30/07/2011
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's all-important qualifying session, the air temperature is 22 degrees C, while the track temperature is 28 degrees. The track temperature just a couple of degrees cooler than this morning.
There's a strong headwind down the main front straight, so drivers will be keen to use DRS even more than usual. It's blown in some massive dark clouds which don't seem to be going away. There was flooding about fifty miles south of the circuit overnight, but in Budapest it was dry and warm.
Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheets this morning but the fastest time of the weekend, thus far, belongs to Lewis Hamilton whose time set yesterday afternoon has yet to be beaten. Surprisingly, the McLaren driver was only seventh quickest this morning, making a mistake on his one flying lap on the option rubber.
It's pretty tight at the top with Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Button and Alonso all within half-a-second of one another.
Much has been made of the fact that Red Bull opted to break the curfew rule last night, working until 5am as it stripped Vettel's car down to the bare essentials. We can confirm that a team source has informed us that there was nothing found to be wrong with the car, though a few "very detailed set-up changes" were carried out. They appear to have worked.
The warmer temperatures will suit Ferrari more than McLaren while Mercedes appears to be all at sea here.
Behind the front runners, Renault, Force India and Sauber seem pretty well matched with Williams edging out Toro Rosso.
Based on what we've seen in the previous sessions it is entirely possible that neither Virgin or Hispania will make it inside the requisite 107% today, especially if the front runners opt to use options.
Unlike some of the previous races, pole position here remains important so we can expect the big guns to be giving everything. We are not expecting rain either today or tomorrow, though the wind could cause a few problems.
The supersoft (option) tyres are around a second quicker than the soft (prime), with the harder tyre looking good in terms of degradation. It is widely expected that we are looking at a three-stopper tomorrow with two stints on the prime.
As Ricciardo heads down the pitlane to get the session underway, he is warned that the wind has picked up considerably since this morning and that, more importantly, it's coming from a different direction. Teammate Liuzzi joins him.
As the Hispania duo post the first times of the afternoon - Liuzzi crossing the line at 27.850 - Vettel and Webber head down the pitlane. Both are out surprisingly early. Then again, some of those clouds look threatening.
No surprises when Vettel goes quickest in all three sectors, crossing the line at 22.387. Glock goes second with a 27.186 only to be leapfrogged by Webber with his 23.237.
Moments later Button splits the Red Bulls only to be dumped down to third when teammate Hamilton goes quickest with a 21.636. That's a second quicker than he managed this morning on the option tyres.
Button improves to second with a 22.363 as Rosberg and Schumacher go fourth and fifth. Elsewhere, Alonso and Massa leave the pits. On his first flying lap the Brazilian goes fourth (22.576), while Alonso can only manage 25.694 to go eighteenth.
Next time around, Alonso goes quickest in S1, finally crossing the line at 22.111 to go third. He is almost instantly demoted when Button improves with a 22.038. Webber posts PBs in all three sectors to go fifth (22.208).
With 7:45 on the clock, all drivers are within 107%. No sign of any of the front runners switching to options at this time.
Alonso is still setting a blistering pace, the Spaniard going quickest in S1, a sector where the Ferraris have struggled previously. He's quickest again in S2, crossing the line at 21.578 to go quickest.
As in this morning's session, Liuzzi sheds a little piece of his car. Earlier it was a front wing end plate.
Trulli, now happy with his power steering, posts a 25.605 on the harder rubber. The Italian going nineteenth.
With 4:10 on the clock the front runners - Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull - remain in their garages, while most of their rivals - including the Mercedes duo - are back on track on options.
Even though he faces a five-place penalty for his clash with Heidfeld in Germany, Buemi is pushing hard, doing his best to get into Q2.
Sutil goes seventh with a 22.237, the German having had a great race last weekend.
Di Resta and Schumacher both pit, opting not to go for another hot lap.
Barrichello improves to fourteenth while Maldonado remains in the danger zone as Buemi improves to seventeenth. At the second split the Venezuelan in 0.3s up, crossing the line at 23.847 to go seventeenth and thereby drop Buemi into the drop zone.
Alonso is quickest, ahead of Hamilton, Vettel, Button, Massa, Webber, Sutil, Schumacher, di Resta and Rosberg.
We lose Buemi, Kovalainen, Trulli, Glock, Liuzzi, Ricciardo and d'Ambrosio.
The lights go green for Q2 but there is no rush to get back to work. Indeed, it is several minutes before di Resta breaks the deadlock, followed by Vettel. The German is already on the options. "Only use KERS to start your timed lap," the Red Bull driver is told.
As Vettel begins his flying lap, Hamilton heads down the pitlane on a set of primes.
Di Resta goes quickest with a 23.476 but moments later this is eclipsed by Vettel who posts a 21.095. Elsewhere, Rosberg goes quickest in S1 and Hamilton in S2.
Hamilton goes second, his gamble not having paid off, while Rosberg posts 21.243 to go third. Moments later Webber goes quickest with a 20.890, the Australian, like his teammate, on options.
As Alonso begins a run of three-timed laps on options, Button posts a 20.578 to go quickest. Thus far the options have only been good for one lap so Alonso's three lap run is a surprise. The Spaniard goes quickest (20.262), as Heidfeld goes seventh, ahead of Perez and Kobayashi.
Massa goes fifth as former teammate Schumacher wrestles with the Mercedes. The German posts 22.390 to go ninth, around 3s off the pace.
With 5:27 on the clock all but Maldonado have posted a time, the Williams driver, like his teammate, Perez, Alguersuari, Kobayashi, di Resta and Sutil all in the danger zone.
Perez and Barrichello have the track to themselves as the final shoot-out of Q2 gets underway. Still no sign of Maldonado.
Setting PBs in all three sectors, Perez posts 22.157 to go eighth. Is it enough to save him?
"I don't have full KERS," complains Barrichello. "It is latched," the Brazilian is told. Barrichello complaining that someone has been playing about with his car.
Either he has a problem or he's simply decided not to run, but Maldonado is a no show.
A late charge sees Sutil go eighth as di Resta scrapes into tenth moments later only to be demoted by Perez. Heidfeld fails to improve but Petrov and Schumacher are still on track.
The German goes eighth (21.852) while Petrov can only manage twelfth and Kobayashi thirteenth.
Quickest was Alonso, ahead of Button, Webber, Vettel, Massa, Hamilton, Rosberg, Schumacher, Sutil and Perez.
We lose di Resta, Petrov, Kobayashi, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Alguersuari and Maldonado.
As we go into the important final phase it's anyone's guess as to who's going to take pole. Vettel's early move to options paid off but Hamilton's lap on the primes was pretty special. It's a tough one to call.
The lights go green and Alonso is first out, followed by Hamilton and Button. Vettel isn't far behind, nor are Massa, Sutil and Webber. Schumacher, Rosberg and Perez watch and wait. Curiously, Sutil returns to the pits.
Alonso posts 20.365 however, moments later Hamilton crosses the line at 19.978, despite a mistake in the final complex.
Button goes third (20.463) but is demoted when Vettel goes second with a 20.045.
Webber can only manage sixth (20.768), just behind Massa (20.555).
With 2:00 on the clock the final assault gets underway, all but Massa head down the pitlane though the Brazilian eventually joins them.
Alonso leads the way but it is Vettel and Hamilton who are posting the fastest sector times.
Alonso fails to improve, while Vettel goes quickest with a 19.815. Hamilton also fails to improve while Button leapfrogs Alonso with a 20.024 as does Massa (20.350). Webber can only manage sixth (20.474).
So, Vettel is back in business, taking his eighth pole of the season, ahead of Hamilton, Button, Massa, Alonso, Webber, Rosberg, Sutil, Schumacher and Perez, the Mexican not posting a time.
A brave effort from Hamilton but despite the doom an gloom Vettel always seemed to have something up his sleeve.
McLaren will be delighted to have both cars in the top three while Massa has upset the form book by out-qualifying his Ferrari teammate for the first time this year.
Webber is unsurprisingly downcast having only managed sixth, the Australian, like Alonso, not quite sure what went wrong.
The Mercedes duo did better than expected, though the German team is clearly struggling here, while Sutil has every reason to be delighted with his performance as does Perez.
An interesting session which sets us up nicely for tomorrow.
To check out our Hungary qualifying gallery, click here.