Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:13.543
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:14.062 +0.519
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:14.168 +0.625
4. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:14.449 +0.906
5. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:14.549 +1.006
6. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:14.696 +1.153
7. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 1:14.886 +1.343
8. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso 1:14.960 +1.417
9. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:15.174 +1.631
10. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 1:15.192 +1.649
11. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso 1:15.314 +1.771
12. Jolyon Palmer - Lotus 1:15.352 +1.809
13. Jenson Button - McLaren 1:15.379 +1.836
14. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:15.381 +1.838
15. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:15.408 +1.865
16. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 1:15.413 +1.870
17. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:15.469 +1.926
18. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:15.798 +2.255
19. Alexander Rossi - Manor F1 Team 1:17.860 +4.317
20. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:18.090 +4.547

Next session at 17.00u CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Grande Premio do Brasil - Interlagos Circuit – autodromo José Carlos Pace (San Paolo do Brazil)
13-14-15 November 2015 – the penultimate round of the season.
Brazil held its first F1 Grand Prix in 1973 at Interlagos, and after some editions in Rio de Janeiro(Jacarepagua) the race returned to Sao Paulo in 1990. The track is one of the shortest on the calendar, just 4.309 km
The asphalt is abrasive, and an even more challenging aspect are the bumps
It is difficult to find a setup balance between the twisty parts of the circuit and the long straights
Interlagos runs anti-clockwise and is one of the best circuit of the championship.
2013 winning strategy: 2 pitstops (lap 24 and 47) but with medium and hard tyres
2014 winning strategy 3 pitstops ( lap 7- 26 -50) soft tyre at the start and then always, medium tyre till the end
Pirelli will bring Soft (Yellow-marked) and Medium (White-marked) compounds, as last year(2014)
strategy options 2015: between two and three pit stops.

2012 Podium: Button (Mc Laren) – 2°Alonso and 3° Massa
Pole position : Hamilton (Mc Laren) 1.12.458 Fastest lap: Hamilton

2013 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2° Webber and 3° Alonso
pole position : Vettel (Red Bull) ; 1.26.479(wet condition)

2014 Podium: Rosberg (Mercedes) – 2° Hamilton and 3° Massa
pole position : Rosberg (Mercedes); 1.10.023 Fastest lap: Hamilton

the winners at Interlagos
2 wins: Massa(2006 - 2008) and Vettel (2010-2013)
1 win: Raikkonen(2007) Button(2012) and Rosberg(2014)
No wins for Alonso and Hamilton

pole position at Interlagos:
3 pole: Massa (2006-2007-2008)
2 pole: Vettel (2011-2013)
1 pole: Alonso(2005), Hulkenberg(2010), Hamilton (2012) and Rosberg(2014)

Fastest lap.
3: Hamilton (2010-2012-2014)
2: Raikkonen(2005-2007);
1: Massa (2008);

Podium(winner+second+third) for current pilots at Interlagos
8 (0 win +3 second +5third) Alonso
5 (1+3+1) Raikkonen
4 (2+1+2) Massa
3 (2+1+0) Vettel
2 (1+0+2) Button
1 (1+0+0) Rosberg
1 (0+1+1) Hamilton

Ricciardo will take a 10-place grid penalty for the change of power unit.

2015 qualifying comparison: Grosjean vs Maldonado 15-2 after 17 races

kind regards oberon

The schedule for this weekend GP at Brasil :

Friday - 13/11 :
1st practice session : 13.00u 14.30u CET
2nd Practice session : 17.00u - 18.30u CET

Saturday - 14/11 :
3rd practice sesseion : 14.00u - 15.00u CET
qualifying : 17.00u - 18.00u CET

Sunday - 15/11 :
Race : 17.00u CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 17 RACES :

1. Mercedes 617 points 2015 WORLD CHAMPION

2. Ferrari 374 points
3. Williams 243 points
4. Red Bull 177 points
5. Force India 112 points
6. Lotus 71 points
7. Toro Rosso 65 points
8. Sauber 36 points
9. McLaren 27 points

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 17 RACES :

1. L. Hamilton GBR Mercedes 345 points 2015 WORLD CHAMPION

2. N. Rosberg GER Mercedes 272 points
3. S. Vettel GER Ferrari 251 points
4. V. Bottas FIN Williams 126 points
5. K. Raikkonen FIN Ferrari 123 points
6. F. Massa BRA Williams 117 points
7. D. Kvyat RUS Red Bull 88 points
8. D. Ricciardo AUS Red Bull 84 points
9. S. Perez MEX Force India 68 points
10. M. Verstappen NED Renault 47 points
11. R. Grosjean FRA Lotus 45 points
12. N. Hulkenberg GER Force India 44 points
13. F. Nasr BRA Sauber 27 points
14. P. Maldonado VEN Lotus 26 points
15. C. Sainz jr. ESP Toro Rosso 18 points
16. J. Button GBR McLaren 16 points
17. F. Alonso ESP McLaren 11 points
18. M. Ericsson SWE Sauber 9 points

Result of the GP from Mexico :

1.Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1h46
2.Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP + 1.9
3.Valtteri Bottas - Williams + 14.5
4.Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing + 16.5
5.Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing + 19.6
6. Felipe Massa - Williams + 21.4
7. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India + 25.8
8. Sergio Perez - Force India + 34.3
9. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso + 35.2
10. Romain Grosjean - Lotus + 37.9
11. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus + 38.5
12. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber + 40.1
13. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso + 48.7
14. Jenson Button - McLaren + 49.2
15. Alexander Rossi - Manor F1 Team + 2 laps
16. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team + 2 laps
Did Not Finish :
17. Felipe Nasr - Sauber
18. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari
19. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari
20. Fernando Alonso - McLaren

Fastest lap : Nico Rosberg - 1:20.521
Pitstop Lewis Hamilton : 2
Bat 2 Teams : V. Bottas > D. Ricciardo
Grid Pos. M. Ericsson : 12th place

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the qualifying from Mexico :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:19.480
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:19.668 +0.188
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:19.850 +0.370
4. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:20.398 +0.918
5. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:20.399 +0.919
6. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 1:20.448 +0.968
7. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:20.567 +1.087
8. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso 1:20.710 +1.230
9. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:20.716 +1.236
10. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:20.788 +1.308
Q2
11. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso 1:20.942 +1.462
12. Romain Grosjean - Lotus 1:21.038 +1.558
13. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 1:21.261 +1.781
14. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:21.544 +2.064
15. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:22.494 +3.014
Q1
16. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 1:21.779 +2.299
17. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:21.788 +2.308
18. Alexander Rossi - Manor F1 Team 1:24.136 +4.656
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:24.386 +4.906
20. Jenson Button - McLaren - no time

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:21.531
2. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:21.776 +0.245
3. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:21.868 +0.337
4. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:21.961 +0.430
5. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:21.984 +0.453
6. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:22.399 +0.868
7. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 1:22.721 +1.190
8. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 1:22.993 +1.462
9. Jenson Button - McLaren 1:23.109 +1.578
10. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:23.289 +1.758
11. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:23.290 +1.759
12. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 1:23.363 +1.832
13. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso 1:23.364 +1.833
14. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:23.430 +1.899
15. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:23.597 +2.066
16. Romain Grosjean - Lotus 1:23.614 +2.083
17. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:24.533 +3.002
18. Alexander Rossi - Manor F1 Team 1:25.940 +4.409
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:26.968 +5.437
20. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - no time

Rosberg on top but Red Bulls are close in second session :
Nico Rosberg finished Friday practice for Formula 1's first Mexican Grand Prix in 23 years by comfortably topping the times.
On a soft-tyre run in the second session at the Mexico City track, Mercedes driver Rosberg was quickest with a lap of 1m21.531s.
Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo were second and third on a circuit that appears to suit Red Bull, finishing 0.245 seconds and 0.337s adrift respectively. Newly-crowned three-time champion Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth, 0.430s behind team-mate Rosberg, although his attempts to set quicker laps were often thwarted by traffic. As per the first session, the opening half-hour was dominated by a number of spins and incidents. After leading the way in first practice - albeit controversially so - Max Verstappen's second practice was over inside five minutes, with the 17-year-old sliding into a barrier out of the exit of Turn 16, one of the slower sections of the track. It brought out the red flags while his Toro Rosso was recovered and started a series of spins and slides for a number of drivers on the very slippery asphalt. Poor weather conditions in recent months in Mexico City delayed the laying of the top layer of the circuit, and with it still being so new and with oils forcing their way to the surface, it resulted in plenty of action. After a seven-minute delay under the red flags, Valtteri Bottas was the next to suffer as he lost his Williams under braking at high speed into Turn 1, with the Finn fortunate to only escape with losing his front wing after clipping a barrier. Turn 1 proved to be particularly troublesome, with Carlos Sainz Jr, home hero Sergio Perez and Pastor Maldonado all going off track at that point. Sebastian Vettel only just held onto his Ferrari on entry to the pitlane at one stage, while Hamilton spun out of the sharp-left Turn 4, resulting in him facing the wrong way. With 28 minutes remaining Romain Grosjean became the second retiree of the session, pulling his Lotus off on to the grass at Turn 10 due to a clutch problem, resulting in a second red-flag period as he helped the marshals push his car behind a barrier. Vettel ended the session fifth overall, a fraction of second behind Hamilton, with his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen the only other driver to finish within a second of Rosberg, 0.868s adrift. Bottas, who also took out the bollard late on that separates the pitlane entry point from the track, was seventh, just over a second back, followed by McLaren duo Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. Button spent the opening 45 minutes in the garage due to a deployment issue in the wake of a planned second Honda engine change that means he is hit with a 50-place grid penalty for Sunday. Felipe Massa completed the top 10, 1.758s down, before a late sprinkling of rain that added to the slippery conditions led to a run on intermediate rubber for a number of drivers to close out the session.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso 1:25.990
2. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:26.295 +0.305
3. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:26.295 +0.305
4. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:26.886 +0.896
5. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:27.185 +1.195
6. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:27.196 +1.206
7. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 1:27.303 +1.313
8. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso 1:27.410 +1.420
9. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:27.581 +1.591
10. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:27.695 +1.705
11. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:27.723 +1.733
12. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:28.498 +2.508
13. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 1:28.559 +2.569
14. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:28.579 +2.589
15. Jolyon Palmer - Lotus 1:28.711 +2.721
16. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:29.099 +3.109
17. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 1:30.072 +4.082
18. Alexander Rossi - Manor F1 Team 1:30.619 +4.629
19. Jenson Button - McLaren 1:32.091 +6.101
20. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:32.866 +6.876

Max Verstappen quickest in practice one for Toro Rosso :
Max Verstappen set the pace for Toro Rosso in practice one as Formula 1 began its first Mexican Grand Prix weekend in 23 years.
The teenager clocked a 1m25.990s late in the session as the track conditions improved to finish 0.305 seconds clear of Daniil Kvyat's Red Bull, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen third. Verstappen's time raised eyebrows in the pitlane as he had gone off course in the esses section on the way to setting the fastest time, cutting across the run-off area at the second part of the corner after a mistake on the way in. Drivers started the session on the intermediates after overnight rain in Mexico City left the circuit damp in places. Conditions were tricky due to the combination of a wet track and freshly laid asphalt, with Sebastian Vettel reporting it was "ridiculously slippery". Valtteri Bottas set the early pace for Williams, clocking a 1m31.868s, before the field started to make the switch to the medium tyres after half an hour. Despite the track drying out, the circuit remained tricky - with several drivers running off, particularly at Turns 8 and 10. Nico Rosberg moved into first place, but then skated off track at the entrance to the stadium with smoke pouring from the rear wheels and flames around his brakes. The German recovered to the pits, where Mercedes worked on a fix to aid cooling and got him out for the final minutes of the session. The Mexico City track is located 2220 metres above sea level, which means the air is thinner and in turn puts pressure on brake and engine cooling. Rosberg was eventually demoted to sixth, behind Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, and ahead of Bottas and Carlos Sainz Jr. Driving on home soil, Sergio Perez drew huge cheers from a decent crowd on Friday and finished ninth, with Felipe Massa completing the top 10.
Newly-crowned world champion Lewis Hamilton clocked up 27 laps, 10 fewer than Sainz who completed the most, but set his best time early in the session. That left him 11th. Jolyon Palmer, who will contest all the remaining Friday morning practice sessions this season ahead of his race debut with Lotus next year, was 15th, two tenths slower than team-mate Pastor Maldonado. Jenson Button completed just nine laps before parking his McLaren in the garage so the team could complete a scheduled engine change, his second of the weekend and one that will cause him to take a 50-place grid penalty.

Next session at 21.00u CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

The Times for this weekends GP of Mexico :

Friday 30/10 :
1st practice session : 17.00u - 18.30u CET
2nd practice session : 21.00u - 22.30u CET

Saturday 31/10 :
3rd practice session :17.00u - 18.00u CET
Qualifying : 20.00u - 21.00u CET

Sunday 01/11 :
Race : 20.00u CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Mexican Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Pedro and Ricardo) 30 October /1November 2015
In this week end, after 23 years absence, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will host the Mexican Grand Prix 2015. The circuit is located in northeast Mexico City. In the past this circuit hosted the F.1 Mexican Grand Prix between 1963 and 1970, then again between 1986 and 1992. Sadly compared with the old layout, has been completely modified the most interesting and famous curve: the Peraltada; a long, banked right hander before the start straight. For sure, the new layout is much worse than the old one. it is a big shame. At the Peraltada curve in 1990, i remember a spectacular overtaking: (Mansell-Ferrari vs Berger Mc Laren) Now instead of the old Peraldata there are a series of slow corners and only the last part is still there, renamed Mansell curve

Pirelli will bring Soft (Yellow-marked) and Medium (White-marked) compounds,
With the circuit located at 2285 metres above sea level, the thin air will be a key factor for Turbo engine.
But for the prediction of pole position lap time is better to wait the free practices

Stats of the season
Wins: Hamilton 10: Roberg and Vettel 3.
Pole position: Hamilton 11 – Rosberg 4 – Vettel 1.
Fastest lap: Hamilton 6 – Rosberg 4 – Ricciardo 3 – Raikkonen 2 – Vettel 1

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 16 RACES :

1. Mercedes 574 points 2015 WORLD CHAMPIONS

2. Ferrari 374 points
3. Williams 220 points
4. Red Bull 150 points
5. Force India 102 points
6. Lotus 70 points
7. Toro Rosso 63 points
8. Sauber 36 points
9. McLaren 27 points

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 16 RACES :

1. L. Hamilton GBR Mercedes 327 points 2015 WORLD CHAMPION
Third world title for the British driver, second consecutive

2. S. Vettel GER Ferrari 251 points
3. N. Rosberg GER Mercedes 247 points
4. K. Raikkonen FIN Ferrari 123 points
5. V. Bottas FIN Williams 111 points
6. F. Massa BRA Williams 109 points
7. D. Kvyat RUS Red Bull 76 points
8. D. Ricciardo AUS Red Bull 74 points
9. S. Perez MEX Force India 64 points
10. M. Verstappen NED Toro Rosso 45 points
11. R. Grosjean FRA Lotus 44 points
12. N. Hulkenberg GER Force India 38 points
13. F. Nasr BRA Sauber 27 points
14. P. Maldonado VEN Lotus 26 points
15. C. Sainz jr. ESP Toro Rosso 18 points
16. J. Button GBR McLaren 16 points
17. F. Alonso ESP McLaren 11 points
18. M. Ericsson SWE Lotus 9 points

Result of the race :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1h45
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP + 2.850
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari + 3.381
4. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso + 22.359
5. Sergio Perez - Force India + 24.413
6. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso + 25.619
7. Jenson Button - McLaren + 28.058
8. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus + 32.273
9. Felipe Nasr - Sauber + 40.257
10. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing + 53.371
11. Fernando Alonso - McLaren + 54.816
12. Alexander Rossi - Manor F1 Team + 1m15.277
Did Not Finish :
13. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing
14. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India
15. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber
16. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari
17. Felipe Massa - Williams
18. Romain Grosjean - Lotus
19. Valtteri Bottas - Williams
20. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team

Fastest lap : Nico Rosberg - 1:40.666
Pitstop S.Perez : 2
Bat 2 Teams : S.Perez > D.Kvyat
Grid Pos. S.Vettel : 3rd place

Lewis Hamilton clinches third F1 drivers’ title after winning the US GP at Austin - Texas :
Lewis Hamilton won his third Formula 1 world championship after claiming victory in a wild United States Grand Prix. Hamilton, who finished 2.8s clear of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg come the conclusion to an astonishing 56 laps, also becomes the first Briton to win back-to-back titles. From second on the grid and on the run up the hill into Turn 1, Hamilton had the inside line, and not for the first time this year he forced Rosberg wide and off track after they had bumped wheels, relegating the German to fifth. When Sauber's Felipe Nasr lost most of his front wing at Turn 1 on lap two after clipping the rear-left tyre of team-mate Marcus Ericsson - on the occasion of the team's 400th grand prix - debris at that corner led to the virtual safety car being called.
On the restart, Hamilton backed up those behind him to such a degree that once the racing resumed Rosberg soon passed Red Bull duo Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat. Over the next few laps, on wearing intermediate tyres and on a circuit not quite ready for a switch to slicks, a titanic battle ensued between the leading quartet. Ricciardo took the lead on lap 15 from Hamilton, with Rosberg through for second shortly after. That forced Hamilton into the pits at the end of lap 18, taking on the softs, with the Briton setting the tone as the rest of the field followed him in either on that lap or the following one. From fourth and second respectively, Hamilton and Rosberg made their way up to third and first with moves on Kvyat and Ricciardo, with the latter duo not as strong on slick rubber. When Ericsson pulled his car out of the race at Turn 11 on lap 28, its positioning on the track brought the safety car out. At that stage it wiped out a 10.6s lead for Rosberg over Hamilton, who had passed Ricciardo for second just before Ericsson's exit. All bar the leading four - Rosberg, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Kvyat - pitted for another change of tyres, with fifth-placed Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari taking on a new set of mediums in an attempt to get to the end without another stop. Once the safety car departed after five laps, the German soon cleared Kvyat and Ricciardo to move up to third before another incident on lap 37.
This time it was Force India's Nico Hulkenberg retiring after running into the side of Ricciardo in a bid to claim fifth, leading to a second virtual safety car, under which Rosberg pitted, dropping to fourth, with Hamilton staying out. Come lap 42, with Rosberg within six seconds of Hamilton, the safety car was deployed again when Kvyat lost his car on the approach to the final turn, sending him into a barrier. That allowed Hamilton to make his second stop and come out behind Rosberg, whose hopes of extending the title race into Mexico next Sunday ended when he got out of shape at Turn 15 on the power and ran off track at Turn 16-17. From there it was a smooth run to the finish for Hamilton, with Rosberg just holding off Vettel for second, followed by Toro Rosso's Max Vertsappen in fourth after a long final stint on his tyres. Just 12 drivers saw the flag, with eight retiring through mechanical failure or after on-track incidents.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the qualifying :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:56.824
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:56.929 +0.105
3. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:57.969 +1.145
4. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:58.434 +1.610
5. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:58.596 +1.772
6. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:59.210 +2.386
7. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:59.333 +2.509
8. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:59.703 +2.879
9. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:59.999 +3.175
10. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso 2:00.199 +3.375
Q2
11. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 2:00.265 +3.441
12. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 2:00.334 +3.510
13. Romain Grosjean - Lotus 2:00.595 +3.771
14. Jenson Button - McLaren 2:01.193 +4.369
15. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 2:01.604 +4.780
Q1
16. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 2:02.212 +5.388
17. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 2:03.194 +6.370
18. Alexander Rossi - Manor F1 Team 2:04.176 +7.352
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 2:04.526 +7.702
20. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso 2:07.304 +10.480

Qualifying time : 1:56.824
Pole : Nico Rosberg
Team Bat. : F.Massa > V.Bottas
Grid Pos. D.Ricciardo : 3rd place

Nico Rosberg claimed pole position for the United States Grand Prix, after worsening rain caused the cancellation of the final segment of a postponed Formula 1 qualifying session. Qualifying for the Austin race was delayed until Sunday morning after heavy rain washed out Saturday afternoon's planned track action, but worsening conditions through Sunday morning meant the session had to be suspended after Q2. Rosberg set the fastest time in that segment, a tenth clear of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who Rosberg must beat in the race if he is to prevent Hamilton clinching a third world championship at this event. Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull was fastest of all in Q1, but he ended up third on the grid, over a second slower than the two Mercedes.
His team-mate Daniil Kvyat was fourth fastest, just ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who will receive a 10-place grid penalty for taking a fresh engine this weekend. Sergio Perez beat Force India team-mate Nico Hulkenberg to the sixth fastest time by just over a tenth, while Kimi Raikkonen (who will also take a grid penalty), Felipe Massa and Max Verstappen rounded out the top 10. Fernando Alonso's predictions of a possible top-10 position in qualifying almost came true, as the McLaren driver missed out by less than a tenth of a second to Verstappen in Q2. Several drivers, including reigning world champion Hamilton and 2007 title winner Raikkonen, survived lurid moments at Turn 10 as rain worsened in this segment of qualifying, and Alonso's team-mate Jenson Button suggested over team radio that conditions were bordering on unsafe. Splashing to 11th place on the grid for Alonso represented McLaren's best qualifying result of the season so far, while the second Williams of Valtteri Bottas was 0.069s slower than Alonso in 12th, Bottas complaining of broken suspension on his FW37. The second McLaren of Button split the two Lotuses of Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado in completing the top 15. Carlos Sainz Jr joined the Saubers and Manor-Marussias in failing to escape Q1, after crashing heavily in the early stages of that session. Sainz lost the rear of his Toro Rosso over the kerb at Turn 3, before crashing hard into the barriers on the outside of Turn 4 and causing the session to be stopped while marshals recovered his broken STR10. The Spaniard will need permission to start the race from the back of the grid after failing to set a time fast enough to make the 107 per cent cut-off. After the session resumed, Vettel's Ferrari glanced the barriers following a spin at Turn 10, and the four-time world champion tumbled down the timesheet as others gradually improved their times. The Saubers tried in vain to dislodge Vettel's Ferrari from 15th spot as Q1 came to a close. Marcus Ericsson was over a second adrift in the end, while team-mate Nasr was a further 0.9s shy, complaining of "zero rear grip" from his C34.


Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi