11/11/2017
NEWS STORY
While Mercedes has topped the timesheets in all three sessions, the gap to the opposition was reduced somewhat this morning.
Though the German outfit enjoy a half-a-second advantage in both of yesterday's sessions, this morning the top four were covered by just 0.058s.
While Ferrari has closed the gap, certainly compare to Friday, Red Bull remains around a second adrift of the Silver Arrows, with Max Verstappen even further off the pace with understeer issues.
Indeed, based on this morning's evidence, McLaren, courtesy of Fernando Alonso, and Force India looked good to give the Austrian team a run for its money.
However, ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session the weather looks to have finally taken a turn, and though the rain that hit the track after FP3 was not what you'd call of biblical proportions it will have an impact having left the kerbs wet and washed away the previously laid rubber.
Lance Stroll, who failed to post a time earlier, has since had an engine and gearbox change and other than the resultant penalties it remains to be seen if his car can be rebuilt in time for this afternoon's session.
Another team having more than its fair share of issues is Toro Rosso, where the reliability - or rather unreliability - of the Renault engines and components has led to a serious falling out with both sides trading their comments openly leading to all manner of speculation. Indeed, it got so bad, Red Bull's Lord High Executioner, Helmut Marko, was called on to calm the situation. Let that sink in.
Ahead of Q1, the air temperature is 18 degrees C, while the track temperature is 29 degrees, down on yesterday and even a little cooler than this morning. Currently the risk of rain is 40%.
Some teams, more than others, will be hoping that that 40% becomes 100%.
Stroll sit outside his garage watching his crew put the (hopefully) finishing touches to his car.
With an eye on the dark clouds that loom, Bottas is among the first out as the lights go green, teammate Hamilton also keen to get a 'banker' lap in the bag.
It's game over for Hamilton as the Briton spins and clouts the barrier at T6, much to the obvious delight of the crowd.
The session is red flagged.
Asked if he is OK, there is a long, long wait before he responds. "Yes, I'm OK guys, apologies," he says, clearly very unhappy with himself.
Replay suggests that he simply didn't have the rear grip he needed, the rear of the Mercedes stepping out sending the world champion and his car sliding helplessly sideways into the barrier.
The Briton was on supers, as were all other runners bar the Ferraris, both of which were on softs.
Hamilton arrives back in the pitlane to cheers from the crowd.
Hulkenberg heads the queue at the end of the pitlane as the session resumes, the German joined by the Toro Rosso duo and Sainz.
"My engine sounds a bit rough," complains Verstappen. "OK, we'll look at it," is the reply.
Hulkenberg posts 10.947 to get proceedings underway, how this is soon beaten by Sainz, Perez, Raikkonen and Bottas who crosses the line at 10.053.
A 10.322 sees Raikkonen go third, only to be demoted when Verstappen posts 9.966 to go quickest... despite that rough sounding engine.
A 9.796 sees Vettel go top, as Stroll heads out of the Williams garage.
Bottas goes quickest in S1, maintaining the pace in S2, something not possible in yesterday's conditions.
Bottas posts 9.452 but Raikkonen responds with a 9.405. The Ferrari duo the only drivers on the yellow-banded softs.
Still unhappy with his engine, Verstappen posts 9.820 to consolidate fourth.
Perez is sixth, ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Massa.
Along with Hamilton, Stroll, Hartley, Ericsson and Wehrlein comprise the drop zone.
Improving from 12.270 to 11.923, Stroll remains rooted in the drop zone.
Raikkonen has a slight spat with his engineer, the Finn at a loss to understand why his team isn't unsure whether he needs to run again even though he tops the timesheets.
With under five minutes remaining, Gasly, Magnussen and Grosjean are just above the drop zone.
Cameras pick up on the rear of Grosjean's car which is missing half of its T-wing.
A 10.625 sees Hartley improve to 15th, but is it enough?
Despite being missing half of his T-wing Grosjean improves to 8th with a 10.148.
Magnussen and Massa look likely to improve, as does Stroll. Indeed, Massa goes 4th with a 9.789, though Stroll can only manage 10.776 and remains 18th.
"Are we out?" asks Stroll. "Yes, we are out," comes the weary reply.
Raikkonen is quickest, ahead of Bottas, Vettel, Massa, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Perez, Grosjean and Ocon.
We lose Wehrlein, Gasly, Stroll, Ericsson and Hamilton.
The Ferrari pair the only drivers to get through Q1 on the soft rubber.
As in Q1, Bottas kick-starts Q2, then Finn joined by Ocon, Perez and Hartley.
"There are a few drops of rain," Bottas is told, "mainly in the pitlane area,"
Bottas posts 8.901 as Vettel warns of "very light drizzle, but not a problem".
Ocon posts the second time of the phase, the Frenchman stopping the clock at 10.231.
Vettel responds with a 9.013 to go second, ahead of Raikkonen and Verstappen.
Massa goes fifth with a 9.612, the Brazilian clearly fired up.
"Lap was good," reports Alonso who posts 9.961 to take seventh.
Verstappen clearly a little miffed following a pitlane misunderstanding involving Alonso, the confusion surrounding which of the two was due to visit the weighbridge.
Hartley appears to be relying on one run, the Kiwi currently at the bottom of the drop zone along with Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Vandoorne and Grosjean.
Ricciardo is currently fifth, the only driver to have posted his time on the soft rubber.
With 3:15 remaining, Perez, Ocon, Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Magnussen and Hartley are on track. Surprisingly, they are joined by Bottas and Vettel and, in time, all bar Massa.
Hartley pits without posting a time, Toro Rosso clearly realising it was a lost cause.
Alonso improve to sixth with a 9.593, while Sainz can only manage tenth.
An 8.494 sees Vettel take the top spot, while Ocon fails to make the cut, surely one of the biggest surprises of the day.
Quickest is Vettel, ahead of Bottas, Verstappen, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Alonso, Massa, Hulkenberg, Perez and Sainz.
We lose Ocon, Grosjean, Vandoorne, Magnussen and Hartley.
Check out our Saturday gallery from Interlagos, here.
Replay suggests Raikkonen was far from happy with fourth, the Iceman uttering a string of expletives.
A hat-trick for Bottas, who once again is first out, followed, eventually, by Hulkenberg and then Vettel.
Bottas bangs in an 8.442, watched on by Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda.
Vettel responds with an 8.360 while teammate Raikkonen posts 8.767 to take third.
Verstappen goes fourth, ahead of Ricciardo, Perez, Hulkenberg and Alonso.
Massa looks to be in danger of 'doing a Hamilton' but somehow holds it together. Nonetheless he abandons the lap having subsequently lost time behind Sainz. Previously, the Renault driver had complained about Massa costing him time.
Trackside monitors warn of rain but the drivers show no signs of going out.
Finally, the sound of an engine fills the air, as Perez heads out. Followed by Hulkenberg and Sainz.
"Rain is falling and it's moving slightly more, slightly more, that's why we went a bit early" Perez is told.
As they begin their final flying laps, Raikkonen is quickest in S1. The Finn is on a brand new set of supers. Moments later Bottas goes quicker.
Vettel fails to improve unlike Bottas, who crosses the line at 8.322.
The shock of Hamilton's crash is somewhat made up for by Bottas who takes a hard-fought pole.
Bottas takes pole, ahead of Vettel, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Perez, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Sainz and Massa.
Ocon is eleventh, ahead of Grosjean, Vandoorne, Magnussen, Hartley, Wehrlein, Gasly, Stroll, Ericsson and, of course, Hamilton.
Naturally, Mercedes is relieved to have its man on pole following Hamilton's disastrous start to the session, while Vettel admits to "chickening out".
With continued doubts over the weather, not to mention Ricciardo and Hamilton fighting their way through the field, not forgetting Ferrari's desire to end the season it style, we could be in for a good one tomorrow.
Fingers crossed.
Check out our Saturday gallery from Interlagos, here.