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Tuesday, 23 August, 2011, 3:22 ( 1:22 GMT )
Editorial/OP-ED




Formula 1: Webber maintains Red Bull Stranglehold in Qualifiers for British GP
09/07/2011 15:43:00
Mar Webber was fastest at Silverstone to take pole position for Sunday's British GP

Red Bull’s Australian driver, Mark Webber was the quickest of the lot in an intermittently rainy qualifying session for Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He will start the ninth round of the 2011 Formula 1 Championship from pole, ahead of team-mate and World Drivers' Champion and current leader, Sebastian Vettel.

The second row will be occupied by the Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, while McLaren's Jenson Button, who finished fifth fastest in Saturday's qualifiers starts in the third row, just ahead of sixth-placed Force India driver Paul di Resta.

The other British driver, Lewis Hamilton starts in the fifth row after a disappointing 10th spot in the official qualifiers. Michael Schumacher was also caught out by some raindrops, qualifying only 13th and not passing beyond Q2.

Despite particularly rainy conditions, Red Bull still posted the fastest time in two of the three practice sessions at Silverstone. Webber (1:46.603) led the first and Vettel (1:31.401) the last and only mainly dry session.

Paul di Resta led what looked like a battalion of cars onto the circuit as the clouds appeared to threaten rain at some point during the first, twenty-minute session of qualifying. Within two minutes, all drivers were on the track.

The Scot’s first time was quickly beaten by Sutil and Kovalainen, with Hamilton, then Alonso on the top of the time-sheets. Barrichello and Maldonado quickly separated the former teammates, with Massa going second fastest.

Things appeared to settle down by five minutes into the session, with Alonso leading Massa, Webber, Barrichello, Maldonado, Vettel, di Resta, Kovalainen, Rosberg, and Kobayashi as the top ten. Soon, though, Vettel was on top with a 1:33.555. Alonso had a moment, running off through the grass and gravel at Luffield, though he managed to continue on.

Barrichello was next fastest, with Webber soon supplanting him. The order never seemed to last long, as Massa went to the top, then did Maldonado. Vettel swapped position with Webber for third fastest, though it wasn’t fastest that was most concerning.

Rain began to fall again with six minutes remaining. Webber led Maldonado, Massa, Vettel, Alonso, Barrichello, Hamilton, Perez, Schumacher, and Rosberg as the top ten, with Button eleventh. Though the rain quickly stopped, it ruined the track for the remaining minutes of Q1. However, Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus was able to move on to Q2 and all drivers were within the 107%.

here was another rush out for Q2, Rosberg leading the way, with no rain falling at the beginning of the fifteen minute session. Three minutes into the session, only Massa and Kovalainen had yet to leave the garage. Most were out on inters, and Rosberg aborted his lap to get some slick tires.

Barrichello was the first fastest, though he was son moved down by teammate Maldonado (1:37.703). Five minutes in, Maldonado led Kobayashi, Barrichello, Perez, Webber, Heidfeld, Schumacher, Hamilton, Vettel, and Petrov. Sutil soon was third fastest, only to lose position to Heidfeld, then Barrichello went fastest again.

Five minutes to go, all but Kobayashi, Perez, Barrichello, Petrov, and di Resta were on the track. Alonso’s first lap on the softer tire put him seventh, then he fastest of all (1:31.727) by nearly two seconds.

Hamilton quickly went second fastest, with Kovalainen jumping to fourth. Massa, Rosberg, and di Resta still had not set a time with two minutes remaining, though Massa (1:31.640) went fastest of all on his first fast lap, displacing Webber who had taken the top spot from Alonso.

Hamilton went fifth fastest, leaving Button, Barrichello, Sutil, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Kobayashi, and Rosberg in the knockout zone with a minute remaining. Massa and Webber pitted with seconds left, safe in first and second, as did Hamilton in seventh and di Resta in eighth.

In the end, Schumacher could not improve and he was dropped out. Button, however, hauled himself up to fourth to move on to Q3. Massa led the session, with Webber, Alonso, Button, Rosberg, Vettel, Kobayashi, Hamilton, di Resta, and Maldonado moving forward.

All but Maldonado, di Resta, and Kobayashi were out within a minute of the green light for Q3, though they were also soon out onto the track. Vettel (1:30.431), then Webber led, with Hamilton third, only to be displaced by Rosberg, who then lost position to Alonso.

Webber took provisional pole from his team-mate. Massa was fourth fastest, with Button, di Resta, Maldonado, Rosberg, and Hamilton the nine drivers with times and five minutes remaining.
Kobayashi’s first time put him eighth while Hamilton dropped to tenth.

With three minutes remaining, nearly all the drivers were in the garage for final adjustments. Alonso was back out, as was Button with three minutes to go. The rest of the field streamed out as some rain began falling. Only di Resta, Maldonado, and Kobayashi remained in the garage.

Button was the first to start his final flying lap, and well off the pace. Rosberg was going for a better position than his then ninth, pushing so hard he nearly shot off the circuit. He aborted his lap, as the other drivers were forced to do as well with the rain falling a bit too hard to better any laps.

Starting Grid for British GP – Sunday

1. Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull
2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
3. Jenson Button (McLaren) and Paul di Resta (Force India)
4. Pastor Maldonado (Williams) and Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber)
5. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) and Lewis Hamilton (McLaen)
6. Adrian Sutil (Force India) and Sergio Perez (Sauber)
7. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Vitaly Petrov (Renault)
8. Rubens Barrichello (Williams) and Nick Heidfeld (Renault)
9. Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus) and Jaime Alguersuari (STR)
10. Sebastien Buemi (STR) and Timo Glock (Virgin)
11. arno Trulli (Lotus) and Jerome d'Ambrosio (Virgin)
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi (HRT) and Daniel Ricciardo (HRT)
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