Malaysia – Qualifications: Vettel All-Terrain!

The sky is blue above the Sepang circuit as the qualifying session begins. The heat is also present with the mercury showing 33 degrees in the air.

Q1: It takes 2 minutes before a single-seater is seen on the track. It is Max Chilton driving the Marussia. He is quickly followed by Jules Bianchi and Jean-Eric Vergne. Midway through, it’s Nico Rosberg who holds the top spot on the timesheet with 1:37.239. Paul di Resta hits the track with the softest tires offered by Pirelli for this Grand Prix. Romain Grosjean leaves his pit with the medium (white) tires as well. The Frenchman, still struggling with his car, ranks 4th while Räikkönen places 2nd behind Sutil, who completes a lap in 1:36.809. The top contenders are already running with the mediums. The same goes for the two Red Bulls.

With three minutes to go in Q1, Mark Webber still hasn’t set a time. The Australian goes back on track but only manages the 15th fastest time. The Austrian team asks Vettel, in 13th, to do another lap. Daniel Ricciardo does better by taking the 11th position. Webber secures himself with the 9th fastest time. Vergne and Bottas are the two eliminated, along with the Marussia and Caterham drivers. Bianchi is ahead of Pic, Chilton, and Van der Garde.

Eliminated in Q1: Vergne, Bottas, Bianchi, Pic, Chilton, and Van der Garde

Q2: Di Resta is the first to start as soon as the lights turn green. At Lotus, Räikkönen’s car doesn’t have any tires yet while Massa tries to cool down as best as he can. Di Resta returns to the pits before completing his fast lap. His teammate, Sutil, is the first to set a time at 1:36.874. Immediately beaten by the two Mercedes. Rosberg ahead of Hamilton. Jenson Button places 5th at 9 tenths while at Lotus they talk about the rain with Räikkönen placing P4.

A few drops indeed begin to appear at various spots on the circuit. Di Resta, for that matter, makes an error in sector 2 and the rain intensifies. Bad news for Maldonado, who hasn’t set a lap time. Romain Grosjean, who didn’t manage to enter the top 10 on his first stint with worn tires, returns to the pits. The Frenchman will start 11th on the grid tomorrow. Disappointment for the Lotus driver.

**Eliminated in Q2:** Grosjean, Hülkenberg, Ricciardo, Gutierrez, and Di Resta.

Q3: The drivers take their positions at the end of the pitlane before the clock starts. Sutil is the fastest to position himself. They are all equipped with intermediate tires. Note that the DRS is deactivated due to the heavy presence of water in certain areas of the track. The first sector is almost dry while the other two are still wet. But the sky is clearing up and the track is drying fairly quickly. Will it be enough for someone to take the gamble on slicks before the end of the session?

In the meantime, drivers take turns at the top of the timesheets. Vettel sets a 1:52.576 and places Rosberg more than a second behind. Webber closes in within 4 tenths of his teammate. The Australian improves on the following lap, followed by Hamilton who sets the benchmark at 1:51.699. In the final minutes, everyone improves and it’s ultimately Vettel who leads, ahead of Felipe Massa by 9 tenths. Fernando Alonso completes the top 3.

Results of the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying