Qualifying Report - Trouble out front

By Dan Knutson

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel qualified first and second for the Brazilian Grand Prix. But Vettel was in trouble with the stewards for not obeying the rules at the weigh scales during the second session and could well get a penalty. Hamilton could also be getting a penalty for impeding another driver during qualifying.

The line-up for the weekend was: Mercedes – Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari – Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull TAG Heuer – Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Racing Point Force India Mercedes – Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon; Williams Mercedes –Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin; Renault – Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz; Toro Rosso Honda – Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly; Haas Ferrari – Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; McLaren Renault – Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Sauber Ferrari – Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc.

Vettel was best in FP3 earlier in the day with a time of 1:07.948 on Pirelli's super soft compound slicks. Also, on offer were the medium and soft compounds.

Ricciardo and Ocon would each get a five-place grid penalty for the race on Sunday.

QUALIFYING 1

The ambient temperature at the start of qualifying was 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Centigrade) and the track temperature was 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Centigrade).

First out in Q1, which lasted 18 minutes, was Leclerc.

Dark clouds were approaching and there was a 60 percent chance of rain, so quite a few drivers were anxious to get some laps in before the track possibly got wet.

One of those was Hamilton, who was on the super soft slicks, and he turned a 1:08.464. Raikkonen soon beat that only to have Verstappen go even faster with his 1:08.205. Vettel was fourth.

As the midpoint of Q1 approached, Gasly was 15th and on the bubble, with Ocon 14th and Perez 16th.

"We have some rain here but it is very light," radioed Raikkonen from Turn 12. But there was still sun on the pit straight.

It was a busy track in the final minutes, and when it was over the five drivers who were eliminated at the end of Q1 were: Sainz, Hartley, Alonso, Stroll and Vandoorne.

The fastest 15 drivers who moved on to Q2 were: Verstappen, Raikkonen, Vettel, Hamilton, Magnussen, Bottas, Ricciardo, Leclerc, Grosjean, Ericsson, Hulkenberg, Gasly, Perez, Sirotkin and Ocon.

QUALIFYING 2

Most of the light rain had been falling on the middle sector of the track as Q1 wound down. But the circuit was really not very slippery.

Leclerc was again the first driver out, and there was a long line of cars behind him.

"More rain is coming," Magnussen was told.

Still, it was slicks all round for the drivers.

"Expecting rain in four minutes," radioed Grosjean's engineer.

The two Ferraris went out on soft compound Pirellis.

Bottas, on super softs, took the lead with a 1:07.727.

"I can see the rain coming," Hamilton said as he moved into second place.

Now the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers shifted to the softs. But none of them managed to improve the times set of the super softs.

But the Ferraris had improved, so Vettel and Raikkonen would start the race on the soft tires.

With just over six minutes to go, Magnussen was tenth and on the cutoff line with Gasly ninth and Leclerc.

More light rain now made it extremely difficult to anybody to improve their lap times. But Leclerc jumped up to eighth.

The five drivers who were eliminated at the end of Q2 were: Magnussen, Perez, Ocon, Hulkenberg and Sirotkin.

The fastest 10 drivers who moved on to Q3 were: Bottas, Vettel, Hamilton, Verstappen, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Grosjean, Leclerc, Ericsson and Gasly.

QUALIFYING 3

Slicks or intermediate rain tires for Q3?

It was slicks. Super softs of course.

Raikkonen clocked a 1:07.456. Vettel beat that with a 1:07.374. Hamilton beat that with a 1:07.301.

So after the first runs the order was Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Ericsson, Leclerc, Grosjean and Gasly.

The rain had disappeared for now.

Less than two minutes remained when the drivers headed out for the last run of the session.

Hamilton improved to secure first place. Vettel, Bottas and Raikkonen could not improve and stayed in that order. As did Ricciardo, Ericsson, Leclerc, Grosjean and Gasly.