Sebastian Vettel continued Red Bull Racing’s qualifying domination with another fantastic pole position at the Shanghai International Circuit, his third pole in four races.
The young German leads an all-Red Bull front row with Mark Webber only 0.248 seconds slower. The margin between the pair was too close to call in the first two sectors and yet it was Vettel who gained the upper hand in the last few corners to claim pole.
Fernando Alonso took third for Ferrari – four positions ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa – but it was a bitter pill to swallow for Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren. After setting the quickest time in Q1 and Q2, he was unable to challenge the Red Bulls for the top spot and will start the Chinese Grand Prix in sixth, behind Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg and his team-mate Jenson Button.
Michael Schumacher lines up in ninth in the Silver Arrows, between Robert Kubica’s Renault and the Force India of Adrian Sutil.
Rubens Barrichello almost got the Williams into the top ten, only for Sutil to bump the Brazilian down to P11 in the final seconds in Q2. Despite this Barrichello was within 0.033 seconds of beating his old Ferrari colleague Schumacher to the final Q3 slot. Williams team-mate Nico Hulkenberg lines up P16, in between the Sauber pair of Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa respectively.
Following his impressive race performance in Malaysia, Jaime Alguersuari out-qualified Toro Rosso team-mate Sebastien Buemi as the Spaniard equalled his career-best Formula One start in P12.
After crashing in the final practice session after losing control exiting the last corner, Vitaly Petrov was able to recover in the repaired Renault to take P14.
As for Tonio Liuzzi, the Force India driver blamed the traffic in costing him the chance in going through to Q2 and with a time margin of 0.111 seconds, he was right to complain! Liuzzi will start the race down in P18.
Lotus looked set to win the battle of the so called ‘division two of Formula One’ between the new teams until Timo Glock’s last qualifying run put Virgin Racing at the head of the tail-end pack by 0.117 seconds over Jarno Trulli’s Lotus. Heikki Kovalainen escaped a spectacular spin under braking for Turn 6 and will start in P21 in the second Lotus. As for Hispania, Bruno Senna edged out team-mate Karun Chandhok but the latter will receive a five-place penalty for non-regulation gearbox work on his car on Friday.
So, a great result for Red Bull Racing with a perfect 100 per cent pole record in 2010. Can Vettel score another Far East victory following his Malaysian Grand Prix success? Or will Webber readdress that first corner mistake in Sepang by going for the first win of the season? What about the forecast rain heading to Shanghai? Will that play a major affect on the race on Sunday? Let’s wait and see.
Qualifying times from Shanghai:
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:34.558
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:34.806
3. Alonso Ferrari 1:34.913
4. Rosberg Mercedes 1:34.923
5. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:34.979
6. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:35.034
7. Massa Ferrari 1:35.180
8. Kubica Renault 1:35.364
9. Schumacher Mercedes 1:35.646
10. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:35.963
11. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:35.748
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:36.047
13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:36.149
14. Petrov Renault 1:36.311
15. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:36.422
16. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:36.647
17. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:37.020
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:37.161
19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:39.278
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:39.399
21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:39.520
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:39.783
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:40.469
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:40.578
The top three drivers’ views on the qualifying session at Shanghai. Taken from Autosport.com.
Sebastian Vettel hailed his final qualifying lap as “fantastic” after securing pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix.
The German claimed his third pole in four races, also making sure Red Bull has secured the top spot in all the grands prix of the season so far.
Vettel, who had struggled with his car’s set-up before qualifying, admitted his lap had been superb, especially on the first sector, where the German had had more trouble this weekend.
He qualified nearly three tenths ahead of team-mate Mark Webber.
“It was tough today. I was not so happy yesterday and this morning especially Mark was quite a bit quicker than me,” said Vettel.
“We did some changes and went a little bit in Mark’s direction but it was extremely difficult. “I was struggling in the first sector especially but now in qualifying I was purple in sector one.
“I found a line like last year a little bit. I had two very good runs in Q3, the last corner on the first run I was a bit too wide, otherwise it would already have been a good time, but the second run was a bit better everywhere.
“It was a fantastic lap, and the fourth consecutive pole position for Red Bull. We are proving we have a very good car independent of the circuit type. We are always up there.
“Special thanks to the mechanics because they had zero lunch as we required a lot of changes that they had to work from free practice to qualifying.”
Vettel said he is confident he will be strong in any conditions in tomorrow’s race, when rain is expected to hit the circuit.
“I think it will be raining tomorrow, it’s just a question of when,” he added. “It will be similar to the last two races. We are not afraid of any rain, for Sunday it looks quite bad if you look at the weather.
“The question is will it be wet throughout the whole race or after the start? We have good memories of the wet conditions last year and if the rain comes it is best to start at the front because you are the one who sees the best. Dry or wet we should be well armed for tomorrow.”
Mark Webber says he is pleased with his effort in qualifying, despite being beaten by his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who scored his third pole position in four races this year.
The Australian jumped to the top of the timesheet with his final lap in Q3, but Vettel was running behind him on the road and went quarter of a second faster as time expired.
“I was happy with my lap,” Webber said afterwards. “I gave it everything and it wasn’t enough. You’d like to be a bit further up, but we are in the position we deserve to be – Seb stopped the sand a bit quicker than I did, but tomorrow is a long race.
“It’s a big credit to the team to lock out the front row. We did that in Melbourne and had a good chance in Malaysia. It’s very positive for the team, and especially for the mechanics – there was a lot of stuff coming out on the plane last night, which wasn’t easy because of the exploding volcano.”
Webber added that he was surprised that neither McLaren was able to challenge for pole position after Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button set the pace in practice.
“If you look at the last year and a half or so, they love the publicity on Friday night,” Webber said. “They have a quick car, they’re always fast on Friday. Saturday, okay, they’re not a million miles away, but I’m surprised when you look at Fernando [Alonso] and them. They had a pretty tough qualifying for whatever reason.
Fernando Alonso is optimistic he will be stronger in the race tomorrow after securing third place on the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix.
It is the third time in four races that the Ferrari driver will start from third on the grid.
The Spaniard admitted the result was the best possible for his team, which he reckons is more competitive in race trim.
“I think once again this is the maximum of our potential in qualifying,” said Alonso. “We know the race pace is a little bit better for us, and we feel a bit more comfortable with more fuel in the car and more longer runs.
“But in one-lap performance we maximise always the potential. We did in Bahrain, Australia and here, with three times third on the grid, and in Malaysia we made a mistake in Q1.
“In normal situation this is the maximum we can do at the moment.”
Alonso admitted he is hoping for a dry race, despite there being over a 90 per cent chance of showers tomorrow.
“I prefer dry, but if it rains it is the same for everybody and this is a race situation,” he said.
“If it rains tomorrow it will be fine. It will be interesting to see how the race develops, with the potential of our car and how it normally performs. A dry situation will be more normal for us.”
He added: “Tomorrow’s race will be determined by the weather. When it rains if it is wet all race then maybe the first car can lead until the end, but in those races you can make a good choice or a bad choice and lose 10 seconds per lap. It is nice to watch on television but very risky for us.”
Team-mate Felipe Massa qualified down in seventh.
After setting the pace in Friday’s practice sessions plus the quickest time in Q1 and Q2 during qualifying, it was a disappointing result for the McLaren team to take fifth and sixth on the grid. Read the Autosport.com story for Jenson Button and team-mate Lewis Hamilton views.
Jenson Button said he had been hampered by tyre issues in qualifying at Shanghai, where he ended up fifth on the grid.
The McLaren driver out-qualified his team-mate Lewis Hamilton for a third straight race, but was frustrated not to be closer to the front.
“I struggled with just getting a whole lap, I couldn’t get a whole lap with the tyres – they were either not warm enough at the start of the lap or they were overheating at the end,” Button told reporters.
“I was really struggling with it. In Q3, the last run, it was much better but it was a little bit too late really because the car felt very different so I was playing around with the diff and the front wing but it was all a little bit too late.
“A bit frustrating that it took us that long in qualifying to get the balance right but – considering – P5 is okay. Pity to get pipped by the Mercedes [of Nico Rosberg] at the end but we’ll make up for it tomorrow.”
He is confident that he will be in a stronger situation in the race, whatever the weather.
“If we can work with it a little bit more for tomorrow we’ll be okay,” Button said. “It’s probably going to rain but I think the car set-up that we have on the car is probably good for the wet conditions.”
Both McLaren drivers were heard to comment over team radio on false neutrals appearing during gearshifts, but Button played down the issue.
“That’s not an issue really. Not a problem at all,” he said. “It just happens now and again but it wasn’t on a quick lap, it was on an out-lap, so it’s alright.”
Lewis Hamilton was puzzled by his slump at the end of qualifying in China, and had no idea why he was unable to challenge for pole having topped both Q1 and Q2.
The McLaren driver went into Q3 as favourite for pole following his strong performance in practice and the first two segments of qualifying, but could only manage sixth on the grid – half a second down on pole-winner Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull.
“We were doing so well in practice and in Q1 and Q2,” Hamilton told television crews. “It was quite easy to be up the front. The car started bottoming a lot more in Q3 but I don’t know whether that’s had anything to do with the balance of the car, but I just had no more time in the car. The car was sliding a lot more.
“In Q1 and Q2 the car was even better and I really don’t understand what was wrong with the car in Q3 but I wasn’t able to get any more time out of it.
“That was me on the limit so I don’t know where the time is. We have to go and analyse it and try and find it, but I’m sure tomorrow will be a good race.”
Hamilton was also out-qualified by his team-mate Jenson Button for the third time this year, with the reigning world champion beating his predecessor to fifth.
Sebastien Buemi is hoping the gamble to opt for a wet-weather set-up pays off tomorrow if the rains hit the Chinese Grand Prix.
The Swiss driver, who missed most of Friday’s running after a crash due to a problem with his car’s uprights, qualified in 13th position, just behind team-mate Jaime Alguersuari.
“I had no problem with getting back in the car after what happened yesterday, although of course the lack of track time affected me,” said Buemi. “In any case the team did a good job to rebuild the car so that I could run trouble free today.
“To be honest, I was expecting to get a better grid position, but it’s understandable when you don’t drive on Friday. As for the race, we have gone for a compromise setting that should also work if the predicted rain arrives tomorrow.
“P13 is not too far away from the points, so let’s wait and see what we can do.”
Technical director Giorgio Ascanelli added: “I don’t like having all our eggs in one basket, so we split them, with one car anticipating rain tomorrow and one with a downforce level more suited for the dry. Guess which one was fastest today. Tomorrow we will see what happens.”
Alguersuari was pleased with his day’s work after equalling his best qualifying performance in F1.
“We are getting closer to Q3 and I think we did a good job so far this weekend, especially as it’s my first time at this track,” he said. “I expect we can have a good race tomorrow, as the car works well over a distance, running consistently and we seem to have got it to work better than in Malaysia.
“We will have to wait and see what the weather brings, but I think I have a realistic chance of scoring points tomorrow, whether it is wet or dry, so I would prefer it if it does not rain.”
Source: Autosport.com
Renault driver Robert Kubica has admitted that he was pleased with this qualifying performance. He will start the Chinese Grand Prix in eighth, Kubica’s best this season. Read the Autosport.com story for more details.
Robert Kubica declared himself happy after qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, after the Renault driver said he put on his best performance of the season yet.
“It was good qualifying session for me – probably my best performance this year from a driving point of view, and I was particularly pleased with my laps in Q3,” said Kubica after setting the eight fastest time.
“If you had said to me yesterday I would start the race from eighth, I would have been happy, so it’s a good result and puts us in a good position to score points in the race.”
Team-mate Vitaly Petrov qualified in 14th position, the Russian also pleased with his showing.
The rookie was also thankful to his team for having repaired his car in time for qualifying following his crash in practice.
“I’m pleased with my performance, which is my best result from a dry qualifying session, even if my ultimate objective has to be to make it through to Q3 because Robert has shown this is what the car can do,” he said.
“Overall, things are going in the right direction for me: I’m improving my driving and getting more comfortable with the car all the time.
“I also need to say a big ‘thank you’ to my mechanics, who did a fantastic job to repair my car in time for qualifying after my accident in free practice.”
For the fourth time this season Michael Schumacher will start behind his team-mate Nico Rosberg following his disappointing performance in qualifying. The seven-time world champion is struggling to adapt his driving style with these 2010-spec Formula One racing cars. Read on for Schumacher’s views on qualifying as taken from Autosport.com.
A disappointed Michael Schumacher says he is still aiming for a good points finish at the Chinese Grand Prix tomorrow.
The seven-time champion endured a difficult day, qualifying in ninth position as he struggled with the handling of his Mercedes.
Schumacher finished five places behind team-mate Nico Rosberg, who outpaced the German by seven tenths of a second.
“I am obviously disappointed about my qualifying,” said Schumacher, who is yet to outqualify his team-mate this season.
“It didn’t really come together today. In certain areas I was just not quick enough and at some corner exits, I struggled a bit with rear end grip. I haven’t really found the balance of the car all weekend.
“It will be tough to be too optimistic for tomorrow from my grid position but then I had some good starts lately and there is always room for lots of things to happen in Formula 1 races. We can still achieve some good points and I am definitely going to go for it.”
Rosberg, on the other hand, was justifiably delighted after qualifying in fourth place, the Mercedes driver insisting his team has taken a step forward in China.
“Fourth place is quite a nice surprise and I’m very pleased that we seem to have made a step forward this weekend,” he said. “We really got the most out of the car in qualifying and I’ve worked well with my engineer Jock and the team to improve the car and get the set-up right this weekend.
“We didn’t think we would be this far up the grid today as we were struggling in practice this morning compared to the McLarens but to be level with the quickest Ferrari and a bit closer to the Red Bulls is very satisfying. It’s a good step for us and we’re well placed to have a good race tomorrow.”