Chinese GP: Williams drivers 13th & 14th in Qualifying
Pastor Maldonado
By Andrew Hooper
April 14 2012
Qualifying for the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix would see Williams F1 drivers Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna finishing in 13th and 14th, with just 0.006 difference in their times. Both drivers were in the top ten in the first period but could not find the necessary pace to make it into the final period. But the Williams team is confident that both will have good pace in the race.
Chinese GP
Qualifying
For the Williams
F1 team the opening twenty minute period of qualifying for the 2012 Chinese
Grand Prix would see both Williams drivers take to the track early and it
would be Pastor Maldonado who would move into second with a 1m:37.335, to be
behind Button who had set the quickest time with a 1m:37.165. But Hamilton
would move ahead to be fastest with a 1m:36.763. Bruno Senna had set a
1m:37.851. Pastor would become the subject of an investigation by the
stewards for impeding other drivers, in particular the Caterham of
Kovalainen. With twelve minutes of the period completed Webber was fastest
with Button second, Hamilton third, Kobayashi fourth, Vettel fifth and
Schumacher in sixth position.
Pastor would improve to move back up to second with a 1m:36.528. With the
end of the period it would turn out to be fourth while for Bruno he would
set a 1m:36.674 to be seventh. The period was a time of drivers trying to
save tyres and it would see Perez fastest with a 1m:36.198, running on the
soft tyre.
The second period of qualifying would see the soft tyre been the choice as
the drivers took to the circuit. Rosberg would go fastest with a 1m:35.725,
followed by team-mate Schumacher and Hamilton. As the period drew to a close
both Pastor and Bruno were in the cut off zone and in his final effort
Pastor would move up to eleventh but Bruno would take this spot away from
him with a 1m:36.289. But Pastor would take this spot moments later with a
1m:36.283, seeing Bruno slower by just 0.006. But with the end of the period
both Williams drivers qualifying would come to an end with Pastor finishing
in thirteenth and Bruno fourteenth. They were both around 0.3 from making it
into the top ten. Not what the team was hoping for.
The final period of qualifying would see Raikkonen et the early pace but it
would be Rosberg who would set a 1m:35.121, a time that would go on to be
fastest. Hamilton was second followed by Schumacher. Many drivers were only
using one lap to set their time and it would be Kobayashi would would grab
fourth right at the end with a 1m:35.784. Hamilton's second will see him
start the race with a five grid penalty due to a gearbox change. This will
see an all Mercedes front row for Sunday's race. Pastor would be reprimanded
for his part in blocking Kovalainen but no grid penalty resulted.
Despite not
having made it into the final period of qualifying the Williams F1 team is
confident that they have a good level of performance for the race.
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