[zenren]

FP2 Results:

Kimi looks happier with his car now, so does Vettel. Unless Mercedes is holding back a few tenths, qualifying would certainly be interesting. One mistake in the last attempt could screw up anybody's time enough to push them down a couple of rows. Given the nature of the track, no one can be confident of a clean lap till they actually get the last corner right.

Based on the long runs on mediums, Red bull seems to be the least taxing of the lot followed by Ferrari while Mercedes seems to be much more heavy on the tyres.

[Shanky_Cobra]

Thanks for the updates of FP1 and FP2 Zenren.
Mercedes had good pace in both sessions and it seemed like the bulls and the prancing horses had a close run.
Unfortunately, Lotus seems to be in some deep trouble.
After Australian GP i have some high expectations from Kevin Magnussen. He seems to be a talented driver.
Can't wait for tomorrow's Qualifying Session!

[Hatari]

Big battle coming up on Quali.. Should be Merc vs Red Bull. Both teams will lock out the front 2 rows. Ferrari vs Williams vs McLaren next. Race will get more interesting with reliability coming into the pic and Red Bull getting vulnerable on the straights. Ferrari will be stronger as they have resolved their software issues and can run full power.

[Addy81]

Should be a good qualifying session today, should get a better picture in FP3, Happy to see Kimi doing well after a poor Australian GP where he seemed to be struggling.

Mclaren will be strong this GP and should be interesting to see how Mercedes tackle their Tyre Degradation part, even Ferrari seemed to be struggling, Red bull could have an advantage over mercedes and Ferrari.

Lots expected out of Williams on how quick Bottas was in Australian GP, if they qualify well then it should be fun as both drivers are quick but a bit unpredictable on what they can do on a given day

Lotus is struggling big time, dont think they can get back on track soon with Maldonado not taking part in FP1 or FP2 and Grojean having handful of laps its tough going for the team.

Fingers crossed for a good qualifying session and a great race with chances of rain it should be fun

[zenren]

Tweet from Lotus F1 during practice session:

That talkative chap who used to drive for us is P2 for @InsideFerrari at the moment. Watch him - he'll go far.

[nipcarlover]

Although it seemed very close in FP1 and FP2, I have a strange gut feeling that Mercedes are sand bagging massively, and running a lot more fuel on their quali simulations. It seems, that Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren are quite close.

Red Bull seem incredibly strong in aero terms, but short on power, going nearly 10-12 km/h slower than the top speed in FP2.

I think we might get a clearer picture in FP3, but I would be surprised if Merc show their real hand till Q3.

[deetjohn]

Looks like tyre degradation will play a massive role on Sunday if it doesn't rain. And Merc will be the first ones to know.

Very eager to see where Vettel can get to today. I think he will spring a surprise today.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by nipcarlover

Although it seemed very close in FP1 and FP2, I have a strange gut feeling that Mercedes are sand bagging massively, and running a lot more fuel on their quali simulations. It seems, that Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren are quite close.

Red Bull seem incredibly strong in aero terms, but short on power, going nearly 10-12 km/h slower than the top speed in FP2.

I think we might get a clearer picture in FP3, but I would be surprised if Merc show their real hand till Q3.

Its unlikely that we'll get a clear picture till we get to a dry race on Sunday.

Even last year, Merc had a strong qualifying pace but heavy tyre wear which limited their race pace or forced them to do an additional pit stop than their competition in some tracks. With fuel flow limit in place, they cannot compensate the extra stop with higher speed. So the higher tyre wear is a very dangerous situation for Mercedes, though it wouldn't matter much in tracks where they can manage with the same number of stops as others.

If it rains on Sunday, they need not worry about tyre wear anymore and could come out on top.

[nipcarlover]

Originally Posted by zenren

Its unlikely that we'll get a clear picture till we get to a dry race on Sunday.

Even last year, Merc had a strong qualifying pace but heavy tyre wear which limited their race pace or forced them to do an additional pit stop than their competition in some tracks. With fuel flow limit in place, they cannot compensate the extra stop with higher speed. So the higher tyre wear is a very dangerous situation for Mercedes, though it wouldn't matter much in tracks where they can manage with the same number of stops as others.

If it rains on Sunday, they need not worry about tyre wear anymore and could come out on top.

That's true, I guess.

But, I think that according to the long run pace in FP1 and FP2 I think Mercedes have so much excess pace that they could just turn the pace down a bit to save the tires and still be just as fast as the others. Also, remember that the race is later in the day than FP1 and FP2. so temperatures will be lower as well.

[Hatari]

Great Quali.. Stonker of a lap from Alonso.. He's a master in the rain. To much of a gamble from button I think on the inters

[zenren]

Originally Posted by Hatari

To much of a gamble from button I think on the inters

It was worth it, considering MAG on full wets was 0.5 seconds off the pace of Hulkenberg in P7. It was unlikely that Button would have done better than P8 anyway and P10 was assured. If the track had dried out faster and suited inters towards the very end, even a P1 was possible.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by zenren

It was worth it, considering MAG on full wets was 0.5 seconds off the pace of Hulkenberg in P7. It was unlikely that Button would have done better than P8 anyway and P10 was assured. If the track had dried out faster and suited inters towards the very end, even a P1 was possible.

I understood the gamble they took at the beginning of Q3.. when Mag came in for Wets after a lap and Jenson stayed on Inters.

But the call was made 3 mins from the end, thats when all the drivers came in for a fresh set of tires. Tracks dont change from being that wet to suitable for inters in a matter of 3 minutes with only 10 cars running. He could not have suddenly found 2 secs in a lap.

Top 3 was never on, they dont have the pace.

Being that far back is not ideal, especially with Kobayashi Jr - Kyvat right behind him!

[zenren]

Originally Posted by Hatari

I understood the gamble they took at the beginning of Q3.. when Mag came in for Wets after a lap and Jenson stayed on Inters.

But the call was made 3 mins from the end, thats when all the drivers came in for a fresh set of tires. Tracks dont change from being that wet to suitable for inters in a matter of 3 minutes with only 10 cars running. He could not have suddenly found 2 secs in a lap.

Top 3 was never on, they dont have the pace.

Being that far back is not ideal, especially with Kobayashi Jr - Kyvat right behind him!

Probably preserving the wet tyres for tomorrow, given the climate and the high chance of a wet race tomorrow. They started Q1 on wets when others used inters. Even the inters and the wets come in limited number and I doubt if any front runner has a fresh set remaining with the drivers running continuously through almost the entire Q2 and Q3.

Speaking of Kvyat, he is under investigation and could probably drop 5 places for the collision with Alonso in Q2. With the level of visibility in Q2, there was no way Alonso could have seen him on the inside.

Hats off to the Ferrari mechanics to get Alonso's car back on track without losing any time. Great driving from Alonso too where he nursed the car back into the pits after the collision without worsening the situation.

Regarding the Bottas-Ricciardo incident, it could be condoned since both were on flying laps and the visibility in the mirrors was probably zero. He might not have realized that the RBR would close in so fast.

[zenren]

Bottas gets a 3 place grid penalty for impeding Ricciardo while Kvyat escapes after the shunt with Alonso.

[Shanky_Cobra]

Qualifying Session's Results!

Source: Formula1.com (http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2014/915/7322/)