Hamilton edges Rosberg to take pole
Mercedes duo sweep front row again as Ferrari’s Vettel finishes third in qualifying for Bahrain GP
SAKHIR: World champion Lewis Hamilton secured the 51st pole position of his career and his second of the season for Mercedes with the fastest lap ever at the Bahrain International Circuit yesterday.
The 31-year-old Briton, under pressure after failing to top the times in three practice sessions, found the pace he needed in another desultory exhibition of the new qualifying format ahead of today’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
“It’s obviously not been a smooth weekend in terms of pace for me — and Nico [Rosberg] has been right on it — but I was able to put a lap together, my best of the weekend, and it mattered for me at just the right time,” said the three-time champion.
Hamilton’s lap in one minute and 29.493 seconds was the fastest lap recorded at the Sakhir track and it rescued him after an error had marred his first fast lap in Q3.
Rosberg, who won the seasonopener in Australia and looked set for pole position himself, wound up second fastest behind Hamilton in the second Mercedes.
He will start ahead of the thirdplaced Ferrari of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.
Kimi Raikkonen was fourth in the second Ferrari ahead of Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, Valtteri Bottas and his Williams teammate Felipe Massa.
Nico Hulkenberg was eighth for Force India ahead of Romain Grosjean of the new American Haas team with Dutch teenager Max Verstappen 10th for Toro Rosso.
Meanwhile the much-criticised new qualifying format will be reviewed again today, and Jean Todt, chief of the sport’s governing body, says he’s optimistic about getting the unanimous agreement needed for changes.
Under the new system, first used in the season opener in Australia and again yesterday, the slowest driver is eliminated on a rolling basis. In an embarrassment for the sport, it produced an anticlimax in Melbourne as drivers accepted elimination rather than use up tires trying to better their times.
A meeting of the F1 Commission in the lead-up to Bahrain failed to get unanimous agreement on how to change it but the FIA has called another meeting for today.
“I am optimistic we will get unanimous support tomorrow,” FIA president Todt said.
Todt’s preferred option was to maintain the new rolling elimination format for the Q1 and Q2 segments, with a slight increase in the amount of track time before the eliminations kick in, and then revert to the old qualifying system for Q3 in which the top grid spots are determined at the end of the session.
Todt said an alternative solution is an extra set of tires in Q3 to make teams less preoccupied with keeping fresh rubber for the race.
RESCUE HERO
Nico Rosberg rescued a five-year-old boy who was in danger of drowning as he swam in the sea off Monaco, the German’s management team said yesterday.
The 30-year-old Mercedes driver, who won the season opener in Melbourne l ast month, rescued the youngster after he got into distress while swimming in Monaco, where the German lives.
Rosberg dived from a jetty, where he had been playing with his seven-month-old daughter, when he saw the boy struggling as he played with friends.
The incident happened on the weekend before the Australian Grand Prix on March 20.
Rosberg’s management confirmed the incident which was reported in daily newspaper Bild. AFP/AP
STARTING GRID
1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 2. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 3. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 5. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Red Bull — TAG Heuer 6. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams-Mercedes 7. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 8. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India — Mercedes 9. Romain Grosjean (France) Haas — Ferrari 10. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Toro Rosso — Ferrari 11. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso — Ferrari 12. Stoffel Vandoorne (Belgium) McLaren 13. Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico) Haas — Ferrari 14. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 15. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) Red Bull — TAG Heuer 16. Pascal Wehrlein (Germany) Manor — Mercedes 17. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber — Ferrari 18. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India — Mercedes 19. Jolyon Palmer (Britain) Renault 20. Rio Haryanto (Indonesia) Manor — Mercedes 21. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) Sauber — Ferrari 22. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) Renault