Jenson Button starts from pole position for the third time this year after a stunning last-gasp lap at the Circuit de Catalunya.
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Button bumped title rival Sebastian Vettel back to second place having begun his final effort with only two seconds to spare.
Meanwhile it was another qualifying disaster for Ferrari as Kimi Raikkonen was knocked out in the first segment and starts 16th.
Q1
Several top drivers began Q1 trying to get quick times out of the hard tyres. But even the Brawn drivers found them too slow.
Others, like Felipe Massa, elected to run the soft tyre from the start and he went quickest of all to begin with, carrying on his form from practice with a 1’20.484.
McLaren were visibly struggling, Heikki Kovalainen seemingly rooted to the bottom five despite several attempts on soft tyres. Stuck in 18th on 1’22.093, he improved to a 1’21.675, leaving him a vulnerable 14th.
Felipe Massa and second-placed Sebastian Vettel stayed in the pits during the final flurry of laps. So did Kimi Raikkonen, but he was eight tenths slower than his team mate.
That proved a fatal mistake by Ferrari – just as it had been for Massa at Malaysia. Raikkonen was knocked back by a series of improving rivals and fell to 16th – and out of qualifying.
Drivers eliminated in Q1
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1’21.291
17. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’21.300
18. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren-Mercedes, 1’21.675
19. Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes, 1’21.742
20. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India-Mercedes, 1’22.204
Q2
Sebastien Buemi made the early running but a mistake at Campsa saw him bump across the gravel trap and make light contact with the barrier.
The Red Bulls, meanwhile, were flying. Mark Webber set a 1’20.007 and Vettel lined up behind him on a 1’20.220. The German might have been quicker but for a mistake at the chicane on his second lap on the soft tyres.
The heavily revised BMWs of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld were the last ones to set times, both making it into the top ten. That left Nelson Piquet Jnr, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Timo Glock and Buemi in the drop zone as the final laps began.
Glock and Rosberg escaped the drop zone at their last attempt. Rosberg improved to seventh with a 1’20.256 and made it into Q3 – meanwhile team mate Nakajima was knocked out along with Nick Heidfeld.
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Drivers eliminated in Q2
11. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams-Toyota, 1’20.531
12. Nelson Piquet Jnr, Renault, 1’20.604
13. Nick Heidfeld, BMW, 1’20.676
14. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 1’20.805
15. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’21.067
Q3
Toyota, Brawn and Red Bull got both of their cars into the final ten, with Massa, Alonso, Kubica and Rosberg joining the competition for pole position.
Barrichello, who had ended Q2 quickest of all, took up place at the top of the times sheets to begin with, setting a 1’21.442. Vettel eclipsed that mark but Massa failed to after making a mistake in the middle sector.
Barrichello’s final lap put him fastest on a 1’20.762 but Vettel had more pace in hand, snatching the squickest time by one tenth of a second.
Meanwhile team mate Button had left it very late to start his final flying lap – crossing the start line with just two seconds to spare after having moved over on his out-lap to let Kubica past.
Button matched Vettel in the first two sectors of the lap but an exquisite final sector – fastest of all by 0.1s – handed him a crucial pole position.
That bumped Barrichello back to third alongside Massa in the improving Ferrari. Unlike last year there were no low-fuel fireworks from home hero Alonso, who lines up seventh behind the Toyotas.
The cars’ fuel loads have been revealed: Button will pit two laps before Vettel (Spanish GP fuel weights and pit stops)
Top ten drivers in Q3
1. Jenson Button, Brawn-Mercedes, 1’20.527
2. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1’20.660
3. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn-Mercedes, 1’20.762
4. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1’20.934
5. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault, 1’21.049
6. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1’21.247
7. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1’21.254
8. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1’21.392
9. Nico Rosberg, Williams-Toyota, 1’22.558
10. Robert Kubica, BMW, 1’22.685
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Michael Colagiovanni
9th May 2009, 14:25
Good to see Ferrari in 4th.. working their way back up!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
9th May 2009, 14:34
They’d be doing rather better if they’d get their pitwall sorted.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
9th May 2009, 17:50
Here are the cars’ fuel loads and expected strategies: Button will pit two laps before Vettel (Spanish GP fuel weights and pit stops)
Chua
9th May 2009, 14:30
Keith, small correction re Q2: Glock made it out of the knockout zone too.
Otherwise, quick fingers :)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
9th May 2009, 14:34
Thanks Chua – sorted now.
Terry T
9th May 2009, 14:45
Vettel drives for Toro Rosso? I thought he’d moved to Red Bull this year?
Richard
9th May 2009, 15:52
Looks like we’ve got 3 Toro-Rosso cars on the grid:
2. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1′20.660
15. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1′21.067
17. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1′21.300
;)
Explosiva
9th May 2009, 14:46
So Ferrari finally snuck up there, eh? This has traditionally been a quick track for Ferrari, so I’ll hold off on forming an opinion on them until after the race.
Also, anyone notice Rubens actually set a track record today?
Bigbadderboom
9th May 2009, 14:47
I bet Massa is the lightest though, Ferrari i desperate for some positive press.
Fuel loads will make interesting reading, do yoy know what time we can expect them Keith.
bialy
9th May 2009, 14:58
I wouldn`t say so.Take a look at the FP3.Ferrari in the top.They`re comming back.
Mahir C
9th May 2009, 15:01
8 tenths was the gap between the fastest man Massa and 16th Raikkonen. I cant believe how close times are. I also have a suspicion that Massa will be the 1st to pit. I think he can lead going into the first corner with the help of KERS.
Steve_P
9th May 2009, 15:03
Bigbadderboom, teams have to report their fuel loads within two hours of the end of qualifying.
I’m happy to see something positive from Felipe. He needs to get some points finally. I can’t believe that Ferrari made the same mistake that they made in Malaysia though. Frustrating!
Loki
9th May 2009, 15:21
Frustrating, indeed! How can they be complacent when they know they need results. It baffles me that Dyer was a part of this, a man that was engineer to Schumacher a few years back!
In any case, excellent job by Jenson Button. He’s really showing his worth now, beating Barichello at the final hurdle – it’s almost worth the two rubbish seasons with the Earth cars!
MacademiaNut
9th May 2009, 15:07
Looks like McLaren hasn’t made much progress at all. Can’t believe Ferrari would make the same mistake again. Can’t wait to see the fuel loads.
simonrs
9th May 2009, 15:34
Mclaren no progress as this track has “double diffuser” written all over it with its long corners – mclaren’s diffuser is still quite primitive.
TommyB
9th May 2009, 15:55
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING
Rahim
9th May 2009, 15:59
I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS…..I THOUGHT RAIKKONEN COULD DO BETTER THAN MASSA……
WHAT PROBLEM DO FERRARI HAVE WITH RAIKKONEN
WHY ARE THEY RUINING HIS RACE……ATLEAST YOU NEED TO ACCEPT YOUR MISTAKE AND NOT POINT KIMI FOR THIS….”NOT MOTIVATED….NOT INTERESTED…BLAH-BLAH-BLAH”
Gwenouille
9th May 2009, 16:00
Excellent display from some drivers.
Button obviously.
Happy for Kub to be in top 10.
I doubt Button will turn curve N.1 in pole.
I guess red hot Vettel will snatch him the lead soon (although I am a long time Button suporter – man, what a year !)
Massa might have the edge over Barrichello at the start too.
I will keep an eye on Alonso: he is sure capable of surreal driving in front of his crowd.
I think this has been one of the most exciting Quali I’ve seen…
Striay
9th May 2009, 16:01
I agree with you 100%
checkout my post on the F1 fanatic forum https://www.racefans.net/forum/topic.php?id=362
Jonatas
9th May 2009, 16:21
It was an exciting Q3 session!
Fer no.65
9th May 2009, 16:35
glad i choose Button… 10 points for me.
anyway, nice one there… i thought oh, well, he’s not going to beat Vettel…
but he did indeed!! pole sitter should do the fastest lap at the very last moment at every race. Was rather nice to see all poeple going down 1 place to let Button go by
GeorgeK
9th May 2009, 16:36
After this Q1 fiasco someone’s head at Ferrari will roll; either Domenicali or Dyer.
How can you leave Kimi sitting in 9th place when you know that the cars behind him were all capable of better times??? Incredible incompetence! And Kimi admitted he didn’t turn a great lap on top of it.
martinb
9th May 2009, 16:44
Poor old Kimi. He is having an annus horribilis.
flood1
9th May 2009, 16:48
That was a fun session for me. I was watching the live timing and Button was not putting is sector times in 1 and 2 that would get him pole. He really had a great last sector. Congrat too to Massa. Ferrari were idiots with Kimi.
toncho
9th May 2009, 17:23
Any news about the fuel loads?? they should be public by now
Bigbadderboom
9th May 2009, 17:29
The weights are a long time coming today? any news keith?
isle
9th May 2009, 17:33
Fuel loads are on FIA’s site.
1.Jenson Button 646.0
2.Sebasian Vettel 651.5
3.Rubens Barrichello 649.5
4.Felipe Massa 655.0
5.Mark Webber 651.5
6.Timo Glock 646.5
7.Jarno Trulli 655.5
8.Fernando Alonso 645.0
9.Nico Rosberg 668.0
10.Robert Kubica 660.0
Bigbadderboom
9th May 2009, 17:38
Great run from Felipe, and Vettel, Alonso has gone for his short first stint effort again, but very suprised how light Jenson is! Masa or Vettel look favs after seeing this.
isle
9th May 2009, 17:40
11. Kazuki Nakajima 677.6*
12. Nelson Piquet Jnr 677.4*
13. Nick Heidfeld 676.3*
14. Lewis Hamilton 683.0*
15. Sebastien Buemi 678.0*
16. Kimi Raikkonen 673.0*
17. Sebastien Bourdais 669.0*
18. Heikki Kovalainen 657.0*
19. Adrian Sutil 675.0*
20. Giancarlo Fisichella 656.0*
*delcared weight
Mahir C
9th May 2009, 19:03
Keith, you have written that Vettel drives for Torro Rosso
Chaz
9th May 2009, 20:21
Button really pulled a great trick out of his hat for that last lap. Rubens was complementary during the post qually press conference but I can’t say he looked very happy…