BULLETIN No 1
WEATHER CONDITIONS: VERY HOT AND SUNNY
(TRACK 36-41C/AIR 28-31c)
2001 POLE POSITION: Michael SCHUMACHER
(FERRARI), 1m13.780s
2001 RACE FASTEST LAP: Ralf SCHUMACHER
(WILLIAMS), 1m15.693s.
David Coulthard emerged fastest just
ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya in a close-fought first session here at Interlagos where the
slippery and dusty track surface caught out many of the competitors. The two Ferraris of
Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello were the only Bridgestone runners in the top
seven as Michelin runners exerted an edge.
WEST McLAREN MERCEDES (1st
Coulthard/6th Raikkonen)
Technical: Minor aerodynamic changes
to the MP4/17s for this demanding circuit.
Sporting: Raikkonen spun at first
corner after the pits during morning free practice session, stalling engine after coming
to rest broadside across the road. Session red flagged for the car to be retrieved.
Coulthard also had a spin, due to a slight traction control problem, but continued. Both
men working on handling balance and very happy with latest Michelin rubber.
Quotes: Coulthard:"I'm quite encouraged
by today's performance and believe we have taken a step forward since
BMW WILLIAMSF1 TEAM (2nd
Montoya/4th R. Schumacher)
Technical: Aerodynamic developments
for this race and latest Michelin tyres.
Sporting: Montoya suffered a
punctured rear tyre in the first hour's session and was not allowed a replacement, so he
effectively lost a full set of tyres. Otherwise he was very happy and reckoned that only a
slight mistake on his best lap cost him fastest time. Schumacher had a touch too much
understeer in the afternoon after spending the morning running brake system tests with a
full fuel load.
Quotes: Montoya: "The new Michelin tyre
available here had much better grip and improved consistency."
PANASONIC
Technical: Routine aerodynamic updates
for this race.
Sporting: McNish delighted with the feel of the
car on what was a very low fuel run and technical director Gustav Brunner was very happy
with the performance of the car. Salo had to change gear ratios after the morning session
and subsequently had a clutch problem.
Quotes: McNish: "I have had to learn the
circuit which is very undulating and bumpy. I made a slight mistake when I slid off the
track, but otherwise I was extremely satisfied."
SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO (5th
M. Schumacher/7th Barrichello)
Technical: Schumacher using the sole Ferrari
F2002 available with an F2001 as spare while Barrichello had two F2001s at his disposal.
Sporting: Schumacher reported that
the car was working well, with no problems at all, but that he was having to work hard to
get the best out of the second sector of the lap. Barrichello had several spins as he
grappled with a slight traction control problem.
Quotes: Schumacher: "I am particularly
happy with the new run-off area at the point where I spun just before the end of the
session. If it had been as it was last year, I would have hit a barrier."
MILD SEVEN RENAULT F1 TEAM (8th
Button/21st Trulli)
Technical: Minor aerodynamic
modifications for this circuit.
Sporting: Button very happy with no
problems at all, reporting that he felt very optimistic about his prospects for Saturday.
Trulli accidentally pressed the launch control button early in the session which caused
his engine to cut out.
Quotes: Button: "I'm quite happy with the
car and managed to find a good balance for the race. Even so, I think there's more speed
to be found."
LUCKY STRIKE BAR HONDA(9th
Villeneuve/13th Panis)
Technical: No major changes to the BAR
004s for this race.
Sporting: Villeneuve did five runs
today, Panis four. Jacques was extremely happy with the latest Bridgestone tyres and Panis
had a generally trouble-free time despite running wide on one lap and suffering a slight
Honda engine problem.
Quotes: Villeneuve: "It was quite a good
start and we're hoping for a good day tomorrow."
JAGUAR RACING (10th de la
Rosa/14th
Technical: No changes to the R3s for
this race after exhaustive comparative test at
Sporting: Both drivers complained
that the car lacked aerodynamicd grip and de la Rosa suffered a slight mechanical glitch
which caused him to spin close to the end of the session.
Quotes: Niki Lauda: "There has certainly
been some improvement on the R3 since
ORANGE ARROWS (11th
Frentzen/12th bernoldi)
Technical: No changes for this race
and no testing since
Sporting: Progressive and
trouble-free day with just a spin for Bernoldi and a sideways moment for Frentzen. Made a
lot of minor set-up changes to the cars and went through the normal process of evaluating
tyres.
Quotes: Mike Coughlan: "I'm relatively
happy with our pace today and we've shown we can be reliable in hotter conditions than
this."
DHL
Technical: No major changes to the
cars for this race.
Sporting: Both drivers were extremely
happy with the cars during the morning session, but didn't seem to make any progress in
the afternoon. Fisichella was unhappy and didn't understand why, while Sato overshot a red
light on the pit lane exit and will be docked his fastest qualifying lap tomorrow.
Quotes: Fisichella: "This afternoon the
car still felt quite good, but just a little more nervous."
SAUBER PETRONAS (18th
Technical: No major changes for this
race.
Sporting: Both drivers spent all day
running with quite a lot of fuel which largely accounted for their times as they
concentrated on race set-up. Heidfeld reported that he needs to improve the handling
balance on his car.
Quotes:
KL MINARDI ASIATECH (20th
Webber/22nd Yoong)
Technical: Minor aerodynamic changes
for this race.
Sporting: Webber very happy with the
feel of his car and was putting his Formula 3000 experience at Interlagos to good use
while running a heavy fuel load. Yoong still learning the circuit.
Quotes: Webber: "I feel we've making some
worthwhile progress today."