I didn’t see Qualifying before I saw the race, but I’ll back-date my notes so they appear in the right order.
Qualifying 1 (Q1)
Pit lane lights turn green and the first car on track is Di Grassi for Virgin
Di Grassi posts 2:02.131 for the first provisional pole of the 2010 season
Alonso (Ferrari) 1:55.972
(Button 1:56.130)
(Hamilton 1:5.976)
Rosberg goes P2 … not that it matters too much – everyone just wants to avoid the bottom 7 spots
(Schumacher P8)
5mins gone = 10mins left of Q1
Rosberg 1:55.463
Massa 1:55.313
(Vettel P2)
Halfway through Q1 – only Webber yet to set a time
(Webber goes P3 on his first flying lap)
5mins left; bottom 7 are Kobayashi, Trulli, Glock, Kovalainen, di Grassi, Senna & Chandhok
MW runs wide just as goes fastest in Sector 2 … but still takes P1 with a 1:55.298
SV 1:55.029
(New driver Petrov goes P9)
FA 1:54.612
(Sutil P3)
Chequered flag marks the end of Q1
Kobayashi jumps to P15
So the back of the grid will be: P18=Alguersuari; 19=Glock; 20=Trulli; 21=Kovalainen; 22=Di Grassi; 23=Senna; 24=Chandok.
Qualifying 2 (Q2)
Vettel & Buemi are first out of the pit lane
SV 1:54.035
4mins left of Q2; in the “knockout zone” (as the FIA call it) are Button, Liuzzi, Hulkenberg, de la Rosa, Kobayashi, Petrov & Buemi
3mins left – long queue of cars leaving the pit lane for 1 flying lap each
Chequered flag with almost everyone on a flier
JB scrapes P10, relegating former teammate RB
Mid-grid will be: P11=Barrichello; 12=Liuzzi; 13=Hulkenberg; 14=de la Rosa; 15=Buemi; 16=Kobayashi; 17= Petrov.
Qualifying 3 (Q3)
Battling for the front of the grid are: Alonso, Button, Hamilton, Kubica, Massa, Rosberg, Schumacher, Sutil, Vettel, Webber.
The top 10 cars will start on the same tyres (not just the same compound) as they use in Q3
FM 1:55.131
FA 1:55.072
(LH 1:56.828 for P3)
The pit lane is busy as everyone prepares for a final (or for 6 of them, only) flying lap
(AS P3)
Chequered flag ends the session
SV 1:54.101
(MW P4)
(FM P2)
(LH P4)
(FA P3)
(JB P7)
(MS P7)
So the front of the grid is: P1=Vettel; 2=Massa; 3=Alonso; 4=Hamilton; 5=Rosberg; 6=Webber; 7=Schumacher; 8=Button; 9=Kubica; 10=Sutil.
The provisional grid:
- Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
- Felipa Massa (Ferrari)
- Fernando Alsonso (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
- Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP)
- Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
- Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP)
- Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes)
- Robert Kubica (Renault)
- Adrian Sutil (Force India)
- Rubens Barrichello (Williams)
- Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Williams)
- Pedro de la Rosa (BMW Sauber Ferrari)
- Sebastien Buemi (STR-Ferrari)
- Kamui Kobayashi (BMW Sauber Ferrari)
- Vitaly Petrov (Renault)
- Jaime Alguersuari (STR-Ferrari)
- Timo Glock (Virgin Cosworth)
- Jarno Trulli (Lotus)
- Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus)
- Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Cosworth)
- Bruno Senna (HRT Cosworth)
- Karun Chandhok (HRT Cosworth)
