Indian Grand Prix – qualifying

Many of the drivers have added Dan Wheldon’s number to their helmet design; the McLaren drivers are wearing black armbands.

There are penalties waiting for 3 drivers already: VP (5 grid spots for the incident with MS in the Korean Grand Prix); SP & LH (both drop 3 grid spots for speeding under yellow flags in practice).

Qualifying 1:
Pit lane lights turn green and qualifying starts for the first Indian GP
Looks like everyone going out on the hard compound tyres (white band)
VP 1:30.347
BS 1:29.952
VP 1:29.035
FA 1:27.836
LH runs wide and kicks up some dust
FA 1:27.478
FM cuts a corner and adds more dust to the track
RB cuts the same corner
MW 1:27.410
LH 1:27.007
SV 1:26.948
10mins left; bottom 7 are HK, NK, JT, JD, TG, KK, SP
MS runs wide in the final turn
FA 1:26.774
LH 1:26.563
SV 1:26.218
JB runs wide in Turn 9
Pit-car radio from LH saying he was held up by MS
BBC report that TG has a gearbox failure and won’t take any further part in qualifying
Pit-car radio from JB saying he has no grip
5mins left; bottom 7 are RB, HK, DR, NK, JT, JD, TG
BS gesticulates at JA for blocking him as the Toro Rosso left the pit lane
The “lower” teams are using the soft tyres and their times are putting them in the middle of the timing chart, so now the “middle order” teams will have to use a set of softs too
2mins left; bottom 7 are MS, HK, DR, NK, JT, JD, TG
JB is currently P16; he’s running on soft tyres but deep in traffic
VP 1:26.189
Chequered flag falls; bottom 7 are MS, HK, JT, DR, NK, JD, TG
MS finds traffic in the long Turn 10 & 11 curve
(MS P11, relegating KK)
(JB P3)
So the back of the grid will be: KK, HK, JT, DR, NK, JD, TG*
*TG is outside the 107% time but he’ll probably be given the OK to race
Marshals are busy sweeping dust off the track

Qualifying 2:
BBC confirm JB is on new soft tyres, not the set he used in Q1
JA 1:26.668
SB 1:26.408
SV 1:24.657
BS runs wide … twice
7:30 gone = half way through Q2; bottom 7 are VP, RB, PM, BS, AS, PD, SP
FM runs wide
5mins left; still no lap time from AS, PD or SP
Chequered flag
(AS P8)
(PM P12)
(PD P12)
(VP P11)
Middle of the grid: VP*, MS, PD, PM, BS, RB, SP*
*VP has a 5 grid-spot penalty to be applied; SP has a 3 spot penalty

Qualifying 3:
LH is first out of the pit lane, followed by the two Ferraris
LH 1:26.430
FM 1:25.122 (used soft tyres)
FA 1:24.586 (new softs)
(MW P4)
SV 1:24.437
(LH P2)
JB leaves the pits on his final set of soft tyres
(MW P3)
3mins left; order is SV, LH, MW, FA, FM (no time from the other 5)
(JB P6)
(NR P6)
1min left; order is SV, LH, MW, FA, FM, NR, JB
LH seems to be on a very average lap
Chequered flag
LH abandons his lap
FM off across the gravel and into the tyre wall – his front right was already damaged
SV 1:24.178
(JB P5) – hopefully he won’t be penalised for improving his time as he was committed to the corner before the yellow flags came out
Replay shows FM hit the rumble strips so hard it broke the front-right suspension
Front of the grid: SV, LH, MW, FA, JB, FM, NR, AS, SB, JA
*LH has a 3 grid-spot penalty to be applied

So, before penalties, the grid would be: SV, LH*, MW, FA, JB, FM, NR, AS, SB, JA, VP*, MS, PD, PM, BS, RB, SP*, KK, HK, JT, DR, NK, JD, TG
(*LH +3 grid spots; VP +5; SP +3)

I think the provisional grid is: SV, MW, FA, JB, LH*, FM, NR, AS, SB, JA, MS, PD, PM, BS, RB, KK, VP*, HK, JT, SP*, DR, NK, JD, TG.