24/05/2014
NEWS STORY
It's often the most important session of the weekend in Monaco as the narrow confines make overtaking during the race near impossible. A good grid spot is therefore critical for tomorrow's race, a fact that won't have been lost of any of the runners as they prepare for the most glamorous race of the year.
Rain on Thursday allowed Fernando Alonso to top the time sheets in the second practice session but the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have otherwise dominated the weekend to date. Daniel Ricciardo too has looked strong, even if he complained during final practice that his car hadn't progressed since Thursday.
Though dry and sunny conditions abound today there is rain forecast tomorrow, and while not guaranteed it could prompt some teams to take a gamble on set-up in the hope it is a wet race.
Nico Rosberg is the first to roll out of the garages, followed by teammate Lewis Hamilton as the Mercedes pair opt for the slower soft compound tyre. Queued at the end of the pit lane the Brackley squad is clearly keen to get out on to an empty track to bank a lap early.
Most of the field follows suit, the short Monaco circuit quickly filled. Indeed, traffic is expected to be such a problem race director Charlie Whiting has warned the drivers not to interfere with each other as they look to create space.
Only Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel elect to stay in the pits early on, looking for a gap earlier as drivers return to the pits after others complete their first qualifying run.
Daniel Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne are the early pace setters as the Toro Rosso pair briefly lock out the front row, though Felipe Massa quickly upsets that with a 1:20.221.
A fastest final sector from Kevin Magnussen is enough to propel him up the order with a 19.484 before Nico Rosberg lowers the benchmark to 17.938. Lewis Hamilton then flashes across the line with an 18.751 to go second.
During practice it had become clear that the trick to a fast lap was to run multiple laps to build up tyre temperature, so it is expected most drivers will stay out for a number of laps in their quest to set a time.
"I damaged my front wing, suspension feels okay," reports Daniil Kvyat who returns to the pits minus a front wing. Replays show a high speed spin as the young Russian loses the car under braking on the bump exiting the tunnel. He's lucky to only drag his front wing down the unforgiving wall.
Ricciardo and Vettel finally emerge from the pits, heading out on the soft compound tyres.
Hamilton looks to respond to Rosberg's lap but falls two tenths of a second off the pace as Felipe Massa goes fourth with an 18.880. Romain Grosjean also improves, putting his Lotus in third place with an 18.835.
"Ericsson wasn't on a lap and he's just held you up," is the message from Force India to Nico Hulkenberg. "Absolutely," comes the response from the German.
Vettel's first timed lap is just 21.288, a slow warm up lap ahead of a fast lap. Ricciardo was less patient and immediately he goes third fastest.
With seven minutes remaining those in danger are the spinning Kvyat, Ericsson and Kobayashi, Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Max Chilton. Just on the fringes in 16th is Jules Bianchi, a tenth ahead of Hulkenberg with a 19.332 and just half a tenth adrift of Valtteri Bottas.
Hulkenberg's attempts to extract himself from the bottom six are thwarted by Romain Grosjean, the Lotus driver is shown blue flags but as he's on hot a lap he refuses to let the Force India through. Instead the Hulk slows to create space while teammate Sergio Perez is also in traffic in a busy session on track.
A lock up from Kevin Magnussen sees him run wide at Ste Devote, a flat spotted set of the precious supersoft tyres his reward.
With three remaining Hulkenberg remains in the bottom six while Kimi Raikkonen in fifteenth is too close for comfort. The Finn soon changes that with a time of 18.902 to go fifth, as Hulkenberg also improves to go twelfth.
That leaves Sutil, Bianchi, Chilton and the Caterhams in the drop zone. Kvyat, the early pace setter, has been demoted to sixteenth, placing the Toro Rosso driver in danger as the yellow flags fly at Mirabeau.
Replays show Felipe Massa running wide to allow Marcus Ericsson through at Mirabeau, but the Caterham driver went in too hot, slid wide and pinned them both in to the barrier, a move the Wiliams driver sarcastically applauds. Though Massa got going again he stops a few corners later at Portier.
The double waved yellow flags hurt Bianchi, who looked to be on a better lap when he came across them following the Massa incident, which stewards confirm they will investigate after qualifying.
With Q1over it marks the end of the day for Saubers, Marussia and Caterham. With Massa having stopped on track the Brazilian will also be unable to continue, and will therefore start sixteenth as a result despite having set the tenth fastest time in the eighteen minute session.
At the front Vergne was the fastest man with a 17.557 ahead of Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso. Importantly both Mercedes and Red Bulls escaped the opening session using just the soft tyres, whereas everyone else burned up at least one set of supersofts.
At the start of the second phase of qualifying the Mercedes were once again first out of the garages, this time on the supersoft tyres.
With fourteen cars heading out, just the non-starting Massa and Vettel remain on the sidelines as Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton begin a multi-lap run to get the best out of their tyres.
Hulkenberg sets the early running with a 17.931 ahead of Raikkonen as the stewards confirm they will also investigate Esteban Gutierrez for holding up Hulkenberg in the opening phase of qualifying. It's also confirmed Pastor Maldonado and Daniil Kvyat will pay the stewards a visit after the session.
A fastest first and third sector, with a personal best in the middle, sees Rosberg go fastest ahead of Hamilton with a 16.682 versus a 16.717. Daniel Ricciardo also improves to go third on a 17.233.
Three personal best sectors for Valtteri Bottas sees him in ninth with an 18.279 ahead of Jenson Button's 19.309.
An aggressive lap from Kimi Raikkonen sees the Ferrari driver slide precariously close to the barriers, wheel spinning out of Rascasse to go fourth fastest with a 17.398 before being bettered almost immediately by Fernando Alonso with a 17.325.
Sebastian Vettel radios in that he's backing off for another lap, on which he is two tenths up in the first sector on what he needs to make it through to Q3. By the end of the lap he's improved enough to set the fourth fastest lap time with a 17.302, pushing Vergne out of the top ten.
But Vettel is not happy. "We need to sort this problem out," he complains to his team after setting his lap without the user of ERS, a feat which makes his time even more impressive. "We are aware," replies his engineer Rocky from the pit wall.
With the clock ticking down towards the end of the session Sergio Perez sets the eighth fastest time with a 17.755.
At the front Rosberg and Hamilton are on track setting fastest sectors, the Mercedes duo separated by less than a tenth of a second as every car remaining is on track. With a minute left Hamilton posts the fastest lap with a 16.354.
Daniel Ricciardo is happy with his time and sits in the garage. Kevin Magnussen in seventh is also in the pits as everyone outside the top ten looks to improve their time.
Vergne is the first, setting the eighth fastest time to push Hulkenberg out of the top ten at the flag. The last man on a lap is Jenson Button but a difficult lap sees him fail to improve, eliminating the McLaren driver from qualifying.
The 2009 world champion joins Hulkenberg, Bottas, both Lotus drivers and the unfortunate Massa on the sidelines.
Hamilton and Rosberg continue to lead the way, seven tenths ahead of Vettel who was third fastest followed by Alonso, Ricciardo and Raikkonen.
Impressive efforts from rookies Daniil Kvyat and Kevin Magnussen see them progress to the top ten shoot-out, with Jean-Eric Vergne also making it through in the second Toro Rosso.
At Red Bull the team is working frantically to repair the MGU-K on Sebastian Vettel's car, the kinetic energy component of the German's energy recovery system.
The third and final phase starts with Perez's Force India leading the Ferrari pair of Alonso and Raikkonen as the rest of the field sit in their garages.
Ninety-seconds in and everyone is on track, the ten cars spread around the short Monaco circuit mindful that traffic could be a decisive factor.
Perez is pushing hard on his out lap, clearly trying to set a fast lap on his first timed effort on this set of tyres. Track temperature has increased slightly, up to 46 degrees, leaving Force India to suggest a fast lap is now possible on the first lap.
"I cannot believe what happened," Massa complains to the media in the bull pen after returning to the paddock following his premature exit in qualifying. The Brazilian is clearly unhappy with Ericsson's error which eliminated him from qualifying and left him an uphill task in tomorrow's race.
On track Raikkonen sets the fastest time early with an 18.132, soon bettered by Vergne with an 18.303.
Down the road Nico Rosberg is setting purple sectors meaning that while Alonso goes fastest he is soon pipped by the Mercedes driver who sets a 15.999. The Mercedes pace is quickly backed up by Hamilton who stops the clock at 16.048.
Ricciardo and Vettel make up the second row for the moment, the Australian ahead of his teammate by two tenths of a second.
Halfway through the session everyone is making their way back to the pits for a fresh set of tyres ahead of a second run while Red Bull reports Vettel's MGU-K problem is "intermittent."
Perez is the first man back on track, the Mexican enjoying having the entire circuit to himself. He's soon joined by Magnussen, the two Ferraris and Ricciardo. With just ten cars on track there is plenty of space for each driver to set an uninhibited time.
A heavy right foot from Raikkonen sees him slide the Ferrari out of the final corner as he begins his timed lap, he goes on to set a personal best in the first sector. Tellingly he is still six-tenths adrift of the pace of Rosberg at the front. At the second split he's lost another three tenths despite having set another personal best, his final time of 17.389 is his fastest to date but some way off the pace.
Rosberg flashes across the line with just a minute left on the clock and pushes hard, so hard he misses his braking marker at Mirabeau and slides in to the run off area and out of qualifying. Though undamaged there's no time for another lap, but the subsequent yellow flags force Hamilton to back off, ruining his own final timed lap. It assures Rosberg of pole and splits opinion as the debate on whether it was deliberate or not begins almost immediately.
Almost unnoticed Daniel Ricciardo wins the intra-team battle at Red Bull by again out-qualifying Vettel, while Alonso bettered Raikkonen. After Raikkonen comes Vergne, followed by the impressive duo of Magnussen and Kvyat. Sergio Perez rounds out the top ten in the Force India, some two seconds adrift of Rosberg's pole time.
It's a jubilant Rosberg that steps out of his car once he returns to parc ferme, Hamilton dutifully replacing his steering wheel without paying much attention to his teammate's celebrations. The Briton is clearly unimpressed.
But with seven drivers under investigation - the stewards subsequently announcing that they are to investigate the Rosberg incident - there is a good chance the final qualifying order could change, particularly at the top.
Check out our Saturday gallery, here.
Mat Coch