Vettel and Massa P1 and P2. I supported them last year, maybe will this year too.
Full Grid Line-up.
Programme starts at 11:10 tomorrow.
A couple of minutes to the off!
Results - Sorry no race coverage.
(All times UK)
 |
Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Melbourne, 26-28 March 2010
Fri 26 Mar: Practice 1 0130-0300; Practice 2 0530-0700
Sat 27 Mar: Practice 3 0300-0400; Qualifying 0600 - TV coverage, 0500 to 0730
Sun 28 Mar: Race 0700
TV coverage 0600 to 0900
Edit: Hmmm....Digiguide is STILL telling me it's on between 5 and 6 am and that there is nothing between 6 and 7:30.
Messed up my whole Saturday that MISinformation has. 
Nothing too dramatic happened during qualification, except that Hamilton DIDN'T make Q3.
Grid Line-up
Grid Line-up
Formation lap under way....and it's raining in Australia! 
Vettel gets away ok, Webber's a bit slower and Massa storms up and takes second. Alonso doesn't start well and there's contact with Button and he end up facing backwards and button clips Schumacher who has to pit for a new nose.
Meanwhile some of the newer ones get out of shape and there's a bit of a smash and the safety car is deployed.
Meanwhile some of the newer ones get out of shape and there's a bit of a smash and the safety car is deployed.
Most, if not all, cars have started on intermediates. Lap 7 and button pits for slicks.
Massa slips up and Webber gets back to 2nd.Kubica challenges Massa too, but Massa manages to fend him off.
Lap 9 and they're all piling in for slicks. Vettel waits to lap 10. Webber later again and looses a place to Massa again. Vettel back in the lead with Button in 2nd.
They reckon that Button would be in the lead if he hadn't immediately gone off track when he changed tyres.
They reckon that Button would be in the lead if he hadn't immediately gone off track when he changed tyres.
Order:-
Vettel
Button
Kubica
Rosberg
Massa
Webber
Hamilton
Alonso
Barrichello
Vettel
Button
Kubica
Rosberg
Massa
Webber
Hamilton
Alonso
Barrichello
Webber passes Massa and Hamilton zooms up and passes Massa too. He challenges Webber and actually passes him but Webber storms back but gets a bit close and runs off and upsets Hamilton's line, so Massa gets the place back and Webber rejoins behind Hamilton and looses out to Alonso too.
Hamilton passes Massa who tries to get the place back and Alonso tries to take advantage of this to pass Massa but can't, but in that confusion Webber passes Alonso.
Hamilton in 5th is now pressing Rosberg for 4th and Webber is pressing Massa for 6th.
Hamilton passes but Rosberg tries to get it back but has to yield because they are entering a yellow flag zone.
VETTEL HAS GONE OFF!!!
Hamilton passes but Rosberg tries to get it back but has to yield because they are entering a yellow flag zone.
VETTEL HAS GONE OFF!!!
Lap 31 and there are only 15 cars left running.
Webber has passed Massa and Hamilton is now pressing Kubica for 2nd place.
Schumacher has now managed to pass Alguersuari for 12th
Webber has passed Massa and Hamilton is now pressing Kubica for 2nd place.
Schumacher has now managed to pass Alguersuari for 12th
Hamilton, Webber and Rosberg have all pitted for new tyres and are now in that order BEHIND Massa and Alonso.
Webber and Hamilton are having a battle. Hamilton ahead, Webber ahead, Hamilton ahead again.
Webber and Hamilton are having a battle. Hamilton ahead, Webber ahead, Hamilton ahead again.
Order:-
Button
Kubica
Massa
Alonso
Hamilton
Webber
Rosberg
Liuzi
De La Rosa
Barrichello
Button
Kubica
Massa
Alonso
Hamilton
Webber
Rosberg
Liuzi
De La Rosa
Barrichello
The two Ferraris are closing on Kubica while Hamilton and Webber are closing on the Ferraris.
Hamilton tries to pass Alonso and Webber follows but Hamilton has to yield and he and Webber make contact and both go off. They both rejoin but have lost places and Webber has to pit for a new nose,
Hamilton is now 6th and Webber is 9th. Schumacher makes it to 10th and salvages one point from a fairly disasterous race. Re early accident and stop for new nose.
Hamilton is now 6th and Webber is 9th. Schumacher makes it to 10th and salvages one point from a fairly disasterous race. Re early accident and stop for new nose.
Result:-
Button
Kubica
Massa
Alonso
Rosberg
Hamilton
Liuzi
De La Rosa
Webber
Schumacher
Button
Kubica
Massa
Alonso
Rosberg
Hamilton
Liuzi
De La Rosa
Webber
Schumacher
Malaysian GP this weekend.
Qualifying today - programme starts at 8am with car action from 9am.
Qualifying today - programme starts at 8am with car action from 9am.
Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang, 2-4 April 2010
Fri 2 Apr: Practice 1 0300-0430; Practice 2 0700-0830
Sat 3 Apr: Practice 3 0600-0700; Qualifying 0900
Sun 4 Apr: Race 0900
Oh wow, just in and it's MEGA wet out there. They all seem to have started on intermediates and they're flying off right left and centre.
Even those that are now on full wets are struggling.
Even those that are now on full wets are struggling.
Big names out in Q1.
Trulli
Hamilton
Alonso
Massa
Button managed to get through to Q2, but he beached the car in the gravel and won't actually take part in Q2. So he will start the race in P17 (penalties not withstanding).
Trulli
Hamilton
Alonso
Massa
Button managed to get through to Q2, but he beached the car in the gravel and won't actually take part in Q2. So he will start the race in P17 (penalties not withstanding).
Q2 started and the forecast is for more heavy rain in in a few minutes.
Mixture of full wets and intermediates on the cars.
Mixture of full wets and intermediates on the cars.
Webber's just dropped to 11th and the rain's getting heavier in places.
Webber pops into 7th, but there are others still out there. 
All the remaining big names make it through to Q1.
Q3, they're all on full wets, I believe, because it's torrential rain again.
RED FLAG!!!!
SESSION STOPPED....with 7:17 still to go.
SESSION STOPPED....with 7:17 still to go.
Indefinite Delay!
Apparently we now have a further 2 hours in which to finish the session before it is officially abandoned.
Apparently we now have a further 2 hours in which to finish the session before it is officially abandoned.
Q1 starting again in 2 minutes....but heavy rain expected again two minutes later again. 
Webber's on intermediates apparently, but Vettel's on full wets.
Webber's on intermediates apparently, but Vettel's on full wets.
Webber's first flying lap on intermediates didn't look too good as he only got to P7, but his second run put him in P1 and his third lap was over a second faster again!
Grid positions (barring penalties)
| Pos | Country | Driver | Car | Team | Qualifying timeQ1 | Qualifying time Q2 | Qualifying time Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | australia | Mark Webber | 6 | Red Bull-Renault | 1:51.886 | 1:48.210 | 1:49.327 |
| 2 | germany | Nico Rosberg | 4 | Mercedes GP | 1:52.560 | 1:47.417 | 1:50.673 |
| 3 | germany | Sebastian Vettel | 5 | Red Bull-Renault | 1:47.632 | 1:46.828 | 1:50.789 |
| 4 | germany | Adrian Sutil | 14 | Force India-Mercedes | 1:49.479 | 1:47.085 | 1:50.914 |
| 5 | germany | Nico Hulkenberg | 10 | Williams-Cosworth | 1:49.664 | 1:47.346 | 1:51.001 |
| 6 | poland | Robert Kubica | 11 | Renault | 1:46.283 | 1:46.951 | 1:51.051 |
| 7 | brazil | Rubens Barrichello | 9 | Williams-Cosworth | 1:50.301 | 1:48.371 | 1:51.511 |
| 8 | germany | Michael Schumacher | 3 | Mercedes GP | 1:52.239 | 1:48.400 | 1:51.717 |
| 9 | japan | Kamui Kobayashi | 23 | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | 1:48.467 | 1:47.792 | 1:51.767 |
| 10 | italy | Vitantonio Liuzzi | 15 | Force India-Mercedes | 1:49.922 | 1:48.238 | 1:52.254 |
| 11 | russia | Vitaly Petrov | 12 | Renault | 1:47.952 | 1:48.760 | |
| 12 | spain | Pedro de la Rosa | 22 | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | 1:47.153 | 1:48.771 | |
| 13 | switzerland | Sebastien Buemi | 16 | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1:48.945 | 1:49.207 | |
| 14 | spain | Jaime Alguersuari | 17 | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1:48.655 | 1:49.464 | |
| 15 | finland | Heikki Kovalainen | 19 | Lotus-Cosworth | 1:52.875 | 1:52.270 | |
| 16 | germany | Timo Glock | 24 | Virgin-Cosworth | 1:52.398 | 1:52.520 | |
| 17 | great britain | Jenson Button | 1 | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:52.211 | 1:52.211 | |
| 18 | italy | Jarno Trulli | 18 | Lotus-Cosworth | 1:52.884 | ||
| 19 | spain | Fernando Alonso | 8 | Ferrari | 1:53.044 | ||
| 20 | great britain | Lewis Hamilton | 2 | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:53.050 | ||
| 21 | brazil | Felipe Massa | 7 | Ferrari | 1:53.283 | ||
| 22 | india | Karun Chandhok | 20 | Hispania-Cosworth | 1:56.299 | ||
| 23 | brazil | Bruno Senna | 21 | Hispania-Cosworth | 1:57.269 | ||
| 24 | brazil | Lucas di Grassi | 25 | Virgin-Cosworth | 1:59.977 |
I missed the quali, but what the hell happened to the McLarens
They played a waiting game in Q1, thinking the rain would stop and they could dash out and put in a quick lap at the end.
But the rain didn't stop, in fact it just got heavier and heavier and so they had to go out when lap times were getting slower and slower. Shot themselves in the foot.
But the rain didn't stop, in fact it just got heavier and heavier and so they had to go out when lap times were getting slower and slower. Shot themselves in the foot.
Of course, if Button hadn't beached his car at the end of Q1 and had actually taken part in Q2, he might have got a higher place....but he did and he didn't.
He said the car just aquaplaned off.
He said the car just aquaplaned off.
Tyre choice then.................they didn't think 
Definitely tyre choice played a big part in it. They were on intermediates when they should have been on full wets, and by the time they changed to full wets. there wasn't enough water shifted from the track and they were still having problems.