Brazil GP – Qualifying: Vettel erases Mansell from the record books!

Q1: As is often the case, the Team Lotus cars are the first to hit the track in the initial part of qualifying, with Jarno Trulli ahead of Heikki Kovalainen. Among the top drivers, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Jenson Button are already on track. Hampered by usually faster drivers, Trulli posts a 1:16.940, a time quickly beaten by Buemi. There are warnings of possible rain with more than a quarter of an hour remaining. Hamilton takes the lead with 1:13.876, ahead of Webber and Button. Vettel moves to the top, improving the time by two-tenths. Massa and the Mercedes cars still haven’t posted a time with thirteen minutes to go. Rosberg rectifies this by placing sixth. The sky is clouding over Interlagos. Schumacher makes a mistake at Ferradura but recovers on his next lap, slotting in behind his teammate. Webber moves to the front, only to be quickly overtaken by Button with a 1:13.281.

Unlike usual, there is a lot of activity at the start of the session, especially due to the risk of rain. Trulli is two-tenths off the 17th time set by Rubens Barrichello. Most of the drivers are in the pits, leaving the Virgin and Team Lotus cars alone with eight minutes remaining in Q1. Kovalainen misses getting out of the drop zone by a tenth, while Trulli succeeds, but there is still time. Nico Rosberg is informed by radio that rain is approaching Interlagos. There are less than five minutes left. Maldonado moves out of the drop zone into fourteenth position, as does Barrichello, in ninth. At McLaren, there is a flurry of activity around Jenson Button’s car, which appears to have some steering issues. The last to qualify is Maldonado, who quickly returns to the drop zone. He won’t leave it as he returns to the pits. Liuzzi achieves a small success at the back of the pack by outpacing his teammate and the two Virgin cars.

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

Q2: The Force India cars are the first on track for this second part of the qualifying. But they are not alone, as the drivers from the top teams are also heading out to safeguard against a possible shower, which is increasingly feared as the clouds approach and the humidity rises. Sutil sets the first time, quickly surpassed by Vettel in 1:12.446 and Hamilton. Button and Webber slot in between the two men. Rosberg comes in to take the second position, nearly a tenth behind the German.

Only ten minutes remain and the top six are within less than five tenths, with Alonso closing this top 6. Everyone is in the pits with six minutes to go. Alguersuari, in twelfth place, is the first to go back out, while the risk of rain seems to be fading. The Spaniard from Toro Rosso is chasing the 10th place but cannot improve enough. Paul Di Resta is the last to qualify, ahead of Michael Schumacher who will have to fight to get into Q3: he barely slips into the top 10 with thirteen thousandths more than Di Resta. The surprise in this top 10 is Bruno Senna, still ninth as the checkered flag is lowered. Only Barrichello can change things, but he misses, leaving the joy of Q3 to his young compatriot.

Eliminated in Q2: Di Resta, Barrichello, Alguersuari, Buemi, Petrov, Kobayashi and Pérez.

Q3: The first to start is Nico Rosberg, who posted a very good time in Q2. The Mercedes driver might surprise by slipping in among the favorites. However, his first lap is not successful. Nonetheless, he temporarily takes first place, with six minutes remaining in this Q3. Rosberg sets a time of 1:13.159 as the first benchmark, which is shattered by Vettel with 1:12.268. Webber falls two-tenths short, Button three-tenths, Alonso five-tenths, Hamilton six-tenths, and Rosberg eight-tenths. Sutil, Massa, Schumacher, and Senna have not set a time, but the Force India driver corrects this by taking the provisional seventh position. Massa and Senna will make the Brazilians rise to their feet as they start, just like Michael Schumacher. Vettel launches into a final timed lap to hammer it home, and he succeeds with 1:11.918! Alonso falls six-tenths short, Senna takes ninth place, Webber more than a tenth!

This is therefore the fifteenth pole position in nineteen races for the reigning double world champion this season, surpassing Nigel Mansell in the pole positions ranking for a single season – even though the Briton had achieved fourteen in sixteen rounds – and he will start once again at the front of a Grand Prix where he is more than ever the favorite.

Result of the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying: