Formula 1
Japanese GP: McLaren Friday practice notes
Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Pedro de la Rosa, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya completed today's two practice sessions for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit. Pedro, in the third car, was fastest in the first session with ...
Edited: Oct 8, 2005, 12:32 AM
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Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Pedro de la Rosa, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya completed today's two practice sessions for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit.
Pedro, in the third car, was fastest in the first session with 1:30.532 and third in the second with 1:31.821. Kimi and Juan Pablo were 13th and fifth with times of 1:33.486 and 1:32.321 in the first session.
In the second session Kimi was fifth with 1:32.849 and Juan Pablo's time of 1:37.371 puts him 22nd. Kimi had an engine failure towards the end of the first session necessitating an engine change which means he will lose ten places on the grid for Sunday's race.
Juan Pablo Montoya:
"The track is OK and I always really like it. We had some minor balance issues in the first session but despite this the car was good. In the second session I seemed to run into traffic or somebody broke down in front of me so quite limited value really. We will see what the weather is like for the rest of the weekend where obviously we want to get a good result as the Constructors' Championship is important for everybody in the team."
Kimi Raikkonen:
"Obviously I'm a bit disappointed with the engine failure which stopped my first practice session prematurely. However we managed to get some running in the second practice, and there is still plenty of time left tomorrow morning. The balance is basically OK but a lot depends on what the weather will do for the rest of the weekend."
Pedro de la Rosa:
"Despite the change in conditions especially in the second session we had a productive day. We still can improve the balance particularly for dry conditions. In general I'm happy with what we achieved. I really love this circuit and know it very well from my three years here in Japan. It's a challenging track for the drivers and is all about having the right rhythm to achieve a good lap time."
Ron Dennis:
"A very disruptive practice for everybody but more for us with Kimi's unscheduled engine change. However we still managed to get a strong indication regarding tyre choice."
Norbert Haug:
"This first day, which took place in changing conditions with intermittent rain, makes it difficult to judge where everybody stands. Kimi had an engine failure after only eight laps in the first session, the cause of which we are investigating. The engine change means that he has to start 10 places back."
Chassis allocation
Kimi Raikkonen: MP4-20 04
Juan Pablo Montoya: MP4-20 07
Pedro de la Rosa: MP4-20 06
-mclaren-
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