I described Vettel's performance as 'spectacular' and it was fully deserving of that accolade. After not really setting the timing screens alight during Q1 and Q2, it seemed that he would only run once in Q3. That was what he went on to do but his one lap was more than enough to guarantee his pole position. A few other drivers crossed the line after Sebastian but none of them could come close to his time. He eventually beat 2nd placed man Lewis Hamilton by 3 tenths of a second when the rest of the top 10 were separated by only 5 tenths. It really was astonishing to see how he did it and he put in a pretty much perfect lap to pull out this margin. Q2 was incredibly tight so I still can't fully comprehend how Vettel managed to do what he did in such a fashion. He himself said it was a "surprising gap". Vettel looked strong in practice yesterday but no one expected for him to be so strong today, especially as he was right in the middle of the pack during Q1 and 2. His pole position also means that, in an extremely competitive field, Red Bull now have three poles in a row; Mark in Monaco and Sebastian in Montreal and Valencia. But are we really surprised?
Sebastian's Red Bull teammate Mark Webber did surprise everyone with his Qualifying display but it was for all the wrong reasons. The Australian failed to make it through to Q, wait for it, TWO and starts in 19th for the Grand Prix tomorrow. He had extremely limited running in FP3, he only got to do 4 laps, due to hydraulics and brake problems. The team had been working on the car from FP3 to Qualifying but it seems Mark was still ridden with problems. Going out on the soft tyres straight away was an immediate indication that Red Bull and Webber weren't feeling too optimistic about the session. They would have, naturally, expected this move to at least take them through to the top 17 but it wasn't to be. So the season gets crazier; Heikki Kovalainen's Caterham outqualified a Red Bull. Wow... I'm sure Mark Webber will give us something to watch tomorrow as he has a lot of cars ahead of him that a Red Bull really should be eclipsing in terms of performance and pace. So, despite Valencia being a circuit not really famed for its overtaking possibilities, Webber will definitely be making up some places tomorrow and he has a choice of tyres to start the race on. If he can use tyre strategy to maximum effect, he can salvage this race weekend.
Lewis Hamilton qualified in 2nd but he said that he didn't actually expect to finish so high up. This means that the front row will be Vettel-Hamilton for three races now and for the other two Sebastian got a better start than Lewis. He will need to repeat this tomorrow and pull out of the DRS zone in time to avoid the McLaren getting the chance to overtake in what is a very long DRS straight in Valencia. He will be hoping that there isn't a repeat of Montreal and Red Bull must choose the correct strategy this time round. As I have said, Valencia is not really famous for overtaking so should Sebastian get his start and strategy perfect, this race is his to lose. McLaren have not brought updates to Valencia whilst Red Bull have made key developments to the RB8. Can this play in their favour tomorrow? If Lewis were to win he will open up a comfortable championship lead for himself so the pressure is on Messrs Vettel and Alonso to really optimise their performance and get the best result possible!
This will be more of a challenge for Alonso and he could find himself much further behind Hamilton and Vettel after the race tomorrow. This is because he, along with his Ferrari colleague Felipe Massa, failed to make it to Q3 and starts in 11th. Michael Schumacher is just behind him in 12th as his 'bad luck' continues. Fernando was only 0.2 seconds off the pace in Q2 again underlining how narrow the margins are and how there is no room for mistakes in the 2012 F1 season. Massa starts in 13th but was only 0.4 seconds away from Alonso. So he shouldn't feel too disheartened by this. Of course there will be some head-scratching going on at Ferrari. They looked to have made significant steps forward with their car but this seems to be a set-back. They still have a shot at winning some points, particularly with Alonso but it will be a challenge. The start is, therefore, crucial!
Capitalising on the misfortunes of Ferrari, Schumacher and Webber were the likes of Force India's Paul di Resta and Hulkenberg, they start 10th and 8th, and Kamui Kobayashi, who starts in 7th. And even Jenson Button who made it through to Q3 and will start from 9th. Force India and Kobayashi were very impressive today and looked strong throughout the session. For these teams making it through to Q3 despite the tight margins and minimal room for error is a huge achievement and the midfield battle is shaping up to be a very interesting one. Lotus are the midfield team that seem to be running away with that particular battle. There was high expectation from them today but, once again, the success on Saturday failed to materialise. Even when they do look very strong they can't seem to pose a consistent front-row challenge. Nevertheless, Grosjean did enjoy some time at the top of the timesheets today but ultimately starts in 4th; one place ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. It is quite exciting to think about which Lotus driver will be the first to get pole if the car is capable of it. Well, I think it's exciting...
Maldonado and Williams' Spanish success continued today as he rounded off the top 3. It may not be as high up as where he started in Barcelona but it is still an achievement. They start ahead of both Lotuses, both Mercedes' (Rosberg is starting from 6th), both Ferraris and a Red Bull. A very nice position to be in, I'm sure. However, they must ensure that this isn't just a rare occurrence and they need to become more consistent with their top 10 qualifying. Also, Maldonado can be an aggressive, slight understatement there, driver so he needs to keep a cool head and not get mixed up in all the traffic at the start. He needs to maintain his form today for tomorrow as well so that he can pick up a good batch of points for Williams. He fell from hero to zero within the space of one race weekend, Barcelona to Monaco, and was criticised for his aggression and slight immaturity. It is up to him to prove that he isn't just a one-race wonder!
So that sums up the main parts of Qualifying but, if I'm honest, this review could probably double in length if we looked at the performances of Toro Rosso, Mercedes, Perez and Senna. It was a dramatic and exciting session in Valencia and I have no qualms about the fact that the race will also be a good one. Valencia does get a lot of bad press but there is a lot to keep an eye out for tomorrow and there are a fair few drivers who will be looking to right some wrongs from today. Many will have chances to overtake and I'm sure there are places to be made, even in Valencia. I am really looking forward to the race and it may have a big impact on the two championships as well. Mark Webber's misfortunes are a positive for McLaren's Constructors' hopes and Alonso has given Vettel and Hamilton a golden opportunity to ensure that the title battle is a two horse race. So enjoy it, I know I will, and then join me back here to review it all.
See you then...
Aqsa
(Images: dailymail.co.uk)
Good quali report, I enjoyed reading it :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, that's really nice to hear :)
Deletegood post as always but it's only his 33rd career pole
ReplyDeleteOh thank you for pointing that out, it was a typo! And I'm glad you liked it :)
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