British GP - Ferrari - QualifyingKimi Raikkonen ran a little wide exiting Woodcote on his final qualifying lap this afternoon and while he claimed the provisional pole for a few seconds, Lewis Hamilton flashed across the line to steal the top position away right at the
end of the session.
For Raikkonen, losing the pole was a disappointment as he lines up alongside his rival for tomorrow's 60-lap British Grand Prix. Team-mate Felipe Massa starts from fourth position.
Kimi Raikkonen“I can’t hide my disappointment. I made a mistake at the exit of the final corner on my second run in Q3. I finished up slightly on the grass and lost traction, which cost me a lot, cost me too much time. But it’s not worth spending too long thinking about it. What’s done is done and it cannot be changed. Now we only have to concentrate on the race. Clearly, starting on the dirty side of the track is not exactly an advantage but we know we have a good pace over a long run. A lot will depend on the start and the strategy worked out by the team. It’s not over yet. We will do our best to bring home the best result possible.”
Felipe Massa
“A very close qualifying session with hardly any difference in the lap times for the top four runners. My final run was reasonably good but I lost time in the second sector, especially at Turn 7. We know our car works well in race trim and tomorrow afternoon’s race will be a long and difficult one with strategy making the difference.
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Jean Todt
“This was a closely fought qualifying session the outcome of which was only decided in the final second. As we expected, the two top teams are very evenly matched as can be seen from the very small gaps between the times. When assessing this qualifying, we obviously have to consider the usual unknowns as regards strategy. Tomorrow, the decisive factors will be the work of the team and the drivers, the timing of the pit stops and car and tyre performance over the distance. For our part, we will do our utmost as usual. This race is a key moment in the fight for both championships and with all our heart we want to bring home the best result possible.”
Luca Baldisserri
“Yet another very exciting qualifying, decided at the death. A shame for Kimi who made a small slip right at the end which probably cost him pole position. The race looks to be very open. We have a very quick car, especially over a long run and that means we can be confident about the final outcome of this Grand Prix.”
Source Ferrari
