28/03/2015
NEWS STORY
If anyone is in any doubt as to the basic form of the teams at present, they need look no further than the combined times from the opening three sessions here in Sepang, as Mercedes heads Ferrari, Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso.
Sauber and Lotus look pretty evenly matched at this stage whilst Force India admits that following its late launch it will be mid-season before we begin to see real progress.
McLaren is where it is, but it's good to see that Fernando Alonso, in particular, is wringing all he can out of the car.
Manor, which will no doubt have to rely on the benevolence of the stewards - assuming it doesn't qualify within 107% - must await the arrival of its 2015... if there is such a thing.
The two main talking points - other than Bernie Ecclestone suggestions for ways to 'improve' the sport - are the heat and tyres, and both are intrinsically linked.
Due to the high temperatures degradation is high, particularly on the softer rubber, and consequently drivers are struggling for grip with (front) lock-ups and even braking an issue for many.
As in Melbourne, Ferrari looks good on the longer runs and if the Italian team can ensure that all four wheels are correctly fitted during tomorrow's numerous pit stops the Maranello outfit could mount a decent challenge.
Whilst Williams was hoping to pick up where it left off in 2014 it hasn't, the team missing vital straight-line speed, a situation not helped by Ferrari's improvements.
The Renault engines appear to be performing better here, but the RB11 still looks as though it will lose out come the race.
As we saw yesterday, the Mercedes is not bullet-proof and other than this, at this point in the season, the one thing rivals can hope for if they are to halt the silver steamroller is the weather, always a major factor here.
While the temperatures here are breaking records we know from experience that a rain burst can appear from nowhere, and we will be lucky (?) not to see the inters or wets make an appearance at some stage this weekend.
The tyres available this weekend are the hard (prime) and medium (option), which Pirelli claim, contrary to original expectations have a performance gap of around a second however, it was less than this this morning. There are two DRS zones, one on the start/finish straight and the other on the final straight.
Ahead of the start of Q1, the air temperature is 32 degrees C, whilst the track temperature is 52 degrees. Whilst heavy clouds have moved in and are getting visibly darker, the wind has also picked up.
The lights go green and a couple of minutes later Mehri heads down the pitlane to get things underway.
Hulkenberg is advised that there is rain a few miles from the circuit. It's a message his rivals have also received for in no time at all there are a lot more drivers on track including the Mercedes duo, both of whom are on options. The Williams duo is on primes.
Soon all are on track bar Raikkonen and Stevens, the Manor driver suffering a fuel system problem.
Despite a massive lock-up before his flying lap, Verstappen posts a 41.550 to go quickest, ahead of Alonso and Perez as lighting is visible in the distance.
Sainz posts 40.843 but this is soon beaten by Rosberg (39.374) and then Hamilton (39.269).
Bottas (prime) posts 40.249 to go third as Raikkonen finally leaves the pits, no doubt spurred by that lightning.
Vettel, appearing to struggle with the Ferrari, and on primes, goes third (39.814) as Alonso seeks to improve on thirteenth.
A 40.415 sees Raikkonen (prime) go fifth, ahead of Sainz and Massa who posts 40.905.
Watched by Ron Dennis, Alonso and Button are currently in sixteenth and seventeenth positions.
Grosjean goes tenth with a 41.376 as Kvyat improves (?) to sixteenth, thereby demoting the McLaren duo. With 5:45 remaining, the Russian is in the drop zone along with the Woking duo and the Manors.
Against a black sky, Kvyat improves from 41.677 to 40.546 which puts him sixth and drops Perez into 'the zone'.
Whilst the top five - Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Bottas and Raikkonen - watch from the comfort of their garages - Ricciardo, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Perez, Grosjean Ericsson and Maldonado seek to make it into Q2.
Sainz improves to fourth with a 39.814, the Spaniard continuing to impress.
Perez improves on his 41.655 to go eleventh with a 41.036. Maldonado drops into the zone but is on a hot lap, as is Ericsson. The Venezuelan goes seventh (40.361) but is demoted by Ericsson (40.340).
Despite a late mistake Grosjean improves to sixth (40.303) which means Melbourne star Nasr falls at the first hurdle.
Quickest is Hamilton, ahead of Rosberg, Vettel, Sainz, Bottas, Grosjean, Ericsson, Maldonado, Raikkonen and Ricciardo.
We lose Nasr, Button, Alonso, Merhi and Stevens.
Even without the threat from the weather gods, Q2 looks like it will be tight, while it's unlikely the Force Indias will miss the cut who will fall with them?
Vettel heads the traffic jam and leads the way as the lights go green. In seconds all 15 drivers are on track, all 15 on options.
"Rain is coming, we must complete this lap," Massa is told. "We need this lap."
"How urgent is it to do a hot lap," asks Rosberg. "Very urgent," comes the reply.
Vettel posts 39.632 but this is beaten by Rosberg (39.377) with Bottas going third (40.650).
Caught in traffic, and slightly balked by Ericsson, Raikkonen can only manage eleventh (42.173), at which point the rain really begins to fall. A disaster for the Finn.
Elsewhere, Hamilton complains that the team send him out late... not as late as some.
As the rain falls it's Rosberg, Vettel, Bottas, Ricciardo, Grosjean, Massa, Verstappen, Hamilton, Kvyat and Ericsson. Raikkonen, Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Perez and Sainz are in the drop zone and look unlikely to make it out of it.
As visibility drops to almost zero, such is the intensity of the rain, Raikkonen is appraised of the situation. The Finn listens in silence.
With 07:30 remaining all 15 drivers are in their garages.
"There's been very little wet running so far this year," confirms Pirelli. "A handful of laps on intermediates in testing, nothing at all on full wets."
As Q2 comes to a very damp end, officials announce that Q3 is delayed by 15 minutes.
A worryingly upbeat Alonso says that the team has found 1.5s since Melbourne and that if the team continues to find 1.5s every couple of weeks...
Whilst the rain has eased off, it remains very wet. Though the gusty wind should help dry the track... that and the heat.
"When it does go green for Q3, it's going to be a winner takes all, big balls, dancing on a tightrope kind of time. Just how we like it ;)" tweets Mercedes.
Minutes before the scheduled start of Q3 the Safety Car is sent out.
"Because track temperature stays relatively high here, despite the rain, it never takes especially long for the track to dry out," says Pirelli. "Having said that, there is often still some standing water, so drivers have to be very careful."
The start of Q3 is delayed by a further 15 minutes.
Following another reconnaissance lap by the Safety Car, the all-clear is given for the session to resume at 18:15 (local time), half-an-hour after the original scheduled start time.
The Williams duo is waiting at the end of the pitlane, both drivers on full wets. Most drivers on inters, though a couple, Grosjean and Ericsson, like the Williams, have opted for full wets.
Hamilton setting a strong pace on first flying lap, whilst Bottas is a lot more cautious.
Vettel posts 53.178 but this is soon beaten by Verstappen, Rosberg and ultimately Hamilton, who stops the clock at 49.834 having gone quickest in all three sectors.
Bottas doesn't post a time, instead he dives into the pits to switch to inters. As do Massa and Grosjean.
Vettel improves to third with a 51.617 but remains 1.78s off Hamilton's time.
A very, very impressive performance from the teenage Verstappen, who has virtually no experience in such conditions.
Now on the faster inters, Bottas begins his flying lap, whilst Massa and Grosjean head into the pits to be in sync with the main pack.
Bottas pits again, without setting a time, the Finn taking on a fresh set of inters.
Rosberg appears to be doing his own thing, and consequently appears to get in his teammate's way, which should add to the convivial atmosphere at Brackley.
When the German subsequently asks about dry lines, referring to his teammate as "the guy who is in first", he is told that he cannot be given such information.
Again Hamilton goes purple, the Briton setting a blistering pace. That said, he fails to improve but remains quickest.
Vettel improves to second, closing to within 0.074s of Hamilton, as Massa posts 52.473 to go sixth.
Whilst Rosberg is unable to improve on third, Verstappen leapfrogs Massa with a 51.981 to take sixth.
Consequently, Hamilton takes pole ahead of Vettel, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Verstappen, Massa, Grosjean, Bottas and Ericsson.
Raikkonen will start eleventh, ahead of Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Perez, Sainz, Nasr, Button, Alonso, Merhi and Stevens, who didn't post a time.
Aside from Hamilton's pace, and Vettel's a great performance from the Red Bulls whilst Williams will rue its strategic cock-up.
With the threat of further rain tomorrow, not to mention Raikkonen starting from eleventh, we could be in for a goodie... and in the wake of Melbourne's cure for insomnia, let's hope so.
Check out our Saturday gallery, here.