Formula 1
Chinese GP: Ferrari Saturday qualifying notes
Chinese GP - Qualifying Jean Todt: "This was a very difficult qualifying session because of the weather conditions that did not suit our package. Michael drove exceptionally well and sixth place is the best he could do. We have limited the ...
Published: Oct 1, 2006, 7:53 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Chinese GP - Qualifying
Jean Todt:
"This was a very difficult qualifying session because of the weather conditions that did not suit our package. Michael drove exceptionally well and sixth place is the best he could do. We have limited the damage but of course it is disappointing that we are unable to exploit the potential at our disposal, given how things went in this morning's free practice."
"Felipe also did his best, but because of his engine change, he will have to start from the back of the grid. However, one should never forget that the final word of a Grand Prix comes only on Sunday afternoon, after the race. Apart from the usual parameters - reliability, strategy, tyre performance, team work and driver performance - we will also have to take into account how the weather situation evolves."
Michael Schumacher:
"We did the best we could in these conditions as our chances were damaged by the rain and sixth was the best I could do. You could call it a damage limitation operation. We still have the race ahead of us and from the third row of the grid, we can still aim for a good result, given that in the dry, we have proved to be very competitive. This qualifying session has not compromised my chances of winning the world championship. Apart from tomorrow's race, there are still two Grands Prix to go and everything is still possible."
Felipe Massa:
"This was definitely not a good day. First off, I was starting with the handicap that I would be penalised with a ten place drop down the grid after the engine change and then the weather conditions certainly didn't help me. Obviously we are hoping that we won't have a wet race tomorrow, otherwise we will struggle. However, in the dry, the car is good and if those are the conditions we race in, then I can still hope to finish in the points."
Ross Brawn:
"A great performance from Michael on a day when the rain made life very difficult for us. Compared with the race in Budapest, we along with Bridgestone have made progress in these conditions, but still not enough to be competitive compared to the best teams running different tyres to us. A shame as in this morning's dry free practice we saw that our package worked really well. The weather forecast for tomorrow is for only a slight chance of rain for the period of the race: honestly we have to keep our fingers crossed and hope it turns out to be accurate!"
Michael Schumacher: 6th
1:45.775, 9 laps
Chassis 255
Felipe Massa: 13th
1:45.970, 9 laps
Chassis 256
-credit: ferrari
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Alonso heads Renault front row for Chinese GP
Next article Chinese GP: Winners' press conference
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Felipe Massa
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Formula 1
Formula 1
Italian GP
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Defendant ordered to pay £250,000 legal fees in Felipe Massa F1 title case
Formula 1
Formula 1
Defendant ordered to pay £250,000 legal fees in Felipe Massa F1 title case
Felipe Massa’s F1 2008 lawsuit will proceed to trial
Formula 1
Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
Felipe Massa’s F1 2008 lawsuit will proceed to trial
More from
Ferrari
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
2 h
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Charles Leclerc reacts to Ferrari fear: 'We know what line not to cross'
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Charles Leclerc reacts to Ferrari fear: 'We know what line not to cross'
Latest news
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 2 h
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 2 h
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
2 h
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
ARCA
ARCA ARCA 4 h
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe