Singapore GP – Qualifications: Vettel and Red Bull on pole for the title!

The famous Sumatra downpours do not resonate as predicted, so the 24 drivers will start on a dry track in a warm and humid atmosphere for this fourteenth qualifying session of the season.

Q1: Rubens Barrichello leads the way for this first part of qualifying. With only sixteen minutes left, the Brazilian sets an initial time of 1:51.042, hindered by traffic. All drivers improve behind him, including Sebastian Vettel who clocks 1:47.137 and takes the lead, soon overtaken by Hamilton then Button. But the reigning world champion reclaims his position with 1:46.397. None of the favorites have fitted the super soft tires (red) yet. With 10 minutes left in this session, Alonso and Webber position themselves behind the leading trio. Petrov is still lingering in the red zone: the Russian driver is struggling with a Renault that couldn’t do much running during the first practice session yesterday. There’s a lull in this first part of qualifying, with only the Mercedes and Daniel Ricciardo on track. The top eight drivers are in the pits while the others are all out on track. The real interest at the end of Q1 is whether Vitaly Petrov will manage to escape the elimination zone: he sets the 17th time with 1:49.835 but it’s his own teammate, Bruno Senna, who knocks him out by taking the 15th time with 1:48.861! All eliminated drivers are within 107%, so the grid will be complete tomorrow afternoon.

Eliminated in Q1: Petrov, Kovalainen, Trulli, Glock, D’Ambrosio, Ricciardo, and Liuzzi.

Q2: As in Q1, it’s Rubens Barrichello who opens the session. Behind him, the leading team drivers are out: Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Button, Alonso are on track from the beginning of the second part of the qualifications. Webber sets the first significant time at 1:45.651, but he’s outpaced by Button by nearly two-tenths. And while Vettel secures the fastest time with 1:44.931, Kamui Kobayashi crashes into the wall at the exit of Singapore Sling. The Japanese driver launched off the second curb and couldn’t stop his Sauber from going straight ahead. The car is badly damaged at the front right: the session is over for him. The red flag was waved to clear the Sauber; there are 9 minutes and fourteen seconds remaining in this Q2. Massa comes out first, followed by Schumacher and Rosberg, who don’t have a time registered yet. 5th, 6th, and 7th are not the winning horses but the respective positions the three drivers take. The Toro Rossos, Pérez, and Senna will have to set a last-minute time as they haven’t completed a single flying lap with less than three minutes left: likely saving tires for the race. In the final minute of this Q2, Lewis Hamilton, who was out to secure his Q3 position, returns to the pits with a punctured right rear tire. Pérez and Di Resta battle for the tenth spot, and it’s the Scot from Force India who edges in by less than two-tenths.

Eliminated in Q2: Pérez, Barrichello, Maldonado, Buemi, Senna, Alguersuari, and Kobayashi

Q3: Here we go for the final part of the qualifying session, after some routine checks on the curbs. The drivers waste no time in heading out: every lap counts on this long street circuit, especially when battling for pole. Behind Button, Alonso, Massa, and Hamilton are honking. Hamilton even passes Massa: the Brit is eager to fight! Button sets the first time at 1:44.928, but Hamilton improves by a tenth. Now it’s Vettel’s turn to take the lead at 1:44.381! Webber and Alonso follow, in that order, completing the top five after the first round of flying laps. Massa, the Mercedes, and Force India have yet to come out. Rosberg gets going on a clear track, soon followed by Massa. The favorites also return to the track. In the McLaren pit, they’re preparing to send Hamilton out again, but there isn’t enough time to do so. Hamilton will thus watch the final run from the comfort of the pits, as will Schumacher, Sutil, and Di Resta, who haven’t completed a lap in Q3. Rosberg finishes 7th, Massa 6th; only Webber can displace Vettel, but he doesn’t succeed and clocks the second fastest time, with Button in 3rd and Alonso in 5th! Another pole position for Sebastian Vettel and a double victory in sight for the Austrian team. Join us tomorrow at 2:00 PM for the race and possibly Vettel’s second title!

Results of the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying: