24-May-08: Massa Takes Pole in Monaco
It’s the 24th May 2008, and this is F1 Minute.
Felipe Massa scored a surprise pole position in Monaco today, despite saying earlier in the week that he doesn’t like or feel comfortable at the track. He beat out his team mate Raikkonen in second, and both McLarens with Hamilton third and Kovalainen fourth.
Other surprises today came in the form of an errant tyre bouncing down the track which turned out to belong to David Coulthard. He emerged from the tunnel at almost 300 km/h, braked too hard and the car dipped right into the barrier. He slid off track and down the run off area at rather a scary speed. He was unharmed, however, saying he feels fit for the race, if perhaps a bit sore.
Piquet did nothing to impress his bosses who are so eager to keep their eye on him this weekend, finishing in 17th, whilst Alonso managed to end up in 7th. Also struggling, Heidfeld, who finished out of the top ten, whilst Kubica settled in fifth place.
That’s all for today, join me tomorrow for all the gossip from the race itself in another F1 Minute.
10-May-08: Massa Lines Up on Pole in Turkey
Welcome to F1 Minute, today is the 10th May.
After the rain dashed a bit of uncertainty into the Free Practice sessions yesterday, today was bright and sunny in Turkey. Free Practice 3 did see some unpredictable results though, with Webber topping the timesheets, and fellow Red Bull driver Coulthard in third. Between them, Alonso brought the Renault team a good result.
However, qualifying was a different matter. With the rules changed to accommodate the lack of Super Aguri, each drop out session was tighter than before. Piquet and Nakajima fell at the first hurdle, and Glock and the Honda boys at the next.
In the battle for pole position, it was close at the top between Ferrari, McLaren and BMW, with Kubica appearing to fare better than Heidfeld. A last minute tyre choice by Hamilton, however, handed pole to Felipe Massa, with Heikki Kovalainen lining up beside him on the grid. Webber made up for yesterday’s crash by putting the Red Bull in 6th.
The line up looks promising for tomorrow’s race, don’t forget to air your thoughts during live commenting on Sidepodcast.com, and join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.