Japan – Qualifying: Hamilton, imperial, smashes the track record
Lewis Hamilton will start from pole position tomorrow with the Suzuka track record in hand. Valtteri Bottas secures a one-two for Mercedes but will be penalized tomorrow. Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari will therefore be poised on the front row, ahead of the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.
Worry reigns at the start of qualifying in the Ferrari stand. After his crash in FP3, Kimi Räikkönen’s car is not certain to be able to take to the track. The mechanics are busy around the Finnish driver’s car, which will incur a 5-place grid penalty for a gearbox change, regardless.
The drivers quickly take to the track and Lewis Hamilton immediately sets the fastest time with 1:29.325. Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas goes too wide at Degner and nearly loses control of his Mercedes into the barriers, where Räikkönen went off this morning. Nevertheless, the Mercedes driver sets the 4th fastest time.
Bottas off again! No damage this time…
Live text commentary & timings 👉 https://t.co/n7sXojqp4r#Quali #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 #F1 pic.twitter.com/4KI9PknV6R
— Formula 1 (@F1) 7 octobre 2017
The Red Bulls seem to be in form and Verstappen beats Hamilton’s time to take the lead with 1:29.181 before the Briton reclaims his spot with a 1:29.047.
Kimi Räikkönen finally takes to the track and places his Ferrari in a surprising second place. His teammate Sebastian Vettel is only 5th, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, and Felipe Massa, who complete the Top 10.
One minute before the end of the session, Romain Grosjean violently goes off the track in the S. The front of his car is destroyed, but the driver exits his vehicle on his own. Q1 will not be restarted for the final seconds, condemning the last five drivers.
🚩 RED FLAG 🚩 Q1
Big impact for GRO (he’s OK)#Quali #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 #F1 pic.twitter.com/uyF6sOzWoR
— Formula 1 (@F1) 7 octobre 2017
The ones eliminated in Q1 are: Grosjean, Gasly, Stroll, Ericsson, Wehrlein
Only Räikkönen and Bottas set off on Soft tires for their quick laps in Q2. With his 5-place penalty, the Finnish Ferrari driver is already adjusting his strategy for tomorrow’s race, just like his compatriot, who is also penalized.
Immutable, Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes shatter the track record with a 1:27.819. He leads Sebastian Vettel and the two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Ricciardo. The two Force Indias, Massa’s Williams, and Stoffel Vandoorne’s McLaren complete the Top 10.
In his last attempt, Fernando Alonso takes the 10th time against Vandoorne. The Spaniard will be penalized 35 places anyway and will therefore start at the very back.
The drivers eliminated in Q2 are: Vandoorne, Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Palmer, Sainz
And as expected, in Q3, Lewis Hamilton sets a new track record with a time of 1:27.345, relegating his teammate Bottas to more than 6 tenths behind. Vettel puts his Ferrari in second position while the Red Bulls rank 4th and 5th, Ricciardo ahead of Verstappen.
Kimi Räikkönen has not yet set a time after a new mistake in Degner, which hastens his entry to the pit without finishing his fast lap.
😮 Careful Kimi! We’ve been here before… #Quali #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 #F1 pic.twitter.com/BSQsDvT4iG
— Formula 1 (@F1) 7 octobre 2017
In his last fast lap, Hamilton sets a new record at 1:27.319. Bottas is second ahead of Vettel, Ricciardo, and Verstappen. Räikkönen is only 6th ahead of Ocon and Perez. Massa and Alonso close the Top 10, but penalties for everyone will need to be applied for tomorrow’s grid.
The complete ranking of the qualifications:
🏁 END OF QUALIFYING 🏁
HAM 📸👊
BOT
VET
RIC
VER
RAI
OCO
PER
MAS
ALO#Quali #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 #F1 pic.twitter.com/d6E4Ox6deE— Formula 1 (@F1) 7 octobre 2017
