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Bridgestone
Bridgestone’s
soft tyre allowed Jenson Button to set an exciting pole lap of
1:35.181s at Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Brawn Mercedes
driver took pole by just over nine hundredths from Toyota’s
Jarno Trulli.
Track conditions
were improved from Friday, with more rubber down, but teams and
drivers still struggled to find the best compromises with the new
cars and Bridgestone’s slick tyres.
Hirohide
Hamashima, Tyre Development Director
“Today showed
us that the cars are very close to each other on lap times. For
example, in FP3 the top thirteen cars were covered by a second. In
terms of tyre performance, the soft tyre has an advantage of about
around 1.0–1.3 seconds over its best lap. The soft is able to
deliver its best lap time generally on its first flying lap and the
performance drop-off does not appear to be as extreme as we saw with
the super soft tyre in Australia.
The hard gives its
best lap time after around 3-4 laps and we have seen very durable
performance from it, so it should be the better race tyre.”
“Sepang is an
interesting circuit as the track surface improves a lot over the
course of the race weekend. This is because the high temperatures
mean that the rubber laid melts into the track surface allowing very
good surface from a grip point of view. Race strategy should be
interesting here, as the difference between the tyres in terms of
performance drop-off is not as great as in Australia, so there could
be more strategy options.”
Ferrari
After finishing
first and second yesterday afternoon in practice in Malaysia, things
were looking good for the Ferrari team this weekend. Qualifying for
the second round of the championship saw it all go wrong for the
Italian team however with Felipe Massa lining up 16th and Kimi
Raikkonen seventh.
Massa was one of
the first on track in the first round of qualifying opting to run the
softer option Bridgestone tyre. Having completed two flying lap the
Brazilian pitted confident that his time would be fast enough to make
it into the second round of qualifying.
It was the wrong
decision as the final second of the 20 minute session saw Massa
bumped down the order and eliminated from further qualifying.
Team-mate
Raikkonen made it to the final round of qualifying and set the ninth
fastest time. With two rivals taking grid position penalties, the
Finn starts the race from seventh.
Felipe Massa
“I am very
disappointed. If I had ended up 16th because of a lack of
performance, then I could have accepted the result, but like this it
hurts even more. The track improved so much with each passing lap and
my first run was not perfect and nor was it enough. We did not react
in time and lost the chance to have another go. No one person is to
blame: we are a team and we lose or win all together."
"We have to
change our approach and tackle qualifying in a different way to the past.
There is no room
for error and we have to give it our all, right from the first
session. Nevertheless, I am very motivated. It won’t be the
first time I will have to tackle a race starting way down the order
and I know I can count on having a strong pace. We will have to try
and exploit every opportunity to make up places.”
Kimi Raikkonen
“Honestly,
the main problem is that, at the moment, we are not quick enough to
fight for the top places. The car is not lacking in any particular
area, but we do not have enough grip to be as quick as those who
finished ahead of us today. Tomorrow’s race will be very tough.
We will try to make the most of the start."
"In
Australia, it was very good but there was nowhere to go, whereas
here, the straight is long and the track is wide. Furthermore, as we
saw yesterday, our pace is competitive. We have to improve our
performance but obviously, it is important to have the regulations
clarified as quickly as possible, to understand in which direction to
go. Both types of tyres work well over a distance and we will try and
exploit that.”
Luca Baldisserri:
"We opted to do just one run on the new soft tyres in Q1 in
order to save a set for the following sessions and to do that run
right at the start of qualifying as we were worried about the threat
of rain. Then we did not react quickly enough in recognizing that the
track was improving much more than we had expected and we watched our
two drivers slide further and further down the order, to such an
extent that Felipe didn't make it to Q2. Now we have to concentrate
on the race. We know our potential over a distance is better than
that shown over the first lap and tomorrow we will have to make the
most of that."
Renault
Today’s
qualifying session saw Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet qualify in
tenth and 17th places respectively for tomorrow’s Malaysian
Grand Prix. Alonso, who has been suffering with an ear infection but
felt much better today, gains one grid position due to a Sebastian
Vettel's ten position penalty and therefore starts the 56 lap race
from ninth position.
Fernando Alonso
"I had no
temperature this morning so I was in better condition to drive the
car. Our result today is a bit disappointing because I expected to be
fifth or sixth in qualifying, but overall the car is better than in
Australia, although we’re not fast enough and need to improve.
We will also have to see what role KERS will play in the race tomorrow.”
Nelson Piquet
“This morning
we knew that it might be a difficult qualifying session. However it
could have worked out better for me this afternoon, but on my final
lap I pushed a bit too hard at the end of the lap and lost three or
four tenths, which proved costly. I’m obviously disappointed
that I couldn’t get the most from qualifying, but I have to put
this behind me and think about the race tomorrow.”
Pat Symonds,
Executive Director of Engineering
“It was a bit
cooler as we were running later in the afternoon. The track
temperature started at about 40?C and dropped to about 36?C, although
the grip seemed reasonably constant throughout the sessions. It was
tough to get into the final part of qualifying but we managed to do
it with one car this weekend. The performance is not yet where we
want it to be.”
"We have
decided to run with quite a high fuel load so that if the weather
turns bad tomorrow we will have an advantage. Our strategy will
depend on the weather. It is going to be very tough tomorrow. Even
starting at 5pm will give us high temperatures and high humidity. If
the rain comes it will be intense and produce very difficult conditions.”
Brawn Mercedes
Jenson Button took
his second successive pole position today in qualifying for the
Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit maintaining
his and the Brawn GP team’s perfect start to the season.
Team-mate Rubens
Barrichello qualified in fourth having battled with understeer with
his car throughout qualifying but takes a five-place grid penalty
ahead of tomorrow’s 56-lap race after a gearbox change.
The Brawn Mercedes
drivers topped the times in all three qualifying sessions with
Barrichello going quickest at the end of Q1 on the soft option tyre
and Button posting the fastest lap of Q2 on his first set of options
having used the harder prime tyre for his previous runs. Both drivers
completed two runs in Q3 with Button coming out on top to secure his
second pole of the season.
Jenson Button
“Achieving
pole position today in Malaysia is possibly even more special than
last week in Australia. It’s not easy to get one pole but two
successive poles is just fantastic and it’s a first for me in my
Formula One career. It’s a great feeling and proves that our car
works well on different types of circuit. We were really struggling
with the balance yesterday and I had a lot of rear locking however we
made some changes to the car overnight which really improved it for
today and it felt really good throughout qualifying. It’s a big
turnaround and I have to say thank you to the team for their hard
work in such tough conditions. They did a fantastic job.
We are hoping that
the rain stays away tomorrow but you just never know at this circuit
and we will be working hard tonight to make sure we are prepared for
all eventualities.”
Rubens Barrichello
“It was a
good qualifying session for the team today and well done to Jenson
once again as he had the pace to put the car on pole. Unfortunately
on my side of the garage, the car developed understeer in qualifying
and we were not able to resolve the problem. However we know the
performance of the car in race conditions is strong and I will be
aiming to score as many points as possible tomorrow before I can
start chasing for my own pole position and wins.”
Ross Brawn
“It was a
great qualifying performance from Jenson and the team today
particularly as we had some issues with the balance of the car in
yesterday’s practice sessions. At the start of qualifying, there
was a distinct possibility of rain so we went out early in Q1 to bank
some dry running and from there it was a busy session with the track
evolving incredibly quickly. Rubens was struggling for grip under
braking which resulted in understeer and he was never completely
happy with the balance of his car."
Red Bull
Renault
Sebastian Vettel
proved very strong in qualifying for the Malaysia Grand Prix as the
German racer recorded the third fastest time, less than three-tenths
off the ultimate pace.
Vettel however
takes a ten position grid penalty as a result of his incident in
Australia with Robert Kubica and therefore starts the 56-lap race
from 13th position.
Team-mate Mark
Webber was seventh fastest in qualifying but is promoted to fifth
position on the grid due to the penalties given to Vettel and Rubens Barrichello.
Sebastian Vettel
“I have the
penalty and there’s nothing I can do about that. The secret is
just to focus on what I’m here to do and I’m here to race,
so that’s what we do. Of course it’s a shame to see the car
performing at a good level in Q1, Q2 and Q3 and know that we have a
plus ten tomorrow; we were up in the top five throughout. It will be
a very tough day tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to it and
nothing is impossible. I’m hoping for some rain, as that can mix
things up quite a lot, but let’s see.”
Mark Webber
“Qualifying’s
tight! That was quite an enjoyable session.
It would be nice
to have a bit more of a cushion between us and the other cars, but
that’s not what it’s about at the moment and seventh is the
best I could do. With the strategy we’re on, we’ll see how
we go tomorrow.”
Christian Horner,
Team Principal
“A strong
team qualifying performance today. Both Mark and Sebastian are
looking quick, but we’re just too far behind the double-decker
diffusers at the moment. Unfortunately, Sebastian has his ten-place
penalty to take, but hopefully he can have a bit of luck tomorrow.”
Fabrice Lom, Renault
“A nice
qualifying. The performance of the car is good and I think we will be
in 5th and 13th on the grid tomorrow with the penalty. We have new
engines here and with the quality of our engine and the way the RB5
is performing, I think we have everything under control for tomorrow.
It’s a tough race for the engine here, but it’s even
tougher for the driver.”
BMW Sauber
Robert Kubica
"I’m
satisfied with what I was able to achieve today. Although we
didn’t make any major changes after free practice the car was
bottoming quite a lot, which made it unstable and therefore not easy
to drive. I did what I could in the corners, but the straights are
long here and give the drivers who are using a KERS a major
advantage. I have to start on the dirty side of the track plus I have
some cars with a KERS behind me, which will make the start very interesting."
Nick Heidfeld
"Of course
I’m very disappointed. I looked fairly safe in Q2 when I was
seventh, but on my second quick run I had traffic on the out lap. Two
cars in front of me and one behind meant that I couldn’t go at
the pace needed to heat the tyres up, and then the important lap
wasn’t good enough. After we did the comparison yesterday I was
using the KERS today and it helped, especially in sector one where I
was the fastest car for most of the time."
Mario Theissen,
BMW Motorsport Director
"The rain
that was expected for qualifying didn’t come, and the result
confirms the picture we already saw emerging in Melbourne. It remains
difficult to break into the ranks of the teams with the two step
diffusers. Having said this, we have to be satisfied with the
positions we have achieved. Due to two drivers having penalties that
will drop them down the grid, Robert and Nick will be starting from
sixth and tenth. For tomorrow there is also a high chance of rain,
which means the order could get mixed up during the race."
Willy Rampf, Head
of Engineering
"We knew it
would be very difficult, but nevertheless we hoped to get both our
drivers into Q3. Unfortunately that didn’t work out with Nick.
Because of traffic on his final out lap he was not able to heat his
tyres up properly. Robert was consistently doing well, and did the
best he could. Being sixth is an acceptable grid position with our strategy."
Toro Rosso Ferrari
While Toro Rosso
rookie Sebastien Buemi bounced through the gravel trap at the end of
the first round of qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix, Sebastien
Bourdais was preparing for the second round of qualifying action.
Buemi's last lap
error consigned him to 20th position on the grid while Bourdais was
resigned to be the slowest of the remaining 15 and duly takes the position.
Sebastien Bourdais
“We were
quicker than expected in qualifying which is great, even if we are
still not where we want to be. I would expect that as we develop the
car more, maybe by the time we get to Spain we can be thereabouts.
I’m not sure if I want rain or not tomorrow, but for sure, it
might be the best chance we have of scoring points."
Sebastien Buemi
“On my
penultimate set of tyres I was in a Q2 position and then on my final
set I improved a lot in sectors 1 and 2. Unfortunately, in the final
sector, I caught the kerb and ended up in the gravel. It’s a
shame. For tomorrow, the best thing for me would be to have very
changeable conditions to see if we could profit from any unusual
situation that might develop.”
Giorgio Ascanelli
“Once again I
am happy with the reliability of our cars: in the five days of
running we have had so far in this year’s championship, we have
had just one problem with a minor component yesterday afternoon.
Getting one car into Q2 is an achievement. Of course, we could have
done better, but our level of understanding of the car is improving
and the drivers are getting used to it. Today, Buemi made a mistake,
but if a young driver doesn’t make mistakes he doesn’t
learn and Bourdais did a good job.”
Toyota
Toyota will start
the Malaysian Grand Prix with two cars in the top three after a close
qualifying session at Sepang International Circuit today.
The session
started in late afternoon with threatening rain clouds gathering but
air temperatures nevertheless of 29-30°C and track temperatures
of 36-40°C. After testing both Bridgestone Potenza tyres in
practice, both drivers used the hard tyres at the beginning but then
switched to the softer option to ease through Q1, when just 1.5s
covered the entire grid.
It was also close
in Q2 but both Toyotas comfortably made it through, again on the
option tyres. As usual, the top-10 shoot-out in Q3 was a close affair
but Jarno Trulli was always in the fight for pole position and he
claimed second in the very last seconds as the rain stayed away. Timo
Glock, who also used the soft compound for his flying laps, improved
significantly with his final run to set the fifth fastest time.
However, due to penalties for other cars he will start third.
Jarno Trulli
"The team has
done a fantastic job, we stayed away from traffic and the car was
feeling good, so it has been a very successful day for us. The car
feels strong now but I have to admit I wasn't sure I would be in this
position after practice yesterday because it was quite difficult. I
worked hard with my engineers to analyse the data and make some
improvements to the set-up and we got it spot-on in qualifying.
In a way it's a
little disappointing to miss pole position by just a few hundredths
but that's how close Formula One is at the moment. Compared to last
year we are much more competitive this season and instead of fighting
for the top six we are now here fighting in the top three. I hope for
a strong race tomorrow and I will fight as hard as I can."
Timo Glock
"Overall the
qualifying went quite well and I'm happy to be starting third. But
I'm a bit frustrated with my final lap in Q3 because I was struggling
a little bit to get used to how the car felt with a heavier fuel
load. That meant I didn't get 100% out of the car. In Q2, on a light
fuel load, I made a few mistakes on my first run but then I got it
absolutely right on the second and I was really pleased with my lap.
In the end it's a good result for the whole team to have two cars in
the top three. It will be a tricky race and Jarno and I will push
each other very hard but we also have to think about the weather
because that could be a factor."
Ferrari’s
Felipe Massa on failing to make it through to Q2; BMW Sauber’s
Nick Heidfeld and both McLaren drivers on falling at the final
hurdle; and Brawn GP’s Jenson Button on how it feels to take his
second consecutive pole. All ten teams and 20 drivers report back on
Saturday’s action&ldots;
Williams
Nico Rosberg (6th,
Q3 - 1m 35.750s):
“I am very
happy with fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Our general
pace in the first two qualifying sessions wasn’t quite where we
wanted to be, but it gave us enough to work with. Then in Q3, with
some fuel in the car, it felt really nice which allowed me to put in
a very good lap that put me on sixth, which after the penalties for
the other cars, is on the second row. From that start position as
well as with a good car and a good strategy, we can be optimistic and
say we have a good chance to aim for a podium. One consideration is
of course the start and I will have to check who will be using KERS
around me. My preference for tomorrow would definitely be a dry race
because it’s always the safer way to go, but if it rains, even
though it will mix things up, it will be no problem and we will make
the best of either situation.”
Kazuki Nakajima
(12th, Q2 - 1m 34.788s):
“The car was
good, I had a good feeling in the cockpit and everything went okay
today, but I just needed to find another tenth to get into Q3.
Despite this, I now have the freedom to fuel the car for the optimum
strategy, and with this benefit and a good long run pace, a good
finish is possible if I keep my head down during the race.”
Sam Michael,
technical director:
“Today Nico
had a good qualifying session and we expected that Kazuki would also
make Q3, but he will nevertheless race well from just outside the top
ten. The cars both ran well, without problems and we are looking
forward to a strong race tomorrow and collecting some points.”
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton
(13th, Q2 - 1m 34.905):
“We qualified
about where we expected to. We don’t yet have the pace to get
into Q3 but the balance doesn’t feel too bad - we’re just
unable to carry enough speed through the corners. We expect to see
some improvements over the next two or three races. For tomorrow,
I’m just going to race my heart out, do the best I can and try
and score some points.”
Heikki
Kovalainen (14th, Q2 - 1m 34.924s):
“We knew that
getting into the top 10 would be tough, so my result was more or less
what I expected. The gap to the cars in front is smaller than it was
in Melbourne, so I’m confident that we’re headed in the
right direction, but we haven’t yet found that extra bit of
speed we need. The balance today wasn’t completely to my liking,
but I did my best and I’m looking forward to an enjoyable battle
in the race tomorrow.”
Martin
Whitmarsh, team principal
“We always
knew that qualifying would be difficult around Sepang because MP4-24
lacks the aerodynamic downforce needed to match the top teams.
That’s no fault of either Lewis or Heikki, who have driven
faultlessly all weekend: they just lack the grip needed to get the
most from the car through the high-speed corners. Of course, starting
12th and 14th is not where we are accustomed to starting grands prix,
but we are confident that the improvements we are preparing for the
forthcoming races will allow us to quickly move into the midst of the
tight pocket of cars competing for times in Q3.”
Norbert Haug,
vice-president Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“We will
start tomorrow's race from about where we thought we would. We have
made some small additional improvements to MP4-24 since last
weekend’s season opener in Australia but we still missed out on
getting into the top 10 by two tenths of a second. Our KERS certainly
helped laptimes in sectors one and three and we hope it will also
prove beneficial tomorrow and hopefully help us overtake some of the
cars that start ahead of us.”
Force India
Giancarlo
Fisichella (18th, Q1 - 1m 35.908s):
“I had a
problem with the throttle pedal on the first run so we changed it and
I lost the chance to do three runs, which was very important. The lap
I did was clean and the car is well balanced. Again the field is very
mixed and with the chance of some rain we should look to keep up with
the field and take any chance we can.”
Adrian Sutil
(19th, Q1 - 1m 35.951s):
“We did a
good job today, we had no problems and this was our pace - we
couldn't really have done better. We just need to find some
downforce. For tomorrow, I want to have a good race and to get to the
finish. We are very quick down the straights and there is some
potential for overtaking so let's see - we had an exciting race in
Melbourne and anything can happen. I am still positive.”
Dominic Harlow,
chief race engineer:
“It was a
tense session today with a constant threat of heavy showers, but they
didn't materialise. Giancarlo lost some track time with a throttle
pedal problem, but recovered well to place a time just 0.05s faster
than Adrian. We're expecting an interesting race tomorrow and we know
from last weekend that our race pace coupled with strong straightline
speed and a creative strategy could be good enough to score points.” |