McLaren slash the gap to Red Bull in Sepang
2011 Malaysian GP qualifying analysis
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Sepang, 2011
Sebastian Vettel may be on pole position again but Red Bull’s advantage over their rivals has been significantly cut.
Vettel’s margin was one tenth of a second – seven-tenths less than it was in Melbourne.
Here’s all the sector times, speed trap figures and more data from qualifying in Malaysia:
Qualifying times in full
- The top five line up in the same order as they did in Melbourne.
- Lotus had a much better qualifying session than they did in Melbourne, lapping within a few tenths of the Williamses.
- All the drivers in Q3 used the soft tyre.
- Despite missing all of pre-season testing the fastest HRT in the second race was only half a second slower than one of the Virgins.
- The slowest car beat the 107% time by one second.
| Driver | Car | Q1 | Q2 (vs Q1) | Q3 (vs Q2) | |
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1’37.468 | 1’35.934 (-1.534) | 1’34.870 (-1.064) |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 1’36.861 | 1’35.852 (-1.009) | 1’34.974 (-0.878) |
| 3 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 1’37.924 | 1’36.080 (-1.844) | 1’35.179 (-0.901) |
| 4 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1’37.033 | 1’35.569 (-1.464) | 1’35.200 (-0.369) |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1’36.897 | 1’36.320 (-0.577) | 1’35.802 (-0.518) |
| 6 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 1’37.224 | 1’36.811 (-0.413) | 1’36.124 (-0.687) |
| 7 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1’36.744 | 1’36.557 (-0.187) | 1’36.251 (-0.306) |
| 8 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1’37.210 | 1’36.642 (-0.568) | 1’36.324 (-0.318) |
| 9 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1’37.316 | 1’36.388 (-0.928) | 1’36.809 (+0.421) |
| 10 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 1’36.994 | 1’36.691 (-0.303) | 1’36.820 (+0.129) |
| 11 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1’36.904 | 1’37.035 (+0.131) | |
| 12 | Sebastien Buemi | Toro Rosso | 1’37.693 | 1’37.160 (-0.533) | |
| 13 | Jaime Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1’37.677 | 1’37.347 (-0.330) | |
| 14 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 1’38.045 | 1’37.370 (-0.675) | |
| 15 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams | 1’38.163 | 1’37.496 (-0.667) | |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | Sauber | 1’37.759 | 1’37.528 (-0.231) | |
| 17 | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 1’37.693 | 1’37.593 (-0.100) | |
| 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 1’38.276 | ||
| 19 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus | 1’38.645 | ||
| 20 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus | 1’38.791 | ||
| 21 | Timo Glock | Virgin | 1’40.648 | ||
| 22 | Jerome d’Ambrosio | Virgin | 1’41.001 | ||
| 23 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT | 1’41.549 | ||
| 24 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT | 1’42.574 |
Team mate comparisons
Compare the best times of each team’s drivers in the last part of qualifying in which they both set a time.
- The biggest gap between team mates was Vitantonio Liuzzi’s one second margin over Narain Karthikeyan.
- The next largest gaps were found at Sauber (Kamui Kobayashi over Sergio Perez) and Mercedes (Nico Rosberg over Michael Schumacher)
- The only rookie to out-qualify his team mate in both races so far is Paul di Resta.
| Team | Driver | Lap time | Gap | Lap time | Driver | Round |
| Red Bull | Sebastian Vettel | 1’34.870 | -0.309 | 1’35.179 | Mark Webber | Q3 |
| McLaren | Lewis Hamilton | 1’34.974 | -0.226 | 1’35.200 | Jenson Button | Q3 |
| Ferrari | Fernando Alonso | 1’35.802 | -0.449 | 1’36.251 | Felipe Massa | Q3 |
| Mercedes | Michael Schumacher | 1’37.035 | +0.647 | 1’36.388 | Nico Rosberg | Q2 |
| Renault | Nick Heidfeld | 1’36.124 | -0.200 | 1’36.324 | Vitaly Petrov | Q3 |
| Williams | Rubens Barrichello | 1’38.163 | -0.113 | 1’38.276 | Pastor Maldonado | Q1 |
| Force India | Adrian Sutil | 1’37.593 | +0.223 | 1’37.370 | Paul di Resta | Q2 |
| Sauber | Kamui Kobayashi | 1’36.691 | -0.837 | 1’37.528 | Sergio Perez | Q2 |
| Toro Rosso | Sebastien Buemi | 1’37.160 | -0.187 | 1’37.347 | Jaime Alguersuari | Q2 |
| Lotus | Heikki Kovalainen | 1’38.645 | -0.146 | 1’38.791 | Jarno Trulli | Q1 |
| HRT | Narain Karthikeyan | 1’42.574 | +1.025 | 1’41.549 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | Q1 |
| Virgin | Timo Glock | 1’40.648 | -0.353 | 1’41.001 | Jerome d’Ambrosio | Q1 |
Ultimate laps
An ultimate lap is a driver’s best time in each of the three sectors that make up a lap combined.
- Two drivers who were knocked out before Q3 could have made it a stage further if they’d done their fastest sectors in the same lap: Michael Schumacher and Pastor Maldonado. Schumacher had a problem with his adjustable rear wing in the final sector.
- If Sergio Perez had put all his best sectors together he’d be three places higher on the grid.
| Pos | # | Driver | Ultimate lap | Gap | Deficit to best | Actual position |
| 1 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | 1’34.870 | 0.000 | 1 | |
| 2 | 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1’34.898 | 0.028 | 0.076 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | Mark Webber | 1’35.138 | 0.268 | 0.041 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 | Jenson Button | 1’35.194 | 0.324 | 0.006 | 4 |
| 5 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | 1’35.802 | 0.932 | 0.000 | 5 |
| 6 | 9 | Nick Heidfeld | 1’36.124 | 1.254 | 0.000 | 6 |
| 7 | 6 | Felipe Massa | 1’36.251 | 1.381 | 0.000 | 7 |
| 8 | 10 | Vitaly Petrov | 1’36.324 | 1.454 | 0.000 | 8 |
| 9 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | 1’36.388 | 1.518 | 0.421 | 9 |
| 10 | 16 | Kamui Kobayashi | 1’36.676 | 1.806 | 0.144 | 10 |
| 11 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | 1’36.839 | 1.969 | 0.196 | 11 |
| 12 | 18 | Sebastien Buemi | 1’37.160 | 2.290 | 0.000 | 12 |
| 13 | 17 | Sergio Perez | 1’37.280 | 2.410 | 0.248 | 16 |
| 14 | 19 | Jaime Alguersuari | 1’37.347 | 2.477 | 0.000 | 13 |
| 15 | 15 | Paul di Resta | 1’37.370 | 2.500 | 0.000 | 14 |
| 16 | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | 1’37.496 | 2.626 | 0.000 | 15 |
| 17 | 14 | Adrian Sutil | 1’37.502 | 2.632 | 0.091 | 17 |
| 18 | 12 | Pastor Maldonado | 1’38.201 | 3.331 | 0.075 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | 1’38.373 | 3.503 | 0.272 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | Jarno Trulli | 1’38.790 | 3.920 | 0.001 | 20 |
| 21 | 24 | Timo Glock | 1’40.409 | 5.539 | 0.239 | 21 |
| 22 | 25 | Jerome d’Ambrosio | 1’40.968 | 6.098 | 0.033 | 22 |
| 23 | 23 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | 1’41.549 | 6.679 | 0.000 | 23 |
| 24 | 22 | Narain Karthikeyan | 1’42.242 | 7.372 | 0.332 | 24 |
Sector times
The drivers’ best times in each sector.
- The gap between the two fastest cars and the rest is clear to see in that the top four times in each sector is held by a Red Bull or a McLaren.
- Lotus are losing their time to the other midfield cars in the middle sector.
| Driver | Sector 1 | Sector 2 | Sector 3 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 24.665 (1) | 31.569 (1) | 38.636 (2) |
| Lewis Hamilton | 24.667 (2) | 31.614 (2) | 38.617 (1) |
| Mark Webber | 24.672 (3) | 31.679 (3) | 38.787 (4) |
| Jenson Button | 24.680 (4) | 31.783 (4) | 38.731 (3) |
| Fernando Alonso | 24.845 (7) | 32.058 (5) | 38.899 (5) |
| Nick Heidfeld | 24.869 (9) | 32.218 (6) | 39.037 (6) |
| Felipe Massa | 24.863 (8) | 32.252 (7) | 39.136 (8) |
| Vitaly Petrov | 24.777 (6) | 32.424 (9) | 39.123 (7) |
| Nico Rosberg | 24.715 (5) | 32.474 (11) | 39.199 (9) |
| Kamui Kobayashi | 25.034 (14) | 32.368 (8) | 39.274 (10) |
| Michael Schumacher | 24.877 (10) | 32.655 (14) | 39.307 (11) |
| Sebastien Buemi | 25.128 (16) | 32.478 (12) | 39.554 (13) |
| Jaime Alguersuari | 25.017 (12) | 32.751 (16) | 39.579 (15) |
| Paul di Resta | 24.914 (11) | 32.881 (17) | 39.575 (14) |
| Rubens Barrichello | 25.110 (15) | 32.602 (13) | 39.784 (17) |
| Sergio Perez | 25.227 (17) | 32.471 (10) | 39.582 (16) |
| Adrian Sutil | 25.021 (13) | 32.951 (18) | 39.530 (12) |
| Pastor Maldonado | 25.280 (20) | 32.741 (15) | 40.180 (20) |
| Heikki Kovalainen | 25.258 (18) | 33.274 (19) | 39.841 (18) |
| Jarno Trulli | 25.269 (19) | 33.370 (20) | 40.151 (19) |
| Timo Glock | 25.537 (21) | 33.967 (21) | 40.905 (21) |
| Jerome d’Ambrosio | 25.704 (22) | 34.221 (22) | 41.043 (22) |
| Vitantonio Liuzzi | 25.796 (23) | 34.273 (23) | 41.480 (23) |
| Narain Karthikeyan | 25.934 (24) | 34.646 (24) | 41.662 (24) |
Straight-line speeds
- Christian Horner said Red Bull are running KERS. In Melbourne, without KERS, they were only faster than the HRTs, Virgins and Lotuses in a straight line.
- The top five fastest cars in a straight line all have Mercedes engines.
| Pos | Driver | Car | Speed (kph) | Gap |
| 1 | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 311.4 | |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 311.0 | -0.4 |
| 3 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 310.6 | -0.8 |
| 4 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 308.8 | -2.6 |
| 5 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 306.8 | -4.6 |
| 6 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 306.4 | -5.0 |
| 7 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 306.2 | -5.2 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 305.9 | -5.5 |
| 9 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 304.9 | -6.5 |
| 10 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 304.8 | -6.6 |
| 11 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 304.6 | -6.8 |
| 12 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 304.3 | -7.1 |
| 13 | Sergio Perez | Sauber | 304.0 | -7.4 |
| 14 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 303.3 | -8.1 |
| 15 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams | 303.3 | -8.1 |
| 16 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 303.0 | -8.4 |
| 17 | Jerome d’Ambrosio | Virgin | 301.7 | -9.7 |
| 18 | Sebastien Buemi | Toro Rosso | 301.7 | -9.7 |
| 19 | Jaime Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 301.5 | -9.9 |
| 20 | Timo Glock | Virgin | 300.9 | -10.5 |
| 21 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus | 300.9 | -10.5 |
| 22 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT | 299.1 | -12.3 |
| 23 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus | 298.9 | -12.5 |
| 24 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT | 296.5 | -14.9 |
2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
- Hamilton says Sepang driving “didn’t put anyone in danger”
- Domenicali praises Massa’s “return to form” in Malaysia
- 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix: complete race weekend review
- Who was the best driver of the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend?
- Red Bull stay ahead but KERS is still a weakness
- Ferrari on form in race after poor qualifying
- Hamilton called for his extra tyre stop at McLaren
- Renault recover from Friday drama for podium
- Schumacher scores for struggling Mercedes
- Two more retirements “not acceptable” at Williams
Browse all 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix articles
matt88 said on 9th April 2011, 18:05
go Tonio, 1 sec faster than his teammate, the guy isn’t so bad indeed…
Oliver said on 9th April 2011, 19:25
But his team mate had already qualified long before him so there was no need t keep pushing when reliability can be an issue for the race. So why not just save your engines. But beating someone who hasn”t raced in 5yrs can’t be considered a great feat.
Seyr said on 10th April 2011, 1:56
Feels to me like Red Bull lost relative performance after fitting KERS.
wasiF1 (@wasif1) said on 10th April 2011, 2:58
So far it looks like Mclaren are the only one who can spoil the Red Bull party