Hamilton will line up on pole for tomorrow’s race, alongside Hulkenberg, after a dramatic qualifying session. Gearbox penalties for both Vettel and Rosberg allow Button to move up into 3rd on the grid, his highest grid position since 2012.
Q1
A dry session for Q1 saw Hamilton the initial leader, setting a 1:06.947, the fastest time set on the circuit. However, Rosberg then beat this time, improving to a 1:06.516. Vettel ended the session between the two Mercedes, 2 and a half tenths down on Rosberg.
Wehrlein had a fantastic session, getting his Manor up to 10th and was through to Q2. However, he was helped by yet more suspension failures on other cars. First it was Perez, who had the suspension fail early in the lap. Then, more dramatically, Kvyat broke his suspension on a kerb – sending him flying into the barrier at turn 7.
This incident brought out the red flag, with the session restarting with just 1 minute 44 seconds remaining. Many drivers attempted to make it round for a final shot, only for their chances to be dashed by an engine failure for Sainz, which brought out the yellow flags. Magnussen and Palmer were unable to escape the drop zone and will start the race 17th and 18th respectively. Haryanto was unable to match his teammates performance but still achieved a respectable 19th.
The crash for Kvyat means he will start the race 20th ahead of the two Saubers, who will take the final row on the grid.
Q2
Mercedes were fastest in Q2, however they lost out to Ferrari in terms of tyre strategy for the race. Both Ferrari drivers set their Q2 times on supersofts, allowing them to start on the harder compound, whereas Mercedes set their laps on the ultrasoft tyres. This means they will start the race on the more durable tyre and will increase the likelihood that they can make the one-stop strategy work for them.
Red Bull also copied the strategy, sending Verstappen and Ricciardo out on the supersofts for another lap each. Mercedes also attempted to do the same, but rain in the final part of the session prevented them from improving on their times set on ultrasofts.
After their problems in Q1, neither Sainz nor Perez set a time in Q2 – meaning that they will line up 15th and 16th respectively. Alonso ended the session 14th after being out qualified by his teammate for only the second time this year. After an impressive performace, Wehrlein finished Q2 in 12th, not enough to make it into the top ten, but a strong performance all the same. Also failing to make it into Q3 were Gutierrez and Grosjean, who will start 11th and 13th.
Q3
The session began in wet conditions, with all the drivers going out on the intermediate tyres. Vettel and Hamilton lead initially but as the track began to dry, the times quickly fell each time a driver crossed the line. Hulkenberg was the first to pit for slicks, immediately going over a second faster on the ultrasoft tyres.
The other drivers soon copied him, with Massa beating him soon after. Once again, it became a matter of being the last to cross the line, with times dropping all the time.
Hamilton took pole by over 5 tenths of a second to Rosberg, with Hulkenberg in 3rd. Button was last to cross the line, splitting the two Ferraris to take 5th, behind Vettel. Red Bull lost out, Ricciardo and Verstappen finishing 7th and 9th respectively. Williams, too, struggled in the wet conditions, with Bottas 8th and Massa 10th.
The Grid
Vettel and Rosberg both face 5-place grid penalties, which promotes Hulkenberg to second and Button to an impressive 3rd for McLaren. Palmer, Nasr and Haryanto all picked up 3-place penalties as they failed to slow sufficiently for the yellow flags in Q1.
Hamilton, Hulkenberg; Button, Raikkonen; Ricciardo, Rosberg; Bottas, Verstappen; Vettel, Massa; Gutierrez, Wehrlein; Grosjean, Alonso; Sainz, Perez; Magnussen, Kvyat; Ericsson, Palmer; Haryanto, Nasr.