It must rank as one of F1’s longest ever qualifying sessions and also one of the wettest. But don’t take our word for it, here are the drivers on the appalling track conditions, pee breaks and why one would have liked even more rain!
Giancarlo Fisichella, 20th: “It’s dangerous everywhere. Even in the pit lane!”
Heikki Kovalainen, 17th: "These were some of the worst conditions I’ve ever experienced in a race weekend. I like driving in wet conditions, but today there was so much aquaplaning that it was extremely difficult to keep the car on the track. Plus, there was very bad visibility when you were travelling in the spray of another car."
Toyota Motor Sports
Vitantonio Liuzzi 15th: “I just lost the car on a big puddle in the middle of the straight - I didn’t even touch the brake at all, I’d just backed off on the straight… it’s just part of the game, unfortunately. The problem here is that you get lots of rivers (with Interlagos' many elevation changes) and it was pretty dangerous to go out; it was risky but it was okay.”
Lewis Hamilton, 18th: “Today was one of the worst qualifying sessions I can remember. Our car was so bad in the wet you couldn't even go flat-out on the straights. That’s how little grip I had.”
Mark Webber, 2nd: “I don’t think it was the right thing to probably start in those conditions, every driver I spoke to was of the same opinion, fortunately the right decision was made in the end, but TV drives things and we have to start.
“The standing water was massive and visibility was a big thing, we have learned today when to drive and not to, they are not street cars, they are F1 cars, they are quick and low to the ground and they go off quick when the conditions go wrong.”
Rubens Barrichello, 1st: “After 17 years in F1, I never got out of the car for a pee twice in the middle of qualifying! The worst time of qualifying was when Liuzzi went off. We should not have restarted qualifying at that time, on that straight I was in fourth gear, you have not much pleasure from the visibility and you are aquaplaning so don’t know what is happening at all.”
Robert Kubica, 8th: “The conditions in this qualifying were really difficult. At one point there was so much water on the track that the car was almost undriveable.”
Nick Heidfeld, 19th: “I simply had no chance. In a Formula 1 car you don’t only get aquaplaning problems from the tyres, but also with the plank. That’s not driving anymore, that is swimming.”
Ferrari.com
AND (AS EVER) THE ODD ONE OUT WAS…
Kimi Raikkonen, 5th: “With the inters the car is not so easy as with full wet tyres. If it stayed in full wet condition then probably we would have been in a better position!”
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