Formula 1
Canadian GP: BAR Saturday qualifying notes
The Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda team were thrilled to be on pole this afternoon after Jenson Button clocked the fastest time of today's Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session. In difficult low grip track conditions and sweltering heat, Jenson ...
Published: Jun 11, 2005, 6:04 PM
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The Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda team were thrilled to be on pole this afternoon after Jenson Button clocked the fastest time of today's Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session.
In difficult low grip track conditions and sweltering heat, Jenson delivered a faultless lap to beat Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso to the front of the grid to post the second pole position of his F1 career.
Takuma Sato did an equally solid job to qualify 6th and will start tomorrow's 71-lap race from the third row of the grid.
Jenson Button:
"I'm thrilled to be back on pole. The past few months have been difficult for all of us at B*A*R Honda and everyone has worked so hard to turn our performance around. It means so much to be able to reward everyone at the team, at Honda and at Michelin with a great result like today's."
"We came here expecting to see an improvement after such intensive testing last week but I have to admit that even I didn't expect us to be this quick. It felt like a good lap but the circuit had quite low grip so I am a little surprised to be honest."
"Let's be clear: we know this is only qualifying but grid position is half the battle and we have once again shown what we are capable of. I think we have a strong strategy for tomorrow and we should have good race pace. I don't know if we are quick enough yet for the victory but it will be interesting to see how far we can take today's result."
Takuma Sato:
"The temperature had risen quite a lot since the last practice session so I didn't push so hard on my warm-up lap and that probably affected the level of grip. The new aero package is working really well and it seems that all of our hard work in testing last week is paying off."
"The team have done a fantastic job to produce the new aero parts for these two races. The whole weekend has been going well so it feels like we are making the steps to get back to the top. I am confident that we have a good set-up for the race and am really looking forward to tomorrow."
Gil de Ferran, Sporting director:
"In free practice this morning we were able to improve the car from yesterday and were looking competitive in the time sheets; which gave us cause for optimism for qualifying. However, having Jenson on pole and Taku in the third row is a fantastic result for our team. Jenson drove a beautiful lap and deserves a lot of credit for that. Starting at the front of the grid is always helpful, so we look forward to a good race tomorrow."
Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering director, Honda Racing Development:
"A flawless lap by Jenson, and a very good performance from Takuma too. The latest spec engine has worked well so far and it will be great for Jenson to be starting with a clear track in front of him. We'll have to see how the various strategies play out, but we'll be aiming for a repeat of last year's podium position tomorrow."
Jenson Button
Chassis: BAR Honda 007-04
Position: Pole
Lap time: 1:15.217
Takuma Sato
Chassis: BAR Honda 007-05
Position: 6th
Lap Time: 1:15.729
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