Sebastian Vettel has taken his 36th pole position for tomorrow’s United States Grand Prix, with the reigning World Champion completely blitzing the opposition with a sensational qualifying performance. The German will start tomorrow’s race alongside Lewis Hamilton, with the second row consisting of Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen.
The all-important qualifying session got underway in tremendous weather conditions at the brand-new Circuit of the Americas, as the HRT duo of Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa led the pack out onto the track. The Spanish team have endured a tough time of late, and are currently up for sale by the their current owners.
Timo Glock set the initial pace for Marussia, before Kimi Raikkonen stormed to the top with a 01:41.058. The Finn’s team-mate Romain Grosjean then rose to the top, with the Frenchman set to incur a five-place grid penalty after the session due to a gearbox change. Bruno Senna momentarily displaced Grosjean, however the Lotus man was able to pounce back with a 01:37.486. With the tyres taking a considerable time to heat up, it was some time before the usual suspects rose to the top.
Eventually Sebastian Vettel obliterated the opposition with 01:37.165, as Narain Karthikeyan coasted to a halt at Turn 2 as HRT’s woes continued. Lewis Hamilton was able to displace the reigning World Champion as the opening session drew to a close, however Vettel was quick to retaliate with a 01:36.558. Nico Rosberg was lucky to avoid the drop as the checkered flag emerged, as Daniel Ricciardo joined the usual suspects of the Marussias, Caterhams and HRTs at the back of the pack.
The second session started with the Williams of Pastor Maldonado becoming the first driver to take to the track, however it was Kimi Raikkonen who set the initial pace with a 01:37.457. Lewis Hamilton was quick to dispose of the Finn, however Sebastian Vettel eclipsed the opposition with an absolutely sensational 01:35.971, a time which the German driver improved upon as the session drew to a conclusion.
As Vettel asserted his authority at the sharp end of the order, McLaren’s reliability woes struck once again as Jenson Button was seen coasting back to the pits with a lack of power. Upon returning to the pits, the Briton’s mechanics began busying themselves around the McLaren, however it quickly became clear that the issue was terminal as Button was wheeled back into the garage and out of qualifying.
As the session drew to a conclusion, Fernando Alonso struggled greatly and was unable to trouble the dominant Sebastian Vettel. Jenson Button was unfortunately eliminated from qualifying, as many drivers continued to improve after the Briton’s unfortunate mechanical issue. Jenson Button was joined by Bruno Senna, Paul di Resta, Jean-Eric Vergne, Sergio Perez, Kamui Kobayashi and Nico Rosberg in being eliminated after Q2.
Michael Schumacher was eager to get the top then shootout underway at the Circuit of the Americas, as the German legend became the first driver to take to the track. Fernando Alonso set the initial pace for Ferrari, despite a disastrous Q2 in which the Ferrari driver struggled to find pace. Pastor Maldonado and then Romain Grosjean momentarily shared the top spot, before Mark Webber stormed to the top for Red Bull with a 01:36.845.
Lewis Hamilton blitzed the Australian driver’s time with a 01:36.209, however Sebastian Vettel simply annihilated the opposition with a unbelievable 01:35.877, which the Championship contender was able to improve upon only moments later with a 01:35.657. Lewis Hamilton hounded the reigning World Champion in the closing seconds of the session, but was unable to beat the fearsome pace of Sebastian Vettel and had to settle for 2nd on the grid.
With Jenson Button predicting P2 would be more of an advantage earlier in the weekend at the start, it will be interesting to see which driver will come out on top as the field negotiates the trademark opening hairpin on lap one. Despite Vettel’s unbeatable pace throughout the weekend, it’s clear that Lewis Hamilton has no intentions in letting the 25-year-old romp away in tomorrow’s 56-lap race.
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q1 time | Q2 time | Q3 time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Renault | 1:36.558 | 1:35.796 | 1:35.657 |
| 02 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 1:37.058 | 1:36.795 | 1:35.766 |
| 03 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Renault | 1:37.215 | 1:36.298 | 1:36.174 |
| 04 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus Renault | 1:37.486 | 1:36.906 | 1:36.587 |
| 05 | Kimi Raikkonen | Lotus Renault | 1:38.051 | 1:37.404 | 1:36.708 |
| 06 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes AMG | 1:37.927 | 1:37.102 | 1:36.794 |
| 07 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:37.667 | 1:36.549 | 1:36.937 |
| 08 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 1:37.756 | 1:37.066 | 1:37.141 |
| 09 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:37.968 | 1:37.123 | 1:37.300 |
| 10 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams Renault | 1:37.537 | 1:37.011 | 1:37.842 |
| — | ---------------- | --------------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| 11 | Bruno Senna | Williams Renault | 1:37.520 | 1:37.604 | |
| 12 | Jenson Button | McLaren Mercedes | 1:37.565 | 1:37.616 | |
| 13 | Paul di Resta | Force India Mercedes | 1:38.104 | 1:37.665 | |
| 14 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 1:38.434 | 1:37.879 | |
| 15 | Sergio Perez | Sauber Ferrari | 1:38.500 | 1:38.206 | |
| 16 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber Ferrari | 1:38.418 | 1:38.437 | |
| 17 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes AMG | 1:38.862 | 1:38.501 | |
| — | ---------------- | --------------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| 18 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 1:39.114 | ||
| 19 | Timo Glock | Marussia Cosworth | 1:40.056 | ||
| 20 | Charles Pic | Marussia Cosworth | 1:40.664 | ||
| 21 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham Renault | 1:40.809 | ||
| 22 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham Renault | 1:41.166 | ||
| 23 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT Cosworth | 1:42.011 | ||
| 24 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT Cosworth | 1:42.740 |