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The racing weekend we all have waited is now here. The Spa-Francorchamps, one of the last old-style F1 circuits still in the calendar, a track which is technically demanding and a real task to the driver. As usual in Spa, the weather plays an important role, the chance of rain is always there.
Here's a Minardi preview from F1-Live.com
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Doornbos and Albers pushing hard for Minardi
Belgian GP - Minardi Cosworth - Preview
"The Minardi Cosworth team head to Spa Francorchamps with many rumours doing the rounds regarding the future ownership of the team with Red Bull linked to a controlling buyout of Paul Stoddart’s team while a Russian consortium is also said to be in talks to buy the squad.
Away from the rumours, it will be business as usual on track with Robert Doornbos and Christijan Albers both aiming to produce the best result possible. Last time out at Monza Doornbos and Albers finished 18th and 19th in an event where there was not one race retirement.
The US Grand Prix aside, the team’s best result this year came in Montreal where Christijan Albers brought the PS05 home in 11th position. Points are unlikely for the team but Spa Francorchamps traditionally provides a race with plenty of attrition.
Last year the team suffered a double failure to finish with Gianmaria Bruno eliminated in a first lap incident while and Zsolt Baumgartner was taken out 28 laps later after a rear tyre on Jenson Button’s BAR exploded and launched the 006 at high speed into the side of the unfortunate Hungarian.
The Minardi team have twice finished in eighth position at the Belgian Grand Prix. The rain hit 1998 event saw Shinji Nakano survive the carnage to take the chequered flag while Pier Luigi Martini also finished in eighth back in 1994 just ahead of the late Michele Alboreto.
Once again this weekend, the team will have a third PS05 on hand for Enrico Toccacelo for the two Friday practice sessions and on race day, the target will be a two-car finish ahead of main rivals Jordan Toyota."
Comments
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Minardi serve up Dutch treat at Spa
Stoddart feeling confident for this weekend’s race
"Thousands of fans will cross Belgium's border with the Netherlands this weekend to watch Minardi's Dutch driver duo in action in the closest race they get to a home Grand Prix.
Christijan Albers, 26, and Robert Doornbos, 23, were thrown together in the Italian team in the middle of this season but have been lifelong rivals chasing the support of the fanatical Dutch followers of Formula One.
Stoddart believes putting the pair together has given them added determination to fight for success and he is confident this weekend's race, at the spectacular Spa-Francorchamps circuit, will bring out the best in them.
"They do push each other on and the fact that they're both competing for national rivalry and pride is probably worth a couple of tenths a lap," said Stoddart. "It all helps."
Minardi have long been associated with Dutch drivers having run Jos Verstappen in the past and Doornbos moved to the team at the German Grand Prix this year when Patrick Friesacher ran out of sponsorship money. Stoddart believes the 'Double Dutch' line-up, as he likes to call it, has improved Minardi's visibility further in the Netherlands, where several key sponsors of the team are based, and is ready to keep them next year.
"Clearly if you look at it now there's more coverage of Minardi in Holland than anybody else," said Stoddart. "That can't be wasted on the sponsors so they are all very happy. It gives us the chance to attract new sponsors. I've made it very clear that I'd be happy to have both drivers again next year and with this car, which is still very much in its infancy, plus keeping the V10 engine, I'm pretty encouraged."
Minardi are back-of-the-grid strugglers racing on a fraction of the budget of the championship challenging teams and it is their competition with fellow backmarkers Jordan that has spurred them on this season. The last race, in Italy, showed the team has made progress with their new machine, introduced during the season, and Stoddart is confident they will move ahead of Jordan this weekend.
"I think we'll be ahead of them (Jordan) in Spa," said Stoddart. "We've pretty much had them all year over a single lap since the new car came out. We've struggled a bit over the race distance but the car's settling down now.
"We're getting a bit of race pace, Christijan proved that at the last race, and that's very encouraging. But they have a new car and it's starting to develop, so it'll be neck and neck for the rest of the year. There'll be tracks where they're better and the other way round and I tend to think that with Spa being the home race for our two drivers, we might have a slight edge. But there won't be much in it."
FORZA MINARDI
Weather - SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
Fri Max: 27°C / 80.6°F Min: 19°C / 66.2°F
Sat Max: 21°C / 69.8°F Min: 16°C / 60.8°F - Thundery showers
Sun Max: 22°C / 71.6°F Min: 17°C / 62.6°F - light rain / drizzle
could it be WET practice and race ??
Fresh engines for Albers and Karthikeyan.
Fisichella having bad luck again, Renault is forced to change his engine
The track is damp from overnight rain only 4 drivers have completed more than 1 lap.
I suprised that Toccacelo isn't out working on wet setup.
only one driver has posted a time below 2 minutes. Zonta 1:56,232
I think we'll see more action in second practice.
toccacelo just nailed it into the tyre barrier:rolleyes:
Albers spins ! No damage to the car...
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16 CHRISTIAN ALBERS: 1:54,435
17 NIKOLAS KIESA: 1:54,437
18 ROBERT DOORNBOS: 1:54,973
19 TIAGO MONTEIRO: 1:55,174
20 FELIPE MASSA: 1:55,326
21 TOCCACELO: 2:02, 502
[Edited on 9/9/2005 by Walker]
Let's pray for the rain.
In the name of GianCarlo, of Stoddard and the holy spirit forzaminardi.com amen!
"But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first" (Matthew 19:30)
Amen!
FORZA
It's raining !
Second session underway
[Edited on 9/9/2005 by Walker]
Liuzzi into the barriers ! It's very slippery.
This is going to be interesting :P
Seems a shame not send one of our drivers around just to get the fastest time for the session.:P
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, BELGIUM, September 9, 2005 – During today’s free practice sessions for the 2005 Belgian Grand Prix, the ever-unpredictable Spa-Francorchamps circuit served up a taster of the sort of challenges it is capable of throwing down. After overnight thunderstorms, drivers had to contend with a wet, but drying, track surface in the morning, before the rain returned with a vengeance and effectively washed out the second session. Minardi F1 Team drivers Christijan Albers and Robert Doornbos, plus Friday tester, Enrico Toccacelo, all managed to do some useful running during the morning, although Albers and Toccacelo both experienced spins. Unfortunately, the latter’s led to a brush with the barriers that brought his session to a premature end. Doornbos ventured out early in the second session, but reported that the circuit was “like a swimming pool” in places. With the rain falling heavily, the team decided the risks attached to running cars in the conditions outweighed anything that might be learned. The result after Day 1 of the Belgian GP weekend: Spa 1, F1 teams 0.
CHRISTIJAN ALBERS Best lap: 1 min 53.807 secs Position: 17th
“After we saw how the track was this morning, we decided to change our programme and convert to one long run close to the end of session, when hopefully, conditions would be at their best. It turned out to be a good strategy. The car was working really well, and right from the beginning of the run, I was able to able to push hard. It’s a shame the second session was rained out, but if the work we did today is any indication, then I think we can be hopeful of a good qualifying performance tomorrow.”
ROBERT DOORNBOS Best lap: 1 min 54.973 secs Position: 19th
“I did a rain dance this morning, because I had a very good race in the wet last year when I won in F3000, but I didn’t expect this much rain. I’m sorry for the fans, and particularly the Dutch supporters, as it would have been great to get some running in this afternoon, but it was just too wet. I went out and saw that Tonio, my team mate from last year, had had a big moment at the end of the straight – there was just too much water. We’ve had a quiet day, so let’s hope tomorrow we can do some more running.”
ENRICO TOCCACELO Best lap: 2 min 02.502 secs Position: 21st
“I’m a little disappointed, as I made a mistake after just two laps when I braked, locked the rear wheels and spun, ending the session there. It’s a shame, because I was really looking forward to testing here. Unfortunately, the rain fell heavily in the second session and there wasn’t a chance to do any further testing.”
PAUL STODDART, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth
“In a rain-affected Spa-Francorchamps, we started this morning’s session on a damp, but drying, track. Sadly, Enrico was caught out and had a close encounter with the famous Spa barriers. In terms of Christijan and Robert, they developed their cars and set very respectable times. They were hoping to improve in the second session, but after Robert’s installation lap, it was clear the track was too wet to continue, so we’ll now have to wait until tomorrow.”
- Ends -
Note: All times set in the First Official Practice session
Chassis allocation – 2005 Belgian GP
Doornbos (No 20) PS05/02
Albers (No 21) PS05/01
Toccacelo (No 40) PS05/03
Robert Doornbos, Jordan (19th, +6.767s):
“I did a rain dance this morning, because I had a very good race in the wet last year when I won in F3000, but I didn’t expect this much rain. I’m sorry for the fans, and particularly the Dutch supporters, as it would have been great to get some running in this afternoon, but it was just too wet. I went out and saw that Tonio, my team mate from last year, had had a big moment at the end of the straight – there was just too much water. We’ve had a quiet day, so let’s hope tomorrow we can do some more running.”
"yes, I think more tommorrow and even more on Sunday! :) its good for us :)"
this should be very very good.
RTL