McLaren-Mercedes MP4-23

Ferrari 312 B3S ‘Spazzaneve’

Tyrrell-Cosworth 006

Tyrrell-Cosworth P34

Stoner feeling fit and ready for Sunday challenge

The Ducati Team rider overcame some set-up problems in qualifying on Saturday afternoon to take second place on the grid, and says the heat is not affecting him at Catalunya.

Casey Stoner is prepared to push on for a second podium of the season at the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya tomorrow after taking a front row starting position, thanks to a late fast lap in qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

The Ducati Team rider struggled with the set-up of his bike for some of the session and encountered some traffic on track, before managing to set a best time of 1’42.410 to ensure he gives himself the best chance of success in the race.

“We only got one soft tyre in because everyone was holding us up. We had to leave it to the last minute really to do that fast lap but in general we’ve been pretty happy and consistent with our race tyres,” said Stoner.

“We struggled a little bit this afternoon trying to get some pace but we tried a few too many things and got a bit confused and it wasn’t really in the right direction,” he continued. “We feel that we can put up a bit more of a challenge. My fitness seems pretty good so we’re just going to have to wait for the race tomorrow. But qualifying was to be expected and we thought we could go a lot faster than that.”

With the air temperature reaching 35ºC and the track 53ºC there were some who struggled with the hot conditions, but Stoner was not one of them.

“For myself it’s not too bad,” he stated. “I don’t know if I’m doing a little better than everyone else and I’m sweating now because I’m under the lights! But when we were out there it didn’t seem too bad and we were doing some laps. I would have liked to have done a bit of a longer run and been a little more comfortable with the bike, but in general everything feels pretty good and I don’t feel like it’s the hardest race like everyone is going on about. I think there have been a lot worse than this!”

Second row for Repsol Honda

Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso qualified in fourth and sixth places respectively for the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya.

Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso will start from the second row of the grid in tomorrow’s Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya after a swelteringly hot qualifying session at the Montmeló circuit today. Pedrosa’s best lap was good enough for fourth place and was just 0.080s from giving the Spaniard a front row start at his home race, while Dovizioso’s time was a further two-tenths back and secured sixth place and the final spot on row two.

Pedrosa set a series of fast, consistent laps in the morning session and finishing in second place just 0.050s behind the leading time. He improved his pace further this afternoon, in spite of the soaring temperatures which hit 35ºC ambient and 53ºC at the track surface, but in the increased heat, grip was once again the elusive ingredient and the Spaniard continued to lose a little time in the final section of the lap. Pedrosa and his crew are confident that adjustments in t he warm-up and the correct tyre choice can give him a good chance of battling at the front tomorrow.

Dovizioso spent much of the qualifying session in second position before being nudged backwards in the closing minutes. The 24 year-old Italian established a good race set-up however and he too is confident of his chances in the race. Dovizioso has qualified in sixth position on two previous occasions this season - at the first race of the year in Qatar and at the last race at Assen - and each time he has finished higher in the race. In fact, on average Dovizioso’s race finishing position this season has been three places above his qualifying position - a trend which would see the Italian on the podium for a fifth time this year if it continues tomorrow.

Dani Pedrosa:

“The second row is not perfect but anyway, the position is not a big deal and to be fourth is ok with the lap times so close here. Today we've been trying the tyre options to check which will be the best ones for the race. It will be a tough race tomorrow because of the heat, and also because of the level of our rivals. Also managing the tyre performance so that we can lap consistently at 1’43” will be critical. We need to work a little more on the chassis set-up because this morning I felt better than this afternoon. Anyway, we are better than we were at the last race in Assen in terms of qualifying performance, and we had a strong race there. I'd like to be on the front row and I think it was possible but on my penultimate lap I made a small mistake and this cost me the chance. T4 is still my weak point in the lap - the last hard braking point in particular. We will try to find some thing in the warm-up to fix this. Obviously I want to have a good race in front of all the people who will come to support me and we'll certainly be going for it.”

Andrea Dovizioso:

“I’m satisfied with the race pace and I think we are ready for tomorrow. The second row is not the best position to start but being on the front two rows is the important thing. Also, we were using the hard Bridgestone tyre at the end of the session so this qualifying position doesn’t truly reflect our potential. For the race there are many riders with a similar pace and we will have to see how the tyre performance goes tomorrow in these hot conditions and manage our race well. Today we started the session with the soft tyres to see how they affected the pace and rhythm and I think we will use the hard compound tomorrow because it’s really too hot for the soft ones. We need to adjust the electronic controls because the bike is sliding quite a lot - due to the characteristics of this track and also because of the heat. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow. I really like this track and the atmosphere is always fantastic here.” www.motogp.com

Lorenzo on pole after pulsating Catalunya qualifying

The Fiat Yamaha rider secured his third consecutive pole position in a fantastic session which saw the order change many times. Casey Stoner and Randy de Puniet will complete the front row for Sunday’s Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya.

 

Jorge Lorenzo put in a strong end of qualifying run to take pole position for Sunday’s race at Montmeló, coming out on top in an hour-long battle for supremacy in the session. The Fiat Yamaha rider’s best time of 1’42.046 ended up placing him 0.364s clear, but only after top spot had changed hands a number of times.

Second position was Casey Stoner’s after the Ducati Team rider overcame what was a clear dissatisfaction with his bike to move up several places on his 19th of 21 laps. The Australian did take first spot with his time of 1’42.410, but only momentarily as Lorenzo hit back with his penultimate lap.

Completing the front row after another superb QP will be Randy de Puniet, and the LCR Honda rider’s consistency throughout the session was impressive. The Frenchman led until ten minutes before the end when the battle heated up, eventually timing a further 0.102s behind Stoner to make it three front-row starts in succession.

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa also made a late surge and he climbed onto the front row for a few minutes before finishing fourth, just eight hundredths of a second off De Puniet in a breathless final few laps. Ben Spies also made a charge at the end of the session and improved his standing considerably, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider following up an impressive day one practice with fifth place on the starting grid.

Andrea Dovizioso completed the second row as he took his Repsol Honda round in the sixth best time. Loris Capirossi will have been pleased with the marked improvement on the GSV-R of the Rizla Suzuki team as he placed seventh, with rookies Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) also taking third row places, the latter securing his best qualification so far this season.

Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) were 10th and 11th respectively. Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) had finished the session in eighth, but his final lap was cancelled after Race Direction deemed he had cut the track between Turns 1 and 2, meaning his reclassified position was 12th.

The Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya MotoGP race gets underway at 2pm local time on Sunday.www.motogp.com

Aleshin aims for F1 test with Renault

Mikhail Aleshin currently leads the World Series by Renault championship. The Russian talent leads the championship ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. Aleshin enjoyed his first laps on track with a Formula 1 car last month. The experience now motivates him even more to win the championship and earn himself that day of testing with the Renault F1 team.

Speaking about his day of action at Magny-Cours Aleshin said: “I have driven in many different single seaters in my career and honestly, nothing compares to an F1. I think that the grip around fast bends and the braking power are the two most impressive aspects. I know I stayed far away from the limits of the car, I need to drive more, in order to gain a full understanding of how an F1 works, but this experience gave me the chance to get pretty comfortable aboard this race car.

“It confirms me in my desire to get into F1. It motivates me even more to win the Formula Renault 3.5 Series so that I could get to do a real test with Renault F1 Team.”

Speaking about his position as championship leader in the 2010 World Series by Renault season he said: “The season has actually got off to a very good start. I didn’t do too well in some of the races and I suffered a bit at Brno, but in general I have shown my potential and the potential of the Carlin team. I am really satisfied with the way the team works. Everyone is extremely focused on winning, this really helps the drivers to race in good conditions. www.gpupdate.net

Hamilton looking forward to home crowd support

Next week's British Grand Prix will be Lewis Hamilton's home Grand Prix. The Briton will travel to Silverstone as Formula One's championship leader and he can't wait to enjoy the enormous support from the British fans.

“The Santander British Grand Prix is the halfway point in the season, and our whole team is really hungry for success. After spending most of 2009 out of the hunt, I can tell that everybody is really fired up, particularly for this weekend, where we’ll be performing in front of a home crowd, and all our friends and families. It would be amazing to score another great result at our home race.

“We haven’t raced on this Silverstone configuration before – I’ve looked at the track map, and I’ve seen some onboard footage, and I like what I’ve seen. It still looks fast and sweeping – even the new corners look medium- to high-speed, which is what you want around here.

“To be leading the world championship going into my home race is a fantastic feeling – I know very well the effect of people-power around here – in 2007, when I got pole position, I vividly remember driving around on my slowing-down lap and I could hear the noise of the crowd over the engine. And in 2008, in those terrible, wet conditions, nobody lost heart or faith, and they kept waving their flags and banners for me on every single lap.

“When you see that kind of dedication, you know you’ve got to repay it. And that’s why I go to Silverstone absolutely determined to get a great result; to make 100,000 people proud of our team and our country.

“The Santander British Grand Prix is one of the best races of the year – it’s going to be a brilliant weekend. Bring it on!" www.gpupdate.net