Formula 1

Turkish GP: McLaren Saturday qualifying notes

Team McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen will start Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix from seventh on the grid. In the third part of qualifying Kimi set the eighth fastest time with 1:27.866, but he will move up one position as Ralf Schumacher will go ...

Edited: Dec 11, 2006, 4:12 AM

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Team McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen will start Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix from seventh on the grid. In the third part of qualifying Kimi set the eighth fastest time with 1:27.866, but he will move up one position as Ralf Schumacher will go back 10 places due to an engine change. In the first two parts of qualifying Kimi was ninth and sixth respectively with times of 1:28.236 and 1:27.202.

Pedro ended up twelfth fastest in the second part of qualifying with 1:27.897 and subsequently did not make it to the final round. In the first session he was also twelfth setting a fastest lap time of 1:28.403. However due to Ralf's engine change Pedro will start the race from 11th.

Kimi Raikkonen:

"The times are very close today so even a small improvement could have made a big difference in where we qualified. I think we had expected to be slightly higher up, but I will move one place on the grid to seventh, and as we have seen many times before anything is possible. The car is handling quite well, and you never know what strategy the others are using, so all we can do now is to wait for the race tomorrow."

Pedro de la Rosa:

"Not qualifying inside the top ten obviously allows us to be a bit more flexible with the strategy, so it's not all bad. I will also move up one position on the grid due to Ralf's engine change. On my flying laps in the second session I hit traffic which affected my times. I'm sure that we have made the right decision with regards to our Michelin tyres. The car was working well, and I look forward to the race."

Ron Dennis:

"We have a good race strategy which should give both drivers every opportunity to achieve strong finishing positions in the race tomorrow. Kimi and Pedro are both pleased with the handling of their cars, so we look forward to a competitive Turkish Grand Prix."

Norbert Haug:

"From the first Michelin runner Fernando Alonso in third to Kimi in eighth there is a little bit more than half a second. In the race tomorrow we will build on our strategy and our race speed. Starting from seventh and 11th is not ideal, but our aim is still to finish as the best Michelin team."

Chassis allocation
Kimi Raikkonen: MP4-21 07
Pedro de la Rosa: MP4-21 06
T-car (Kimi): MP4-21 04

-credit: mclaren

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