That was an interesting qualifying session for the Chinese GP. It had to be if it kept me awake at 2:00am in the morning! Some interesting patterns developed during the three parts and most of them concerned unusual performances outside the top four.
David Coulthard
The sudden increase in performance of Adrian Newey's design was the first thing that struck me. For a change, it was David Coulthard leading the way and he maintained form throughout qualifying, finishing in fifth grid spot, best of the rest. That is cause enough to sit up and take notice but the Toro Rosso of Vettel was also up there in the top ten to begin with.
That's it, lad, I thought, make a nonsense of all that I've been saying about you for the last few races. But I need not have worried; Q2 proved as much as the STRs could manage at the crucial time and, once again, Vitantonio Liuzzi was ahead of the young German come the end. The fact that Vettel was later given a five-place grid penalty for impeding another car was a cruel irony in view of his rescinded ten-place penalty from Japan.
But the important fact was the amazing speed of Newey's chassis. For some reason it seems to like the Shanghai circuit and both Coulthard (5th) and Webber (7th) are in potentially points-scoring positions as a result. Liuzzi's eleventh is a good place to be as well, a fine performance from a team that lately has had to deal with Spykers and Super Aguris rather than Renaults and Williams.
It is BMW that might just give us an answer to this question of RBR's and STR's sudden leap forward. The German team has already announced that development of this year's car has ceased and this could explain the drop in their performance this time around. With Heidfeld and Kubica unable to do better than eighth and ninth, and Renault too having stopped work on the R27, Red Bull have been given the opportunity to catch up and pass.
Or maybe Adrian Newey cars just like the circuit.
Jenson Button's tenth spot was completely inexplicable. The Honda was expected to be pretty useless in Shanghai, given its aerodynamic problems, and Barrichello was obviously listening since he managed only seventeenth. So what on earth got into Button that he should do so well? I can only shrug my shoulders and guess that Jenson found something that he forgot to tell Rubens about.
And it's time to talk of that man Hamilton again. Whenever I write of my opinion of him, he promptly does something to prove me wrong, but I'll stick my neck out again and say that I am impressed once more. Not with his public statements, which have been nearly as ill-advised as Alonso's of late, but with the rookie's driving. The lap that netted him pole position was just brilliant, a driver in top form extracting the last thousandths of a second from a car that was not the best on the day. We are just going to have to face it: the lad is one of the best.
Kimi too was excellent but on this occasion Lewis was better. And Massa and Alonso demonstrated how fast the Ferraris and McLarens should really have been without the talent and skill of the pair ahead. Alonso may cast doubt on the fueling of the McLarens but the race will tell; I am prepared to bet that the two will refuel within a lap of each other.
Shanghai is not the most loved of circuits; it has an artificiality that detracts from any chance of becoming a classic. But, in the early hours of my Saturday morning, it provided one of the best qualifying sessions for a long time. There were new faces amongst the top ten and some truly exceptional performances from the likes of Hamilton, Coulthard and Button, a late bid for a seat next year from Ralf (he grabbed sixth and left Trulli back in thirteenth) and, barring poor Vettel's penalty, no interference from the powers that be.
Good show, China. Now let's have some rain tomorrow...
David Coulthard
The sudden increase in performance of Adrian Newey's design was the first thing that struck me. For a change, it was David Coulthard leading the way and he maintained form throughout qualifying, finishing in fifth grid spot, best of the rest. That is cause enough to sit up and take notice but the Toro Rosso of Vettel was also up there in the top ten to begin with.
That's it, lad, I thought, make a nonsense of all that I've been saying about you for the last few races. But I need not have worried; Q2 proved as much as the STRs could manage at the crucial time and, once again, Vitantonio Liuzzi was ahead of the young German come the end. The fact that Vettel was later given a five-place grid penalty for impeding another car was a cruel irony in view of his rescinded ten-place penalty from Japan.
But the important fact was the amazing speed of Newey's chassis. For some reason it seems to like the Shanghai circuit and both Coulthard (5th) and Webber (7th) are in potentially points-scoring positions as a result. Liuzzi's eleventh is a good place to be as well, a fine performance from a team that lately has had to deal with Spykers and Super Aguris rather than Renaults and Williams.
It is BMW that might just give us an answer to this question of RBR's and STR's sudden leap forward. The German team has already announced that development of this year's car has ceased and this could explain the drop in their performance this time around. With Heidfeld and Kubica unable to do better than eighth and ninth, and Renault too having stopped work on the R27, Red Bull have been given the opportunity to catch up and pass.
Or maybe Adrian Newey cars just like the circuit.
Jenson Button's tenth spot was completely inexplicable. The Honda was expected to be pretty useless in Shanghai, given its aerodynamic problems, and Barrichello was obviously listening since he managed only seventeenth. So what on earth got into Button that he should do so well? I can only shrug my shoulders and guess that Jenson found something that he forgot to tell Rubens about.
And it's time to talk of that man Hamilton again. Whenever I write of my opinion of him, he promptly does something to prove me wrong, but I'll stick my neck out again and say that I am impressed once more. Not with his public statements, which have been nearly as ill-advised as Alonso's of late, but with the rookie's driving. The lap that netted him pole position was just brilliant, a driver in top form extracting the last thousandths of a second from a car that was not the best on the day. We are just going to have to face it: the lad is one of the best.
Kimi too was excellent but on this occasion Lewis was better. And Massa and Alonso demonstrated how fast the Ferraris and McLarens should really have been without the talent and skill of the pair ahead. Alonso may cast doubt on the fueling of the McLarens but the race will tell; I am prepared to bet that the two will refuel within a lap of each other.
Shanghai is not the most loved of circuits; it has an artificiality that detracts from any chance of becoming a classic. But, in the early hours of my Saturday morning, it provided one of the best qualifying sessions for a long time. There were new faces amongst the top ten and some truly exceptional performances from the likes of Hamilton, Coulthard and Button, a late bid for a seat next year from Ralf (he grabbed sixth and left Trulli back in thirteenth) and, barring poor Vettel's penalty, no interference from the powers that be.
Good show, China. Now let's have some rain tomorrow...