Spanish Grand Prix – qualifying

May 12, 2007 by paul
Filed under: Uncategorized

Current air temperature 27°C; track 50°C; wind 1.1m/s; humidity 36%
The McLaren pair (Alonso + Hamilton) shared the top spot for all three practice sessions.

Qualifying session 1:
First on track are Trulli, Albers & Sutil
This is why I hate Speed’s “coverage” – the session has been underway for a minute or more and they’re still yapping about something else (TSN are showing hockey instead, so they suck too)
Trulli 1:23.095
Rosberg 1:23.026
Liuzzi 1:22.726
Speed reports problems with the transmission
Sato 1:22.544
Coulthard 1:22.491
Davidson 1:22.353
8mins in to the session and still no coverage from Speed!
Hamilton 1:21.120
(Alonso 1:21.609 for P2)
5mins left; Fisichella, Massa & Speed still yet to set a time
(Massa 1:21.375 for P2 despite making a dog’s breakfast of one corner)
Albers runs off track, throwing up lots of dust, but he recovers
2mins left; bottom 6 are RS, MW, CA, AS, GF, SS.
Webber pits – looks like he won’t go through to Q2
Chequered flag is out
(Sato is up to P7!)
Webber’s problem is apparently the Red Bull’s hydraulics
Button jumps from P17 to P15 – only just safe!
Session ends; bottom six are: P17=Schumacher; 18=Wurz; 19=Webber; 20=Sutil; 21=Albers; 22=Speed.

Qualifying session 2:
2mins in to the session and no-one on track yet
Finally (2:50 in) Trulli exits the pits
JT 1:21.931
DC 1:21.679
HK 1:21.623
Sato has stopped – local yellow flags while the Super Aguri is pushed away
LH 1:20.713
(KR 1:20.741 for P2)
FM 1:20.597
5mins left; AD, FA & VL yet to set a time
JB reports too much understeer in T1
2mins left; FA & AD are on track but no sign of VL
(FA to P4)
Chequered flag is out but cars are still on their hot lap
AD spins and recovers
Session ends; bottom six are: P11=Rosberg; 12=Barrichello; 13=Sato; 14=Button; 15=Davidson; 16=Liuzzi

Qualifying session 3:
Battling for the top 10 spots are: Massa, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso, Heidfeld, Kubica, Coulthard, Trulli, Kovalainen, Fisichella
Hamilton is at the head of the queue to exit the pit lane, followed by Raikkonen – a long wait for the green lights
Everyone heads on track except the two Renaults … and they’re going out now
LH 1:23.940
FA 1:22.846
10mins left
NH & JT are the first to pit
NH up to P2
5mins left; order is P1=FA, 2=NH, 3=LH, 4=FM, 5=RK, 6=GF, 7=DC, 8=KR, 9=JT, 10=HK
LH 1:22.231
KR 1:22.084
FA 1:21.661
3mins left; FA, KR, FM, LH, NH, JT, RK, GF, DC, HK
Another round of pit stops
2mins left
1min left; FA, KR, FM, LH, NH, JT, RK, GF, DC, HK
Chequered flag is out but everyone’s on a flyer
LH to P2
KR re-takes P2
FM 1:21.421 for provisional pole
FA just 0.03secs to slow to steal back P1