Subscription

Car Racing

Motorcycle Racing

Racing in Oz

Shop

2005 SAN MARINO F1 GRAND PRIX

2005 F1 GP: SAN MARINO GP: R4 of 19, April 24, 2005 IMOLA

2005 RACE PREVIEW:

FERRARI

• Stefano Domenicali (sporting director): "Arriving in Imola not leading the world championship, as was the case two years is an extra reason to tackle this race in a positive frame of mind. I think that after such a start to the season, for a team like ours, the motivation will be stronger than ever. It will be even more important to show all our fans that we are still fighting. Our approach to the San Marino Grand Prix is based on the principal that our objectives and our goals have not changed. This applies to all the races, but of course Imola is a big event for us. Unfortunately two years ago the crowd was the lowest in terms of numbers and I should know, because I have been going to Imola for years since I was a child to watch Formula 1, motorbikes and all sorts of race meetings," lamented Domenicali. "It was probably because the race was over the Easter weekend. Last year was better and I hope this year the public will respond and come to support us with flags everywhere to give us a boost."
• M SCHUMACHER: "We have a new aero package here, on the tyre side we have improved, or we have a different construction at least .... We are as confident as you can be with a Formula One car, honestly. A Formula One car is a prototype and it might stop at any point in any day. It hasn't been doing that for a long, long time for me. In Bahrain I stopped because of a problem with last year's part but they can still fail at certain times but I think we have a good record and we shouldn't be too concerned."

McLAREN-MERCEDES

• RAIKKONEN: "The Imola track is fairly technical and can be tough on the cars, which means the car needs to be very well set up. One of the main factors you need to consider in this are the high kerbs. You need to keep the car fairly soft so it rides well over the kerbs without affecting high speed stability or ability to change direction well through the chicanes. To make sure the car is quick through the slower corners, we use a fairly high level of downforce.There will also be much lower temperatures at the San Marino race, which should make conditions a bit easier. It was a positive result for the team in Bahrain and we are aiming to put more points on the board in Imola. Again I would like to pass on my best wishes to Juan Pablo, I hope he is fully recovered from his injuries soon, and all the best to Alex."
• WURZ (Alex Wurzwill fill in for Montoya) : "I am really happy to have the opportunity to race MP4-20 this coming weekend at Imola. Since joining the team at the end of 2000, I have completed over 70,000 testing kilometres and it will be great to have the chance to actually race a West McLaren Mercedes car. I am looking forward to getting back to competitive action and hope I can secure a good result for the team.The Imola circuit is all about braking hard and accelerating, with all the chicanes and short straights, which means traction, braking performance and stability under braking are all key. To get a good lap, you need to be aggressive and really attack the kerbs. It goes without saying that I wish Juan Pablo a very speedy recovery."

TOYOTA

• After a dream start to the season with two podiums from the three flyaway races, Panasonic Toyota Racing returns to Europe sitting pretty in second place in both the drivers' and the constructors' championship. Now the team heads to Imola for the San Marino Grand Prix hoping to maintain its impressive form and increase its haul of 25 points so far in 2005.
• THERE'S NO RACE LIKE HOME
  After two consecutive second-place finishes and three starts in the top three on the grid, Italy's Jarno Trulli arrives back at his first home race of the year with 16 points. The European April weather will be very different from the blast furnace conditions of Bahrain and Malaysia so comparative performance is harder to predict. But a cautious Jarno still hopes to build on his strong start to the year.
• Jarno Trulli: "Before the start of the 2005 season I never thought I'd be coming back to Europe in second place in the world championship. But thanks to a lot of hard work from the whole of the Panasonic Toyota Racing team that is the fantastic situation we are in. Expectations are obviously very high now but we have to keep our feet on the ground. Despite the fact that I'm racing at home, I'm not a particular fan of the Imola circuit. The most important factors for performance are braking stability and traction, but the weather will be colder than the last two races and in the past Toyota has struggled over the kerbs. Still, the TF105 has improved a lot and with further aerodynamic updates coming for the weekend, we should aim to score more points. That would be a good result."

RENAULT

• ALONSO: "Imola is a very tough circuit for the suspension: we hit the kerbs hard, and the car needs to be able to cope with that. The drivers must be aggressive through the corners, which I like, and it is impossible to relax: if you get the line wrong over the kerbs, you will be in the gravel trap or the barrier. You also need to find good mechanical grip in the slow corners, traction on the exit and a strong engine down the short straights. So far, the R25 has been competitive on all the types of circuit we have visited; I expect it will continue in San Marino."
• FISICHELLA: "Imola is a selective circuit ... it rewards a complete car that is strong in all areas: a comfortable chassis, strong engine and good tyres. The slow corners mean you need good traction, and straights need aero efficiency and plenty of power, while there are quick corners as well where you need a good chassis.You also need to be good over the kerbs, and the R25 is: it rides them well, and gives the drivers enough confidence to really attack a lot. I think the car will be at ease there, and from a personal point of view, I have more performance to find: I still need to work on finding a perfect balance so I can exploit the potential of the car. So far we have been very strong and from my point of view, there is more to come."

BAR HONDA

• Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda is looking forward to the first of the European races in Imola where their 2005 season really gets underway. Having completed almost 6000kms in 5 days of testing at Barcelona and Paul Ricard, the team is confident that it has met its development objectives with the introduction of new aerodynamic upgrades and that previous reliability issues have been addressed.
• In the course of the two tests, Jenson Button broke the unofficial lap record in Barcelona, previously held by Takuma Sato and set over a year ago under the prior technical regulations. Takuma also broke the unofficial lap record in Paul Ricard this week to confirm that developments introduced since Bahrain have been positive.
• Joining B*A*R Honda for their first Grand Prix with the team are Yasuhiro Wada, the new President of Honda Racing Development Ltd. who is taking over from Shoichi Tanaka and Gil de Ferran, winner of the 2003 Indy 500 and twice winner of the North American CART Championship, who brings over 20 years of racing experience to the newly created role of Sporting Director, responsible for the B*A*R Honda team on-event.
• Located 20 miles south-east of Bologna, the circuit at Imola was first used in 1952, and through the years, as a venue for both the San Marino and Italian Grands Prix, it has gained a reputation as a fast, narrow circuit with some truly daunting corners. Despite track modifications made to improve safety in 1994, the circuit remains a favourite amongst drivers and the presence of the legendary 'Tifosi' stimulates a typically electric atmosphere. Along with Interlagos and the new Turkish circuit in Instanbul, Imola also holds the distinction of being one of only three anti-clockwise circuits on the F1 calendar.
• Jenson Button: "I am looking forward to Imola. Obviously I have great memories of last year's race weekend as I qualified on pole and finished in second place. It's a good technical track, although a bit strange as we use the kerbs a lot, but it is a great driver's circuit and I always enjoy racing there. There's also a good atmosphere, being Ferrari's home circuit in Italy, and the Tifosi are out in force, so it's always a lot of fun."
• Takuma Sato: "I am excited to be returning to the European races after we had good performance in Bahrain and at our recent tests. Imola is a historic and challenging circuit with a narrow, bumpy track and high speeds. We hope that the team's hard work carried out during the recent tests pays off for us in Imola, where we will have a new aero upgrade and engine. Racing in Imola will be very different from the first three races where we had very hot temperatures and different track characteristics, so I am really looking forward to it."
• Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director: "After very successful tests of our new aerodynamic package at Barcelona and Paul Ricard, we are looking forward to the first round of the European season at Imola. We had a very good race weekend here in 2004 and we expect the car to perform well again over the kerbs, which is important at this circuit. With track and air temperatures much lower than we experienced at the first three races, getting good tyre warm-up will be important, particularly in first qualifying, to help get a good aggregate qualifying position for this race where it is very hard to overtake. Imola is also a circuit which is hard on brakes, but despite the retirement at Bahrain we are confident that we will not encounter any wear problems."
• Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development: "We have had two productive tests since the Bahrain race, and will be aiming with confidence for a much better result in Imola."

WILLIAMS-BMW

• The San Marino Grand Prix marks the start of the European season, and after the uncharacteristic first three races of the year, Imola is a more representative circuit in more usual climatic conditions. Given the normalisation of the racing conditions, the Grand Prix will provide a more accurate form guide for the teams for the next batch of races and the BMW WilliamsF1 Team will hope that its continuous stream of car developments over the past three months will start to show in competitive form on the track.
• Mark Webber: "Imola has been a good track to me in the past. I won there once in Formula 3000, and added to that, I always enjoy going to Italy, it is one of my favourite countries. The atmosphere in that track is very, very good, partly because of its setting tucked in the little mountains among the trees, making it a very picturesque setting. The circuit is one you instantly enjoy racing on and of course our team have a pretty good record in Imola. The only possible downside is the weather and at this time of year, it often rains and the ambient temperatures are quite low, but normally it's a good time of year to be in a nice part of the world."
• Nick Heidfeld: "The test we had at Paul Ricard last week, and in Barcelona the week before, were positive and are a good lead into this Grand Prix weekend. As a consequence, we have several new parts on the cars that we validated during the two tests and Michelin having been working flat out to provide us with the best possible tyre. I feel positive going into the San Marino Grand Prix and starting the European season. Imola is a nice track and a special circuit to open this part of the calendar. Turning to the track, you have to make more use of the curbs more often than anywhere else which is a real mechanical challenge for the cars. I will have a brand new engine for the next race, unlike many of the other drivers, which makes me a bit more confident for the upcoming weekend."
• Sam Michael (Technical Director WilliamsF1): "Going from Bahrain to Imola we will see an ambient temperature drop of around 25°C. We have been testing in Barcelona and Paul Ricard since the last GP, working on tyre compounds, aero parts and general set-up of the FW27. We have made progress on performance and are looking forward to seeing our relative position at the race.Imola has medium to high speed corners, a couple of chicanes and heavy braking that the car and driver have to deal with. It is also important to have good curb riding ability without compromising high speed stability, both of which are strengths of the FW27. As usual, we have an aerodynamic upgrade package that will improve the car again to help us compete at the front. We will also have two new tyre choices that we have worked on with Michelin during tests. Imola is softer on tyres compared to the race circuits we have just been to, however as the FW27 has not been close to the limits on tyre wear at the first three GP's, we have gone to even softer compounds again. Due to the shorter pitlane the fuel strategy for the race could be slightly different in Imola. We are looking to maintain our strong qualifying performance that has enabled us to be one of the few teams to improve position on Sunday morning with race fuel load onboard."
• Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "Everyone from BMW has very fond memories of Imola as we celebrated our first win at the track after BMW's Formula One comeback and we still have the 2001 success at the front of our minds whenever we compete in Imola. The circuit seems to suit our car and we hope this remains a reality in 2005. With its uphill sections Imola is demanding for the engines. Like most of the field, Mark Webber will be starting with the engine that has been already extremely stressed in the heat of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Nick Heidfeld by contrast will be starting in San Marino with a new engine. We expect weekend temperatures at around 200C, which means much more reasonable thermal stress compared to recent races. Logistically, many elements of the race weekend are easier with the start of the European season. Travelling is less time consuming, with less reliance on 'living out of suitcases' and freight boxes because we have the trucks and motorhomes in the paddock. For the mechanics and engineers, these mobile work shops and offices are a significant help."

Advertising Enquiry