Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Result of the Qualifying :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:35.782
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:35.824 +0.042
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:36.687 +0.905
4. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:36.954 +1.172
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:37.143 +1.361
6. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:37.232 +1.450
7. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:37.540 +1.758
8. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:37.905 +2.123
9. Felipe Nasr - Sauber - 1:38.067 +2.285
10. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:38.158 +2.376
Q2
11. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:38.134 +2.352
12. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:38.209 +2.427
13. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:38.393 +2.611
14. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:38.538 +2.756
15. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:39.290 +3.508
16. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:39.216 +3.434
Q1
17. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:39.276 +3.494
18. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:39.280 +3.498
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - 1:42.091 +6.309
20. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:42.842 +7.060

Qulifying Time : 1:35.782
Pole : Lewis Hamilton
Team Bat : M. Verstappen > C. Sainz jr.
Grid Pos. Sebastian Vettel : 3rd position

Hat-trick for Hamilton after narrow pole position win :
Lewis Hamilton continued his monopoly on pole positions in 2015 with his third in a row at the Chinese Grand Prix. But team mate Nico Rosberg came close to taking it away – his best effort was less than five-hundredths of a second off Hamilton’s pole time.
Sebastian Vettel again provided the closest challenge to the flying Mercedes but had to settle for third place, nine-tenths of a second behind.
Q1
With the soft tyres offering a performance gain of around 1.7 seconds over the medium compound, only Mercedes were able to make it through Q1 without using the softer rubber. Hamilton and Rosberg were decisively the quickest of the medium-tyre runners, and once their rivals had used the soft tyres the Mercedes pair were still as high as fifth and eighth. The Ferrari pair, Valtteri Bottas and Romain Grosjean led the times after their soft tyre runs. Despite hurried repairs to his car after final practice, in which he suffered an engine problem, Fernando Alonso made it onto the track at the start of the session. However both he and team mate Jenson Button failed to make the cut for Q2, the pair separated by four-thousandths of a second. They were comfortably clear of the two Manors – both of which were well inside the 107% time – and joined in an early exit by the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg.
Drivers eliminated in Q1
16 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1’39.216
17 Jenson Button McLaren-Honda 1’39.276
18 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Honda 1’39.280
19 Will Stevens Manor-Ferrari 1’42.091
20 Roberto Merhi Manor-Ferrari 1’42.842
Q2
Despite Mercedes being unable to see the telemetry from his car, and suffering a recurrence of the overheating seat problem which plagued him during practice, Hamilton posted a 1’36.423 early in Q2 to head the times from Rosberg, who was three-tenths of a second slower. The Ferrari drivers were next, Vettel a little over half a second slower than Hamilton. However Daniil Kvyat abandoned his first run after reporting a loss of power in his Red Bull. Kvyat made it back onto the track for a final run, but missed out on a place in Q3 by less than a tenth of a second. The margin was even finer for Pastor Maldonado, whose session came to an end for the sake of just seven thousandths of a second. Sergio Perez also did a single run in Q2, which he began less than a minute before the chequered flag came out. He ended up slowest of the Q2 runners and will therefore start on the same row as his team mate.
Neither Toro Rosso driver made the cut for the top ten, both losing time on different parts of the Shanghai track. “Not a good lap,” Carlos Sainz Jnr reflected, while Max Verstappen owned up to locking his brakes at turn six.
Drivers eliminated in Q2
11 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Mercedes 1’38.134
12 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull-Renault 1’38.209
13 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso-Renault 1’38.393
14 Carlos Sainz Jnr Toro Rosso-Renault 1’38.538
15 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1’39.290
Q3
In a repeat of what happened last time in Malaysia, Hamilton’s first run proved good enough for pole position – but one of his rivals came very close to snatching it away from him. This time it was Rosberg, who ended a lap which had not looked promising at first with a flying final sector which left him just four hundredths of a second off his team mate. “Oh come on guys!” he exclaimed when told how close he had come to pipping Hamilton. The Ferrari drivers used old tyres for their first run which left them around two seconds off the Mercedes. Nonetheless Vettel managed to split the two Williams drivers, Bottas having had a messy first lap including a costly slide at the exit of turn 12. His second effort was cleaner, but for the third time in a row he was beaten by Massa, who produced what he called a “great lap”. Raikkonen was mystified by his car’s handling in the first sector and qualified behind both the FW37s while Vettel beat the pair of them to claim third.
Top ten in Q3
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1’35.782
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1’35.824
3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1’36.687
4 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1’36.954
5 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1’37.143
6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1’37.232
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1’37.540
8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Mercedes 1’37.905
9 Felipe Nasr Sauber-Ferrari 1’38.067
10 Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 1’38.158

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 3rd practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:37.615
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:37.841 +0.226
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:38.313 +0.698
4. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:38.512 +0.897
5. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:39.020 +1.405
6. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:39.106 +1.491
7. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:39.113 +1.498
8. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:39.243 +1.628
9. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:39.274 +1.659
10. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:39.405 +1.790
11. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:39.410 +1.795
12. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:39.513 +1.898
13. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:39.559 +1.944
14. Felipe Nasr - Sauber - 1:39.591 +1.976
15. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:39.694 +2.079
16. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:39.766 +2.151
17. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:39.781 +2.166
18. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - 1:42.928 +5.313
19. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:44.956 +7.341
20. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - no time

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:37.219
2. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:37.662 +0.443
3. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:38.311 +1.092
4. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:38.339 +1.120
5. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:38.399 +1.180
6. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:38.737 +1.518
7. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:38.850 +1.631
8. Felipe Nasr - Sauber - 1:39.032 +1.813
9. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:39.142 +1.923
10. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:39.275 +2.056
11. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:39.444 +2.225
12. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:39.743 +2.524
13. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:39.751 +2.532
14. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:39.894 +2.675
15. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:39.971 +2.752
16. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:40.151 +2.932
17. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:40.423 +3.204
18. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:40.868 +3.649
19. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:42.973 +5.754
20. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - 1:44.564 +7.345

Hamilton holds reduced lead in second practice
Lewis Hamilton led a Chinese Grand Prix Formula 1 practice session punctuated by a high-speed incident for Felipe Massa, brake failure for Daniil Kvyat and a spectator crossing the track. Nico Rosberg could only manage fifth in the second Mercedes, with Kimi Raikkonen emerging as Hamilton's closest rival and Daniel Ricciardo putting his Red Bull between Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel's Ferraris in third. The spectator incident was the first curiosity. The man accessed the track on the pit straight and ran across to the pitwall between cars before climbing into the pitlane, where he was apprehended. At that point, Hamilton led Rosberg by a tenth of a second following the early medium-tyre runs, with the Mercedes formation a second clear of the rest. Raikkonen was their closest rival, and initially managed the best soft-tyre lap of anyone, leaping to a 1m37.662s to lead the session. That was seven tenths better than Vettel and Rosberg - who had a messy final sector - could manage. But Hamilton was able to put together a tidier lap than his team-mate and came through in 1m37.219s to steal Ferrari's limelight. The Red Bulls sat out the first half of the session and were then interrupted by a red flag when they did join in. Felipe Massa lost his Williams at high speed under braking at the end of the back straight, scraping the wall in the hairpin run-off with the front of his sideways car. Although there appeared to be only minimal damage, Massa parked in the run-off and a stoppage was required to retrieve the car. When Ricciardo did get chance to do a flying lap, he shot between the Ferraris to go third, with Kvyat taking sixth. But Kvyat's session then came to an early end when smoke started pouring from his rear brakes. Even though he followed Red Bull's advice to proceed very slowly back towards the pits, the Russian could not slow down sufficiently into the Turn 14 hairpin and skated all the way to the wall. Kvyat still held his top-six place as by that time the field had switched to long runs - which were enlivened by Rosberg and Raikkonen managing several corners of unusually spicy wheel-to-wheel racing for a practice session. There were signs of light for McLaren, as its new alliance with Honda appeared in the top 10 in a session result for the first time. Jenson Button managed 10th place, behind Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Nasr and Romain Grosjean, with Fernando Alonso in 12th. At the back, Will Stevens lost part of the session to an engine problem, but was able to rejoin right at the end.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:39.033
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:39.574 +0.541
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:40.157 +1.124
4. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:40.661 +1.628
5. Felipe Nasr - Sauber - 1:41.012 +1.979
6. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:41.029 +1.996
7. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:41.097 +2.064
8. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:41.112 +2.079
9. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:41.303 +2.270
10. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:41.304 +2.271
11. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:41.335 +2.302
12. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:41.575 +2.542
13. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:41.845 +2.812
14. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:41.918 +2.885
15. Jolyon Palmer - Lotus - 1:41.967 +2.934
16. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:42.141 +3.108
17. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:42.161 +3.128
18. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:42.184 +3.151
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - 1:45.379 +6.346
20. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:46.443 +7.410

Mercedes set scorching pace in first practice :
Lewis Hamilton led Nico Rosberg in a commanding Mercedes one-two in the opening practice session for Formula 1's Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai. Rosberg had been the initial pacesetter on a 1m40.412s, as Hamilton's first lap was spoiled when he locked up and ran off-course at the tight Turn 14 hairpin. It was Rosberg's turn to go awry on the second outings, though, locking up into Turn 6 and visiting the run-off area. He managed to improve the benchmark to a 1m39.574s later in that run, but Hamilton outpaced it by half a second as he did a 1m39.033s just after the session's halfway mark. That lap kept the world champion on top to the flag, although the Mercedes continued to push on heavier fuel in the final part of the session. In cold and breezy conditions, countless drivers had minor excursions and the Mercedes pair were among the most frequent transgressors, with Hamilton repeating Rosberg's Turn 6 error and later skittering sideways off-track at Turn 1 after losing the back end mid-corner. When Hamilton established himself on top, the Mercedes were nearly two and a half seconds clear of the rest of the field. That margin came down, but even Malaysian GP winner Sebastian Vettel's best lap for Ferrari was still 1.1s off the pace as he took third. That lap came in the final seconds of the session, and until that point Vettel had looked set to end up 1.5s down on the leader. Three Ferrari-powered cars chased the Mercedes, with Kimi Raikkonen slotting in behind team-mate Vettel and Felipe Nasr making a late jump to fifth for Sauber. Renault's best cars were sixth to eighth - Red Bull duo Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat leading Toro Rosso man Carlos Sainz Jr, who swiftly escaped a spin at Turn 1 in the first part of the session. The Williams of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa completed the top 10, despite Massa spinning down the run-off at the hairpin on a late run. Pastor Maldonado spent a long spell in third for Lotus before falling back to 11th. His team-mate Romain Grosjean stood aside to let GP2 champion and Lotus test driver Jolyon Palmer make his debut in a grand prix practice session. Palmer had an early spin and was 15th, 0.6s off Maldonado. Jenson Button was the quicker of the McLarens in 13th, while the Manor-run Marussias trailed the field but had a trouble-free session.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Here are the times for this weekends Chinese GP :

Friday 10/04 :
1st practice session : 04.00u CET - 05.30u CET
2nd practice session : 08.00u CET - 09.30u CET

Saturday 11/04 :
3rd practice session : 06.00u CET - 07.00u CET
Qualifying : 09.00u CET - 10.00u CET

Sunday 12/04 :
Race : 08.00u CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai international circuit. (10-11 and 12 april 2015)

as last year, Pirelli has chosen: “White medium” and “Yellow soft” compounds for this Grand Prix
and the Pirelli motorsport Paul Hembery believes the teams will be on 2 stop strategies assuming a normal race

Podium 2012: Rosberg(Mercedes) – 2° Button and 3° Hamilton.
Fastest lap: Kobayashi
pole position : Rosberg 1'35''121

Podium 2013: Alonso(Ferrari) – 2° Raikkonen; 3° Hamilton; 4° Vettel; 5° Button
Fastest lap: Vettel
pole position : Hamilton 1'34''484

Podium 2014: Hamilton (Mercedes) 2° Rosberg; 3° Alonso; 4° Ricciardo; 5° Vettel
Fastest lap: Rosberg
pole position : Hamilton (wet condition)

the winners
3 wins: Hamilton (2008-2011-2014)
2 wins: Alonso (2005-2013)
1 win: Raikkonen (2007) Vettel(2009) Button(2010) and Rosberg(2012)

pole position
4 pole: Hamilton(2007-2008-2013-2014)
3 pole: Vettel(2009-2010-2011)
2 pole: Alonso (2005-2006);
1 pole: Rosberg(2012)

Fastest lap
2: Hamilton (2008-2010)
1: Raikkonen (2005); Alonso(2006); Massa(2007); Vettel(2013) and Rosberg(2014)

Podium(winner+second+third) for current pilots at Shangai
6 (3wins+1second+2 third) Hamilton
5 (2+2+1) Alonso
5 (1+2+2) Raikkonen
4 (1+2+1) Button
3 (1+1+1) Rosberg
2 (1+1+0) Vettel
2 (0+1+1) Massa

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 2 RACES :

1. Mercedes 76 points
2. Ferrari 52 points
3. Williams 30 points
4. Sauber 14 points
5. Toro Rosso 12 points
6. Red Bull 11 points
7. Force India 7 points

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 2 RACES :

1. L. Hamilton GBR Mercedes 43 points
2. S. Vettel GER Ferrari 40 points
3. N. Rosberg GER Mercedes 33 points
4. F. Massa BRA Williams 20 points
5. K. Raikkonen FIN Ferrari 12 points
6. V. Bottas FIN Williams & F. Nasr BRA Sauber 10 points
8. D. Ricciardo AUS Red Bull 9 points
9. C. Sainz jr. ESP Toro Rosso, M. Verstappen NED Renault & N. Hulkenberg GER Force India 6 points
12. M. Ericsson SWE Sauber 4 points
13. D. Kvyat RUS Red Bull 2 points
14. S. Perez MEX Force India 1 point

Incredible Vettel, my heart came out of my body !!

Wonderful unexpected success ! FORZA FERRARI !

I hope that Schumi saw the gp on tv.

Result of the Malaysian GP F1 :

1. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari -1:41:05.793
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP + 8.5
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:44.898 + 12.3
4. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari + 53.8
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams + 70.4
6. Felipe Massa - Williams + 73.5
7. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso + 97.7
8. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso + 1 lap
9. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing + 1 lap
10. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing + 1 lap
11. Romain Grosjean - Lotus + 1 lap
12. Felipe Nasr - Sauber + 1 lap
13. Sergio Perez - Force India + 1 lap
14. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India + 1 lap
15. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team + 3 laps
Did Not Finish :
16. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus
17. Jenson Button McLaren
18. Fernando Alonso - McLaren
19. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber
Did Not Start :
20. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team

Fastest Lap : Nico Rosberg - 1:44.898
Pitstop Pastor Maldonado : 4
Bat. 2 Teams : Max Verstappen > Daniil Kvyat
Grid Pos. Valtteri Bottas : 5th place

Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari defeat Mercedes :
Sebastian Vettel ended his and Ferrari's Formula 1 win droughts as he beat Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to victory in a thrilling Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. The German chose to stay out during an early safety car period and assumed the lead. Vettel then made a two-stop strategy work while Mercedes did three stops with Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. It proved to be the wrong call for the world champion team as neither Hamilton nor Rosberg had the pace, tyre longevity or enough laps to catch and pass Vettel in the final stint. It was Ferrari's first victory since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, and Vettel's first since that year's season finale in Brazil. Hamilton retained the championship lead on 43 points, with Vettel three points adrift and Rosberg, who finished third, seven further back. After a dominant performance from Mercedes in Australia, F1 received a massive boost as Ferrari provided a sterner challenge to the reigning world champion team. Vettel held onto second at the start, behind Hamilton, and chose to stay out when the safety car was called into action following Marcus Ericsson's spin into the Turn 1 gravel on lap four, while Hamilton and Rosberg, in third, pitted for hards. Vettel pitted at the end of lap 17 and fitted the medium tyres before chasing down and passing both Rosberg and Hamilton on their older rubber. The Mercedes had needed to fight back through traffic as several midfield cars followed Vettel's strategy and Rosberg was delayed in the pits queuing behind Hamilton. Mercedes then split strategies when it pitted Hamilton and Rosberg for the second time, with Hamilton taking the mediums and Rosberg the hards Vettel only made his final pitstops with 14 laps to go after a long middle stint, taking on the hards and crucially rejoining ahead of Rosberg in second. The Ferrari driver then regained the lead when Hamilton pitted and had hard tyres fitted a lap later. The world champion was unhappy with the choice, with the Briton saying on team radio: "This is the wrong tyre, man," but being told Mercedes only had used mediums as an alternative. While Mercedes assured him that he would be in a position to catch and pass Vettel for the win, it soon became clear that that wasn't the case, with Hamilton unable to close on Vettel. Kimi Raikkonen recovered to a strong fourth in the second Ferrari having dropped to the back of the field following a puncture sustained in contact with Felipe Nasr's Sauber on the first lap. Valtteri Bottas passed Williams team-mate Felipe Massa with a brilliant late move around the outside at Turn 5 to finish fifth, with the duo followed by Max Verstappen, who passed Toro Rosso team-mate Carlos Sainz late on .Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat, who recovered from a spin having made contact with Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, completed the top 10. Romain Grosjean had an eventful race, the Frenchman trying an ambitious move around the outside of Sergio Perez at the fast Turn 12, only to clip the Force India and spin. Though he rejoined, he finished outside the points in 11th, with Perez receiving a 10-second time penalty for causing the incident and ultimately finishing 13th. They sandwiched Nasr. Hulkenberg was 14th in the Force India, having been given a 10-second time penalty for hitting Kvyat at Turn 2, with Manor's Roberto Merhi the last driver to see the chequered flag in 15th. Pastor Maldonado retired the Lotus, having run well down the field after picking up a puncture on the first lap, while the McLarens showed improved pace but had nothing to show for it as Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button retired with mechanical problems. Will Stevens did not start the race - his Manor team was unable to cure the fuel system issue that stopped his car running in qualifying.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the qualifying :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:49.834
2. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:49.908 +0.074
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:50.299 +0.465
4. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:51.541 +1.707
5. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:51.951 +2.117
6. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:51.981 +2.147
7. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:52.473 +2.639
8. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:52.981 +3.147
9. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:53.179 +3.345
10. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:53.261 +3.427
Q2
11. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:42.173 +-7.661
12. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:42.198 +-7.636
13. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:43.023 +-6.811
14. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:43.469 +-6.365
15. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:43.701 +-6.133
16. Felipe Nasr - Sauber - 1:41.308 +-8.526
Q1
17. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:41.636 +-8.198
18. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:41.746 +-8.088
19. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:46.677 +-3.157
20. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - no time

Qual. Time : 1:49.834
Pole Lewis Hamilton
Team Bat. Nico Hulkenberg > Sergio Perez
Grid. Pos. Felipe Nasr : 16th place

“Not again!” Hamilton pips Vettel to Malaysia pole :
For the second year in a row Lewis Hamilton narrowly beat Sebastian Vettel to pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix in a rain-hit qualifying session. The pair will share the front row of the grid as they did last year, again with less than a tenth of a second between the pair of them. Nico Rosberg will line up second in the other Mercedes, but the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen failed to make the cut for Q3 when the rain arrivew.

Q1
The skies were gradually turning darker as qualifying began so the drivers did not waste any time in getting their first laps done. Mercedes comfortably led the way, Hamilton a tenth ahead of Rosberg, their advantage over the rest of the field bolstered by their decision to use the softer medium compound tyres. That was bad news for Manor, whose chances of competing in tomorrow’s race rested on whether they could set a time within 107% of the quickest lap in Q1. They had done so in practice, but when crunch time came Roberto Merhi failed to make the cut and Will Stevens never made it out of the garage as the team grappled with a fuel system problem which had struck during final practice. Whether they can start the race is now in the hands of the race stewards. Previously teams who failed to beat the 107% time in qualifying but had shown they could in practice have been allowed to start the race, but on each occasion the stewards had said those decision did not set a precedent for the future.Both Lotus drivers came close to elimination in the dying minutes but escaped the clutches of the bottom five. That left the McLaren duo facing an early exit for the second race ago, with Jenson Button narrowly pipping Fernando Alonso.

Drivers eliminated in Q1
16 Felipe Nasr Sauber-Ferrari 1’41.308
17 Jenson Button McLaren-Honda 1’41.636
18 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Honda 1’41.746
19 Roberto Merhi Manor-Ferrari 1’46.677
20 Will Stevens Manor-Ferrari

Q2
Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, Sepang International Circuit, 2015The decisive moment in the second part of qualifying came when the drivers made the dash from their garage to the pit lane exit. By now the skies were ominously heavy – when Rosberg asked his race engineer how urgent it was to keep up the pace on his out-lap he was told it was “very urgent – first lap will be it”.So it proved. The first spots of rain were falling as the drivers finished the lap, and as always in Sepang this was swiftly followed by a deluge. This was no problem for Sebastian Vettel, who had positioned himself at the front of the queue, but further back several drivers were struggling in traffic. Kimi Raikkonen began his lap trying to pass Marcus Ericsson and was still trying to overtake the Sauber as he completed his lap. The result was Ericsson’s lap was four-tenths of a second quicker – and Raikkonen found himself eliminated. The pair were overtaken by Hamilton as they began the next lap. His departure from the pits was delayed because of a problem getting his engine to fire up and the Mercedes driver only just managed to snatch a place in the top ten. By now the rain was lashing down, and there was no prospect of anyone setting any further times.

Drivers eliminated in Q2
11 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1’42.173
12 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Mercedes 1’42.197
13 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1’43.022
14 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1’43.468
15 Carlos Sainz Jnr Toro Rosso-Renault 1’43.700

Q3
Heavy rain continued to fall as the clock ticked down in Q2, and the start of Q3 was postponed for over half an hour. By the time the session had begun most drivers had decided intermediate tyres were the way to go – and those who opted for full wets soon returned to the pits to change them, including the Williams drivers and Grosjean’s Lotus.Meanwhile those who had started the session on intermediates were pressing on. Rosberg posted a 1’51.066 but Hamilton beat that with ease, lapping over a second quicker than his team mate. Max Verstappen briefly went third-quickest before being demoted by Vettel. For the final runs all the drivers were on intermediate tyres, and Hamilton immediately set the fastest time through the first sector of the lap. But Rosberg, ahead, had backed off, and Hamilton had to overtake his team mate as they went into turn seven, spoiling his run.That meant Hamilton led the way as they began their last lap and Rosberg behind him potentially stood to benefit from the ever-drying track. But as it turned out neither of them improved their times – and that brought Vettel into play.The Ferrari driver produced a 1’49.908 with his final run which lifted him ahead of Rosberg, and left him just 74 thousandths shy of Hamilton. Given the Mercedes had out-qualified everyone by 1.3 seconds in Australia, this was a significant improvement. But although Vettel was clearly pleased with the result he was also disappointed at having come so close for two years in a row. “Not again!” he exclaimed on the radio. “After last year, the same, one tenth!” His former team got both their cars in the top five, bumping Verstappen back to sixth place. The Williams drivers, who had looked more competitive in the dry practice sessions, fell to seventh and ninth on the wet track.

Top ten in Q3
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1’49.834
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1’49.908
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1’50.299
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1’51.541
5 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull-Renault 1’51.951
6 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso-Renault 1’51.981
7 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1’52.473
8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Mercedes 1’52.981
9 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1’53.179
10 Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 1’53.261

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:39.790
2. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:40.163 +0.373
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:40.218 +0.428
4. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:40.346 +0.556
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:40.450 +0.660
6. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:40.560 +0.770
7. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:40.652 +0.862
8. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:41.220 +1.430
9. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:41.261 +1.471
10. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:41.799 +2.009
11. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:41.877 +2.087
12. Felipe Nasr - Sauber - 1:41.988 +2.198
13. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:42.242 +2.452
14. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:42.291 +2.501
15. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:42.330 +2.540
16. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:42.506 +2.716
17. Jenson Button - McLaren -1:42.637 +2.847
18. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:42.948 +3.158
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - 1:45.704 +5.914
20. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:47.229 +7.439

Lewis Hamilton tops practice two after early problem :
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton bounced back from an engine problem that sidelined him for the morning session to top the times in second practice for Formula 1's Malaysian Grand Prix. The reigning world champion stopped on track on only his fifth lap in first practice following a failure on the power unit inlet system and missed the rest of the session. But Mercedes fixed the problem and got Hamilton out 40 minutes into second practice at a scorching hot Sepang International Circuit. The Briton's initial flying lap on the hard-compound Pirelli tyres was good enough for sixth but his run was disrupted by telemetry problems. He rejoined the fray with just over 20 minutes remaining and clocked the fastest lap of the day - a 1m39.790s on the mediums to finish 0.373 seconds clear of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Nico Rosberg led the way after the initial runs on the hards, but lost time in sectors two and three on his qualifying simulation and ended up third quickest, 0.428s adrift of team-mate Hamilton. Drivers struggled for grip as track temperatures hovered around 60C, hotter than anything the teams encountered in the entire 2014 season. Sebastian Vettel was caught out on his qualifying simulation, losing the rear end of the Ferrari on the approach to Turn 11. The German kept the car out of the gravel but did not do another quick lap on the options, instead choosing to switch his attention to longer runs. He ended up seventh. After spending the first half of the session in the garage, Daniil Kvyat eventually headed out on track and pumped in the fourth fastest time in the Red Bull, 0.556s off the pace. However, there were frowns on the Red Bull pitwall with a few minutes remaining when the Russian reported an engine problem on team radio. Valtteri Bottas was fifth quickest ahead of Williams team-mate Felipe Massa, whose team was given a suspended fine after the Brazilian ran a set of tyres outside the permitted window in practice one. Teenager Max Verstappen was eighth quickest in the Toro Rosso, 1.4s adrift of Hamilton, with Sauber's Marcus Ericsson and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo completing the top 10. Lotus's Pastor Maldonado was 11th, followed by Sauber's Felipe Nasr in 12th and Force India's Sergio Perez in 13th.
Carlos Sainz Jr could not repeat his good form for Toro Rosso from first practice, where he finished fifth quickest, as he ended up 14th, 1.1s slower than team-mate Verstappen while Force India's Nico Hulkenberg was 15th. McLaren was able to get some good mileage, but Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button finished down in 16th and 17th respectively, 2.7s off the pace . Alonso's long-run was disrupted when he locked-up at the Turn 15 hairpin and skated off into the gravel before recovering to the pits with a flat-spot.
Romain Grosjean reported a loss of power and retreated to the pits, with Lotus ending the Frenchman's session 30 minutes early to investigate the problem. Grosjean was 18th quickest, after completing just seven laps, one place ahead of Manor's Will Stevens.
The other Manor of Roberto Merhi finished last, having brought out the red flag with a little over 30 minutes of the session gone.
The Spaniard, who ended up 20th and last, looked like he was struggling for rear grip and spun at Turn 11, beaching the Manor in the gravel.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

The result of the 1st practice session :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:40.124
2. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:40.497 +0.373
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:40.985 +0.861
4. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:41.543 +1.419
5. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:41.596 +1.472
6. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:41.787 +1.663
7. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:41.803 +1.679
8. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:41.882 +1.758
9. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:42.055 +1.931
10. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:42.064 +1.940
11. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:42.103 +1.979
12. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:42.567 +2.443
13. Raffaele Marciello - Sauber - 1:42.621 +2.497
14. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:42.885 +2.761
15. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:42.893 +2.769
16. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:43.054 +2.930
17. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:43.100 +2.976
18. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - 1:46.686 +6.562
19. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:47.683 +7.559
20. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - no time

Rosberg fastest in practice, problems for Hamilton :
Nico Rosberg topped opening practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Formula 1 title rival Lewis Hamilton completing only four laps before stopping on track. The German was fastest by a second during the first half-hour of the 90 minutes of running. Rosberg then bolted on his second set of hard-compound Pirelli tyres and improved his time by 0.437s, although some strong sector times suggested that he could have been even quicker. Hamilton was unable to complete a flying lap after aborting his first four-lap run and then grinding to a halt on his fifth lap at Turn 9. Radio communications suggested that this was a precautionary measure because of concerns about damaging the engine, leading to the team telling Hamilton to shut the car down rather than bringing it back to the pits.
Hamilton's absence meant that Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen was able to end the session second fastest, banging in a lap just 0.373s off Rosberg in the dying moments of the session. Raikkonen had run well on his first set of hard rubber, although he did have a brief off at Turn 15, ending up as best of the rest. He then set a time within nine tenths of Rosberg before his late improvement. Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel had a troubled start to the day, failing to set a time on his first set of tyres, which can only be used during the first 30 minutes of the session. But he returned to the track late and went third fastest, 0.861s down, momentarily snatching second from Raikkonen late in the session, seconds before the Finn improved again. Romain Grosjean was fourth fastest for Lotus, although one of the stars of the session was Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz Jr in fifth. The Spaniard was second fastest in the first half-hour and that time proved to be good enough for fifth overall even though he was unable to make the expected improvement on his second set of tyres. Daniel Ricciardo was sixth fastest ahead of Max Verstappen, with the lead Williams of Valtteri Bottas eighth fastest. Bottas was returning after missing the Australian GP thanks to a back injury, although he had been warned that he may suffer some pain. Daniil Kvyat was ninth fastest in the second Red Bull ahead of the lead Sauber of Marcus Ericsson. Felipe Massa was 11th fastest, but the Brazilian should have set a quicker time. On his first flier on his second set of rubber, he ran wide at Turn 11 and took a bite of the gravel, and while he subsequently improved it's likely he would have been several places higher had he not made the error. Pastor Maldonado was 12th, just ahead of Sauber debutant Raffaele Marciello, who had taken over Felipe Nasr's car. The returning Fernando Alonso was just behind in 14th place, the McLaren driver lapping 2.761s off the pace. That put the McLaren ahead of the two Force Indias, with Jenson Button down in 17th, a couple of tenths slower than Alonso. The Manor team made good on its promise to hit the track early in practice. Will Stevens left the pits in the second minute and team-mate Roberto Merhi completed his first lap after 13 minutes. Although both managed to complete just a single installation lap during the first half-hour of the session, Stevens returned to the track on a second set of tyres and worked down to a best time of 1m46.686s to take 18th place. Crucially, this was within 107 per cent of Rosberg's pacesetting time, which is encouraging for Manor's hopes of qualifying. Merhi was unable to return to the circuit until the final 15 minutes after his first lap, but while he managed to set a lap of 1m47.683s on that brief run, that was just over half a second off the 107 per cent barrier.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Malaysian Grand Prix – Sepang International Circuit – 27-28-29 march
second race of this season . some stats.

Podium 2012: Alonso(Ferrari) – 2° Perez, 3° Hamilton, 4° Webber and 5° Raikkonen
Fastest lap: Raikkonen
pole position : Hamilton 1'36''219

Podium 2013: Vettel(Red Bull) – 2° Webber 3° Hamilton 4° Rosberg and 5° Massa
Fastest lap: Perez
pole position : Vettel 1'49''674(This lap time was achieved in wet conditions)

Last year 2014(the top five):
1° Hamilton (Mercedes) – grid position 1°
2° Rosberg – gr.pos. 3°
3° Vettel – gr.pos. 2°
4° Alonso – gr.pos. 4°
5° Hulkenberg – gr.pos. 7°
Fastest lap: Hamilton
pole position : Hamilton 1'59''431 * very wet track

the winners at Sepang
3 wins: Alonso (2005-2007-2012) and Vettel (2010-2011-2013)
2 wins Raikkonen (2003-2008)
1 win: Button(2009) and Hamilton(2014)

pole position
2 pole: Alonso (2003-2005); Vettel(2011-2013) Massa(2007-2008) and Hamilton(2012-2014)
1 pole: Button(2009)

Fastest lap
2: Raikkonen (2005-2012) and Hamilton(2007-2014);
1: Alonso(2006); Button(2009); Perez(2013);

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

2014 winning strategy: 3 pit stop for Hamilton but also for Rosberg, Vettel and Alonso
(only 2 pit stop for Hulkenberg)
Pirelli tyres: Hard(orange) and Medium(white) as last year
The week end forecast for Sepang: high probability of rain.

Dr.Menard wrote:

Bad-Boy wrote:@shaky- schumi 4YEO

[hidden link - please register]
Sad times for formula 1 fans.

does anyone have any news on him???????

Nope ....but hopefully everyone ( the media !!! ) can finally understand to leave them ( the family ) alone in private ...and when the time has come ...they ( Sabine Kehm ) will bring out themselfs news about Michaels condition !!!!!

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi