Alonso takes Canadian Grand Prix pole
Posted on 06/25/2006 under: Motorsport
Defending world drivers' champion Fernando Alonso stormed to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix. Spaniard Alonso, 24, fended off a later surge from his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella to take the top spot in one minute 14.972 seconds - over two tenths of a second ahead of the Italian.
Alonso said: "It was a tough session because there were three of us pretty close, but pole position, great. It's very good for us, but honestly it is feeling pretty normal at the moment." And Fisichella added: "I am happy with the second position. It was very hot and that worked for our car, but we did okay. I think we do have now a good position to try to win this race tomorrow now. That is the aim."
Alonso said: "It was a tough session because there were three of us pretty close, but pole position, great. It's very good for us, but honestly it is feeling pretty normal at the moment." And Fisichella added: "I am happy with the second position. It was very hot and that worked for our car, but we did okay. I think we do have now a good position to try to win this race tomorrow now. That is the aim."
Alonso's nearest championship rival, German Michael Schumacher, could only manage fifth for Ferrari - a second off the pace.
Schumacher said: "This could be down to the tires, the car, the set-up, whatever."
And Schumacher, who was optimistic of a record eighth win at the circuit named after Ferrari legend Gilles Villeneuve, has now changed his opinion completely.
He is predicting a difficult race and knows he will unlikely receive any help from his Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa, who starts an equally disappointing tenth.
Schumacher added: "We can expect a really tough race - it will be very long too at 70 laps. Having said that though, anything can happen so we have to give it our best shot."
The remainder of the top ten was completed by German Nico Rosberg in a Williams, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya in a McLaren, the Hondas of Briton Jenson Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, and Ferrari's Massa.
The second part of qualifying saw Alonso set the fastest time of the weekend so far with a lap below the one minute 15 second barrier.
That was as exiting as it got though, with no surprise names missing the cut for the top-10 shoot-out, although the massed crowd went distinctly quieter when local hero Jacques Villeneuve missed the cut by just one place.
Also put out were Austrian Christian Klien in a Red Bull, Villeneuve's German team-mate Nick Heidfeld, another German Ralf Schumacher in a Toyota, and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, who qualified his Toro Rosso ahead of Briton David Coulthard's Red Bull.
There was high drama for Williams garage during the opening session though, as German Nico Rosberg put in a last-gasp lap to get through. But that dropped his Australian team-mate Mark Webber out of the safety zone and ensured that he would miss the top-16 cut for the second race in a row.
Eliminated behind Webber were American Scott Speed in a Toro Rosso, the Midland team-mates Tiago Monteiro, of Portugal and Christijan Albers from Holland, and the Super Aguri pair of Japanese Takuma Sato and Frenchman Franck Montagny.
Source: AFP
