Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix will start under clouds dispensing rain onto the track, but currently it seems as though the session will not be delayed. Below are the live notes from all three stints and the qualifying result post will be updated after each session. Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel will all be desperate to get ahead of each other but in the mix is Mark Webber as well as the McLarens and Fernando Alonso Renault, all of whom could upset the apple cart.
Q1
- FIS heads down the pitlane to be among the first out.
- Most drivers are expected to put in a banker early on.
- Half the field are on track.
- VET aquaplaning down the straight.
- VET 1m39.694s
- GRO big slide.
- FIS stuck on struck pointing out onto the racing line..
- RED FLAG.
- Drivers were reporting too much aquaplaning on the radios.
- The red flag was shown at 15:53. The clock has stopped.
- VET, FIS, ALG, ROS, GRO, NAK, BUE have all set times, and in that order currently.
- Race control state that the session will not restart until conditions improve.
- FIS says conditions were “impossible”. He also said his anti-stall device didn’t work.
- ALG is worried that is the session is restarted with the current level of rain, there will be more red flags and lots of yellows.
- Ted Kravitz reporting that Toyota have heated visors on their helmets, much like on a car rear-windscreen. Brundle says he prefers the more simple solution of doubling up on the visor, double-glazed so to speak, which also prevents misting.
- HAM queues at the end of the pitlane.
- LIU has 7 laps of fuel, which will get him to the end of Q1.
- Q1 restarts.
- Everybody floods out onto the track (sorry).
- Conditions have improved and times are about to tumble.
- The last driver to set a lap is likely to set the fastest lap.
- ROS: 24.356
- NAK: 24.154
- The Williams have the highest-downforce settings apparently, which will benefit today but not necessarily tomorrow.
- ROS: 22.828
- Despite a big slide, VET matched his previous lap time. Albeit in P17.
- SUT and HEI very close to each other on track and dicing one with another.
- RAI P2.
- KUB P3.
- Red Bull have set their car up for the dry for tomorrow’s race. VET is very tentative and is struggling to qualify.
- HAM off. Kept it going and rejoins. But he’s P18 at the moment.
- GRO slides and almost spins. Gathers it together.
- VET in traffic, again.
- HAM pits. That’s it. He’s out.
- VET pits as well. He’s out too.
- It’s raining heavily again.
- FIS, HEI, HAM, KOV and VET are out.
Q2
- Race control say Q2 will start on time.
- Medical car on track to check conditions. It is raining heavily again.
- Q2 has been delayed.
- HAM confirms his (and presumably KOV’s) McLaren is set up for dry weather.
- Q2 will start in 1 minute.
- Williams roll down to the end of the pitlane.
- Everybody on track.
- Track look absolutely saturated.
- LIU big accident.
- RED FLAG.
- Clock stopped at 12:24.
- LIU went in backwards in to the barrier at T1. Dropped it in the braking zone and almost collected RAI.
- LIU radios his engineer to say he is okay. Gets out of the car. Badly damaged all round.
- NAK spun as well.
- No driver set a lap time.
- LIU taken to medical centre. I wonder if the G-meter was triggered. He seems perfectly fine though and was walking around and waving to the crowd.
- Button’s engineer updates Button on LIU via the radio. Says he felt the impact as the accident was close to Brawn’s pit garage.
- Brundle is reminiscing about sitting in the car in the garage and feeling “cosy” when it is wet outside, like “laying in the bath and looking up and over the taps”.
- Webber is being very blunt with race control over the radio, and suggests Charlie Whiting “puts his glasses on” to see what the drivers are experiencing on-track.
- Nick Fry says his information suggests the weather will continue like it is until 4pm local time, 8pm UK time.
- Race control say there will be another track inspection (by the Medical Car we presume) at 30 minutes past the hour. They say the track is cleared but they are waiting for the general conditions to improve.
- UK BBC viewers will want to switch to BBC2 apparently as the session has over-run and some people want to watch some dancing show that was originally scheduled.
- Race control say the next track inspection will happen at 45 minutes past the hour.
- Race control say the next track inspection will happen on the hour.
- John Howett confirms Toyota have discussed a 2010 drive with Robert Kubica (who is now signed to Renault) and Kimi Raikkonen.
- Howett also says the weather is expected to ease after 4pm local and once the standing water has cleared a little they should be able to restart.
- Mario Theissen agrees.
- Apparently Q2 will restart in 5 minutes.
- Bernie says that running with the Q1 result as the grid, the rules would have to be changed because of the fuel loads.
- Aaaand, Q2 restarts.
- The track looks much, much better.
- ROS: 1m21.815s
- BUT: 22.941
- RAI: 21.378
- KOB ran wide.
- Williams on inters!
- Wet tyres lift about 60 litres of water each second, Inters lift about 30 litres each second.
- WEB: 21.185 on full wets.
- ROS: S1 down a little.
- Other drivers going to inters as well.
- ROS: S2 further down, but they should kick in soon.
- BUT stays out on full wets.
- WEB: 20.906
- BUT is struggling in the dropzone on the full wet tyres.
- WEB: 20.803
- ROS: 20.668 – the inters have kicked in.
- SUT: P2 on full wet.
- ROS: 20.368
- NAK: 20.427
- TRU: 20.635
- LIU, BUT, GRO, ALG, and KOB out.
Q3
- Q3 begins.
- Williams among the last to go out. They are probably looking for some clean air.
- All drivers on Intermediate tyres.
- BUE goes fastest.
- BUE improves.
- ROS travelling slowly, might be waiting for space on-track..
- BAR fastest. 21.167
- KUB: 20.655
- ROS is okay and going quickly now.
- RAI: P3.
- TRU: 20.596
- ROS: 20.492
- TRU is flying in S1.
- TRU S2 is faster as well.
- TRU: 20.333
- BAR: 20.210
- All are improving. The last over the line will have the best opportunity.
- WEB: 20.109
- ROS: P3 only.
- WEB: S2 faster.
- WEB: 19.668
- BAR: 19.576
- SUT: P3
- KUB: P7
- BUE: P5
- RAI: P5 (BUE now P6)
- Barrichello on pole.
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