Saturday Qualifying – Kimi Starts 7th, Massa 6th, Hamilton 18th! – Updated Results
Full qualifying report can be read here (does not include revised starting grid)
1 Jenson Button (Brawn Mercedes)
2 Rubens Barrichello (Brawn Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Renault)
4 Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
5 Nico Rosberg (Williams Toyota)
6 Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
7 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
8 Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault)
9 Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
10 Fernando Alonso (Renault)
11 Kazuki Nakajima (Williams Toyota)
12 Heikki Kovalainen (Mclaren Mercedes)
13 Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso Ferrari)
14 Nelson Piquet (Renault)
15 Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India Mercedes)
16 Adrian Sutil (Force India Mercedes)
17 Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso Ferrari)
18 Lewis Hamilton (Mclaren Mercedes)
19 Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
20 Timo Glock (Toyota)
Breaking News:
Toyota cars excluded from grid – flexible wing infringement
Post-qualifying car weights – Kimi 1.5kg heavier than Massa
Williams protest against Ferrari and Red Bull – questioning aerodynamic legality
Williams withdraw protest – after hours of debate with Stewards
Download: Practice | Qualifying Photos & Videos
http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/FreePractice/FP3KimiHydraulics.avi
http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Qualifying/Q1OnboardKimi.avi
http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Qualifying/Q2RaikkonenKERS.avi http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Qualifying/Q3ButtonPole.avi http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Qualifying/KimiInterviewItalian28.03.09.wmv
Credits to Echti, MT89, whw0118, TaniaS For some videos, you may need to install this codec. Apologies if there are problems downloading.
That has been a very surprising opening qualifying result for the season! (not) Brawn GP’s pace, as expected, is real. What a good feeling it was to see Jenson Button posing for the cameras after a long time – Rubens Barrichello too, making it a sweet 1-2 for Brawn GP’s ‘first’ Grand Prix with a lovely main sponsor in Richard Branson to add to the satisfaction. Vettel and Kubica are the main surprises of the session for me, I had not expected Red Bull to be so competitive straight away, and with Kubica complaining of lack of grip in his BMW, he’s done a good job. I do feel bad for Fernando Alonso, he looked good for the top 10 but missed out. He says it will have to be another troubled race like last year’s, to get some good points. Well I hope he’s right – I’m desperate to Kimi on the podium at least, if he can’t win!
It is the Red cars we are concerned about here! More precisely Mr Raikkonen’s! Well, in the final practice session unfortunately Kimi couldn’t get more than 5 laps done because of an hydraulics problem. Reliability is key to finishing the line first, and as I feared the Ferrari still has it’s little reliability gremlins. But it’s not as bad as what Kimi suffered last year at Melbourne, when he had to start 16th. The tide turns on McLaren and it’s Lewis Hamilton who sits at the back end of the grid this year (due to gearbox change). The MP4/24 is bloody slow. I think Ferrari shouldn’t be too disappointed, therefore, with how qualifying has turned out. They’re the only usual front running competitor to be anywhere near the Brawns’. And while Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota own their controversial diffusers, I fear whatever the result comes tomorrow will be indeed provisional until the FIA meet on the diffuser row again. So as far as Kimi is concerned, it looks like we have to smile through gritted teeth one more time, guys! If you want to, watch my 2008 highlights clip.
Kimi’s performance today was really good, he didn’t let the fact of missing serious track time in the morning seriously hamper his chances, because Felipe Massa’s laptime is only a tenth or so quicker (and Felipe is confident that Brawn GP are too far ahead). Both Ferraris’ may well be conserving their guns for tomorrow – we have to wait and see. They also start on the clean side of the grid, which is always a good thing. Kimi was great today but I hope the first corner won’t be too tedious a job to handle tomorrow seeing as he’s right in the middle of the pack. Who’s my bet for the win? It’s got to be Brawn GP. But we only know half the story in qualifying, the race is another. So with that said, I’m sure Kimi will be making sure he’s in prime position to pick up on the mistakes of others and as we saw last year, where he started 16th and got up to 3rd before the problems struck – he has no problem climbing the grid. We just have to keep our fingers crossed on Kimi staying out of trouble at the start and car’s reliability doesn’t play up again. Oh, and also expect some strange battles between drivers who haven’t raced for the lead for a long time, if not their first. We’ll find out soon enough whether overtaking is improved or whether it’s due just to seriously close competition between more teams than ever. If so, strategies are bound to play a crucial role as ever. We’re behind you Kimi – we’ve seen it all so as far as we Raikkos are concerned, you just do your thing. Keep Flying Kimi!
Note The BBC were pretty good, having taken over F1 coverage from ITV. The presenters were good and the commentating good. All good. But where was the full drivers’ press conference? The red button/interactive didn’t provide much today either. Quite disappointed. Also, there seemed to be some issues with Windows Live Spaces since yesterday evening; the whole site wasn’t working properly even for me as the ‘admin’ but it’s fine now – the videos and photos should be downloadable!
Saturday Quotes – Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen – 9th: "This morning, a hydraulic
problem meant I pretty much missed out on the third free practice
session: a shame, but better that this should happen on Saturday than
Sunday. The car was far from ideal for qualifying but I think we are in
pretty good shape for the race.
"A points finish is possible even if we could have been further up
the grid. From what we have seen today, clearly we lack a bit of
performance compared to the quickest guys, but the race will be very
long and we will see what we can manage to do."
Felipe Massa – 7th: "We reckoned it would be
possible but very difficult to get into the top five and this turned
out to be the case: we ended up seventh, which is definitely not very
satisfying but it represents the best we could do this afternoon. Now
we must concentrate on tomorrow’s race, which will be extremely tough.
"The first round of the season here in Australia is always a step
into the unknown, especially as the track is slippery and accidents are
a strong possibility. We will try to get to the finish and to pick up
as many points as possible."
Luca Baldisserri: "We need to work out why, in Q3,
we didn’t manage to go as well as in Q2, while allowing for the amount
of fuel we had on board. Tomorrow the race will definitely be very
difficult. We will have to make the most of any opportunities,
beginning with the start. Actually, on the grid, we are the highest
placed cars running KERS, an element that might allow us to make up
some places.
"Then we have to bear in mind that, on this track, the Safety Car
usually plays a part and so anything could happen. Reliability will be
key. This morning, we had a hydraulic problem on Kimi’s car which saw
him stop out on track at the start of FP3 and clearly that was not the
best way to prepare for qualifying. We must pay close attention to
every detail and try and get the cars to the finish line, with the aim
of picking up points."
FUCK ISRAEL 
Nice review Saima! Thanks for that. I figured the Brawn would be in front. And Im filled with schadenfreude to see Lewis way down. My biggest disappointment was seing Massa qualify ahead of Kimi again. What the? I thought the car should suit him better! Come on Kimi. He may be heavier on fuel though. And I heard they will release the weight of the cars later. Cant wait for that. But if Kimi is lighter than Massa I might cry 😛
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Kimi to start 7th, toyotas excluded for a flexible wing infringement : http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74008
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so the waltz of the cars begins!!good point for Kimi at least!! thanks for the news Saif!!and i saw Lulu will be at the back too due to a change of his gearbox!! lol!great review Saima! we are here for Kimi, no matter what!i’m still confident on his hability during the race!Keep flying Kimi!
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I’ve already expected the brawns to be the front runners…credits to them..although kimi starts 7th, i’m pretty sure that he can deliver a good job tomorrow.he will fly!!One thing upsets me, massa is ahead of kimi again..arghhhwell, great job saima! keep it up! n KEEP FLYING KIMI!
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Thanks Soren, Marilyne and Massie (",)There were so many changes after qualifying, Toyotas disqualified, protests against Ferrari and etc. So Kimi starts the race 7th on the grid now. He remains on the clean side, unlike Massa. Now the race looks a bit better, regarding the first corner I mean. I hope Kimi doesn’t get hit or damages the car.I can’t wait to see how the race turns out, with Hamilton at the back especially. Granted his McLaren is just slow, plain and simple, but to see how he copes with it will be interesting as a world champion.The weather looks great for tomorrow too! that’s good news for Kimi. I don’t think he did a bad job at all today. I’m very pleased. I wasn’t surprised that he qualified behind Massa though, because I expected Kimi to be heavier than him anyway and the weights list proves that Kimi is 1.5kg heavier than Massa. And just a tenth off? Not bad at all. We all know he’s faster than Massa anyway! lolI can’t believe how good Brawn GP is though. Fair enough they’re fast, but they’re the heaviest guys in front! Amazing speed. But like I said, I fear the diffuser stuff is the main reason and their design will be disqualified when the FIA meet in China. So anything can happen in the first two races and I won’t be so bothered until everything is cleared up. It’s very annoying that the sport is run like this by the FIA.But whatever happens, as you guys say, I’m sure Kimi will be flying! It was so good to see him back on track today after a long winter break. He does look much better than he did in the F2008 last year at Melbourne, I have to say.
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Great review Saima.I agree with you Marilyne, we Raikkos have confident on Kimi for tomorrow’s raceday. I got worried this afternoon (just 1/2 hour b’4 the qualifying session) that Kimi encountered hydraullic problem during the 3rd session practice.However, I am happy that his qualifying is not affected at all with what happened on Saturday morning though not at the front runners. Again, Massa’s ahead of Kimi, but if Kimi accepts it, why can’t we?Keep flying Kimi!
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Ok – 7th is okay all things considered. I expect the Brawns to peel off in the distance. So all I want tomorrow is for Kimi to beat Massa good. Stick it in everybodys faces. Like HA! Bitch! Or something like that. LolBut Saima – you seem awfully confident the diffusers will be disqualified in April. Why is that? I cant see FIA backing down on their initial call. I was pretty sure they would be cleared in the courts as well.But even so – those Brawn cars are fast. How did they do it?? Adjusted for fuel, Massas time is 1,1 second behind Buttons time
Thats a whole lot more than the 0.5 the diffuser is supposed to give. The Brawn is like the perfect Formula 1 car or something..
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Great review darling! Can´t wait for tomorrow!!! I´ve been thinking a lot about the diffusers too…what if Brawn GP win here in Australia and in a couple more races, and then the FIA finds the diffusers illegal and strip them of the points earned??? A bit stupid IMO to do that, but that´s what I fear…it´s pretty confusing and chaotic…but an interesting start to the season nontheless.Kimi is gonna be fine, just fine…it´s only the first race, teams are still getting adjusted to the changes and everything, so…KEEP FLYING KIMI!!!!
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Lol Soren, yeah that would be brilliant – I’m sure Kimi will make Massa poop his pants this year. Bitch! lol The race is gonna be craaaaazy, so whatever happens we have to just hope that Ferrari are working hard to catch up with the Brawns. According to TurunSanomat.fi, Ferrari said their answer to Brawn GP’s diffuser/pace will come in Spain.Reason why I think the diffusers are illegal is because they look it, sorry to be so vague lol hehehe. And have you read Peter White’s blog? he’s written about it and his concerns have fuelled my opinion further. I dunno, it would be GREAT if they’re definately legal, sign of very clever engineering and design which F1 is ABOUT! They say the diffuser can’t provide that much time advantage but why not? that’s the point of the team to improve things. So, I hope I’m wrong of course. But I just have a feeling, that’s all. It’s the FIA’s fault, as usual, they can’t govern the sport properly with their own regulations. The other ‘natural’ pace Brawn GP have isn’t surprising, they’ve worked hard over one year for this car (done their homework, as Kimi said on the BBC lol) It’s gonna take a few races till we see Ferrari winning, unfortunately.Until they win, I just hope their reliability keeps them together for consistent point collecting at least. Kimi’s hydraulic problem made me shiver!
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kimi P7 i think its ok for kimi coz to days car are easy to overtake not like last year..kimi can still put a good score or maybe win the race ferrari team are good in tactics during pit line so maybe they can pass some of the lead cars..go kimi keep flying our heroes…
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I just read Peter Whites blog. Thanks for the tip Saima. For those of you unfamiliar – this is the one: http://rosehillpilot.spaces.live.com/Ok, I am starting to see that the teams may be able to present a solid case against the ‘double decker’ diffusers in court. Such a shame it will come to this. Its gonna get messy methinks.
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You’re welcome! I’m just looking forward to seeing Kimi work that F60 meanwhile lol it has a Kimi/mp4/20-esque feel to it, it’s probably just me though. Well, Tombazis did work on both cars!
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There’s no guarantee that even if the diffusers do get deemed illegal at the appeal that they will lose their points. The 3 teams haven’t been told they are illegal and are now racing under appeal. The cars have been cleared and it’s the plaintiffs that are appealing. If they are ruled out, it’s more likely that they’ll be allowed to keep their points but just told that they can’t race the diffusers as they are anymore. But I don’t think that’ll happen, more likely that the entire grid will have them by Europe.
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