03/10/2009
NEWS STORY
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Ahead of today's all important qualifying session, the air temperature is 26 degrees C, while the track temperature is 40 degrees. It remains bright and sunny.
The big news is that following his accident this morning Mark Webber will not take part in this afternoon's session. The Australian is fine - other than his damaged pride - however, the damage to car cannot be fixed and therefore his day's work is at an end, together with any remaining hopes of the championship. Because he misses the session, Webber will start tomorrow's race from the pit lane in a new chassis.
Also, Tonio Liuzzi has incurred a five-place grid penalty after his team opted to change the gearbox in his car.
With only one session taking place entirely in dry conditions it's hard to say who is hot and who's not, though Vettel looked to have a slight edge of the Brawns. That said, to all intents and purposes the title fight now appears to be a straight fight between Button and Barrichello, with the Englishman's early season form giving him a clear points advantage.
This morning's session saw the entire field covered by just 1.458s, with Jarno Trulli finishing ahead of Buemi, Rosberg and Vettel.
Tyre choices this weekend are hard (prime) and soft (option) and while the softer rubber has the pace there are concerns as to its durability.
When the lights go green, signalling the start of Q1, Buemi is first out, followed by Buemi, Liuzzi and Button.
On his first flying lap Buemi goes off at Degner 1, exactly the same point where Webber came to grief earlier today. The back end gets away and the Swiss driver appears to be heading backwards into the barriers but somehow the impact is minimal and he is able to get back on track and head back to the pits.
Alguersuari posts the first time of the afternoon, crossing the line at 33.124. Button posts 33.198 to go second, only to be demoted to third when Liuzzi goes quickest with a 32.904.
It a home 1-2 for Toyota as Trulli goes quickest (31.810) and Glock second, as Fisichella can only manage seventh.
Having gone quickest in the second sector, Button goes second overall, however, Vettel is on a hot lap going quickest in the first sector. The German crosses the line at 31.628 to go quickest as Rosberg goes fourth ahead of Grosjean and Raikkonen.
Vettel and Trulli trade fastest sector times, the prime tyre clearly good on its second flying lap. As the German raises the benchmark with a 30.979, Kovalainen has a 360 at the dreaded Degner.
Kubica goes third and Barrichello fifth as Vettel goes even quicker, the Red Bull driver posting 30.883 despite a relatively poor final sector.
A 31.571 sees Alguersuari go fifth, the Toro Rosso's showing a clear step forward here this weekend. Elsewhere, Hamilton is fourteenth, just outside the danger zone where Fisichella is looking mighty uncomfortable.
Hamilton posts 31.056 to go second as Heidfeld makes it two BMWs in the top six as he posts 31.519 to slot in behind Kubica.
With just over five minutes remaining, Buemi is the only driver yet to post a time.
Grosjean, who is on the option tyre, improves from seventeenth to sixteenth while Fisichella, also on the option, fails to improve on eighteenth.
Alonso (option) goes fifth with a 31.401 while both Force Indias remain at the wrong end of the timesheets.
Raikkonen (option) goes quickest in the second sector, crossing the line at 31.339 to go fifth. All but Vettel and Alonso are on track.
As Hamilton consolidates second with a 30.917, Buemi goes fourth, crossing the line at 31.242. A superb lap from the Swiss driver.
Barrichello goes fifth with just 44s on the clock, however, Fisichella shows no sign of improving.
All eyes on Kovalainen who is fifteenth, just outside the danger zone. It's a poor lap from the Finn who is under real pressure from Nakajima in the mad scramble to make it through to Q2. A poor final sector, however, mean the Japanese drive fails to make the cut while Kovalainen manages to move up to twelfth and safety.
At the first hurdle we lose Fisichella, Nakajima, Grosjean and Liuzzi, with Webber already out of the running.
Quickest was Vettel, ahead of Hamilton, Button, Trulli, Buemi, Raikkonen, Barrichello, Rosberg, Sutil and Alonso. Alguersuari makes it through to Q2 for the first time.
Raikkonen is first out for Q2, joined almost a minute later by fellow-Finn Kovalainen. Kubica, Rosberg and Alguersuari are next out, Toro Rosso looking to get at least one of its drivers into Q3.
The session is red flagged when Alguersuari goes off head-first into the barriers at Degner. The front of the car is badly damaged, however, more worryingly, the Spaniard is still in the car. However, after a minute or so, and with the help of the marshals that swarm over the car like worker bees worrying over their queen, he is out of the car and walking away.
The clock has stopped at 11:15 with only one driver (Raikkonen) having posted a time.
While nobody loses out in terms of time - the clock was stopped at the time of Alguersuari's crash - any driver who was out on a new set of tyres has lost out and that includes Button.
The session resumes and the two Toyotas lead the mad scramble to get back to work.
Heidfeld and Trulli both set strong sector times, the Italian going quickest overall with a 30.737. However, the red flags are out once again as Glock goes off into the barriers at the final corner. With the German still in his car, back in the Toyota garage his crew members look on with concern.
The FIA's 'Rescue Coordinator' Gary Hartstein is on the scene and marshals use a sheet to shield the screen as he attends to Glock who missed yesterday's sessions due to illness. Replay shows it was a heavy impact but at a corner where we rarely witness such incidents.
Meanwhile, Alguersuari, who was taken to the circuit hospital as a precautionary measure but is now back in the Toro Rosso garage, admits he "lost it".
Glock is finally removed from the stricken Toyota which appears to have actually gone into the tyre wall rather than bouncing off of it. The German is put on a stretcher and carried by ambulance to the medical centre. Like Alguersuari's Toro Rosso, the Toyota is badly damaged. A good sign is that as Glock is stretchered away he gives a thumbs up.
With the clock stopped at 7:49 there are just two names on the timesheets, those of Trulli and Raikkonen. Once again, those drivers who were on new or fresh rubber at the time the red flags came out will be hurting.
Alonso waits at the end of the pitlane for the lights to go green, behind him sits Rosberg.
With just six minutes remaining and only two drivers having posted times, the next couple of minutes will be frantic. That said, a number of drivers remain in their garages, clearly having decided that they will go for one hot lap.
Almost losing the back end at the final corner, Alonso goes third with a 31.638. A 34.030 sees Rosberg go fourth.
With 3:44 remains both Brawns are in their garages, as are Sutil, Heidfeld, Raikkonen and Trulli.
Hamilton posts 30.627 to go quickest, while teammate Kovalainen goes fourth with a 31.223.
Vettel crosses the line at 30.928 to go thirds as the Brawns finally leave the pits, Barrichello leading his teammate.
Vettel goes quickest in the first sector, as Rosberg fails to improve on seventh. However, he has time for one more lap.
Vettel raises the benchmark with a 30.341 as Buemi posts 31.103 to go fourth.
Heidfeld goes quickest in the first sector but all eyes are on the Brawns, neither of which appear to having a good lap.
Heidfeld goes seventh, however, there's debris on the track after Buemi has lost his front wing after clout the barriers on the back straight. The Swiss driver, despite having no downforce at the front, slowly makes his way back to the pits causing problems for Heidfeld in 130R. It will be interesting to see if there are repercussions.
Barrichello goes sixth and Button fourth, but did they ignore the yellow flags in the sector where Buemi lost his wing?
Vettel finishes quickest, ahead of Hamilton, Trulli, Button, Raikkonen, Barrichello, Buemi, Sutil, Kovalainen and Heidfeld.
We lose Rosberg, Alonso, Kubica, Glock and Alonso.
Having already lost Alguersuari and Glock, not to mention Webber, it appears that Buemi will play no further part in the session such is the dame to his car.
At Sutil heads down the pitlane to get Q3cunderway, Timo Glock is being taken to a local hospital by helicopter. It is believed the German has a "wound" to his left leg.
All nine cars are on track, however, as the field begin their first flying lap Kovalainen goes off at Degner bringing out the red flag for the third time this afternoon. Unlike Glock and Alguersuari the Finn wastes no time in getting out of his car. His session, and maybe his career at McLaren, would appear to be over.
Once again, those drivers on a hot lap and using fresh(ish) or new rubber will have suffered.
Raikkonen leads the way when the pitlane lights go green, the Finn is joined by Jarno Trulli.
"You should be OK for four timed laps," Raikkonen is told. "We want three but you should get four". The 2007 champion is on the prime tyre.
With 3:41 on the clock, only Raikkonen has posted a time, the Finn taking provisional pole with a 33.010.
Heidfeld goes quickest in the first sector, as Hamilton is way off the pace. Vettel (option) is also on a hot lap.
Hamilton goes second and Sutil third, however, a 32.160 sees Vettel take provisional pole, 0.8s quicker than Raikkonen.
Once again the Brawns leave it late, as Trulli goes second with a 32.220 ahead of Heidfeld.
Sutil goes fourth having gone quickest in the final sector, while Button can only manage seventh.
After all the accidents and delays its all a bit anti-climatic, with nobody really able - or perhaps willing - to challenge Vettel. Then again, with all the incidents one has to wonder if some teams, particularly Brawn, have changed their strategy at the very last minute.
Either way, Sebastian Vettel takes pole for tomorrow's Grand Prix, which he will start ahead of Trulli, Hamilton, Sutil, Barrichello, Heidfeld, Button, Raikkonen, Kovalainen and Buemi.
That said, it remains to be seen whether the Race Stewards will be taking action with regards some of the incidents we've witnessed over the course of the last ninety minutes.
However, while there might be a question mark over Button and Barrichello there can be no doubt as to who has pole position following another superb performance. Thing is, can he convert it to a win and thereby re-ignite his championship challenge.