Australian Grand Prix - Melbourne - 27 March 2011

[Guest]

So, here we are. 2011 season finally gets going. After a false start with Bahrain and extra testing in Barcelona, the teams packed up and headed down under.

Despite the reports in testing, McLaren seem to have found some pace in the early practice sessions. All the teams are in the same place with tyres, and the rear wing flaps will take a bit of getting used to I think.
Will HRT make it even half way through the season? I somehow doubt it. The car is a development on last year apparently, yet the only running was one installation lap for Liuzzi - not the ideal preparation for a season.

So, qualifying starts in 8 hours time. Go Go Go. Just going to set my alarm.

[MadBoB]

So, here we are. 2011 season finally gets going. After a false start with Bahrain and extra testing in Barcelona, the teams packed up and headed down under.

Despite the reports in testing, McLaren seem to have found some pace in the early practice sessions. All the teams are in the same place with tyres, and the rear wing flaps will take a bit of getting used to I think.
Will HRT make it even half way through the season? I somehow doubt it. The car is a development on last year apparently, yet the only running was one installation lap for Liuzzi - not the ideal preparation for a season.

So, qualifying starts in 8 hours time. Go Go Go. Just going to set my alarm.

[MadBoB]

Qualifying times:

1 Sebastian Vettel           Red Bull 1m23.529s
2 Lewis Hamilton              McLaren 1m24.307s
3 Mark Webber                Red Bull 1m24.395s
4 Jenson Button              McLaren 1m24.779s
5 Fernando Alonso           Ferrari 1m24.974s
6 Vitaly Petrov                Renault 1m25.247s
7 Nico Rosberg                Mercedes 1m25.421s
8 Felipe Massa                Ferrari 1m25.599s
9 Kamui Kobayashi           Sauber 1m25.626s
10 Sebastien Buemi         Toro Rosso 1m27.066s
11 Michael Schumacher     Mercedes 1m25.971s
12 Jaime Alguersuari        Toro Rosso 1m26.103s
13 Sergio Perez               Sauber 1m26.108s
14 Paul di Resta               Force India 1m26.739s
15 Pastor Maldonado        Williams 1m26.768s
16 Adrian Sutil Force        India 1m31.407s
17 Rubens Barrichello       Williams no Q2 time
18 Nick Heidfeld              Renault 1m27.239s
19 Heikki Kovalainen        Team Lotus 1m29.254s
20 Jarno Trulli                Team Lotus 1m29.342s
21 Timo Glock                Virgin 1m29.858s
22 Jerome D'Ambrosio      Virgin 1m30.822s
23 Vitantonio Liuzzi         Hispania 1m32.978s (outside 107%)
24 Narain Karthikeyan      Hispania 1m34.293s (outside 107%)

[MadBoB]

I managed to set my alarm wrong so switched on just in time to see the celebrations as qualifying finished. doh.he Renaul

Quick look through the positions brings a few thoughts to mind:

Mercedes - come on Michael, all that show boating in Barcelona doesn't cut it when the pressure is on.
Renault - Quietly, quietly Petrov shows the Renault really does have some pace - as it did in testing with Kubica. Could be an interesting one to watch.
Toro Rosso - can't complain with that performance. Could they have jumped up into the mid field this year?
Sauber - Koboyashi does it again. Hats off to the guy. wondeer if he can keep it up and score some good results in the Sauber.
Williams - disappointing. Barri stuck it in the gravel I believe. Keep on eye on them as in testing the Williams has been quick at times.
Ferrari - everyone expected them to be on the front with RedBull. Perhaps this is one of those cars that doesn't qualify as well as it runs in the race...lets see. Massa seemed off though.
McLaren - were they playing it cool in testing? or did the trick of removing the fashionable trick exhaust system really transform the car back into a decent runner? worrying to hear Hamilton had a kers problem, not a good omen for reliability
RedBull - typical. Super Vettel and then Christian Horner starts slagging off Webber. And all they've done is qualify. Tears and tantrums to come.

I'll get the alarm right tomorrow - don't forget the clocks change> 

[MadBoB]

Oops, forgot to mention Lotus, Virgin and HRT.

Lotus - I thought this car had the RedBull gearbox and Renault engine this year?

Virgin - designing cars by computer only works really well for computer games - not so good for the real world I guess

HRT - anyone remember the years with Simtek and the other minnow teams that would turn up, fail to qualify and then go under eventually? Anyone ever watched groundhog day? Doesn't feel like the right way to go F1 racing. Maybe they have the budget for Belleview F1 stocks rather than the FIA one. Who knows. DOn't bet on them.

[MadBoB]

If you don't already know the result, here it is:

1 Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull    1h29m30.259s
2 Lewis Hamilton    McLaren    +22.297s
3 Vitaly Petrov    Renault    +30.560s
4 Fernando Alonso    Ferrari    +31.772s
5 Mark Webber       Red Bull    +38.171s
6 Jenson Button    McLaren    +54.304s
7 Felipe Massa       Ferrari    +1m25.186s
8 Sebastien Buemi    Toro Rosso    +1 lap
9 Adrian Sutil       Force India    +1 lap
10 Paul di Resta    Force India    +1 lap
11 Jaime Alguersuari    Toro Rosso    +1 lap
12 Nick Heidfeld    Renault    +1 lap
13 Jarno Trulli    Team Lotus    +2 laps
14 Jerome D'Ambrosio    Virgin       +4 laps
15 Timo Glock       Virgin       +9 laps
16 Rubens Barrichello    Williams    DNF
17 Nico Rosberg    Mercedes    DNF
18 Heikki Kovalainen    Team Lotus    DNF
19 Michael Schumacher    Mercedes    DNF
20 Pastor Maldonado    Williams    DNF
21 Sergio Perez    Sauber       Disqualified
22 Kamui Kobayashi    Sauber       Disqualified

RedBull - Vettel drove away from the start and never really got challenged. Webber on the other hand, didnt.
McLaren - Broken under tray for Hamilton looked like a disaster waiting to happen. luckily it didn't. Button on the

other hand found it all a bit frustrating getting stuck behind Massa early on. So much so his overtaking move up the

run off area was deemed an unfair advantage and earned him a drive through.
Ferrari - Massa seemed just off the pace and Alonso didn't really fair much better. Tyre woes apparently.
Renault - Petrov is a star. Heidfeld got clobbered on lap 1 and that was a big problem apparently...not as big a

problem as being outclassed by the junior team member though.
Toro Rosso - Can't argue with Buemi in the points can you.
Force India - 9th and 10th. Could (and should) have been so much better.
Team Lotus - spend a shed load of money on technology and stuff from the leading teams, bolt it to a shed. Its a

shed with expensive bits bolted on. Good effort from the team, but I'd really like to see the Lotus 2 seconds

quicker.
Virgin - Well if you want to finish first, then first you have to finish. Then again, you need to finish first not

be the last two cars still running. Reliable though it would appear....err 4 and 9 laps off the pace though is

pretty shocking.
Williams - So much promise in testing. Not a happy start to the season. Barri took to the grass and gravel traps

before it all got too much (clouting Rosberg wasn't his finest hour either)
Mercedes - In the wars, so hard to say how well the car might go if it was in one piece for a whole race.
Sauber - sterling drives. illegal wings or something so no result.
HRT - isn't that the stuff my mum had?

[halfpint]

was great to finally see some F1 has been one long winter this year. Good on Vettel.