The 2006 San Marino Grand Prix Preview

The Formula One circus is heading back to Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari in Imola for the San Marino Grand Prix. One of Ferrari's home circuits, the team are never to be discounted, as they demonstrated in 2005: the return to Europe promises an interesting weekend, and if the racing is below par, at least the teams' new paddock establishments will provide plenty of talking points...

Analysis

With the soft compounds available since the restoration of tyre changes, cornering speeds have increased, so the drivers can expect to have a tough weekend at the Imola circuit: its counter-clockwise layout exposes poor conditioning at the best of times. The circuit is narrow, and despite fast straights, it is tight through the corners and chicanes, which makes passing difficult.

Key to quick laps at the circuit are the ability to ride the high kerbs, so suspension settings need to be relatively soft, whilst a powerful engine for accelerating out of the corners allows more downforce to be carried, whilst reducing the impact of the gradients. Whilst not as critical on braking as Canada, braking from high speed is important, requiring effective cooling.

Flashback

In 2005, the race at Imola saw what looked like a Ferrari revival - and though it turned out the thrilling finale was more due to a combination of poor Michelin preparation and a de-tuned Renault engine, it was an interesting race that sparked hope for the season ahead.

Kimi Raikkonen took a respectable pole position from Fernando Alonso, with Jenson Button third after an 'awful' second lap, just keeping him ahead of Mark Webber. Jarno Trulli and Takuma Sato filled the third row, ahead of Alex Wurz (stepping in for the injured Juan Pablo Montoya) and Felipe Massa. Rubens Barrichello struggled with balance, placing tenth, whilst Michael Schumacher started fourteenth after sliding wide at Rivazza.

The start was staid, with Raikkonen maintaining his lead into the first corner and a little shuffling behind; fortune was against him, however, and a ninth lap drive shaft failure left Alonso in the lead, ahead of Button, Trulli and Webber. Barrichello retired soon after with electronic problems, and both of Minardi's gearboxes failed.

After the first round of stops around lap 20, it became apparent that Wurz and Schumacher were long on fuel and their lap times continued to drop. They came in on laps 25 and 27 - with Schumacher rejoining in third.

He proceeded to tour 1.5 seconds a lap faster than Alonso, who pitted considerably earlier than the German. Schumacher fought to pass Button, eventually pitting on lap 47, returning to the race right on Alonso's tail. The remaining 12 races saw a tight battle for the lead, with the noticeably quicker Ferrari fighting hard to find a route past the canny Renault,

Pos  Driver        Team                  Time
 1.  Alonso        Renault          (M)  1h27:41.921
 2.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari          (B)  +     0.215
 3.  Button        BAR-Honda        (M)  +    10.481
 4.  Wurz          McLaren-Mercedes (M)  +    27.554
 5.  Sato          BAR-Honda        (M)  +    34.783
 6.  Villeneuve    Sauber-Petronas  (M)  +  1:04.442
 7.  Trulli        Toyota           (M)  +  1:10.258
 8.  Heidfeld      Williams-BMW     (M)  +  1:11.282

Fastest lap: M.Schumacher, 1:21.858

Weather

There is a significant chance of rain interfering with the Friday and Saturday sessions, so teams will have to bear that in mind for Friday running. Sunday is less likely to see rain, but showers could occur. Temperatures are unlikely to top 15°C, and light winds are expected for the most part.

Tyres

With the return to Europe, and cold conditions, there could be a change of season in the tyre war. Imola is Ferrari's backyard and this race is particularly important to them, so they have put plenty of mileage on to Bridgestone's tyres specifically for this weekend: if there's a turn-around coming, it is likely to be here.

Strategy

The heavy braking and kerb riding makes running with a lot of fuel tough on car and driver alike, which helps deter single stopping; accordingly, a dry qualifying session and predictions for a dry race will probably see the top qualifiers on a two- stop. If the Saturday forecast is for a wet race, then higher fuel loads and longer first stints are likely, and as always, some of those missing the second cut, or expecting to qualify on the fourth row, can be expected to try a single stop.

Conclusions

Despite the evident progress of Toyota and Honda in testing, the win is still expected to be a fight between Renault and McLaren, probably including Ferrari if Bridgestone have come up with something special for the race.

Should rain interfere with qualifying here, where overtaking it relatively tough, it could have a significant impact; similarly, rain on Sunday will throw an advantage to the teams that are flexible and reacting quickly: this may make for exciting racing, though Schumacher's tussle with Alonso last season showed that even without rain, excitement is possible.

A lap of Imola with Kimi Raikkonen

Accelerating hard along the short pit straight at Imola, you reach 290km/h in sixth gear as you wind through the scenic Italian countryside. You brake hard for the left-right-left Tamburello chicane, which is negotiated at 131km/h in second gear through the left-hand entry.

You lift slightly for the middle of the chicane, a right hander, and as you exit the final left flick, you push hard and flat on the throttle, achieving a speed of 289km/h in sixth gear along the straight that leads to Villeneuve.

The left-right chicane is taken at 233km/h in fifth gear. A short burst of power takes you down to the tight left hairpin of Tosa, which is negotiated at 95km/h in second. On the exit you climb up the hill towards the flowing Piratella.

Powering up through the gears, you reach 281km/h in fifth gear along the straight before hitting the brakes for the 181km/h bumpy left-hander. The track then drops downhill, this sees you reach some 251km/h in sixth gear before dabbing the brakes for the slight left hand flick before braking hard for the bumpy right of Acque Minerali, which is taken in second gear at 117km/h.

Accelerating out of the Acque Minerali, your speed increases to 285km/h in fifth gear on the straight that leads you to the Variante Alta. This chicane is negotiated at a minimum speed of 135km/h in second gear and sees the cars riding the curbs quite hard.

This leads you onto another straight, which sees your speed increase to 309km/h in sixth gear. Braking for Rivazza is quite difficult and hard for the brakes as the track drops downhill, the double left swings you round 180 degrees and is taken at 101km/h in second.

On the exit you accelerate hard along the Variante Bassa straight, which sees you reach 285km/h in sixth before braking hard for the right-left flick of Traguardo. Taken in second gear at 96km/h, the final chicane flicks you back onto the start-finish straight to begin another lap.

Team by Team

Renault

Following another excellent race and win in Australia, Renault have not been resting idly on their laurels. The team have been working hard to bring forward their new engine - which Giancarlo Fisichella can run this weekend - besides working on tyres and a revised aerodynamic package for the weekend ahead.

With the first European event coming after a three-week break, they are expecting McLaren to have perhaps closed up, whilst Ferrari are always a threat here. Toyota's recent improvement doesn't seem sufficient to challenge at the front on Sunday, though they might make things interesting in qualifying.

Renault are expecting to show they have raised their game, so retaining a slight advantage over the chasing pack - they will be disappointed if they finish the weekend without another win.

Drivers: Fernando Alonso has been right on form this season, and is in a strong place to defend his Championship: accordingly, in order to protect his points lead, he may return to the more conservative style that rewarded him so well in 2005 - but that makes him no less favourite for another win.

Giancarlo Fisichella has not been lucky so far, but his earlier misfortune means he will be racing the new specification engine this weekend, apparently offering a few tenths advantage over his teammate's unit. Even if slightly detuned for Sunday, provided it holds up for the whole weekend, this should give him and edge, so he should have a better chance to win than the more favoured Alonso.

Objectives: Win again - with both cars on the podium.

McLaren Mercedes

Australia seemed to sum up McLaren's season to date. Qualifying went fairly well - but on race day, Montoya was fast but struggled to keep the car on the black stuff before its electronics shut down, and Raikkonen raced hard but ultimately finished second. It seems the flyaway races held little luck for the outfit.

Since then, some solid tests make it clear that the team are working hard on closing the gap to Renault, and are probably still just a fraction slower, even though the testing laptimes might not be showing it (for example, their last day in Barcelona was compromised when Montoya's car stopped on track, and Raikkonen finished early because of a trapped nerve).

The San Marino Grand Prix is going to be important: converting race pace into points early in the season is vital, as Renault's consistency is delivering them a significant championship advantage, which is only going to become harder to erode with Honda and Ferrari already competitive and Toyota improving rapidly.

Drivers: Last year, Kimi Raikkonen qualified on pole and appeared to be in control when mechanical failure ended his race; there is little doubt that he will be hoping to repeat that experience this year, without the mechanical failure. Even with the increased competition at the front, it is a distinct possibility.

Montoya struggled uncharacteristically with his cold tyres in Melbourne; he appeared a little erratic, which critics claim is due to overdriving in an attempt to match his teammate; for the weekend ahead, he has to be looking for more. The car is clearly quick - and Imola has suited him in the past, so a strong result is possible.

Objectives: Win, with both cars in the points.

Ferrari

A dismal weekend in Australia was put down to poor tyre choice - something of an understatement for a state of play that saw a Toro Rosso driver passing a Ferrari driven by Michael Schumacher!

Nonetheless, there is plenty of evidence that the car is actually quite quick. Not only did it nearly win the first race of the year, which is some indication that things are not too out of whack, but in testing, the team have occasionally looked very good. Furthermore, not only are they working with Bridgestone to improve understanding and step up their game with the tyres, but the package is being developed strongly too.

Of course, this is one of Ferrari's two home races, so they have been concentrating on preparations for these in particular; the tifosi will be out in force to see if the outfit can repeat last season's thrilling event, which at least gave them a sense of hope, if not a victory.

The tyres are better understood, so the team should be able to keep them within their operating temperature; the engine reliability issues have been resolved, meaning they no longer need detuning for the race; an aerodynamic upgrade is expected, so the overall gap to the front should be eroded.

Realistically, even if Bridgestone have done their homework well, Renault are likely to retain a slight advantage and McLaren are expected to be a threat; finishing on the podium would be a solid result, though there's danger in discarding the possibility of a Ferrari home win.

Drivers: Michael Schumacher crashing out of a tough race in Melbourne belied the strength of his strategy; a high fuel load saw a slow start, but he was still fighting for a fifth place finish. With the work of the last three weeks, he must be considered the dark horse in Imola.

Felipe Massa has been receiving mixed reviews so far this season. On occasion, he has struggled with settling in, but when showing the form he was hired for, he perhaps has the potential to match his teammate. In order to dispel the critics, he is going to have to get on top of the car in the next few races - but best would be a strong weekend in front of the tifosi.

Objectives: both cars in the points - and fighting at the front.

Toyota

Finishing on the podium in Australia hinted at a big turnaround by Toyota, after they struggled in the opening events, but before they even had time to savour the result, Mike Gascoyne was sidelined. Although team members did not see it coming after that result, the Englishman had been very outspoken in the past about being rewarded according to his performance, so between the poor start and a three-week break before the European season, perhaps it was a logical outcome.

It will be interesting to see how this impacts the team's momentum later on in the season - though the developments already lined up for the first half of the season will continue to come through the pipeline.

The last test saw Toyota put in some solid work; they learned a lot more about the tyres they are running and should be prepared for the low temperatures in Imola. Quite what developments are coming through seems uncertain.

In order to show they have not lost their direction after laying Gascoyne, Toyota are going to need a strong weekend. If they don't come away with points, then they will spend the next few weeks deflecting questions over management, rather than getting on with the job.

Drivers: Jarno Trulli struggled with a viral infection all weekend in Australia, had a miserable time, then was diagnosed with an ear infection that prevented him flying home. That said, when he did make it back, he put in an impressive test, finally getting to grips with the style needed to drive this year's car. Perhaps a return of last year's stunning qualifying performances will be forthcoming, though it remains to be seen if he can sustain it for the race. Whilst not a fan of the Imola circuit, Trulli will be looking forward to the home crowd. A points finish would be welcome.

Ralf Schumacher likes Imola, and coming off a podium finish in Melbourne, he must be looking for another strong weekend. Another podium finish would be optimistic, but following on from the sudden jump in Trulli's form, he will be fighting to spend the weekend ahead of his teammate at least.

Objectives: Get both cars in the points.

Williams Cosworth

Williams suffered another weekend to forget in Melbourne, between Rosberg struggling to get the car dialled in, then being collected in the first corner of the race, before Webber's race ended with a gearbox failure.

Since then, the team have been working hard, resolving the gearbox problem (though details are sketchy, so perhaps that is by turning down the torque), and working hard with Bridgestone to ensure they have a tyre solution that will work at low temperatures and over the kerbs. Unfortunately, the heavy testing also seems to show that the engine, whilst powerful, is still a little fragile.

This season started with Williams clearly demonstrating they can get a good turn of speed out of the car, but reliability issues have robbed them of valuable early points. Although their pedigree is never to be discounted, keeping pace with the rapid development pace of the manufacturer backed outfits is going to be a trial: these lost points are going to be expensive at the other end of the year.

Drivers: Mark Webber's qualifying strategy in Melbourne allowed him to run strongly in the race until his gearbox failed, making irrelevant his belief that a podium was in the offing. San Marino is going to present a tougher challenge; every serious competitor is bringing a serious update to the table, so it is going to be tough at the front; aiming for the points is a must, but it will probably take rain to make the podium.

Since his electric debut, Nico Rosberg has been struggling to make much of an impression; however, Imola is a circuit that he at least knows from another formula, so perhaps this weekend he will struggle less to get to grips with the track. That said, getting to grips quickly with the rough kerbs will be critical if he is to finish the weekend anywhere near the points.

Objectives: Get the cars in to the points.

Honda

Although they started this season in better form than last, and indeed look much like the team from 2004, Honda have been struggling to show they are ready to win any races. Button's Australia pole was squandered by the inability to generate enough heat in the Michelin tyres to hold positions on restarts (and pace car periods are a common event in Australia), leading to an inexorable slide backwards. Barrichello, meanwhile, had another weekend to forget when he struggled with the brakes, but still worked his way up to seventh.

Unsurprisingly, since Australia a lot of effort has gone in to resolving the problem of maintaining the temperature of the tyres in their operating window. Whilst progress has been made, it is not until the next pace car period in race situation that the team will be able to find out if it is enough to stay ahead of their rivals.

It would be easy to get distracted into concentrating only on improving the tyres, but they also claim to have been evaluating other evolutions for their package too; though whether this is going to provide enough progress to close the gap on the rapidly evolving Renault remains to be seen. That said, the new, more powerful Honda engine will certainly help.

Historically, BAR have made a strong showing at Imola, and they will be looking for that to continue; with Renault and Ferrari's progress uncertain but definitely strong, targeting a win would be optimistic, but certainly they have to be hoping to finish on the podium.

Drivers: Jenson Button will be looking for a repeat of his 2004 pole position - and then to finish a step higher than the third place of last year. Admittedly, this achievement would require closing the gap to Renault, and Ferrari remaining off the pace, so it would not be a trivial accomplishment.

Following a solid Barcelona test, even though it ended early due to a trapped nerve, Rubens Barrichello is expecting to show that he is getting to grips with his ride and is expected to spend the weekend closer to his teammate - indeed, if it rains, he could even run ahead of him. Another points finish would be welcome, but more than anything, he is hoping his run of bad luck is over.

Objectives: Finish on the podium - preferably with that elusive win.

Red Bull Racing Ferrari

Having struggled with engine reliability since the start of the season, the team have faced some difficult race weekends. In Australia, both cars qualified outside the top ten, losing out further at the start of the race, with Christian Klien crashing spectacularly shortly after tangling with Ferrari's Massa.

David Coulthard's race was little better, with the Scot sliding backwards as the race waned - though the stewards adjudged one of those places came from an illegal pass under yellow by Toro Rosso's Scott Speed, the resulting penalty elevating Coulthard to eighth.

Whilst not showing the surprising form of last year, this outfit continue to have moments when they appear to be right on the pace. Unfortunately, this does not seem sustainable for close to the whole weekend, so they are struggling to score points.

Politics is also playing a role. Dietrich Mateschitz has made it clear that they expect Klien to be beating Coulthard on race days if he wants to justify his place; the youngster's qualifying pace has been solid, but delivering the goods on race day is what this sport is about. It will be interesting to see if the added pressure raises Klien's game, or backfires.

On the positive side, the team have just completed their best test yet, and despite the odd car problem, they managed respectable mileage whilst testing a new aerodynamic package and tyres for Imola. Provided they are able to use Ferrari's new engine, which resolves the reliability issues that have dogged the opening races, and they are able to get heat in their Michelin tyres, they will be looking to score another point. But considering the state of their kerb handling last season, that is a tough prospect.

Drivers: David Coulthard's experience has stood him in good stead again this season, but scoring points in Imola could be a struggle. The Scot has not quite come to terms with the new qualifying format, and qualifying position is important here. Furthermore, with questions remaining over how the tyres will perform at low temperatures, his is not optimistic for this weekend. That said, if those about him are losing their heads, he'll be making places.

Christian Klien, recent criticisms notwithstanding, is probably looking forward to getting on with the next weekend. Although he did not make the final ten in Australia qualifying, his low fuel pace is looking very strong this year, so he must be hoping to continue making an impression on Saturdays. That said, he needs to do something about his pace on race day: scoring a point at Imola would serve well.

Objectives: Finish with a car in the points.

BMW Sauber

After a double points finish in Australia, the BMW-Sauber team have demonstrated the pedigree that made them a credible privateer outfit for over a decade lives on, now they are owned by BMW. Solid racing by Nick Heidfeld earned a surprisingly comfortable fourth place, whilst Jacques Villeneuve recovered from an engine change impacted seventeenth on the grid to finish sixth.

Heading to Imola, the team are expected to bring out a number of aerodynamic changes, though with most of the competition doing the same, they expect relative benefit to be lower impact than that from their Australian changes.

Last season, Sauber had a good weekend at Imola, so they know how to make a car work well at this circuit; provided their rivals have not been able to steal a march - and Michelin have done their homework effectively - then they have to be hoping for another strong weekend.

Drivers: Robert Kubica will be hoping to make another positive impression on Friday, as he collects tyre data for the team; this time, he even has experience of the circuit, if in another formula, so it will be interesting to see what impact that has.

Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld are coming off a strong race in Australia, but they are on the second weekends of their engines, which are marginal for the distance - if it rains and they can detune the engines, then they could be very strong, otherwise they will do well to get both cars in the points again.

Objectives: Get both cars in the points.

Midland Toyota

After another disappointing showing in Australia, Midland skipped the test at Barcelona that every other team attended, preferring instead to test at Silverstone. As their local track, this presumably preserves their limited test days and eliminates the cost of running the test team in Spain; on the downside, it means they will start the Spanish Grand Prix with less data - and perhaps have missed out on seeing what their opponents are up to.

Perhaps the quest for speed is impacted by their attempts to slow other teams down: alongside Super Aguri, Midland have written to the FIA requesting that Toro Rosso's constructors' championship points be discounted. Further rumours that the team are up for sale, particularly prompted by personnel changes, can do little to help matters with moral, either.

That said, the outfit have been working hard. The Silverstone test included a proposed aerodynamic package for the Imola weekend, whilst the tyre and brake work should be valuable, too. They will be looking to stay ahead of Super Aguri, but the only real chance for points will rely on wet weather.

Drivers: Christijan Albers outqualified Tiago Monteiro in Australia, they then had a perfectly mediocre race against each other until Monteiro retired in the closing stages. Little is likely to change this coming weekend.

Objectives: Finish the race with both cars.

Toro Rosso Cosworth

Since buying out Minardi, Toro Rosso have been under continuous scrutiny from the media and rivals over their use of detuned V10 engines. Although they have not been anywhere near the sharp end, as early predictions implied they may be, clearly, the team have to be doing something right to maintain the noise.

In Australia, the team came close to scoring a point, before the stewards determined Speed passed Coulthard under yellow for eighth place and penalised him; furthermore, Tonio Liuzzi was having an even better time, demonstrating the car has the pace to pass anyone who is off the pace, including the struggling Michael Schumacher.

Even with the restrictions that limit the power available, the frequent long accelerations of Imola should reward the excellent torque of their V10 engine. Provided their brakes are up to scratch and some of the front runners struggle, even without rain, this weekend could offer a real chance to score a point.

Drivers: Scott Speed's attitude with the stewards managed to get his name heard in America - though perhaps it would be better to be visible for his car control, rather than a lack of mouth control. On the positive side, although Speed lacks experience in Formula One, he has not allowed it to stop him from getting on with racing. Perhaps next time out, he'll pick up a point.

Tonio Liuzzi was having a great race in Australia, even passing Michael Schumacher on lap 9 before crashing on lap 39 after tangling with Villeneuve. He'll be looking to show that his form was no fluke this weekend.

Objectives: score a point.

Super Aguri Honda

Despite completing more laps than any other team, and actually showing half way respectable pace at some stages of the races, Super Aguri are struggling to make an impression on their competition.

Although the car is outdated and several seconds off the pace, reliability has been impressive: considering they are going to be using these chassis for considerably longer than originally planned (the 'all new' car keeps getting postponed) there is a question over whether they should continue evolving this chassis, or concentrate their efforts on the new car.

That said, the last test in Barcelona was singularly unimpressive when the car failed early in the test, resisting repair and preventing the team from accomplishing many miles. Accordingly, they are expected to continue lapping at the back of the field.

Drivers: Takuma Sato has been pushing hard, making the most of his ride, if at the back. Others who have had the misfortune to find themselves behind him can attest to difficulty in passing the Japanese driver as he fights hard.

As a counterpoint, Yuji Ide has been struggling to stay within a couple of seconds of his teammate, prompting comments from the team's management - though they acknowledge a lack of testing (or even a properly fitting seat) are contributing factors. The last test should have given him a miles of work with the car, but instead he is heading to San Marino, another circuit he does not know, without the benefit of car time.

Objectives: Finish anywhere other than last.

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