
21:59This could be a good lap for
22:00Barkello, who's fastest at
22:02the first split.
22:03Ah, 23,000th off his
22:07teammates' session leading
22:08time.
22:09So the Ferrari's coming
22:10forward.
22:11I suppose one of the ironic
22:12things about this is the
22:13fact that Ferrari, unlike
22:15virtually every other team in
22:16the pit lane, does not test
22:18heavily at Barcelona.
22:20There you see the time,
22:21very close, those all top
22:23up four there.
22:25In fact, right down to
22:26ninth is all pretty close,
22:27really.
22:29Davidson now pushed down
22:30to ninth.
22:33Sharply uphill here.
22:37Whisper tire smoke off the
22:38left front.
22:38down to the new La Caccia, see the old one going straight on there.
22:59Now, I think that's what caught them out this morning.
23:01They were looking down the road to the old corner and suddenly realized they, oh, we've
23:06got to stop here about 200 feet short from where we thought we were going to.
23:11Those leaders in the Minardi again.
23:12The old corner is one of those where you did a lot of trail braking right into the apex.
23:19The new one, the whole idea of it is to try and get another overtaking spot.
23:24Whether it will work or not is highly doubtful.
23:26The G loading on the drivers under braking for turn one at the end of that long straightaway
23:31was right at five G's.
23:33Remarkable.
23:34Modern brakes are just unbelievable.
23:37And that's over twice the G-force put under acceleration from the power of the engine.
23:41You can expect to see, what, two, two and a half G under acceleration.
23:44And as you say that, Bob, five G negative.
23:48Which explains how a Formula One car will accelerate from, like, two or three miles an hour to 100
23:52and back to zero again in about, what, four, five, six, seven?
23:56Yeah.
23:57But incredibly quick, and it's the stopping that does it.
23:59Apologize for the break up there.
24:02Drivers beginning to climb the charts.
24:04You saw Barrichello go from 10th to 2nd.
24:08Truly leaping up.
24:10Juan Pablo Montoya.
24:11Coming to the four.
24:12He's at 117.6.
24:14Seven-tenths off of fastest of the session, but in sixth place.
24:20As Jarno truly continues on his way, will catch his lap.
24:24Seven-tenths off the session leader.
24:27We'll take a quick break and return to Barcelona in Spain.
24:37Welcome back to the Circuit de Catalunya, where Cristiano Romano,
24:40the former champ car titolist, has leapt up to third from 22nd.
24:46Practice continues into the final half hour now.
24:50Teams will begin to work on their qualifying setup.
24:53Kimi Raikkonen, after a brutal start to the season,
24:57dropping out of three straight races before picking up his first and thus far only point of the season two weeks ago.
25:03And Imola, in Italy, is now fifth in the session as McLaren Mercedes continues to work through their problems.
25:10But what seems to be the problem in the Mercedes engine is the exhaust valve seat,
25:16which is pressed into the aluminium casting of the cylinder head.
25:19That seat has started to work loose, and of course, once that comes out, bang.
25:25Ricardo Zonta, up to P1.
25:35Ricardo's done a lot of laps, 20, he's done lap 21 now.
25:38Pick up one of the Renaults.
25:46Fernando Alonso, sweeping on to the start finish.
25:49This should be a good chassis around here.
25:52It's got great aerodynamics, and of course, they've got that new B-spec engine in that they introduced to Imola in the last race.
25:59She's got reworked cylinder heads.
26:03New inlet system, new injection system on the thing.
26:06But both drivers were complaining between after Imola.
26:09They both said that the car is very difficult to drive.
26:13And I noticed then, on braking into that elf, I mean, the front end was given an almighty twitch.
26:20And they both said that they've really got to work on the chassis, and they don't see a quick fix in view.
26:25I wonder whether or not, as we've talked about with Williams in the past,
26:29that the aerodynamicists want to run the car very stiff to keep the attitude of the car very level to the track surface,
26:34so you don't get any suspension movement.
26:36But as with Williams, I wonder if they've just got a little bit too stiff, David,
26:39and it's not getting enough chassis roll in it, and they're not allowing the tyres to generate the mechanical grip.
26:44Yeah, that could well be it, because the Williams was very twitchy early on in the year.
26:48Yeah, again, we saw at Imola, last race at the start of the sessions,
26:53as Williams running the car extremely soft to try and get the thing to work over the kerbs.
26:59And, of course, the next day on Friday, on Saturday, they'd stiffen the suspension up an awful lot,
27:04and the thing worked a lot better.
27:06So I think, you know, you've got to hit that fine line.
27:09It's always that loggerheads between the mechanical engineers and the aerodynamicists.
27:13Back on board with Anthony Davidson.
27:1522-2 in the first sector.
27:20That equals the quickest time of the session thus far.
27:32Oh, wow.
27:34Bumping Jensen, butting his teammates.
27:36So the BAR Honda's now 1-2.
27:39This team has come alive in the most amazing way.
27:43I have no idea what Honda have been up to,
27:47but whatever they did from the off-season,
27:49when they were having engine failure after engine failure to today,
27:52whether they've just shoved huge amounts of cash and resources at the engines
27:55and just told the engineers to get on with it, fix it once and for all,
27:59whatever they've done, Honda-wise I'm talking about,
28:01they have done a fantastic job.
28:03Well, it was probably one of those simple fixes, I guess.
28:06It's a whole new engine this year.
28:07It's a lot lighter, it's lower,
28:08its center of gravity is lower,
28:10it's got more power,
28:11and since those early blow-ups,
28:14it's got good reliability as well.
28:16And they've obviously found something.
28:18It might have been some sort of oil seal
28:20that was giving trouble or whatever, you know,
28:21but whatever it was,
28:22there's a good view of La Caccia,
28:24the new La Caccia.
28:26It's funny how the reputation ebbs and flows in Formula 1.
28:29Honda was once supreme among engine builders,
28:31and then lately it's been a Keystone Copse sort of exercise,
28:35and we think of Toyota and BMW
28:38as being the best lumps in the pit lane.
28:41But it goes, what was it, 98 when they won 15 out of the 16 races?
28:45In 88, yeah.
28:46In the first, that'll be 98.98, yeah.
28:50To the timing line they come.
28:51Davidson and Button remain 1-2 for VAR Honda,
28:57Ricardo Zonta, and third in the Toyota.
29:03Speed Channel's coverage of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship
29:07is brought to you by the United States Grand Prix.
29:10The United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis
29:12has a new date, June 20, 2004.
29:15Tickets can be purchased online at IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com
29:19or by calling 800-822-INDY.
29:26Welcome back live,
29:28and look what's been added to the mix
29:29here at the Circuit de Catalunya.
29:31The umbrellas have come out.
29:33Rain beginning to spritz down.
29:35Well, what's Nicky Heidefeld as he comes into the Elf Corner?
29:44And if you look at the bodywork on the Jordan Chassis,
29:47you see that design they've got over the top of the engine cover?
29:50Sort of Salvador Dali's soft watches from,
29:54if my memory serves correct, the persistence of memory.
29:57It's Salvador Dali's centenary this year.
29:59He's born in 1904.
30:01A local man.
30:02There's a big museum for Salvador Dali just in Barcelona.
30:06You can't miss it.
30:06A huge pink building with bread rolls
30:09stuck all over the outside of it.
30:12Oh, rain on his, bit of rain on his lens.
30:15This could be a big lap for Heidefeld.
30:16He's currently 18.
30:17Well, this chassis has never been great, has it?
30:36But, I mean, in the rain like this,
30:38it really has shown to be very much a handful.
30:40Terrible third sector for Heidefeld.
31:03Of the top ten drivers on the time charts currently,
31:07nine have improved from their morning performance in practice.
31:11The only one who has not is currently fourth, Michael Schumacher.
31:17Yeah, I would say two reasons for that, Bob.
31:19A, more rubber being put down onto the track, of course,
31:21and as the track rubbers in, lap times will begin to drop.
31:24But also, see now, Flavio Briatore out there ahead of Renault
31:29just making sure that it really is raining.
31:31There it is.
31:32It's raining, James.
31:33New daddy, Flavio Briatore, if you believe his former girlfriend,
31:37the supermodel Heidi Klum,
31:39who gave birth to a daughter a day or so ago in New York.
31:44But also, apparently, Flavio is not sure
31:46whether to pass out cigars.
31:51Or lawsuits.
31:52Sorry, Steve, you were probably going to say something, Jermaine.
31:57Well, I don't know if it was Jermaine.
31:58I was just going to say,
31:59I think the other reason that the cars are going a little bit quicker
32:01is because just prior to the rain coming out from that first session to now,
32:04we've seen the temperature begin to drop and drop.
32:06And although the track temperature would have retained a lot of the heat,
32:09again, as we said earlier on,
32:10with that ambient temperature dropping,
32:12there's a lot more oxygen to be burnt in that engine.
32:16What do we have under those tire blankets?
32:18Wets, perhaps?
32:19Boy, I don't think they'll be going to a wet spot yet, will they?
32:25Meanwhile, Jenson Button
32:26pushed back third in the championship by one point
32:30to Rubens Barichello,
32:33both of them chasing Michael Schumacher.
32:35We'll be back.
32:42Welcome back to live Speed Channel coverage of practice
32:44for the Spanish Grand Prix.
32:46I'm Bob Barsha with David Hobbs and Steve Matchett.
32:48We're on board with Fernando Alonso
32:50trying to move up from seventh.
32:54And he goes to P2,
32:56which will delight his fans.
33:00Good Friday crowd on a work day near Barcelona.
33:04Michael Schumacher back out.
33:07The rain not falling terribly hard
33:09as the times continue to improve.
33:11It's not hardly falling at all,
33:13although you do see it from camera shot to camera shot.
33:19You do get that a lot right at Barcelona
33:21because it's so close to the coast,
33:23as we were saying at the top of the show there,
33:25and the wind changes
33:26and just brings in that little bit of moisture.
33:28Of course, you've got the mountains behind it as well,
33:30which will start to circulate the air,
33:31and it flows to and fro.
33:40Camps at the top of the hill
33:41where they do tend to go up on that kerb a lot.
33:43This is down to La Caccia,
33:44the new tight left double apex,
33:47first apex, second apex coming up.
33:49Then it really rolls into the Bank Sabadell corner
33:52now, this right hand, the second gear.
33:54And then, wow, all the way from here,
33:57almost through to the last corner, flat out.
33:59Talking about the wind
34:01and how it affects the cars
34:02and the weather around here,
34:03we were saying last night over dinner,
34:04I can remember changing the gear ratios
34:07in my days with Benetton.
34:09It was dark when we arrived at the track,
34:11and Pat Simmons decided
34:12that the wind had changed sufficiently
34:13that we needed to change the ratios,
34:14and we had a power cut in the garage
34:16and had to change the ratios in the car
34:17by use of just pen lights only.
34:19Michael Schumacher tossing up
34:25virtually identical laps back-to-back.
34:27Good for P4 as Juan Pablo Montoya rolls out.
34:30Schumacher's still nowhere close
34:32to his morning session time at 115.658.
34:35Be sure to join us Sunday morning
34:37for live coverage of the Spanish Grand Prix
34:39here on Speed Channel.
34:40We'll begin at 7.30 a.m. Eastern
34:41with the Acura Pre-Race Show,
34:43and we'll be live straight through
34:44the post-race interviews
34:45where our Peter Windsor will be asking the question.
34:48Sunday morning, 7.30 Eastern, live,
34:50and only here on Speed,
34:52though the event is subject to blackout.
34:55Demi Raikkonen up to P5 in the McLaren.
34:58Huthard into ninth from 15.
35:16And while Ralph Schumacher is on a hot lap,
35:18very good second sector time.
35:21Good first one, too.
35:22So Schumacher crosses the line.
35:25He, too,
35:27for the BMW Williams.
35:32Our Spanish director is fascinated
35:34by David Coulthard's cool-down lap
35:36for some reason.
35:37Ralph's lap is the second and third sector
35:46with the fastest sector times of the day so far,
35:48so...
35:50Again, that little fall of rain
35:52has not affected the track much at all, has it?
35:55Well, I guess the rain in Spain
35:56falls mainly on the grandstand.
35:58There's a little spot right there on the...
36:00Yeah, on the camera.
36:14Hardly any suspension movement at all
36:16than that for this McLaren, look.
36:18You would think there were no springy medium
36:20built into that chassis at all.
36:22With our well-off.
36:31In case you're wondering,
36:32BMW engine head Mario Thiessen
36:35said this week
36:36that those telemetry numbers
36:38you see on the screen
36:39are very accurate.
36:43We were saying
36:44in the Imola broadcast
36:45that how that works
36:47is they take a sample
36:49of the frequency coming off the car
36:50from the ambient mic.
36:51That mic we can hear now
36:52which is producing the engine note for us.
36:55The engineers take a sample of that,
36:57split the frequency down
36:58and turn that into figures for us
36:59for that graphic.
37:01Fantastic.
37:03Anthony Davis has gone to the top of the list again.
37:06Just easing out Ralph Schumacher.
37:09We'll see times in the 15 soon.
37:11Oh, that was strange.
37:27Looks like a bit of sun coming out
37:29down this end of the circuit again.
37:30You can see some shadow there.
37:35Jensen Button, meanwhile,
37:36is on a hot lap
37:37as the BAR team looks on.
37:39Quickest first segment
37:41of the session thus far
37:42and quickest second now
37:44at 30.2.
37:47Oh, yeah.
37:50There it is.
37:54Spanish TV crew
37:55and the, uh,
37:56not watching the timing
37:57and scoring evidently.
37:58These two absolutely transformed,
38:00aren't they,
38:01from last year?
38:02Unbelievable.
38:02Unbelievable.
38:04I mean,
38:04this is genuinely fantastic
38:06to see
38:06that somebody,
38:08you'll tell you what
38:08this reminds me of
38:09and I know that I was part
38:10of that team at the time
38:10but this reminds me of
38:11Benetton just surging forward
38:13from almost nowhere
38:14from 93 to 94.
38:15And Dave Richards,
38:16the team principal,
38:17says the effects
38:18are already being felt.
38:20They are getting all sorts
38:21of sponsorship inquiries.
38:23Jeff Willis,
38:24the technical director,
38:25is being mooted
38:26for other jobs
38:27up the pit lane,
38:28potentially at Ferrari
38:29and this man,
38:30Jensen Button,
38:30is on everybody's short list
38:32of top drivers of the future.
38:34Yeah, Ferrari now
38:34is talking about
38:35Jensen Button.
38:41Yeah, and Montoya
38:42was quoted as saying,
38:43you know,
38:43I never ever thought
38:44they'd be able to do that.
38:45Now they're quite clearly
38:47the best of the rest,
38:47he said.
38:48In fact,
38:49Dave Richards said
38:50when this man,
38:51Jensen Button,
38:51wins his world championship,
38:53he, Richards,
38:54will retire immediately.
38:58Of course,
38:59Jensen Button also said
39:00he's going to grow
39:00a Nigel Mansell-style mustache
39:02in the event
39:03of his first race win
39:04and that should be
39:05something to see.
39:06He leaves the session.
39:12Welcome back.
39:13The picture says it all.
39:15That is Kimi Raikkonen
39:16standing behind the wall,
39:18stranded on track
39:20by his McLaren Mercedes.
39:21The car rolled to a stop
39:22with no smoke,
39:24so we can only speculate
39:25as to what the problem might be,
39:27but he has evidently
39:28lost drive.
39:29Here's another look.
39:31As Kimi
39:32prepared to climb out.
39:34Yet again,
39:35I mean,
39:35he must be thinking
39:36what on earth
39:37has happened this year?
39:38I mean,
39:39going into the season
39:40when they first tested
39:41this car at the end
39:42of last year,
39:42it was very quick,
39:44right out of the box
39:45and everybody said,
39:45wow, you know,
39:46that McLaren this year
39:47or next year
39:48is going to be
39:48just unbeatable
39:49and it has absolutely
39:50done zip.
39:52Yeah.
39:53Well, as you say,
39:54with no smoke
39:55or fluids behind the chassis,
39:56it's very difficult
39:57for us to try
39:57and pinpoint
39:58what we think
39:58the fault might be.
39:59It could be
40:00that the Mercedes engineers
40:01have got an automatic
40:02shut-off system
40:02to try and prevent
40:04an absolute cataclysmic
40:05engine failure
40:06so they have some chance
40:07of figuring out
40:08what the cause was.
40:10But that doesn't really
40:11tie into my theory
40:12here on
40:13with this exhaust valve
40:14seat working loose.
40:14I mean, there'd be no way
40:15a sensor could detect
40:16that.
40:16It'd just go bang
40:17in about three milliseconds.
40:19We've just seen a lot
40:19of smoke and flame.
40:20I think it's either
40:21transmission failure
40:22of some sort,
40:23drive shaft or transmission
40:24or, of course,
40:24on these cars
40:25it could be
40:25the electronic failure
40:26shuts everything down
40:27or, of course,
40:28hydraulic failure
40:29of some sort.
40:29Could well be.
40:31Who knows?
40:32The hydraulics failed
40:33when the Conrad
40:34went straight to the side.
40:35Yeah, that's right.
40:35Yeah, the electric...
40:36See New Holland
40:38on the pickup gizmo.
40:42New Holland,
40:42the name of the final
40:43two corners
40:44on this racetrack.
40:46That's a division
40:47of Ford, I believe.
40:48Builder of tractors.
40:51Kimi had made us...
40:52When he first got
40:53behind the wall there,
40:53he made a hand signal
40:55like a throttle
40:56on a motorbike.
40:57He was obviously
40:57looking for a lift back,
40:58but...
40:59Get me out of here.
40:59Nothing's arrived so far.
41:01I'd like to see a shot
41:02of the car on the crane
41:03so it can get an idea
41:04of the weight distribution
41:05from front to rear axles
41:06and they just started
41:07to lift the car up
41:08and we lost the picture.
41:11Well, Spanish director
41:12not listening to you again.
41:13I don't understand it.
41:16There they are,
41:17the two BAR cars
41:18at the top of the timesheets
41:19again.
41:20Ralph Schumacher
41:21and their BMW Williams
41:22in third spot there.
41:23Local hero, Alonso,
41:26in fourth.
41:27Barrichello
41:27who's looking at now
41:28in fifth.
41:29Is Barrichello
41:30going to be able
41:30to improve his time?
41:35Again, all these teams
41:39have three sets of tyres
41:41that they must use
41:44and must give back
41:45to the FIA
41:45at the end of the day.
41:47They can't use them
41:47at any other point
41:48of the weekend.
41:49So, again, as we've said,
41:51this is an idea
41:51to get the teams out
41:52to force the teams
41:54in a way to run
41:54so they won't be penalised
41:55by using those tyres
41:56that they want to keep
41:57for the race.
41:57We've got two BAR
41:58at the top of the timesheets
41:59Button and Davison
42:00but Taku Masato
42:01is down in 17th spot
42:03who was at the top
42:04of the charts
42:04but he's only done
42:05four laps.
42:07And none
42:08in the last half hour.
42:13As Rubens Barrichello
42:14goes on his merry way
42:15we want to remind you
42:16it's never too early
42:17to reserve your tickets
42:18for the US Grand Prix.
42:20This year the event
42:20takes place June 20th
42:22at the Indianapolis
42:22Motor Speedway
42:23so get with it.
42:25Reserve your tickets
42:25contact the Speedway
42:26ticket office
42:27at 1-800-822-INDY
42:29or check out
42:30their website
42:30at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com
42:34and this year
42:35there's an added bonus
42:36with the purchase
42:37of a race day ticket
42:38you'll be given access
42:39to walk the pit lane
42:40on Thursday morning
42:41and get right up close
42:43to these fabulous race cars.
42:45We'll be there
42:45for Speed Channel
42:46and we will see you there.
42:48That last year
42:48that pit walk there
42:49was just so successful
42:51it took them by surprise
42:52a bit.
42:53The traffic was unbelievable
42:54and got them off guard
42:56a bit what
42:5615,000 people
42:57were in pit lane
42:58and they're ready
42:59for it this year
43:00and they not only
43:00got close up
43:01and personal
43:01to the cars
43:02but people
43:02oh there's another
43:03jag in the dirt.
43:06That's Bjorn Bertheim
43:07last year's
43:08former 3,000 champ.
43:11I would imagine
43:11the teams
43:11would be watching this
43:12so it is possible
43:15to drive out
43:16of those gravel traps.
43:17You've got to keep going.
43:18Yeah that's the
43:19secret to it.
43:20That's the trick.
43:21There's his motorbike
43:22arrived at last.
43:23You've got to keep going
43:24and not too much
43:25welly either.
43:27But yeah that pit lane
43:28walker.
43:28Oh there you go.
43:29Get your hands off the wing.
43:29Get your hands off the wing.
43:31Let go of it.
43:33Yeah.
43:35Well I'll tell you
43:36why it's interesting.
43:37It's interesting to me.
43:38I always enjoy that
43:38sort of thing
43:39is because the weight
43:39distribution across
43:40the axles front to rear
43:42is about 50%
43:43of the engineering
43:44on the cars
43:44during the session.
43:46Trying to shift
43:47that weight balance
43:48and the centre
43:48of gravity
43:49forward and aft
43:50along the
43:51longitudinal line
43:52of the chassis
43:53just to try and cure
43:55that understeer
43:55oversteer effect
43:56to try and perfect
43:57that elusive balance
44:00that the drivers
44:00are always talking about.
44:01Right David?
44:02Yeah exactly
44:03and of course
44:03with these Formula One
44:04cars you can just
44:05change it so much
44:07by sliding that ballast
44:08which is what
44:09100 pounds of ballast
44:10in it?
44:10Well probably more
44:12than that.
44:12I would think
44:12that McLaren,
44:13Williams and Ferrari
44:14are up to about
44:1570, 75 kilos
44:17like 150 pounds
44:19of tungsten,
44:20steel and lead
44:20bolted to the
44:21underside of the car.
44:22Which they can bolt
44:23anywhere they want
44:24right?
44:24Right.
44:24Which obviously
44:25changed that
44:25important weight
44:27which is why
44:28reducing the
44:29minimum weight
44:30of the cars
44:31is on the
44:31long laundry list
44:33of changes
44:34to the Formula One
44:35specification
44:35that FIA
44:36President Max
44:36Mosley introduced
44:38just after the
44:39San Marino Grand Prix
44:40two weeks ago.
44:40We'll be talking
44:41about that
44:41throughout the weekend.
44:43That list was
44:44the subject
44:44of an extensive
44:45meeting in Monaco
44:46on May 4th
44:47and in fact
44:48this weekend
44:49in Barcelona
44:50the seven
44:51automobile manufacturers
44:53who produce engines
44:54for Formula One
44:55are meeting
44:55to see what they
44:57can do
44:57to help cut costs
44:59and improve the
45:02show in Formula One.
45:03And of course
45:03the reason that Max
45:04Mosley wants to
45:04reduce the weight
45:05of the car
45:05is to get rid
45:06of the ballast
45:07not for a technical
45:08or cost saving
45:09but he doesn't like
45:10the idea of those
45:10great big lumps
45:11of ballast
45:12flying around
45:13in the event
45:14of some big accident
45:15where you could get
45:16a hundred pound
45:16lump of metal
45:17siding its way
45:18through the crowd
45:19or onto the track
45:21or onto another car.
45:22He also wants
45:22to reduce the mass
45:23in the event
45:24of an accident.
45:24The reason it's there
45:25of course
45:26is because
45:26the weight limit
45:27on the car
45:27is 600 kilos
45:28that's the minimum
45:29racing weight
45:30that the car must be
45:31but of course
45:32the manufacturers
45:32have all worked
45:33endlessly
45:34tirelessly
45:35to get the weight
45:36of the cars
45:36down to the minimum
45:37and they become
45:37lighter and lighter
45:38and lighter
45:38but they want
45:39then to put
45:40that ballast
45:40on the car
45:41because as we say
45:41for performance
45:42reasons
45:43you want that weight
45:44the mass of the car
45:45as close to the track
45:46service as possible
45:47because that improves
45:48the centre of gravity
45:49of the car
45:50makes it like a
45:51well more like a
45:52ballerina
45:52and less like
45:54a drunken sailor
45:54wallowing down
45:55the quayside
45:56that's what we want
45:57when we're talking
45:57about this chassis
45:58here changing direction
46:00so quick
46:00so positive
46:01a drunken sailor
46:02weaving down
46:03the quayside
46:04well
46:04Mr. Schumacher
46:06here
46:06oh that's a good shot
46:07I haven't seen that before
46:07trying to snatch back
46:09atop of the shine seats
46:10and Ricardo Zonta
46:11also turning
46:12some very quick
46:12quick lap
46:13never a moment
46:23for sponsorship
46:23lost on these guys
46:25good looking
46:27Michael's
46:27Schuberth helmet
46:28which retails
46:30for about
46:31$15,000
46:32I'm told
46:33but it's one
46:34of only a couple
46:35of examples
46:36out there
46:36that meets
46:37stringent
46:39new regulations
46:40for helmets
46:41that come into
46:42effect this summer
46:43talk about that
46:45a little bit more
46:45as the weekend
46:46goes on
46:47meanwhile
46:49Ricardo Zonta
46:50has set the fast
46:51opening segment
46:52of the session
46:52thus far
46:5322-1
46:54he is currently
46:5510th
46:56I think he's about
46:57to jump into
46:58third or fourth
47:00Zonta finished
47:02his lap
47:03third
47:04very low
47:071-16
47:08Jensen Button
47:08with a 15-9
47:10currently the only
47:10driver in the
47:111-minute 15-second
47:12zone
47:12Michael will not
47:18improve
47:18he is currently
47:20seventh
47:20he won't get
47:22another chance
47:22because as you can
47:23see the session
47:24is over
47:24boy diving
47:29at that corner
47:29with raindrops
47:30falling
47:31trying to lift
47:32as little
47:32as possible
47:33great stuff
47:38there's Jensen
47:39Button
47:39on the left
47:39talking it over
47:40Dave Richards
47:40on the right
47:41also a good day
47:45for the
47:46third drivers
47:47in the team
47:47this is the last
47:48you'll see of them
47:49as you see
47:50Jensen Button
47:50there talking to
47:51David Richards
47:52with the engineer
47:52in the background
47:53Ricardo Zonta
47:54ended up third
47:54we won't be seeing
47:55him again this
47:56weekend
47:56and Anthony Davidson
47:57ended up second
47:58in the B.R. Honda
47:59we won't be seeing
47:59him again this weekend
48:00either
48:01Jensen needs a
48:03hair care product
48:04sponsor
48:05that was contact
48:10surely wasn't it
48:11just
48:12it's one of the
48:14Minardi's on the
48:14right
48:15it's Fisichella
48:17on the left
48:17in the Sauber
48:18Bas Lienders
48:18third driver
48:20for the Minardi team
48:21the Contra Tom
48:24good view of the pit
48:25lane from this camera
48:26I like this a lot
48:27the Ferrari stops
48:30will be fun to watch
48:31from this angle
48:31the sun is out
48:32bright again
48:33no rain
48:34no sign of rain
48:34now
48:35here comes a Ferrari
48:38the bravest man
48:41in the world
48:42standing at the front
48:43you have to be a
48:46special llama
48:46to do that job
48:47no mistake there
48:49they were just
48:50practicing the stop
48:51and go for the pit
48:52stop
48:52Ferrari leaving
48:53nothing to chance
48:54Jensen Button
48:55tops the session
48:56we'll be right back
48:57welcome back to beautiful
49:02Barcelona
49:03the circuit
49:04to Catalonia
49:05where Friday practice
49:06is now complete
49:07for this weekend's
49:08fifth round
49:09of the Formula One
49:09World Championship
49:10the Spanish Grand Prix
49:12ten years ago
49:13on this racetrack
49:14Michael Schumacher
49:16turned in
49:16one of the greatest
49:17drives ever
49:18let's take a look back
49:19of course he was driving
49:20for the Benetton Ford
49:21team back then
49:22looking for his
49:23fifth consecutive victory
49:24to start the 1994 season
49:26started from pole
49:28and shot into the
49:29early lead
49:29but following the
49:30first round of stops
49:31Schumacher's Benetton
49:32suffered problems
49:34which of course
49:35Steve Matchett
49:36knows more about
49:36they got stuck
49:37in fifth gear
49:38and he drove the
49:39entire rest of the race
49:40in fifth gear
49:41hanging on to everybody
49:43and being passed here
49:44by Damon Hill
49:45for the lead
49:46yes it was a
49:47hydraulics problem
49:47the selector mechanism
49:48failed
49:49fortunately
49:50fortunately the car
49:51was in fifth
49:51and it was in any
49:52other gear
49:52it wouldn't have
49:53worked for us
49:53Mika blow up
49:55so that put
49:56Michael Schumacher
49:58and took the pressure
49:58off Schumacher
49:59managed to finish
50:00second
50:00Damon Hill won the race
50:01there it is
50:02but what a fantastic
50:03drive for Michael Schumacher
50:04he would not get
50:05his fifth in a row
50:06this weekend
50:07he will try
50:08but it was
50:09one of the most
50:09amazing drives
50:10in Formula 1 history
50:11he even made a pit stop
50:12with the car stuck
50:13in fifth gear
50:14it just staggered
50:14out of the pits
50:15and it was an
50:16incredible example
50:18of momentum driving
50:19and you can see
50:20highlights of that
50:21very race
50:21tonight here on
50:22Speed Channel
50:23on Formula 1
50:24Decade
50:24so join David
50:25Steve and myself
50:26at midnight eastern time
50:27many people recall
50:29the 94 Spanish Grand Prix
50:30as Schumacher's
50:31greatest drive ever
50:32you won't want to miss it
50:33that's F1 Decade
50:34tonight at midnight eastern
50:35only here on
50:37Speed Channel
50:38now let's take a look
50:42at the results
50:42from today's practice
50:43Jensen Button
50:44topping the charts
50:45and so that will make
50:46big headlines
50:47in his native income
50:49and Anthony Davidson
50:50also from that same
50:51country which will remain
50:52nameless in case
50:53Esther gets on top
50:54of it again
50:54there he is in second
50:56Ricciardo's on to
50:57another of the test
50:58drivers in third spot
50:59Ralph Schumacher
51:00Alonso
51:00first Bridgestone
51:02tire car
51:03Barrichello
51:03just ahead of
51:04Ralph's Michael
51:05Schumacher
51:05then a whole bunch
51:06more
51:07Michelin tires
51:08so Michelin tires
51:09having a major
51:10resurgence this weekend
51:11possibly
51:11Michael Schumacher
51:12there in seventh spot
51:14clearly the car
51:15capable of reducing
51:16in a faster time
51:17than that
51:17and that is indicative
51:18I'm sure
51:18of Ferrari
51:19very studiously
51:21working through
51:22a fuel load program
51:23to find out
51:24which compound
51:24to use tomorrow
51:25yeah because he did
51:2625 laps
51:26it's not like he
51:27didn't do many laps
51:28right
51:28Juan Pablo Montoya
51:29there in 12
51:30followed by David
51:31Coulthard
51:31and of course
51:32Christian Kleen
51:33took the Jaguar
51:34off track
51:35on his first lap
51:36and post
51:36no time at all
51:37that'll about do it
51:39for our first hour
51:40of coverage
51:40of the 2004
51:41Spanish Grand Prix
51:42weekend
51:43join us tonight
51:44at midnight
51:44for Formula One
51:45Decade
51:45highlighting the 1994
51:47Spanish Grand Prix
51:48then on Saturday
51:49coverage of qualifying
51:50here at Barcelona
51:51begins at 8 a.m.
51:53Eastern time
51:53and finally on Sunday morning
51:55live coverage
51:56of the race itself
51:57begins at 7.30 a.m.
51:58Eastern
51:58as always
51:59we'll start things off
52:00with the Acura
52:01Pre-Race Show
52:02and at 8 o'clock
52:02the cars will roll off
52:04for the Spanish Grand Prix
52:05until then
52:07for David Hobbs
52:08and Steve Matchett
52:09I'm Bob Barsha
52:10we'll see you tomorrow morning
52:11for qualifying
52:12for the Circuit de Catalunya
52:14in Barcelona
52:16Spain
52:16until then
52:17so long everyone
52:17we'll see you next time
52:21for theioni
52:28in the next episode
52:29we'll see you next time
52:29we'll see you next time
52:30we'll see you next time
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