23 Jun 2006
Kubica heads opening Montreal session
|
Practice for the Canadian Grand Prix got off to a quiet start in Montreal on Friday, under grey skies and windy conditions on the Ile Notre Dame.
Robert Kubica set the best time, for BMW Sauber, with a lap of 1m 16.290s. That compares with Jenson Button’s 2005 pole time of 1m 15.217s and Kimi Raikkonen’s fastest lap of 1m 14.384s.
Nobody else pushed particularly hard, with Anthony Davidson 1.916s down in second place for Honda on 1m 18.306s ahead of Alexander Wurz on 1m 18.941s for Williams. Right at the end they were joined by Michael Schumacher, with 1m 18.994s for Ferrari.
Many of the potentially faster runners did not venture out until the last quarter hour. Rubens Barrichello did a reconnaissance 1m 19.070s in the race Honda, with team mate Jenson Button right behind him on 1m 19.165s. Then came Toro Rosso’s Neel Jani on 1m 19.258s, and fellow Red Bull-sponsored teamsters Robert Doornbos on 1m 19.681s and Tonio Liuzzi on 1m 20.154s. Christijan Albers recovered after an early spin in Turn 3 to post 1m 20.646s for Midland, but his partners had a torrid time. Giorgio Mondini’s M16 stopped in the first sector after only two laps, leaving him without a time, while Tiago Monteiro set the 11th fastest time of 1m 20.799s but understeered his car into the outer wall in the last corner on his last lap of the session.
Ralf Schumacher was 12th for Toyota on 1m 21.861s, while team mate Jarno Trulli was 17th with 1m 24.029s after off-course moments in Turns 8 and 10. Between them were the three Super Aguris, with last weekend’s Le Mans runner-up Franck Montagny 13th on 1m 21.783s from spinner Takuma Sato on 1m 21.891s and Sakon Yamamoto on 1m 23.159s. Felipe Massa was right behind the Japanese rookie with 1m 23.179s.
Nobody else recorded a time, confining themselves to installation laps or not running at all.
|
|
