Barca Qualifying one " Quote " Unquote

From Formula1.com.....

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (1st, 1m 14.795s):

"I'm delighted to be on provisional pole, and especially so because this is the first time Panasonic Toyota Racing has managed the feat. My lap was nice and clear but I must say I'm surprised to have taken such a perfect result. I was struggling to find grip this morning, but in the end things went much better in qualifying. I have no doubt that the race will be hard tomorrow as the front of the grid is so tight, but we will do our very best to convert this result into pole position tomorrow morning. Then I will give everything I have in the race."


Fernando Alonso, Renault (2nd, +0.016s):

“It was a special qualifying session for me, to be competing in front of all the fans and see their support around the lap today. In the car, I made a couple of small mistakes on my timed lap, so I am pleased to be in the top three for tomorrow morning and, probably, the race. There was a little more grip out there than I had expected, so I am encouraged because the car has the potential to be faster. But it has felt good all weekend, and I think we are set up well for tomorrow in second qualifying and the race, when I will be able to attack even more.”

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren (3rd, +0.024s):

"A pretty good result considering that we started quite early in the session. I'm upset as I made a mistake at Turn Two by going wide and I lost probably around half a second - without that we would have been quickest. However it's tomorrow where it really counts and I can't wait. The car has been working well and we have the pace so with a strong lap we should be in with a chance of a good starting position."

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari (7th, +0.603s):

“It was a reasonable performance in this qualifying session. I was looking strong in the first sector, but then lost about four tenths in the last two. If we look at my pace this morning, it is obvious we have made up some ground this afternoon, closing the gap to the others. Whatever happens in final qualifying, this is not the ideal position on the grid. So we will have to rely on our race performance. I am much happier with that and I think we are much more competitive in race trim. It is fair to say, we are still struggling with our single lap performance.”

Barca Qualifying one

Truilly douses the expectations

Jarno truilly put an incredible lap to put Fernando Alonso out of provisional pole position. But the spaniard and his legion still beleive that this sunday is his'.

Alonso has it steady

Amid a lot of screaming , honking and exceptional support Alonso put in a steady lap to come a respectable second split only by 0.016 of a second from the leader Truilly

The big red let down!

Need i say more. Barca is not a bull fight i predicted.

Barcelona may throw up a bull fight...

The tussle at the tip begins this weekend. Its like a movie climax. Alonso capturing the tip of the everest that has always been schumi's territory. Well not always , but for quite some time. Then schumi climbs back up resolutely. At Imola he scrambled to the tip and tried to push Alonso off. A visibly agitated Alonso heaved a sigh of relief on seeing the chequered flag. Well now it is at this juncture that the movie continues at Barcelona. In a land where passions run high sport always thrives and one man who would know it all is Fernando Alonso. As the schedule pits him into the heart of his homeland , he has to pass a litmus test. Well its one thing to beat Schumi to the top and another to stay there.

One can't help coming up with the analogy. Running the risk of being hackneyed , i compare Alonso to a metador trying to hold off a raging bull. You know who the bull is. The spanish crowd will root for the metador ; their metador - but the bull just doesnt care. It sees red , it is red.

There has been so much talk off track by Alonso stating that he is confident he can hold schumi back and that spain was his favourite track. One would think that he has gone a bit too far - too much of chattering - but its a direct result of the nervousness. Alonso is talking to himself when he addresses the press and says , "i can hold back schumi , anytime" . He is saying that to himself trying to drive away the inevitable jitters. Not that he can be blamed. After one saw Imola , anyone would get a jitter if he was in Schumi's path. And Alonso is in for a rough ride...Hope to tames the bull!
Buena suerte , Amigo!

The king is back!

The king is back. Just a day after the edge-of-the seat thriller at Imola, i happened to see another similar thriller. This time near my home in a huge cinema hall , packed to the brim , crowds screaming in wild ecstasy. I dont know what it was : my very low expectations or a really superb movie that made me feel that i had just seen one of the best tamil movies i have seen in recent times. I may be exaggerating here but thats how i feel.

To begin with 'Chandramukhi' is not another all-Rajini fare. Rajini plays a role just like any of the others in a really well spun suspense yarn that keeps you rivetted till the end. Apart from fight scenes that defy gravity and all Newtonian laws (i loved those too!), the rest of the movie has been neatly dissected logically. This is not a charade but a carefully thought out screen play.

To begin with the Rajini factor was subdued and beautifully used in the movie. He looks good and is back at his charming best. A day after the king of f1 made a bid to claim his rightful place, i saw the king of tamil cinema not just make a bid but claim his place as a charmer of the masses. There is never a dull moment when he is there. Such is the vibrancy of this man.

The movie begins with a usual dose of Rajini's bravado. It was disarming and enjoyable if you are not the type to cringe at the sight of super human heroics. Come on folks! We can make this happen only in movies so lets do it. I am not going into the story and the plot of the movie but another member of the cast who needs special mention is Jothika. She has done a great job especially in the second half. Watch it for yourself.

There are moments in the movie where you jump up and there are moments when you laugh heartily but overall the movie runs smoothly keeping you engrossed all the way. Dont miss this one folks! A must watch......

Imola conjures up a screamer ; Alonso holds his own against a blitzkreig

Red hot racing
Imola was about one man only. One of the greatest racers of all times , Michael Schumacher showed the world what he is made of in one of the most exiciting races of this season. Fans couldnt have asked for a more nail biting , nerve wracking finish to the race that welcomed the f1 bandwagon to Europe. As the race climaxed into the last fifteen laps the tension built up to the point of a huge explosion and was kept all the way through to the chequered flag. Schumacher , red-hot and charging hammering away at the back and a determined Alonso doggedly refusing to buckle under pressure kept a gap of just about two-thousanths of a second through the entire stretch of their dog fight.Alonso definitely is a man of steel and a man to watch out for.

The 'Tifosi' and the resurgence
The sea of red at Imola signified that Ferrari's resurgence was on the cards. Every lap of the red car was cheered. There was an early dissapointment when Schumi screwed up his second qualifying to end up in the fourteenth place. However it hardly seemed to matter. In what can only be described as a stroke of a genius the ferrari jumped a long way to land in the third place. Hats off to the masterful thinking of the team. Then on the race was on. The predator began to lurk. Button was clearly on the firing line. Schumi put on consecutive laps faster by two seconds to Button until he was right behind him. From then it was just waiting for the big man. All he needed was a little distraction in the form of williams and he swept past the clueless bar driver. Then the final encounter.

A great racer's tale of annoying equipment.
Kimi raikonnen might possibly have had his victory here had it not been for his car. Again , Mclaren failed him. He was very quick and i think as fast as Schumacher. Another dissapointment for the finn , who looked nothing short of spectacular during both the qualifying sessions and the race day. His team mate Alex Wurz , however must be mighty pleased to end up at number four. A great start for him.

A little worry package for Briatore?
Fisichella bungled up a great chance to finish at the top right from the first qualifying. His car supposedly had enhanced engines compared to Alonso who was driving on his bahrain engine but he looked insipid. He was slow in both the qualifyings and didnt complete the race. After the first race he has been going downhill , a little something to worry for the Renault.

Button is smilng again
Its happy to see the BARs back. They have a great team of drivers and having looked so promising last year just couldnt get their juices up this year.It looks like they are back.Button must be releived to be back on the podium much less finish the race. With BARs getting their act up the action is getting thicker this year with a crowd of contendors for the top honours.

Slam Bam Dunk. Not exactly a public transport
Williams just didnt have it to go for it. The car was bumpy and aerodynamically inefficient compared to the smooth flowing Ferrai ,Renaults and McLarens. Webber was dissapointing and Heildfield could have done better but then they must be having swollen necks having endured the bumpy ride in the hard carraige.

Marking his Territory
Fernando Alonso made a hat trick a feat made more dramatic by the way it was acheived. He had one of those great clashes you see once in a while in f1. Two drivers trying their best to get better of each other. Alonso had a point to prove and so did Schumacher. Alonso proved it and so did Schumacher. Both were winners although Fernando can claim that he got the better of Schumi. Alonso is a great talent ; a potential champion. Schumi looks faster and it is quite possible that Alonso might not hold on to his step in the podium but he is a champion prospect.

One last word on Bonkers
Oh and I nearly forgot : Captain Bonkers ; Villeneuve may have just managed to convince his bosses to retain him for the next race. He drove with purpose and grit. Massa must be annoyed but Villeneuve was flying. His sixth was commedable - crap!it deserves an applause. Well done bonk, you've still got it. Perhaps.

So Schumi is back. The BARs are back. Alonso is still up there. and the McLarens are flying. As we move on to Barcelona ; Alonso's home ground the action is reaching a cresendo.