Everything you need to know about Qualifying is here 🙂
Provisional grid: SV, LH, PM, RG, KR, NR, KK, NH, JB, PRe, FA, MS, FM, BS, SP, HK, DR, JV, MW, VP, PRo, NK, CP, TG?
TG is still sick, so only 23 cars on the grid
Air temperature 26°C; 45°C; 62% humidity; 1.4m/s wind
SV leads everyone away on the formation lap
Looks like everyone’s starting on the option (soft) tyre except MS, SP, JV & MW
SV taking it very slowly as he approaches the grid, trying to get everyone to bunch up so he won’t be waiting too long
01/57: RG & PM battle of P3 in to Turn 2
FA already past PRe
MS attacking FM
FA tries to go round the outside of NH
JB down to P13!
02: SV, LH, RG, KK, PM, KR, NH, FA, PRe, FM
BS holds off SP
MW up to P17
RG all over the tail of LH
03: SV fastest lap 1:45.759
DRS now enabled
RD using DRS but doesn’t really attack LH
Radio for NR warning him tyre temperatures are critical
04: SV f/lap 1:45.584
SV already has a 5.3sec lead over LH
Radio for RG telling him to push and attack LH
05/57: SV, LH, RG, KK, PM, KR, NH, FA, PRe, FM
Radio for LH saying good job – their plan seems to be to look after tyres and maybe only 1-stop
06: SV f/lap 1:45.409; 7.6sec lead
Radio for PRe telling him to lift & coast, to help reduce rear calliper temperature!
07: SV f/lap 1:45.168; 8.5sec ahead of LH
FM round the outside of PRe into Turn 12 – that’s never going to work
08: SP takes a look down the inside of BS but has to back off
10/57: SV, LH, RG, KK, PM, KR, NH, FA, PRe, FM
RG still hassling LH for P2 … and muscles his way past
11: JB pits, as does SP
FA harrying NH for P7
12: FM pits
KR attacking PM for P5
13: FA finally takes P7 from NH
Radio for FA – “now we push as much as we can”
SP f/lap 1:44.630
14: LH pits from P3 – rejoins P12, behind BS
15/57: KR pits, as does KK, PM, NH, DR
16: FA pits from P3 – rejoins just in front of KR
17: SV pits – he had a 15+ sec gap over RG
RG pits from P2 – rejoins ahead of LH
18: FA all over MW’s gearbox, pushing him for P8 … and takes it
FA now round the outside of BS for P7
19: SV f/lap 1:44.555
FA trying to find a way past MS but it’s quite a battle
FA takes P6, leaving MS to be attacked by BS & MW
20/57: SV, PRe*, RG, NR*, LH, MS* (*yet to pit)
MS & MW pit
Lots of tight fighting over P7
KK attacks BS – contact
Replay shows BS closed the door on KK
KK front wing damage; BS puncture
21: NR pits, as does KK
BS finally limps back to the pits; team check his rear right
22: PRe only one yet to pit
24: KR down the inside of PRe
Drive through penalty for car 19 (BS) for causing collision
25/57: SV, RG, LH, FA, KR, PM, FM, NH, JB, SP; no retirements
26: RG f/lap 1:44.451
DR takes P10 from SP
BS serves his drive-through penalty
27: JB pits
28: RG f/lap 1:44.148
FM pits
Half distance
JV passes HK; cuts back in too soon and punctures his tyre on HK’s front wing
Safety Car deployed
JV pits – team rushing to get him out the way so they can pit his teammate
29[SC]: RG pits, as do most of the front runners
An absolutely atrocious pit stop for LH – front jack failed?
Incident involving cars 17 & 20 (JV & HK) will be investigated after the race
Replay clearly shows that was JV’s fault, if you ask me
30/57[SC]: SV pits
Radio for LH – we don’t want to stop again
SC waiting for SV to catch up
31[SC]: Lapped cars can now pass SC – 22, 25, 20, 19, 23 (PRo, CP, HK, BS, NK)
32[SC]: Everyone’s closed up behind SV
Why is RG locking up?
33[SC]: Order is SV, RG, FA, DR, KR, LH, NR, MS, MW, PM; retirements: JV.
SC in at the end of this lap
SV slows everyone even more, so he can let the SC pull off
34: FA attacks RG and takes P2
FM and KK contact on the bridge – replay shows FM ran wide and KK smashes into the Ferrari
LH takes P5 from KR
SV slowing – pulls off line – stops on track
35/57: Huge roar from the crowd as FA come past in P1
FM has made it back to the pits – confusion over which tyres
LH blasts past DR for P3
36: RG still all over FA’s tail
37: Incident involving cars 6 and 14 (FM & KK) under investigation
MS passes DR for P5
MW now looking for a way round his countryman
Incident involving car 4 (LH) for ignoring yellow flags
PM down the inside of MW – pushes the Red Bull wide and takes P7
DR pits
38: NH past MW too
FA f/lap 1:44.141
39: FA f/lap 1:43.754 but he can’t shake RG
MW pits
40/57: FA, RG, LH, KR, MS, PM, NH, PRe, JB, SP; retirements: SV, KK, JV
Drive-through penalty for car 23 (NK) for speeding in the pit lane
SP attacking JB but the McLaren keeps P9
NK serves his penalty
41: FA f/lap 1:43.666
MW f/lap 1:42.717
RG slowing – he’s pulled off line – parks it at a gap in the wall
Radio for RG – sorry – lost the alternator
SP down the inside on the final turn – takes P7 from JB
42: MS pits – rejoins ahead of MW
MW attacking MS for P11
43: Radio for LH – “we can do this”; “great job”
44: FA has 3.7sec lead over LH, who has KR just 0.7sec behind him
Radio for KR telling him they think FA’s tyres are going off, and if he passes LH he can win this
45/57: FA, LH, KR, PM, NH, PRe, SP, JB, NR, VP; retirements: RG, SV, KK, JV
MS down the inside of VP to take P10
MW past VP too
46: FA maintaining a 3.7sec gap
LH still defending from KR
47: NR pits – that’s a late 2nd stop for Mercedes
Personal best lap for JB
Race control: 5 grid-spot penalty for KK for next race for causing collision
48: VP has lost his front wing – replay shows he hit DR and bounced DR into a spin
Race control: no further action re: LH / yellow flags
VP pits
49: Incident involving cars 21 and 16 (VP & DR) under investigation
MS attacking JB – takes P8
MW follows MS past JB – JB down to P10
50/57: FA, LH, KR, PM, NH, PRe, SP, MS, MW, JB; retirements: RG, SV, KK, JV
NR uses DRS to sail past BS for P11
51: FA still has 3.6sec lead over LH; KR fallen back to 1.4sec behind LH
NR f/lap 1:42.614
52: Race control: no further action for DR/VP incident
53: MS takes P7 from SP … and MW follows him past
VP and FM battling hard over P15
54: MS now closing on PRe
MS takes P6 but MW can’t follow the Mercedes this time
FM pits – stop #4 for the Ferrari
MW finds a way past the Force India
55/57: FA, LH, KR, PM, NH, MS, MW, PRe, SP, JB; retirements: RG, SV, KK, JV
NR f/lap 1:42.163
Huge lockup for LH
Mistake from LH and KR tries to take P2 – LH defends like crazy
KR has another couple of looks and finally takes P2 from LH
56: PM attacking LH but the McLaren hangs on to P3
LH struggling – no grip left
PM tries to go round the outside but LH runs him wide
PM turns in – pushes LH into the wall!
LH furiously thumping the steering wheel; throws the wheel as he gets out
PM has lost his front wing
57 = final lap: MS & MW pass PM
Incident involving cars 4 and 18 (LH & PM) will be investigated after the race
FA takes the chequered flag – the first person to win 2 races this season
KR home in P2
MS 3rd – his first podium since his return to F1 in 2010
MW P4
NH P5
NR P6
FA slows and grabs a flag – that’s resulted in a penalty in the past
FA parks in front of the grandstand and enjoys their adulation … but if he’s out of fuel, that’s a penalty too (If he isn’t, why did he stop?)
Provisional result: FA, KR, MS, MW, NH, NR, PRe, JB, SP, PM; BS, DR, VP, HK, CP, FM, PRo, NK
DNF: LH, RG, SV, KK, JV
Hopefully PM will be stripped of P10 for taking out LH on the penultimate lap
Long delay for the podium celebration because FA is too busy with his fans – they should do it without him!
Apparently MW told his team that he saw MS using DRS as they approached yellow flags, so there’s yet another incident for the stewards to investigate … I guess it’ll be a while before we know the final result.
Incidents:
Lap 29 = cars 17 & 20 (JV & HK) will be investigated after the race
Lap 37 = cars 6 and 14 (FM & KK) under investigation
Lap 37 = car 4 (LH) for ignoring yellow flags -> no further action
Lap 49 = cars 21 and 16 (VP & DR) under investigation -> no further action
Lap 57 = cars 4 and 18 (LH & PM) will be investigated after the race
Lap ?? = MW told his team that he saw MS using DRS as they approached yellow flags
Lap 58 (after chequered flag) = FA stopping for flag, and parking in front of grandstand instead of returning to parc ferme
Penalty updates:
Kobayashi will be demoted five places on the grid, following his coming together with the Ferrari of Felipe Massa. Vergne, meanwhile, received a 10-place grid drop and – due to the serious nature of the incident – a €25,000 fine for his clash with Heikki Kovalainen’s Caterham on Lap 27.”
[source: FIA]
[source: FIA]
[source: FIA]
I don’t think the time penalty is enough, but at least it acknowledges the collision was PM’s fault.
Relegating PM to P12 means BS takes the final point.