Fernando Alonso gained his second consecutive pole position after a session where adaptation was king.
Sebastian Vettel couldn’t quite get to grips with the wet conditions, qualifying second with Mark Webber third; although he will start eighth after a five place grid penalty.
The session started off dry, with the usual suspects going out. Mark Webber and Micheal Schumacher were under threat but both eventually made it through, the latter through the skin of his teeth.
In the second session it started to rain. Only slightly, but this was enough to give the sensation of driving on ice. With more rain predicted for later in the session, it meant for the drivers that it was all or nothing.
The first couple of laps were to count as the most important, and the drivers who eventually went through managed to get everything hooked up as cleanly as possible.
The big names to go out in the second session were Romain Grosjean and Nico Rosberg. Both of them just couldn’t get heat into the Intermediate tyres, and when it started to rain it was just too late. Both will suffer grid place penalties so they have a lot of work to do tomorrow.
The final session was a complete washout. All the drivers stayed out for the entirety of the session hoping for some space to get a clean lap in. As the lap times tumbled Alonso got it all hooked up to snatch pole position as Vettel appeared frustrated at Mark Webber’s inability to notice him behind.
As the drivers slipped and struggled for grip Fernando Alonso then set a quicker time to enforce the reality of his and Ferrari’s revival this season.
The McLaren drivers finished seventh and eighth, with Button out-qualifying Hamilton for the first time this year. Although they were unable to get heat into the tyres in the wet, the updates the team have brought have made impressions on their drivers. The race is set to be a dry one, and both British drivers have praised their new-found speed in the dry, so all is not over for them.
Considering the grid drops, new found pace and stunning form from certain drivers, the race tomorrow looks to be a lottery. However, we’re going to tip Vettel for victory, with Alonso hot on his heels.
The home win has been coming for Vettel for some time now and with him starting a strong second it looks likely. Throw in the factor of strategy and the race looks one well worth watching.
Follow @Formula1fancast on Twitter for updates throughout the race weekend
Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis
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