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Welcome to live coverage of qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix, and as you'll know if you were following FP3, what a qualifying session we should have in store |
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Why should we be so excited? Well, first of all we had a close session this morning with six teams within half a second of each other - including McLaren and Force India - and secondly, rain is in the air |
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Martin Whitmarsh has just been speaking to Sky television and doesn't think McLaren has made huge strides, expecting it to struggle to get in to Q3 if it remains dry. However, if it rains then he believes it is "competitive" on the intermediate tyre |
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It appears that a bank of rain is 13 kilometres away and heading for the circuit, so Whitmarsh is just hoping it arrives at the right time to help McLaren's chances |
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As for the other teams, it looks like being a battle between Red Bull, Lotus and Mercedes for pole position, with Eric Boullier predicting his team can fight for the front two rows |
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If you'd like to get in touch with us during this session then we would love to hear from you. The best way for you to get your questions and comments in is via the link above, but you can also tweet us @ESPNF1 |
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Srikanth emails in to ask: "Any word on the rain forecast. Are we going to have a wet/dry session? If yes how long do you think its going to rain?" I think we'll get rain at some point but will start dry, so Marussia and Caterham will go out in Q1. I couldn't possible guess how much rain we'll get for how long though! |
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It is hot at Sepang, with the air temperature up at 32C and track temperature 40C. Laurence says: "Feels warmer today though as humidity is high ... 60% to be precise" And while he deals with those temperatures, I'm looking out on snow at ESPN HQ... |
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Five minutes until the green light for the start of Q1. Get comfortable |
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Time for the latest weather update (not that I'm believing any of them at all)...
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Robert's just emailed in to ask for my tip for pole. I'm going to go for a bit of an unorthodox choice and pick Hamilton. The Mercedes looked quick in FP3 and didn't do it's medium-tyre lap as late as the Red Bull. Vettel goes in to the session as favourite but I'm tipping Hamilton. |
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Still nobody heading out. Oh hang on... |
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And Chilton heads out for Marussia to a call of "OK Max let's go out and get a few" |
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Bianchi follows his team-mate out on track. Bianchi is another one to watch in this session as he has looked very impressive in his short time with Marussia so far |
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It's hot and sunny right now, so as I expected it looks like Q1 will remain dry. 16 minutes to go and half the cars on track with Chilton starting the first timed lap now |
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Chilton is on the medium tyre |
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Chilton does a 1:40.683 but Bianchi comes through with a 1:40.053 |
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Bottas locks up in to the final corner, which really won't help matters, but he's gone quickest with a 1:38.376 |
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With it being dry, Toro Rosso and Williams look set to fight it out to avoid dropping out in Q1 |
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Rosberg goes comfortably quickest with a 1:37.239 |
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Massa goes second - half a second slower than Rosberg |
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Alonso goes second with a 1:37.314, while Hamilton crosses the line third quickest |
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Button goes fourth with a 1:37.560 |
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Still no movement from the Red Bull or Lotus garages as we approach the half way mark |
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Rosberg complaining of too much understeer. Hamilton asks where he can improve and is told sector three and turn nine |
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Rosberg doesn't improve despite setting the middle sector as he runs a bit wide out of the final corner |
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Sutil goes quickest with a 1:36.809 but he's on the medium tyres |
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Hamilton improves but stays fourth, and then Button goes ahead of him with a 1:37.487 |
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Grosjean heads out on the medium tyre, as does Webber. Interesting... |
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Vettel is on the medium tyre as he heads out as well. Looks like the focus is on preserving hard tyres |
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Grosjean goes fourth quickest but still half a second slower than Sutil. Sutil was 0.9s quicker than di Resta... |
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Raikkonen goes second but is still 0.15s slower than Sutil. Kimi was on the medium tyre too |
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Perez is shown getting in Hulkenberg's way in to turn nine, though he was trying to get out of the way |
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Just waiting for the times from Red Bull, and Vettel can't match Sutil either right now... Webber has backed off and will go again |
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Vettel only goes 11th - a second off the pace of Sutil |
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Webber yet to set a time. Trouble at Red Bull as he can only go 15th! |
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Webber has done two laps on this tyre and needs to improve on this lap - he won't get another chance! He's told to keep pushing, as is Vettel |
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Ricciardo goes 11th and now the drop zone is Bottas, Vergne, Bianchi, Chilton, Pic and can der Garde |
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Bottas doesn't improve enough, nor does Vergne so Webber should be safe |
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Webber goes ninth and is through. Vettel now down to 14th but I can't see enough drivers getting ahead of him |
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Hulkenberg and Gutierrez just outside the drop zone with Vegne on a lap and Bottas out |
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Bianchi with a great lap to go 19th, just 0.2s off Bottas! |
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Gutierrez goes 11th |
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That's it, nobody else improving and Vettel is safe in 15th. Out go: Vergne, Bottas, Bianchi, Pic, Chilton and van der Garde |
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Bianchi was only half a second from getting through to Q2 on outright pace. That is a fantastic effort from both Bianchi and Marussia - he beat his team-mate by a huge 1.2s |
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I'm going to pat myself on the back here. I said Bianchi is the man to watch this weekend and he's proved it. In fact, Sutil was quickest on medium tyres and Bianchi was 1.6s off that time, and 0.6s slower than Vettel on the mediums! |
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I'm praising Bianchi - and rightly so - but I'm not sure what was going on with Red Bull in Q1. Both drivers seemed to be struggling on the mediums |
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Grosjean heads out on used medium tyres |
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I could pick Ricciardo, Maldonado, Gutierrez and Hulkenberg to drop out in Q2, but the whole rest of the order is anyone's guess |
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If this isn't exciting enough, there's a huge storm nearby according to the teams' radar |
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Di Resta pits so no time set yet |
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Gutierrez does a 1:39.221 |
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Sutil then goes fastest with a 1:36.834 - just off his best from Q1 |
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Everyone is on medium tyres unless I say otherwise |
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Rosberg goes quickest with a 1:36.190 and Hamilton second with a 1:36.517. Maybe I tipped the wrong Mercedes... |
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Webber goes second with a 1:36.449 while Button goes fifth behind Sutil |
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Vettel goes sixth and then Raikkonen fourth. |
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Hamilton radios in to say it's raining... |
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Alonso goes sixth. Massa on a lap too. Vettel down to eighth |
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Massa goes sixth with a 1:36.874 |
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Di Resta starts his lap on mediums but I can see spots of rain on his camera |
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Drop zone now is Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Gutierrez, di Resta and Maldonado |
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RAIN! Di Resta was on a great lap but when he got to turn seven he slid off the track as the rain did its work. Poor di Resta - he's going to be caught out here |
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Grosjean has also been caught out and he's out there on the medium tyres right now |
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Di Resta tries again. Sector one is fine but he has had to back off. Properly raining and di Resta spins at turn seven. He continues though |
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We've still got four minutes to go but I can tell you right now: OUT are Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Gutierrez, di Resta and Maldonado |
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Lotus chief race engineer Ciaron Pilbeam is shown cursing as Grosjean's run is ended |
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Maldonado never went out on track as he obviously felt he'd do no better than 16th |
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We've still got a minute left of Q2. Will the rain stop to allow dry laps in Q3? Still raining for now |
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Good job from McLaren to get both cars in to Q3, while there's only one Lotus and one Force India in the final part of qualifying. Also going for pole are both Red Bulls, Ferraris and Mercedes |
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In fact, it's played out exactly as I said earlier - six teams closely matched and we have those six teams in the top ten for Q3 |
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Right now it is raining and sunny at the same time. Seriously. |
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Could well be about getting the best time in early, and as a result we have a queue at the end of the pit lane |
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McLaren wanted intermediate conditions and it has it |
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I really can't call pole at this point. No idea. Nothing. Not a clue. |
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Seven cars waiting at the end of the pit lane, and Sutil is at the head of the queue |
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Last man out on track is Massa. All ten out there now |
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Hamilton runs wide at turn seven where it is very wet |
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Racing in to the final corner and Raikkonen passes Webber for track position in the final corner! All about a clear run, Sutil first to start a timed lap |
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Quickest in sector one is... Rosberg. Webber slow as is Sutil |
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The times will tumble quickly as they cross the line. Hamilton fastest in sector two so far |
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Rosberg fastest from Hamilton and Perez |
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Alonso goes second |
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Vettel goes fastest by 1.3s |
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It's stopped raining, so we could well see these times beaten |
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Last across the line will take pole here if they put a clean lap together. Webber improving now |
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Drivers will just keep circulating although Vettel sounds like he will pit |
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Webber goes second - half a second slower than Vettel |
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Button goes seventh, two seconds off the pace |
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Sutil, Raikkonen, Vettel and Alonso put for a new set of intermediate tyres |
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Times are dropping. Three minutes left and anyone's pole |
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Webber with the fastest first sector |
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Hamilton matches it and is quicker in the middle sector too |
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Raikkonen told "You have to get it on one timed lap" |
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Webber goes fastest |
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Hamilton goes top with a 1:51.699 |
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Rosberg backs off and will try to start his lap as late as possible |
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Raikkonen starts his only lap |
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Sector one much more dry. Really tough to judge a lap here |
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Vettel 0.2s down on Raikkonen |
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Raikkonen down in the middle sector though |
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Last across the line was... Hamilton |
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Vettel is flying |
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Raikkonen only fourth, Sutil sixth |
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Vettel and Alonso next to come |
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Alonso goes fastest, then Vettel! |
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All eyes on Hamilton and Perez |
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Massa goes second! |
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Hamilton and Perez are too slow |
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SEBASTIAN VETTEL TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX |
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Vettel sounds delighted about it, and make no mistake that was all about being on the right tyres at the right time and Vettel made the right call to pit for new intermediates. Red Bull was nowhere on dry pace |
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Great job from Massa, and Alonso won't be too disappointed with third. It was Alonso who took advantage of wet qualifying conditions brilliantly in 2012 and Vettel has just done exactly the same. Credit where credit's due. |
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Vettel took pole by almost a second in the end as the top ten was covered by 4.5s in those conditions. 1.6s covered 1st to 19th in the dry Q1... |
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Webber is told over the radio that he finished fifth and his response is just a disgruntled "Unbelievable". |
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That's Sebastian Vettel's 38th pole position. He gets performance out of that car over one lap whether it's the fastest car or not. |
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Tony emails in to say: "Yahoo well done seb but don't give me a heart attack in other q1 and 2" |
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Well, after all that excitement it's time I signed off. Thank you so much for all the questions and comments - sorry I couldn't publish the influx we had in those final few minutes. It's a long run down to turn one and as we saw in Australia we shouldn't expect the Red Bull to run off in to the distance either. In fact, any one of the top seven probably have designs on victory tomorrow, so make sure you join us then for what should be a cracker! |
Q1 is under way, and nobody heads straight out
Pic goes 19th
