13/03/2010
NEWS STORY
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In the final moments of this morning's session, when driver opted to carry out low fuel runs in anticipation of this afternoon's qualifying session, we finally got to see what these cars can really do.
Fernando Alonso topped the timesheets in the highly impressive Ferrari F10, however, his teammate, the Red Bulls and Mercedes drivers are also looking good. Jenson button finished a disappointing seventh while teammate Lewis Hamilton was sidelined by a brake duct problem and didn't get to carry out a low fuel run.
The pre-season lack of a clear leader continues, and it would take a brave man to predict the outcome of this session far less the race or, god forbid, the season.
Tyre options this weekend are medium (prime) and supersoft (option), and in addition to excessive tyre wear driver are complaining about the surface in the new section which is causing some cars to bottom quite heavily.
Having failed to complete a single lap in any of the three practice sessions, it appeared that Karun Chandhok's weekend was already over and the Indian would have to wait two weeks until Melbourne before he made his debut. However, with fifteen minutes to go, the youngster reveals that he has been given permission to participate, even though the odds on him getting through to Q2 must run into millions-to-one.
Ahead of the session, the air temperature is 34 degrees C, while the track temperature is 47 degrees. Humidity is 8 percent.
Seven drivers will be eliminated at the end of Q1 with a further seven going out at the end of Q2. The tyres used for the fastest lap in Q3 are the same set of tyres that drivers will have to start the race with.
The lights go green and Glock leads the way ahead of Petrov and di Grassi, Alonso is another early runner, surprisingly so.
Di Grassi posts the first time of the afternoon (2:02.131) but this is soon shattered by Alonso who crosses the line at 1:55.972.
Massa, Hamilton and Button are trading fastest sector times, while Alonso also looks set to improve. The Spaniard raises the benchmark with a 55.482 as Kubica goes second (56.873).
A 56.130 sees Button go second but moments later Hamilton eclipses it with a 55.976 only to be demoted by Massa and Rosberg. Elsewhere, Chandhok is on track.
Schumacher goes eighth with a 56.461, as Massa - currently second - goes quickest in sector two.
No sooner has Rosberg gone quickest (55.463) than Massa posts 55.313 to re-take the top spot for Ferrari.
With nine minutes remaining, Webber is the last driver to come out. Elsewhere, teammate Vettel goes second with a 55.360.
Petrov goes twelfth with a 56.725, the first driver to try the option (supersoft) tyre. Chandhok posts 2:08.424.
Webber goes third with a 55.313 as the Lotus drivers remain in the danger zone along with Kobayashi. de la Rosa is sixteenth.
Of the front runners - and with less than five minutes remaining - the Red Bulls are the only ones on track. Webber goes quickest with a 55.298 but is almost instantly demoted by his teammate who crosses the line at 55.029.
As Chandhok improves to 2:05.678, more and more cars pour on to the track for the final assault.
Kobayashi, Trulli, Glock, Kovalainen, di Grassi and the HRTs all in the danger zone, with Buemi, de la Rosa and Alguersuari hovering. Hulkenberg is off the pace also, certainly compared to his Williams teammate.
Petrov improves to ninth with a (56.167), as Sutil goes seventh with a 55.973.
Alonso goes quickest in the second sector, as Hamilton posts 55.341 to go fourth.
Alonso crosses the line at 54.612 to go quickest as Sutil improves to a remarkable third (55.213). Schumacher currently in fourteenth and just above the drop zone.
A late charge sees Rosberg go seventh and teammate Schumacher eighth, however, the Mercedes duo are split by Kubica who posts 55.511.
At the end of Q1, we lose Alguersuari, Glock, Trulli, Kovalainen, di Grassi, Senna and Chandhok, the Indian completing 7 laps and posting a best time of 2:04.904. A great performance from the youngster considering the HRT had never turned a wheel before. Great stuff.
Quickest was Alonso, ahead of Vettel, Sutil, Webber, Massa, Hamilton, Rosberg, Kubica, Schumacher and Liuzzi.
Q2 gets underway and Vettel (option) leads the way, with Webber, Massa, Alonso, Sutil and Buemi in hot pursuit. Most drivers, like Vettel, are on the supersoft tyre.
All but the Lotus duo are on track as Vettel posts 54.035 and Buemi goes second (58.073). Replay shows the Swiss driver going wide on the entry to the back straight.
Alonso goes second, Webber third and Massa fourth, ahead of Sutil (55.213), who continues to impress in the Force India. As does Liuzzi who goes eighth (55.653).
Rosberg goes fifth with a 54.682 while teammate Schumacher posts 55.105 to go ninth.
Barrichello goes tenth (55.330) which drops Button into the danger zone along with Hulkenberg who appeared to be struggling in Q1.
With less than four minutes remaining, all seventeen remaining drivers leave the pits to begin the final assault, one of the last out is Massa.
Less than sixty second and Vettel goes quickest in the first sector, nobody else is able to match it, though Alonso comes close.
Vettel is quickest again sector two, crossing the line at an amazing 53.883. Webber goes quickest in the final sector and consolidates third as Button posts 55.168 to go tenth.
Barrichello is eliminated at the end of Q2, along with Liuzzi, Hulkenberg, de la Rosa, Buemi, Kobayashi and Petrov.
Quickest was Vettel - and how! - ahead of Alonso, Webber, Massa, Rosberg, Hamilton, Kubica, Sutil, Schumacher and Button. Great performances from Kubica and Sutil.
And so we await the first Q3 session of the new era, low fuel and the tyres with which the drivers will need to start the race. Do drivers take a gamble and go flat-out in order to take pole or do they play it a little safe with an eye on the first stint tomorrow afternoon.
The lights go green, an engine fires up, and moments later Felipe Massa heads down the pitlane. He is followed by Alonso and Hamilton.
Massa is quickest in the first sector, while Schumacher, Rosberg, Vettel, Webber, Kubica and Sutil remain in the pits, each looking likely to complete just one hot lap.
Massa crosses the line at 55.131, however, moments later Alonso posts 55.072 to take provisional pole. Hamilton can only manage 56.828.
With just over four minutes remaining, Sutil leaves the pits as Alonso, Massa and Hamilton make their way back. Button, who failed to post a time, return to the pits as Rosberg, Schumacher and company leave.
Almost everyone is on the option tyre, everyone that is except Sutil who looks to be on the harder prime tyre.
Just under two minutes on the clock and all ten drivers are on track.
Sutil goes third with a 56.309 as Vettel goes quickest in the first sector. He's quickest again in Sector two finally crossing the line at 54.101 to take provisional pole.
Massa moves up to second with a 54.242 as Alonso posts 54.608 to go third. Hamilton takes fourth ahead of Rosberg while a late charge see Webber edge out Schumacher for sixth. Button qualifies eighth ahead of Kubica and Sutil.
An intriguing session, with Vettel upsetting the formbook certainly in terms of the previous sessions. Then again, we saw late last year that the German is more than capable of doing the business when only given one lap in which to do it.
Ferrari might be disappointed not to be on pole, but they will also be delighted to have second and third with both drivers looking very, very confident.
Despite his earlier frustration, Hamilton did well to take fourth, especially in light of the fact that his teammate could only manage eighth.
Rosberg continues to have the edge over Schumacher, something the British media is sure to make full use of, while Kubica and Sutil both did well to make it into Q3 in the first place, particularly the German.
It's still far too early to start making predictions and hats off to everyone who entered our competition, but it is clear that the 'Gang of Four' have the edge even if the apparent order is constantly shifting.
A superb performance from Vettel and Red Bull, however, mindful of the previous reliability issues, let's not get carried away. Furthermore, in view of the tyre situation, certainly in the opening stint of tomorrow's race, it will be interesting to see if some drivers - including those that didn't make it into Q3 - made the right decision in not going hell for leather.
Intriguing.