Interlagos 2009

[BlackCountryBob]

Update for everyone with a life from someone who doesn't start work for a week or two so has the time to watch the practice session.

Vettel is using the engine that he used at Spa and Singapore this weekend and to answer my own question, Renault are not using KERS.

 

[Brogan]

Join us in Chat - there are a few of us in there now

 

[Brogan]

Well if that wasn't the oddest qualifying ever I don't know what was.

Brawn are 1st and 14th on the grid.
Red Bull are 2nd and 15th.

McLaren were the only team not to take part in Q3 - all 9 other teams did.

Grid and fuel adjusted data will be available here after the FIA release the weights: F1 Fuel Adjusted Grid & Qualifying Times 2009 - Brazil

It looks like it might go down to the last race if Rubens is able to score some decent points and Jenson doesn't score any tomorrow.

Oh and Rubens has out-qualified Jenson for the last 6 races and it's his first pole of the season...F1 Head To Head 2009 - Qualifying

 

[McZiderRed]

I would just like to say, fair play to the BBC for staying with F1, albeit switching from BBC1 to BBC2, but still... Could you see ITV staying with the action live?! I don't think so... "Sorry, we have to leave Interlagos for Coronation Street, but be sure to catch up the the qualifying grid on our website..."

Rain, eh? It's a slippery !! Bit of a job for Jenson to do tomorrow now then! Still, atleast Vettel was 15th!

 

[bogaTYR]

Well if that wasn't the oddest qualifying ever I don't know what was.

rubens said it best bro:

"After so many years, after 17 in F1, I never got out of the car for a pee twice in the middle of qualifying!"

 

[GeoffP]

Forecast looking clear, sunny even, for the race - so less overtaking opps, but the cars set for the rain at the front.

I think the most important thing today will be to be on the circuit at the end of the first lap and then to settle down behind the safety car for a bit...

 

[Brogan]

If it is dry then those with a wet set up are going to be sitting ducks (pun intended).

 

[Amdathlonuk]

Won't they all be set for wet?

Or are the cars outside the top 15 or so allowed to alter their setup? (I really must read the FAI guidelines then it would all be crystal clear... )

 

[Brogan]

Won't they all be set for wet?

Well the McLarens and Vettel certainly weren't.
Lewis himself confirmed as much after he went out.

Or are the cars outside the top 15 or so allowed to alter their setup? (I really must read the FAI guidelines then it would all be crystal clear... )

Nope.
Parc fermé rules state that no car can be worked on between qualifying and race, except to repair accident damage.

This is another stupid rule which does nothing for the racing and puts drivers safety at risk.
In situations like this, there should be some flexibility to switch from a dry to wet set up if the weather changes significantly between qualifying and race.

 

[BlackCountryBob]

You have to assume that those McLarens, especially Lewis, with a 2 stop strategy and a dry set-up in addition to KERS should see him leaving some of those wet set-up cars for dust on the main straight, bet Vettel is kinda regretting going with such a heavy fuel load from the start now.

Having skipped Q2 and Q3 yesterday I missed the action, is Jenson so low down because of a poor lap or did he also setup for dry (or at least something less than full wet)?

 

[Brogan]

Jenson had the same problem as Seb, Lewis and Heikki; a car which wasn't set up correctly for the prevailing conditions.

What it essentially means is if it is a dry race then those 4 should be able to move up the order, assuming they can outdrag the other cars on the start/finish straight.

 

[bogaTYR]

sao paulo weather is overcast and heating up, so it will rain. right now, local weather stations predict rain storms from about 3 local time so 1 hour into the race.

 

[Brogan]

That should spice things up a bit

P.S. For those who aren't aware, we usually meet up in Chat for the race. Click on the Chat button on the navbar.

 

[fedupwithuserids]

Missed Quali - saw Q3 but due to the delay missed Q2+1.

Is Rubens on full wet setup or did he have lucky lap?

 

[Brogan]

Hard to say really, here are all the times:

Pos  Driver       Team                       Q1        Q2        Q3

 1.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:24.100  1:21.659  1:19.576

 2.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:24.722  1:20.803  1:19.668

 3.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:24.447  1:20.753  1:19.912

 4.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:24.621  1:20.635  1:20.097

 5.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:23.047  1:21.378  1:20.168

 6.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:24.591  1:20.701  1:20.250

 7.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:22.828  1:20.368  1:20.326

 8.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:23.072  1:21.147  1:20.631

 9.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:23.161  1:20.427  1:20.674

10.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:24.842  1:21.657  1:21.422

11.  Kobayashi    Toyota                (B)  1:24.335  1:21.960  

12.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:24.773  1:22.231  

13.  Grosjean     Renault               (B)  1:24.394  1:22.477  

14.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:24.297  1:22.504  

15.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:24.645  

16.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:25.009

17.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:25.052

18.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:25.192

19.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:25.515

20.  Fisichella   Ferrari               (B)  1:40.703

He was only 2 tenths quicker than Button in Q1 so probably a similar set up?

 

[fedupwithuserids]

Thanks Bro.

He was only 2 tenths quicker than Button in Q1 so probably a similar set up?

Can they change setup during Quali, or is it 'parc ferme' between each session ?

With the delay, would they have had time to change from dry to wet setup.

 

[Brogan]

I'm not entirely sure but I think they can do what they like during Qualifying so I guess it would have been possible to adust the set up between sessions.

From what Williams were saying, the mechanical set up is the same for wet or dry, all they do is crank a lot more wing/downforce on for the wet.

Whether it's the same for other teams though I couldn't say.

 

[BlackCountryBob]

Thanks Bro.

He was only 2 tenths quicker than Button in Q1 so probably a similar set up?

Can they change setup during Quali, or is it 'parc ferme' between each session ?

With the delay, would they have had time to change from dry to wet setup.

Set-up cannot be changed, from the moment Q1 starts that is what they race on Sunday and use in each subsequent qually session (this is why so many drivers go great in Q1 but have huge problems in Q3 with fuel on board or if the track temp changes), under no circumstances can they alter the major parts of the set-up like ride height etc; dumb rule really.

 

[Brogan]

Set-up cannot be changed, from the moment Q1 starts that is what they race on Sunday and use in each subsequent qually session

Cheers for that Bob, I wasn't aware that was the case.

I should read the rules really...

 

[Galahad]

Conventional wisdom is (used to be?) to soften the suspension and hitch the ride height up for wet conditions, to give better traction and avoid aquaplaning; I suspect that Williams hedged their bets a bit by leaving the mechanical setup alone, rather than it actually being the same for all conditions.

Thanks for that clarification BCB - I didn't know that either.