Viva la Alonso
06-25-2005, 02:34 AM
With the off season now over, and the real season kicking into gear many teams know where they are at. But for an under-funded Minardi team who have had little testing already knew where they would be before the season start. That is at the back of the grid. But with their new driver line-up including Gianmaria Bruni and Zsolt Baumgartner, Minardi have much looking forward to, as they may yet again uncover a superstar in the making. Ever since Minardi’s debut in 1985 they have never really showed any signs of competitiveness, only scoring 30 points from 303 Grand Prix’s. With their lack of funds and performance a season with the back markers Minardi will prove to be a strenuous one for both Gianmaria Bruni and Zsolt Baumgartner. This young Italian Gianmaria Bruni will have to conjure all of his talent to bring Minardi off the back row and amongst the field. Even though finishing his maiden gran prix in Australia at Albert Park would be a priority, Bruni cannot afford to take a breather as first impressions do last.
As the sun rose early Friday morning, casting a ray of light across the Albert Park circuit, the marshals came out of their hibernation to dawn a new day, a new season and a new way of life. With the sunlight slowly becoming brighter and brighter, the Formula 1 garages started to roll up, which enables the sunlight to spread across the beautifully manufactured streamlined carbon fibre Formula 1 cars. With the new day came the flock of people walking through the gates in their favourite team colours. A sea of red washed through the gates all in matching clothes, overwhelming the odd supporter of Jordan or Sauber. It was a sign that the 2004 season was ready for kick-off. The only thing missing was the roar of the 900hp engines which are to roam the circuit today in two 60minute practise sessions.
Finally the cars were being warmed up as the tyre covers came off, and the drivers got geared up into their unmistakeable race suits. Then with a piercing sound and the roar of the crowd, the first Formula 1 car was roaming the Albert Park circuit. Engines of a Formula car produce 120 decibels, which is the threshold of pain for the eardrum, so as you can expect it’s not the quietest of sounds, but it is a marvellous sound indeed. During the opening free practise session, Gianmaria Bruni was not to be seen. We had to wait until the second practise session until we saw and heard the roar of Bruni in a Minardi powered by a Cosworth engine, storm the track. Bruni clocked up 18 laps as he ripped through the circuit, riding the chicanes pushing the Minardi to its limit of 19000 revs. With that exhausting effort in his first session, Bruni was able to achieve a best a time of 1’28”991, eclipsing team-mate Baumgartner by over 7 tenths, who unlike Bruni did run in the first practise session. Not only that Bruni was faster than two Jordan’s by over a second, in which Pantano also completed 18 laps. At the end of the second practise session it was time that we said goodbye for the Formula One for Friday, because they were next to be seen tomorrow on Saturday. No doubt Bruni will be working feverishly with engineers and mechanics to get just the right set-up in between oversteer and understeer, which all drivers are searching for, which they will need to put to the test in the third and fourth practise sessions and then shot it out in qualifying on Saturday.
With another day dawning and the teams awaking from their slumber, the gates to gain access to the track opened at 7:30a.m sharp. It was yet again another beautiful morning with clear blue skies and the sun shining at its best. The marshals were out on the track early sweeping all the dust and the leaves that landed on the track over night. Not to mention there was a level-reader car zooming around, which measures the height of the ground to the bottom of the F1 car by using measured sensors. This tells us whether there has been any damage to the track overnight. With the level-car off the circuit and the photographers in place and the crowd ready and waiting for yet another day which the F1’s will roam the circuit.
As the Minardi garage was opened and the covers came off the black Minardi, Bruni got in his race gear, put the helmet on with those focused eyes visualizing each and ever corner. Going into the third practise session full of confidence, Bruni was able to beat Baumgartner yet again, but this time by one and a half seconds, despite doing fewer laps. During the course of these practise sessions which Bruni ran in, he clocked up 46 laps, compared to Baumgartner 50. On an overall timing system during the practise sessions which both were present, Bruni was able to out master Baumgartner by a total of 3.698 seconds. This shows that Bruni is driving around in a Minardi due to skill more so than money.
Come Saturday afternoon Bruni had one lap to show the world why he is in F1, unfortunately the world was left waiting. Bruni’s Minardi formed an electrical gremlin which prevented Bruni’s first ever qualifying performance. Leaving Bruni disappointed, and to wonder, “If only”.
Many on Sunday morning were awakening before the sun rose, as Sunday is the all important race day. Unlike Friday and Saturday, there was hardly any sun to look out for as there was quite a lot of cloud cover. Despite the cloud cover many flocked to the track at around 4:00a.m to line up and wait for the 7:30 opening of the gates. As the lines become bigger and the cloud becomes brighter, a certain buzz filled the air, with everyone in waiting to witness the first Grand Prix of the new season. When the gates opened, a mad stampede of colour and people emerged at Albert Park, all running in separate directions to their chosen spot. By the hundreds the fans flocked in, and the mad stampede started to die down after around two hours. It was then that many had their tongues wagging, waiting for that 2:00p.m start of the Grand Prix.
Sunday afternoon at 2:00p.m saw an unlucky Bruni start from the very rear of the field in 20th place. An unworthy place for Bruni, who showed more pace than 17th placed Baumgartner. As Bruni slotted in his grid position his heart began to thud at around 200 beats per minute, the palms began to sweat, the butterflies began to fly at full speed inside Bruni’s stomach and the adrenalin pumped at full throttle. As the lights started up, 20 Formula One cars let their engines rev at their max until the lights went out and the Formula 1 cars began to move. There was no Tarso Marques style of a start in a Minardi, which was always slow and seconds behind by the time he reached the first corner, because Bruni ripped right into the action. As by the end of the first lap Bruni had already moved up to 17th place by overtaking his team-mate Baumgartner, a highly skilled Oliver Panis in a Toyota and a Christian Klien in a powerful Jaguar. Storming around the track on the second lap Bruni’s Minardi quickly filled up the mirrors of the Jordan driver Pantano, then flying by the Jordan with ease. Bruni then picked up 15th place on lap 8 when the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen retired. It was on that lap when Bruni took his first pit stop in Formula 1. After re-joining the race from his pit stop Bruni found himself in 18th place. From then on it seemed to be a lonely race for Bruni at the tail of the field, but even though Bruni was in 18th place he didn’t just stroll around, he put the pedal to the metal and tried his heart out. But tragedy struck on lap 35 when an unfortunate Bruni had yet another electrical gremlin, this time it was during the all important race. Despite being down and out, Bruni later returned to the track on lap 50 to put some race practise and some mileage on. The result of the electrical failure meant that Bruni finished his first Grand Prix 15 laps down.
As the sun rose early Friday morning, casting a ray of light across the Albert Park circuit, the marshals came out of their hibernation to dawn a new day, a new season and a new way of life. With the sunlight slowly becoming brighter and brighter, the Formula 1 garages started to roll up, which enables the sunlight to spread across the beautifully manufactured streamlined carbon fibre Formula 1 cars. With the new day came the flock of people walking through the gates in their favourite team colours. A sea of red washed through the gates all in matching clothes, overwhelming the odd supporter of Jordan or Sauber. It was a sign that the 2004 season was ready for kick-off. The only thing missing was the roar of the 900hp engines which are to roam the circuit today in two 60minute practise sessions.
Finally the cars were being warmed up as the tyre covers came off, and the drivers got geared up into their unmistakeable race suits. Then with a piercing sound and the roar of the crowd, the first Formula 1 car was roaming the Albert Park circuit. Engines of a Formula car produce 120 decibels, which is the threshold of pain for the eardrum, so as you can expect it’s not the quietest of sounds, but it is a marvellous sound indeed. During the opening free practise session, Gianmaria Bruni was not to be seen. We had to wait until the second practise session until we saw and heard the roar of Bruni in a Minardi powered by a Cosworth engine, storm the track. Bruni clocked up 18 laps as he ripped through the circuit, riding the chicanes pushing the Minardi to its limit of 19000 revs. With that exhausting effort in his first session, Bruni was able to achieve a best a time of 1’28”991, eclipsing team-mate Baumgartner by over 7 tenths, who unlike Bruni did run in the first practise session. Not only that Bruni was faster than two Jordan’s by over a second, in which Pantano also completed 18 laps. At the end of the second practise session it was time that we said goodbye for the Formula One for Friday, because they were next to be seen tomorrow on Saturday. No doubt Bruni will be working feverishly with engineers and mechanics to get just the right set-up in between oversteer and understeer, which all drivers are searching for, which they will need to put to the test in the third and fourth practise sessions and then shot it out in qualifying on Saturday.
With another day dawning and the teams awaking from their slumber, the gates to gain access to the track opened at 7:30a.m sharp. It was yet again another beautiful morning with clear blue skies and the sun shining at its best. The marshals were out on the track early sweeping all the dust and the leaves that landed on the track over night. Not to mention there was a level-reader car zooming around, which measures the height of the ground to the bottom of the F1 car by using measured sensors. This tells us whether there has been any damage to the track overnight. With the level-car off the circuit and the photographers in place and the crowd ready and waiting for yet another day which the F1’s will roam the circuit.
As the Minardi garage was opened and the covers came off the black Minardi, Bruni got in his race gear, put the helmet on with those focused eyes visualizing each and ever corner. Going into the third practise session full of confidence, Bruni was able to beat Baumgartner yet again, but this time by one and a half seconds, despite doing fewer laps. During the course of these practise sessions which Bruni ran in, he clocked up 46 laps, compared to Baumgartner 50. On an overall timing system during the practise sessions which both were present, Bruni was able to out master Baumgartner by a total of 3.698 seconds. This shows that Bruni is driving around in a Minardi due to skill more so than money.
Come Saturday afternoon Bruni had one lap to show the world why he is in F1, unfortunately the world was left waiting. Bruni’s Minardi formed an electrical gremlin which prevented Bruni’s first ever qualifying performance. Leaving Bruni disappointed, and to wonder, “If only”.
Many on Sunday morning were awakening before the sun rose, as Sunday is the all important race day. Unlike Friday and Saturday, there was hardly any sun to look out for as there was quite a lot of cloud cover. Despite the cloud cover many flocked to the track at around 4:00a.m to line up and wait for the 7:30 opening of the gates. As the lines become bigger and the cloud becomes brighter, a certain buzz filled the air, with everyone in waiting to witness the first Grand Prix of the new season. When the gates opened, a mad stampede of colour and people emerged at Albert Park, all running in separate directions to their chosen spot. By the hundreds the fans flocked in, and the mad stampede started to die down after around two hours. It was then that many had their tongues wagging, waiting for that 2:00p.m start of the Grand Prix.
Sunday afternoon at 2:00p.m saw an unlucky Bruni start from the very rear of the field in 20th place. An unworthy place for Bruni, who showed more pace than 17th placed Baumgartner. As Bruni slotted in his grid position his heart began to thud at around 200 beats per minute, the palms began to sweat, the butterflies began to fly at full speed inside Bruni’s stomach and the adrenalin pumped at full throttle. As the lights started up, 20 Formula One cars let their engines rev at their max until the lights went out and the Formula 1 cars began to move. There was no Tarso Marques style of a start in a Minardi, which was always slow and seconds behind by the time he reached the first corner, because Bruni ripped right into the action. As by the end of the first lap Bruni had already moved up to 17th place by overtaking his team-mate Baumgartner, a highly skilled Oliver Panis in a Toyota and a Christian Klien in a powerful Jaguar. Storming around the track on the second lap Bruni’s Minardi quickly filled up the mirrors of the Jordan driver Pantano, then flying by the Jordan with ease. Bruni then picked up 15th place on lap 8 when the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen retired. It was on that lap when Bruni took his first pit stop in Formula 1. After re-joining the race from his pit stop Bruni found himself in 18th place. From then on it seemed to be a lonely race for Bruni at the tail of the field, but even though Bruni was in 18th place he didn’t just stroll around, he put the pedal to the metal and tried his heart out. But tragedy struck on lap 35 when an unfortunate Bruni had yet another electrical gremlin, this time it was during the all important race. Despite being down and out, Bruni later returned to the track on lap 50 to put some race practise and some mileage on. The result of the electrical failure meant that Bruni finished his first Grand Prix 15 laps down.