Japanese GP 2014

OCTOBER 4, 2014

Qualifying Report - Silver Over White

Nico Rosberg, Japanese GP 2014
© Active Pictures

 

The Silver Arrows Mercedes cars of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton dominated qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. And the white Williams cars were the next best as Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa qualified third and fourth.

The ambient temperature at the start of the session was 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Centigrade) and the track temperature was 104 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Centigrade.)

Qualifying 1

Nico Rosberg set the early mark with a time of 1:33.671 in his Mercedes while Valtteri Bottas slipped his Williams into second place with a 1:34.301. That didn't last long, however, as Lewis Hamilton took the top spot after clocking a 1:33.611 in his Mercedes.

The top teams were using Pirelli's hard compound tires at this early stage of FP1 but the small teams were already on the medium compound.

8 minutes into the session, Felipe Massa (Williams) was fourth and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) was fifth ahead of McLaren teammates Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button, and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo.

9 minutes into the session, Pastor Maldonado (Lotus) was 16th and on the bubble ahead of his teammate Romain Grosjean.

With 7 minutes remaining in the session, just about everybody had made their first runs and they were now back in the pits preparing for their second outings.

With 4 minutes remaining in the session, the drivers on the verge of missing the cut to Q2 were: Sauber teammates Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil, who were 14th and 15th, Maldonado and Grosjean, 16th and 17th, and Sergio Perez who was 18th in his Force India.

With 2 minutes remaining in the session, Perez jumped up to 12th. Daniel Ricciardo was now 14th in his Red Bull. Grosjean was now 16th as Maldonado moved to 15th, leaving Gutierrez in 17th.

In the final seconds, Gutierrez jumped to 12th, and then Sutil grabbed 16th.

The top 10 at the end of Q1 were: Hamilton, Rosberg, Bottas, Massa, Alonso, Magnussen, Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Nico Hulkenberg (Force India), Button and Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso.)

The six drivers eliminated at the end of Q1 were: Maldonado, Grosjean, Marcus Ericsson (Caterham), Jules Bianchi (Marussia), Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham) and Max Chilton (Marussia.)

Qualifying 2

Sutil was first out for the 15 minute Q2 session.

The Mercedes pit radioed to Rosberg that he was fuelled for two timed laps.

Everybody was using the medium compound tires. Sutil set a 1:36.656 to get things going. Perez beat that with a 1:35.089. Then Bottas slammed in a 1:33.801. Rosberg beat that with a 1:32.950 while Hamilton moved into second with a 1:32.982.

With 8 minutes remaining in the session, Ricciardo was 10th and on the bubble to make it to Q3 ahead of Hulkenberg and Sutil, and behind his teammate Vettel who was ninth.

With 7 minutes remaining in the session, Daniil Kvyat took 10th place, moving Ricciardo and Vettel to 12th and 13th and out of Q1 for now.

With 5 minutes remaining in the session, all of the drivers were in the pits preparing for their final runs.

With 4 minutes remaining in the session, everybody was still in the pits. It was going to get very busy out there.

With 3 minutes remaining in the session, Bottas was the first out. Everyone joined him except the Mercedes boys.

Eighth through 12th at the time were: Button, Perez, Kvyat, Vettel and Ricciardo. This where the battle of Q2 would be fought.

When it was all over, eighth through 12th were: Button, Raikkonen, Vettel, Vergne and Perez.

The top 10 at the end of Q2 were: Rosberg, Hamilton, Bottas, Massa, Alonso, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Button, Raikkonen and Vettel.

The six drivers eliminated at the end of Q2 were: Vergne, Perez, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Sutil and Gutierrez.

Qualifying 3

The 12 minute Q3 session began with Bottas and Massa alone on the track.

With 8 minutes remaining in the session, Bottas clocked the first lap time: 1:33.329. Massa clocked a 1:33.527.

With 7 minutes remaining in the session, Rosberg sliced in front with a 1:32.629. Hamilton could not beat that with his 1:32.946. Bottas was third and Massa fourth. Alonso was fifth, Magnussen sixth, Ricciardo seventh, Button eighth, Vettel ninth, and Raikkonen, who did not do a lap, 10th.

That was the order after the first runs.

With 4 minutes remaining in the session, everyone was in the pits getting ready for their last blast.

With 2 minutes remaining in the session, everybody was on track.

Vettel made a mistake on his lap but got up to sixth only to lose the place to Ricciardo.

Rosberg did a 1:32.506. Moments later Hamilton, smoking his tires on one corner, improved to a 1:32.703 so stayed second. Bottas remained third and Massa fourth. Alonso, Ricciardo, Magnussen, Button, Vettel and Raikkonen rounded out the top 10.