De Ferran Wins Pole For Detroit Grand Prix

Gil de Ferran says winning poles on temporary road circuits takes a certain amount of creativity.

The Paris-born Brazilian driver apparently was at the peak of his creative powers Saturday when he set a track qualifying record and took the pole position for the ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix.

That was his fourth career pole - all on temporary circuits - and the second this season.

De Ferran put up his fast lap of 109.483 mph with seven minutes left in the final qualifying session, then climbed out of his Reynard-Honda and stood watching the timing monitor as the clock ticked toward zero.

“I didn’t feel secure at all,” de Ferran said. “I didn’t know if the guys still out there had used up their last set of tires or not. I was fairly anxious right until the end.”

His fast lap easily surpassed Scott Pruett’s record-setting 108.664 that took the provisional pole on Friday.

Asked why he qualifies so well on temporary circuits, which tend to be tight and demanding, de Ferran said, “I think this type of track is very challenging. You always need a good car, but it leaves a lot of room for the driver to improvise and to do different things.”

Jacques Villeneuve could be suspended for the Canadian Grand Prix on June 15 because of his public criticism of planned Formula One safety rules, the Journal de Montreal reported.

But observers think the circuit’s officials won’t dare to suspend him for the race on the track named after his late father, the legendary Gilles Villeneuve who died in a Formula One practice session in 1982.

Formula One officials will meet with the driver Wednesday in Paris to discuss his controversial remarks over rules designed to cut down speed on the circuit.

Villeneuve, the leader in the driver standings, had been trying to reschedule the meeting because it takes place two days before the first practice session for the Grand Prix in Montreal.