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The Imola San Marino F1 2005
Formula one 2005 now moves to Europe, and San Marino may see a lot of interesting developments
Update: Second Qualifying -
Raikkonen takes pole position, Alonso 2nd, Narain 17th.
Schumacher 13th.
17 April 2005: Minardi has
already done the shakedown for its PS05 car and while the car
looks radical, there are is no word yet on the performance
figures.
The 25th San Marino Grand Prix finally
returns to Europe this week. However, in case you are
wondering why it is referred to as both the San Marino and
Imola F1 races, that is because the race actually does not
happen in San Marino, but in Imola which is 50 miles away in
Italy.
Usually that means a horde of Ferrari
F1 fans, Michael Schumacher will have something to prove this
time - that is not not out of the title race, and that car
still has the potential in it. Anyone who saw how fast and
confidently the F2005 went till it failed will have no doubts
about its potential for pure speed.
BMW Williams F1 team is quite confident about their chances at the Imola F1 2005. BMW has a good track record here. Nick Heidfeld is confident the his Williams F1 car has improved since the start of the year. “We have several new parts on the cars that we validated during the two tests and Michelin having been working flat out to provide us with the best possible tyre.” Nick Heidfeld will able to take advantage of using a fresh engine as his race at Bahrain F1 led to retirement.
BMW Williams F1 technical director Sam Michael believes the FW27 to have an advantage as it is suited to ride the kerbs and the tough punishment that the Imola circuit can often deliver.
The atmosphere at the Imola F1 is excellent - partly because of its location and scenery, nestled in the mountains and sweeping among trees. Drivers enjoy racing here - not minding the kerbs, that is.
9 April, 2005: All eyes are now on the
Imola, San Marino Grand Prix.
The San Marino Grand F1 race will be the first of the European F1 2005 season. Imola has huge history behind it, and some unpleasant memories too, such as Ayrton Senna's accident.
The race is considered the home F1 race of Ferrari, and the tifosi
will be there in large numbers. Ferrari is not having a great time even after the introduction of the F2005 Ferrari F1 car - but it is definitely a fast car, and they will be looking at picking up some points, if not winning outright, at the Imola F1.
All the Formula One drivers are thanking their stars that the heat is finally over. Formula One driving is a lot less taxing at Imola - msotly because the life-sapping heat is not there. However, Imola presents its own challenges to F1 drivers. "With medium to high-speed corners, a couple of chicanes and plenty of heavy braking, San Marino is a big challenge for the drivers," BMW Williams Technical Director Sam Michael explained. "It is also important to achieve a set- up which allows the drivers to ride the kerbs without compromising high-speed stability." Furthermore, the 4.933 kilometre track is driven anti-clockwise. This represents an uncommon strain on the drivers' neck muscles."
A lot more of the teams' efforts are expected to go towards cooling the brakes, instead of cooling the engines as was the case in 2 out of 3 races in F1 2005.
BMW Williams Formula One driver Nick Heidfeld will race with a new BMW engine following its failure in Bahrain. That should bring a bit of reliability through the race. Mark Webber on the other
hand will have the same engine he used at the Bahrain F1 race.
The Renault F1 team is on a high. Their star driver fernando Alonso believes that he has a good thing going - and he would be able to contnue his good 2005 run at Imola too. Fernando Alonso already has a 10-point lead after the first three races of 2005.
There is no news coming out of the Jordan camp, but Minardi plans to test the all new 'PS05' racer in Italy next week. They say that their PS05 is radical, and Jordan may have something to fear at San Marino.
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