Tag: lewis hamilton

Lewis Hamilton makes it two in a row for Friday Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes seem to be taking the fight to Red Bull this weekend as Hamilton made it a clean sweep of fastest times in both Friday Free Practice sessions.

Hamilton not only set the fastest times during the free practice sessions, but was also very positive about his tyre life over the longer runs while most other drivers were complaining about high degradation.

During the first free practice session, Hamilton posted a 1.39.630 to beat championship leader Sebastian Vettel by 0.037. In the second free practice session Hamilton seemed to up the ante, posting a 1.38.673 to beat Vettel by 0.108.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg also put in a strong performance during the free practice sessions, finishing FP2 in third only a fraction off Vettel’s time and ahead of Mark Webber in the other Red Bull.

The Ferrari’s were a little further off the pace with Felipe Massa finishing the second free practice session in 5th and Fernando Alonso in 7th place.

Kimi Raikkonen, who crashed during FP1 managed to get straight back out for the second free practice session and complete FP2 in 8th place. Click here to see the video footage of Raikkonen’s accident.

Raikkonen’s back has been an issue but reassurances from his physio are that the Iceman is good to race this weekend.

There were no repeats of Raikkonen’s accident during FP2 but both Charles Pic and Esteban Gutierrez had minor spins and Fernando Alonso also made a little trip on to the grass.

It was a little disappointing to see that there were no spectators out in the Korean grand stands during either free practice session. Such a pity that there is not more support for F1 races in Korea as this is a very interesting circuit that delivers interesting races.

Perhaps the threat of bad weather has kept spectators away but we sincerely hope that there will be more of a crowd for tomorrows FP3, qualifying and the race on Sunday.

Time sheets for both Friday free practice sessions are below.

As always we will have live commentary of FP3, qualifying and the race on Sunday on @F1_Madness. See you then!

FP1 Time sheet:

FP2 Time Sheet:

Photo Credits:

Lewis Hamilton – courtesy of Lewis Hamilton, via Twitter @LewisHamilton

Kimi Raikkonen crash – Lotus F1 Twitter Team

October 4, 2013
F1 2013: Korean GP Preview: F1 knuckles down in Korea

Speed, glamour and exotic locations are everyday associations with Formula 1. But F1 is also considered as the most advanced racing series in the world. These advances include revolutionary technological innovation and taking the sport to all corners of the globe.

There is no genuinely substantial connection between South Korea and motorsport however it did not detract from the construction of a world class racing venue. The Yeongam International Circuit has proven to be a diamond in the rough.

The circuit layout is a perfect blend of medium to high-speed corners with a distinct street track feel to the barrier lined final sector. “It’s a somewhat technical course, one that rewards precision more than it does commitment, so the main challenge comes from dialing the car into the track, which is satisfying when you get it right because there’s a lot of time to be had from running a well-balanced car,” said McLaren’s Sergio Perez.

The first sector of the lap is typified by long straights which translate to opportunities for overtaking. The entries to turns One and Three are the best prospects for overtaking at this weekend’s Korean GP before the tight and twisting nature of the rest of the lap dictates far fewer chances.

The race will be run over 55 laps under usually changeable conditions. When the rain comes down around these parts it has been known to reach monsoon levels. The inaugural race in 2010 was red flagged after only a handful of laps behind the safety car.

Sebastian Vettel has won the last two Korean GP and would have made it a hat trick had his Red Bull not given up the ghost in 2010. There is very little to suggest that the German will not be ahead of the pack this weekend. Team Principal Christian Horner has tried to play down Vettel’s dominant display in Singapore as a “once off” but it is hard to believe that Red Bull will suddenly have to fight tooth and nail for victory. Nevertheless, the Yeongam circuit does have attributes to it that has not suited Red Bull in the past – long straights.

Ferrari and Fernando Alonso will need a bit of luck on their side if they are to make inroads into the gigantic lead held by Sebastian Vettel. Alonso will want to beat his fierce rival in a straight out fight but something extraordinary has to happen if the Spaniard is going to truly be in contention for the title. That something extraordinary could be Red Bull’s less than stellar reliability this season. Mark Webber suffered a mechanical failure in Singapore and both cars were nursed to the finish of the Italian GP.

Mark Webber will start this weekend on the back foot after incurring a ten place grid penalty in Singapore for running onto the circuit during the cool down lap and hitching a ride back to the pits with Alonso. Kimi Raikkonen also heads to the Korean GP with question marks around his fitness. Raikkonen was hampered by back pain in Singapore and will use the first free practice session of Friday to assess the issue.

The possible appearance of Typhoon Fitow has cast some doubt whether the race will be run as scheduled. However, accurately predicting the weather pattern remains a dark and mysterious art that few seem able to master. The only guaranteed prediction is that Super-storm Seb will undoubtedly be thundering around the Yeongam circuit more voraciously than ever.

Photo Credits

Sergio Perez – Photo by McLarenF1.com

Alonso/Webber lift – F1 Madness screengrab

October 3, 2013
Unhappy Mark Webber says Singapore GP reprimand is comical

A very unhappy Mark Webber has branded his reprimand for hitching a ride with Fernando Alonso after the Singapore GP, as “comical”.

Having retired from the race on the final lap following a gearbox failure, Webber jogged out to Alonso on the slowing down lap and hitched a ride on Alonso’s F138 to return to the pits.

The stewards issued him with a reprimand for “entering the track without the permission of the marshals” and as it was his third reprimand of the year, Webber will suffer a 10 place grid penalty at the Korean Grand Prix.

Alonso was also reprimanded for stopping at an unsafe place which, when reviewing the video footage of the incident, one can see was in fact the case. Both Mercedes drivers needed to take avoiding action – veering off line – since Alonso had stopped on the exit of a blind corner, on the racing line.

Nico Rosberg narrowly avoided hitting the Ferrari as it slowed down for Webber in the middle of the road. Lewis Hamilton, who had to swerve on to the escape road, told SkySportsF1 that he thought hitching rides should be allowed in future, but should only be done in a safe manner – without stopping on the racing line.

“I was doing my in-lap and came round the corner and Fernando was there – I was really shocked,” Hamilton said. “If Mark was walking across where I went, I would have run him over. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. I think it’s good for fans to see but as long as it’s done in a safe manner, where we don’t stop on the racing line, maybe it should be allowed for the future.”

Mark Webber clearly thinks that either driver getting reprimanded is wrong. In a series of tweets on Twitter, Webber made his feelings around the situation known. “For @alo_oficial and me to receive reprimands for our actions after the race it is comical to say the least. Great moment, and fans loved it,” he wrote. “And while I’m at it, contrary to reports, there was no interaction at all with any track officials after we put the fire out.”

Webber then posted a picture montage of previous occasions when drivers had hitched a lift back to the pits, before highlighting a photo apparently showing Derek Warwick, one of the Singapore race stewards who handed out the controversial penalty, riding on the side of a Ferrari. “Looks like even one of the Singapore stewards has done it,” Webber commented.

Jenson Button also took time to make his feelings known on Twitter saying, “Disappointed to see the penalties for @AussieGrit and @alo_oficial, act of sportsmanship should not really be punished.”

Button did however, go on to admit that Alonso could have stopped in a safer place before picking Webber up. “Maybe @alo_oficial could have stopped in a slightly safer place but still think it’s a bit harsh..” Button said.

The FIA are set to brief all drivers on the situation in the coming weeks leading up to the Korean Grand Prix.

September 24, 2013
F1 2013: Singapore GP Review – Invincible Vettel Shatters Competitors

It has been a well-known fact for a number of years now that Red Bull cars have a leg up on the competition. However, Sebastian Vettel’s complete domination of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend will strike fear in the most resolute of hearts.

Nico Rosberg flew out of the blocks and momentarily snatched the lead of the race. However, the Mercedes driver ran slightly wide into turn one allowing Vettel the opportunity to re-take the lead of the race. Master-of-the-starts Fernando Alonso started seventh but scythed his way into third ensuring that Ferrari’s afternoon wouldn’t be as glum as previously expected.

Nevertheless, by the end of the first lap Vettel had scampered nearly two seconds clear of Rosberg and continued to pull dramatically away from the field. It looked set to be an afternoon of which Vettel would be firmly in control but a rare driver error from Daniel Ricciardo brought out the safety car mid-way through the race on lap 24. As several drivers dove into the pits the deployment of the safety car was expected to add some spice to the race at the front. Nothing could have been more unlikely.

Sebastian Vettel was able to turn a scintillating pace at the start of the 61 lap race. But as the safety car pulled into the pitlane at the end of the 31st the pace that Vettel churned was so ludicrously quick it bordered on the nigh impossible. To conclusively prove that there was no one near the level of Vettel this weekend the three-time champ pulled out a mind-boggling twenty seconds in nine laps over second placed Nico Rosberg.

Overtaking manoeuvres on a street track are usually at a premium and Singapore was no exception. Nevertheless, Kimi Raikkonen managed to pull off some audacious moves regardless. Despite back pain, which required a cortisone injection before the race, Raikkonen delivered an amazing drive from thirteenth on the grid to third. Teammate Romain Grosjean was on for a decent haul of points but an air consumption issue brought an end to his race.

Only Vettel, Webber, the two Mercedes and Grosjean elected not to pit with the deployment of the safety car. This left Fernando Alonso in second, Raikkonen battling with Button for third and Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez on course for some championship points. Alonso and Raikkonen were able to nurse their medium compound tyres to the end but the McLarens and Saubers were struggling for grip towards the closing stages of the race.

It was Raikkonen who opened the overtaking floodgates with a brilliant move around the outside of turn 14 on Jenson Button. Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, all on much fresher rubber, made short work of the McLarens and Saubers and Felipe Massa fought his way into sixth behind the Mercedes duo.

Webber looked on course for a potential podium finish but was forced into retirement on the final lap with a gearbox issue. The Australian hitched a ride back to the pits with friend Alonso but with hindsight may have elected to take a stroll back to the garage. Webber has been given a ten place grid penalty as this is his third reprimand. Ultimately, the penalty is a bit harsh considering that it provided the fans with a moment worth remembering.

Jenson Button came close to the scoring McLaren’s first podium of the season but ultimately came home in seventh ahead of teammate Sergio Perez in eight. Nico Hulkenberg earned a welcome two points for Sauber with a ninth place finish ahead of Force India’s Adrian Sutil in tenth. Paul di Resta had been in the fight for the minor points but crashed his Force India six laps from the chequer.

Many criticize Sebastian Vettel and declare that the only explanation for his success is the Red Bull. His pace defies logic; many drivers in the fastest cars on the grid couldn’t deliver the same stunning pace. Sebastian Vettel was not in a class of his own this weekend; he was on a whole different planet. To lap nearly two and a half seconds per lap faster is mind-blowing and reminiscent of greats like Senna and Schumacher. That is class.

Red Bull sent a deafening, crystal-clear, message to their competitors – there is not even the slightest of hints that they will be relaxing their grip on this title fight. The pace of Sebastian Vettel this weekend was truly stupendous and at this stage of the game, with a 60 point lead, it is becoming more and more difficult to imagine anyone other than him grasping the world championship trophy at the end of the season.

September 22, 2013
2013 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix Free Practice 2 Report

The preparations for Sunday’s Singapore grand prix kicked off today with three hours of free practice around the floodlit Marina Bay circuit.

The first free practice session was topped by the 2009 winner of the Singapore GP, Lewis Hamilton. However, free practice two is where Sebastian Vettel stamped his, and Red Bull’s authority, quite ominously.

The three-time reigning world champion dominated the timing sheets for the majority of the session. Vettel not only set a time six tenths of a second quicker than teammate Mark Webber but more stunningly a full second faster than the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Vettel’s closest rival in the world championship fight, Fernando Alonso, managed the 6th quickest time.

An initial flurry of activity had the entire field out on the red walled supersoft tyres simulating a qualifying run. The difference between the two compounds ranged from eight tenths of a second up to 1.4 seconds in the case of Mark Webber. Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen was the only driver who elected not to run a quali sim instead focusing on the set-up and long run pace of the E21.

A few minor excursions included both Mark Webber and Felipe Massa kissing the wall towards the end of the lap. Both these driver’s escaped without damage to their cars but Pastor Maldonado wasn’t as lucky. The Williams driver spent the majority of the session sliding his car around perilously close to the barriers; unfortunately for the Venezuelan it was one slide too many as he lost his front wing after skidding into the barriers. In his defence, the Williams looked a right handful from the moment it left the pitlane. Romain Grosjean reported to his team that he had “hit something” and that he had lost the brakes.

As the session settled in so the driver’s got on with the task of evaluating their long run pace. The differing fuel loads in the various cars is privileged information but irrespective of this knowledge the Red Bull looked on rails around the Marina Bay circuit. More importantly, was Vettel’s ability to set metronomically consistent lap times.

It’s early days yet in this race weekend but Red Bull again look the odds on favourite to feature prominently. Nevertheless, some of the best qualifying laps that has been seen this season has come from Lewis Hamilton. The Brit may yet find something overnight and should be a good bet for a front row starting position if not a stolen pole.

September 20, 2013
2013 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix Free Practice 1 Report

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the first free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit

Mercedes look to be back on top after the first free practice session with Lewis Hamilton setting the quickest time of the session with a 1:47.055. Red Bull’s Mark Webber finished P2 with a 1:47.420, 0.365s slower than Hamilton’s time. Webber’s team mate, Sebastian Vettel finished the session in P3, 0.830s slower than Hamilton’s P1 time. Nico Rosberg, and Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen rounded up the top 5 in P4 and P5 respectively.

As expected, Mercedes and Red Bull are looking very strong so far. Ferrari and Lotus are quite a long way behind and its going to take something special from them to get ahead of Red Bull and Mercedes.

With this being FP1, we’ll get a better gauge of pace after FP2 later this afternoon.

You can join us for updates throughout the FP2 session later on.

Below is the full time sheet for the FP1 session:

September 20, 2013
Singapore Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Mercedes F1 Team

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
“The Singapore Grand Prix is a fantastic occasion and the whole weekend has one of the best atmospheres of the year. For the drivers, it is one of the toughest races from a physical perspective as there are so many corners and no long straights where you can relax. It’s also a very long race which runs close to the two-hour time limit. The chicane has been removed for this year which I’m pleased about, and the track should suit our car so I hope we can have a good weekend there. My best finish in Singapore to date has been second place back in 2008 and, of course, I would love to improve on that!”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
“I have always really enjoyed the Singapore Grand Prix weekend and the unique ‘night’ timetable that we have to follow there. It certainly makes a change from the usual race weekend and it’s actually very easy to do if you plan your sleeping and eating patterns well. As a street circuit, the Marina Bay track layout really suits my style. It’s quite a testing circuit and you need to work the car hard the whole way round the lap to make the most of the tight corners and braking zones. We’ve had a tough couple of weekends in Belgium and Italy but I know that everyone at the team is determined to bounce back from here and make the most of the opportunities over the last seven races of the season.”

Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
“With seven races left of the Formula One season, we start the season-ending flyaway races in Singapore. The Singapore Grand Prix is always a fantastic weekend for Formula One and provides a great spectacle for the fans in the city and the viewers on global television. It’s become a highlight of the calendar for many and the challenge of working late under the floodlights is enjoyed by the teams and drivers alike. The Marina Bay track layout is tricky, one of the slowest circuits on the calendar, and the punishing heat and humidity provide an extra challenge for the drivers and cars. There has been a lot of hard work at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth since the summer shutdown and the developments that we have found will be introduced during the upcoming flyaway races. Whilst our design and development priorities are naturally increasing towards our 2014 efforts, our aim is to extract the maximum from the car we are racing and regain our second position in the constructors’ championship. This will require a big effort from the team combined with consistent points finishes from Nico and Lewis.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team executive director
“This weekend’s race in Singapore begins a gruelling series of seven races in ten weekends for the team and we are all focused on regaining some of the momentum we lost at the past two races. We expect the return to maximum-downforce configuration to suit our car and we may see another shift in the competitive order between the teams. The Singapore Grand Prix is a highlight of the Formula One calendar, with its unique setting and night race format, and provides the cars and drivers with tough tests of reliability and concentration during a race which usually lasts the full two-hour time limit. We will bring new developments to the car once again for this race and we are all focused on maximising the opportunities for both Lewis and Nico, in order to re-establish ourselves in second position in the constructors’ standings.”

Photo by the Mercedes F1 Twitter Team.

September 19, 2013
F1 2013: Singapore GP Preview – Singapore’s city lights ignite

The Formula 1 paddock has departed the European continent for the final time in the 2013 season. Now the final pushes towards championship glory, towards a race seat for next year, or towards a few extra points begin. The final stretch of the calendar begins with Singapore’s Marina Bay circuit, round thirteen of the championship.

The initial announcement of Formula 1 under floodlights was met with skepticism and questions about whether a spectacle of such proportions was even with the realms of possibility. It became a reality in 2008 as Formula 1 set off for Singapore and its floodlit city streets. Images of gleaming bodywork, glowing exhausts and city skylines quickly became a spectacle worthy of the greatest motorsport series in the world.

The Singapore GP still feels relatively new to the Formula 1 calendar but in reality has been a part of the yearly roundabout since 2008 and has already had its fair share of controversy. The inaugural race, won by Renault’s Fernando Alonso, was plunged into a controversy which had been dubbed Crashgate. Team principal of Renault Flavio Briatore ordered Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash and force the deployment of the safety car. The intentional crash was arranged in order to provide Fernando Alonso with an advantage by making an early pitstop. Since then the Singapore GP has been thankfully controversy free and filled with memorable race victories.

It comes as no surprise that Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel seem to excel on the Singapore streets. The German has taken the last two victories and share’s the distinction of two race wins around these parts with Fernando Alonso.

Lewis Hamilton won the 2009 edition of the race and could be a favourite to repeat the feat this weekend. As street circuits tend to go they share some similarities amongst each other; it’s no different for Monaco and Singapore. Although the streets of Monte Carlo are not quite as intensely layed out as the Marina Bay circuit it can be considered an indicator. It is in these set of circumstances that Mercedes found themselves leading the pack. If it is to be a similar case this weekend there, hopefully, will be no sign of a procession.

The bumpy Marina Bay circuit requires a return to the high downforce set up and an extreme level of concentration through its complex twenty-three corner layout. Pirelli has made the soft and supersoft compound tyres available for use this weekend; and given the offset previously seen between these two tyres, strategy will play a part during the Singapore GP.

However, the perfect strategy will mean little if the race is ruined by being stuck in traffic. Overtaking on street tracks is always at a premium and Singapore is no exception. A good slot on the grid will be vital to a good position come race day.

The question of how the track remains completely illuminated is answered by using, in total, 1500 lighting projectors to light the driver’s way throughout the 61 lap race Singapore GP.

That leaves only the question of who will top the podium come Sunday.

September 18, 2013
F1 2013: Italian GP – Relentless Vettel Wins At Monza

Sebastian Vettel has set nineteen fastest laps, taken forty pole positions, won thirty-two races and from the looks of things soon to be a fourth time world champion. The German has unquestionably edged significantly closer to his fourth consecutive title after winning the Italian GP.

The German driver was hardly challenged at the front of the Italian GP as he romped to his sixth win of the 2013 season. He made his customary break in the first two laps of the race and seemed to control it at ease for the remaining 53 laps. But looks can be deceiving however as the Red Bull ace had to contend with several minor issues throughout the race.

A heavily flat spotted tyre was the first cause of concern for the Red Bull pitwall and later in the race instruction to Vettel was to short shift in fifth and sixth gear. Pace however was no issue at all as Vettel effortlessly pulled away from second place man Fernando Alonso.

Felipe Massa momentarily slotted into second place but was efficiently overtaken by teammate Alonso who had put a gutsy move on Webber into the second chicane. The Australian looked poised to do some serious battle for the second step of the podium in the second half of the race but a similar call from the team instructed him to short shift between second and third gear. Nevertheless, Webber finished less than a second behind Alonso.

Ultimately, the Tifosi didn’t quite get the victory they had hoped for but were still left with something to cheer about as Fernando Alonso brought his scarlet Ferrari home in second place.

Teammate Felipe Massa finished fourth but the rumours about his future at the Italian team continue to swirl, recently, with added intensity. Several reports are suggesting that Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen will be announced as a Ferrari driver for 2014 on Wednesday. Nico Hulkenberg has also been linked with the seat.

The star of Saturday qualifying, Hulkenberg finished a welcome fifth for Sauber; a great drive from the German who is surely now primed to move to a more competitive team.

Nico Rosberg finished sixth overall ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean in seventh and eighth respectively.

Kimi Raikkonen, in his current Lotus guise, didn’t have a great Italian GP in terms of points. In fact, he didn’t score any points at all.

An uncharacteristic clunk up the back of Sergio Perez’s McLaren forced the Finn into the pits for a new wing after only two laps had been completed.

Armed with the slightly faster medium compound tyres, Raikkonen set several fastest laps but ultimately fell short of the points paying positions in eleventh. An issue with the KERS system and a request to save fuel throughout the race didn’t help Raikkonen’s cause either.

Lewis Hamilton found himself in a similar situation as he was forced into the pitlane early in the race with a slow puncture. The 2008 world champion was able to recover to ninth place after a feisty drive through the field. Jenson Button scored the final point on offer in tenth lamenting an incorrect choice of gear ratios.

There were only two retirements from the race with the first being Paul di Resta who clouted the back of Romain Grosjean and exited the race in a pile of destroyed carbon fibre at the exit of the first chicane.

Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne bid the Italian GP adieu with what looked like engine failure on lap 15.

Belgium and Italy were supposed to be the Red Bull team’s Achilles heel. Never were these two tracks to play to the strength of the prolific Sebastian Vettel much less to his supposedly straightline-speed-challenged-car. It must be ominous then for those who fancy themselves a contender in this championship. Not only were they beaten by Vettel’s Red Bull but summarily routed.

What are your highlights for the Italian GP? Let us know in he comments section below!

Photo Credits:

Sebastian Vettel – Press conference screen grab

Fernando Alonso – Photo by Fernando Alonso himself, via Instagram

Kimi Raikkonen – Screen grab

September 9, 2013
F1 2013: Italian GP Post-Qualfying Report – Red Bull Romp To Front Row

Sebastian Vettel secured his thirtieth and Red Bull Racing’s fiftieth Formula 1 pole position in Saturday’s qualifying for the Italian GP.

Sebastian Vettel’s domination has been tempered by Lewis Hamilton in the last four races but the German maestro was not going to play second fiddle at the same historic venue as where he memorably won his first ever grand prix.

The pace of the Williams car wasn’t much to write home about but Pastor Maldonado still manged to drag his Renault powered car into the second part of qualifying. Teammate Valterri Bottas didn’t manage to emulate the Venezuelan as he joined Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez, Giedo van der Garde, Charles Pic, Jules Biachi and Max Chilton at the back-end of the grid.

Drama and a closely fought battle was predicted for the final pole position shoot-out but the second session of qualifying is where the real commotion materialized. Paul di Resta, in recovery mode after a practice crash, failed to advance to the top ten and was joined by teammate Adrian Sutil and Pastor Maldonado. The real kicker however was the failure of Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to advance to the final session of qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton, notoriously hard on himself, was quoted as saying that he “drove like an idiot” in the second part of the qualifying session. Twelfth place is certainly not what the Brit expected but chin up LH there’s always tomorrow. Lotus’ Romain Grosjean bemoaned the fact that he was unable to heat up his medium compound tyres prior to his final effort and Kimi Raikkonen…said nothing. Nevertheless, it is rather peculiar that the Lotus team dedicated both free practice sessions on Friday to testing the long wheelbase car with Kimi Raikkonen and then electing to pursue it further this morning.

The final top ten shoot-out could not have worked out better for Red Bull if they had scripted it themselves. Untroubled be the rest of the pretenders Vettel and Webber locked out the front row of the grid for the 20th time.

Ferrari’s ‘towing’ system didn’t quite go to plan in the final minutes of the session much to the displeasure of Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard could be heard during the run telling his team that Felipe Massa was too far ahead of him to gain an advantage from the tow. Sky F1 later reported that the former world champion allegedly told his team: “You are stupid, you are all stupid, you wrecked my qualifying.” Felipe Massa out qualified his teammate.

The undoubted star of qualifying was Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg who miraculously qualified third on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Jenson Button and Jean-Eric Vergne rounded out the top ten.

September 7, 2013