25/07/2009
NEWS STORY
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In terms of form, all three practice sessions have proved inconclusive with no true picture emerging other than the fact that McLaren has made a huge leap forward, continuing where it left off in Germany.
Brawn and Red Bull have both had their problems this weekend, and while the warmer temperatures expected here this weekend are expected to favour the Brackley team, the Austrian outfit continues to have the edge, even if, once again, Sebastian Vettel appears to be somewhat off the boil.
As we've said before, as far as Brawn is concerned the British team simply doesn't have the financial resources to match Red Bull, however, providing it picks up as many points as possible Jenson Button still stands a chance of keeping his lead in the Drivers' Championship, even if the constructors' title appears doomed. In the last two races Brawn has lost 20 points to its rivals, while Button has lost 9 to both Webber and Vettel, this is a situation that cannot continue.
While Massa looked better this morning, he had all manner of problems yesterday, and it remains to be seen whether the Maranello outfit can build on its Nurburgring success. As for Kimi, it appears the Finn is focussed more on his upcoming WRC outing and whatever announcement might be made at Monza.
Watch out for both McLaren drivers this afternoon and don't be surprised to see a silver car on pole, the Woking team determined to make full use of its KERS tomorrow on this most difficult of circuits, at least in terms of overtaking. While Lewis Hamilton is getting all the attention, Kovalainen is up there, and don't forget he won here last year.
Watch out also for Fernando Alonso, who is looking good this weekend, as is Nico Rosberg.
We hear rumours that Nelson Piquet is holding a special dinner in honour of his crew tonight, ahead of what appears to be his final outing for Renault. As we said, it's a rumour, but it comes from a good source.
Now that Toro Rosso has some significant upgrades, courtesy of Red Bull, we can expect the Faenza outfit to take a step forward, while, thus far, Jaime Alguersuari has proved the sceptics wrong.
With talk of a move to BMW in 2010, Rosberg will be out to impress, the German having looked good in all three sessions thus far.
Tyre options are soft and super-soft, which we will refer to henceforth as hard (soft) and soft (super-soft). The soft (super-soft) option has not only had pace it is also quite durable.
Ahead of today's qualifying session, the air temperature is 23 degrees C, while the track temperature is 41 degrees. Although it is brighter than this morning, it remains cool, certainly compared to yesterday.
The lights go green and Q1 gets underway, Fisichella leading Alguersuari out on to the track.
Fisichella posts the first time of the afternoon, crossing the line at 24.691, however, this is beaten by Alguersuari and then Buemi (22.380). The Swiss driver almost 1.6s quicker than his Spanish teammate. In the Force India garage the crew is working franticly on Sutil's car, the German having crashed out of free practice this morning.
Moments after going fourth, Raikkonen is demoted to seventh as Rosberg, Piquet and Glock go quicker. Buemi quickest with a 21.813.
A 21.813 sees Massa go third, only to be demoted by his teammate who takes second with a 22.039.
Vettel up to fourth with a 22.288 as Webber gets out of shape in Turn 2 and consequently only manages a 24.465. Still only 15 names on the timesheets.
Raikkonen goes quickest, having completed four fast laps on those softs, while Hamilton goes second.
Vettel and Webber go first and second both drivers posting identical times (21.590). Moments later, Raikkonen improves yet again, crossing the line at 21.500. Kubica, Heidfeld and Sutil yet to post a time.
Hamilton goes quickest in the firs sector, as Webber suffers serious oversteer in the final corner. Kovalainen goes wide as he struggles for grip. Barrichello goes eighth and Button ninth.
Heidfeld goes sixth, ahead of Hamilton, as Piquet can only manage eighteenth. Robert Kubica takes ninth.
With just over six minutes remaining, Sutil finally leaves the pits. Other than Rosberg, he is the only man on track.
Despite being the quickest, Raikkonen goes out for another run, the Finn aware, like his rivals, that conditions are constantly changing and that nothing can be taken for granted. Having completed an installation lap, Sutil is back in the pits. Other than the Renault duo, the German is the only driver not on track with three minutes remaining.
Trulli and Glock still in the danger zone, along with Nakajima, Piquet and Sutil.
Trulli improves to eleventh, but is demoted when Nakajima goes ninth. Williams teammate Rosberg goes quickest in the second sector, crossing the line at 20.793 to go quickest.
Alguersuari pulls off track at Turn 13 bringing out the yellow flags, a disaster for those drivers looking to improve, most notable fellow Spaniard Alonso.
The phase ends but most driver still have time for another lap.
Fisichella goes eleventh but there's still a long, long way to go. Alonso goes sixth, while Kubica and Heidfeld both fail to make the cut, as do the Force Indias.
Therefore, we lose Heidfeld, Fisichella, Sutil, Kubica and Alguersuari at the first hurdle.
Quickest was Rosberg, ahead of Hamilton, Webber, Vettel, Piquet, Alonso, Nakajima, Trulli, Massa and Button.
Q2 gets underway, and after a minute or so, Kimi Raikkonen is the first to break the deadlock, followed by Trulli, Glock, Kovalainen and Webber.
Raikkonen posts the benchmark (24.552), however, this is quickly shattered by Webber who crosses the line at 21.067. Glock goes second ahead of Kovalainen.
No sooner has Massa gone fourth than Vettel goes quickest, the German posting 20.964 to make it a Red Bull 1-2.
Barrichello posts 21.708 to go third but is demoted when Kovalainen posts 21.428.
The times constantly tumble, its almost impossible to keep up. Rosberg goes quickest, Hamilton fourth and Button fifth, ahead of his Brawn teammate.
While Raikkonen goes cross-country, so too does Hamilton, as Nakajima goes seventh, ahead of Massa.
From out of nowhere, Alonso produces a 20.885 to go quickest, ahead of Rosberg and the Red Bulls. Next time around Alonso goes even quicker posting a 20.826, the two-time champion looking superb.
On his out lap, Trulli goes quickest in the final sector, the Italian in the drop zone along with Raikkonen, Piquet, Buemi and Glock. The Toyota driver crosses the line at 21.082 to go sixth, having gone quickest of all in the final sector.
Kovalainen goes tenth with a 21.262, only to be demoted by fellow-Finn Raikkonen who goes sixth with a 21.064, the same time as Hamilton.
Vettel posts 20.604 to go quickest, as Webber and Hamilton both look set to improve. The Australian goes quickest with a 20.358 while Hamilton goes second with a 20.465.
Button goes seventh as attention focuses on Kovalainen who crosses the line at 20.807 to go fifth.
The yellow flags come out as Massa goes off into the tyre wall at Turn 4. The Brazilian remains in his car, and though he has made it through to Q3 it looks as though he will play no further part in the session as there won't be time to repair the car which is buried quite deep into the tyre wall.
Buemi, Trulli, Barrichello, Glock and Piquet all fail to make the cut, largely the result of those yellow flag, the result of Massa's off.
Quickest was Webber, ahead of Hamilton, Nakajima, Vettel, Raikkonen, Button, Kovalainen, Massa, Alonso and Rosberg.
The start of Q3 is delayed as Massa's car is removed form the scene of his accident, the Brazilian now having been extricated from his car and taken to the circuit's medical centre.
Following reports that Massa's accident was the result of being struck on the helmet by "debris", marshals are searching the track in the vicinity of the incident.
There is activity involving FIA officials in the Brawn garage and it appears that parts of the rear suspension, including the torsion bar, on Rubens Barrichello's car may have fallen off. As Massa's car is returned to the Ferrari garage, FIA officials are there to inspect it. That said, it doesn't look that badly damaged, no more so than Sutil's this morning.
A Replay does indeed show Massa being hit at the front of the helmet by a piece of debris. While another replay shows something falling off the rear of Barrichello's Brawn.
Race Stewards reveal that the session will resume at 15:10 (local time).
As Q3 gets underway, Massa is taken to a local hospital by helicopter.
Rosberg sets the benchmark with a 23.620, as Button remains in his pit, the only driver not on track.
Kovalainen momentarily goes quickest before being demoted by Alonso who crosses the line at 22.717. Nakajima goes fourth.
No sooner has Raikkonen gone fourth than Rosberg goes quickest with a 22.386. However, Alonso improves with a 22.293 before he too is eclipsed by Hamilton who posts 22.286.
Webber goes quickest (22.021), but still no sign of Button, could Brawn be investigating a problem on the BGP 001?
The answer is no, the Englishman fires up his car and leaves the pits with 3:06 on the clock.
Less than two minutes remaining and Hamilton makes his final stop. Elsewhere, Raikkonen makes a pig's ear of Turn 7.
As the session reaches a climax the timing screens go blank leaving everyone wondering what the hell has happened.
The most sophisticate, technical sport on earth once again shoots itself in the foot, even Fernando Alonso isn't aware that he has just secured pole position.
In Parc Ferme the drivers swap times, when the Renault driver tells Button, the Englishman's response is immediate, "f****** hell," he responds.
There is total confusion, nobody fully aware of what has happened, who really has pole and the order of the rest of the top ten. Whatever the reason, not for the first time F1 descends into farce.
Finally, the timing screens return and we are informed that Alonso does indeed have pole position, ahead of Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Button, Nakajima and Massa.
Isn't it just bloody typical of this sport that at a time we should be lauding Fernando Alonso and his team for an outstanding achievement nobody has a clue as to what's really going on.
Not for the first time, and sadly not for the last, F1 proves what many of us have suspected all along, it's all a bit of a farce.