This is just a quick post to apologise for being MIA this weekend! I didn't do a race preview, practice review or Qualifying review and for that, I am sorry! I have been very busy this week because I am going to university in exactly one week's time so I've had to get myself prepared for that. I wanted to keep up with the blog despite this but just haven't found the time to dedicate myself to writing a good post worthy of your readership. I really do mean that.
I even missed Qualifying today and had to shut myself off from the world to avoid finding out the result. I watched the BBC highlights and was blown away by what a good session it was. A McLaren 1-2, Vettel 5th despite Red Bull's problems that left Webber 11th and Massa 3rd; ahead of Alonso who was a contender for pole! The race in Monza will, as always, be spectacular and I can't wait to sit, watch and enjoy! I will definitely try and do a race review so I'll see you tomorrow!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
Showing posts with label Qualifying. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Qualifying. Show all posts
Saturday
(SPA)RTY TIME FOR JENSON
F1 gave us a stunning start to the 2012 season with so much unpredictability and varied results. We all then, rather foolishly, thought consistency would return and the front-runners would cement their place at the top. Then Qualifying for Spa happened...
The top three from today's session are; Jenson Button, Kamui Kobayashi and Pastor Maldonado; very unexpected indeed! Jenson Button had absolutely blistering speed throughout the session and set three times that would have been good enough for pole; one in Q2 and two in Q3! This means that Jenson won his first ever pole for McLaren since he joined the team in 2010 and it is his first pole since Monaco 2009. He has struggled ever since the season opener in Australia and he he has definitely started the second part in a great fashion! The amazing pace he showed means that he should also be set up well for the race, particularly the start when he has to just pull out of the DRS zone. He will now be hoping that this form can continue once we have left Spa and his fate after Australia is not repeated.
Completing the front row is Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi; a surprise result but not so much when you consider how fast Sauber have been all weekend! Even though practice yesterday was a washout and we never got to learn much, Sauber did still look strong and that continued in the dry in FP3 this morning. This marks Sauber's best ever Qualifying result and their first ever front row start! The team's hard work is clearly paying off and their great 2012 season is only getting better. Could they take yet another podium tomorrow? I see no reason why not!
Maldonado also had a strong session, indicated by his third place starting position compared to teammate Bruno Senna's 17th place start. We have seen strong Qualifying displays from Maldonado on several occasions now but it is his failure to convert those good starts into points that seems to be the problem at the moment. He will need to have a clean race from start to finish if he is to silence a few of his critics and prove his win in Barcelona wasn't just a 'fluke'. Overtaking is very possible in Spa so there is a chance he may get involved in an 'incident' or two. Let's hope that won't be the case...
UPDATE: Maldonado has a three place grid penalty for blocking Nico Hulkenberg during Qualifying meaning he starts the race from sixth; right in front of Lewis Hamilton.
The biggest surprise of the day, for me anyway, came from Sebastian Vettel. The German failed to make it through to Q3 by one-hundredth of a second! I'm sure the small margin would have made it much more painful. He said that there were no mistakes in his lap meaning that the car just did not have the pace required around this Spa circuit. His teammate Mark Webber, who qualified seventh but slips down 5 places for a gearbox change penalty, shared these sentiments. Their comments were slightly odd as there had been a lot of talk about Red Bull sacrificing downforce for straight-line speed for this race at Spa; something that suits sectors 1 and 3 of the circuit much more. Their race pace may be better than their pace over a single lap and Sebastian will be able to start the race on the tyre of his choice meaning the team will be able to dictate their own strategy so Red Bull's weekend isn't over yet! We still have to see what the team can do and whether they can optimise their own performance to retain a comfortable championship lead.
Lewis Hamilton also had a Qualifying to forget by his standards as he qualified in eighth place. He had gone for a different setup to pole sitter Button as he opted for higher downforce to benefit him in sector 2 of the circuit but he said the reason for the substantial difference was that he was running an older wing specification. He had tried the newer version but decided to change back to the version he was more comfortable with; something he may now regret!
Lotus had been hot favourites for pole and many had predicted that Kimi Raikkonen could get the first pole position of his F1 comeback this weekend. Sadly, it was not to be for the team that has already made significant progress this season. Instead Kimi qualified in 4th and Romain in 9th. both drivers move up by 1 place thanks to Maldonado's and Webber's penalties respectively! The result may not be what the team expected but I think they're probably used to that considering the way this season has been going so far.
So tomorrow's race is shaped up to be a thrilling one! So much will happen, as it always does in Spa, in the 44 laps and you can expect plenty of overtaking and position swapping.
Predictions? I'll choose Jenson for the win but the other two podium spots will be fought for and what a pleasure that will be to watch!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
(Image 1&2)
Completing the front row is Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi; a surprise result but not so much when you consider how fast Sauber have been all weekend! Even though practice yesterday was a washout and we never got to learn much, Sauber did still look strong and that continued in the dry in FP3 this morning. This marks Sauber's best ever Qualifying result and their first ever front row start! The team's hard work is clearly paying off and their great 2012 season is only getting better. Could they take yet another podium tomorrow? I see no reason why not!
Maldonado also had a strong session, indicated by his third place starting position compared to teammate Bruno Senna's 17th place start. We have seen strong Qualifying displays from Maldonado on several occasions now but it is his failure to convert those good starts into points that seems to be the problem at the moment. He will need to have a clean race from start to finish if he is to silence a few of his critics and prove his win in Barcelona wasn't just a 'fluke'. Overtaking is very possible in Spa so there is a chance he may get involved in an 'incident' or two. Let's hope that won't be the case...
UPDATE: Maldonado has a three place grid penalty for blocking Nico Hulkenberg during Qualifying meaning he starts the race from sixth; right in front of Lewis Hamilton.
The biggest surprise of the day, for me anyway, came from Sebastian Vettel. The German failed to make it through to Q3 by one-hundredth of a second! I'm sure the small margin would have made it much more painful. He said that there were no mistakes in his lap meaning that the car just did not have the pace required around this Spa circuit. His teammate Mark Webber, who qualified seventh but slips down 5 places for a gearbox change penalty, shared these sentiments. Their comments were slightly odd as there had been a lot of talk about Red Bull sacrificing downforce for straight-line speed for this race at Spa; something that suits sectors 1 and 3 of the circuit much more. Their race pace may be better than their pace over a single lap and Sebastian will be able to start the race on the tyre of his choice meaning the team will be able to dictate their own strategy so Red Bull's weekend isn't over yet! We still have to see what the team can do and whether they can optimise their own performance to retain a comfortable championship lead.
Lewis Hamilton also had a Qualifying to forget by his standards as he qualified in eighth place. He had gone for a different setup to pole sitter Button as he opted for higher downforce to benefit him in sector 2 of the circuit but he said the reason for the substantial difference was that he was running an older wing specification. He had tried the newer version but decided to change back to the version he was more comfortable with; something he may now regret!
Lotus had been hot favourites for pole and many had predicted that Kimi Raikkonen could get the first pole position of his F1 comeback this weekend. Sadly, it was not to be for the team that has already made significant progress this season. Instead Kimi qualified in 4th and Romain in 9th. both drivers move up by 1 place thanks to Maldonado's and Webber's penalties respectively! The result may not be what the team expected but I think they're probably used to that considering the way this season has been going so far.
So tomorrow's race is shaped up to be a thrilling one! So much will happen, as it always does in Spa, in the 44 laps and you can expect plenty of overtaking and position swapping.
Predictions? I'll choose Jenson for the win but the other two podium spots will be fought for and what a pleasure that will be to watch!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
(Image 1&2)
SILVERSTONE SERVES UP A SATURDAY SPECTACLE.
There was utter chaos over in Silverstone today as the teams and drivers took to the track to qualify for the British Grand Prix. The session was red flagged with just over 6 minutes of Q2 to go but the action on either side of the red flag more than made up for the rain delay.
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)
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)
SEB'S BULL REIGNS IN SPAIN
Sebastian Vettel pulled out a spectacular Q3 performance to take his 33rd career pole; putting him 3rd in the all-time list alongside the legends Jim Clark and Alain Prost. At just 24 years old this is a remarkable achievement and even if he may not have 8/8 poles this season, there is no doubt in my mind that he is the Qualifying king in the current generation of F1. His pole position in Valencia today also meant that he now has a hat-trick of poles at this circuit and he will be hoping to make that a hat-trick of wins tomorrow as well.
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)
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)
SEB STUNS TO GET A GREAT POLE POSITION
Sebastian Vettel summed up everyone's expectations for the race tomorrow; "It's going to be interesting". But I think that is a definite understatement if today's Qualifying is anything to go by. The session had drama and excitement throughout and this only increased as we got closer and closer to the pole shoot-out! I remember thinking, halfway during Q3, "Oh my God there are still 5 minutes left, I don't know if I can take it!" And that sums my thoughts up, I could end this review right now...
After the end of Q1 your usual suspects were dropped with the addition of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne. He was out-qualified by both of the Caterham cars and his teammate; adding to his Qualifying woes this season. He must improve his performances on Saturdays or at least match fellow Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo in order to reduce some of the pressure on him in the notoriously ruthless team.
Vettel topped the timesheets during Q1 and repeated this in Q2; he certainly looked like the man to beat! Alonso and Hamilton were also up there but Hamilton's teammate Button scraped through thanks to an error from Maldonado. The Spanish Grand Prix winner hit the Wall of Champions and spun to effectively end his shot at getting into the top 10. Also into the top 10 was the Force India of Paul Di Resta, who out-qualified his teammate Hulkenberg. An impressive drive from Di Resta saw him qualify in 8th, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. Button's Qualifying troubles continued in Canada and he was struggling with locking up during the session. Of course, Montreal is a circuit Jenson Button knows well after his great performance in 2011; he moved from 24th to win the race! He may have been helped by the rain at the time but it still required immense driver skill. Let's see what he can do tomorrow from 10th...
Kimi Raikkonen, for the second weekend in a row, was lacklustre in Qualifying. This time, however, he failed to even make it to Q3. Lotus were again strong contenders, many had believed, for a front-row start but they failed to live up to those expectations. Raikkonen qualified 12th with Grosjean performing slightly better to finish 7th.
The star of the day was, however, Sebastian Vettel. Not only was he the fastest man throughout, he was also the only driver to pass the 1 minute 14 seconds barrier. His first Q3 time would have been enough to get him pole position but he only went and improved that meaning it was quite a comfortable session for him. You could tell that he was really pushing for it today and all of his hard work paid off. Pole was really Lewis' to lose after his form in FP1 and FP2. He starts 2nd meaning the front row resembles that of Bahrain and after everyone talking about how exciting that battle at the start will be, it makes you remember how the same was being said then as well. Little came of it with Vettel getting a better start and driving to the chequered flag. Can he replicate this tomorrow? If he does, he'll become the first driver to take two wins this season and return to the top of the Drivers' Championship.
Current leader Fernando Alonso did a great job today by really challenging for pole and many had thought he would get it. Ok I don't know if a lot of you did because I certainly didn't so I'll rephrase... Johnny Herbert on Sky F1 thought he would get it. It's clear that Ferrari have stepped up their game and with a driver like Alonso they can challenge for possibly the win and definitely the podium tomorrow. Felipe Massa also performed well today by qualifying in sixth; he too is improving as Ferrari improve as a team. Could he grab a podium spot tomorrow? Probably not but he can pick up a handful of points...
Here's the top 10 in full:
After the end of Q1 your usual suspects were dropped with the addition of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne. He was out-qualified by both of the Caterham cars and his teammate; adding to his Qualifying woes this season. He must improve his performances on Saturdays or at least match fellow Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo in order to reduce some of the pressure on him in the notoriously ruthless team.
Vettel topped the timesheets during Q1 and repeated this in Q2; he certainly looked like the man to beat! Alonso and Hamilton were also up there but Hamilton's teammate Button scraped through thanks to an error from Maldonado. The Spanish Grand Prix winner hit the Wall of Champions and spun to effectively end his shot at getting into the top 10. Also into the top 10 was the Force India of Paul Di Resta, who out-qualified his teammate Hulkenberg. An impressive drive from Di Resta saw him qualify in 8th, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. Button's Qualifying troubles continued in Canada and he was struggling with locking up during the session. Of course, Montreal is a circuit Jenson Button knows well after his great performance in 2011; he moved from 24th to win the race! He may have been helped by the rain at the time but it still required immense driver skill. Let's see what he can do tomorrow from 10th...
Kimi Raikkonen, for the second weekend in a row, was lacklustre in Qualifying. This time, however, he failed to even make it to Q3. Lotus were again strong contenders, many had believed, for a front-row start but they failed to live up to those expectations. Raikkonen qualified 12th with Grosjean performing slightly better to finish 7th.
The star of the day was, however, Sebastian Vettel. Not only was he the fastest man throughout, he was also the only driver to pass the 1 minute 14 seconds barrier. His first Q3 time would have been enough to get him pole position but he only went and improved that meaning it was quite a comfortable session for him. You could tell that he was really pushing for it today and all of his hard work paid off. Pole was really Lewis' to lose after his form in FP1 and FP2. He starts 2nd meaning the front row resembles that of Bahrain and after everyone talking about how exciting that battle at the start will be, it makes you remember how the same was being said then as well. Little came of it with Vettel getting a better start and driving to the chequered flag. Can he replicate this tomorrow? If he does, he'll become the first driver to take two wins this season and return to the top of the Drivers' Championship.
Current leader Fernando Alonso did a great job today by really challenging for pole and many had thought he would get it. Ok I don't know if a lot of you did because I certainly didn't so I'll rephrase... Johnny Herbert on Sky F1 thought he would get it. It's clear that Ferrari have stepped up their game and with a driver like Alonso they can challenge for possibly the win and definitely the podium tomorrow. Felipe Massa also performed well today by qualifying in sixth; he too is improving as Ferrari improve as a team. Could he grab a podium spot tomorrow? Probably not but he can pick up a handful of points...
Here's the top 10 in full:
- Sebastian Vettel
- Lewis Hamilton
- Fernando Alonso
- Mark Webber (who said he was surprised to even qualify in 4th)
- Nico Rosberg (slightly disappointing for him and Merceded)
- Felipe Massa
- Romain Grosjean
- Paul Di Resta
- Michael Schumacher
- Jenson Button
I cannot wait for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix and if previous races in Montreal are anything to go by, we are in for a treat.
Aqsa
MARK TAKES POLE FROM MICHAEL IN MONACO.
Monaco promised to provide a Qualifying session just as thrilling as the five before it and it delivered said promise in style. We were treated to a Saturday session that was thrilling throughout and it means we have a pretty good race ahead of us.
Michael Schumacher was the star of the day. He went fastest of all in Q3 but because of a 5-place grid penalty due to an incident with Bruno Senna in Spain 2 weeks ago he will start the race from sixth. Silencing many critics of his comeback, Schumacher showed just why he has been as successful as he has at this track in the past. 5 previous wins in Monaco meant that he had the experience around the track that no other driver could rival but, despite this, he was nobody's favourite for pole. If he was genuinely your pick for pole position; I salute you! Of course, we cannot avoid the fact that Michael will start from much lower down the grid because of his reckless clash with Senna. So whilst he performed exceptionally well today he must carry this performance forward into the race. He has retired from 3 of the 5 races so far and although many have blamed his poor luck his mistakes have often been easily avoidable, especially for a 7 time world champion.
Of course, when one driver suffers a penalty there are a fair few that will benefit. The man who has a lot to thank the German for is Mark Webber. Mark also drove particularly well today and was the man to beat until Schumacher crossed the line. His 2nd place has converted into pole position meaning Red Bull have a hat-trick of starts from the very front of the grid at Monaco. With overtaking being notoriously difficult in the narrow streets of the Monte Carlo circuit, pole position is something special indeed! And Mark Webber will be very glad that he is the one that can enjoy this rather comfortable position to be in ahead of the race. He experienced a starkly different Qualifying session to his teammate Sebastian Vettel. 2011's pole-sitter suffered throughout the session and even had to switch to the faster, super-soft tyres just to make it through to Q2. For the driver who out-qualified Webber on nearly every occasion last year, this must take some getting used to! With the exception of Bahrain, Vettel has never really looked that comfortable on Saturdays but that's not to say he can't convert his fortunes into a strong points finish. He, sadly, didn't set a timed lap in Q3 but starts in 9th instead of 10th because of a Maldonado penalty. Vettel will be starting the race on the harder of the two tyres, unlike all the cars in front of him, meaning we'll see some interesting, varied strategies being played out.
An extremely silly collision with Sergio Perez in FP3 was reminiscent of the old, 2011 version of Pastor Maldonado. He let his frustrations get the better of him and, as David Coulthard mentioned repeatedly during the BBC's Qualifying show, "used his car as a weapon"! It really is a case of hero to zero for the Venezuelan who won over F1 fans the world over after his win for Williams in Barcelona. He was strong again today and made it through to Q3 whilst teammate Senna dropped out in P14. The best he could manage was 9th but the stewards decided that a 10-place grid penalty was to be awarded for the aforementioned Perez clash and so he starts in 19th.
Many drivers benefit from Pastor's penalty. Nico Hulkenberg is probably the one that benefits the most as he gets to move up into the top 10. If he can hold or improve on this position he can pick up some vital championship points. Although those that do move up only move up by one, it can't hurt to start a position higher.
However, I doubt that this will offer much consolation for McLaren's Jenson Button. A poor Qualifying from him on the track where he last got pole position in 2009 meant that he could only finish 13th fastest. Button has been complaining of a lack of grip for a while now and considering what a vital factor that is in Monaco, this could have been predicted. Nevertheless, Button was strong on Thursday and will definitely be disappointed with not making it through to Q3. The race win may be out of the picture for Jenson now but he still has a shot at a top-10 finish. This could be his chance to pull off some spectacular overtakes and he would receive a lot of acclaim for doing so in Monaco. Button shouldn't be written just yet but he does have a tough race before him. His teammate Lewis Hamilton continued to out-qualify him. Lewis was in with a chance of getting pole position but still managed a great drive to qualify fourth in a very competitive shoot-out! He starts just behind the front row in 3rd after the Schumacher penalty.
Ferrari had a great start to the race weekend by getting both drivers into the top 10 for the first time this season. Felipe Massa will be glad to finally get through to Q3 and where better to do it than Monaco? I guess the answer is any of the previous 5 races but you understand my point... Alonso and Massa qualified 6th and 7th respectively so only the former benefits from Schumacher's grid drop. There wasn't a lot of time between the Ferrari duo so I'm sure Felipe will be disappointed that he couldn't do better. As will Kimi Raikkonen... Lotus looked very strong in practice but the Finn, just like Vettel, struggled from the beginning and also switched to the faster tyre early on. He pulled things together though and qualified 8th. Romain Grosjean did considerably better by going 5th fastest in the nearest he will get to a 'home' Grand Prix this season.
So I have summarised the main aspects of tomorrow's grid but Sergio Perez provided us all with much to talk about only 5 minutes in to the Saturday session. He starts at the very back of the grid because of an accident in Q1 which ruled his car out of any further running. Just like 2011, Perez didn't have a very good Saturday in Monaco but luckily this time around he can race on Sunday.
From what is probably my lengthiest Qualifying review ever, you can tell that a lot was going on today in Monaco. With so much to talk about and discuss from Qualifying, we can only imagine what the actual race will be like. Although Monaco isn't a track famed for its overtaking, it can still deliver a shock or two. My advice would be to not take the starting positions as the final finishing positions and to expect many surprises tomorrow. If there's one thing we do know from this season so far it's to, and excuse the cliche, expect the unexpected! This season really is like no other and with the possibility, albeit a small one, of rain a lot could change during the Grand Prix. I hope you enjoy it as much as I know I will...
See you tomorrow for all the apres-race talk!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
(Images 1,3: dailymail.co.uk,, Image 2: redbullracing.com)
UPDATE: Maldonado receives another penalty for a gearbox change. It's a 5-place grid drop this time meaning he starts 24th.
Michael Schumacher was the star of the day. He went fastest of all in Q3 but because of a 5-place grid penalty due to an incident with Bruno Senna in Spain 2 weeks ago he will start the race from sixth. Silencing many critics of his comeback, Schumacher showed just why he has been as successful as he has at this track in the past. 5 previous wins in Monaco meant that he had the experience around the track that no other driver could rival but, despite this, he was nobody's favourite for pole. If he was genuinely your pick for pole position; I salute you! Of course, we cannot avoid the fact that Michael will start from much lower down the grid because of his reckless clash with Senna. So whilst he performed exceptionally well today he must carry this performance forward into the race. He has retired from 3 of the 5 races so far and although many have blamed his poor luck his mistakes have often been easily avoidable, especially for a 7 time world champion.
Many drivers benefit from Pastor's penalty. Nico Hulkenberg is probably the one that benefits the most as he gets to move up into the top 10. If he can hold or improve on this position he can pick up some vital championship points. Although those that do move up only move up by one, it can't hurt to start a position higher.
However, I doubt that this will offer much consolation for McLaren's Jenson Button. A poor Qualifying from him on the track where he last got pole position in 2009 meant that he could only finish 13th fastest. Button has been complaining of a lack of grip for a while now and considering what a vital factor that is in Monaco, this could have been predicted. Nevertheless, Button was strong on Thursday and will definitely be disappointed with not making it through to Q3. The race win may be out of the picture for Jenson now but he still has a shot at a top-10 finish. This could be his chance to pull off some spectacular overtakes and he would receive a lot of acclaim for doing so in Monaco. Button shouldn't be written just yet but he does have a tough race before him. His teammate Lewis Hamilton continued to out-qualify him. Lewis was in with a chance of getting pole position but still managed a great drive to qualify fourth in a very competitive shoot-out! He starts just behind the front row in 3rd after the Schumacher penalty.
From what is probably my lengthiest Qualifying review ever, you can tell that a lot was going on today in Monaco. With so much to talk about and discuss from Qualifying, we can only imagine what the actual race will be like. Although Monaco isn't a track famed for its overtaking, it can still deliver a shock or two. My advice would be to not take the starting positions as the final finishing positions and to expect many surprises tomorrow. If there's one thing we do know from this season so far it's to, and excuse the cliche, expect the unexpected! This season really is like no other and with the possibility, albeit a small one, of rain a lot could change during the Grand Prix. I hope you enjoy it as much as I know I will...
See you tomorrow for all the apres-race talk!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
(Images 1,3: dailymail.co.uk,, Image 2: redbullracing.com)
UPDATE: Maldonado receives another penalty for a gearbox change. It's a 5-place grid drop this time meaning he starts 24th.
A JOB WELL DONE FOR LEWIS. (OR NOT!)
My God, what a qualifying session that was! Just like the others before it this season, qualifying in Spain threw up some many unexpected grid positions and I'm finding it quite difficult to digest it all!
Looking at the front row Lewis Hamilton will be starting from the coveted pole position, despite not being fastest during the practice sessions. He was, however, consistently fast through all three qualifying sessions and, going in to Q3, seemed like the man to beat. This wasn't the big surprise of the day though. Pastor Maldonado is the man responsible for shocking and delighting Formula 1 fans the world over as he got his Williams car on to the front row; he'll be starting in 2nd. He experienced a hugely contrasting qualifying to his teammate Bruno Senna, who failed to make it through to Q2. As a result, he will start 18th on the grid.
Fernando Alonso didn't disappoint his home fans and proved that the updates Ferrari have introduced have been useful. Well for Alonso anyway as his teammate Massa starts in 17th. The Spaniard qualified 3rd; his best performance all season and where better to do it than in Spain. Fernando is a consistently great starter, see Spain 2011, so look out for him when the lights go out- he could climb his way in to the lead before the first corner. Lewis Hamilton will need to be on the throttle and get the best start possible if he is to avoid losing the lead. Maybe those folks at Red Bull can give him a drink to wake himself up...
Speaking of Red Bull I am definitely surprised at the grid positions Vettel and Webber achieved. They'll be starting from 8th and 12th respectively; something no one expected after they looked so strong on Friday and in FP3 on Saturday morning. Webber admitted that it was a team error that led to him not making it to Q3 as they thought his time would be safe enough to take him through. Sebastian Vettel, who was my pick for pole yesterday, did run in Q3 but didn't set a timed lap. This means he starts ahead of Schumacher and Kobayashi who didn't set timed laps either. All these drivers will benefit from fresher tyres, a factor which has proved to be crucial in how the race plays out. They may not be starting as high up as they'd like to but they must not be written off yet.
Experiencing a similar fate to Mark Webber is the pole-man's teammate Jenson Button. Interestingly enough, Hamilton had tipped Button to get pole position in Spain! Jenson complained of oversteer and then of understeer in his continuous battle to get to grips with his McLaren and despite seeming quite content with the set-up on Friday, Button just couldn't drive the McLaren as well as Lewis. He will be having words with his engineers tonight, I'm sure. Another note on McLaren; you probably noticed Lewis stopping after his flying lap. No confirmation has yet been given on what the problem is or what effect it will have on his race tomorrow but we do know that it is a technical issue.
Lotus seem to be getting better and better with their drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean qualifying 4th and 5th. They were in contention for the top slot but shouldn't be too disappointed with these positions. This pair are most definitely proving themselves to be the comeback kings! Starting behind the Lotus duo will be Sergio Perez. An impressive performance from the Mexican and his Sauber team means they have a great chance of picking up a lot of points on race day.
I told you it would be difficult to digest everything but I think I've covered the main points. There will be so much going on at the start of the race and so much to look out for throughout. Who will benefit from having newer tyres and who will suffer as a result of not? Can Fernando take the lead before the first corner? Can Maldonado convert a strong Saturday into a good points result tomorrow? And can Red Bull and Jenson Button bounce back from their lacklustre performances today? Could we have five different winners in five races?
There's no doubt about it; the unpredictability this season is set to rise and you'll only have to watch the race tomorrow to witness that! I'm sure everyone enjoyed qualifying as much as I did and I'm positive that all 66 laps of the Spanish GP will have us sitting on the edges of our seats. Expect more from me on the race tomorrow but until then, enjoy the rest of your Saturday! I can think of a couple of people over in Spain who definitely will!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
(Image 1: BBC Sport, Images 2,3: dailymail.co.uk)
UPDATE: As I mentioned Lewis Hamilton stopped immediately after completing his timed qualifying lap with no reason given as to why! We now know that it was because the car didn't have enough fuel to drive back to the pits and give the required 1 litre fuel sample to the FIA. As a result, Hamilton and McLaren spent a lot of time with the stewards who have decided that there were no "technical issues" to blame, as Martin Whitmarsh suggested, and that Hamilton must be penalised. The penalty they chose is to exclude Lewis from Qualifying and he will therefore start the Spanish GP from the very back of the grid. Now doesn't that make things a lot more exciting and tense? It is definitely a harsh penalty but the rules are clear. Another thing that is clear; McLaren must sort out these issues that can and must be avoided if they are to contend for the Championships this year.
Hamilton's penalty means Pastor Maldonado gets a surprising pole position for Williams. He is also the first Venezuelan to ever get pole. Well done to him and the team!
Looking at the front row Lewis Hamilton will be starting from the coveted pole position, despite not being fastest during the practice sessions. He was, however, consistently fast through all three qualifying sessions and, going in to Q3, seemed like the man to beat. This wasn't the big surprise of the day though. Pastor Maldonado is the man responsible for shocking and delighting Formula 1 fans the world over as he got his Williams car on to the front row; he'll be starting in 2nd. He experienced a hugely contrasting qualifying to his teammate Bruno Senna, who failed to make it through to Q2. As a result, he will start 18th on the grid.
Experiencing a similar fate to Mark Webber is the pole-man's teammate Jenson Button. Interestingly enough, Hamilton had tipped Button to get pole position in Spain! Jenson complained of oversteer and then of understeer in his continuous battle to get to grips with his McLaren and despite seeming quite content with the set-up on Friday, Button just couldn't drive the McLaren as well as Lewis. He will be having words with his engineers tonight, I'm sure. Another note on McLaren; you probably noticed Lewis stopping after his flying lap. No confirmation has yet been given on what the problem is or what effect it will have on his race tomorrow but we do know that it is a technical issue.
I told you it would be difficult to digest everything but I think I've covered the main points. There will be so much going on at the start of the race and so much to look out for throughout. Who will benefit from having newer tyres and who will suffer as a result of not? Can Fernando take the lead before the first corner? Can Maldonado convert a strong Saturday into a good points result tomorrow? And can Red Bull and Jenson Button bounce back from their lacklustre performances today? Could we have five different winners in five races?
There's no doubt about it; the unpredictability this season is set to rise and you'll only have to watch the race tomorrow to witness that! I'm sure everyone enjoyed qualifying as much as I did and I'm positive that all 66 laps of the Spanish GP will have us sitting on the edges of our seats. Expect more from me on the race tomorrow but until then, enjoy the rest of your Saturday! I can think of a couple of people over in Spain who definitely will!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
(Image 1: BBC Sport, Images 2,3: dailymail.co.uk)
UPDATE: As I mentioned Lewis Hamilton stopped immediately after completing his timed qualifying lap with no reason given as to why! We now know that it was because the car didn't have enough fuel to drive back to the pits and give the required 1 litre fuel sample to the FIA. As a result, Hamilton and McLaren spent a lot of time with the stewards who have decided that there were no "technical issues" to blame, as Martin Whitmarsh suggested, and that Hamilton must be penalised. The penalty they chose is to exclude Lewis from Qualifying and he will therefore start the Spanish GP from the very back of the grid. Now doesn't that make things a lot more exciting and tense? It is definitely a harsh penalty but the rules are clear. Another thing that is clear; McLaren must sort out these issues that can and must be avoided if they are to contend for the Championships this year.
Hamilton's penalty means Pastor Maldonado gets a surprising pole position for Williams. He is also the first Venezuelan to ever get pole. Well done to him and the team!
RETURN OF THE FINGER.
Finally, after three race weekends, Sebastian Vettel put his RB8 right at the front of the grid following qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. It has been a long time coming but he had an excuse to flash that famous finger as he climbed out of the car and celebrated with a few of his team members. I don't think many people would have seen this coming but the German got the job done and finally out-qualified his team mate Mark Webber, who also put in a great performance to get his Red Bull in to third on the grid.
The McLaren of Lewis Hamilton splits the Red Bulls and despite being very close to Vettel in terms of lap times, he just couldn't get more out of his car. Jenson Button may be a bit disappointed but when he won the race in 2009 he did so from fourth place. What can the '09 world champion do tomorrow?
Of course Michael Schumacher will be anything but pleased with qualifying 18th after coming to Bahrain as a definite front-row contender. Fellow Mercedes driver Rosberg will be disappointed with his performance as he was in with a shot at pole but could only manage fifth. He only did one run, like in China, but this time didn't get what he needed out of his flying lap. Perhaps he could have beaten Vettel had he run twice but that's just a what-if situation and the reality is that he simply couldn't make it two in a row.
The most interesting occurrence of Qualifying, for me, is the fact that the Toro Rosso drivers are experiencing totally contrasting Saturdays. A great performance from Daniel Ricciardo saw him in the top 10 shoot out and finish in a stunning sixth position. On the other hand, Jean-Eric Vergne in the second Toro Rosso couldn't even get past the first hurdle of Q1 as he qualified in a lacklustre 18th. Ricciardo himself told Sky Sports' Natalie Pinkham that he doesn't know why they're seeing such different qualifying results but I'm sure that won't bother him as much as it will bother Vergne. The famously ruthless team he finds himself driving for won't be best pleased with the Frenchman's Saturdays either and he needs to step up his game now- or at least tomorrow- to be guaranteed with a seat for the whole of 2012.
So the cars have battled it out for grid position and the next time they take to the track will be for the race. Whilst I don't necessarily agree with the Grand Prix going ahead I can't wait for all of tomorrow's action. Can Sebastian Vettel follow up his incredible pole position with a race win, his first of 2012? It's something he's definitely used to doing but I can think of a few people who won't be making his life any easier...
Aqsa
(Image: BBC Sport)
Of course Michael Schumacher will be anything but pleased with qualifying 18th after coming to Bahrain as a definite front-row contender. Fellow Mercedes driver Rosberg will be disappointed with his performance as he was in with a shot at pole but could only manage fifth. He only did one run, like in China, but this time didn't get what he needed out of his flying lap. Perhaps he could have beaten Vettel had he run twice but that's just a what-if situation and the reality is that he simply couldn't make it two in a row.
The most interesting occurrence of Qualifying, for me, is the fact that the Toro Rosso drivers are experiencing totally contrasting Saturdays. A great performance from Daniel Ricciardo saw him in the top 10 shoot out and finish in a stunning sixth position. On the other hand, Jean-Eric Vergne in the second Toro Rosso couldn't even get past the first hurdle of Q1 as he qualified in a lacklustre 18th. Ricciardo himself told Sky Sports' Natalie Pinkham that he doesn't know why they're seeing such different qualifying results but I'm sure that won't bother him as much as it will bother Vergne. The famously ruthless team he finds himself driving for won't be best pleased with the Frenchman's Saturdays either and he needs to step up his game now- or at least tomorrow- to be guaranteed with a seat for the whole of 2012.
So the cars have battled it out for grid position and the next time they take to the track will be for the race. Whilst I don't necessarily agree with the Grand Prix going ahead I can't wait for all of tomorrow's action. Can Sebastian Vettel follow up his incredible pole position with a race win, his first of 2012? It's something he's definitely used to doing but I can think of a few people who won't be making his life any easier...
Aqsa
(Image: BBC Sport)
ON YOUR MARKS...
Well, what a qualifying session that turned out to be! Any predictions anyone, including myself, had before the session began were thrown right out of the window and rendered useless as Qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix didn't fail to shock and stun audiences everywhere. And I have no idea where to begin...
With the usual line up not progressing through to Q2 there isn't much to say about the first part of Qualifying, except for the fact that teams were opting for the soft, option tyre much earlier on than anticipated, with those that set their times on the medium tyre just hovering above the drop-out zone.
On to Q2 and the main talking point is most definitely the fact that Sebastian Vettel failed to get to Q3! After enjoying all of 2011 as the man to beat on Saturday, 2012 must come as bit of an unwelcome surprise to him as his highest qualifying position so far this season has been sixth. As China has a circuit notorious for overtaking Sebastian does have the chance to move up through the grid and he also benefits from the fact that his main rivals aren't starting too far ahead of him. Adding the fact that he will be able to start the race on a fresh set of tyres I don't see any reason to write him off just yet. I do, however, think that Sebastian better get used to seeing plenty of cars around him on the grid as it doesn't seem like the RB8 will be a pole contender for a while.
Lewis Hamilton also benefits from the strange fortunes of others as, despite his five place grid penalty, he starts right behind his McLaren team-mate and the Red Bull of Mark Webber. This means the start will be very interesting indeed as these cars, and Vettel and Alonso not far behind them, will be aiming for the best start possible in the run down to the first corner. And then there will be plenty of position swapping in Turn 1 and Turn 2 as well...
Of course you can't talk about Qualifying without mentioning who got the coveted pole position. That honour belongs to Nico Rosberg. He won his first pole ever and finished about half a second ahead of his nearest challenger, despite only setting one timed lap. Nico will enjoy starting at the front of the grid next to his team mate Schumacher as the pair give Mercedes their first front row lockout since 1955. The question now is whether they can convert strong grid positions to world championship points. Mercedes only have 1 point in the Constructors' Championship and it will be a bitter disappointment if this figure doesn't significantly increase tomorrow.
Rounding off the top 3 is Kamui Kobayashi. He adds to the joys of Sauber who followed up a solid second position in Malaysia perfectly with a very strong qualifying in China. I am sure that we can expect big things from the team tomorrow and for the rest of 2012 as they get stronger and stronger.
I am not going to even bother making any predictions for tomorrow because I know that the race will be just as impossible to call as qualifying was. What I can predict is that the Chinese GP is going to be a thriller and my heart rate will dramatically increase as a result; especially at the start of the race when there will be action throughout the pack.
I'll be back tomorrow to discuss the best parts of the race. That is if I manage to digest them all...
Aqsa
With the usual line up not progressing through to Q2 there isn't much to say about the first part of Qualifying, except for the fact that teams were opting for the soft, option tyre much earlier on than anticipated, with those that set their times on the medium tyre just hovering above the drop-out zone.
On to Q2 and the main talking point is most definitely the fact that Sebastian Vettel failed to get to Q3! After enjoying all of 2011 as the man to beat on Saturday, 2012 must come as bit of an unwelcome surprise to him as his highest qualifying position so far this season has been sixth. As China has a circuit notorious for overtaking Sebastian does have the chance to move up through the grid and he also benefits from the fact that his main rivals aren't starting too far ahead of him. Adding the fact that he will be able to start the race on a fresh set of tyres I don't see any reason to write him off just yet. I do, however, think that Sebastian better get used to seeing plenty of cars around him on the grid as it doesn't seem like the RB8 will be a pole contender for a while.
(All images in this post taken from BBC Sport website)
Of course you can't talk about Qualifying without mentioning who got the coveted pole position. That honour belongs to Nico Rosberg. He won his first pole ever and finished about half a second ahead of his nearest challenger, despite only setting one timed lap. Nico will enjoy starting at the front of the grid next to his team mate Schumacher as the pair give Mercedes their first front row lockout since 1955. The question now is whether they can convert strong grid positions to world championship points. Mercedes only have 1 point in the Constructors' Championship and it will be a bitter disappointment if this figure doesn't significantly increase tomorrow.
I'll be back tomorrow to discuss the best parts of the race. That is if I manage to digest them all...
Aqsa
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