29/10/2011
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's all-important qualifying session, the air temperature is 30 degrees C, while the track temperature is 38 degrees.
It was business as usual this morning with Sebastian Vettel leading the way from Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. However, Paul di Resta was the best of the rest, heading the Mercedes', Toro Rossos, Renaults and Saubers.
Massa was quickest yesterday, the Brazilian running a controversial front wing that vibrates violently and scrapes the ground. Although the FIA has given it clearance - no pun intended - the Ferraris set their best times this morning with a different wing.
Unusually, the prime tyre this weekend is the softer rubber with the harder compound being designated the option. It's thought there is as much as 2s between the two and as a result we could see a very strange session this afternoon with a number of drivers opting not to run in Q3 in order that they can start tomorrow's race with the option (hard) tyre and subsequently dump them as soon as possible.
However - and there's always an however in F1 - with such a difference, even the leading teams may need to dip into their stash of softs as early as Q1 leaving them short for the race. In others words, strategically, we could be in for an intriguing session.
Then again there's the circuit itself with a green and very dusty surface that continues to catch out the best of the drivers and some substantial unforgiving run off just the other side of the equally harsh kerbs.
While both titles are decided there is still plenty to fight for in terms of the Drivers' Championship and also the Constructors' Championship, the latter, of course, deciding who gets what prize money.
Having secured pole in Korea, Lewis Hamilton has no hope of repeating the feat today, the Englishman, like Sergio Perez, having incurred a three-place grid penalty for ignoring waved yellow flags at the end of yesterday's opening session. At HRT, Ricciardo has been given a five-place penalty after changing the gearbox on his car.
The lights go green and Kovalainen leads Petrov, Trulli and d'Ambrosio.
As Kovalainen posts 1:32.814, more and more drivers pour on to the track, all of them on the harder rubber.
No sooner has Petrov posted 30.347 than his teammate ups the ante with a 29.952. Sutil splits the Renaults with a 30.202. All but the Saubers on track.
Petrov goes quickest with a 29.035 but moments later he is leapfrogged by Alonso who crosses the line at 27.836. Massa goes second with a 28.281 and Hamilton third on 28.594.
Vettel's first lap sees the German go third (28.493), while Buemi goes fifth ahead of Petrov and Alguersuari.
Alonso retakes the top spot with a 27.478, the Spaniard having been quickest in the first two sectors.
Webber goes straight into second place, the Australian stopping the clock at 28.161 as Barrichello goes off kicking up a great cloud of dust.
Button posts 27.978 to go second but Vettel and Hamilton are both on hot laps. Webber goes quickest (27.410) but in the moments that follow Hamilton and then Vettel go quicker (26.948).
With 10:14 on the clock, the Saubers have yet to make an appearance.
Massa goes quickest in S2, subsequently crossing the line at 27.012 to go third. Elsewhere, Schumacher makes a mess of the final corner.
Button goes quickest in S1, watched by Glock who is out of his car, sidelined by gearbox failure, and watching the action on TV.
A 26.774 sees Alonso go quickest, however, Hamilton beats it with a 26.563 only to be beaten by Vettel's 26.218.
As the Saubers finally leave the pits, on softs, they, along with Lotus, Virgin and HRT remain in the danger zone. The Williams duo is hovering just above.
Button, now down in seventh, complains that he has no grip. Elsewhere, Webber makes it a Red Bull 1-2 when he posts a 26.473.
Another pitlane exit incident as Alguersuari gets in the way of Senna, we had a number of such 'moments' yesterday.
Maldonado (softs) improves to tenth, dropping Button to twelfth. Buemi goes fourth with a 26.608 as Schumacher drops to seventeenth. Teammate Rosberg is currently ninth.
Dropping down the timesheets Button goes out again, and he's on softs. To add to his woes he's stuck in traffic.
Alguersuari goes third with a 26.557, as Rosberg goes quickest in S1, Schumacher dropping to eighteenth.
Rosberg goes third with a 26.364 as Button and Schumacher make a desperate late charge. The German posts a PB in S1 as does Button. However, the Mercedes driver loses a heap of time behind Karthikeyan between Turns 11 and 12. Somehow he makes up the time and crosses the line at 26.790 to go eleventh. Moments later, Button posts 26.225 to go third.
Petrov is quickest, ahead of Vettel, Button, Sutil, Rosberg, Webber, Alguersuari, Hamilton, Buemi and Senna.
We lose Kobayashi, Kovalainen, Trulli, Ricciardo, Karthikeyan, d'Ambrosio and Glock.
The Renaults are first out for Q2, joined by Alguersuari.
As Senna begins his flying lap, more drivers head down the pitlane, a number of them, including Button, using a brand new set of softs.
Senna posts 28.141 but Alguersuari subsequently posts a 26.668, Petrov can only manage 35.712. All but Perez and the Force Indias are on track.
No sooner has Buemi posted a new benchmark (26.408) then Vettel smashes it with a 24.657. Webber goes second with a 25.282.
Rosberg goes quickest in S1, as Hamilton goes third and Alonso fourth. The Mercedes driver can only manage a 26.078 however, which is only good enough fifth.
Button goes quickest in S1, crossing the line at 25.299 to go third, around 0.3s off Vettel's pace. Massa goes fourth, ahead of Rosberg, Hamilton, Alonso and Schumacher.
As Hamilton goes quickest in S1, Massa really clouts the kerbs in the chicane. Hamilton subsequently going second with a 25.019.
With 5:40 on the clock, Sutil finally leaves the pits, like his teammate and Perez he has yet to post a time. These three, along with Petrov, Barrichello, Maldonado and Senna make up the danger zone.
While the leading seven appear to have settled for their times, Schumacher clearly doesn't feel so secure and heads down the pitlane. Moments later Alguersuari demotes him to ninth.
Di Resta can only manage twelfth and his Force India teammate thirteenth. Indeed, only Perez looks likely to improve. That said, he doesn't, the Mexican remaining seventeenth.
Buemi (tenth) posts a PB in S2, as Sutil and di Resta also look as though they might improve. The German posts 26.140 to go eighth, thereby dropping Schumacher to eleventh. However, the Mercedes driver is still on track.
Petrov looks to have made it as he improves to tenth, however, a late charge from Alguersuari drops the Russian out of the game.
Vettel is quickest, ahead of Hamilton, Alonso, Webber, Button, Massa, Rosberg, Sutil, Buemi and Alguersuari.
We lose Petrov, Schumacher, di Resta, Maldonado, Senna, Barrichello and Perez.
Hamilton is first out for Q3, followed by the Ferrari duo. All three are on softs, Hamilton and Alonso new softs.
Hamilton posts 26.430 but Massa posts 25.122 and Alonso 24.586. Moments later, Webber goes fourth with a 31.166.
The softs are good for two laps, aptly demonstrated when Hamilton goes quickest in S1.
Vettel goes quickest with a 24.437 but Hamilton improves to second with a 24.474.
Button leaves the pits on his only remaining set of new softs as Webber improves with a 24.508. The top four covered by around 0.15s
Contrary to speculation it appears that all ten drivers will posts times. That said, Sutil and Buemi, having been out, return to the pits without posting a time.
Button can only manage seventh (30.175) as Rosberg posts 26.027 to go sixth. Alguersuari also returns to the pits without having posted a time.
A dreadful S1 (50.5) mean that Button is unlikely to improve on seventh.
With the clock on 0:00 the leading seven are on track, Vettel posts a PB is S1 and follows it up by going quickest in S2. Elsewhere, Massa goes off into the barriers at Turn 9 after breaking the front suspension on the kerbing at Turn 8, thereby bringing out the yellow flags. However, Vettel has already crossed the line at 24.178 putting pole totally out of reach.
Hamilton qualifies second - but will start fifth following his grid penalty - ahead of Webber, Alonso, Button, Massa, Rosberg, Sutil, Buemi and Alguersuari.
It remains to be seen whether any drivers will fall foul of the yellow flag rule, a number of them on hot laps as Massa crashed out. While Hamilton appears to have complied, there's a question mark over his McLaren teammate.
An interesting session on a track which continues to catch out those drivers who fail to show it due respect.
While nobody looks likely to bother Vettel tomorrow it should be a decent race, particularly the first lap, while tyre strategy is also sure to mix things up.
Check out our India qualifying gallery, here.