Japanese GP - MichelinRalf Schumacher has given Toyota pole position for its home Grand Prix at Suzuka. The German posted a 1:46.106s lap on a damp track – and a late downpour denied the late - running drivers an opportunity to challenge his time.
It is the sixth pole position of Schumacher’s F1 career on Michelin tyres, a second for Toyota – and the 99th for Michelin, which could complete its century in the season-closing Chinese GP at Shanghai next Sunday.
Jenson Button qualified second, 0.035s adrift, and Michelin cars took the top eight places. Jarno Trulli posted an impressive first sector time, but then spun at Degner Curve and failed to complete his qualifying lap.
Pierre Dupasquier, Motorsport Director
“We have had an opportunity to test all three types of tyre during the past couple of days and I’m pleased to say that our intermediates and maxi-wets are working every bit as well as our dries. Track conditions didn’t improve a great deal during the early part of the qualifying session, because cars were sending up great plumes of spray that simply settled back on the circuit. Conditions then deteriorated very suddenly – and very dramatically – during the final few minutes, so Fernando Alonso and the McLaren drivers took the wise decision to abandon intermediates in favour of maxi-wets."
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