Qualification: Pole position for Hamilton and McLaren in Valencia!

The McLaren-Mercedes team confirmed its comeback this season by securing a one-two finish during the qualifying session of the 2009 European Grand Prix in Valencia. Lewis Hamilton achieved his first pole position of the season, narrowly ahead of his teammate Heikki Kovalainen. The British team has a strong chance for victory tomorrow but will face competition. Jenson Button (Brawn GP) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Renault) are very close to the reigning world champion. Fernando Alonso is only 7th, while Romain Grosjean in his debut secured the 14th fastest time. Luca Badoer (Ferrari) is completely out of the picture.

We didn’t know what to expect from this qualifying session on the Spanish street circuit. The temperature is hot (31°C in the air and 43°C on the track), and only the weather seemed certain after Free Practice 3. Indeed, several drivers have stood out since the beginning of the weekend: Alonso (Renault), of course, motivated by his home crowd, but also Barrichello (Brawn GP) and Sutil (Force India); so many uncertainties quickly clarified after Q1 and the elimination of the five slowest drivers.

In the end, tonight it’s McLaren that stands out and will be the team to beat tomorrow during the race; a team equipped with KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which gives its drivers an advantage of a few tenths at the start. Lewis Hamilton thus proves his status as number 1 by securing his 14th pole in Formula 1. The Englishman achieved this in the final moments of the qualifying session, under pressure from his teammate, who was ultimately 34 thousandths of a second slower. It is worth noting the difference in chassis between the two drivers, with Hamilton having a more closely configured and therefore more maneuverable chassis than Kovalainen.

The star drivers will have the challenging task of containing the experienced Rubens Barrichello in the Brawn GP. The Brazilian set the fastest absolute time this year at the Valencia Street Circuit in Q2 with 1:38.076 and missed pole position by less than a tenth. He too will have to keep an eye on his mirrors: Sebastian Vettel (currently third in the championship) is also on the second row of this starting grid. Red Bull, taking a step back this weekend, chose not to put all their eggs in one basket. Mark Webber will start with a heavier fuel load (presumably) in only the 9th position, more than half a second behind his German teammate.

The championship leader does not particularly like street circuits. Jenson Button is ranked 5th and will have to fend off the attacks of Kimi Räikkönen in the Ferrari. The Finnish driver saves the honor of the Scuderia, which will regularly appear in the 20th and last place on the starting grid tomorrow due to Luca Badoer’s very poor performance. The Italian is Massa’s official replacement following his accident, but rumors are already suggesting a change for the upcoming races. Badoer is indeed nearly three seconds slower than his teammate.

Nico Rosberg is 7th at the wheel of a Williams Toyota that seems streamlined for city circuits. The German will aim for 5th place in tomorrow’s race. He is currently threatened by Fernando Alonso, on home ground. The Spaniard is ranked 8th, having just barely made it into the final part of qualifying. His car is not as competitive as it was in Hungary, three weeks ago. Thus, Romain Grosjean is in 14th place. The Frenchman, in his first F1 qualifying, achieved his goal: entering Q2 with a performance less than three-tenths off Alonso.

BMW also shows an improvement in its performance, less hindered by aerodynamic drag here, placing Kubica and Heidfeld in 10th and 11th place, respectively.

The Force India team is also comfortable. Adrian Sutil qualified in 12th position, his teammate in 16th. The German managed once again to reach Q2, but scoring points will be challenging for the Indian team tomorrow (the only team yet to score points in the F1 Championship).

On the other hand, Toyota and Toro Rosso disappoint. Glock is only 13th, Trulli exited Q1 with just the 18th fastest time. On the Red Bull side, Buemi is only 15th despite having a car identical to the Red Bull of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alguersuari, in his second Formula 1 Grand Prix, and at home no less, is only 19th.

Finally, and this is the only incident of the session, Nakajima is ranked only 17th after being forced to abandon in the first part of the qualifications, with the engine stalled. The Japanese driver could have easily reached Q2.

Results of the Qualifications – European Grand Prix – August 22, 2009: