Spanish Grand Prix 2013: Qualifying

This is going to be a strange post to write. I’ll end up watching sessions 1 and 2 live, but a Grange Moor Band job will mean that I have to miss Q1 live and watch that on replay afterwards. After 4 rounds, it’s probably time to look at the qualifying battle so far in terms of inter-team rivalries:

Qualifying head-to-head

Vettel 4 – 0 Webber
Alonso 2 – 2 Massa
Button 4 – 0 Perez
Raikkonen 4 – 0 Grosjean
Rosberg 1 – 3 Hamilton
Hulkenberg 4 – 0 Gutierrez
Di Resta 3 – 1 Sutil
Maldonado 2 – 2 Bottas
Vergne 1 – 3 Ricciardo
Pic 3 – 1 Van der Garde
Bianchi 4 – 0 Chilton

Vettel, Button, Hulkenberg and Bianchi all hold unbeaten records so far. Once again, tyres are a major talking point and Pirelli has brought its hard and medium compounds this weekend. The BBC reports that technical chief Pat Fry has been taken to hospital with a kidney stone complaint, which has led to a rearrange on the Ferrari pit wall.

Qualifying 1: The usual wait that has plagued 2013 qualifying so far resumes. 5 minutes before the first cars appear on track. Daniel Ricciardo sets the first time, a lap of 1m24.100s, this is quickly improved upon by Jean-Eric Vergne who completes a circuit in a time of 1m23.467s. Kimi Raikkonen knocks that down to 1m23.087s with half the session to go. With seven minutes left, Fernando Alonso would take the fastest time to 1m22.264s only to be beaten by Nico Rosberg who pushes it further to a 1m21.913s. Lewis Hamilton surges to the front with a time of 1m21.728s with 3 minutes left. 18 minutes in, and finally all 22 drivers have set a time. The last section of the session sees much on track action but cars are struggling to improve as the track is quite busy. Pastor Maldonado, the winner of this race last year, is one on the drivers to be eliminated as both Williams cars are taken out of qualifying; Vatteri Bottas missed out on the next session by just 0.042s.

17. Valtteri Bottas, Williams-Renault, 1m23.260s
18. Pastor Maldonado, Williams-Renault, 1m23.318s
19. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham-Renault, 1m24.661s
20. Jules Bianchi, Marussia-Cosworth, 1m24.713s
21. Max Chilton, Marussia-Cosworth, 1m24.996s
22. Charles Pic, Caterham-Renault, 1m25.070s

Qualifying 2: Another slight delay to the on track action again. This is so frustrating. Esteban Gutierrez is the first person to take to the track. His impressive time of 1m22.910s is swiftly beaten by Nico Hulkenberg and Kimi Raikkonen, the bar dropping to 1m22.210s. 8 minutes into the 15 minute session, and Fernando Alonso takes to the head of the times going around in 1m21.646s. With 6 minutes left, all 16 drivers have now posted a time. Vergne, Perez, di Resta, Sutil, Button and Ricciardo are in the drop zone. With just over a minute and a half left, Sebastian Vettel sets the fastest time of 1m21.602s. Lewis Hamilton smashes that to go top with a 1m21,001s. Button languishes in 1th4, 0.565s slower than Sergio Perez who rocketed up to seventh with a lap of 1m21.790s.

11. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1m22.127s
12. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1m22.166s
13. Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes, 1m22.346s
14. Jenson Button. McLaren-Mercedes, 1m22.355s
15. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India-Mercedes, 1m22.389s
16. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber-Ferrari, 1m22.793s.

Qualifying 3: The drivers in the top ten shootout then are: Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Sergio Perez, Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta. There wasn’t really a gap before the cars went out in this ten minute session. Raikkonen presents the others with the first challenge, setting an initial pole time of 1m21.539s, this is beaten by 7 tenths of a second by Nico Rosberg who posts a time of 1m20.824s. Di Resta pits the car after one lap of the circuit, setting no time. After half the session, only Rosberg, Alonso, Massa, Grosjean and Raikkonen have set a time. All 10 drivers are on track with 2 minutes of the session left, di Resta being the last man out and therefore will be the last man across the line. In the frantic last few seconds of qualifying, Hamilton is two-tenths down on the pole time which was stretched further by Nico Rosberg, who is on pole with a time of 1m20.718s.

The grid:

1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1m20.718s
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m20.972s, + 0.254s
3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault, 1m21.054s, + 0.336s
4. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus-Renault, 1m21.177s, + 0.459s
5. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1m21.218s, + 0.500s
6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1m21.219s, + 0.501s
7. Romain Grosjean, Lotus-Renault, 1m21.308s, + 0.590s
8. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault, 1m21.570s, + 0.852s
9. Sergio Perez, McLaren-Mercedes, 1m22.069s, + 1.351s
10. Paul di Resta, Force India-Mercedes, 1m22.233s, + 1.515s

Q2 cut-off time: 1m22.019s

(Gaps are to quickest time in Q2)

11. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1m22.127s, + 1.126s
12. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1m22.166s, + 1.165s
13. Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes, 1m22.346s, + 1.345s
14. Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes, 1m23.166s, + 2.165s
15. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber-Ferrari, 1m22.389s, + 1.388s
16. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber-Ferrari, 1m22.793s, + 1.792s

Q1 cut-off time: 1m23.218s

(Gaps are to quickest time in Q1)

17. Valtteri Bottas, Williams-Renault, 1m23.260s, + 1.532s
18. Pastor Maldonado, Williams-Renault, 1m23.318s, + 1.590s
19. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham-Renault, 1m24.661s, + 2.933s
20. Jules Bianchi, Marussia-Cosworth, 1m24.713s, + 2.985s
21. Max Chilton, Marussia-Cosworth, 1m24.996s, + 3.268s
22. Charles Pic, Caterham-Renault, 1m25.070s, + 3.342s

107% time: 1m27.448s

* Gap to quickest in Q1
** Gap to quickest in Q2