Vettel leads Red Bull front row at Silverstone

Sebastian Vettel took his fifth pole position of the 2010 season following a dominant performance at Silverstone. The speed of the Red Bull RB6 was impressive and with Vettel taking pole with a lap time of one minute, 29.615 seconds the young German is looking in good shape in repeating his 2009 victory.

Red Bull Racing locked-out the front row once again with Vettel taking the top honours while team-mate Mark Webber having to settle for second position, just 0.143 seconds down. The battle between the pair was the highlight of the session as they traded the fastest sector times around the 3.666-mile circuit.

The closest challenger to the charging Red Bulls was Fernando Alonso. Even though the double world champion was left frustrated to be caught behind Rubens Barrichello’s Williams on his last Q3 run, the Ferrari driver was still able to hold off crowd favourite Lewis Hamilton to third.

For the 2008 British Grand Prix winner, racing in front of the passionate home crowd, the McLaren driver could only manage fourth despite the team abandoning the exhaust-blown diffuser following Friday’s practice sessions.

The new upgrade caused problems to the MP4-25’s floor, which affected the aerodynamics due to the excessive heat. So the Woking-based team decided to drop this new update and revert back to the old set-up. That lost time in adapting the cars for the British drivers cost significant performance and this was especially true for Jenson Button.

The reigning world champion will start his home Grand Prix in a disastrous P14. Jenson was later interviewed that his car was ‘undriveable’ and was a lost to explain why its grip had suddenly disappeared in Q2, leaving him on row seven.

For the Silver Arrows, this was a better qualifying performance than Valencia with Nico Rosberg taking fifth place – 0.8 seconds and five positions clear of Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher.

Joining Rosberg on row three is Renault’s Robert Kubica, with the Brazilians of Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello taking the fourth row in the Ferrari and Williams respectively.

As for Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa, the Spaniard qualified his best-ever position with ninth.

The Force India of Adrian Sutil will start in P11 with team-mate Tonio Liuzzi in P15, but the Italian could face questions over impeding Nico Hulkenberg’s Williams.

In the battle of the second division of Formula One, the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen and Virgin Racing’s Timo Glock had a close duel for the top spot among the new teams, eventually won by the Finn again, although the margin to the established midfield teams was back up to two seconds.

Bruno Senna’s replacement driver at Hispania, Japanese racer Sakon Yamamoto will start last in the British Grand Prix, but the gap to his team-mate Karun Chandhok was a respectable 0.4 seconds. It will be fascinating if Yamamoto can keep up the pace with 52 laps around the fast, flowing Silverstone circuit come race day.

Qualifying times from Silverstone:
1.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault       1:29.615
2.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault       1:29.758
3.  Alonso         Ferrari                1:30.426
4.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes       1:30.556
5.  Rosberg        Mercedes               1:30.625
6.  Kubica         Renault                1:31.040
7.  Massa          Ferrari                1:31.172
8.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth      1:31.175
9.  de la Rosa     Sauber-Ferrari         1:31.274
10. Schumacher     Mercedes               1:31.430
11. Sutil          Force India-Mercedes   1:31.399
12. Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari         1:31.421
13. Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth      1:31.635
14. Button         McLaren-Mercedes       1:31.699
15. Petrov         Renault                1:31.796
16. Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1:32.012
17. Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1:32.430
18. Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth         1:34.405
19. Glock          Virgin-Cosworth        1:34.775
20. Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes   1:31.708*
21. Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth         1:34.864
22. di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth        1:35.212
23. Chandhok       HRT-Cosworth           1:36.576
24. Yamamoto       HRT-Cosworth           1:36.968

*Docked five places due to impending Nico Hulkenberg during Q2

8 thoughts to “Vettel leads Red Bull front row at Silverstone”

  1. The top three drivers view on the qualifying session at Silverstone. Stories taken from Autosport.com.

    Sebastian Vettel said securing pole position for the British Grand Prix was not as easy as it looked after Red Bull continued to dominate the weekend.

    The Milton Keynes team had been on top in every practice session at Silverstone, and Vettel secured the team’s ninth pole in ten races after beating team-mate Mark Webber.

    The German admitted he was not surprised by the impressive pace of his car, but claimed it was not such an easy day for him.

    “I’m not surprised as that was the target,” said Vettel. “It was obviously not easy. Q1 was easy, Q2 was a bit too slow. So for third qualifying we didn’t touch the car.

    “I had a bit too much oversteer in the second part, I tried to help it with the things you can change onboard, tried to be a bit more conservative and of course you have to push. I tried to be smooth – and it worked very well.”

    He added: “I had two good laps, around here is incredible – the corners we have here, if we compare it to other tracks, the combinations, the first sector, Copse, Maggotts, Becketts… our car works quite well so you can enjoy even more.

    “All in all a fantastic day, a very good qualifying session with a good end. I’m happy to be on pole and I think that is the key for tomorrow’s race.”

    Vettel, winner of the previous race in Valencia, praised his car’s performance after yet another pole position for Red Bull.

    “It is just quick everywhere! We were very competitive in Valencia and also here. Our car likes corners where you need downforce so that will always help us. Compared to last year we have made a step forward all around.”

    Mark Webber was left frustrated in British Grand Prix qualifying after Sebastian Vettel received the only remaining example of the new front wing Red Bull has brought for Silverstone.

    Only two of the wings are available this weekend, and one was broken when Vettel’s became detached at the end of final practice.

    But the team decided – based on championship positions and final practice pace – that Vettel should take the remaining new wing for qualifying, while Webber stuck with the older specification.

    When asked for his opinion on the wing situation, a clearly unhappy Webber replied: “I think the team is happy with the result today.”

    He added that he would far rather be starting third on the grid than second.

    “I would rather be third on the grid probably, we know second on the grid at most sides is s***,” said Webber. “If Fernando [Alonso] wants to change we will see if we can.”

    Vettel denied that the team had shown favouritism towards him in the allocation of the wing – and said the difference between the two specs was not that big.

    “I think in the end if you look back to the qualifying session it was extremely tight,” he said. “In Q1 we were pretty much the same, in Q2 I was struggling and in Q3 I was ahead.

    “I don’t think it is a black and white answer on the wing.”

    Fernando Alonso is aiming to capitalise on his strong starting position in tomorrow’s British Grand Prix to put the disappointment of the two previous races behind him.

    The Ferrari driver will start from third position after finishing behind the two Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

    After having endured disappointing races in Canada and Valencia despite having a strong car, Alonso is eyeing a strong result tomorrow.

    “I think we did improve the car in Valencia. Canada was good as well so we continue to develop the car to perform better and better. We feel more comfortable now and are performing better now.

    “We had strong races in Canada and Valencia but didn’t score the points we wanted, but here we are again strong, we are competitive, and hopefully we can score some good points for the team tomorrow.

    “We need to capitalise on potential and score points we didn’t score in the last two races.”

    Alonso admitted it will be hard to fight Red Bull for victory at Silverstone and is aiming to emerge on top of the chasing pack.

    “I think it has been a good weekend for us so far. We are competitive as we were in Canada and we were in Valencia,” the Spaniard added.

    “Those two tracks were not that suited for the Red Bull cars so we had an opportunity there to fight with them, and here with these high-speed corners we knew the Red Bull was the strongest, the favourites and we thought to have a tight battle, with Renault, McLaren and Mercedes.

    “If you see the qualifying times it is quite tight, the McLarens are close to us, and Renault and Rosberg as well.”

  2. As for Lewis Hamilton, the McLaren driver was elated by his final qualifying run to take fourth place on the grid. Autosport.com has the details:

    Lewis Hamilton says his final qualifying lap on Saturday was his best ever after securing a place on the second row of the grid for the British Grand Prix.

    Hamilton and his McLaren team have been forced to remove their upgrade package from their car following yesterday’s practice, and the team has struggled to match the pace of its main rivals.

    The McLaren driver, however, put on a strong performance in Q3 and will start the race from fourth position, ten places ahead of team-mate Jenson Button.

    A delighted Hamilton said it had been his best ever lap, and insisted the upgrade package just needs time before it works perfectly.

    “Fourth is… I’m so happy with it, you can’t believe it,” said Hamilton. “I’m so proud of my team because we pushed so hard all year, but in the last couple of days they pushed longer and harder than ever to get this update package, which is an improvement, but we just were unable to work it.

    “And unfortunately we had to take it off last night. We knew we were a long way off. The Red Bull is a second and a bit ahead and have three teams with the blown diffuser who were ahead of us, and it was really about getting the best last possible.

    “I have to say for me this is the best lap I’ve ever had. And I think it’s down to all the fans we have here. The support you have around this track is like nowhere else. British fans are the best by far.”

    And the Briton is adamant that a good result is still possible despite all of McLaren’s problems during the weekend.

    “I don’t know how was I able to get so high up but I’m so, so happy,” he added. “I think it’s a great position for us.

    “The race is not over. These guys are clearly faster than us but we can still get a great result tomorrow.”

  3. For the reigning world champion Jenson Button, the Briton suspect his MP4-25 has a problem. Read the Autosport.com below for the full story:

    Jenson Button is convinced that his McLaren developed a problem before Silverstone qualifying, having been baffled to find himself only 14th on the grid.

    McLaren had not been on Red Bull’s pace this weekend as its eagerly-awaited exhaust-blown diffuser did not pay off in practice and was removed late last night, but Button said he still expected much better than a seventh row spot.

    “This morning the car felt really good,” Button insisted. “I personally think there is something wrong – the car was undriveable this afternoon as soon as I jumped in it.

    “I took so much front end out of it, five or six turns, which is 1.5 per cent, which is just wrong. We had this problem on Friday where we kept having to take front wing off to get the balance.”

    He said the problem was definitely something more than just the car’s balance changing with the overnight change of specification.

    “It hasn’t got the blown diffuser, but this weekend it’s been tricky for us – but that wasn’t normal,” Button said.

    “This morning the car felt reasonably good, we have a new front wing which is working really well, but something felt very wrong then. I was getting on with the car this morning even if we didn’t have much experience with the new setting.”

    Button added that postponing the full introduction of the new exhaust system was definitely the right move in his opinion – despite today’s result.

    “For now, there is a lot of work that needs doing on the upgrades to improve them,” he said. “It would not have been right to run them here, so it was the right decision.”

  4. Rubens Barrichello says his Williams team’s updates need more work in order for the British squad to move up the field.

    But the Brazilian was still pleased with his performance after securing eighth position ahead of tomorrow’s British Grand Prix, where he is now aiming for a top-six finish.

    “Top eight in qualifying is a good effort by the team,” said Barrichello after qualifying. “We still have to improve but today’s result is satisfying and probably the best we could hope for. I hope we can get into the top six tomorrow.

    “The cars are all very close, and there aren’t too many overtaking opportunities around the lap, so it’s going to be a good battle.

    “The upgrades are all working well, but they need more development if we are to move higher up the field.”

    Team-mate Nico Hulkenberg was disappointed with his day after finishing down in 13th position, the German blaming Force India’s Tonio Liuzzi for slowing him down.

    “Traffic really destroyed qualifying for me today,” he said. “As I was going into the first corner on a quick lap in Q2, Liuzzi exited the pitlane under blue flags but didn’t move out of my way.

    “That ruined my lap from the outset as I couldn’t get past him. I also struggled with the car today. I don’t know why and I’ll be looking into that with my engineers now.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  5. Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa qualified his best-ever grid position with ninth, the first time the Spaniard has made it into Q3. Autosport.com has the details.

    Pedro de la Rosa was delighted with his performance in qualifying for the British Grand Prix after making it into Q3 for the first time this year.

    “I’m happy, I’m very happy because it’s a genuine result,” Sauber driver de la Rosa told Spanish television after securing ninth position.

    “It wasn’t down to a gamble or luck. Since this morning’s practice session we’ve been there in the top ten and that’s the important thing.

    “The car has nothing to do with what it was yesterday. Yesterday we experimented a lot and today we used everything we found yesterday.

    “And then being inspired counts too, on a track where you brake little, which is when our car goes well, when you don’t touch the brake.”

    The Spaniard admitted he was on the limit during his final run in Q3, where he managed to outqualify seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

    “I guess everybody takes the same risks. On Turn 1 I was flat out and I thought ‘If I make it, fine, and if I don’t you’ll have to go find me in the barriers’.

    “But it worked out and I’m very happy. In fact the time I got was thanks to the first sector, which is our strongest.”

  6. As for the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, the Mercedes GP driver was not happy with his qualifying performance and will start the British Grand Prix in tenth. Read the full story below as taken from Autosport.com.

    Michael Schumacher was disappointed to have failed to achieve a better result in qualifying ahead of the British Grand Prix.

    “Clearly I am disappointed after today’s qualifying as I couldn’t get my lap together in Q3,” said Schumacher after qualifying in 10th position, fives places behind Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

    “After the second session which was pretty good, I wasn’t able to maximise my performance and I am obviously unhappy about my grid position.

    “I made a small mistake on my first quick lap so I slowed down to give the tyres the possibility to work again for the second fast lap. But there wasn’t much more to come and so I pushed harder and therefore made some mistakes.

    “Now I will have to work hard for the race tomorrow which will be difficult from where I am starting as overtaking here is not really possible. I have to do a good start and see how far I can get. I will certainly try to make the most out of it,” added the German.

    Rosberg, on the other hand, was delighted with his effort, the German hopeful of a strong race on Sunday.

    “I’m really pleased with fifth place today and it shows good progress after being so far back in Valencia at the last race,” he said. “This is a positive step and important for us to know that we really understood what the problems were and how efficiently we have been able to turn the situation around.

    “Everyone at the factory has worked really hard and this gives us a great chance for the race tomorrow at one of our home circuits.

    “My lap was good today and it’s nice to be fighting back up there towards the front again. I’m looking forward to the race and if I get a good start, then we have every reason to expect a strong result.”

  7. F1 UPDATE: Force India’s Tonio Liuzzi will lose five places on the grid for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix after being penalised following qualifying.

    The Italian was found to have blocked Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg and will drop from 15th to 20th position on the grid.

    “As I was going into the first corner on a quick lap in Q2, Liuzzi exited the pitlane under blue flags but didn’t move out of my way,” said Hulkenberg after qualifying.

    “That ruined my lap from the outset as I couldn’t get past him.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  8. Christian Horner has defended the suggestion that the team is favouring Sebastian Vettel over Mark Webber by fitting a new front wing design to the young German’s RB6. Autosport.com has the details with an in-depth Q&A can be read here:
    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85174

    Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner insists that Mark Webber was not ‘stitched up’ by his team in qualifying for the British Grand Prix, after the outfit was plunged in to a fresh favouritism controversy.

    Just three races after Red Bull’s handling of the Turkish Grand Prix collision between Webber and Sebastian Vettel prompted suggestions that the outfit was deliberately favouring its German driver, the outfit has again had the spotlight thrown on to it.

    This time, it is because the team opted to take a new front wing design off Webber’s car before qualifying and hand it to Vettel because his own had broken in the final free practice session.

    After Vettel took pole position, Webber was left visibly annoyed in the post-session press conference – and cheekily suggested that at least the team would be ‘happy’ with the result today.

    Horner moved quickly, however, to defend the decision – saying that he felt the outfit had a duty to hand the wing to the driver who was leading the championship. He also suggested that there was no lap time difference between the two designs.

    When asked whether the team’s move meant Vettel was now officially the favoured driver, Horner said: “I don’t think so. I think that you could see today that the performance today between the guys was very, very close and very, very tight.

    “Unfortunately we found ourselves in a situation with only one front wing of a certain specification which was slightly different in characteristics. Both drivers tried it yesterday and one had a better preference for it over the other. And it was tried by both again this morning.

    “Unfortunately sometimes I have to make a difficult decision – and with only one wing available and the facts to hand that we had, and based on championship position – which was the criteria that we used – that wing went to Sebastian today.”

    Horner said that if the team was adopting a policy to favour one driver over the other then it would not even have let Webber have the wing in the first place.

    “We don’t plan to have a scenario like this,” he said. “If we were favouring one driver we would give that driver a spare wing as well. We would not run with having two available to one driver.

    “We will continue to support both drivers in the best and absolute fairest way that we can. But on some occasions you have to make a difficult decision, and today was one of those instances.”

    Horner denied that the front wing decision had left the team open to fresh accusations of favouritisms – coming so close after Turkey.

    “I don’t think so,” he said. “Our job is to do the best job we can as a team. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions. It is the first time we have been in a situation where we have only had one component, and I am sure that happens up and down the pit lane.

    “Obviously when you have two drivers running at the front, there is perhaps a bit more emotion attached to it. But if you take away the emotion and you look at the facts, it was an entirely logical thing to do.”

    When asked if he had some sympathy for Webber who may felt he had been stitched up, Horner said: “I don’t think he was stitched up at all. It is a difficult situation where we haven’t got two components. If I’d have given it to Mark you’ve the same situation in reverse.”

    He added: “Mark knows the way we operate as a team. He knows that with that decision there was no malice behind it. There was no manipulation. It was purely that we found ourselves with a single component and, from a team point of view, some days I have to make difficult decisions.”

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