Qualifications – Brazil: Nico Rosberg on pole position again in Brazil

If there was significant rain on Friday evening, the qualifiers took place under a bright sun and on a dry track.

During Q1, the ordeal for Fernando Alonso and McLaren continued: right from his installation lap, the pit wall instructed the Spaniard to pull over due to a new engine-related problem. He then chose to settle on a marshal’s chair to watch the end of Q1. Having been unable to complete a single lap, the Spaniard will therefore start again from the last position.

The session didn’t go much better for his teammate, Jenson Button. Indeed, the Briton couldn’t do better than the 17th time, just ahead of the two Manors. Nevertheless, the two champions didn’t lose their sense of humor and joined a surprise photo session on the podium, which they haven’t been on for what must seem like an eternity.

Thanks for the support, guys. We’ll be back up here one day soon. #BelieveInMcLarenHonda #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/Izqvtf2121

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 14 Novembre 2015

The last driver not able to advance to Q2 is Pastor Maldonado, who had managed to slip into the top 10 during the last free practice session.

Nevertheless, the Venezuelan will start just behind his teammate, Romain Grosjean. Indeed, the Frenchman had chosen to go out at the last moment in Q2. However, he encountered a problem in the snail section of sector 2 and experienced a significant off-track excursion. Although he didn’t hit anything and managed to get back on track, he had severely damaged his set of tires and was not able to do better than the 15th fastest time.

YELLOW FLAGS – Grosjean spins off with barely more than 1 min left of Q2 to get out of the bottom 5 #Quali #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/3jBOo0ec9l

— Formula 1 (@F1) 14 Novembre 2015

Among the surprise eliminations in this Q2, we find the Sahara Force India of Sergio Perez in 13th place, even though he had regularly been in the top 10 during the various free practice sessions. Nevertheless, his car should allow him to fight for points during the race. The other eliminations are Felipe Nasr (11th), Carlos Sainz (12th), and Marcus Ericsson (14th). However, the Brazilian from Sauber will receive a three-place penalty for blocking Felipe Massa in Q1.

For Q3, the big question was who would emerge victorious in the battle between the two Mercedes drivers. While Lewis Hamilton seemed dominant in FP1 and FP3, as well as during the early stages of qualifying, Nico Rosberg was on a streak of four consecutive poles. During the first attempt, the German once again managed to get the better of his teammate. On the second run, he even succeeded in improving his own time. Fortunately, because the world champion also improved, but not enough to beat the new benchmark set by the German.

Behind, we find Sebastian Vettel once again. The second row will be 100% Ferrari as Kimi Räikkönen will benefit from the three-place penalty given to Valtteri Bottas, who had set the fourth fastest time in the session. The penalty for the Finnish driver from Williams also benefits another driver, Nico Hülkenberg, who will start from a very promising fifth position. This could help his team to secure their fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Daniel Ricciardo will not be able to benefit from his 9th fastest time as he also incurs a ten-place penalty due to a new Renault engine change. It should be noted that Max Verstappen has once again managed to get his Toro Rosso into Q3.

FINAL PROVISIONAL QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION – #Quali #BrazilGP #GPBrasilF1 #F1Brasil pic.twitter.com/mnhvLbokCE

— Formula 1 (@F1) 14 Novembre 2015