It was clear from the get go that this was going to be a Qualifying session full of shocks and surprises! All the drivers were eager to get out straight away and get some timed laps in whilst conditions were still manageable. This led to yet another traffic jam in Silverstone in a weekend when that has been one of the biggest news stories surrounding the event only this time it was queues of F1 cars not F1 fans. Lap times were set and, although they weren't very fast, drivers did need a lot of control and skill to keep their cars on track. There was a lot of slipping and sliding as the rain began to have a big effect on the track action.
Caterham were enthusiastic about Qualifying today. They have brought major upgrades to Silverstone making changes to their front wing, rear bodywork and exhausts and had claimed that they expected it to give them about half a second in pace. To the casual F1 fan that may seem insignificant but with strict regulation limiting what designers and engineers can do to their cars it is quite extraordinary to make such gains in pace. Whether the team have actually made this progress is as yet unclear; it is likely that the weather conditions today didn't allow them to really show their hand. Nevertheless, they once again failed to make it through to Q2 despite their early confidence. Petrov and Kovalainen qualified in 19th and 20th respectively but will start a position higher as a result of Jean-Eric Vergne's penalty from Valencia. We know that Caterham can progress into Q2 so perhaps we will just need to wait for a Qualifying session in normal conditions to see their upgrades come into effect. Behind the two Caterhams are your usual suspects; Glock, De La Rosa, Karthikeyan and Pic. However, Vergne will be the man starting 24th, after qualifying in 16th, so all the aforementioned drivers will also move up one grid position.
Jenson Button. What is there to say about Jenson Button? The Brit's woes continued in front of his home fans. After a promising FP3 result, finishing 2nd, I'm sure Jenson and many others thought he would have an easier time of it in Qualifying than he has recently had. However, conditions were different for FP3 and with even less (of Jenson's arch nemesis this season) grip in the wet it just wasn't to be in Silverstone. This is a disappointing results by anyone's standards let alone someone who is trying to relaunch his title bid! Speaking to the BBC's Lee McKenzie after the premature ending of his involvement in Qualifying, Jenson was still feeling optimistic about the race. Conditions will be wet tomorrow, surprise surprise, meaning there will be plenty of opportunity to climb up the order and overtake. I also doubt tyres will play as big a role tomorrow due to the low degradation of the wet tyres and so, as this is an area Button has particularly struggled with this season, I think he is right to be feeling optimistic. The weekend is not over yet...
In Q2 it was clear that the rain had gotten so much worse. There were literally deep puddles that the drivers were having to drive through and I did find myself thinking that a red flag was imminent. It looks like race control agreed with me and, as I mentioned above, the session was stopped for an hour and a half with 6 minutes and 19 seconds of Q2 remaining. Fernando Alonso made his thoughts on the need for a red flag very clear on his team radio. He wasn't setting lap times good enough and was down in 16th before the red flag.
There was a lot of criticism of the decision to red flag the session. I was watching the BBC coverage and technical wizard Gary Anderson made his feelings very clear. The argument was that drivers should qualify whatever the condition and it should be that whoever is the best in those circumstances gets to reap the benefits. This is a very hazy area and there are varied opinions on it. I was one of those people thinking there had to be a red flag and that drivers couldn't possibly qualify or even drive in that rain. Hearing the arguments from the likes of Gary Anderson has made me think that a red flag may have been too drastic. But when you see the extent of the rain and how deep it was, was there anything else Charlie Whiting and co could have done? It was a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't! At least it meant there was time for a Mexican wave or two...
Topping the timesheets before the stop was Sergio Perez. Sauber had got everything right; tyre choice and when they sent their driver out to set a timed lap so they were set to be the real losers as a result of the red flag period. And lose it, they did! When the session resumed, Perez was unable to keep close to the rest of the pack. He blamed the tyre decision for this. He ended up coming last out of all the drivers in Q2 and qualifying in 17th. However, he gets to move up thanks to Vergne and his Sauber teammate. Kobayashi qualified in 12th but will start from 17th due to a penalty from Valencia when he crashed into Felipe Massa. Sauber looked strong in practice yesterday when conditions were fairly similar to today so it is a surprise to see them fail to progress to Q3.
Also failing to progress to Q3 were Paul Di Resta, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo and Bruno Senna. All of them, apart from Ricciardo, had to see their teammates make it through which tells you just how mixed up the pack was. I'm sure they will be disappointed to be the teammate that didn't progress but they can take comfort from the fact that they saved tyres and with a wet race ahead they can still come out on top tomorrow, when it counts!
Now on to the top 10 shoot out; the climax of an exciting day's action! There were many contenders for pole position; Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso and Webber would all be up for the fight and no one was to be written off. Romain Grosjean beached his Lotus at the end of Q2 so, despite making it through to Q3, he was unable to run and starts 10th. A few drivers, including Hamilton, decided to come out on the full wets but it soon became apparent that the intermediate tyres would have to be the way to go! Alonso was consistently topping the leaderboard after, pretty much, every single lap he completed. Even Felipe Massa enjoyed some time at the top showing that Ferrari had managed to 'do a Vettel' and switch something on just when it mattered most! Webber went first, Schumacher went first; all were in for a real shot! The two obvious names missing from the battle were Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Vettel would seemingly be on a fast lap but then towards the end of the middle sector it looked like he kept backing off. It was strange to see him so far away from his teammate's pace, to say the least. Nevertheless he ended up qualifying in 4th and on the second row; a respectable position! Lewis Hamilton was the big shock of Q3! Not only did he set a fairly average lap time to go 6th but then had to watch as drivers kept beating his time. He therefore starts from a lowly 8th on the grid. Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Pastor Maldonado are sandwiched between Vettel and Hamilton and they start 5th, 6th and 7th respectively.
Alonso, Webber and Schumacher were clearly the strongest drivers in the pole position shoot out and just found a lot more pace than their competitors. It was Alonso who came out on top as he took his first pole position of 2012. Webber joins him on the front row showing Red Bull do still have pace but it's just a different driver at the front for them. And Schumacher continues to prove his worth in an F1 seat by qualifying ahead of Vettel.
I don't think the qualifying positions will be that important for tomorrow's race. Naturally, it won't hurt to start at the front but drivers behind shouldn't feel disheartened. There is a long race ahead and it is guaranteed that a lot will happen. I wouldn't rule out a red flag out, let alone a safety car and tyre strategy may prove crucial. Decisions of when to change tyres to adapt to changing circumstances and track conditions will be an important part of who will manage a strong finish.
If today was anything to go by Sunday at Silverstone won't fail to disappoint the hundreds of thousands of fans who will show up in force, and have been told to do so by organisers, to the Grand Prix tomorrow. Make sure you are back here after the race to review everything that happens with me in my race review and other features throughout the week!
Who will win the race? I don't think anyone can give an answer with full confidence and I certainly have no predictions. I'm just ready to enjoy what the British Grand Prix will bring and, with a lot at stake championship-wise, the drivers won't hesitate to show us some fantastic racing, regardless of what Mother Nature will throw up!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
(Images: Mail Online)
Nice article as usual. Thanks for the effort you put into it. It's a very informative read!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am really glad to hear that you liked it! It was a great Qualifying session and I wanted to do it justice :)
DeleteA good wrap-up of a chaotic session. Just one minor error I spotted - Kobayashi will actually start back in 17th as a result of his five grid position penalty for the incident with Massa at Valencia.
Deleteoh yes, thank you! Slipped my mind...
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