Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:40.691
2. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:40.843 +0.152
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:41.028 +0.337
4. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:41.111 +0.420
5. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:41.274 +0.583
6. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:41.402 +0.711
7. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:41.523 +0.832
8. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:41.642 +0.951
9. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:41.686 +0.995
10. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:41.830 +1.139
11. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:41.923 +1.232
12. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:42.117 +1.426
13. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:42.365 +1.674
14. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:42.869 +2.178
15. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:42.904 +2.213
16. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:43.825 +3.134
17. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:45.775 +5.084
18. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:46.911 +6.220
19. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:51.180 +10.489
20. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - no time
21. Sergio Perez - Force India - no time
22. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - no time

Hamilton edges Raikkonen :
Mercedes’ early season strength was again evident with Briton Lewis Hamilton going fastest in Friday’s first practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix in a session where many cars struggled for grip. The 2008 world champion clocked a best time of one minute 40.691 seconds at the Sepang Circuit on a scorching hot Friday where track temperatures reached 44 Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) during the 90 minute session. However, Hamilton was one of many drivers who encountered the Malaysian gravel after locking his wheels and the Briton said over the team radio the Sepang track was “like driving on marbles”.Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was second quickest in a promising session for the Finn who clocked a best time of 1:40.843 just ahead of Hamilton’s team mate Nico Rosberg, who won the season opener in Australia two weeks ago. Jenson Button was fourth quickest ahead of McLaren team mate Kevin Magnussen, whose car stopped on the track at turn 15 and needed a push from the marshals to get back to the pits with 30 minutes remaining. The Danish rookie, second in Australia on his F1 debut, was back out on the track later in the session, though, relieving fears of a more serious issue with his car. However, there was plenty of concern in the Lotus garage with neither Romain Grosjean or Pastor Maldonado able to complete a timed lap as both encountered issues. The French driver stopped at turn 10 and had to be pushed off the track by marshals early in the session, while smoke billowed out of the back of Maldonado’s car in the final minutes and he was told to switch off the engine by a concerned team. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez also managed just two laps in his Force India while Kamui Kobayashi covered five before Caterham "found a problem with his energy store so it's floor off to change it so he can run again in FP2." Jean Eric Vergne was sixth for Toro Rosso but his rookie Russian team mate Daniil Kyvat was 14th after telling his team over the radio the car was “undriveable”. World champion Sebastian Vettel was seventh quickest, almost a second behind Hamilton, after managing only nine laps, while team mate Daniel Ricciardo managed to clock 20 laps and finished 12th. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was first out of the pits in the session and had set the early pace before ending in 11th as he also suffered problems with grip and spun at turn eight but managed to continue. The same corner also caught out the Spaniard’s former team mate Felipe Massa but the Williams driver also resumed, while Sauber’s Adrian Sutil ran wide at turn 15 but kept the car going before making it back on the track.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

The Sepang International Circuit, will host the Malaysian Grand Prix for the sixteenth time this weekend. First edition in 1999
Designed by Hermann Tilke, The Sepang circuit is technical and challenging, with a wide variety of fast, medium and slow corners
Sepang is one of the most demanding circuits for tyres and Pirelli has chosen the “Orange hard” and “White medium” compounds
for this weekend

Podium 2011: Vettel(Red Bull) – 2° Button and 3° Heidfeld. Fastest lap: Webber
pole position : Vettel 1'34''870

Podium 2012: Alonso(Ferrari) – 2° Perez and 3° Hamilton. Fastest lap: Raikkonen
pole position : Hamilton 1'36''219

Podium 2013: Vettel(Red Bull) – 2° Webber and 3° Hamilton. Fastest lap: Perez
pole position : Vettel 1'49''674(This lap time was achieved in wet conditions)

the winners
3 wins: Alonso (2005-2007-2012) and Vettel (2010-2011-2013)
2 wins Raikkonen (2003-2008)
1 win: Button(2009)

pole position
2 pole: Alonso (2003-2005); Vettel(2011-2013) and Massa(2007-2008)
1 pole: Button(2009) and Hamilton(2012)

Fastest lap
2: Raikkonen (2005-2012)
1: Alonso(2006); Hamilton(2007); Button(2009); Perez(2013);

Podium(winner+second+third) for current pilots at Sepang
5 (3wins+1second+1 third) Alonso
4 (1+1+2) Button
3 (3+0+0) Vettel
3 (2+0+1) Raikkonen
3 (0+1+2) Hamilton
One second place for Perez
One third place for Rosberg

the superiority of Rosberg and Mercedes in Austrialia
Nico scored the fastest lap time of the race only on lap 19
While almost all other drivers have scored their best lap times in the final race with less fuel
Therefore Rosberg has never pushed to its maximum his Mercedes in the second half of the race.

Sepang. weather forecast: chance of rain 40-60% during the week end
with possible scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit :

[hidden image - please register]

Sepang International Circuit Data :
•Length of lap: 5.543 km
•Lap record: 1:34.223 (Juan-Pablo Montoya, BMW-Williams, 2004)
•Total number of race laps: 56
•Total race distance: 310.408 km
•Pitlane speed limits: 80 km/h in Practice, Qualifying and the Race

Circuit Notes :
•The kerb on the exit of Turn Five has been extended further towards the apex of Turn Six.
•Artificial grass has been removed from areas around the outside of Turns One, Five, Seven, Eight and 12.
•A new kerb has been installed on the Turn 15 entry.
•Attention has been paid to levelling the grass verges as bumps were noted during December’s inspection.
•The DRS sectors will be between Turns 14 and 15 and Turns 15 and One. The first zone has detection 54m after Turn 12 and activation 104 m after Turn 14. Zone two has detection 16 m after the Turn 15 apex followed by activation 28 m after Turn 15

Schedule :
Friday :
1 Free Practice : 03:00 - 04:30 CET
2 Free Practice : 07:00 - 08:30 CET

Saturday :
3 Free Practice : 06:00 - 07:00 CET
Qualifying : 09:00 CET

Sunday :
Race : 10:00 CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

This is the new sound in F1

Click on picture # 2
[hidden link - please register]

Regards schubert

18/03/1982 timo glock german f1 driver
[hidden image - please register]

2014 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX
[hidden image - please register]
Fri 28 March 2014
Practice 1 03:00 - 04:30
Practice 2 07:00 - 08:30
Sat 29 March 2014
Practice 3 06:00 - 07:00
Qualifying 09:00
Sun 30 March 2014
Race 10:00

schubert wrote:Sorry , shaky-schumi , I had to bring this whole explanation about this new rule

Sorry a Long version !!!


Ricciardo excluded from Australia race results 16 Mar 2014


Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Red Bull Racing, on the grid. Formula One World Championship, Rd1, Australian Grand Prix, Race, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, 16 March 2014 Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Red Bull Racing RB10. Formula One World Championship, Rd1, Australian Grand Prix, Race, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, 16 March 2014 Second placed Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme. Formula One World Championship, Rd1, Australian Grand Prix, Race, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, 16 March 2014 Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Red Bull Racing RB10 finished second. Formula One World Championship, Rd1, Australian Grand Prix, Race, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, 16 March 2014

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo has lost his second-place finish in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after stewards decided his car had run with too high a fuel flow rate during the race. The team are to appeal the decision.

Ricciardo crossed the line behind winner Nico Rosberg to claim his maiden F1 podium. His exclusion elevates McLaren's Kevin Magnussen to P2 and team mate Jenson Button to third.

Under article 5.1.4 of the new 2014 technical regulations, cars are limited to a fuel flow rate of 100kg/hour, as measured by an FIA-homologated sensor on the car.

According to the stewards’ report, Red Bull used a different fuel sensor on Saturday after they found the one used on Friday had produced unreliable readings. However, when the sensor used on Saturday failed to provide results that were satisfactory to them or the FIA, they were instructed to change back to the original sensor within parc ferme on Saturday night.

Considering this sensor unreliable, Red Bull chose to rely on their own internal fuel flow model, something that the stewards say is in violation of the procedure outlined in the technical regulations.

Furthermore, Red Bull were warned by the FIA’s technical representative during the race that the fuel flow on Ricciardo’s car was too high. The team were given the opportunity to correct this, but according to the stewards’ report, they chose not to make any changes.

Announcing their intention to appeal the stewards’ decision, Red Bull said: “Inconsistencies with the FIA fuel flow meter have been prevalent all weekend up and down the pit lane. The Team and Renault are confident the fuel supplied to the engine is in full compliance with the regulations.”

The stewards' decision in full:

The Stewards, having received a report from the Technical Delegate, heard from the team representatives, have considered the following matter and determine a breach of the regulations has been committed by the competitor named below and impose the penalty referred to.

No/Driver: 3, Daniel Ricciardo
Competitor: Infiniti Red Bull Racing
Time: 20:17
Session: Race
Facts: Car #3 was not in compliance with article 5.1.4 of the FIA Formula 1 technical tegulations.
Offence: Breach of article 3.2 of the FIA Formula 1 sporting regulations and Article 5.1.4 of the FIA Formula 1 technical regulations.
Decision: Car #3 is excluded from the race results.
Reason:
1) The technical delegate reported to the stewards that car #3 exceeded the required fuel mass flow of 100kg/h. (article 5.1.4 of the Formula 1 technical regulations)

2) This parameter is outside of the control of the driver, Daniel Ricciardo.

3) The fuel flow is measured using the fuel flow sensor (Art. 5.10.3 & 5.10.4 of the technical regulations) which is homologated by the FIA and owned and operated by the team.

4) The stewards considered the history of the fitted fuel flow sensor, as described by the team and the technical delegate's representative who administers the programme. Their description of the history of the sensor matches.

a. During practice one a difference in reading between the first three and run four was detected. The same readings as Run 4 were observed throughout practice two.

b. The team used a different sensor on Saturday but did not get readings that were satisfactory to them or the FIA, so they were instructed to change the sensor within parc ferme on Saturday night.

c. They operated the original sensor during the race, which provided the same readings as run four of practice one, and practice two.

5) The stewards heard from the technical representative that when the sensor was installed on Saturday night, he instructed the team to apply an offset to their fuel flow such that the fuel flow would have been legal. He presented an email to the stewards that verified his instruction.

6) The technical representative stated to the stewards that there is variation in the sensors. However, the sensors fall within a known range, and are individually calibrated. They then become the standard which the teams must use for their fuel flow.

7) The team stated that based on the difference observed between the two readings in P1, they considered the fuel flow sensor to be unreliable. Therefore, for the start of the race they chose to use their internal fuel flow model, rather than the values provided by the sensor, with the required offset.

8) Technical directive 01614 (1 March 2014) provides the methodology by which the sensor will be used, and, should the sensor fail, the method by which the alternate model could be used.

a. The technical directive starts by stating: "The homologated fuel flow sensor will be the primary measurement of the fuel flow and will be used to check compliance with articles 5.1.4 and 5.1.5 of the F1 technical regulations..." This is in conformity with articles 5.10.3 and 5.10.4 of the technical regulations.

b. The technical directive goes on to state: "If at any time WE consider that the sensor has an issue which has not been detected by the system WE will communicate this to the team concerned and switch to a back-up system."
(emphasis added.)

c. The back-up system is the calculated fuel flow model with a correction factor decided by the FIA.

9) The FIA technical representative observed thought the telemetry during the race that the fuel flow was too high and contacted the team, giving them the opportunity to follow his previous instruction, and reduce the fuel flow such that it was within the limit, as measured by the homologated sensor - and thus gave the team the opportunity to be within compliance. The team chose not to make this correction.

10) Under Art. 3.2 of the sporting regulations it is the duty of the team to ensure compliance with the technical regulations throughout the event.

Thus the stewards find that:

A) The team chose to run the car using their fuel flow model, without direction from the FIA. This is a violation of the procedure within TD/01614.

B) That although the sensor showed a difference in readings between runs in P1, it remains the homologated and required sensor against which the team is obliged to measure their fuel flow, unless given permission by the FIA to do otherwise.

C) The stewards were satisfied by the explanation of the technical representative that by making an adjustment as instructed, the team could have run within the allowable fuel flow.

D) That regardless of the team's assertion that the sensor was fault, it is not within their discretion to run a different fuel flow measurement method without the permission of the FIA.

The stewards find that car #3 was out of compliance with the technical regulations and is therefore excluded from the results of the race.

schubert (Thanks to F1 )

Respect for them who did read this

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 1 RACE :

McLaren 33 points
Mercedes 25 points
Ferrari 18 points
Williams 10 points
Force India 9 points
Toro Rosso 6 points

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 1 RACE :

N. Rosberg GER Mercedes 25 points
K. Magnussen DEN McLaren 18 points
J. Button GBR McLaren 15 points
F. Alonso ESP Ferrari 12 points
V. Bottas FIN Williams 10 points
N. Hulkenberg GER ForceIndia 8 points
K. Raikkonen FIN Ferrari 6 points
J.E. Vergne FRA ToroRosso 4 points
D. Kvyat RUS ToroRosso 2 points
A. Sutil GER Sauber 1 point

Ricciardo DisQ.
Car has used more fuel than the allowed 100kg per hour.

In reply to 'Shaky' ...
Yes ... and No ...
With new cars and new rules it's a big step into the unknown for everybody.
I was surprised so many cars made it to the end ... and that may crucial. After a certain point most were aiming to finish rather than to race.

Two highlights for me:-
Kevin Magnussen - Excellent drive for someone new to F1. A future champion?
Valtteri Bottas - Getting Willams more points in this race than they had in the whole 2013 season.

I don't now about you guys .... but I expected more action ,more excitement .....oké it's just the 1st race .... but with the new rules I thought it would be complete different ,but no it wasn't . The 1st laps I thought oké ...this is going to look great .... but already I saw some sings from last year ....namely a boring race ...because of like I say in dutch/flamish ..." traintje rijden " train riding after a couple of laps... not much overtaking , not coming closer to the car infront of you ,etc . Oké ...like I say it's just the 1st race of the season ! and what about Ferrari ? ....again they trailing behind the rest ....Alonso fighting again against Hulkenberg in a Force India ? Raikkonen ... making too much mistakes with braking ...problem's with his DRS ...pffff . But I saw a nice podium with Rosberg as Winner and Ricciardo at 2nd place in is 1st race at the Red Bull Team ..and a big applaud for Magnussen in his first seaon at F1 on 3rd place ... and Bottas in the Williams at 6th place ... I say welldone to these guys ( I wonder what Felipe Massa would have done if he was still in the race ). Next stop in 14th days at Malaysia ...hopefully I/we can see a better/exciting race !

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Here are the result of the 1st race of the season :

01 : Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - 1h32m58.710
02 : Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull +24.525
03 : Kevin Magnussen - McLaren +26.777
04 : Jenson Button - McLaren +30.027
05 : Fernando Alonso - Ferrari 35.284
06 : Valtteri Bottas - Williams +47.639
07 : Nico Hulkenberg - Force India +50.718
08 : Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari +57.675
09 : Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso +1:00.441
10 : Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso +1:03.585
11 : Sergio Perez - Force India +1:25.916
12 : Adrian Sutil - Sauber +1 lap
13 : Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber +1 lap
14 : Max Chilton - Marussia +2 laps
15 : Jules Bianchi - Marussia +8 laps
Did Not Finish
16 : Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 43 laps
17 : Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 29 laps
18 : Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 27 laps
19 : Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull - 3 laps
20 : Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 2 laps
21 : Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 0 laps
22 : Felipe Massa - Williams - 0 laps

Fastest Lap : Nico Rosberg - 1: 32.478
Pitstop Daniel Ricciardio : 2 ( lap 12 - 36 )
Bat. 2 Teams : Nico Hulkenberg > Jean-Eric Vergne
Grid Pos . Felipe Massa : Did Not Finish

Mercedes wins but Red Bull crisis ending :
Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, and Melbourne pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, failed to finish Sunday's 2014 season opener.
Both men struck trouble right from the start at Albert Park, after a winter of technical struggles up and down the paddock.
"It's a long season," said German Vettel, whose run of victories dating all the way back to last August finally ended, "and there are positives." The bright side is that Red Bull's 'crisis' appears to be rapidly ending, as teammate Daniel Ricciardo delighted the partisan crowd by finishing second. Vettel's problems started before qualifying, when his car's fuel flow sensor reportedly alerted the FIA that the Renault engine was using more than the allowed 100kg of fuel per hour.
"The (Renault) software was changed so this no longer occurred," reported Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "Ricciardo's worked, Vettel's did not." Ricciardo was delighted. "Just two or three weeks ago, I would have bet everything I've got that we would not be standing up here," he told 1980 world champion Alan Jones on the podium. "Full credit to the team for an unbelievable turnaround," the Australian added. Hamilton, meanwhile, was as glum as Vettel as his otherwise dominant Mercedes struck trouble with an engine misfire. But "the important thing," the Briton said behind the pit buildings, "is that the car is quick. "It's early stages and there's a long way to go. There's massive positives to take from the weekend." Indeed, Hamilton was cheered by the performance of his winning teammate Nico Rosberg, who won easily by almost half a minute. "What a car you have given me," German Rosberg told his Mercedes crew on the radio, "what a car." More surprising than Rosberg's victory was the fact that doomsday predictions of cars failing left, right and centre did not materialise, as 14 cars saw the chequered flag. "The teams are learning so much so quickly," said former F1 driver David Coulthard on British television BBC. "The ones who have managed the new technology best were Mercedes," he added. Rosberg, however, warned that the arms race is definitely now on. "We can improve and we must improve," he said. "The other teams will not go to sleep so we have to make sure we are ready for Malaysia."

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

wow I can hardly believe it is already racing season let's go guys!!!

Result of the 1st qualifying of the new season F1 2014 :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:44.231
2. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:44.548 +0.317
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:44.595 +0.364
4. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:45.745 +1.514
5. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:45.819 +1.588
6. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:45.864 +1.633
7. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:46.030 +1.799
8. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:47.368 +3.137
9. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:48.079 +3.848
10. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:48.147 +3.916
Q2
11. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:44.437 +0.206
12. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:44.494 +0.263
13. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:44.668 +0.437
14. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:45.655 +1.424
15. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:45.867 +1.636
16. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:47.293 +3.062
Q1
17. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:34.293 +-9.938
18. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:34.794 +-9.437
19. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:35.117 +-9.114
20. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:35.157 +-9.074
21. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:36.993 +-7.238
22. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - no time

Penalty's for Valtteri Bottas & Esteban Gutierrez : 5 places grid penalty

Qualifying Time : 1:44.231
Pole : Lewis Hamilton
Team Bat. : Fernando Alonso > Kimi Raikkonen
Grid Pos. Felipe Massa : 9th place

Hamilton takes pole as Ricciardo stars in wet thriller :
The 2014 Formula 1 World Championship got off to a thrilling but wet start with Lewis Hamilton stealing pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, from Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, on his final flying lap of qualifying with Red Bull new boy Daniel Ricciardo stealing the show with he second best time, in a session which saw some big reputations take a mighty knock and the young guns making their mark early. As if Formula 1′s brand new turbo era did not have enough challenges, mother nature decided to add some spice to proceedings as rain, which loomed since daybreak over Albert Park, finally bucketed down just before Q2 which set the stage for a dramatic half hour of action. As expected Hamilton and Rosberg had the firepower to feature constantly at the sharp end of proceedings, while Ricciardo surprised all with a solid qualifying where he too was a factor throughout the session and very nearly nicked pole in his debut for Red Bull, but nevertheless comprehensively outshone his teammate Sebastian Vettel.
In fact the world champion was out of sorts all Saturday, after a reasonably positive start on Friday, and as a result he failed to make it beyond Q2 as his time was only good enough for 13th. But he was not the only one to suffer in Q2 as Kimi Raikkonen, who was struggling relative to Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso, slithered into the wall after getting on the power too early. His session ended on the spot with him 12th on the timing screens. Jenson Button looked good in Q1, but could not carry the pace over to Q2 as 11th was the best he could do, while his rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen gave a superb account of himself to eventually set the fourth best time, and will start fourth in his grand prix debut. But in the end the day belonged to Hamilton who has looked feisty and up for it since he set foot in Melbourne, with Rosberg fastest as Hamilton started his final lap the pressure was on and the 2008 World Champion rose to the occasion to post the fastest lap with Pirelli wet tyres bolted on. He said afterwards, ”It was difficult to know where the turnover point was for intermediates and full wets. Do you take a risk or not? We decided not to. Ricciardo did a good job on the intermediate tyres, so it was a close call between the two tyres. The conditions made it extremely difficult. I hope the weather is better tomorrow for the fans but also for us.” “The new cars are harder to drive in the wet and it’s the first time for me driving in these conditions – as I’m sure it is for a lot of other drivers. But to be up here is a great showing for the team. It’s great for Ricciardo, too, in his first grand prix for Red Bull.” Ricciardo did his bit for ticket sales in the build-up to his home race, then set about delivering a star performance in front of the partisan home crowd who cheered and appreciated his every move on track. With the conditions on the cusp of full wets and intermediate tyres, the team oped for the latter and Ricciardo set about attacking the pace setting Mercedes duo, splitting them as he ensured a front row start in his debut for the world champion team. A beaming Ricciardo said, “I’m so happy for me to be up here and for the team to have a car on the front row. It wasn’t looking like this a few weeks ago so I’m pretty pleased right now. ”It was exciting, definitely the weather added to the mix. The whole session went well. Not everyone was out with the options in the beginning, Q1 looked like it was going OK for us. “When the rain fell, it was the first time we have all driven on the limit in wet conditions. It was tricky but at the same time a lot of fun, It’s nice to be always up there, setting times which put us in the battle for pole. It’s nice for me and also for the team.” Rosberg came close, but not close enough, as he will start the race from behind his teammate on the grid but showed throughout the weekend thus far that he too has race winning potential, helped like Hamilton by a very solid piece of kit in the W05 which looks to be the class of the bunch as the season kicks off.
The German summed up his afternoon, ”I’m not sure what the others were doing – we didn’t get everything right, but we didn’t do much wrong, but all in all it was a good qualifying session. I’m pleased with third – we could do better, but at least with that a good race is possible. “It will be a different story tomorrow depending on the weather. There is a small chance of rain but it’s more likely to be dry and totally different. Melbourne is the most difficult track for fuel consumption so it will be difficult to save fuel during the race. It will be a big challenge.” As mentioned Magnussen delivered for those who had faith in promoting him to the McLaren race seat, and his heroics were well and truly appreciated by team the team’s boss Ron Dennis who watched with relish from the pit garage. Hew will start from the second row. For Ferrari it was an afternoon of mixed fortunes and perhaps disappointment that the F14T is not up there with the pace setters at this early stage. Alonso started Q3 with intermediates, which was too early for them to be effective and then came in for full wets, going out again but perhaps at a time when the inters would have been more effective, as in the case of Ricciardo. Nevertheless the Spaniard will start from fifth on the grid. For a team which were suffering the woes of the Renault clan, Toro Rosso delivered a class performance in qualifying with Jean-Eric Vergne showing his prowess in adverse conditions by setting the sixth fastest time, and teenage rookie Daniil Kvyat giving an impressive showing in his qualifying debut. He will start from eighth on the grid, after a gutsy performance which saw him clip the wall late on in Q3 – but full credit for effort and commitment.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi