Mark Webber Fastest In Shortened Final Practice Session At Canada
Mark Webber has ended a shortened third and final practice session fastest overall for Red Bull, in drying conditions around Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Australian ace produced the time in the dying seconds of the session, and was followed by Adrian Sutil in 2nd and Lewis Hamilton in 3rd.
Once again the teams and drivers were greeted with damp weather conditions around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the start of the third and final practice session, which was frustratingly delayed for 30 minutes due to repairs being carried out on the barriers at Turn 11. This was due to a heavy incident earlier in the day during the Ferrari Challenge support event, and required a lengthy delay as repairs were carried out.
Eventually it was confirmed that the session would begin at 10:30 local time, and would last only for 30 minutes. This led to a hectic final practice session, as the entire field instantly took to the track on both the intermediate and full wet tyres in a bid to finalize their preparations for the weekend ahead. The Caterham duo were the first to take to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with Giedo van der Garde in particular setting the initial benchmark with a 01:30.873. The times naturally tumbled drastically as the session progressed, with Esteban Gutierrez and then Sergio Perez rising to the top with the latter producing a 01:27.984.
Adrian Sutil then rose to the top for Force India, before former Canadian Grand Prix winner Jenson Button continued to lower the benchmark with an impressive 01:26.340. Esteban Gutierrez, Nico Hulkenberg and then Valtteri Bottas rose to the top, with the latter producing a 01:25.126 before team-mate Pastor Maldonado disposed of his rookie team-mate. However, Valtteri Bottas immediately bounced back with a 01:24.314.
Although the track conditions continued to improve, many drivers were unwilling to switch to Pirelli’s P Zero range of tyres as wet patches continued to linger around the circuit. Giedo van der Garde ran extensively wide at Turns 3 and 4, skipping across the grass and narrowly avoiding the tyre barriers. Nico Hulkenberg then rose to the top for Sauber, with the Hinwil-based outfit continuing to search for improvements after a disappointing day yesterday.
Felipe Massa and then Esteban Gutierrez rose to the top, before the entire field switched to Pirelli’s P Zero dry tyres for the final few minutes of the final practice session. Sergio Perez was the first man to do so on the medium tyres, however he soon switch to the super-soft compound as did the entire field. Felipe Massa produced the first fastest dry lap of the session for Ferrari with a 01:22.482, before Kimi Raikkonen, Pastor Maldonado and then Jenson Button continued to lower the benchmark on slick rubber with the latter producing a 01:20.520.
As the checkered flag emerged, the times continued to tumble drastically with Paul di Resta, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Adrian Sutil and then Mark Webber all rising to the top. However, it was the Australian sensation who eventually ended the session fastest overall for Red Bull, after producing a 01:17.895 in the dying seconds of the session. Although the session ended in drying conditions, uncertainty still surrounds the weather forecast for the all-important qualifying hour later in the afternoon.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m17.895s 7 2. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m18.248s + 0.353s 8 3. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m18.732s + 0.837s 7 4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m18.977s + 1.082s 10 5. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m19.131s + 1.236s 6 6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m19.457s + 1.562s 7 7. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m19.496s + 1.601s 6 8. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m19.750s + 1.855s 9 9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m19.790s + 1.895s 9 10. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m20.316s + 2.421s 8 11. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m20.596s + 2.701s 9 12. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m21.035s + 3.140s 12 13. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m21.364s + 3.469s 7 14. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m21.652s + 3.757s 9 15. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m22.021s + 4.126s 14 16. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m22.720s + 4.825s 15 17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m23.058s + 5.163s 7 18. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m23.132s + 5.237s 14 19. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m23.309s + 5.414s 8 20. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m23.620s + 5.725s 12 21. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m24.317s + 6.422s 12 22. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m26.195s + 8.300s 9
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Nico Rosberg Shines In Damp Conditions At Monaco To Secure Pole
Nico Rosberg has continued to shine for Mercedes after securing his third consecutive pole position for the German marque, after a damp qualifying hour around Monaco’s Monte-Carlo street circuit. The German will start the race alongside team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with the Red Bull duo starting on the second row.
After three practice sessions run in glorious sunshine around the Monte-Carlo street circuit, many were surprised when the all-important qualifying hour began in wet weather conditions. This forced the entire field to rush out onto the street circuit sporting the intermediate tyre, in treacherous and unknown weather conditions. The Caterham duo led out the entire field, as Jules Bianchi’s session was brought to an immediate and premature conclusion when a mechanical issue struck his Marussia.
The Caterham duo of Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde naturally set the initial pace at the top, however the benchmark unsurprisingly plummeted as many drivers all improved in the tricky weather conditions. Lewis Hamilton and then Jenson Button rose to the top, before Mark Webber, Paul di Resta, Fernando Alonso and Jean-Eric Vergne both continued to lower the benchmark. Lewis Hamilton then returned to the top for Mercedes with a 01:32.920, before reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:31.431.
As the conditions began to gradually improve, so did the times as Monaco expert Pastor Maldonado rose to the top for Williams with a 01:30.126. Lewis Hamilton, Paul di Resta and then Mark Webber both momentarily returned to the top, before Sebastian Vettel continued to keep Red Bull at the top with 01:25.352. As the opening segment of qualifying drew to a close, Nico Rosberg and then Lewis Hamilton traded fastest times at the top, before Jenson Button rose McLaren to the front.
After his incident at the end of the final practice session earlier in the day, Romain Grosjean only just managed to take to the track as the session drew to a close. With only a handful of laps for the Frenchman to set a time, he stormed around the Monte-Carlo street circuit to produce a mesmerizing 01:23.738 to go fastest.
In the final minutes, Pastor Maldonado returned to the top for Williams with a 01:23.452, as the Caterham of Giedo van der Garde managed to progress through to Q2 for the first time in his career. As Q1 drew to a close, Paul Di Resta, Charles Pic, Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton, Jules Bianchi and Felipe Massa were eventually eliminated with the latter unable to partake in the session after his earlier incident in practice.
The rain continued to lightly fall over the Monte-Carlo street circuit as Q2 got underway, with Jean-Eric Vergne and Nico Rosberg becoming the first two drivers to take to the track. Once again the benchmark was instantly lowered as the first timed laps were completed, with Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel and then Mark Webber rising to the top. With the track conditions still perilous in the damp conditions, Jenson Button, Sergio Perez, Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean all momentarily rose to the top in a frenetic session.
Kimi Raikkonen and then Jenson Button set the pace once again at the front, before Nico Rosberg produced a 01:22.119. With the conditions continuing to improve, Giedo van der Garde became the first driver to opt for he super-soft tyres, which then led to the entire field joining the Dutchman on slick tyres. This naturally saw the times continue to plummet, as the first dry lap times of the session were completed. Mark Webber instantly rose to the top for Red Bull, before Sebastian Vettel silenced the opposition with a 01:15.988.
After a frenetic end to the second segment of qualifying, Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean, Valtteri Bottas, Giedo van der Garde and Pastor Maldonado were all eliminated from proceedings. This left a mouth-watering spectacle for the top ten shootout, with the usual suspects joined by the likes of Jean-Eric Vergne who managed to rise to the top ten shootout for the first time in his career.
In drying weather conditions, Kimi Raikkonen became the first driver to take to the track on the super-soft tyre compound. The Finn naturally set the first timed lap of the segment, however Lewis Hamilton and then Mark Webber quickly disposed of the Finn with the latter setting a 01:15.134. The trend of the times tumbling continued as the session progressed, with no-one certain as to who would eventually secure the pivotal pole position. Sebastian Vettel set a superb time late in the session with a 01:14.333, however the Mercedes duo simply obliterated the remainder of the field with Nico Rosberg leading Lewis Hamilton after producing a 01:13.876.
The Mercedes ace has now secured pole position for the third consecutive race weekend, and will be striving to convert such a positive result into a race victory tomorrow. The Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will line-up on row two behind the Silver Arrows, in what will surely be a fascinating 78-lap race. Last year the Silver Arrows would have started from pole with Michael Schumacher, however a penalty from the previous race denied such a luxury. The German marque will be out to redeem themselves this weekend, with a 1-2 finish in their sights.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m13.876s 2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m13.967s + 0.091s 3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m13.980s + 0.104s 4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m14.181s + 0.305s 5. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m14.822s + 0.946s 6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m14.824s + 0.948s 7. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.138s + 1.262s 8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m15.383s + 1.507s 9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.647s + 1.771s 10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m15.703s + 1.827s Q2 cut-off time: 1m17.748s Gap ** 11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m18.331s + 2.343s 12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m18.344s + 2.356s 13. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m18.603s + 2.615s 14. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m19.077s + 3.089s 15. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m19.408s + 3.420s 16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m21.688s + 5.700s Q1 cut-off time: 1m26.095s Gap * 17. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m26.322s + 2.870s 18. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m26.633s + 3.181s 19. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.917s + 3.465s 20. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.303s + 3.851s 21. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 22. Felipe Massa Ferrari 107% time: 1m29.293s
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McLaren’s Fastest During Opening Session Of 2012
After months of anticipation, the 2012 season finally got underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit as FP1 started in damp conditions. It was a slow start as the teams tentatively took to the track on Pirelli’s new Cinturato wet tyres, with Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg even opting for full wets at the beginning.
Heavy rain fell overnight at the Albert Park circuit, and continued intermittently throughout the morning presenting the drivers’ with a damp track as the first track event of 2012 got underway. First out on the intermediate tyres was French rookie Jean-Eric Vergne, who was quickly joined by his team-mate at Toro Rosso Daniel Ricciardo.
Nico Rosberg pushed his Mercedes to the limit early, running wide at turn 11. At one of the fastest parts of the track, this could’ve been a much worse mistake for the German and was lucky to escape unscathed as the Mercedes trundled over the grass.
As the majority of the field completed their installation laps, local driver Daniel Ricciardo set the first timed lap of the weekend with a 01:47.448, and was quickly joined at the top by team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne. The two happily swapped fastest laps before the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso spoiled their fun.
The misery continued for Spanish outfit HRT, as Narain Karthikeyan’s car ground to a halt on track. It was later discovered the car was suffering from an oil pressure sensor failure, which will create further problems for HRT who are undeniably struggling to get their cars working for 2012.
Lotus were also suffering from issues, as returning World Champion Kimi Raikkonen once again suffered with steering issues, limiting the Iceman’s running throughout the session.
As the track began to dry, Nico Rosberg went fastest with 01:37.147, which was quickly beaten by the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi who set a 01:36.906. With the track obviously ready for dry tyres, Sauber’s Sergio Perez was the first driver to brave the track on dry Pirelli’s. His team-mate, Kobayashi, quickly copied him and posted a time five seconds faster with a 01:31.751.
Mark Webber then became the first driver from the sharp end of the grid to set a true fastest lap, as the Australian driver set a 01:30.520. The luxury of being fastest didn’t last long for Webber, as Kobayashi returned to the top once again, becoming the first driver to set a time within the 01:29s with a 01:29.722.
Several drivers’ spun during FP1, with rookie Jean-Eric Vergne running wide at turn 15 and running down the escape road. However, the most surprising action from the first practice session was from Felipe Massa, who embedded his Ferrari in gravel after spinning at turn 9. The Brazilian dipped a wheel on the grass, and lost control of the car. This prompted several shakes of the head from the Ferrari pit.
As the session came to a close, Mercedes power took over as Michael Schumacher went fastest before 2009 World Champion Jenson Button topped the timing sheets with a 01:27.560. Button’s team-mate at McLaren, Lewis Hamilton then slotted into 2nd place, creating a McLaren 1-2 as the opening session of the 2012 season came to a close.
FP1 Classification:
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m27.560s 11 2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m27.805s + 0.245 14 3. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m28.235s + 0.675 17 4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m28.360s + 0.800 21 5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m28.467s + 0.907 21 6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m28.683s + 1.123 22 7. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m28.908s + 1.348 23 8. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m29.415s + 1.855 16 9. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m29.565s + 2.005 8 10. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m29.722s + 2.162 26 11. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m29.790s + 2.230 21 12. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m29.865s + 2.305 17 13. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m29.881s + 2.321 18 14. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m29.953s + 2.393 21 15. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m30.124s + 2.564 22 16. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m30.515s + 2.955 16 17. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m30.586s + 3.026 16 18. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m30.743s + 3.183 11 19. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m31.178s + 3.618 17 20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m31.983s + 4.423 8 21. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m34.730s + 7.170 8 22. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m40.256s + 12.696 11 23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth no time 3 24. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth no time 0
Picture Copyright © Pirelli
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