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
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Paul di Resta Spun After Struggling With Tyres At Austin
Paul di Resta endured a frustrating 56-lap United States Grand Prix, after the Briton suffered with the tyres after the team waited too long before pitting him for his first pit stop. As di Resta pushed to keep track position, he was forced into a spin at Turn 19, which practically ruined his race and forced him to pit for a second time.
After starting the race from 13th on the grid, Paul di Resta initially enjoyed a very competitive start to the race, rising through the melee in the midfield to 6th by Lap 20 before making his first scheduled pit stop. However, upon finally pitting, the Scot dropped back down to 12th position with the Williams duo of Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado in close proximity behind him.
However, as Paul di Resta strove to keep his rivals behind him, the 26-year-old was forced into making a mistake and spinning at Turn 19. This saw him plummet through the order back down to 16th position, practically ruining his race. Due to the spin, di Resta flat-spotted his tyres was forced to make one final pit stop before the end of the race. Despite a torrid end to the race, he was able to redeem himself slightly and overtake Michael Schumacher for 15th position.
“I made a good start and for the first few laps we were in quite a strong position and moving forward with good lap times.” Explained Paul di Resta, “Maybe we waited too long before pitting because I became vulnerable to Senna after my stop and was struggling on cold tyres with tyre warm-up. I couldn’t keep Senna behind me and then I had the same situation with Maldonado. I was fighting a lot of oversteer in the car and made an error in turn 19, lost the rear, and spun. I was just trying a bit too hard to keep the cars behind me. That gave me some flat spots on my tyres so I had to pit for a second time.”
Unlike Paul di Resta, team-mate Nico Hulkenberg was able to finish within the points with 8th after a relatively competitive United States Grand Prix after starting 6th alongside fellow countryman Michael Schumacher. Paul di Resta will be hoping for better luck next time out at the Brazilian Grand Prix, as this fine season comes to an end.
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Sebastian Vettel Leads The Way After Opening Practice At Austin
Sebastian Vettel has ended the opening practice session fastest ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, after the drivers took to the brand-new Circuit of the Americas for the first time ever. The McLaren of Lewis Hamilton was 2nd, with Championship contender Fernando Alonso a distant 3rd.
After much anticipation, the first official session around the new Circuit of the Americas began in glorious sunshine and chilly weather conditions. There was only one driver change for the opening practice session of the weekend, as HRT’s development driver Ma Qing Hua replaced Narain Karthikeyan alongside Pedro de la Rosa for the opening 90 minutes.
Kimi Raikkonen was the first driver to take to the Circuit of the Americas, in doing so making history. The Finn was immediately followed out by many other drivers, including Marussia’s Timo Glock and Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi, all of whom made minor mistakes almost immediately due to the tricky track conditions. With the Circuit of the Americas having never been raced upon, the track was incredibly dusty and ‘green’, providing the drivers with a tricky opening practice session.
Slight concerns were raised in the early stages of the session, when smoke was seen ominously emanating from the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher after the German had completed his installation lap. However, the issue was quickly addressed by the team, and Schumacher was instantly back in the car, ready to go.
The early pace in the session was set by the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi, with a rather slow 01:54.846. However, the Japanese driver was quickly able to improve upon his time, with a 01:48.517. Mark Webber instantly challenged Kobayashi’s dominance, and the duo became locked in a battle for supremacy at the top of the timing sheets. Eventually it was Mark Webber who emerged as the fastest driver on the circuit, setting several blistering lap times which eventually saw the Red Bull driver set a 01:43.672 as the track conditions gradually improved.
Lewis Hamilton then surged to the top of the timing sheets with an impressive 01:42.603, before Championship contender Fernando Alonso asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:42.538 for Ferrari. Nico Hulkenberg made several minor errors as he pushed to the limits around the new track, as the German driver spun at both Turn 1 and Turn 13. Lewis Hamilton momentarily rose to the top, before Fernando Alonso returned to the top with a 01:40.603.
However, Lewis Hamilton was quick to once again storm to the top of the timings sheets, as Heikki Kovalainen spun at Turn 9. The McLaren of Hamilton continued to improve at the top of the timings sheets, as Mark Webber became the latest driver to spin as he made a minor mistake at Turn 8. Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to dip beneath the 01:40s as the session entered its closing stages, with a 01:39.543 being his personal best.
Despite Lewis Hamilton’s dominance throughout the latter half of the session, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel eventually rose to the top with a sensational 01:38.692. This time raised many eyebrow within the paddock, however the German was not finished yet, as he set a stunning 01:38.125 as the checkered flag emerged signaling the end of the opening session.
The teams and drivers will return to the Circuit of the Americas later in the day for the second practice session, as they continue to gain valuable track knowledge. Both Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel already look comfortable around the new circuit, as they continue squabbling for the Championship.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m38.125 30 2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m39.543s + 1.418s 28 3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m40.337s + 2.212s 29 4. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.528s + 2.403s 29 5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m40.650s + 2.525s 30 6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m40.966s + 2.841s 26 7. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m41.023s + 2.898s 29 8. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.036s + 2.911s 28 9. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m41.159s + 3.034s 32 10. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.473s + 3.348s 29 11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m41.783s + 3.658s 29 12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.825s + 3.700s 28 13. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.833s + 3.708s 29 14. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m41.880s + 3.755s 23 15. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m41.998s + 3.873s 27 16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m42.539s + 4.414s 30 17. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m42.588s + 4.463s 25 18. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m43.288s + 5.163s 23 19. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m43.443s + 5.318s 28 20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m43.522s + 5.397s 23 21. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m44.464s + 6.339s 24 22. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m44.548s + 6.423s 29 23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m46.917s + 8.792s 13 24. Ma Qing Hua HRT-Cosworth 1m48.559s + 10.434s 19
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No Issues Caused Kovalainen’s Q1 Spin
Heikki Kovalainen has confirmed that there were no issues on his Caterham which caused his unfortunate spin towards the end of Q1, which saw the Leafield-based outfit eventually qualify 19th and 20th on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Kovalainen remains confident of a competitive race, despite his minor spin.
Throughout the opening 20 minute segment of qualifying, Heikki Kovalainen enjoyed a decent balance on his Renault-powered Caterham CT01 in comparison to Korea last time out. However, as Q1 drew to a conclusion, an abundance of cars on the track hindered the Finn’s ability to set a quick time, which eventually saw him spin off the track at turn 11 and embed his car in the gravel trap.
“It’s been a pretty good weekend so far.” Explained a positive Heikki Kovalainen, “The balance has been better than we had in Korea and on my first run in qualifying the car felt ok. There was more to come but I had a bit of traffic that held me up and then on my second run I caught up with a bunch of cars going into turn 10 and lost a bit of grip, enough to put me off. I wasn’t going in too hard and there weren’t any issues with the car, I just lost the front end and even with the spin I didn’t lose any positions so I think we can still have a good race tomorrow.”
Heikki Kovalainen will line-up 20th for tomorrow’s Indian Grand Prix, after being out-qualified once again by Russian team-mate Vitaly Petrov. The Caterham duo were able to qualify ahead of Championship rivals Marussia, however the Anglo-Russian outfit are still ahead of the Leafield-based team in the Constructors’ Championship.
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Broken Brake Disc Hampered Narain Karthikeyan In Qualifying
Narain Karthikeyan’s qualifying session was brought to a premature end halfway through Q1, after the HRT driver suffered a broken brake disc and spun out heading into turn three. The Indian driver was lucky not to collect one of the Force India’s during his spin, which saw him eventually limp back to the pits unable to set a timed lap.
Although the marshals have decided to let Karthikeyan race in tomorrow’s Korean Grand Prix, after being unable to set a time within the 107% rule, the Indian driver was still lamenting a tough day at the office at the Korea International Circuit. The team immediately set to fixing the issue, with the hope that it will not return during the race and throw Karthikeyan into yet another perilous spin during the race.
“We were in quite a good position after the third free practice session as I’d adapted very well to the circuit and the car was performing great.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, who was unable to set a timed lap. “But once again I was unlucky this season and we had a mechanical issue on the first lap of qualifying. Now we must analyze the problem to fix it and avoid it from springing up again. Tomorrow we will try to recover those positive vibes.”
HRT’s miserable qualifying session failed to improve after Karthikeyan’s high-speed spin, with Pedro de la Rosa only able to qualify 23rd +4.673 seconds off the pace to the leaders in the opening qualifying segment. With Charles Pic incurring a ten-place grid penalty, the HRT duo will instead start tomorrow’s race from 22nd and 23rd, albeit with a large speed disadvantage to their nearest rivals.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
Lewis Hamilton Condemns Sergio Perez’s “Crazy” Driving At Suzuka
Lewis Hamilton has condemned Sergio Perez’s attacking driving style which was evident during the early stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, in which the future McLaren driver lunged up the inside of the Briton heading into the tight hairpin at turn 11. Perez tried a similar move around the outside later in the race, but spun out in the process.
After finishing the Japanese Grand Prix a distant 5th, the Briton proceeded to raise question marks over Sergio Perez’s driving style. As Hamilton defended his position, trying his best to avoid contact with the Championship at stake, Sergio Perez proceeded to lunge up the inside on the McLaren driver. This move was reminiscent of Kamui Kobayashi the previous year, who wowed his adoring home fans with a series of stunning overtakes into the hairpin.
Sergio Perez’s second overtake on Hamilton ended with the Mexican in the gravel.
Once the first round of pitstops had been made, Sergio Perez once again found himself behind the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. After carrying way too much speed into the hairpin, Perez was forced to the outside of the track as Hamilton defended against the Mexican’s onslaught. This overtake prematurely ended Perez’s race, as the Sauber driver spun into the retaining gravel trap. Lewis Hamilton later dubbed these maneuvers as “crazy”, in a race weekend which saw the 2008 World Champion struggle with his setup.
“I thought that he was going to do a crazy maneuver, which he did,” explained Lewis Hamilton, in an interview with Reuters. “Then [later] when he was behind me I saw it coming again so I moved a little to the inside, thinking that he was going to go up the inside so he couldn’t get by, and he just flew down the outside of me. So very interesting…”
Sergio Perez later admitted that his spin was entirely his fault, after the Mexican avoided contact with Lewis Hamilton and embedded his car within the gravel. The Briton later explained that he decided against fighting for the position with Sergio Perez as he was thinking about the Championship fight with the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, the latter eventually winning the race in dominant style. Lewis Hamilton is now 42 points behind Championship leader Alonso, as the F1 circus moves swiftly on to Korea.
Picture(s) Copyright © McLaren F1 Team & Getty Images
Sergio Perez Takes Full Responsibility For Spinning Out At Suzuka
Sergio Perez has taken full responsibility for his spin out of the Japanese Grand Prix, after the Mexican driver tried to overtake the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. After making a slight error through turn 10, Perez was carrying too much speed into turn 11 which saw the Mexican driver spin out of the race.
After completing a fantastic overtaking maneuver on Lewis Hamilton through the same corner earlier in the race, Sergio Perez tried to repeat a similar move on lap 19 after the first round of pitstops. However, Lewis Hamilton was better prepared the second time around, and defended his position well against the Sauber driver. This left Perez with little room on the outside of the corner, and saw him loose control of his car and spin out in embarrassing style.
“I feel very sorry for the team.” Explained a disappointed Sergio Perez after his spin. “It worked well when I got passed Lewis Hamilton for the first time on lap six, but then it didn’t when I tried it again. Lewis went quite late to the inside and I had only room on the outside. But it certainly was my mistake. The race didn’t start too well for me either when Romain Grosjean caused a mess and I lost positions.”
Sergio Perez will be hoping for better luck next weekend at Korea, as he strives to end his career with Sauber on a high note before replacing Lewis Hamilton at McLaren for 2013. The Mexican driver has finished on the podium three times this season, and is aiming for instant Championship glory next season with McLaren.
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Pedro de la Rosa Thrilled With “Perfect” Qualifying At Suzuka
Pedro de la Rosa enjoyed set another competitive qualifying session at Suzuka, as the Spaniard out-qualified his team-mate as well as the Marussia of Charles Pic and the Caterham of Vitaly Petrov. The team has visibly improved throughout recent races, and have remained positive throughout the year.
Although HRT have remained towards the back of the pack throughout the majority of the season, the Spanish-outfit have continued to improve at each race of the season. Lately, HRT have improved greatly throughout the various race weekends, and have begun to reel in the likes of Marussia during qualifying and the race. This has been evident this weekend, as de la Rosa has comfortably beaten both a Marussia and a Caterham in qualifying around Suzuka.
“Today I went out to give it my all and I’m happy with how it went.” Explained an upbeat Pedro de la Rosa after qualifying, “In qualifying I did two good laps; the second one was even better, almost perfect, and tomorrow we will start ahead of Caterham and Marussia which is already a success. More so at a circuit like this one. We’ve got to be more than happy with what we’ve done. Tomorrow in the race we will go for everything. The important thing is to have a good pace, look after the tyres and finish strong.”
However, with Pedro de la Rosa thrilled with qualifying 21st for tomorrow’s race, team-mate Narain Karthikeyan endured yet another frustrating qualifying session. The Indian driver spun during final practice, damaging the new-spec floor and being forced to return to the old design for qualifying. This saw Karthikeyan at a disadvantage in comparison to de la Rosa, as he qualified 24th and last,
HRT have remained positive despite a tough season for the Madrid-based outfit, and are once again confident of a competitive race tomorrow as they strive to battle with the likes of Caterham and Marussia. With Michael Schumacher set to incur a ten-place grid penalty, Pedro de la Rosa will start tomorrow’s race from 20th on the grid.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
Sebastian Vettel Takes Pole As Red Bull Lock-Out Front Row At Suzuka
Sebastian Vettel has taken his 34th career pole at Suzuka, after a dominant qualifying session for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix. The reigning World Champion will be joined by Mark Webber on the front row of the grid, after Red Bull dominated qualifying. Jenson Button qualified 3rd, but will incur a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change.
The Force India of Paul di Resta was the first driver to take to the track as the all-important qualifying session got underway, with many drivers immediately leaving the pits to take to the track. The Scot set the initial pace with a 01:33.661, before the Lotus duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean momentarily shared the top spot. As Sergio Perez skipped through the gravel at turn seven, the Ferrari of Felipe Massa stormed to the top with a 01:32.946.
However, the Ferrari driver’s reign at the top was short-lived, as the reigning World Champion of Sebastian Vettel flew to the top with a brilliant 01:32.608. As the opening session of qualifying progressed, many drivers further down the order opted for the softer Pirelli tyre compound. Kimi Raikkonen returned to the top, before the likes of Sergio Perez, Kamui Kobayashi and Romain Grosjean each shared the top spot. Michael Schumacher was lucky to progress to Q2, after initially struggling to set a competitive lap time within the 107% rule. Bruno Senna failed to progress through to Q2, along with the usual suspects of the two Caterhams, Marussias and HRTs.
Local hero Kamui Kobayashi was the first driver to take to the track as Q2 got underway, and set the initial pace with a 01:32.368. As the majority of the drivers gradually took to the track, the ever-dominant Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel glided to the top of the timing sheets with a scintillating 01:31.501. This time remained unbeaten as the second session drew to a conclusion, as Lewis Hamilton once again struggled to assert his authority over proceedings. Both Felipe Massa, Paul di Resta, Michael Schumacher, Pastor Maldonado, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne were knocked out after Q2.
The all-important top-ten shootout began with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen taking to the track immediately, and setting the initial pace with a 01:32.208. The Finn’s reign at the top failed to last for long, however, as Sebastian Vettel silenced the opposition with an absolutely mesmerizing 01:30.839. Mark Webber slotted neatly into 2nd position behind his team-mate, locking-out the front row for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Sebastian Vettel’s time at the top went unbeaten as the top ten shootout drew to a close, as Kimi Raikkonen suffered an embarrassing end to his session by beaching his Lotus in the gravel on the exit of turn 14. However, the Finn was able to continue as local hero Kamui Kobayashi went 4th fastest behind the Red Bull duo and the McLaren of Jenson Button. Lewis Hamilton endured a frustratingly uncompetitive qualifying session, ultimately ending the session 9th overall.
With the Red Bull duo looking unstoppable out in front, one would expect either Sebastian Vettel or Mark Webber to take victor in tomorrow’s 53-lap race. However, anything can happen in Formula 1, and in this unique season nothing is straightforward. With the likes of Kamui Kobayashi and Romain Grosjean qualifying high up the order, an exciting race is expected around the Suzuka circuit.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m30.839s 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m31.090s + 0.251 3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m31.294s + 0.451 4. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m31.700s + 0.861 5. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m31.989s + 1.059 6. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m32.022s + 1.183 7. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m32.114s + 1.275 8. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m32.208s + 1.369 9. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m32.327s + 1.488 10. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes no time Q2 cut-off time: 1m32.272s Gap ** 11. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m32.293s + 0.792 12. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m32.327s + 0.826 13. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m32.469s + 0.968 14. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m32.512s + 1.011 15. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.625s + 1.124 16. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m32.954s + 1.453 17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.368s + 1.867 Q1 cut-off time: 1m33.370s Gap * 18. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m33.405s + 1.376 19. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m34.657s + 2.628 20. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m35.213s + 3.184 21. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m35.385s + 3.356 22. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m35.429s + 3.400 23. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m35.432s + 3.403 24. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m36.734s + 4.705 107% time: 1m38.471s
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Red Bull End Final Practice Fastest Overall At Suzuka
The Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have ended the final practice session ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix fastest, with the reigning World Champion setting the fastest time in the dying minutes of the final session. The Milton Keynes-based outfit were followed home in 3rd by the Ferrari of Felipe Massa.
The third and final practice session of the weekend got underway in slightly cooler conditions that the previous day, with the Finn’s of Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen the first two drivers to take to the Suzuka circuit as the session began. The majority of the drivers completed only installation laps to begin with, however the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg decided to set the first timed lap of the day with a 01:43.486.
The 27-year-old German improved on his initial time next time around, before team-mate Michael Schumacher asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:34.234. The seven-time World Champion then improved upon his time with a 01:34.008, as the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Heikki Kovalainen skipped through the gravel at turns 8 and 9. As the majority of the field returned to the circuit, Pastor Maldonado stormed to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:33.999 to displace the Mercedes of Schumacher.
The McLaren duo of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton then momentarily went fastest respectively, before the reigning World Champion of Sebastian Vettel made his mark on proceedings with a 01:33.215. The Red Bull driver has looked in good shape this weekend, and will be aiming for his fourth successive pole position at Suzuka during qualifying later in the day.
As the Mercedes and Ferrari duo opted for the soft Pirelli tyre compound, Nico Hulkenberg brought his session to a premature end as he lost the rear of his Force India through turn 9 and embedded himself into the retaining barriers. This will now add extra pressure onto his Force India mechanics, as they aim to rebuild his machine in time for qualifying later in the day.
Once the stricken Force India of Hulkenberg was cleared by the ever-efficient Japanese marshals, Michael Schumacher returned to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:32.918. The German was one of the first drivers to switch from the hard to the soft Pirelli tyre compound, and will be striving to redeem himself after his incident during practice two yesterday.
As final session drew to a close, the majority of the drivers took to the track to complete their final preparations ahead of qualifying. Both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton’s laps were impeded by slower moving cars throughout the final few corners, with the latter being forced to cut the final chicane due to the slow moving Marussia of Charles Pic. Whilst several drivers jostled for track position, Mark Webber flew to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:32.371.
In the dying seconds of the session, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel went fastest overall with a 01:32.136. The German driver was followed home by team-mate Mark Webber, with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa a distant 3rd. With all three practice sessions now over, the teams and drivers will be striving to make several last minute changes to their cars before the all-important qualifying session which will determine the grid for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m32.136 16 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m32.371s + 0.235 19 3. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m32.824s + 0.688 12 4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m32.918s + 0.782 22 5. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m32.920s + 0.784 18 6. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m32.924s + 0.788 14 7. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m33.008s + 0.872 20 8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.025s + 0.889 15 9. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m33.094s + 0.958 16 10. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m33.160s + 1.024 15 11. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m33.184s + 1.048 13 12. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m33.224s + 1.088 14 13. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.56$s + 1.433 13 14. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.722s + 1.586 17 15. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m33.899s + 1.763 22 16. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m33.984s + 1.848 18 17. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m34.023s + 1.887 18 18. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m34.369s + 2.233 11 19. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m35.568s + 3.432 18 20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m36.355s + 4.219 17 21. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m36.389s + 4.253 11 22. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m36.517s + 4.381 17 23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m36.649s + 4.513 11 24. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m36.875s + 4.739 15
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