Nico Rosberg drove his Mercedes AMG W03 to pole of the Chinese Grand Prix. His teammate Michael Schumacher will start alongside him, thanks to a grid penalty handed to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.
"I feel sorry for Lewis," Schumacher is quoted saying by GMM, talking about how the Briton lost his spot on the first row alongside Rosberg because of a gear box change.
"But it's good good for us," he added.
For Rosberg, it's a first career pole in 111 grands prix. By earning first spot on the grid, the German gave the Silver Arrows their first pole since 1955 – back when Juan Manuel Fangio was driving for Mercedes.
"We want to congratulate Nico Rosberg and Mercedes," Paul Hembrey Pirelli's motorsport boss said in a press release. "They used their tires perfectly today."
The second biggest story of the qualifying session was Sebastian Vettel's (Red Bull) poor performance. The two-time world champion German only starts 11th, after failing to make it into Q3.
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) also caused his own commotion. He clocked the fourth best lap, which means he will start a career-high third tomorrow, thanks to Hamilton's grid penalty.
All top 10 drivers posted their best time while on Pirelli's yellow soft rubber, but only the two Mercedes drivers, Hamilton and Kimi Raïkkönen went out early in the session. The Finn's Lotus teammate, Romain Grosjean didn't venture out at all, he will start 10th.
Jenson Button (McLaren), Mark Webber (Red Bull), Sergio Perez (Sauber) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) are the drivers completing the top 10.
The big question ahead of the race is whether or not the Mercedes can build on their qualifying pace – which has been very impressive since the beginning of the season. Both in Australia and Malaysia they suffered from tire degradation and quickly spiralled down the order on Sunday.
The starting grid will once more feature all of the 24-car field since everybody, including the HRT drivers, made in within the 107% rule.
Starting grid – Chinese Grand Prix
Row 1
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) – 1min35.121s – Q3
Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) – 1min35.691s – Q3
Row 2
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) – 1min35.784s – Q3
Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) – 1min35.898s – Q3
Row 3
Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) – 1min36.191s – Q3
Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) – 1min36.290s – Q3
Row 4
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) – 1min35.626s – Q3 **
Sergio Perez (Sauber C31-Ferrari) – 1min36.524s – Q3
Row 5
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) – 1min36.622s – Q3
Romain Grosjean (Lotus E20-Renault) – no time – Q3
Row 6
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) – 1min36.031s – Q2
Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) – 1min36.255s – Q2
Row 7
Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW34-Renault) – 1min36.283s – Q2
Bruno Senna (Williams FW34-Renault) – 1min36.289s – Q2
Row 8
Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) – 1min36.317s – Q2
Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) – 1min36.745s – Q2
Row 9
Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) – 1min36.956s – Q2
Jean-Eric Vergnes (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) – 1min37.714s – Q1
Row 10
Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) – 1min38.463s – Q1
Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) – 1min38.677s – Q1
Row 11
Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) – 1min39.282s – Q1
Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) – 1min39.717s – Q1
Row 12
Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) – 1min40.411s – Q1
Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) – 1min41.000s – Q1
**Grid penalty for gearbox change
Source: ItaliaRacing.net
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| Nico Rosberg (Photo: Mercedes-AMG-F1.com) |
"I feel sorry for Lewis," Schumacher is quoted saying by GMM, talking about how the Briton lost his spot on the first row alongside Rosberg because of a gear box change.
"But it's good good for us," he added.
For Rosberg, it's a first career pole in 111 grands prix. By earning first spot on the grid, the German gave the Silver Arrows their first pole since 1955 – back when Juan Manuel Fangio was driving for Mercedes.
 |
| Ross Brawn (left) and his boss Norbert Haug congratulating each other (Photo: Mercedes-AMG-F1.com) |
"We want to congratulate Nico Rosberg and Mercedes," Paul Hembrey Pirelli's motorsport boss said in a press release. "They used their tires perfectly today."
The second biggest story of the qualifying session was Sebastian Vettel's (Red Bull) poor performance. The two-time world champion German only starts 11th, after failing to make it into Q3.
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) also caused his own commotion. He clocked the fourth best lap, which means he will start a career-high third tomorrow, thanks to Hamilton's grid penalty.
All top 10 drivers posted their best time while on Pirelli's yellow soft rubber, but only the two Mercedes drivers, Hamilton and Kimi Raïkkönen went out early in the session. The Finn's Lotus teammate, Romain Grosjean didn't venture out at all, he will start 10th.
Jenson Button (McLaren), Mark Webber (Red Bull), Sergio Perez (Sauber) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) are the drivers completing the top 10.
The big question ahead of the race is whether or not the Mercedes can build on their qualifying pace – which has been very impressive since the beginning of the season. Both in Australia and Malaysia they suffered from tire degradation and quickly spiralled down the order on Sunday.
The starting grid will once more feature all of the 24-car field since everybody, including the HRT drivers, made in within the 107% rule.
Starting grid – Chinese Grand Prix
Row 1
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) – 1min35.121s – Q3
Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) – 1min35.691s – Q3
Row 2
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) – 1min35.784s – Q3
Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) – 1min35.898s – Q3
Row 3
Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) – 1min36.191s – Q3
Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) – 1min36.290s – Q3
Row 4
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) – 1min35.626s – Q3 **
Sergio Perez (Sauber C31-Ferrari) – 1min36.524s – Q3
Row 5
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) – 1min36.622s – Q3
Romain Grosjean (Lotus E20-Renault) – no time – Q3
Row 6
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) – 1min36.031s – Q2
Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) – 1min36.255s – Q2
Row 7
Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW34-Renault) – 1min36.283s – Q2
Bruno Senna (Williams FW34-Renault) – 1min36.289s – Q2
Row 8
Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) – 1min36.317s – Q2
Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) – 1min36.745s – Q2
Row 9
Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) – 1min36.956s – Q2
Jean-Eric Vergnes (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) – 1min37.714s – Q1
Row 10
Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) – 1min38.463s – Q1
Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) – 1min38.677s – Q1
Row 11
Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) – 1min39.282s – Q1
Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) – 1min39.717s – Q1
Row 12
Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) – 1min40.411s – Q1
Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) – 1min41.000s – Q1
**Grid penalty for gearbox change
Source: ItaliaRacing.net