Lewis Hamilton heads a McLaren one-two on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix.
Romain Grosjean claimed third ahead of Michael Schumacher and the two Red Bulls.
| Row 1 | 1. Lewis Hamilton 1’24.922 McLaren |
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| 2. Jenson Button 1’25.074 McLaren |
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| Row 2 | 3. Romain Grosjean 1’25.302 Lotus |
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| 4. Michael Schumacher 1’25.336 Mercedes |
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| Row 3 | 5. Mark Webber 1’25.651 Red Bull |
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| 6. Sebastian Vettel 1’25.668 Red Bull |
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| Row 4 | 7. Nico Rosberg 1’25.686 Mercedes |
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| 8. Pastor Maldonado 1’25.908 Williams |
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| Row 5 | 9. Nico Hulkenberg 1’26.451 Force India |
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| 10. Daniel Ricciardo No time Toro Rosso |
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| Row 6 | 11. Jean-Eric Vergne 1’26.429 Toro Rosso |
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| 12. Fernando Alonso 1’26.494 Ferrari |
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| Row 7 | 13. Kamui Kobayashi 1’26.59 Sauber |
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| 14. Bruno Senna 1’26.663 Williams |
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| Row 8 | 15. Paul di Resta 1’27.086 Force India |
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| 16. Felipe Massa 1’27.497 Ferrari |
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| Row 9 | 17. Kimi Raikkonen No time Lotus |
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| 18. Heikki Kovalainen 1’28.679 Caterham |
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| Row 10 | 19. Vitaly Petrov 1’29.018 Caterham |
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| 20. Timo Glock 1’30.923 Marussia |
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| Row 11 | 21. Charles Pic 1’31.67 Marussia |
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| 22. Sergio Perez* No time Sauber |
*Five-place grid penalty due to gearbox change.
Did not qualify: Pedro de la Rosa, HRT and Narain Karthikeyan, HRT – outside 107% rule.
2012 Australian Grand Prix
Browse all 2012 Australian Grand Prix articles
dirgegirl (@dirgegirl)
17th March 2012, 7:10
What a brilliant quali to start the year! Grosjean was fantastic. Great for the McLarens to lock out the front row too!
moonlight (@prdsh)
17th March 2012, 7:15
i just want to see Helmet Marko’s face now…
JCost (@jcost)
17th March 2012, 7:19
You’re mean :).
Too bad Ferrari is as bad as many expected :(. We need Alonso up there.
Mike (@mike)
17th March 2012, 8:30
It was much worse than I thought. I hope they can get the car working later in the season.
il Leone
17th March 2012, 7:44
THANK YOU! :D
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 8:52
@prdsh – Do you actually think Marko gives up and starts blaming people the minute something goes badly for Vettel? He knows there is still a fifty-eight lap race tomorrow.
moonlight (@prdsh)
17th March 2012, 9:19
I just dont like Marko…I think Redbull team will have a better public image without Marko.. i very much like Redbull as a team w/o marko..Horner+Newey+Vettel combo is as good as Schumi+Byrne+Brawn… As far i remember marko was making noise during winter testing that redbull is ahead of others …also webber outqualified vettel today w/o kers… Vettel’s strength last year was pole lap n then a fast 1st two laps so that he is not in DRS zone when its enabled..Things will not be the same this year..i guess its going to be a Exciting season
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 9:30
@prdsh
Few do. But if you’re going to criticise him, at least criticise him for something he actually does. He has verbally attacked people in the past when they have blocked Vettel, but he has never thrown a tantrum when Vettel has been beaten fair and square. On pure pace, Hamilton, Button, Grosjean, Schumacher and Webber were all faster than Vettel today, and nobody did anything to slow him down. Marko isn’t going to be behaving like some rabidly-deranged orangutang in the Red Bull garage. He knows that there is still a full race distance tomorrow, and that nothing is set in stone. So to attack him for doing something that he did not do really just lowers yoruself to his level.
All the teams say that. Nobody in their right mind is going to be saying “We built a wind tunnel model out of Lego, then sat around on out backsides for two months”. Of course they’re going to talk up their prospects for the season ahead. And if you’re that worried about what Marko said, perhaps you should spare a thought for Luca di Montezemolo, who is insisting that Ferrari can be on the podium when the car is nigh on undriveable.
moonlight (@prdsh)
17th March 2012, 10:14
@prisoner-monkeys
I think i am criticising him for what he does..i said i dont like him for the reason that though Mateschitz and Horner insists that drivers are equally treated at redbull ,in reality its not the case as long as marko is in the garage.. I am sure Redbull racing team will have a better public image without him…
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 10:21
Your post implied that Marko would be aghast that Vettel was not on pole, and that his paltry sixth place had nothing to do with another driver blocking him.
JCF1 (@jcf1)
17th March 2012, 9:56
I read on twitter somewhere that its the first all-British front row since Damon Hill and David Coulthard took P1 and P2 at Australia in 1995.
Pamphlet (@pamphlet)
17th March 2012, 7:11
Superb. Rather disappointed to see Macca so far in front and Red Bull and (especially) Ferrari lagging behind, but oh my goodness, this is going to be a fantastic season.
SimBri (@f1addict)
17th March 2012, 8:03
It’s not that far really – not compared to the Red Bulls have been in previous seasons. 2 different teams within 0.4 and I think ROS could have been closer. I don’t think McLaren have it sewn up at all.
Kenny Davies
17th March 2012, 7:11
Unbelievable what Grosjean did!
Aldoid
17th March 2012, 7:14
Fore sure. I’m positively gutted that Kimi never got to do a fast lap though.
Klaas (@klaas)
17th March 2012, 7:25
At least tommorow we have a chance to see Kimi charging through the field. Seems the Lotus is really fast so we could witness a comeback like Suzuka 2005.
Eric Morman (@lethalnz)
17th March 2012, 8:12
dont be so sure, i am picking he will be lucky to finish in the top 10.
he is not up to speed yet, give him a couple of more races and he might.
JCost (@jcost)
17th March 2012, 7:40
Almost as impressive as Hulk grabbing pole in Brazil a couple of years ago.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
17th March 2012, 8:22
More impressive by far. Brazil 2010 was a mixed weather qualifying. this wasn’t. Also Brazil 2010 was the 2nd last race of the season
matt90 (@matt90)
17th March 2012, 10:51
Hardly. That Williams we knew wasn’t all that fast otherwise. We know little about the Lotus at the moment, other than it is clearly more competitive than the Williams ever was, although it will be hard to judge until a more ‘normal’ racetrack.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
17th March 2012, 18:18
As I’ve pointed out, Brazil 2010 was a mixed weather qualifying. So the fact that, as seems likely, the Lotus is a better car in relation to Hulk’s Williams makes little difference. Freak results happen all the time in mixed weather qualys. This is not meant to downgrade Hulk’s great achievement, but to stick it with the big boys, just 0,3 off pole on your first qualy as, a Q3 rookie(his best qualy before that was 12th place) without weather assistance is an even greater success IMO. Unless the Lotus proves to be as fast as the Macca, that is :)
Eric Morman (@lethalnz)
17th March 2012, 8:16
anyone put Grosjean in the top 5???
i put him 4th, wish i had put Schu in front of him now…
Zecks (@zecks)
17th March 2012, 8:17
Yeah i put him down for 5th (ham but p1 p2)
John H (@john-h)
17th March 2012, 16:17
Grosjean was fantastic but also Maldonado getting 8th for Williams is extremely impressive, especially with Senna back in 14th.
Aldoid
17th March 2012, 7:11
Red Bull who? LOL! I knew the RB8 was nowhere near as planted as the Mac.
JCost (@jcost)
17th March 2012, 7:43
“They’re just sandbagging” …
Tom Haxley (@)
17th March 2012, 7:49
Maybe they forgot to take the sandbags off?
bosyber (@bosyber)
17th March 2012, 7:53
Or they were spilling, making the car unstable.
John H (@john-h)
17th March 2012, 16:18
They can put KERS where the sandbags currently are ;)
PhilEReid (@philereid)
17th March 2012, 7:11
Absolutely fantastic, absolutely freaking fantastic! What a great qualifying session that was to watch, haven’t been so buzzing for a qualifying in so, so long. Bring on a sensational season! So damn happy!
Kingshark (@kingshark)
17th March 2012, 7:12
Grosjean! Unbelievable!
I’m also surprised Rosberg only qualified 7th. His Q2 Lap was better than his Q3. I think without his lock-up in turn 3, he’d seriously be challenging Hamilton for pole.
And Schumacher’s best grid position since his comback, nice! :)
MRFS
17th March 2012, 7:17
Without the one lap he had on his tyres from the Q2 Red Flag, I’m sure he could’ve got pole!
Aussie Fan
17th March 2012, 12:06
?? he lost 3 tenths & ended up 3 tenths behind schumacher. Schu was also only 1 tenth behind hamilton sector 1, = in sector 2 and lost a bit of time (possibly a little mistake?) in sector 3.
So all in all both could have been a little higher, but Rosberg lost a bit more grid wise with his bigger mistake.
strunk27 (@strunk27)
17th March 2012, 7:12
Qualifying is exciting again! When Grosjean crossed I got pretty excited. Not that I’m a Grosjean fan but it’s a sign that it’s somewhat up in the air.
dirgegirl (@dirgegirl)
17th March 2012, 7:14
If he keeps this type of performance up, I might become a Grosjean fan!
smokinjoe (@smokinjoe)
17th March 2012, 7:17
i wont be surprised if kimi raikkonen quit half way through the season we can already see his commitment ,looking at grosjean lap lotus is up there with the big boys
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 7:52
@smokinjoe – I think it’s far too soon to comment on Raikkonen’s commitment.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
17th March 2012, 8:25
Nonsense comment. Raikkonen made a mistake in Q1’s final lap. How can you see lack of commitment from that is beyond logic.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 10:24
@montreal – Well, there was Brundle’s anecdote about how Raikkonen refused to do any running in FP1 and most of FP2 because it was wet. Perhaps that’s not a lack of commitment (you can understand why any driver would be willing to write off a session if the race is forecast to be dry), but I daresay it will clash with Eric Boullier’s style of management – he likes his drivers doing what he tells them to do, and he likes them doing it without question.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
17th March 2012, 18:26
@Prisoner Monkeys-Wasn’t it a combination of wet weather and a power-steering problem that made Kimi not to trust the car’s response. Feel is even more important in the wet than it is in the dry. If Kimi came up to Boullier and explained his decision, then I think it’s ok with Boullier whatever his style of management is.
But, you may be right. We just don’t know the inside story so impossible to judge.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 7:28
I’m not getting too carried away. Just last year, I remember a pheomenal qualifying performance from a black and gold car – particularly compared to his much more experienced and better-rated team-mate – and his his first race was good, the team subsequently nosedived.
Eleanore (@leucocrystal)
17th March 2012, 9:11
And it certainly doesn’t help that they’ve got Boullier at the helm, I must say.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 10:30
@leucocrystal – I think the biggest barrier to Raikkonen’s success is Boullier. Particularly the way he treats drivers who deviate from the party line. He might be willing to be a little more flexible with Raikkonen, but I woudn’t be surprised if the team favours Grosjean for the rest of the race.
Eleanore (@leucocrystal)
17th March 2012, 10:32
Exactly, and I won’t be at all surprised either if you turn out to be right, though that would be a shame for Kimi.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 11:23
@leucocrystal – I think Raikkonen is thick-skinned enough that Boullier’s comments will just bounce straight off him. And so long as he performs, he has nothing to fear; Boullier will give him just enough rope to hang himself. The problem is that if Raikkonen doesn’t perform for whatever reason – even if it’s just a simple mistake on his final flying lap – then Boullier’s passive-aggressive managerial strategy will come into play. This probably won’t register with Raikkonen, because he’s never really indulged in intra-team politics, and he probably learned a long time ago that if he ignores the media, they will go away (a lesson Lewis Hamilton could do with learning). But it becomes a problem if Boullier decides to use this to favour Grosjean. When Grosjean was first announced as Lotus’ second driver, I couldn’t help but wonder if Boullier – who was on the “task-force” (you know it’s serious when they start using phrases like “task-force”) to get Formula 1 back into France; part of that strategy was getting a successful French driver – had chosen Grosjean to partner Raikkonen because his team-mate would be Raikkonen and Grosjean would naturally get a bit more media exposure. I’m not denying that Grosjean is talented, but I suspect Boullier might be willing to burn Raikkonen for the sake of Grosjean, espcially if Raikkonen doesn’t turn it up to eleven from the first day (which he hasn’t; he seems to be very fussy about his setup, and when he finally gets it to his liking, he’s not particularly quick). It’s bad for Raikkonen because if he wants a long-term future in the sport, being used for Grosjean’s benefit isn’t going to help.
He should have gone to Williams. They’ve needed an exciting driver – not securing Raikkonen was one of the bigger mistakes they’ve made recently.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th March 2012, 11:28
@prisoner-monkeys
Given that both their drivers out-qualified him today I find it hard to go along with that!
Eleanore (@leucocrystal)
17th March 2012, 11:31
Considering how Boullier has handled drivers in the past (and, like you mention, his participation in the French “task-force”), I would again not be at all surprised if your predictions turn out to be pretty much on the nose. It just further reminds me why Boullier really is among my least favorite team principals at the moment. I realize that politics are a part of the sport whether we like it or not, but I can’t help but feel there are classier (for lack of a better term) ways of going about it than he’s done so far.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th March 2012, 11:40
@keithcollantine
Do you really think this is going to be a regular occurrence? Based on Raikkonen’s final lap time to the second sector, he was comfortably going to make it to Q2.
@leucocrystal
I don’t think it’s his politics. I think it’s his attitude. I see a lot of Jean-Marie Balestre’s “the best decision is my decision!” in the way he runs the team. Whatever Boullier says, goes.
dkpioe
17th March 2012, 13:49
grosjean 3rd, raikonnen 18th. and you think williams made a mistake not signing raikonnen???? i could understand your comment if raikonnen was on pole, but then you also have to take into account finances and williams needed a driver with financial backing not someone who demands a high salary. raikonnen needs to prove himself again, in his last 2 seasons massa consistently beat him, and now he has not made a good start to his comeback. it has been 5 years or so since kimi was at his best, in rallying he wasnt great, very very inconsistent, and crashing so often. maybe he is past it as a driver – that happens to some.
Lotus would be better off using kimi as a number 1 driver only for media purposes and giving the truly motivated driver (grosjean) who has improved and not deterioated in the past 5 years, the best chance so they can get the best possible results from the car.
JCost (@jcost)
17th March 2012, 7:15
So far, I don’t think we have a dominant force! Great job Lewis. Grojean schooled Raikonnen today…
carbon_fibre (@carbon_fibre)
17th March 2012, 7:15
What a season awaits us!
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
17th March 2012, 7:34
yes you can see that from the body language of Alonso he was absolutely mad
JCost (@jcost)
17th March 2012, 7:46
Great to see you guys (Alonso and Massa) here with us. :)
Catalina (@catalina)
17th March 2012, 7:15
now that was a qualy! sad to know that maybe Kimi is not up to the car, but also very very happy for Grosjean :D…now going to bed, it’s 4am!
MylesW (@mpw1985)
17th March 2012, 7:15
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Lewis, Jenson, and especially Grosjean, were fantastic. So glad to see the red bull struggling. Perhaps this year will be for Vettel what is was for Hamilton last year (I totally respect and think Vettel is a great driver, but he, and his fans, need a good grounding)
F1fanNL (@)
17th March 2012, 7:22
Why, If there’s one driver on the grid that’s kept himself grounded it’s Vettel.
Ben73 (@ben73)
17th March 2012, 8:56
Hi five for Vettel’s one finger salute!
Eric Morman (@lethalnz)
17th March 2012, 8:26
i dont like Schum but now he has the car lets see what he can do with it,
Lewis/Schum, both these guys are from different ages young/old, even if Schum can make the podium i would be glade for him, not as much as his fans but i would be happy for him, i think he can do it tomorrow.
bukester (@bukester)
17th March 2012, 7:15
Grojean obviously running on low fuel. Good for the sponsors I guess. I can’t believe that’s real pace.
MylesW (@mpw1985)
17th March 2012, 7:17
Haha
Kingshark (@kingshark)
17th March 2012, 7:19
That’s sarcasm, right?
Gaz
17th March 2012, 7:20
That old classic. The qualifying ‘Glory Run’…
…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th March 2012, 7:20
@bukester This is qualifying – everyone is low on fuel.
Broxter (@)
17th March 2012, 9:26
@keithcollantine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xECUrlnXCqk
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th March 2012, 9:40
@broxter There’s no indication in what he’s written that it’s intended as a joke. Nor does it even make sense as a joke.
Broxter (@)
17th March 2012, 9:49
@keithcollantine I thought it was pretty obvious he was mocking people’s comments from pre-season, where they were suggesting the Lotus was at the front to because they were running low-fuel, to please the sponsors. Never mind.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th March 2012, 9:55
@broxter He could be, or maybe you’re giving too much credit.
Like I always say, if you’re going to use sarcasm like this you need to make it obvious. There’s nothing in that comment that indicates it shouldn’t be taken at face value.
MJ4
17th March 2012, 12:42
Is he knowledgeable enough to quote a typical pre-season line of disparagement (indicating he follows F1 even during the winter), but not knowledgeable enough to know qualifying fuel rules? Sarcasm can be obvious even without the crutch provided by smileys.
dkpioe
17th March 2012, 13:38
Keith, it was pretty obvious that it was a mocking comment. sarcasm at its best. i had a laugh when i read it, then i read your comment and i couldnt believe you didnt get it as a joke!
Victor. (@victor)
17th March 2012, 17:07
I read it as a joke. Considering it is qualifying, the point of which is to go as quick as possible, why would anyone not try to do so? Ergo, this is referring to pre-season testing.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th March 2012, 17:27
You can either claim the comment is sincere or that it’s an insincere send-up of comments other people make. But when other people make those comments, they are being sincere. Therefore by insisting it’s a joke you’re also showing that it could just as easily be interpreted another way.
So, as I said before, if you are trying to write a parody you need to do something to indicate that. Otherwise you run the risk of it being taken at face value – as several people have done here.
SouthPawRacer (@southpawracer)
17th March 2012, 7:20
As is everyone else, considering that it’s qualifying and all…
dirgegirl (@dirgegirl)
17th March 2012, 7:22
The race fuel rule for Q3 was removed some time ago. No reason to believe that wasn’t real pace.
badger (@badger)
17th March 2012, 7:23
They are all on low fuel! what would be the point in anyone carrying extra fuel than they need to. Thats the what makes this so beautiful, this is everyones true pace. SOOOO excited!!!
Denzel Brown (@lewiswdc11)
17th March 2012, 7:34
It’s qualifying there all on low fuel mate
blackmamba
17th March 2012, 9:11
You guys are seriously lacking a good dose of humor. You have all, quite incredibly really, missed the irony in @ bukester’s comment. Either that or yuo haven’t been keeping up with all the cynical comments about lotus from Winter Testing!!!!!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th March 2012, 9:56
The comment doesn’t mention anything about testing.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
17th March 2012, 8:58
@bukester Eh? Is that not the point? Third is third.
JCF1 (@jcf1)
17th March 2012, 9:53
I think this comment is referring to the remarks made by many in pre-season testing who were cynical regarding Lotus’ pace. The performance today was certainly the answer to the doubters.
David Cooper
17th March 2012, 7:17
Really good to see SCHUMACHER challenging again, could this be a possible podium, the first since his ‘comeback?’
Not sure, as Red Bull don’t just stop winning overnight, but very surprising grid there, and Ferrari?
badger (@badger)
17th March 2012, 7:26
This is Schumi in quali, he usually makes up a few places at the start now where would that put him :-)
David Cooper
17th March 2012, 13:16
Hope he does well Badger! :0)
dkpioe
17th March 2012, 13:59
he makes up places when he qualifies his good car badly (like he did most of last year) and then has a faster car then cars in front so can easily make up places, only to get to the place he should have been in the first place if he qualified good. he is more likely to go back then forward tomorrow. redbull should overtake him in the race as they have better tyre wear then the mclaren, as witnessed all through preseason testing.
Kenny Davies
17th March 2012, 7:17
First 5 rows separated by less than a second! McLarens’s gap to RBR is actually less than RBR’s gap to Macca last year. Its just that other cars have now occupied that space.
Lin1876 (@lin1876)
17th March 2012, 7:17
What a run from Grosjean! You’d have got amazing odds on that result last week, but that car looks fundamentally fast. Should make watching Raikkonen spectacular tomorrow. Shame about Rosberg, who could probably have got pole with a clean run, and well done to Hamilton and McLaren.
Should be a truly epic race tomorrow. Really looking forward to it!
JamieFranklinF1 (@jamiefranklinf1)
17th March 2012, 7:19
Wow, what a phenomenal qualifying session! I was willing Jenson along to get on the front row, and wanted him to get pole, but I’m not unhappy that he wasn’t. Only a tenth behind and I had Hamilton for pole anyway :)
F1fan55
17th March 2012, 7:20
Can’t believe Red Bull are down there! Webber said he had no KERS, so that may make a difference, but still, amazing from Mercedes, McLaren and Grosjean!
Preekel (@preekel)
17th March 2012, 7:21
My pole prediction was .175 away, do i get any points for that?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th March 2012, 9:42
@preekel Nope – pole position predictions are only used as tie-breakers (in the Predictions Championship).
HUHHII (@huhhii)
17th March 2012, 7:21
As a huge Räikkönen fan, I am feeling disappointed. But at least Grosjean proved today that Lotus is very competitive. Kimi will win races with that car!
dkpioe
17th March 2012, 14:04
if he beats grosjean
Kingshark (@kingshark)
17th March 2012, 7:22
I have $20 US on Rosberg to win tomorrow. Anyone with me?
blackmamba
17th March 2012, 9:17
The only two things that can beat Lewis tomorrow are safety cars or car reliability!!!!!
Jake (@jleigh)
17th March 2012, 10:59
I think it all depends on Grosjean. If Lotus have as good a start system as they did at the beginning of last year he could be first by T1 and then anything could happen
Ken
17th March 2012, 7:22
Darn im so dissapointed that Michael missed out that 3-rd position so so narrowly ,but well done Grosjean and i don´t believe that Rosberg would ahve taken a pole position…maby third,but he isn´t that much faster than Schummy atm.
Savas
17th March 2012, 7:25
!!the smartest move mclaren ever made was that sent Pat Fry to Ferrari!now we understand who was responsible for the slow starts all these years!go Lewis!i feel sorry for Alonso!he has so much talent and he can’t use it another year!so many years in a row having to fight with mediocre cars in his hands!although the last seems not mediocre but terrible!and someone should persuade massa to retire!
blackmamba
17th March 2012, 9:26
You might have a point there mate about Pat Fry (lol) I never thought of it that way!
Now if only Whitmarsh would stop interfering btwn the 2 drivers with saving fuel comments we might have an exciting battle btwn them. They get along great, better than any other team I can think of even in years gone by. Let them race, they are big boys!
F1fanNL (@)
17th March 2012, 7:26
Well, I got the pole sitter right. I was more than a second of the time though. And the way things are looking I’ll be scoring some good points tomorrow. I only expected Rosberg to do better and didn’t count on Grosjean.
SimBri (@f1addict)
17th March 2012, 8:10
Same here – I’ve got Raikkonen rather than Grosjean in my top 5, though. Maybe he’ll do what Webber did in China last year. I don’t think he used any of his soft tyres in quali.
verstappen (@verstappen)
17th March 2012, 7:26
Shame that both Kimi and Alonso didn’t make it to Q3. But at this level you got to be error-free.
DiResta and Senna also not looking good.
But good old Schumi up there, no RedBull’s on the first row, two worldchampion’s having to fight back… Hope double DRS won’t spoil it, but apart from that it’ll be classic!
Oh and hats off for McLaren as well, seems Hamilton found some rest in his head.
Kenny Davies
17th March 2012, 7:28
The real shocker this season is going to be Mercedes – and this is more than just the DRSF-Duct. The car is simply inherently well balanced. Both cars looked like they were capable of pole today, and both drivers are well capable of winning grand prix’s and taking away points from any title challengers.
I predict the team will win at least 2 GP’s this season; and they will develop their car much faster than Lotus can. Bring on the season!!
Kingshark (@kingshark)
17th March 2012, 7:29
When was the last time to Red Bull qualified on the first two rows?
Monza 2009?
Kingshark (@kingshark)
17th March 2012, 7:30
When was the last time NO Red Bull qualified on the first two rows?
badger (@badger)
17th March 2012, 7:31
2 McLarens on the front and a really close mixed up grid behind. Really looking forward to it. I would love to see a Schumi/Hami battle for the win, but i cant rule Button out after how well he did last year. Or Grosjean to take both McLarens out and Schumi to win? Anything can happen and thats why i love F1.
Preekel (@preekel)
17th March 2012, 7:37
Does anyone know if the lap Lewis abandoned at the end of Q3 was was quicker than his first lap?
Aldoid
17th March 2012, 7:48
It wasn’t. He was off by a few tenths in sector one & didn’t bother pressing on.
Lemon (@lemon)
17th March 2012, 11:27
“It was a good lap. The second lap I tried to brake 10m later into Turn One to see if I could do it, but it didn’t work out. Fortunately the first lap was good”
Lewis Hamilton
Carl
17th March 2012, 7:37
Ferrari still Sandbagging?
badger (@badger)
17th March 2012, 7:41
you can tell yourself that if it makes you feel better.
Cyclops_PL (@cyclops_pl)
17th March 2012, 7:38
Fantastic Grosjean. Too bad Kimi made that mistake in Q1, two Lotuses could have really make the difference.
I still tip Button for the victory and Schumacher for a podium.
Also Vettel now has the opportunity to show what he’s made of. Not starting from the front row with a car significantly behind McLaren and probably Mercedes and Lotus. A true champion will make something from it.
The true looser of Q is Massa. A gravel trapped Alonso was faster than him. That’s more than enough said.
sato113 (@sato113)
17th March 2012, 7:47
ha typical back 3 teams in same positions
montreal95 (@montreal95)
17th March 2012, 8:35
Yes,but the differences between them are bigger than ever. Caterham are less than a second off the mid-field, Marussia 2 seconds slower and HRT a further 2 seconds slower.
Slr (@slr)
17th March 2012, 8:42
Maldonado deserves some praise for his effort, he has many harsh critics, but he’s done a great job today. I hope he can get some points tomorrow.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
17th March 2012, 9:04
@slr Me too. His biggest threat is going to be Ferrari who could unsettle him. I do think he’s a good driver, he just needs to iron out rookie mistakes.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
17th March 2012, 8:52
Enjoyed the qualifying and the result.
Williams seem to be much improved from last year. Also Lotus are looking good, despite Kimi’s (understandable) mistake. Big thumbs up for Grosjean Looking forward to a fightback from him tomorrow, as well as from Alonso. Not holding my breath for a Massa fightback though. Speaking of which, even though I don’t like Ferrari, I don’t wanna see them at the back of the mid-field.
It is way to early to rule out Red bull from the fight for victory. Let’s see the race pace first.
Other things I’ve noticed: Toro Rosso are the best Ferrari engined team in Melbourne. The intra-team battle there is, as was expected, ultra close.
Wasn’t surprised that Hulk out-qualified Di Resta. They’re a bit like Hamilton and Button. Paul maybe steadier but Nico’s ultimately faster IMO. Which brings me to:
Mclaren-great showing from the best looking car on the grid! Even though I’m not a Macca fan I want them to beat all the ugly ducklings this year.
Last but not least: What odds for a certain M. Schumacher leading at the end of lap 1 tomorrow? :)
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
17th March 2012, 9:01
A pretty good shuffled grid, happy!
It’s a shame that we didn’t get to see the true pace of the F2012 or what Raikkonen could do with the E20 but Melbourne was always going to catch some out.
alexf1man (@alexf1man)
17th March 2012, 9:16
The first GP without a Red Bull on the front row since Italy 2010. Also Red Bull’s worst qualifying for three years, unless I’m mistaken.
alexf1man (@alexf1man)
17th March 2012, 9:17
Well done to McLaren, their first front row for nearly three years.
Ryan Williams (@ryanwilliams)
17th March 2012, 9:34
I think we’re in for a real classic tomorrow. It’ll be great to see how Webber and Vettel get on in the first few laps with the ever-present threat of a first corner pile-up. Grosjean put in a fantastic performance today and deserves his 3rd place grid slot, especially since the team seem to be all about Raikkonen at the moment. Mercedes look good for a podium, although my F1F prediction has Vettel 3rd, so I’d like to see him up there!
It’s worrying how far off the pace Ferrari are, especially Felipe. The car is all over the place at the moment and it’s going to be tough for Ferrari to salvage anything from this weekend although, with incidents likely, Alonso may scrape some points.
I don’t know how Fernando thought he was going to get out of the Turn 1 gravel trap. He was a long way in and the marshals had no chance of pushing him out. I can understand why Fernando was frustrated, but there was literally no way he was getting out of there
Legomanshair
17th March 2012, 9:36
Glad I don’t have to miss the start of the top few in order to watch schumi’s start tomorrow as I have in almost every race since his comeback. Hopefully we will geta podium or even better a win for schumi tomoz!…..he never gives up
Paul Crich (@)
17th March 2012, 10:18
Fantastic qualifying session. I picked Hamilton for pole and was only .096 out with the time. Not bad for a first attempt. Happy days. :-)
xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
17th March 2012, 10:36
What tyres was everyone on?
oli
17th March 2012, 10:42
Cant see Grosjean being able to hold onto 3rd place to be honist, I really hope Schumacher doesn’t go for one of his light hearted moves and loses his front wing, he has a lot to prove now especially after his 4th place in quali. I really hope he is able to get onto the podium… ALL MERCEDES PODIUM – HAMILTON from BUTTON from SCHUMACHER!!!!!!!!
Nick T
17th March 2012, 14:19
Now that Red Bull will need both its drivers to score and cant afford to dial back webber’s car, will we see a more accurate view of the difference between webber and vettel?
Well, looks like winter times were actually very representative of the teams’ pace. I feel vindicated in my predictions for Williams with Pastor’s qualifying. Ironically, people have been running pastor through the mud as a hack while many people thought Senna deserved a chance much more than him. Not saying Senna won’t improve, but I think people should start admitting that for the amount of money he brings he is a pretty good deal. He’ll never win anything but he is competent with the potential to score regularly.
N
17th March 2012, 15:05
Williams qualyfing 6 10ths off the Redbulls!!! Thats more surprising to me than seeing Grosjean in 3rd, given how dominant Redbull where and how shockingly bad Williams have been in recent years.
N
17th March 2012, 16:21
whoops meant 3-4 tenths
N
17th March 2012, 16:25
Actually make that 2-3 tenths, damn keith y u no edit button!! ;] *throws fist in the air*
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th March 2012, 18:15
See here:
https://www.racefans.net/groups/f1-fanatic-site-development/forum/topic/editing-comments/
N
17th March 2012, 17:48
http://wtf1.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6th.jpg :D