22/03/2008
NEWS STORY
 |
Ahead of today's all-important qualifying session, the air temperature is 29 degrees C, and the track temperature is 46 degrees. It remains bright and sunny, with no sign, currently, of the rain that had been forecast. However, some remain convinced hat there will be a downpour before the end of the session… and when it rain in Malaysia, it rains. Humidity is currently 79%.
Nick Heidfeld was quickest in this morning's free practice session, ahead of the two Ferraris. Interestingly, Heidfeld set his best time on the harder of the two compounds available as opposed to the softer (medium) that most of the other drivers were running on.
The lights go green and the first twenty minute phase gets underway. With an eye on the weather, the Ferraris are amongst the first out, as are the Renaults and Lewis Hamilton.
Despite official assurances that there would be no rain in the first thirty minutes, Alonso is warned that it will begin to fall at "seven minutes past". Nonetheless, Kovalainen and the BMWs remain in their respective garages.
Bourdais posts the first time of the session, crossing the line at 38.410, but this is soon beaten by Massa and then Raikkonen. Hamilton takes third with a 36.604 before being demoted by Trulli.
Webber gores third, as Raikkonen goes quickest in the second sector. Still no sign of the BMWs or Kovalainen.
Raikkonen improves with a 35.645, as Glock goes third. Elsewhere, Kovalainen and Kubica head down the pitlane.
As Massa looks set to improve, Hamilton goes quickest in the second sector. Massa takes top spot with a 35.347, as Hamilton goes second on 35.392. Heidfeld has left the pits.
Rosberg goes seventh, as Kovalainen, Kubica and Heidfeld begin their first flying laps. The Finn goes quickest, crossing the line at 35.227, as Kubica goes fifth, only to be almost instantly demoted by his BMW teammate. Kovalainen struggling for grip at the final corner like so many others this weekend. Heidfeld also really fighting his car.
Piquet goes seventh as Nakajima takes eighth. Meanwhile, Fisichella, Bourdais, Button and Barrichello all on hot laps.
Jarno Trulli goes quickest in the first sector, as Button goes seventh. The Italian, having been perfect through the final corner, goes quickest with a 35.205. A great lap.
With six minutes remaining, Alonso, Vettel and Coulthard are still in the 'danger zone'. Rosberg, Bourdais and Webber are not entirely safe.
Alonso is fighting the Renault, however he, like Rosberg, posts a personal best in the first sector. Webber also on a good lap. All three maintain their pace in the second sector, however, when the smoke clears Webber is fifth, with Rosberg ninth and Alonso eleventh.
Just over two minutes and Coulthard and Vettel are still in the 'danger zone'. The Scot takes twelfth, which is bad news for Barrichello, Fisichella and Nakajima.
Bourdais fails to improve after going off onto the grass. However, his Toro Rosso teammate goes fourteenth. Glock goes tenth but is instantly leapfrogged by Button. For a brief moment Fisichella makes the cut before being cruelly knocked back as Barrichello improves.
This phase of the session ends with Trulli quickest, ahead of Kovalainen, Massa, Hamilton, Webber, Raikkonen, Heidfeld, Kubica, Rosberg and Button.
We lose Fisichella, Nakajima, Bourdais, Sato, Sutil and Davidson.
Against the odds, the softer (medium) compound is not proving to be significantly quicker than the harder compound, which will have many of the engineers and tacticians scratching their heads.
Amongst the first out for the second phase are the McLarens, both running on the medium compound. Raikkonen and Massa also out early, even though rain isn't predicted for this phase.
Kovalainen posts 34.759, as Hamilton goes second, however, both are leapfrogged by Raikkonen (medium) who posts 34.188. Massa goes fourth (34.967).
A 34.960 sees Trulli go third, the Italian really on a roll this weekend. Webber goes sixth, ahead of Button and Glock.
Vettel goes eleventh with his first flying lap, as Vettel, Heidfeld and Rosberg begin theirs. The Pole goes third, but is demoted moments later as his BMW teammate goes second with a 34.188. Coulthard can only manage eleventh, which leaves him, along with Glock, Rosberg, Piquet, Barrichello and Vettel in the 'danger zone'.
With just over three minutes remaining, Rosberg is on track, as is Vettel. The Williams driver posts a personal best in the first sector, as a number of drivers, including, surprisingly, Massa and Hamilton, feel the need to come out again.
Rosberg can only manage thirteenth, which means he is unlikely to make the cut, as Vettel posts a personal best in the first sector. Glock also looks set to improve on twelfth.
Vettel lets the back end hang out, and improves to twelfth, but it's not enough. Glock improves to seventh, as Massa goes quickest in the second sector, eventually crossing the line at 34.412 to go second. Hamilton takes third with a 34.627.
Despite late charges, Button and Barrichello fail to make the cut, and thereby fail to get through to the final phase. The other 'casualties' are Piquet, Barrichello, Vettel and Rosberg.
Quickest was Raikkonen, ahead of Massa, Hamilton, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Kubica, Trulli, Webber, Glock and Alonso.
When the lights go green signalling the start of phase three, Kovalainen is first out, followed, shortly afterwards, by the Ferraris. All but Alonso and Glock are on track.
While the McLarens are on the hard compound, the Ferraris are on medium.
Kovalainen posts the benchmark, crossing the line at 37.076, while Hamilton can only manage 37.510. However, Massa takes the top spot (36.434) ahead of his Ferrari teammate. Kubica splits the McLaren to take fourth while Trulli goes sixth.
With five minutes remaining, Glock and Alonso are finally on track, as Heidfeld goes seventh, ahead of Webber. Alonso (38.756), who goes wide, can only manage ninth, while Glock, who has a similar off-track excursion stays tenth, of ten.
Hamilton back on track on mediums, however, not for the first time, he's in traffic.
Massa goes quickest in the first sector, Raikkonen and Kubica are also on very hot laps. The Finn takes the top spot with a 36.230, but Massa goes even quicker with a 35.748. Kubica improves to fourth but is instantly demoted by Hamilton and then Trulli.
All eyes on Heidfeld and Alonso, who both post personal bests in the first sector. While the German maintains his pace Alonso loses ground. The BMW driver can only manage seventh, while Alonso stays ninth.
Consequently, Massa take pole, the tenth of his career, and a perfect fillip following the debacle of Melbourne, and just to nicely round things off, teammate Kimi Raikkonen takes second.
Kovalainen finishes third quickest, ahead of Hamilton, Trulli, Kubica, Heidfeld, Webber, Alonso and Glock.
On his final flying lap, when he looked set to improve, Heidfeld encountered a number of cars that were making their way (slowly) back to the pits. It remains to be seen if any punishments are meted out.
Of course, looking ahead to tomorrow, much will depend on fuel loads, and, naturally, the weather.
However, all that aside, after last week's misery in Melbourne, the tifosi finally has something to cheer about.