07/06/2014
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's qualifying session the air temperature is 25 degrees C, while the track temperature is 47 degrees. It remains bright and sunny and warmer than at any previous point this weekend.
Following his crash this morning, Esteban Gutierrez will sit out this afternoon's session as such was the damage to the front of the car - not the rear as one might suspect - the team is changing his chassis and will rebuild it overnight.
Williams Felipe Massa was the fly in the Mercedes ointment this morning, the Brazilian splitting the pair with a lap that confirmed the Grove outfit's strong pace here.
Surprisingly, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were two of several drivers who failed to improve on their prime tyre time once they made the switch to the options.
Consequently, much will depend on whether Mercedes can get its option tyres working this afternoon, if not the German team could be under serious pressure from Williams and possibly even Ferrari.
Certainly, in FP2 yesterday, the Williams duo looked very strong on their longer runs, as did the Ferrari pair, and whilst we don't quite see the Mercedes steamroller being derailed here we could see both teams take some serious points on to Austria.
Whilst Sebastian Vettel had issues, teammate Daniel Ricciardo was able to post the fifth fastest time, though the combination of fast straights and slow corners do not best suit the Red Bull.
Despite ongoing reliability issues, both Toro Rossos were strong this morning whilst, thus far, the Force Indias have failed to live up to expectations. McLaren and Lotus are also struggling.
The lights go green but it is almost three minutes before a car (Ericsson) heads down the pitlane. He is followed by the Williams duo, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Perez and Maldonado.
Overtaking Ericsson on the out lap, Bottas begins the first hot lap of the afternoon.
The Finn gets proceedings underway with an 18.270. We should see that pared down by a further three seconds or more within the hour.
Massa leapfrogs his teammate with a 17.728 as Perez goes third ahead of Grosjean and Hulkenberg.
As expected, on his second hot lap Bottas is going quicker, retaking the top spot with a 17.696.
An early riser, Rosberg goes quickest in the first two sectors, crossing the line at 16.690 to go quickest as Magnussen momentarily goes second before being beated by Bottas.
Button voices his unease as smoke emanating from his left-front brake.
A 16.438 sees Hamilton go quickest as Button goes sixth ahead of Alonso.
With 9:15 on the clock the Red Bull duo leave the pits as Vergne improves to fifth with a 17.552.
Sutil is one of several drivers to have already switched to the option rubber, as Raikkonen has a worrying moment in the final chicane. Elsewhere, Rosberg is told that his team cannot hear his radio messages.
Probably just as well as Hamilton bangs in a 15.750 to go quickest by 0.721s.
Grosjean loosens a few of his fillings as he rides the kerbs, the slo-mo camera picking up every judder that ripples through the Lotus and its driver.
Ricciardo goes sixth and teammate Vettel seventh, the Australian far from happy with his car claiming that he is fighting it for direction change and the tyres are taking an age to warm up..
With 4:25 remaining Maldonado and Kvyat are in the drop zone.
Perez spins at T8, the Mexican currently fifteenth. Elsewhere, a brief excursion for Vettel at T1.
Raikkonen (options) goes fifth (17.013) only to be demoted when Magnussen posts 16.446 to split the Mercedes duo.
Currently 12th, Vettel is told that he won't be running again. He subsequently drops to 13th.
Game over for Maldonado who parks in the escape road at T3. Button posts 16.631 to go fourth.
Out comes the red flag as Ericsson loses it in T8 and slams the wall with the rear end of his Caterham. Replay shows the Swede losing it on the kerb.
Hamilton is quickest, ahead of Magnussen, Rosberg, Button, Massa, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Kvyat, Alonso and Raikkonen.
We lose Maldonado, Chilton, Bianchi, Kobayashi, Ericsson and, of course, Gutierrez.
An interested observer in the pits is Gene Haas who confirmed this week that his team's entry to F1 has been delayed until 2016. He is accompanied by his technical director Gunther Steiner.
Q2 gets underway and Sutil is first out followed by Hulkenberg and Bottas.
Sutil posts 18.006 but this is almost instantly beaten by Hulkenberg, Bottas and then Massa who crosses the line at 15.773. All runners are on options, though the McLaren duo has yet to make an appearance.
Despite being quickest in S1, Alonso can only manage third overall (16.131) with teammate Raikkonen going fourth (16.313) despite appearing to brush the wall at T4.
A 16.186 sees Ricciardo go fourth only to be demoted when Rosberg goes second with a 15.832. Hamilton, like his teammate on the options, can only manage third (15.882) emphasising the fact that the Mercedes does not like the softer rubber here.
As Button goes seventh (16.214), Magnussen goes quickest in S1. The Dane stops the clock at 16.310 to take a disappointing ninth.
With 5:21 on the clock Vettel is still in the drop zone along with Grosjean, Vergne, Kvyat, Perez and Sutil.
Perez improves his time but remains twelfth, whilst Sutil remains sixteenth.
Raikkonen improves from tenth to eighth, as Vettel goes quickest overall in S1. Posting a PB in S2 the world champion finally crosses the line at 16.109 to go fifth.
Hamilton, Rosberg and Ricciardo are all on hot laps. The German posts 15.289 to go quickest but he is almost immediately leapfrogged by his teammate who posts 15.054.
The Briton is quickest, ahead of Rosberg, Massa, Bottas, Ricciardo, Vettel, Alonso, Button, Raikkonen and Vergne.
We lose Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Perez, Grosjean, Kvyat and Sutil.
With an eye on the fact that they will have to start the race on the tyres they qualify with, and mindful of their struggle with the options, one has to wonder what strategy Mercedes might opt for in this final phase.
The lights go green but it is some time before an engine fires up and even longer before a car (Bottas) heads down the pitlane.
As the Finn completes his out lap he is joined by Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso. Soon all but Raikkonen are on track.
Bottas posts the benchmark, stopping the clock at 15.550.
Rosberg posts 14.946 while Hamilton can only manage 15.014, Alonso goes third, ahead of Massa and Ricciardo.
A 16.044 sees Vettel go fifth but the Red Bull driver is soon demoted by his teammate who posts 15.636.
It looks like Raikkonen is only going to go for one run, the Finn yet to leave his garage.
As the nine drivers that have posted times return to the pits ahead of the final assault, Raikkonen takes to an empty track.
As Raikkonen begins his flying lap he is joined by his nine rivals. It's a poor lap from the Finn who posts 16.214 to go eighth.
Vettel goes quickest in S2 and Hamilton in S1. Rosberg is quickest in S2 as Vettel goes third overall (15.548), a lock-up for Hamilton in T8. Rosberg ups the ante with a 14.8474 while Hamilton can only manage 14.953, thereby giving the German his second successive pole.
Rosberg takes pole ahead of teammate Hamilton, with Vettel third ahead of Bottas, Massa, Ricciardo, Alonso, Vergne, Button and Raikkonen.
Hulkenberg is eleventh, ahead of Magnussen, Perez, Grosjean, Kvyat, Sutil, Maldonado, Chilton, Bianchi, Kobayashi, Ericsson and Gutierrez.
Whatever the whys and wherefores of Monaco, there is absolutely no disputing today's result, as Rosberg takes pole fair and square.
And as if the Mercedes rivals wasn't enough, we have Vettel starting from third ahead of a highly impressive Williams duo, not forgetting Ricciardo and Alonso.
Check out our Saturday gallery, here.
Chris Balfe