"Cato Batista" 21/04/2012 20:50:28 ID #152
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Red Bull is back at the front, but changing track conditions made the final grid positions a bit of a lottery. Vettel will share front row with Hamilton, teammates Webber and Button will take row 2, Rosberg opted for a better race set up and settled for 5th. Schumacher didn’t pass Q1, Raikkonen was out in Q2 (11th), Alonso made it to Q3 but has run out new control tires and was forced so sit out the last session. Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso is a surprising 6th, with DiResta’s Force India broke into the top 10 for the first time. Lotus & Sauber confirm their good form with Grosjean 7th and Perez 8th.
Looking at our QF results, Fredrik’s two points looks like a mega-achievement. Nobody collected points for VET’s pole, besides Fredrik only single points were awarded to Ian, Santiago, Lou, Ricardo, Manbos & Curro. That is 8 points in total! Ouch! Let’s move on.
Pirelli most be wondering if they did the right choice of rubber. With 4 very heavy braking zones and two more braking sections under double-apex corners, lock ups are the order of the day. It’s nearly impossible to avoid locking up the tires when the car has to stop at the same time as it turns into a long corner with its load on the outer side. Plus high track temperatures, a surface that hasn’t been used in two years, everything points to race of attrition, the survival of the smartest drivers.
The grid for tomorrow: VET HAM WEB BUT ROS RIC GRO PER ALO DIR
The top 8 runners are starting on used control tires, on full loads they won’t last more than 8 laps (race distance: 57) This could be a 4 stopper, expect 3 as default, all the stints in prime rubber but the fastest drivers will be aiming to get back to control tires for the last stint. It will be a day of strategies made on last second decisions.
Another lottery? you bet.
Oh my, here we go:
Cato – VET BUT HAM WEB ROS ALO
Good luck. Enjoy!