Bahrain GP 2013 - Qualifying

[bonzo]

Those are not the tyres Alonso will use at the start. The time was posted on his first outing with a different set of tyres.

They must use SAME TYPE tires as used in Q3 to post the best time, not the actual set they had on when setting the best time. So Nando will start on a unused set of options.

[shamim179]

I haven't watched qualifying yet but been reading the live commentary. I can't help but feel that Alonso's race strategy has been compromised. So it seems he used:

Q1: New hards
Q2: New mediums
Q3: Used mediums from Q2 and new mediums?

I think it was the right call to send him out in Q3 on a used set of mediums to get a banker lap. But the banker lap was very competitive and it actually worked against us. Very unusual situation but it could have been rectified if Alonso posted a better time on the new mediums than the one old one done on the banker lap. But his banker lap was very fast that it was going to be difficult to beat. I can't recall such a situation ever happening. We went for the right strategy but the results were very strange. Alonso did the right thing by aborting the last run on his new mediums as we may need it in the race.

On the contrary, excellent strategy for Massa. He feels more comfortable on the hard tyres so why not put him on those for the race?

Overall, I think both drivers have a chance of getting onto the podium. A win is achievable by both of our drivers.

[Dino]

Those are not the tyres Alonso will use at the start. The time was posted on his first outing with a different set of tyres.

I know gvera,and anyway front right was slightly flatspotted.

[Sianellen]

They must use SAME TYPE tires as used in Q3 to post the best time, not the actual set they had on when setting the best time. So Nando will start on a unused set of options.

I thought they had to use the set they qualified on not just the same type (if they are in the top 10)

[Greig]

They must use SAME TYPE tires as used in Q3 to post the best time, not the actual set they had on when setting the best time. So Nando will start on a unused set of options.

That is not true, they have to use the exact same tyres they set their fastest lap on, they can't just put a new set of mediums on.

[Nova]

Kimi is def going for a 2 stopper...
Vettel looks very interested in the F138, but its only to tell his team what he see's.
Looks like Merc has replaced Mac for fighting positions, but can the Mercs race at the
front or simply hold up those behind.
Will Weber get even?
Will Hamilton be odd?
Will Vettel sing a tune?
Will Massa finish podium?
Tune in tomorrow boys n girls, for yet another thrilling episode of
Formula 1 racing. Go Ferrari!!!

[stefa]

I thought they had to use the set they qualified on not just the same type (if they are in the top 10)

You are absolutely right!

[stefa]

I was not watching and now reading various comments here I am little confused. Are we lookimg good in terms of pace and speed? Can we repeat win from week before?

[Rob]

I was not watching and now reading various comments here I am little confused. Are we lookimg good in terms of pace and speed? Can we repeat win from week before?

Simple answer, yes we can.

[Rob]

Bahrain GP – Good pace and good fortune
Sakhir, 20 April – If you don’t have time to read a full qualifying report, then the short story is that Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will share the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix. However, it didn’t quite happen in the normal way.

For the entire weekend, both Ferrari men declared themselves more comfortable on the Hard Pirelli than the Medium, but despite this, the Spaniard used the softer of the two to set a time good enough for third place on the final Q3 time sheet this afternoon. Fernando was delighted, as he pointed out that the one-lap performance was the team’s Achilles Heel. Clearly the Scuderia is making slow but steady progress in this area and might hope to eventually fix the problem that was beyond the ability of writers of the Greek Classics!

As for Felipe, he and his engineers decided to go for a brave gamble: as the Brazilian was not convinced about the worth of the Medium, feeling that, come what may, he would not be in the fight for the front rows, he tackled Q3 on the Hards, on which he set the sixth fastest time. This is where some good fortune came his way, because while in life, it’s considered in poor taste to benefit from the misfortunes of others, sometimes in sport, it can be out of one’s control. Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber were faster than Felipe in fourth and fifth places respectively, however the English Mercedes driver had to take a five place gearbox penalty, while the Australian in the Red Bull had to drop three places for being deemed to have caused an accident in China last week. This promptly promotes Felipe to fourth, so that the two F138s now line up side by side.

There were other surprises today: even if Lewis Hamilton had taken his Mercedes to pole in Shanghai, the silver cars did not look so dominant in practice here and yet, his team-mate Nico Rosberg posted the fastest time of the day to claim the top spot. He shares the front row with Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull. The penalties have turned the third row into an all-Force India Affair, with Paul di Resta fifth and Adrian Sutil sixth. Another title contender – if you can have such a thing after just four races – Kimi Raikkonen, will start from eighth alongside Webber.

The opening stages of tomorrow’s fourth round of the World Championship should produce plenty of excitement, while in general fewer pit stops are expected than in China last week. Felipe’s decision to do Q3 on the Hard tyre and therefore have to start the race on this compound, points to an intriguing first stint, as the Brazilian will be the only top ten driver to go for this choice.

[Dino]

I was not watching and now reading various comments here I am little confused. Are we lookimg good in terms of pace and speed? Can we repeat win from week before?

You bet!!;
Nico Rosberg has admitted that converting pole position into victory during Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix will be extremely difficult to achieve, with the Mercedes driver wary of high rear-tyre degradation levels amid rising air and track temperatures.

We will be racing Vettel and keeping an eye on Kimi!!

[Sianellen]

You are absolutely right!

I was starting to wonder hehe

[vcs316]

Alonso confident Ferrari will fire for race

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso said third place on the grid for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix was no problem - because he is sure his car will be much faster in race trim than it was in qualifying.

The two-time world champion, winner of last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, wound up third-fastest behind surprise pole-sitter German Nico Rosberg of Mercedes and three-time defending world champion and championship leader Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull.

But after qualifying third and winning in Shanghai, in a race of intense cat-and-mouse strategy built around tyre-preservation, he said he was sure a place on the second row of the grid with his teammate Felipe Massa alongside him was fine.

He said: "It is true that on Sundays normally we improve our performance and are more competitive, on Sunday, than Saturday.

"And on Friday the long run was more or less OK and there was no big trouble with tyres. So, tomorrow will be a good opportunity for us to get consistency and we can fight for the podium - and maybe a win would be even better."

Alonso said also that he decided not to complete his second Q3 run, preferring instead to conserve tyres once he realised that pole position was a long shot for him.

"At the last corner, I saw I was half a tenth to one tenth slower so we decided to come in and save one lap on those tyres - you never know if you'll have to use it in the race.

"Usually, in qualifying, we struggle a lot whereas today we were happy. It puts us in a strong position for racing with the leaders and fighting for a podium."

His Brazilian teammate Massa gambled on running with harder compound tyres during qualifying and was sixth quickest, promoted to fourth thanks to the penalties handed to rivals Briton Lewis Hamilton and Australian Mark Webber.

"I think maybe the preferred tyre is the hard, that's why people are saving the hard," he explained.

"I didn't save, but I started on the hard, it can be that I gain positions on the first stint because of that, I don't know, we'll see. The race is definitely long!"

http://www.supersport.com/motorsport..._fire_for_race

[vcs316]

Felipe Massa says tyre tactics prompted by poor pace

Felipe Massa says his lack of pace in Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying was the reason Ferrari put him on a different strategy to the rest of the frontrunners.

The Brazilian made the surprise move of qualifying by taking the hard tyre in Q3. He was sixth fastest, and will start fourth due to Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton receiving grid penalties.

"I was not 100 per cent happy with the lap times and [the chance] of fighting for pole," Massa said after qualifying.

"We were looking at two cars that would lose position [Hamilton and Webber] so one option was to watch and not go out.

"The other was to go out on the hard. I hope this is the right tyre for the race tomorrow."

Massa also hopes that he will get an advantage from being on the hard tyre for the opening stint of the race.

"The long run on the hard [in practice] was more consistent," he said. "The degradation's a bit better.

"It can be better to have the hard [in the first stint]. Maybe the start will be a little bit worse but we'll see how it's going to be."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/106919?

[shamim179]

I think Alonso isn't that bothered because he knows he can win this race with a car that has strong race pace. I also think he will be using hards for most of the race hence why he preserved as many sets of the hard tyre as possible.

So stategy-wise if it is a 2-stopper:

Alonso: M, H, H
Massa: H, H, M

I think we can go for 2 stops and at the most 3 stops. If we do 2 stops we need to take it easy but if we do 3 we need to push hard.

[Rob]

Bahrain GP – Fry: “The best decisions”
Pat Fry: “It was reasonably straightforward to interpret this qualifying session and the good start positions we now have mean we are optimistic for tomorrow’s race and they also reward the entire team for all their efforts in improving our performance during qualifying. Of the updates brought here to Bahrain, we have decided to use only the most significant ones, while we will introduce the others in the upcoming races. We are not yet where we want to be, but the gaps seen today tell us that our work is going in the right direction and we must continue like this. Tomorrow, for the third consecutive time, Fernando will start from third place, which is on the clean side of the track here and we hope that could be an advantage at the start. Felipe’s fourth place is a great basis from which to build a race that he will run on a different strategy to his team-mate, having opted to use the Hard tyres in Q3. Once again, we can expect a Sunday on which drivers will have to pay close attention to tyre degradation, while the pit wall will have to make the right calls”.

Bahrain GP – Alonso: “Never two without three”
Fernando Alonso: “It’s really good news that once again we managed to do well in qualifying, which is our Achilles Heel! This is now the third time this year that we end up in the top three and, even if usually Sunday goes better thanks to our race pace, I am really pleased to see our potential already maximized on Saturday. The data seen from Friday’s long runs means we can be optimistic about a race in which our main adversaries are represented by Vettel and the Red Bull in front and the Lotuses which might be behind us on the grid, but they will definitely be in the game. Because of the penalties for Hamilton and Webber, Felipe will start from fourth: I think it’s much better that I find myself alongside my team-mate’s Ferrari than Lewis’ Mercedes! We won’t discover which is the best strategy until tomorrow and it’s impossible to make predictions. But I think the best tyre for the race will be the hard and that could work in our favour, given it’s the one we have been most comfortable on all weekend”.

Bahrain GP – Massa: “A question of feeling”
Felipe Massa: “I am very pleased with the outcome of this qualifying, because in the end, the decision to take a risk in Q3, going in a different direction to the one we had originally planned, turned out to be the best one. On the Medium compound, I didn’t feel able to fight for the top places, the car had little grip and suffered a lot at the back. Even with the Hard tyres, the chances of ending up further down the order was extremely high, but I still opted to stay with the tyres I felt most comfortable on. The penalties for two of the drivers ahead of me – Webber and Hamilton – mean I now move up the grid to fourth place, a point from where I can race with the leaders. Starting on the Medium will definitely be an advantage, but to have a good race it will be vital to find the best strategy and ensure everything runs perfectly”.

[stefa]

Simple answer, yes we can.

Nice!!!

[Dino]

Alonso confident Ferrari will fire for race

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso said third place on the grid for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix was no problem - because he is sure his car will be much faster in race trim than it was in qualifying.

His Brazilian teammate Massa gambled on running with harder compound tyres during qualifying and was sixth quickest, promoted to fourth thanks to the penalties handed to rivals Briton Lewis Hamilton and Australian Mark Webber.

"I think maybe the preferred tyre is the hard, that's why people are saving the hard," he explained.

"I didn't save, but I started on the hard, it can be that I gain positions on the first stint because of that, I don't know, we'll see. The race is definitely long!"

http://www.supersport.com/motorsport..._fire_for_race

At last Massa's side of the garage are trying something different.This could be a very good chance for him if he can make the hards last long enough and stay with the leaders.GO FELIPE GO....

[anakin]

At the last corner I saw I was half a tenth to one tenth slower so we decided to come in and save one lap on those tyres," Alonso said.

"You never know if you'll have to use it in the race".

so there is an option not to use it?

merc radio to rosberg: look after the tires, they are race sets.

there is no need to say it on radio if it is required to use the same tire in the race if they have a same compound extra set.

[Hornet]

I haven't watched qualifying yet but been reading the live commentary. I can't help but feel that Alonso's race strategy has been compromised. So it seems he used:

Q1: New hards
Q2: New mediums
Q3: Used mediums from Q2 and new mediums?

I think it was the right call to send him out in Q3 on a used set of mediums to get a banker lap. But the banker lap was very competitive and it actually worked against us. Very unusual situation but it could have been rectified if Alonso posted a better time on the new mediums than the one old one done on the banker lap. But his banker lap was very fast that it was going to be difficult to beat. I can't recall such a situation ever happening. We went for the right strategy but the results were very strange. Alonso did the right thing by aborting the last run on his new mediums as we may need it in the race.

On the contrary, excellent strategy for Massa. He feels more comfortable on the hard tyres so why not put him on those for the race?

Overall, I think both drivers have a chance of getting onto the podium. A win is achievable by both of our drivers.

I've yet to see any evidence that Alonso's first hot lap in Q3 was a used set. I don't know though what it really is.

[Kyss4k]

At the last corner I saw I was half a tenth to one tenth slower so we decided to come in and save one lap on those tyres," Alonso said.

"You never know if you'll have to use it in the race".

so there is an option not to use it?

merc radio to rosberg: look after the tires, they are race sets.

there is no need to say it on radio if it is required to use the same tire in the race if they have a same compound extra set.

Oh my god... What is Alonso saying is that it's better to have more tyres than less. Anything can happen (puncture, safety car,...) and strategies can change because of it, so there can be use for second set of mediums, even that it's unlikely.

You HAVE TO use the same set o tyres you set your best Q3 time on. It's simple as that...

[rico]

for god's sake anakin. It's been explained to you a hundred times.

[Stormsearcher]

A fairly good qualifying result for the team. Maybe Nando could have taken pole. But third is better than second, so lets hope for a good clean start. i think Felipe has got a good strategy for the race. Nando I'll expect will stay in the top 2 or 3 during the race, so unless the stint on mediums really screw Felipe, we could be looking at 2 Ferraris on the podium.

FORZA FERRARI!!!!

[Greig]

At the last corner I saw I was half a tenth to one tenth slower so we decided to come in and save one lap on those tyres," Alonso said.

"You never know if you'll have to use it in the race".

so there is an option not to use it?

merc radio to rosberg: look after the tires, they are race sets.

there is no need to say it on radio if it is required to use the same tire in the race if they have a same compound extra set.

Why do you think some teams do not set a lap in Q3 at times? it's to save them starting the race on tyres already used.

[Sianellen]

At the last corner I saw I was half a tenth to one tenth slower so we decided to come in and save one lap on those tyres," Alonso said.

"You never know if you'll have to use it in the race".

so there is an option not to use it?

merc radio to rosberg: look after the tires, they are race sets.

there is no need to say it on radio if it is required to use the same tire in the race if they have a same compound extra set.

http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/ru.../8680/fia.html


25.4 Use of tyres:

e) At the start of the race each car which took part in Q3 must be fitted with the tyres with which the driver set his grid time. This will only be necessary if dry-weather tyres were used to set the grid time and if dry-weather are used at the start of the race.

[FFFerrari]

I think most of the teams will opt for the two stop strategy as the hard tyres should last long enough but we will see. And no, we had zero chance for the pole. P2, perhaps, but Rosberg was way too fast today to be beaten. If the mediums go out quickly, Felipe has a golden opportunity to drive in clear air and go for the win.

[Stormsearcher]

if we get a clean start then i am with u.

the fact that we have force indias 4 and 5 gives us some buffer at the start as well

The force indias at 4 and 5 is what is worrying me for the start. Theres no love lost between those 2, and i just hope in their eagerness to put one over their teammate, they dont ruin our race.

[Rishu]

I think most of the teams will opt for the two stop strategy as the hard tyres should last long enough but we will see. And no, we had zero chance for the pole. P2, perhaps, but Rosberg was way too fast today to be beaten. If the mediums go out quickly, Felipe has a golden opportunity to drive in clear air and go for the win.

Vettel said "it's impossible to do a two stopper"
Or is he trying to demotivate others going for 2 stops since he might struggle with degradation?

[FFFerrari]

Vettel said "it's impossible to do a two stopper"
Or is he trying to demotivate others going for 2 stops since he might struggle with degradation?

Indeed, it might be impossible for them as they have saved all three sets of hards for the race. I think their car munches through them Pirelli's. I would bet that some teams (namely Lotus) will try for a two stopper as their starting positions aren't that hot.

[Alonso14]

Well I suppose pole was within reach,but I suppose starting 3rd on the clean side is better than 2nd! Hope Alonso takes both before by end of first corner,since we all know rosberg is known for taking drivers off track,he did it to Alonso and Lewis last year in Bahrain!! Let's hope it's a good clean start from both drivers,a win by either drivers is possible with good strategy...

I wouldn't say Rosberg is a dirty driver or guy with spacial awareness issues a la Grosjean. I'm not too concerned about him racing unfairly.