"I wondered why Helmut Marko was running about with a hoover... "
First live qualifying session live on the BBC, and I have to say they done a great job. Granted they dwelled on the obvious team orders a lot, but that's to be expected after what the puppet (Sebastian Vettel) said yesterday.
Before I start my report just a quick note; the yellow walled tyre makes its debut this weekend and the early signs were not great. Teams reported that they fell off the cliff immediately, Sergio Perez spun off twice and Jenson Button locked up so hard he punctured the tyre, adding to McLaren's woes.
Q1 - Five minutes into the session, and not one car made its way out. It wasn't until nine minutes that Jules Bianchi decided to set the first pace, and what a lap. Not only did he beat both Caterhams and his team mate by large margins, he posted a quicker first lap than both the Toro Rosso's! This young man has pace and is certainly making the most of his second chance. One of the more annoying points today was the shout out from thug-life himself Adrian Sutil, who tried to land Kimi Raikkonen in bother AGAIN, saying the Finn was impeding him. Nothing was said about it, and my opinion of Sutil has dropped again.
Valtteri Bottas waited far too long to go out, if he doesn't give himself a chance, he'll never have a good shot at points. Esteban Gutierrez is not helping Sauber's decision to chose him over a particular crazy Asian driver. He's been nothing but a disappointment and needs to start finding his pace. I'd love the designers of Caterham to answer this question: Why oh why do you have them STUPID things below the mirrors?! They hare clearly no benefit if everybody around you are seconds ahead!!!! Get it sorted soon!
OUT - BOT, GUT, BIA, CHI, PIC, VDG
Q2 - This session provided further issues for the Red Bull team. Mark Webber had to stop his car after he had ran out of fuel on track. The worry was they wouldn't have enough to provide a sample to the FIA and the decision was in limbo for some time. Eventually news broke that the team were unable to provide the sample, therefore Mark will be starting at the back of the grid. Funny that it happened to Mark and not the puppet. I wondered why Helmut Marko was running about with a hoover...
One driver worth mentioning was a guy who I have slated as being slow compared to his team mate, but my first slice of humble pie is about to be eaten; take a bow Daniel Ricciardo! When Button was told about the remaining top 10, his reaction was exactly similar to mine: "Ricciardo, WOW!"
OUT - DIR, PER, SUT, WEB, MAL, JEV
Q3 - My second slice of humble pie goes back to the start of the season. I was a firm believer in Mercedes being an absolute flop. As of yet, I haven't said anything but I must admit I have been wrong.
Nobody left for around seven minutes, but Kimi was the first and he set a time that no one else was able to beat. Pure joy right? Nope, the moment I finally admitted defeat, Lewis Hamilton has real pace. His first pole for Mercedes, a feat achieved a year ago by his team mate. Well done Lewis and well done the team. I still reckon he'll get the win tomorrow, but a huge Finnish part of me wants Raikkonen to get him at turn 1. The three best starters tomorrow all start in P1/2 & 3. Hamilton, Raikkonen and Alonso are the three greatest drivers in the paddock today, and tomorrow will be epic considering Webber starting at the back. It only takes one safety car for him to bunch up.
FINAL STANDINGS (AUTOSPORT):
Pos Driver Team/Car 1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 2. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 6. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 7. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 9. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 10. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 12. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 13. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 14. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 15. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 16. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 17. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 18. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 19. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 20. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 21. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 22. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
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