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<strong>Qualifying:</strong> Hamilton bags pole, Vettel ninth

Qualifying: Hamilton bags pole, Vettel ninth

Published on 06 Oct 2018 09:05
6
By: Fergal Walsh

Lewis Hamilton has taken pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix in an intense qualifying session that saw mixed weather conditions. Sebastian Vettel was caught out by rain late on in the session and could only manage to finish in ninth place.

Mercedes secured another front row lockout as Valtteri Bottas got his Mercedes into second place. The Finn managed to get the better of Hamilton last weekend in Russia, but was three-tenths slower than the four-time world champion on this occasion.

Max Verstappen will line-up behind the Mercedes and will look to challenge the Silver Arrows on Sunday. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fourth, while Romain Grosjean put in an impressive display to round out the top five.

Daniel Ricciardo dropped out of qualifying after he was struck with an engine issue during Q2. The Australian reported a loss of power and limped backed to the pits where he remained for the rest of the session. The 29-year-old will start the race from P15.

The rain started to fall right at the end of Q2, however it was only a minor, light shower. Slick tyres were still the best option for teams but Ferrari opted to fit the intermediate compound for their first lap in Q3.

But both Vettel and Raikkonen returned to the pits immediately to have the super soft compound fitted when they confirmed it was too dry. In that time, the rest of the competitors set their laps, and Ferrari had to quickly lay down times in order to get themselves up the order.

The duo made a mistake at the same point on the track, rounding the spoon curve. A wet patch forced both drivers off the racing line, with the mistake costing Vettel more than it cost Raikkonen. They went on to complete their laps with Raikkonen climbing to fourth and Vettel into ninth.

The rain then started to fall at the worst time for the Scuderia outfit as it meant that neither could improve their times and attempt to challenge Mercedes. Vettel will have to fight his way to the front on Sunday if he wants to keep his championship hopes alive.

Toro Rosso entered qualifying with the tall task of getting into Q3 with Honda's new engine upgrade. While it proved a challenge, few would have predicted that Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly would qualify in sixth and seventh respectively for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Behind the Toro Rosso's was Esteban Ocon who will face a trip to the stewards following an incident during FP3. The Frenchman reportedly didn't slow down efficiently for double waved yellow flags after Nico Hulkenberg crashed into the barriers.

Sergio Perez completed the top ten and was once again out-qualified by teammate Ocon. Lights out for the Japanese Grand Prix is at 14:10 local time on Sunday, as Lewis Hamilton looks to inch ever closer to a fifth world championship.

Fergal Walsh

F1Grand Prix Japan - Qualifying

Circuit Suzuka - 06 October 2018

Driver

Team

Time

Difference

Laps
1

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:27.760

11
2

Valtteri Bottas

Mercedes

1:28.059

+0.299

12
3

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

1:29.057

+1.297

10
4

Kimi Räikkönen

Ferrari

1:29.521

+1.761

13
5

Romain Grosjean

Haas F1

1:29.761

+2.001

17
6

Brendon Hartley

Toro Rosso

1:30.023

+2.263

15
7

Pierre Gasly

Toro Rosso

1:30.093

+2.333

15
8

Esteban Ocon

Racing Point

1:30.126

+2.366

13
9

Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari

1:32.192

+4.432

13
10

Sergio Perez

Racing Point

1:37.229

+9.469

16

Q2
11

Charles Leclerc

Sauber

1:29.864

+2.104

12
12

Kevin Magnussen

Haas F1

1:30.226

+2.466

13
13

Carlos Sainz jr

Renault

1:30.490

+2.730

12
14

Lance Stroll

Williams

1:30.714

+2.954

10
15

Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull Racing

no time

4

Q1
16

Nico Hülkenberg

Renault

1:30.361

+2.601

7
17

Sergey Sirotkin

Williams

1:30.372

+2.612

8
18

Fernando Alonso

McLaren

1:30.573

+2.813

6
19

Stoffel Vandoorne

McLaren

1:31.041

+3.281

10
20

Marcus Ericsson

Sauber

1:31.213

+3.453

4

boudy

Posts: 1,168

Well done Toro Rosso and Honda.

Not bad for an gp2 engine.

1
Oct 6 2018 - 09:21

F1 News Lewis Hamilton Sebastian Vettel

Replies (6)

boudy

Posts: 1,168
Well done Toro Rosso and Honda.

Not bad for an gp2 engine.
- + 1
- Oct 6 2018 - 09:21
blade

Posts: 341
Well done to Lewis Hamilton - but what a shocker again from Ferrari - they have totally blown it again - so many times - heads will have to roll - they are not competent managers, all teams make mistakes but not as many as these guys - starting to vindicate Alonso's decision to split with them !!!!!
- + 0
- Oct 6 2018 - 09:42
calle.itw

Posts: 8,527
If STR manage to remain within the top 10, I could very well end up grinning until my face breaks in half.
- + 0
- Oct 6 2018 - 10:30
xoya

Posts: 583
Ferrari really is a bunch of idiots. They cost Massa the title, screwed up Alonso's best years and now are doing the same with Vettel. Only consolation Vettel has is that he already has 4 titles to his name but let's see how long that lasts him. Vettel blew it too this year, no getting around that but Ferrari have been serial chokers for years.
- + 0
- Oct 6 2018 - 13:53
- blade
  
  Posts: 341
  I think you are right - and it hurts me to say this, but I think they need to reset, wholesale change. Losing Alison to Mercedes, and our losses are indicative of greater problems at Ferrari - it says something about the internal struggles of the firm. This let us remember is a team that gets USD100m just for entering each year into F1 - even with loaded dice they are not delivering on their potential.
  + 0
  
  Oct 6 2018 - 20:11
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  They need to make their whole camp more efficient, for sure. But such a project would take time, and would probably lead to at least 1 or 2 years of not being very competitive, something Im sure Vettel wouldnt like.
  + 0
  
  Oct 6 2018 - 23:15