Brazil – Qualifying: Hamilton beats Rosberg to the punch!
Lewis Hamilton wins his 60th personal pole in a hard-fought battle! The battle was intense at Interlagos, but it was the Briton who beat his rival to the punch. Nico Rosberg had to settle for second place, ahead of Kimi Räikkönen's astonishing Ferrari. Romain Grosjean also sprang a surprise by claiming 7th place on the grid!
The clouds were threatening this Saturday afternoon over São Paulo. Following a rainy FP3 in its initial phase, a big doubt remained at the start of the penultimate qualifying session in 2016. Obviously, it was tense at the top of the F1 Circus bill. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were playing a big part in their future at the end of the season. The winner of the duel would gain a slight psychological advantage for the 71 laps the next day. Competitive in this “cold” context (only 21 degrees in the air, a trifle compared to the 35 degrees the day before), could Ferrari hope to join the party? Would Red Bull reclaim their status as the second force?
It goes through for Grosjean in Q1, it’s blocked for Button.
The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were the first single-seaters to hit the track. Fitted with slick tires (soft compound), they hoped to avoid the showers expected for this qualifying session.
Obviously, the Mercedes quickly took the top two positions, with the Briton leading in 1:11.511; three-tenths of a second ahead of the German. Behind them, Max Verstappen took 3rd place, ahead of Räikkönen and Ricciardo.
Comfortably settled, the Finnish Ferrari driver went for a second timed lap, ultimately not successful in improving his time. The graining of his tires seemed to be the reason. Strangely, it was only ten minutes before the end of Q1 that his teammate Sebastian Vettel recorded a timed reference due to makeshift repairs and adjustments made by his team on his car. Nevertheless, he secured a 5th place, sufficient to confirm his passage to Q2.
Further down the timesheet, Alonso, in 9th, secured his passage to Q2 while all the drivers from 10th place to the last, from Romain Grosjean to the Saubers, returned to the track once again hoping to avoid elimination. At the end of the first part of the qualifying session, Jenson Button couldn’t secure his ticket to Q2, the Englishman seemingly struggling with the balance of his car and experiencing numerous wheel lock-ups during his Brazilian campaign.
Eliminated in Q1: 17. Button, 18. Magnussen, 19. Wehrlein, 20. Ocon, 21. Ericsson, 22. Nasr
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF #Q1)
PAL makes it through, but no such luck for BUT#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #Quali pic.twitter.com/LZcZshhukf
— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016
Debacle for Williams in Q2!
Just like in Q1, the Mercedes were at the front to be the first on track, always with the aim of anticipating the possible upcoming arrival of rain.
Outpaced by the Silver Arrows, the Red Bull and Ferrari cars competed against each other from a distance. Vettel positioned himself between Verstappen and Ricciardo, while Räikkönen provisionally ranked sixth. At that point, he was the first driver more than a second behind leader Hamilton. The two Ferrari drivers were experiencing difficulties with their car’s balance, with the Finn complaining over the radio about issues with the rear of his SF16-H.
The last minutes were a time of agitation for the most uncertain in the hierarchy of times. While the two Force India cars of Pérez and Hülkenberg qualified for Q3, Romain Grosjean secured ninth place in the final seconds of Q2. A solid time and a passage into the last phase of the day, which eliminated the Finnish Bottas, who was already ahead of Felipe Massa! The future-retired Brazilian now had the pleasure of greeting an audience entirely won over to his cause.
Out in #Q2, but @MassaFelipe19 always has time for his fans 👏#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #Quali pic.twitter.com/zHyXvqcKgo
— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016
Eliminated in Q2: 11. Bottas, 12. Gutierrez, 13. Massa, 14. Kvyat, 15. Sainz, 16. Palmer
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF #Q2)
ALO, GRO = 💪#BrazilGP #Quali pic.twitter.com/ZpjN3n3Ow0
— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016
Hamilton just a breath ahead of Rosberg!
🚥 GREEN LIGHT 🚥
Game on! HAM and ROS head straight out in #Q3 #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #Quali pic.twitter.com/Q9b1ESx71X
— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016
The pressure was palpable for this final part of the qualifiers, where the slightest mishap can tip the drivers’ world championship!
The weather remaining dry, it seemed that pole position would be contested between the two championship leaders. On their respective first attempts, Rosberg was trailing by just under two-tenths behind his rival, placing him once again in second.
So, there are the Mercedes and the rest of the world at the end of the Qualifications in Interlagos: Verstappen, in third, was still more than six-tenths of a second behind the British triple world champion. The Red Bull driver was followed very closely by Vettel, Ricciardo, and Räikkönen, the latter being only a tenth and a half behind the Dutchman!
The final salvo of timed laps was therefore shaping up to be the moment of truth between the Mercedes drivers. At the end of the second sector, Rosberg had established a very slight lead, which was ultimately wiped out in the final corner of his last timed lap.
In the end, Hamilton converted his provisional best time into pole position, just over a tenth ahead of Rosberg, securing his third consecutive pole and the eleventh of his season! For the record, the Brit can no longer be caught in this exercise, as Rosberg has “only” eight poles, with only one qualifying session remaining in two weeks in Abu Dhabi.
Behind this omnipotent duo, we should mention the last effort of Kimi Räikkönen, who narrowly outpaced his playmates, Vettel and the two Red Bull drivers. And finally, how can we not mention the remarkable performance of Grosjean in his Haas, who positioned himself ahead of the Force India cars, in seventh place! He recorded his best qualifying session of the season in São Paulo, surpassing his eighth place in Japan, which was converted to seventh after a penalty was imposed on Räikkönen.
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF #QUALI)
HAM edges ROS in the battle for pole
Just +0.102s between the two title rivals#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/KsFXTxhWJs
— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016
With this sixtieth personal pole position, Lewis Hamilton not only puts pressure on Nico Rosberg in the quest for the 2016 driver title, but he also enters the very exclusive “sexagenarian” club, alongside Michael Schumacher (68 poles) and Ayrton Senna (65 poles).
60th pole for @LewisHamilton
Only the third driver to ever reach that mark
Will it be enough to keep his title hopes alive?#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/eMlMMH4umr
— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2016
He now only has to shine tomorrow in the race to secure the first victory of his career in Brazil. With the helmet in the colors of Ayrton Senna, there is no doubt that this victory would have a great impact in front of the auriverde fans!
But Nico Rosberg will certainly not let his guard down, ready to pounce at the right moment to seize a victory synonymous with a world title.
The stage is set for the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, which will start at 5 PM French time. Don’t miss it!
And until then, stay connected to our site for the main reactions ahead of this qualifying session!
