Hamilton pips local hero Ricciardo to pole in Australia
Lewis Hamilton has managed to pip local hero Daniel Ricciardo to pole for the Australian Grand Prix, after an utterly sensational qualifying hour ran in inclement weather conditions around the Albert Park Circuit. Nico Rosberg and McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen will form the second row of the grid, after reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel was eliminated from proceedings after Q2 and will start from a lowly 13th.
With a serious threat of rain looming overhead at the start of the qualifying hour, almost the entire field immediately elected to spill out onto the track in a bid to complete a dry lap before the forecast downpour. The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were the first out once the opening segment got underway, with Sebastian Vettel electing to remain in the confines of the pits. Lewis Hamilton managed to produce the first timed lap of the segment with a 01:31.699, as Sebastian Vettel finally took to the track on Pirelli’s soft tyre compound.
Unsurprisingly the benchmark at the top tumbled tremendously during the opening minutes of Q1, with the likes of Felipe Massa, Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo all rising to the top with the latter producing a 01:30.775. Whilst one Red Bull sat at the top of the standings, the other of reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel fought incredibly hard to control his car, in doing so lightly tapping the concrete barrier on the exit of Turn 10. Although no damage was sustained, the German failed to trouble the sharp end of the order as the segment progressed. Elsewhere on the track Romain Grosjean’s woeful weekend continued, with the Frenchman running wide and into the gravel at Turn 13, whilst his new team-mate also struggled at same corner.
As the opening segment of qualifying drew to a conclusion, heavy rain began to fall over the track, preventing anyone from improving greatly. Pastor Maldonado became one of the first drivers to get caught out in the tricky conditions, as the Venezuelan driver spun at Turn 3 and miraculously managed to continue circulating. With three minutes remaining in the session the track fell silent, with the classification remaining relatively unchanged. This saw both Max Chilton, Jules Bianchi, Esteban Gutierrez, Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado eliminated from proceedings.
During the short interval between Q1 and Q2 the rain subsided somewhat, however the track remained wet enough to force the drivers to start the second segment on Pirelli’s Cinturato intermediate tyre compound, with Valtteri Bottas becoming the first driver to take to the track for Williams. The Finn, who would incur a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change, ran wide at Turns 9 and 10 in the tricky conditions. Nico Hulkenberg also ran wide at the same part of the circuit, as Bottas produced the first timed lap of the segment with a 01:47.160. As the conditions slowly began to improve, the times at the top once again took a tumble with the likes of Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo rising to the top, before Valtteri Bottas returned to the sharp-end of the order with a 01:45.689.
After completing the fastest time of the segment so far, the Williams driver then spun at Turn 1 in the still treacherous weather conditions. As the Finn managed to continued circulating, Daniel Ricciardo momentarily returned to the top for Red Bull before Fernando Alonso lowered the benchmark even further with a 01:45.034. With the conditions constantly evolving, the times continued to plummet as the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas and Fernando Alonso all rose to the top before the local hero managed to produce a 01:44.031. Nico Rosberg eventually produced a 01:42.264 to rise to the top for Mercedes, before Kimi Raikkonen threw the cat amongst the pigeons at Turn 3 as the Finn spun into the wall.
Although the 2007 World Champion only lightly tapped the retaining concrete barrier, his session was brought to a premature conclusion with yellow flags fluttering at the scene of the incident. This forced the entire field to adhere to yellow flag conditions through Turn 3, and ultimately saw the classification remain relatively unchanged during the dying seconds. This proved detrimental to reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who found himself frustratingly eliminated from proceedings in Q2 for the first time since the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix. The German was joined in elimination by Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Adrian Sutil, Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez.
As the second segment of qualifying was brought to an explosive conclusion, heavy rain once again began to fall over the circuit. This created an even wetter start to the final top ten shootout, which started with Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo becoming the first drivers to take to the Albert Park Circuit. Due to the increased rainfall, every driver apart from Fernando Alonso was on the full wet tyre, as Nico Rosberg produced the first timed lap with a 01:45.550. Lewis Hamilton soon thwarted his team-mate’s initial advantage, as Felipe Massa returned to the pits for the intermediate tyre as the rain once again subsided. The majority of the field soon followed the Brazilian into the pits to change compounds, with the track constantly evolving.
Despite electing for the intermediate tyre compound, Nico Rosberg ran wide at Turns 9 and 10, after initially producing the fastest first sector. Daniel Ricciardo rose to the top with a 01:45.314, however Lewis Hamilton soon returned to the top with an even quicker 01:44.762 to defend his reign. Although reigning GP3 Champion Daniil Kvyat had managed to progress into the top ten shootout on his debut, the Russian rookie ended his qualifying hour by lightly tapping the wall on the entry to Turns 11 and 12, with the track conditions still perilous.
As the checkered flag was unfurled the times took yet one more tumble, with Nico Rosberg initially rising to the top for Mercedes with a 01:44.595. However, local hero Daniel Ricciardo wowed his adoring fans by leaping to the top with a 01:44.548, before Lewis Hamilton fully asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:44.231 to secure the first pole position of the new season and the 32nd of his career. With inclement weather conditions a possibility for the 58-lap race on Sunday, the 2014 Australian Grand Prix could prove to be spectacular as the sport roars back into life!
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m44.231s
2. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1m44.548s +0.317s
3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m44.595s +0.364s
4. Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1m45.745s +1.514s
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m45.819s +1.588s
6. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Renault 1m45.864s +1.633s
7. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m46.030s +1.799s
8. Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso-Renault 1m47.360s +3.129s
9. Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1m48.079s +3.848s
10. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1m48.147s +3.916s
Q3 cut-off: 1m44.331s **
11. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m44.437s +2.173s
12. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m44.494s +2.230s
13. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m44.668s +2.404s
14. Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1m45.655s +3.391s
15. Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1m45.867s +3.603s
16. Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1m47.293s +5.029s
Q2 cut-off: 1m34.274s ***
17. Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 1m34.293s +4.118s
18. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1m34.794s +4.619s
19. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m35.117s +4.942s
20. Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 1m35.157s +4.982s
21. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m36.993s +6.818s
22. Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Nico Rosberg tops an intense final practice in Australia
Nico Rosberg has ended an intense third and final practice session fastest for Mercedes, ahead of Jenson Button in the McLaren and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton was 4th in the second Mercedes, whereas Sebastian Vettel ended the session a lowly 12th as preparations ahead of qualifying intensified.
With dark clouds looming ominously overhead as the session officially got underway, Jean-Eric Vergne became the first driver to take to the track for Toro Rosso and was instantly followed out by a whole host of other drivers who were all eager to continue with their preparations. This included the casualties of Marcus Ericsson and Pastor Maldonado, who both endured extremely tough days on Friday. As the majority of the field completed at least one installation lap, Kimi Raikkonen remained stuck in his garage with an electrical issue plaguing his Ferrari. With a slight shake of the head from the 2007 World Champion, it was crystal clear that all was not well within the Scuderia.
Whilst the Ferrari mechanics busied themselves on rectifying Kimi Raikkonen’s car, Jean-Eric Vergne produced the first timed lap of the session. The Frenchman’s initial benchmark was quickly thwarted by the McLaren of Kevin Magnussen, who managed to produce a 01:33.130. However, the times soon began to tumble as more drivers elected to complete a timed lap, with reigning GP3 Champion Daniil Kvyat rising to the top with a 01:33.079, which the Russian driver managed to immediately improve upon with a 01:32.605. Despite taking a minor excursion through the gravel trap at Turns 9 and 10, a mistake also carried out by team-mate Kevin Magnussen earlier, Jenson Button stormed to the top for McLaren with a 01:32.604 as the session swung into motion.
Former McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton soon rose to the top for Mercedes, before the 2008 World Champion’s team-mate fully asserted himself at the sharp end of the order with a 01:31.736. Whilst Pastor Maldonado’s weekend failed to improve after a trip through the gravel at Turn 12, Sauber confirmed that Esteban Gutierrez’s session was over after the Swiss outfit were forced to carry out a gearbox change on the car. As Lewis Hamilton returned to the top for Mercedes with a 01:30.919, Nico Rosberg was seen bizarrely holding a piece of bodywork in his hand through Turns 9 and 10. The German then threw the bodywork in question, which was apparently an elbow protector, out of the car and continued circulating.
As the third and final practice session entered it’s halfway stage, Romain Grosjean frustratingly reported back to his mechanics that his car was misfiring, as the Enstone-based team’s weekend failed to improve. Sergio Perez became the next driver to leave the track after making a minor mistake at Turn 13, whilst Kimi Raikkonen did likewise several minutes later at Turn 8. Although Red Bull had endured a somewhat topsy-turvy start to the new season, Sebastian Vettel was certainly on the ball as he amusingly corrected his race engineer over the team radio as to which torque map he required. After failing to complete a lap throughout the session, Williams confirmed that Valtteri Bottas was to incur a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change, as even the Mercedes-powered cars began to discover mechanical gremlins.
Eventually Pirelli’s softer tyre compound began to by utilised, with Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg becoming the first two drivers to switch to the softer rubber. However, it was Nico Rosberg who fully capitalised on the soft tyre compound, with the German storming to the top with a 01:29.375 whilst Romain Grosjean began to loose his temper with “nothing solved” on his car. Lewis Hamilton became the next driver to make a mistake at Turns 9 and 10, which ultimately prevented the Briton from thwarting his German team-mate at the top. As the session drew to a climactic conclusion, Pastor Maldonado parked his Lotus at Turn 15 to prematurely end his session, whereas Jenson Button once again ran wide at Turns 9 and 10.
The checkered flag was soon unfurled to signify the end of an enthralling third and final practice session, with Nico Rosberg topping the time sheets ahead of Jenson Button in the McLaren and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton could only manage 4th fastest, whereas reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel ended the session way down in 12th. The 22 drivers will return to the Albert Park Circuit later in the day for the all-important qualifying hour, which could well be plagued by inclement weather conditions.
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Lewis Hamilton bounces back to lead a Mercedes 1-2 in second practice
Lewis Hamilton has bounced back from his unfortunate technical issue in practice one to lead a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of Nico Rosberg in the second practice session, with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso 3rd. Sebastian Vettel managed to finish an impressive 4th for Red Bull, in what was another intriguing session in preparation for the Australian Grand Prix.
The second practice session for the Australian Grand Prix began in similar circumstances to the opening session, with freneticism up and down the paddock as the various drivers filed out of the pit-lane and onto the track. Adrian Sutil became the first driver to take to the track for Sauber, and was followed by former GP2 Series driver Marcus Ericsson in the Caterham. Whilst the Swede immediately returned to the pits with issues still plaguing his Renault-powered machine, Adrian Sutil elected to remain out on track to produce the first timed lap of the session with a 01:38.055.
As more drivers gradually left the confines of the pit-lane to continue with their preparations for the weekend ahead, Caterham confirmed that Kamui Kobayashi would once again not take to the Albert Park Street Circuit, with fuel pump issues still providing his Caterham mechanics with headaches. With the Leafield-based outfit enduring a tough opening day to the Australian Grand Prix weekend, the times at the top began to tumble dramatically as both Jean-Eric Vergne, Felipe Massa, Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg momentarily rose to the top for their respective teams, with the latter producing a 01:33.094.
Whilst Nico Rosberg rose to the top for Mercedes with a 01:32.013, McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen ran relatively wide at Turn 12 whereas Jean-Eric Vergne continued to struggle with brake issues on his Toro Rosso and ran extensively wide at Turn 3 and ran deep into the retaining gravel trap. Once again the Frenchman managed to keep his car running, as even reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel made an unusual error and skipped across the grass at Turns 1 and 2 after dipping a wheel onto the grass on the entry to Turn 1. As the session progressed Ferrari were the next to incur technical difficulties, when Kimi Raikkonen was unable to carry out a practice start at the pit exit. This momentarily hindered team-mate Fernando Alonso, who had to steer precariously around the Finn.
After failing to take to the track during practice one earlier in the day, Romain Grosjean was finally able to leave his garage during the second session for Lotus. However, the Frenchman struggled greatly throughout the 90 minutes, running wide on the exit of Turn 6 in his eagerness to make up for lost time. As attention throughout the paddock switched to race simulations on high fuel loads, Daniel Ricciardo became one of the first drivers to bolt on Pirelli’s soft tyre compound, which enabled the local hero to catapult himself to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:30.597. However, Nico Rosberg was quick to end Ricciardo’s reign at the top with the German producing a 01:29.782 on his first time with the softer rubber.
Despite a frustrating start to the day for 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, the Briton was finally clocking up the miles as his preparations for the weekend ahead swung into motion. However, Hamilton found himself dangerously blocked by Toro Rosso rookie Daniil Kvyat on the entry to Turn 13, as a classic case of miscommunication between the two ensued. After this minor altercation, Lewis Hamilton fully asserted his authority at the top of the timing sheets with a 01:29.625, whereas Daniil Kvyat continued to play the role of mobile chicane by blocking Valtteri Bottas in the Williams.
As the session entered its closing stages, the field continued to focus on race simulations. In the process Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez failed to allow Sebastian Vettel through without a fight, a decision which saw the Mexican driver mowing the grass on the exit of Turn 2 as the German stormed through. With the issue on his Ferrari rectified, Kimi Raikkonen soon returned to the action, only to glance the concrete barriers on the entry to Turns 11 and 12 in his quest to squeeze every ounce of pace out of his machine. Daniil Kvyat continued to struggle as the session progressed, with the rookie running wide at Turn 13 and skipping through the gravel.
With the second practice session nearing its conclusion, Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean suffered separate spins at Turns 9 and 6 respectively, with both drivers beaching their cars and prematurely ending their sessions. Nico Hulkenberg simply dipped a wheel onto the grass on the entry to Turn 6, whereas Romain Grosjean suffered from a more serious issue as his car violently turned to the left and struck the barrier before coming to a rest in the retaining gravel trap at Turn 9. Although both cars were cleared under double-waved yellow conditions, the classification remained unchanged as Lewis Hamilton ended the second session fastest overall ahead of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso 3rd. Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel ended the session an impressive 4th, showing that Red Bull are not to be forgotten despite a troubled winter testing programme.
The 22 drivers will return to the track tomorrow for practice three, as preparations step up a gear ahead of the all-important qualifying hour later in the day.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap Laps 1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m29.625s 37 2. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m29.782s +0.157s 31 3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m30.132s +0.507s 28 4. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m30.381s +0.756s 41 5. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m30.510s +0.885s 33 6. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1m30.538s +0.913s 38 7. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m30.898s +1.273s 32 8. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1m30.920s +1.295s 38 9. Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1m31.031s +1.406s 34 10. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m31.054s +1.429s 33 11. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Renault 1m31.060s +1.435s 35 12. Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1m31.119s +1.494s 31 13. Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1m31.283s +1.658s 36 14. Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1m32.355s +2.730s 36 15. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m32.468s +2.843s 26 16. Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso-Renault 1m32.495s +2.870s 36 17. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1m33.486s +3.861s 29 18. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m33.646s +4.021s 12 19. Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 1m34.757s +5.132s 29 20. Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 1 21. Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 22. Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Alonso fastest as Hamilton struggles after opening practice in Australia
Fernando Alonso has ended a frenetic opening practice session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix fastest for Ferrari, after Lewis Hamilton endured a frustrating premature end to his session when an oil pressure sensor alarm shut his engine down during the opening minutes. Alonso was followed at the top by the McLaren of Jenson Button and Williams of Valtteri Bottas.
The 2014 season got underway in a flurry of activity down in the pit-lane, with two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso taking to the track first in the Ferrari ahead of Adrian Sutil and Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen. As many other drivers followed the trio out onto the track to begin their preparations for the weekend ahead, Lewis Hamilton frustratingly ground to a halt on the exit of Turns 9 and 10 with what looked like a technical issue plaguing his machine. Although it was later confirmed that an oil pressure sensor alarm shut the engine down as a precaution, this stoppage signified a premature conclusion to the Briton’s opening practice session Down Under.
After the mechanics had retrieved the stricken Mercedes under double-waved yellow flag conditions, Daniel Ricciardo surprisingly managed to produce the first timed lap of the session with a 01:37.290 in the Red Bull. Whilst his team-mate Sebastian Vettel remained stuck in the confines of the pit-lane, local hero Ricciardo continued to lower the benchmark with a 01:34.600 as the Williams of former GP3 Champion Valtteri Bottas rose up into 2nd position. As more drivers eventually returned to the Albert Park Street Circuit, the times continued to tumble in traditional fashion, with Fernando Alonso and then Nico Rosberg rising to the top with the latter producing a 01:32.784.
As Nico Rosberg continued to improve at the top with a 01:32.604, Daniel Ricciardo ran extensively wide at Turn 12 whereas Sergio Perez performed a half-spin in his Force India at Turn 3 as the drivers slowly got to grips with their new machinery for 2014. Despite the surprising flurry of track activity during the early minutes of the practice session, both Caterham drivers had their running curtailed due to separate technical issues on their cars. Whilst Kamui Kobayashi was struck with a fuel system issue, Swedish rookie Marcus Ericsson suffered with an electrical issue on his CT05 machine.
Meanwhile Jenson Button stormed to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:32.357 in his Mercedes-powered McLaren, before reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel finally left the pit-lane in his Red Bull with only 38 minutes of the session remaining. The German only managed to complete on exploratory lap, before returning immediately to the pits. As the Red Bull mechanics carried out various checks on the RB10, reigning GP3 Champion Daniil Kvyat struggled greatly through Turns 1 and 2, with the Russian rookie skipping across the grass.
Eventually Fernando Alonso returned to the top for Ferrari with a 01:31.840, as Sebastian Vettel finally completed his first timed lap with a 01:34.593 to go 13th fastest. The German managed to improve on his second run by rising up to 8th, as the Lotus duo of Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean still remained stuck in the pits with their respective mechanics working tirelessly on the cars. Eventually Pastor Maldonado gingerly left the pit-lane, however it was soon clear that various issues were still plaguing his Renault-powered car as smoke was seen ominously emanating from the cockpit of his car. The Venezuelan driver ran extensively wide at Turn 13, before his engine completely cut-out on his return to the pits.
As the opening practice session of the weekend drew to a conclusion, Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat still struggled with the opening two corners, with the Toro Rosso driver in particular struggling with brake issues on his car. Max Chilton’s session was brought to a premature conclusion when the Briton came to a halt at the end of the pit-lane, whereas Sebastian Vettel was called into the weigh-bridge. Meanwhile the action continued out on track, with Jean-Eric Vergne seemingly also suffering from brake related issues as the Frenchman lost control of his car at Turn 3 and spun into the gravel. Miraculously Vergne managed to keep his car running, and eventually continued circulating.
Eventually the checkered flag was unfurled to signify an end to what was an incredibly frenetic opening 90 minutes of the Australian Grand Prix weekend, with Fernando Alonso fastest at Ferrari ahead of Jenson Button and Valtteri Bottas. Felipe Massa was a close 4th for Williams, with Daniel Ricciardo an impressive 5th for Red Bull. The drivers will return to the Albert Park Street Circuit later in the day, for the second practice session ahead of race on Sunday.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap Laps 1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m31.840s 20 2. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m32.357s +0.517s 23 3. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1m32.403s +0.563s 27 4. Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1m32.431s +0.591s 19 5. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1m32.599s +0.759s 26 6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.604s +0.764s 17 7. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m32.793s +0.953s 10 8. Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1m32.847s +1.007s 28 9. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m32.977s +1.137s 18 10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Renault 1m33.446s +1.606s 30 11. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m33.533s +1.693s 23 12. Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1m33.855s +2.015s 24 13. Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso-Renault 1m34.272s +2.432s 27 14. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m35.578s +3.738s 7 15. Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1m36.445s +4.605s 13 16. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1m40.859s +9.019s 6 17. Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 1m46.922s +15.082s 4 18. Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 1 19. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1 20. Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1 21. Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 2 22. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 2
Picture Copyright © Ferrari Media
Sebastian Vettel Unperturbed By Rivals Race Pace
Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel has stipulated that he is not worried by the race pace of his nearest rivals, despite both Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso leapfrogging the German during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel started the race on the front of the grid, alongside team-mate Mark Webber.
Despite Red Bull’s blisteringly quick qualifying pace, the duo struggled during the 58-lap race in comparison to the likes of Ferrari and Lotus. Both outfits’ displayed superb race pace on the Pirelli tyres, with Kimi Raikkonen in particular only requiring a two-stop strategy as he stormed to his 20th race victory of his career. Sebastian Vettel could only manage 3rd in the race, after initially struggling to overtake the Force India of Adrian Sutil after the German rose to the lead through not pitting.
However, Sebastian Vettel remains confident despite his rivals seriously competitive race pace in comparison to his own. Prior to the start of the season, many predicted that Lotus looked strong with their race pace. During the race, Kimi Raikkonen was both strong with his pace and kind to his tyres, as he stormed to victory +12.451 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso. Sebastian Vettel is taking the many positives from the opening race weekend, including the team’s stellar qualifying performance.
“No, I’m not worried.” Explained Sebastian Vettel, when asked whether he was seriously worried about his rivals pace. “I have to admit sometimes that other people are faster. I think we can be very happy today. We had a great qualifying session this morning and this afternoon unfortunately didn’t quite work the way we would have liked but it’s a long season, a long way ahead of us, so good points to start. Surely we wanted a little bit more but there’s no reason to be disappointed.”
After dominantly securing pole position for the race, many were understandably expecting Sebastian Vettel to romp into the distance and secure what would’ve been his 27th race victory. Instead, the German was thwarted by Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and even Adrian Sutil. He will be striving for revenge next weekend at the Malaysian Grand Prix, as he aims to reassert his authority over the sport.
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Kimi Raikkonen Storms To Superlative Victory At The Australian Grand Prix
Kimi Raikkonen has stormed to an impressive victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, during a 58-lap race which was dominated by the ever-changing Pirelli tyres. The Finn was followed home by the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, with reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel a distant 3rd for Red Bull.
Despite locking-out the front row of the grid during qualifying earlier in the morning, the Red Bull’s advantage was thwarted during the opening race of the season as tyre strategies dominated proceedings. At the start Sebastian Vettel stormed into the lead for Red Bull, whereas the German’s team-mate of Mark Webber visibly struggled off of the line and was robbed by the Ferrari duo and Lewis Hamilton. The local hero continued to struggle during the opening lap, whereas Felipe Massa aimed at catching race leader Sebastian Vettel at the front.
Lewis Hamilton became locked in a grueling battle for 4th with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen, with the Finn eventually muscling his way around the Briton during the frenetic opening laps. The first laps of the race were disastrous for the two local drivers, as Daniel Ricciardo fell to the back of the pack for Toro Rosso after fellow countryman Mark Webber’s terrible start. Jenson Button became the first driver to pit for new tyres on Lap 5 for McLaren, with the Briton being followed into the pits during the next few laps by many others including Mark Webber.
Sebastian Vettel leads at the front as the pack negotiates Turn 1.
Whilst many drivers decided to pit early for new tyres, Felipe Massa began to seriously catch the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel for the lead. Eventually the reigning Champion elected to pit from the lead on Lap 8, whereas the Ferrari duo elected to remain out on track with Felipe Massa in the lead. The next lap saw Felipe Massa finally decide to pit, as team-mate Fernando Alonso took the lead ahead of the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen. The duo also pitted on Lap 10, allowing Lewis Hamilton to assume the lead for Mercedes.
Pastor Maldonado struggled greatly during the opening stages of the Grand Prix, as the Venezuelan driver skipped through the gravel at Turn 1. Further down the order saw McLaren’s Sergio Perez visibly struggle for grip, as he plummeted through the pack. Kimi Raikkonen began to display his superlative pace after his opening pit stop for Lotus, whereas Lewis Hamilton remained in the lead for Mercedes despite not yet pitting. However, the 2008 World Champion elected to pit on Lap 14, thus handing the lead down to team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Once the German driver had also pitted for Mercedes, the lead was surprisingly assumed by the Force India of Formula 1 returnee Adrian Sutil. Many expected the German driver to also pit soon after taking the lead, however after starting the race on the medium tyre the German driver was able to remain out on track much longer than predicted. Sebastian Vettel was unable to catch and overtake the Force India, with Felipe Massa close behind the reigning World Champion.
Whilst Adrian Sutil continued to command the race at the front, Mark Webber pitted once again for Red Bull. The Australian driver was followed a lap later by the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, who pitted earlier than his team-mate to try and perfect the “undercut”. Adrian Sutil and Sebastian Vettel pitted together on Lap 22, with the Force India driver amazingly exiting the pit-lane ahead of his fellow compatriot. However, Fernando Alonso stormed around both of them after they exited the pit-lane, as Felipe Massa led out in front.
Felipe Massa’s chances of a strong result were scuppered when the Ferrari driver pitted on Lap 24, which saw the Brazilian driver exit behind both Alonso, Vettel and even Sutil. Pastor Maldonado’s race failed to improve, as the Williams driver spun out of the race at Turn 1 on Lap 26 and beached his car in the unforgiving gravel. Nico Rosberg followed the Venezuelan driver into retirement shortly after, with an electrical fault striking the German’s Mercedes.
As the race progressed light rain began to sprinkle down upon the Albert Park street circuit, however it failed to amount to anything like the rainfall witnessed the day before. Lewis Hamilton struggled greatly on his set of medium tyres, and was passed by the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso before he pitted for a second time. This handed the lead to Kimi Raikkonen, who elected to pit shortly after despite a promising display of pace from the Finn at the front.
Fernando Alonso assumed the lead at the front of the pack, whilst reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel pitted on Lap 38. When the Spaniard eventually pitted once again on Lap 40, Adrian Sutil once again assumed the lead of the race after a superlative display of pace from the Force India driver. Daniel Ricciardo became the next driver to retire from the race of Lap 42, after a broken exhaust on the Toro Rosso.
Just prior to Adrian Sutil’s final pit-stop of the race of the super-soft tyre compound, Kimi Raikkonen streamed around the Force India driver at Turn 14 for the lead of the race. After taking the lead, the Finn simply romped into the distance to secure his first win at the Albert Park street circuit since 2007. Adrian Sutil’s race ended miserably, after his switch to the super-soft tyre failed to work and he plummeted through the order.
Such misfortune failed to find Kimi Raikkonen, who led home a podium which included a combined six World Championships with Fernando Alonso 2nd and Sebastian Vettel 3rd. The “Iceman” will unquestionably be looking to replicate such successes next time out at the Malaysian Grand Prix next weekend, at a venue where the Finn secured his maiden Grand Prix victory in 2003.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The Australian Grand Prix Albert Park, Australia; 58 laps; 307.574km; Weather: Cloudy. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1h30:03.225 2. Alonso Ferrari + 12.451 3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 22.346 4. Massa Ferrari + 33.577 5. Hamilton Mercedes + 45.561 6. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 46.800 7. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:05.068 8. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:08.449 9. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1:21.630 10. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 1:22.759 11. Perez McLaren-Mercedes + 1:23.367 12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:23.857 13. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap 14. Bottas Williams-Renault + 1 lap 15. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap 16. Pic Caterham-Renault + 2 laps 17. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth + 2 laps 18. van der Garde Caterham-Renault + 2 laps Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:29.274 Not classified/retirements: Driver Team On lap Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 40 Rosberg Mercedes 26 Maldonado Williams-Renault 25 Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1
Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images
Sebastian Vettel Obliterates The Opposition To Secure Pole In Australia
Sebastian Vettel has fully asserted his continued dominance over proceedings in the F1 paddock, after completely obliterating the opposition to secure pole position for the Australian Grand Prix. The German driver will start the race alongside team-mate Mark Webber, with Britain’s Lewis Hamilton 3rd on the grid.
After being postponed due to the torrential rain which struck the circuit on Saturday, the remainder of the grid was finally decided once proceedings were resumed on the morning before the 58-lap race. Despite the improved weather conditions, the track was still slightly wet as the Toro Rosso duo of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo led a long queue of drivers onto the track for the start of Q2.
All of the drivers once again utilized Pirelli’s Cinturato intermediate tyre for the early stages of the session, as the Toro Rosso duo naturally set the early benchmark at the front. However, the Faenza-based outfit’s reign was almost instantly thwarted by the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg who set a 01:40.423 early on. Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel then asserted his authority over proceedings, with the German working his way down to a 01:37.640.
However, Nico Rosberg continued to produce superlative lap times at the front, as he battled for supremacy alongside fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel. Whilst Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel fought at the sharp end of the order, McLaren surprisingly sent both of their drivers out onto the track on the super-soft tyres, despite the track still being extremely wet in places. Jenson Button almost instantly switched back to the intermediate tyres, whereas Sergio Perez struggled and was eventually knocked out once the session ended.
As Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel continued to jostle at the top of the timing sheets, the session came to a busy conclusion as Nico Hulkenberg, Adrian Sutil, Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were eliminated from proceedings. Nico Rosberg ended the segment fastest overall, with the track conditions continuing to improve. Despite some predicting further rain for the remainder of qualifying, it failed to materialized as the top ten shootout began.
Nico Rosberg was the first to take to the track, with the German blatantly eager to continue improving in the still slightly inclement conditions. Although the German driver was able to set the first timed lap, Lewis Hamilton instantly bettered his team-mates time with a 01:33.623. Sebastian Vettel was then quick to dispose of the Mercedes duo with a 01:32.604, before Jenson Button became the first driver to opt for the super-soft tyres. This saw the 2009 World Champion set the pace at the top of the timing sheets with a 01:32.485.
As the final minutes of qualifying ticked away the entire order streamed into the pits to switch to the super-soft tyre compound, eager to replicate the speed shown by the McLaren of Jenson Button. Lewis Hamilton once again rose to the top on the super-soft tyre compound, before Sebastian Vettel utterly obliterated the opposition with a blistering 01:27.407. This time unsurprisingly remained unchallenged as the session drew to a conclusion, as Mark Webber slotted into 2nd position to make it an all Red Bull front row.
Felipe Massa impressively out-qualified team-mate Fernando Alonso for Ferrari, as Lewis Hamilton qualified a decent 3rd for his first race as a Mercedes driver. With showers forecast for the remainder of the day, the race could once again be affected by inclement weather conditions. Either way, Red Bull seem to be in full control of proceedings at the front, as Sebastian Vettel aims to secure his 27th victory in the sport.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m27.407s 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m27.827s + 0.420s 3. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m28.087s + 0.680s 4. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m28.490s + 1.083s 5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m28.493s + 1.086s 6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m28.523s + 1.116s 7. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m28.738s + 1.331s 8. Romain Grosjean Lotus Renault 1m29.013s + 1.606s 9. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m29.305s + 1.898s 10. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m30.357s + 2.950s Q2 cut-off time: 1m37.641s Gap ** 11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m38.067s + 1.873s 12. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m38.134s + 1.940s 13. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m38.778s + 2.584s 14. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m39.042s + 2.848s 15. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m39.900s + 3.706s 16. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m40.290s + 4.096s 17. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m37.593s + 2.024s Q1 cut-off time: 1m47.330s Gap * 17. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m47.614s + 4.234s 18. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m47.776s + 4.396s 19. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m48.147s + 4.767s 20. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m48.909s + 5.529s 21. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m49.519s + 6.139s 22. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m50.626s + 7.246s 107% time: 1m50.636s
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Is F1’s Start Time Too Late In The Far East?
Once again a Formula 1 track event has been postponed due to an occurrence which used to bring excitement and unpredictability to the sport… rain. Now, the prospect of heavy rain at a Grand Prix results in an arduous wait for the bulk of the rain to pass before proceedings to begin…and then you discover you have run out of daylight!
This has become a common occurrence in the world of Formula 1, with races such as Malaysia, Korea, Japan and now even Australia being struck by postponements. Years ago races used to usually always have an early-to-mid afternoon start time, which used to always account for any unfortunate delays due to bad weather or a large incident. However, recently Formula 1 event start times in the Far East have been moved to later in the day, resulting in very little time remaining in the day should a lengthy delay ensue. This therefore forces the event in question to be postponed, as the fading light at the circuit prevents any further track action.
This unfortunate eventuality has reared its ugly head this weekend at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with both Q1 and Q2 delayed before proceedings were eventually postponed after Q1. At European and North American venues, delays are usually the worse things get as the events’ start times are roughly in the early afternoon. However, for the Asian and Australian events, any delays are a major blow as the events’ usually get underway in the late afternoon. Why? To allegedly benefit the European TV audiences, who are sat thousands of miles away in a warm sitting room, whereas fans at the circuit who have paid decent prices are forced to sit in the gloomy conditions and wait for a session which is likely to be postponed.
This never used to be the case in Formula 1, with the start times for the varying sessions of a weekend normally starting early-to-mid afternoon. However, recent years has seen the Asian and Australian Grands Prix start times manipulated beyond belief to benefit the European time zone, just so fans can wake up at a reasonable hour to watch the race. If Formula 1 is a true “World Championship”, then surely the events’ start times should benefit those local fans and not any other time zone.
The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix featured monsoon-like rain, and forced the race to be stopped.
Let’s take the Malaysian Grand Prix for example, a race held in a climate which usually always features evening thunderstorms. Anybody who has visited these Asian nations will know that monsoon-styled rainfall and thunderstorms are a common occurrence in the late-afternoon/early-evening, exactly the same time the Malaysian Grand Prix is held. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that numerous races around the Sepang International Circuit have been plagued by unbelievably ferocious rainstorms. In 2009, the race lasted only 31 of the scheduled 56 laps before the unrelenting rain struck the circuit.
The same amount of rainfall plagued proceedings last season at Sepang, however despite a minor delay in which the teams were forced to erect gazebos to keep their cars dry on the grid, the race eventually ran its course. Last season the race start time was 4pm local time, practically prime time for a late-afternoon thunderstorm to effect proceedings. However, if the race had started at the normal start time of around 1-2pm, the heavy rain could’ve been avoided and therefore a dry and un-delayed event would have ensued.
For many Formula 1 is the best sport in existence, with hardcore European fans more than happy to wake up whenever required to watch the event live. Less enthusiastic fans could surely utilize their various TV gadgets to record the event, allowing the fans at the event to enjoy their race at a time which suits them and which should avoid “bad light stopped play”, a term used mainly in cricket.
Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images & Williams F1 Team
Qualifying Postponed As Torrential Rain Strikes The Albert Park Street Circuit
Qualifying for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix has been postponed until 11am Sunday morning due to torrential rainfall, which frustratingly prevented the qualifying hour to be completed in it’s entirety. Q1 was held in treacherous weather conditions, with Q2 and Q3 set to be completed prior to the 58-lap race.
The start of the opening segment of qualifying was delayed for 30 minutes due to the heavy rain which struck the circuit, as the many marshals around the circuit set to brushing away the standing water. Eventually Lewis Hamilton led out the entire field as Q1 finally got underway, with the whole field understandably electing to run the full wet weather tyre. As the drivers got to grips with the treacherous weather conditions, mayhem ensued out on track as drivers naturally made various errors.
Dutch rookie Giedo van der Garde was the the first driver to make a serious error, as the Caterham driver ran too wide through Turn 5 and lost his front nose. Luckily he was able to continue circulating out on track, and return to the pits for a new nose cone. Nico Rosberg managed to set the initial benchmark for Mercedes, with a 01:48.028 as team-mate Lewis Hamilton almost ruined his session by spinning and lightly tapping the tyre barrier.
Luckily the 2008 World Champion was able to engage the reverse gear and continue on the track, despite minor damage to his rear-wing. Nico Rosberg continued to improve on his pace at the front, as the Ferrari of Felipe Massa slammed into the wall on the exit of Turn 12. Amazingly the Brazilian driver only lost his front wing, and was able to continue without sustaining any serious damage. Local hero Mark Webber also made a mistake through Turns 11 and 12, running wide and across the grass.
Further up the order saw Jean-Eric Vergne and then reigning Champion Sebastian Vettel rise to the top, with the latter setting a 01:46.188. New McLaren driver Sergio Perez suffered a minor spin at Turn 11, as he struggled to get to grips with both the track conditions and his Mercedes-powered machine. Pastor Maldonado also ran wide at Turns 11 and 12, as he pushed to the limit to rise himself out of the bottom six.
Eventually a drier line began to emerge on the circuit, prompting many drivers to switch from the full wet to the intermediate tyres. Jenson Button and Paul di Resta were two of the first drivers to do so, with the former flying to the top for McLaren with a 01:45.192. Fernando Alonso then asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:43.850, before Nico Rosberg went fastest for Mercedes. The session was brought to an explosive conclusion as both Charles Pic and Esteban Gutierrez spun off at Turns 10 and 12 respectively. This saw Pastor Maldonado, Esteban Gutierrez, Jules Bianchi, Max Chilton, Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic eliminated from the session.
Proceedings were once again delayed as Esteban Gutierrez’s stricken Sauber was retrieved by the ever-efficient Melbourne marshals, however further heavy rainfall saw yet more delays issued by the race stewards. Eventually the final two segments of qualifying were postponed until 11am the following morning, with the rain only increasing in ferocity around the circuit and the daylight fading fast in the gloomy conditions.
This will present the teams and drivers with an incredibly busy race day, with the race then scheduled to get underway at 5pm local time only hours after the grid has been decided. Nico Rosberg ended the wet Q1 fastest overall, but many will be predicting Red Bull to reign should Sunday’s qualifying session be held in dry weather conditions. However, anything can happen in Formula 1, as today’s qualifying session showed.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m43.380s
2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m43.850s + 0.470s
3. Romain Grosjean Lotus Renault 1m44.284s + 0.904s
4. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m44.300s + 0.920s
5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m44.472s + 1.092s
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m44.635s + 1.255s
7. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m44.657s + 1.277s
8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m44.688s + 1.308s
9. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m44.871s + 1.491s
10. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m45.456s + 2.076s
11. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m45.545s + 2.165s
12. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m45.601s + 2.221s
13. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m45.930s + 2.550s
14. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m46.450s + 3.070s
15. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m47.328s + 3.948s
16. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m47.330s + 3.950s
17. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m47.614s + 4.234s
18. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m47.776s + 4.396s
19. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m48.147s + 4.767s
20. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m48.909s + 5.529s
21. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m49.519s + 6.139s
22. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m50.626s + 7.246s
107% time: 1m45.301s
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Jenson Button Would Be Surprised To Qualify Within The Top Ten
Jenson Button has explained how he would be both surprised and happy to qualify within the top ten for the Australian Grand Prix, after the 2009 World Champion suffered a lackluster opening day to the weekend. The Briton ended both sessions 9th and 11th respectively, with new team-mate Sergio Perez doing no better.
After a tough winter period for the Woking-based outfit, which has seen the team loose several high quality members of the team including Lewis Hamilton and Paddy Lowe, many predicted that McLaren may well struggle during the early stages of the new season. However, whilst Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes impressed greatly during the opening session, the McLaren duo of Jenson Button and Sergio Perez struggled in the midfield.
With many perplexed as to the cause of McLaren’s lack of pace, Martin Whitmarsh confirmed that the outfit should be worried about their pace. The new MP4-28 is apparently lacking in grip, therefore causing many worried faces within the McLaren camp. The team ended 2012 with a stunning victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix, however such successes seem an long way away after their showing in the opening two practice sessions.
“I think we should be worried about the pace,” explained Martin Whitmarsh to Sky Sports F1. “It is a tough day in the office for everyone at the moment, we are lacking grip and there is a lot of head scratching at the moment, but certainly we are lacking pace. I think we are still learning and there is a lot we still need to learn about this car. But we have struggled frankly to quite understand how it is performing – understanding the tyres and the car. As of today we are still undoubtedly struggling and that is something we need to gather good information on and work through it this weekend.”
Jenson Button feels that progressing through to the top ten shootout on Saturday could prove rather difficult for the Woking-based outfit, and has therefore disclosed that he will be both surprised and happy should he managed to do so. However, with the tyres looking more consistent that during testing, the Briton is expecting a two-pit stop strategy during the race, instead of the feared four-stops predicted during testing.
“There is still quite a lot of work to do for us. It felt a bit like last year, just a lot slower.” Said Jenson Button, after the first two sessions. “It seems that from the balance point of view we have the same problem as we had last year. Generally I would be both surprised and happy if we were in the top ten in qualifying tomorrow. For sure it is not the place from which we would want to start a season, but all is not lost yet. The positive thing that we are taking out of the two practice sessions is that the tyres are a lot more consistent than we thought they would be. So I assume that it will not be a four-pit stop race, but rather a two-stop race.”
Last season saw McLaren and Jenson Button storm to victory during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, however it looks very much like the new season will not start in the same fashion this weekend for the Woking-based outfit. The team is visibly struggling to understand their car, and the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Lotus look much more confident and quicker around the circuit. As was predicted by the team prior to the weekend, McLaren will likely be satisfied with a points finish during the race.
Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team
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