QUALIFYING
“Here we go again,” thought Autosport on Saturday morning, checking the timing screens for the moment FP3 would be called off. Torrential rain had already forced the first FIA Formula 3 race to be abandoned halfway through, and it seemed like another day of cancellations and delays was in store – much like it had at Austin in 2015.
How wrong that expectation was. Despite causing a 46-minute delay to the start of Q1, the rain abated just enough to let the cars take to the track for the traditional qualifying slot.
Q1 was an ever-changing wave to be surfed, with the fastest drivers building confidence on one set of extreme wet Pirellis and riding them to the end. Others had to pit to make sure of progress, while some – such as the Williams pair – hoped the fresh rubber would lead to aggressive leaps.
It worked handsomely for the impressive George Russell, who gave Williams its first Q2 appearance since Brazil 2018. He did seem to benefit from Antonio Giovinazzi causing a late red flag, but it matters not – this was another starring drive.
Charles Leclerc fell in Q2 – another embarrassment for Ferrari, which got worse when he was handed a three-place grid drop for blocking Daniil Kvyat. Sebastian Vettel struggled for tyre temperature in Q3 and finished 10th – which was followed by stern words from Mattia Binotto regarding the team’s current car woes.
But Q3, and the day, belonged to Lewis Hamilton. Following an unhappy FP2 session, after which Toto Wolff said Mercedes was “in the dark” on Hamilton’s car as the team struggled to pin down handling issues, he was majestic in the rain.
Hamilton said his lap was
“as close to perfect as I could really get in those conditions”, which just about sums it up – a last-gasp stunner that gave him pole by 1.216 seconds.
Max Verstappen was second after a stern challenge, with Carlos Sainz a magnificent third ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who was somewhat undone by glazing the front-right brake.
It was a session that nearly wasn’t, but it showed F1 at its best, and the officials deserved much credit for getting qualifying going.
“It is not only Lewis’s unbelievable, out-of-the-world lap, but if you look at the grid overall, I really enjoy watching the young ones,” said Wolff afterwards. “We need these sessions that are different – that change the pecking order – because it just gives the less quick cars and the better drivers an opportunity to shine.”
“HAMILTON SAID HIS LAP WAS ‘AS CLOSE TO PERFECT AS I COULD GET IN THOSE CONDITIONS’”