Schumi suffers fuel problem while Massa is on pole

F1 Grand Prix, GP Brazil, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos

Felipe Massa has grabbed yet another pole position for Ferrari. The red car was dominant during the important phases of the session. On the other hand there is Michael Schumacher who suffered an apparent gearbox problem and was unable to set a time in the final part of qualifying. While Alonso is in 4th place behind the polesitter, Raikkonen and Trulli, Schumacher will be 10 on the grid and faces a challenging GP.

The first session kicked off under sunny skies with both Super Aguris starting the final qualifying of 2006. Everything went as expected for about everyone except Monteiro. The Spyker driver messed up his first flying lap as he spun off the track in the first of two hairpins on this track. Later on Liuzzi also spun off but he was able to resume his session and qualify for the second phase.

Both Renaults came out late in the session and managed to put in the best times of the session. Kimi Raikkonen is third and Schumacher fifth.

At Red Bull, things are going worse and worse for Coulthard who is struggling with his Red Bull RB2. Yet again he did not make it to the second session, together with Speed and the drivers of Spyker and Super Aguri. We believe that Red Bull have not worked hard for developing the current car through the second part of the season. It is likely they are concentrating on fitting in their new staff and preparing for next season's RB3.

The second part of qualifying was even more relaxed for most of the drivers as no dangerous or unexpected situations hapened on track. This time around it are the Ferraris that are fastest ahead of Alonso, Trulli, Raikkonen and Fisichella. Yet again, both BMW Sauber cars are in for the final session by outpacing the Williams cars and de la Rosa.

The third session is immediately surprising as Michael Schumacher quits the pitlane ahead of everyone else but after the first corner lets everyone pass. An inboard camera view makes clear the his Ferrari seems stuck in one gear. The German enters the pitlane at the end of that lap and most likely faces a gearbox change. Next year that would cost him 5 places on the grid. Michael stays in his car and may leave the pitlane again if the mechanics manage to solve the problem in 15 minutes.

As the first series of flying laps start, Michael is still in this pitbox. Although Alonso thereby beats his teammete and Kubica, Massa and Raikkonen prove to be faster at this stage of the session. The second series of laps proves to be a similar story as Massa keeps his provisional pole, ahead of Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso is 4th and behind Trulli while his teammate will be behind him on the grid as he is 6th fastest.