re: The Official F1 Thread
What a great result for Mark Webber, to qualify second is a really great achievement. However, one wonders how much fuel he has on board. Also, I am a little skeptical on how the Red Bull will shape up against the chasing Ferrari, McLaren and BMW, but hopefully he can place on the podium.
The grid looks like
1. Kovalainen (McLaren)
2. Webber (Red Bull)
3. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4. Hamilton (McLaren)
5. Heidfeld (BMW)
6. Alonso (Renault)
7. Piquet (Renault)
8. Vettel (Toro Rosso)
9. Massa (Ferrari)
10. Kubica (BMW)
11. Coulthard (Red Bull)
12. Glock (Toyota)
13. Bourdais (Toro Rosso)
14. Trulli (Toyota)
15. Nakajima (Williams)
16. Barrichello (Honda)
17. Button (Honda)
18. Rosberg (Williams)
19. Sutil (Force India)
20. Fisichella (Force India)
Good to see Kovalainen put his potential to work, out qualifying Lewis on his home track. Now lets just hope he doesn't have a mishap like what has happened in previous races. Webber and Kovalainen are two of the most unlucky drivers on the grid, what are the odds they tangle on the first corner?
The Ferraris did look a little slow in qualifying, and given this is a Kimi track, I thought he would have qualified on the front row. However, I am sure he can comeback. Massa was slow, only qualifying in P9, probably due to the crash he had, he was being a little cautious.
The BMW of Heidfeld actually made it to fifth, which I am more than happy about, hopefully he has turned a corner and can get the best out of his 1.08. Kubica didn't set a time, some technical troubles, so a podium for him looks like a bit of a task this Grand Prix. Alonso and Piquet did well, and I think Piquet looks safe for a seat at Renault next season. I am sure the recent great form of Sebastian Vettel would see him move next season to either Piquet's Renault seat or Coulthard's Red Bull seat. Toro Rosso look like they have done something right, with Vettel now qualifying in the top half of the field and Bourdais not down in the 16-20 bracket.
Finally, Rosberg, anyone who saw qualifying would notice the effort he put into keeping his Williams on the track. He is better than P 18, but one wonders, what the heck has happened to Williams?