22/11/2014
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's all-important qualifying session, the air temperature is 26 degrees C, whilst the track temperature is 33 degrees. It is 17:00 local time.
After Lewis Hamilton dominated both of yesterday's sessions, this morning it was teammate Nico Rosberg who led the way. However, it remains close, and it was clear that Hamilton has more in reserve.
We know from experience that, like all street circuits, overtaking is almost impossible here - remember Alonso stuck behind Petrov in 2010 - so pole position is important, very important.
Then again, with ten pole starts to Lewis' seven this year, Nico appears to have the edge in that department.
However, another possible spanner in the works could be the pace of the Williams, many feeling that either Felipe Massa or Valtteri Bottas could have a say in the outcome not just today but in the fight for the title.
As was the case yesterday, FP1, like FP3, took place in the early afternoon when temperatures were much warmer, this session, along with the start of the race, takes place as the sun begins to fall and temperatures are around 10 degrees lower.
The performance gap between the two compounds (soft and supersoft) is around 1.2 seconds, but this is likely to come down to about a second as the track rubbers in and evolves.
Wear and degradation is low on the soft tyre, which Pirelli expects to be the main race tyre.
One of the big surprises this morning was Fernando Alonso who completed just 8 laps before pitting and allowing the team to change his power unit. Having suffered an electrical issue yesterday his weekend was already compromised, yet, during those 8 laps he ran on both prime and options and set a time good enough to take fourth overall.
Another driver who had a nightmare day yesterday was Jenson Button, who was side-lined for most of both sessions. Nonetheless, he finished this morning sixth overall and is clearly up for the fight.
Sebastian Vettel continues to impress in the Red Bull, his last outing for the Austrian team, while the Toro Rosso duo, Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne also look strong.
Spare a thought for Romain Grosjean, who faces a 20-place grid penalty after his team opted to change four different power unit elements. Should he not be able to drop the full twenty-places, which is highly unlikely, he faces a time penalty or stop and go.
There's a late scare for Rosberg when it is revealed that the team opted to change the floor on his car after damaging it on a kerb during this morning's session.
As in Austin and Brazil the qualifying format has been tweaked to reflect the depleted grid. However, unlike those two races, due to the return of Caterham, we lose 5 cars at the end of Q1 and Q2.
The lights go green and Stevens leads the way, followed by Perez and Magnussen, the latter two on the primes. Rosberg is amongst the early risers, the German already on the options.
Perez posts 1:43.856 and Stevens 45.781, with Magnussen posting 43.171 moments later. Button slots in behind his teammate with a 43.531.
Bottas and Massa make it a Williams 1-2 as the Finn crosses the line at 42.346, however, moments later Rosberg ups the ante with a 41.308. That said, Hamilton ups it even further with a 41.207 despite a lock-up.
Vergne goes sixth (42.950) as Bottas goes quickest overall in S1, the Finn ultimately failing to improve.
A 42.505 sees Kvyat go fourth, ahead of Massa and Hulkenberg, as Vettel and Ricciardo finally leave the pits.
Interestingly, only the Williams, McLaren and Ferrari drivers are on the primes. The best placed of these (Bottas) being 1.139s off Hamilton's pace.
Having posted 43.779 to go fourteenth, Alonso is told he has three timed laps. The Spaniard is now on the option rubber as is his teammate and, indeed, the McLarens.
On his first run Vettel goes fourth (42.495) only to be demoted when his teammate posts 42.204.
With 3:112 remaining, Button and Alonso are in the drop zone. The Spaniard improves to tenth (42.754), leaving the Sauber duo looking likely to fall at the first hurdle.
Having dropped to 11th, Massa is back on track, now on options.
Button posts 42.137 to go fourth, as Maldonado drops into the drop zone. Appropriately.
Desperate late attempts to improve by the Sauber duo but it doesn't appear to be enough. Then again, Alonso is down in fourteenth.
Massa (on primes) goes quickest in S1 as Gutierrez improves to 15th overall.
Sutil improves with a 42.746 to demote his teammate, whilst Massa goes quickest in S2, finally crossing the line at 41.475 to go third. Teammate Bottas is 8th overall having only used the primes.
Quickest is Hamilton, ahead of Rosberg, Massa, Magnussen, Button, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Bottas, Vergne and Raikkonen.
We lose Grosjean, Gutierrez, Maldonado, Kobayashi and Stevens.
Perez leads teammate Hulkenberg down the pitlane to get Q2 underway, followed by Rosberg, Massa, Bottas, Vergne, Raikkonen, Hamilton et al. All on options.
Perez posts 42.467 as Rosberg locks-up at T9 having gone in very, very deep..
A 41.575 sees Massa go quickest, only to be demoted when Hamilton bangs in a 40.920. Rosberg, following that mistake, backs off and crosses the line at 53.991.
Ricciardo goes third (41.692), ahead of Alonso and Vettel as Rosberg and Bottas trade purples in the first sectors.
Rosberg posts 41.459 to go second, 0.539s down on his teammate, whilst Bottas goes third with a 41.465.
With 5:40 remaining, neither McLaren driver has [posted a time, though they've both been out.
No sooner has Button left the pits than he is told to box. "Reason?" he asks, "we need to top up with fuel". He is clearly not impressed. Nor should he be.
Ricciardo, currently fifth, is told he will not run again. However, Bottas and Massa - third and fourth - are heading out again. Hamilton and Rosberg are also sitting out the rest of the session (Q2).
Button goes sixth with a 41.875 as Bottas goes quickest in S1. Masa is also on a hot lap.
Hulkenberg, Perez, Kvyat, Raikkonen and Sutil comprise the drop zone.
Raikkonen improves to tenth thereby demoting Magnussen.
Kvyat improves to 8th, as Bottas goes second with a 41.376 only to be demoted by teammate Massa (41.144).
Hamilton is quickest, ahead of Massa, Bottas, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Button, Alonso, Kvyat, Vettel and Raikkonen.
We lose Magnussen, Vergne, Perez, Hulkenberg and Sutil.
The lights go green for Q3 and Bottas can't wait to get started... the Finn first to head down the pitlane. In time all but Raikkonen are on track.
Hamilton complains of a vibration in his tyres.
As Alonso makes a mistake in T1 and runs wide, Bottas goes quickest in S2 and Rosberg in S1.
No sooner has Bottas posted 41.321 than teammate Massa posts 41.119. However, Rosberg responds with a 40.697 while a mistake in the final corner sees Hamilton post 41.021.
Ahead of the final run, it's: Rosberg, Hamilton, Massa, Bottas, Ricciardo, Vettel, Button, Alonso and Kvyat. Raikkonen has yet to post a time.
With 3:45 on the clock, Vettel gets the final assault underway. In no time at all, all ten cars are on track.
As the Red Bull duo posts PBs in S1, Bottas goes quickest. Rosberg also posts a PB.
As Bottas maintains his (purple) pace, Hamilton has a poor S1, whilst Rosberg is quickest in S2.
Bottas improves to third with a 41.025 as Rosberg improves with a 40.480.
Massa fails to improve whilst Hamilton does (40.866) but remains second to his Mercedes teammate.
Rosberg takes his eleventh pole of the year, whilst Hamilton makes it the twelfth front-row lock-out for the team this year.
Behind Rosberg and Hamilton it's; Bottas, Massa, Ricciardo, Vettel, Kvyat, Button, Raikkonen and Alonso.
Magnussen starts eleventh, ahead of Vergne, Perez, Hulkenberg, Sutil, Grosjean, Gutierrez, Maldonado, Kobayashi and Stevens.
All of which sets us up perfectly for tomorrow's title decider.
Check out our Saturday gallery, here.