Jenson Button has put his Brawn GP car on pole position again

Jenson Button’s rivals failed to keep him away from a crucial fourth pole position of the season at Monaco.

But he’ll have to work hard to keep Kimi Raikkonen behind him – the KERS-equipped Ferrari driver lines up second on the grid.

Lewis Hamilton, however, lines up 16th after throwing away his chances of a good result with a session-stopping crash in Q1.

Q1

The session didn’t start well for Felipe Massa, who lost his Ferrari half-way through the swimming pool complex. Fortunately, he only clipped the barrier with his front nose and was able to pit for a replacement.

Lewis Hamilton was not so lucky. He’d gone fourth fastest with a 1’26.264 when he lost the rear of his McLaren under braking at Mirabeau. The left-read made heavy contact with the barrier, wrenching the wheel out of joint – his session was over.

With eight minutes left to run in Q1 the red flags came out to allow the marshals to recover the McLaren. Both the BMWs and Toro Rossos occupied the bottom five, along with Giancarlo Fisichella’s Force India. But Hamilton’s stricken McLaren offered them a hope of reaching Q2.

Remarkably the BMWs remained stuck in the bottom five – and the Toyotas joined them. Timo Glock threw away his hopes of getting into the final part of qualifying by spinning to a halt at La Piscine – and the resulting yellow flags caused problems for several other drivers. Trulli, meanwhile, was left seething after being blocked by Fernando Alonso.

Nick Heidfeld improved but was only able to match Hamilton’s time. It left the pair 16th and 17th, Hamilton ahead by dint of having set the time first.

Drivers eliminated in Q1

16. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 1’16.264
17. Nick Heidfeld, BMW, 1’16.264
18. Robert Kubica, BMW, 1’16.405
19. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1’16.548
20. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1’16.788

Q2

Nico Rosberg, who had been fastest at the end of Q1, hit the top of the times early in Q2 with a 1’14.846. Quickly three other drivers joined him on a 1’14.8s: Heikki Kovalainen the fastest of them, followed by Webber and Barrichello.

The next driver to lose control of their car was Nelson Piquet Jnr. He’d clipped the wall on the approach to Rascasse. He rounded that corner without drama, but the car got away from him at the entrance to Anthony Noghes and he sun harmlessly to a halt. Luckily for him, not only was his car undamaged but he was able to get running again before team mate Fernando Alonso arrived on the scene. Alonso reached the top ten, but once again Piquet failed to.

Jenson Button had a scare towards the end of the session, falling to eighth by the chequered flag. Kimi Raikkonen ended the session fastest, with Kovalainen making it a Finnish one-two.

Force India failed to get any further in qualifying, though Giancarlo Fisichella at least beat Sebastien Bourdais. This was despite becoming the first victim of the stewards’ crackdown on corner-cutting, costing him two of his first times.

Drivers eliminated in Q2

11. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’15.833
12. Nelson Piquet Jnr, Renault, 1’15.837
13. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India-Mercedes, 1’16.146
14. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’16.281
15. Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes, 1’16.545

Q3

Sebatian Vettel was fastest of the first batch of runners, but it was close – Nico Rosberg and Rubens Barrichello were both within a tenth of a second of his first effort.

Button found himself fourth ahead of the final round of laps and went quickest with a 1’14.902. That knocked back Kimi Raikkonen – whose resurgent Ferrari was only 0.025s off the pole time.

On the second row of the grid are the two drivers who most badly needed to keep Button off pole position – Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel.

Team boss Ross Brawn reckons Button has 20 laps of fuel on board – we’ll find out the fuel weight details in full in a few hours’ time.

Update: fuel weights for tomorrow’s start published – Monaco GP fuel loads give no comfort to Button’s rivals – especially Vettel

Update: Lewis Hamilton to start from the back of the grid following a penalty – Monaco Grand Prix grid

Top ten drivers in Q3

1. Jenson Button, Brawn GP, 1′14.902
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1′14.927
3. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP, 1′15.077
4. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1′15.271
5. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1′15.437
6. Nico Rosberg, Williams-Toyota, 1′15.455
7. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren-Mercedes, 1′15.516
8. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault, 1′15.653
9. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1′16.009
10. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams-Toyota, 1′17.344

Button stole pole with a fabulous late lap

Jenson Button starts from pole position for the third time this year after a stunning last-gasp lap at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Button bumped title rival Sebastian Vettel back to second place having begun his final effort with only two seconds to spare.

Meanwhile it was another qualifying disaster for Ferrari as Kimi Raikkonen was knocked out in the first segment and starts 16th.

Q1

Several top drivers began Q1 trying to get quick times out of the hard tyres. But even the Brawn drivers found them too slow.

Others, like Felipe Massa, elected to run the soft tyre from the start and he went quickest of all to begin with, carrying on his form from practice with a 1’20.484.

McLaren were visibly struggling, Heikki Kovalainen seemingly rooted to the bottom five despite several attempts on soft tyres. Stuck in 18th on 1’22.093, he improved to a 1’21.675, leaving him a vulnerable 14th.

Felipe Massa and second-placed Sebastian Vettel stayed in the pits during the final flurry of laps. So did Kimi Raikkonen, but he was eight tenths slower than his team mate.

That proved a fatal mistake by Ferrari – just as it had been for Massa at Malaysia. Raikkonen was knocked back by a series of improving rivals and fell to 16th – and out of qualifying.

Drivers eliminated in Q1

16. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1’21.291
17. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’21.300
18. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren-Mercedes, 1’21.675
19. Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes, 1’21.742
20. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India-Mercedes, 1’22.204

Q2

Sebastien Buemi made the early running but a mistake at Campsa saw him bump across the gravel trap and make light contact with the barrier.

The Red Bulls, meanwhile, were flying. Mark Webber set a 1’20.007 and Vettel lined up behind him on a 1’20.220. The German might have been quicker but for a mistake at the chicane on his second lap on the soft tyres.

The heavily revised BMWs of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld were the last ones to set times, both making it into the top ten. That left Nelson Piquet Jnr, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Timo Glock and Buemi in the drop zone as the final laps began.

Glock and Rosberg escaped the drop zone at their last attempt. Rosberg improved to seventh with a 1’20.256 and made it into Q3 – meanwhile team mate Nakajima was knocked out along with Nick Heidfeld.

Drivers eliminated in Q2

11. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams-Toyota, 1’20.531
12. Nelson Piquet Jnr, Renault, 1’20.604
13. Nick Heidfeld, BMW, 1’20.676
14. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 1’20.805
15. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’21.067

Q3

Toyota, Brawn and Red Bull got both of their cars into the final ten, with Massa, Alonso, Kubica and Rosberg joining the competition for pole position.

Barrichello, who had ended Q2 quickest of all, took up place at the top of the times sheets to begin with, setting a 1’21.442. Vettel eclipsed that mark but Massa failed to after making a mistake in the middle sector.

Barrichello’s final lap put him fastest on a 1’20.762 but Vettel had more pace in hand, snatching the squickest time by one tenth of a second.

Meanwhile team mate Button had left it very late to start his final flying lap – crossing the start line with just two seconds to spare after having moved over on his out-lap to let Kubica past.

Button matched Vettel in the first two sectors of the lap but an exquisite final sector – fastest of all by 0.1s – handed him a crucial pole position.

That bumped Barrichello back to third alongside Massa in the improving Ferrari. Unlike last year there were no low-fuel fireworks from home hero Alonso, who lines up seventh behind the Toyotas.

The cars’ fuel loads have been revealed: Button will pit two laps before Vettel (Spanish GP fuel weights and pit stops)

Top ten drivers in Q3

1. Jenson Button, Brawn-Mercedes, 1′20.527
2. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1′20.660
3. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn-Mercedes, 1′20.762
4. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1′20.934
5. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault, 1′21.049
6. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1′21.247
7. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1′21.254
8. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1′21.392
9. Nico Rosberg, Williams-Toyota, 1′22.558
10. Robert Kubica, BMW, 1′22.685

Jarno Trulli scored his fourth career pole position in Bahrain

Jarno Trulli leads the first ever one-two for Toyota with Timo Glock in second place.

Chinese Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel edged Jenson Button for third by 0.03s.

But Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber will start on the last row of the grid after being held up by Adrian Sutil.

Q1

Giancarlo Fisichella was first to set a time, his Force India running a new front wing and a revised diffuser. But his first lap on super-soft tyres, a 1’35.931, was quickly beaten as many more cars rushed out onto the track.

Several of the fastest cars went out on the medium rubber including Sebastian Vettel, who abandoned his Shanghai tactics of waiting until the last minute, and set the second quickest time behind Jarno Trulli.

Kimi Raikkonen leapt to the top of the times with a 1’33.648 on super-soft tyres – then improved to a 1’33.524 on his second run. But in the meantime team mate Felipe Massa had deposed him with a 1’33.512.

Next Lewis Hamilton, also on the super-soft tyres, moved the benchmark further with a 1’33.290.

Heading into the final stages of the session Nelson Piquet Jnr leapt out of the bottom five to take fourth, leaving Bourdais, Webber, Kovalainen, Glock and Fisichella in the drop zone – but the five were separated by just a few tenths.

Kovalainen improved to second behind his team mate. Both Toyotas began pumping in fastest sector times – Glock moving up to first with a 1’33.165, then Trulli setting a 1’32.779.

In Malaysia it was Massa, in China it was Kubica – and in Bahrain Mark Webber provided the surprise of the session by being eliminated in Q1. He came across Sutil at the end of a flying lap, and the Force India driver took rather too long moving out of the way.

Sutil didn’t make it through to the final part of qualifying either, but a penalty could be waiting for him after the session.

Drivers eliminated in Q1

16. Adrian Sutil 1’33.722
17. Sebastien Buemi 1’33.753
18. Giancarlo Fisichella 1’33.910
19. Mark Webber 1’34.038
20. Sebastien Bourdais 1’34.159

Q2

Sebastian Vettel was quickest after the first round of laps – over 0.3s ahead of Raikkonen. Alonso found more pace from the R29 (he’d also complained of traffic in Q1), going third, 1.1s faster than team mate Piquet.

Hamilton’s first attempt wasn’t good enough for the top ten, leaving him in the drop zone along with both BMWs, Piquet and Massa.

Kovalainen made a tiny improvement of 0.03s on his final effort – putting him eighth – but Hamilton needed much more. He found 0.4s over his team mate with a 1’32.877, which proved the difference between Hamilton staying in and Kovalainen dropping out.

Vettel was comfortably quickest at the end of the session but several drivers who’d gone out to do final laps aborted them after it became clear many drivers in the chasing pack weren’t improving. Along with Kovalainen that included Nakajima, Piquet (who went off on his final effort) and the BMWs.

Drivers eliminated in Q2

11. Heikki Kovalainen 1’33.242
12. Kazuki Nakajima 1’33.348
13. Robert Kubica 1’33.487
14. Nick Heidfeld 1’33.562
15. Nelson Piquet Jnr 1’33.941

Q3

Brawn, Ferrari and Toyota each got both their drivers into Q3, while Hamilton, Alonso, Rosberg and Vettel were the sole representatives of their teams.

The Toyotas set the fastest times to begin with, Vettel half a second slower, suggesting he had a decent level of fuel on board. He was fourth between the two Brawns, Button in third.

Button was one of the first drivers to start his final lap – he went quickest with a 1’34.044. Vettel edged that by 0.03s but the Toyotas were vastly quicker – Jarno Trulli claiming pole position with a 0.6s advantage over Vettel in third, and Timo Glock between the pair of them.

Toyota’s John Howett said he didn’t think the cars were “excessively” light, indicating they are a little bit light, but we’ll find out the full fuel weights in a few hours.

Update: Sebastian Vettel carrying more fuel than Toyotas (Bahrain GP fuel and pit stops)

Top ten drivers in Q3

1. Jarno Trulli 1′33.431
2. Timo Glock 1′33.712
3. Sebastian Vettel 1′34.015
4. Jenson Button 1′34.044
5. Lewis Hamilton 1′34.196
6. Rubens Barrichello 1′34.239
7. Fernando Alonso 1′34.578
8. Felipe Massa 1′34.818
9. Nico Rosberg 1′35.134
10. Kimi Raikkonen 1′35.380

Jenson Button will start from pole position again in Malaysia

Jenson Button made it two pole positions in a row as he beat Jarno Trulli by less than a tenth of a second in qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

But Felipe Massa will start from 16th after he and Ferrari made a disastrous mistake early in the session.

Q1

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Sepang, 2009

Will the prospect of rain the drivers wasted no time getting on the track – with many of the top teams getting straight down to business using the soft tyres.

Kimi Raikkonen went fastest to begin with, despite spoiling his first lap by running off the track at turn seven. But Jenson Button nicked the top time off his by 0.3s with his first lap on the soft tyres.

The Williams went out on the hard tyres to begin with and visibly lacked pace. But once he put the soft tyres on first Kazuki Nakajima moved up to second and then Timo Glock did likewise.

Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, was struggling. He’d admitted before the session that his ear infection meant he was not on top form – and proved it by running off the track at turn nine.

Nelson Piquet Jnr had targeted this session as the one where he would finally put one over Alonso. But despite several attempts his ailing team mate still prevailed, and Piquet failed to make the second part of qualifying once again.

But that was nothing compared to the drama that was about to unfold. Having set competitive times on soft tyres Ferrari did not send their drivers out for a final run. But as more rubber went down and track conditions improved Massa was suddenly caught out and slipped to 16th – with no time left to set another lap.

Sensationally, he was out, and his decision not to go out for a second attempt was all the more baffling as he’d made a mistake on his first effort.

Sebastien Buemi also failed to make Q2. His final lap ended in a gravel trap, the Swiss driver cursing his mistake as the intermediate sectors had indicated he was set to make it into Q2.

Drivers eliminated in Q1

16. Felipe Massa 1’35.642
17. Nelson Piquet Jnr 1’35.708
18. Giancarlo Fisichella 1’35.908
19. Adrian Sutil 1’35.951
20. Sebastien Buemi 1’36.107

Q2

Jarno Trulli, Toyota, Sepang, 2009

Jarno Trulli was quickest to begin with in Q2, but Sebastian Vettel and Button matched his 1’34.2 to within a tenth of a second. But Button was able to do the time on the hard tyres, suggesting the Brawn had some performance on hand.

Meanwhile the battle around the drop zone was fierce – Alonso and Hamilton in nin th and tenth were separated by 0.003s at first, with Kovalainen less than 0.02s behind.

Everyone bar Vettel went out for a second lap. Kovalainen failed to improve his time, consigning him to the bottom five, and the same fate befell Hamilton: both the McLarens on 1’34.9s.

Meanwhile Button switched to the soft tyres and his last lap was a cracker – 1’33.784, 0.4s faster than Raikkonen’s best from 2008.

But a great last lap from Alonso scraped him into the top ten by a narrow margin, dumping Nick Heidfeld out of the running.

Drivers eliminated in Q2

11. Nick Heidfeld 1’34.769
12. Kazuki Nakajima 1’34.788
13. Lewis Hamilton 1’34.905
14. Heikki Kovalainen 1’34.924
15. Sebastien Bourdais 1’35.431

Q3

Jenson Button, Brawn, Sepang, 2009

Button carried over his advantage into Q3 – to begin with. But Trulli did two laps with his first set of soft tyres and with the second he pipped Button’s mark by 0.004s.

Raikkonen was ninth to begin with but improved to fourth on his final lap. But it appeared as though the Ferrari driver was avoiding using his KERS, perhaps because of the trouble he experienced in qualifying.

Barrichello took over the top of the time sheets despite a small mistake on his lap. But Button had even more time in hand and posted a 1’35.181 to take his second consecutive pole position.

Trulli narrowly failed to beat Button, falling short by less than one tenth of a second.

Vettel and Barrichello were third and fourth but will drop down the order due to their penalties, elevating Timo Glock to third.

Top ten drivers in Q3

1. Jenson Button 1′35.181
2. Jarno Trulli 1′35.273
3. Sebastian Vettel 1′35.518
4. Rubens Barrichello 1′35.651
5. Timo Glock 1′35.690
6. Nico Rosberg 1′35.750
7. Mark Webber 1′35.797
8. Robert Kubica 1′36.106
9. Kimi Raikkonen 1′36.170
10. Fernando Alonso 1′37.659

See the final grid after penalties have been applied: Malaysian Grand Prix grid

The drivers’ starting fuel weights have been published: Malaysian GP fuel weights and strategies

Jenson Button took pole position for the Australian Grand Prix

A few weeks ago we had never heard of Brawn GP. Now the team that rose from the dead has sensationally locked out the front row of the grid for the Australian Grand Prix.

Jenson Button took pole position – his first for three years – from Rubens Barrichello. Sebastien Vettel claimed third on the grid while Robert Kubica, fourth, demonstrated the KERS-free BMW is rather quicker than the KERS-enabled car of team mate Nick Heidfeld.

But Lewis Hamilton’s nightmares came true as the MP4-24 struggled not only for pace but also reliability – the car failing to get going at the start of Q2. He starts 15th.

Qualifying part one

Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, Melbourne, 2009

Qualifying began with a hectic scrap for honours at the front of the field: Nico Rosberg, Kazuki Nakajima, Fernando Alonso and Rubens Barrichello all took turns at the top of the teimes. But it was Barrichello who stayed there, with a 1’25.816 pipping Rosberg by 0.031s.

Lewis Hamilton surprised by briefly going second fastest, though he used the super-soft tyres to achieve it while many others were using the medium tyres.

Ferrari revealed some pace with Felipe Massa stepping up to take second, then Kimi Raikkonen fourth having been quickest in the first two sectors but making a mistake in the final one. That left the Force Indias, Sebastien Bourdais, Heikki Kovalainen and, surprisingly, Jarno Trulli in the bottom five, facing the threat of being knocked out.

Mark Webebr sprung a late surprise by going fastest, largely thanks to a very neat and rapid final sector, pulling 0.4s clear of Barrichello. But the Brawn duo struck back – Barrichello posting a 1’25.006, 0.2s faster than his team mate.

Hamilton survived by a scant 0.049s, while Nelson Piquet Jnr was eliminated along with the Toro Rossos and Force Indias.

Drivers eliminated in Q1

16. Sebastien Buemi – 1’26.503
17. Nelson Piquet Jnr – 1’26.598
18. Giancarlo Fisichella – 1’26.677
19. Adrian Sutil – 1’26.742
20. Sebastien Bourdais – 1’26.964

Qualifying part two

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Melbourne, 2009

Any pleasure Hamilton may have got out of scraping into Q2 was extinguished when his MP4-24 suffered a drive train problem, leaving him stuck in the pits and rooted to 15th on the grid.

Once again the Brawns and Williams looked quick but now the Red Bulls were in the mix as well – Sebastian Vettel edged out Rosberg by 0.002s to go fastest. BMW too showed improvement with Robert Kubica briefly leaping up to third.

Heikki Kovalainen was able to do a lap in his McLaren but he was the slowest of the remaining runners leaving him 14th ahead of Hamilton.

Nakajima was half a second slower than team mate Rosberg which was the difference between fourth and 13th. Alonso was also eliminated, as was Heidfeld in the KERS-boosted BMW, while Kubica in the non-KERS car reached the final stage of qualifying.

Drivers eliminated in Q2

11. Nick Heidfeld – 1’25.504
12. Fernando Alonso – 1’25.605
13. Kazuki Nakajiam – 1’25.607
14. Heikki Kovalainen – 1’25.723
15. Lewis Hamilton – no time

Qualifying part three

Jenson Button, Brawn GP, Melbourne, 2009

The final session featured the Brawns, Ferraris, Toyotas, Red Bulls, Rosberg’s Williams and Kubica’s BMW.

Button was comfortably faster than Barrichello with his first lap, despite making a small mistake, suggesting the two were on different fuel loads. Even so, Rosberg was a whole second slower than Barrichello.

Rosberg was pegged back by the Red Bulls – Webber ahead of Vettel – and Kubica. The Ferraris, surprisingly, were ninth and tenth after the first round of laps.

Barrichello improved his time to take provisional pole with his final effort – but as he crossed the line Button was lighting up the first sector with a new best time, and one minute later he deposed Barrichello – and cemented a front row for Brawn GP.

Vettel grabbed third ahead of a surprisingly quick Kubica while Rosberg, the star of practice, was fifth. But the Ferraris of Massa and Raikkonen could manage no better than seventh and eighth.

As Brawn GP is officially classed as a new team, this is the first time a new team has taken pole position in its first race since Mercedes 55 years ago.

Top ten drivers in Q3

1. Jenson Button – 1’26.202
2. Rubens Barrichello – 1’26.505
3. Sebastian Vettel – 1’26.830
4. Robert Kubica – 1’26.914
5. Nico Rosberg – 1’26.973
6. Timo Glock – 1’26.975
7. Felipe Massa – 1’27.033
8. Jarno Trulli – 1’27.127
9. Kimi Raikkonen – 1’27.163
10. Mark Webber – 1’27.246

The weights for the ten cars in the top ten should be announced within the next two hours, giving us an idea of what fuel loads they are running.

Update: Starting grid and fuel weights published: Australian GP grid and race weights

Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Sebastian Vettel, Melbourne, 2009

How the titles can be won in the Brazilian Grand Prix

1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1’12.368
2. Jarno Trulli, Tooyta, 1’12.737
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1’12.825
4. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 1’12.830
5. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren-Mercedes, 1’12.917
6. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1’12.967
7. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’13.082
8. Nick Heidfeld, BMW, 1’13.297
9. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’14.106
10. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1’14.230
11. Nelson Piquet Jnr, Renault, 1’12.137
12. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault, 1’12.289
13. Robert Kubica, BMW, 1’12.300
14. David Coulthard, Red Bull-Renault, 1’12.717
15. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1’13.139
16. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams-Toyota, 1’12.800
17. Jenson Button, Honda, 1’12.810
18. Nico Rosberg, Williams-Toyota, 1’13.002
19. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India F1 Team-Ferrari, 1’13.426
20. Adrian Sutil, Force India F1 Team-Ferrari 1’13.508

Felipe Massa celebrates his third consecutive pole position at Interlagos

Felipe Massa thrilled the home crowd by taking pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix for the third year in a row.

But this year it means even more as he faced down Lewis Hamilton for the world championship. Hamilton starts fourth behind Jarno Trulli and Kimi Raikkonen.

Despite early concerns about the weather qualifying was run in near-perfect conditions. The track had warmed up considerably since the final practice session, with the mercury in the high 30s and nudging towards 40C.

Part one

Nelson Piquet Jnr was first out on track and took two attempts to set a 1’13.208 – but home rival Rubens Barrichello was quicker with a 1’13.030.

Felipe Massa wasted no time on joining the circuit as the crowd voiced its approval. Lewis Hamilton, following a minute or so behind him, got a less welcoming reception…

Massa’s first lap was slightly slower than Heikki Kovalainen’s, then Jarno Trulli displaced the two of them. Hamilton then beat all three to go fastest with a 1’12.213.

Massa did a second lap but didn’t improve but on his third lap he lowered his mark to a 1’12.389. That kept in fourth ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

Timo Glock spun at the S do Senna early in the session which caused a problem for Fernando Alonso who was following not far behind.

Just before the final flurry of laps Massa strapped on a new set of medium compound tyres and set the fastest time of the weekend so far – 1’11.830. Raikkonen followed him with s 1’12.083 to go second, piling the pressure on Hamilton.

The bottom 14 drivers all returned to the track for an extra lap to avoid being caught in the last five. Among them was Robert Kubica, 15th, and on the cusp of being eliminated. He moved up to seventh, but David Coulthard in his final F1 appearance could only manage 12th. He slipped down the order as faster drivers set times but ended up 15th – one place away from being knocked out.

Also escaping elimination was another old hand in what could be his final race – Rubens Barrichello.

Bottom five drivers’ times for part one

16. Kazuki Nakajima 1’12.800
17. Jenson Button 1’12.810
18. Nico Rosberg 1’13.002
19. Giancarlo Fisichella 1’13.426
20. Adrian Sutil 1’13.508

Part two

The Ferraris quickly resumed their places at the top of the times sheets in Q2, with Massa setting a 1’11.875 and Raikkonen a 1’11.970. But Hamilton hit back, setting his fastest time of the weekend so far with a 1’11.856.

Kovalainen was poised to beat the lot of them after setting fastest times in the first two sectors. But a poor final sector left him fifth and needing a second run to guarantee a place in Q3. That run was quick enough to put him top with a 1’11.768.

With just 0.4s covering the top ten almost every driver chose to do another lap, except for Massa. Hamilton went out for one last lap but, with not enough drivers improving to cause him a problem, he returned to the pits to preserve his engine life.

For the second race in a row Kubica struggled and his team mate Nick Heidfeld was the sole BMW in Q3 – a reversal of the situation earlier in the season.

Also out were the veterans – Coulthard and Barrichello – plus Webber making it both Red Bulls out and both Toro Rossos in once more. Nelson Piquet Jnr also failed to reach the final ten meaning only one Brazilian made it to the end of qualifying. But, as far as the crowd were concerned, it was the most important one…

Bottom five drivers’ times for part two

11. Nelson Piquet Jnr 1’12.137
12. Mark Webber 1’12.289
13. Robert Kubica 1’12.300
14. David Coulthard 1’12.717
15. Rubens Barrichello 1’13.139

Part three

Both McLaren and Ferraris made it into Q3, accompanied by the Toro Rossos, Toyotas, Alonso and Heidfeld.

Massa quickly went to the top of the times with a 1’12.453, only six tenths of a second slower than his time from Q2. Raikkonen moved into second, but Hamilton’s first lap was just plain scruffy and left him only sixth. The final sector of his out-lap was the quickest by anyone in Q3 up to that point, and it looked a lot like Hamilton had simply pushed his soft compound tyres too hard. Jarno Trulli squeezed between the Ferraris, and Kovalainen and Vettel both beat Hamilton.

Massa found a fractional improvement over his first lap time and set a 1’12.368 – four tenths of a second faster than anyone else.

The big surprise was Jarno Trulli, who pulled out one of his trademark perfect qualifying laps to take second and prevent a Ferrari one-two. Hamilton took fourth with Kovalainen behind him – and Alonso sixth.

Top ten drivers’ times for part three

1. Felipe Massa 1’12.368
2. Jarno Trulli 1’12.737
3. Kimi Raikkonen 1’12.825
4. Lewis Hamilton 1’12.830
5. Heikki Kovalainen 1’12.917
6. Fernando Alonso 1’12.967
7. Sebastian Vettel 1’13.082
8. Nick Heidfeld 1’13.297
9. Sebastien Bourdais 1’14.106
10. Timo Glock 1’14.230

Related links

• Grand Prix qualifying session reports

*Three-pace penalty for impeding David Coulthard
**Ten-place penalty for changing his engine following free practice three.

A wink and a smile: Lewis Hamilton scored his seventh pole position of 2008

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix after leading every practice and qualifying session in Shanghai bar one.

But with Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and the ‘third Ferrari’ of Fernando Alonso right behind him he will be under huge pressure at the start.

Meanwhile Robert Kubica failed to qualifying inside the top ten, a major blow to his already slim championship hopes.

Part one

Hamilton carried his form from practice into qualifying and with a single lap set a time quicker than anyone else by half a second up to that point. Team mate Heikki Kovalainen eventually improved to second, one tenth slower than Hamilton, but Massa remained four tenths adrift and.

Meanwhile the other title rival – Kubica – was visibly struggling, and only made it into Q2 by 0.228s have languished in the bottom five for much of the session.

Kubica’s late improvement knocked David Coulthard into the drop zone, but Rubens Barrichello got his Honda in Q2 by less than a tenth of a second. But Coulthard fumed at Nick Heidfeld afterwards, claiming the BMW driver had delayed him.

Bottom five drivers’ times for part one

16. David Coulthard 1’36.731
17. Kazuki Nakajima 1’36.863
18. Jenson Button 1’37.053
19. Adrian Sutil 1’37.730
20. Giancarlo Fisichella 1’37.739

Part two

While the Ferraris put on the medium compound option tyres and went fastest – Massa with a 1’35.135 – Hamilton stayed on the harder tyres and could only manage fifth, 0.3s slower. He did a second run, switching to the medium tyres. That final lap saw him improve to a 1’34.947, putting him top of the times.

But Kubica was in trouble once again and this time there was no late reprieve – he could only manage 12th while Heidfeld made it into the final ten.

Barrichello managed 14th ahead of Rosberg, and both the Toyotas were also eliminated.

Bottom five drivers’ times for part two

11. Nelson Piquet Jnr 1’35.722
12. Robnert Kubica 1’35.814
13. Timo Glock 1’35.937
14. Rubens Barrichello 1’36.079
15. Nico Rosberg 1’36.210

Part three

Hamilton’s first lap in Q3 was spoiled by a mistake in the middle sector. It left him fifth, 0.01s slower than Massa, but 0.6s slower than his team mate, who was quickest.

But he hit back on his second lap, beating Raikkonen by 0.3s to claim the 13th pole position of his career.

Raikkonen carried huge speed through the final corner to claim second and out-qualify Massa for the second race in a row. Kovalainen had a poor final lap, falling from first to fifth behind Alonso. Mark Webber took sixth, but will have a ten-place penalty having changed his engine.

Top ten drivers’ times for part three

1. Lewis Hamilton 1’36.303
2. Kimi Raikkonen 1’36.645
3. Felipe Massa 1’36.889
4. Fernando Alonso 1’36.927
5. Heikki Kovalainen 1’36.930
6. Mark Webber 1’37.083
7. Nick Heidfeld 1’37.201
8. Sebastian Vettel 1’37.685
9. Jarno Trulli 1’37.934
10. Sebastien Bourdais 1’38.885

Related links

• Grand Prix qualifying session reports

Lewis Hamilton claimed the 11th pole position of his career in Fuji

Lewis Hamilton will start the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position for the second year in a row.

And his hopes of taking a decisive lead in the championship were bolstered by Felipe Massa’s failure to qualify on the first two rows: Massa starts tomorrow’s crucial race from fifth on the grid.

Part one

Nick Heidfeld was eliminated in Q1 for the second time this year

Qualifying started on a largely dry track with a few damp patches off-line. The championship contenders quickly took up their places at top of the time sheets, with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Felipe Massa, and the pair followed by their respective team mates.

But as the session developed it became clear the drivers towards the rear of the field were finding much more time on their second efforts. Timo Glock demoted Hamilton from the top spot with a 1’18.138 set on medium compound tyres, and that meant every driver returned to the track hunting for a lap time improvement – apart from Nelson Piquet Jnr.

Hamilton went back on top of the times but Glock pipped him again, dipping under the 1’18s with a 1’17.945.

The battle of the bottom five claimed an unlikely scalp in the form of Nick Heidfeld. It wasn’t his first elimination during Q1 this year and with team mate Robert Kubica only 0.2s quicker it showed the BMWs were simply lacking pace. Less surprising was the round one elimination of the Hondas and Force Indias.

Bottom five drivers’ times for part one

16. Nick Heidfeld 1’18.835
17. Rubens Barrichello 1’18.882
18. Jenson Button 1’19.100
19. Adrian Sutil 1’19.163
20. Giancarlo Fisichella 1’19.910

Part two

Sebastien Bourdais scraped into Q3, knocking out David Coulthard on the way

The second part of qualifying began with most of the drivers opting for the soft tyres and the Ferraris in particular demonstrating significantly better pace on that tyre. Massa went quickest with a 1’17.287 – half a second quicker than Raikkonen, and 0.2s faster than Hamilton.

Massa and Hamilton were the only drivers who felt comfortable enough with their times not to go out for a second attempt. Nelson Piquet Jnr did his first lap later but could only manage 12th, sealing his fate.

Mark Webber failed to improve, staying 13th, with the two Williams behind him. And a late improvement by Sebastien Bourdais to tenth knocked David Coulthard out as well.

Bottom five drivers’ times for part two

11. David Coulthard 1’18.187
12. Nelson Piquet Jnr 1’18.274
13. Mark Webber 1’18.354
14. Kazuki Nakajima 1’18.594
15. Nico Rosberg 1’18.672

Part three

Lewis Hamilton jumped from third to overhaul both Ferraris and take pole

The McLarens, Ferraris, Toyotas and Toro Rossos made it into Q3, along with Fernando Alonso and Robert Kubica, the latter doing an impressive job given that his team mate was knocked out in Q1.

Having been half a second slower than Massa in Q2, Raikkonen suddenly popped into the top spot with his first attempt in Q3. Massa was second, just over a tenth slower, with Hamilton a few hundredths behind and Kovalainen 0.004s slower than his team mate.

Raikkonen improved on his second attempt and Massa couldn’t find any time to beat him with. But behind them both Hamilton went fastest of all in the first two sectors, and stole pole from Raikkonen by almost a quarter of a second.

It got worse for Massa as he was bumped off the second row. First Fernando Alonso beat his time by a scant 0.022s, then Kovalainen beat the pair of them to demote Massa to fifth.

Top ten drivers’ times for part three

1. Lewis Hamilton 1’18.404
2. Kimi Raikkonen 1’18.644
3. Heikki Kovalainen 1’18.821
4. Fernando Alonso 1’18.852
5. Felipe Massa 1’18.874
6. Robert Kubica 1’18.979
7. Jarno Trulli 1’19.026
8. Timo Glock 1’19.118
9. Sebastian Vettel 1’19.638
10. Sebastien Bourdais 1’20.167

Related links

• Grand Prix qualifying session reports