Soaring temperatures in Italy were matched only by the heat of competition at the Autodromo di Monza this afternoon as Kimi and Jrme took to the track in a tightly packed qualifying session for tomorrows Italian Grand Prix
Kimi Rikknen, E20-05 Position: Q1P10 / Q2P10 / Q3P8 Best Time: Q11:25.151 / Q21:24.742 / Q31:24.855 Laps Completed: Q15 / Q28 / Q35
Jrme DAmbrosio, E20-03 Position: Q1P17 / Q2P16 Best Time: Q11:25.834 / Q21:25.408 Laps Completed: Q111 / Q28
Qualifying 1Key Moments: 00mins: KR & JDA out for first stints on hard tyres 08mins: KR puts in a solid time to sit P9; remains in the garage for the remainder of the session 09mins: JDA runs slightly wide out of Lesmo 2; in the drop zone at the mid-point 16mins: JDA heads out medium tyres this time, moves up to P17 20mins: Chequered flag; KR through in P10, JDA also progresses in P17Summary:
Instant exits from their respective garages put Kimi and Jrme straight into the mix as the first qualifying session got underway; matching sets of silver marked hard compound Pirelli tyres for the pair.
The Finn set a decent early benchmark to put himself comfortably among the leaders, electing to remain parked for the remainder of the session as a tense battle ensued for the lower positions.
Among them, Jrme continued his steady progress over the weekend by mixing it with the mid-pack; coming under late pressure from Heikki Kovalainen for the final spot in Q2 but pulling out a good lap on the white marked medium compound rubber to progress in the dying moments.
Qualifying 2Key Moments: 00mins: KR & JDA straight out once again; hard rubber for the Belgian, medium for the Finn 06mins: KR P8 with his first effort, JDA P15 10mins: KR & JDA both out on fresh mediums for a second stint 15mins: Chequered flag; Kimi moves into Q3 in P10, JDA out in a respectable P16Summary:
Jrme was first out this time; the team selecting the harder tyres for his first stint in an attempt to compensate for the lost running on mediums in the previous session.
Kimi followed shortly afterwards on a fresh set of medium rubber; a pair of runs this time for the Finn as the pack bunched right up to create a tense finale to the second session.
The Icemans final effort was much improved, moving him just inside the top ten and through to the pole position shoot out. Jrme by contrastdespite improving significantly on his previous timewas eliminated in a valiant P16.
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