Hamilton secures as Alonso cries foul


Lewis Hamilton
McLaren

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Formula one teams demonstrated an incredible level of competitiveness on Saturday as the eleven teams battled for qualifying positions in China.

Former grand prix winners like Rubens Barrichello dropped out of the initial ’Q1’ cut at Shanghai, as a couple of tenths and miniscule driving errors sorted Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Honda, Toyota, Williams, Super Aguri and Renault into midfield runners or backmarkers.

Giancarlo Fisichella qualified eighteenth; his worst performance on merit since he rejoined Renault in 2005, and – mercifully for the Roman – coinciding with the absence of team boss Flavio Briatore.

Leaving the French squad in the hands of Pat Symonds, Briatore returned to Europe with his football business partner Bernie Ecclestone after the Japanese grand prix, according to reports.

Lewis Hamilton emerged with a surprise pole position, despite Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen leading every other official session this weekend — including the ’Q1’ and ’Q2’ low-fuel sectors.

After suffering a hydraulic leak at the end of final practice, the Finn set the fastest time of the segment by exactly a tenth of a second and in Q2, while his three main rivals remaining tightly-bunched, lapping 0.102 seconds apart, the Finn was quickest by a comfortable 0.415 seconds. So to see Hamilton win pole came as a surprise to everyone.

Hamilton set a time of 1min35.908 and achieved the sixth pole in his 16th Grand Prix.

"Looking at what happened, there were different fuels in the car (in Q3)," the Finn suggested after the session.

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A win for McLaren’s rookie Hamilton on Sunday would seal his drivers’ title. Fernando Alonso is fourth, six tenths behind.

"Let’s hope it’s something to do with the fuel load," the Spaniard said. "I am a little bit slower than I expected, but I don’t know when I am stopping (on Sunday), let alone the Ferraris."

Hamilton admitted: "Going into qualifying I didn’t particularly have the pace of Fernando."

Furious Alonso says title hopes finished

A furious Alonso wrote off his chances of winning a third consecutive world championship after qualifying just fourth.

The 26-year-old Spaniard, whose McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton secured pole and will wrap up the title if he wins on Sunday, suggested to reporters after getting out of his car in Shanghai that he has been locked out of the process of determining his pit strategy for the race.

Hamilton had not featured as one of the quicker contenders in any of the practice sessions this weekend, or in the low-fuel ’Q1’ and ’Q2’ sectors, and team boss Ron Dennis said on Saturday that "it will be crucial to be at the front of the grid" if the expected rain arrives for the race.


McLaren crew cheer when Hamilton secures pole
McLaren

Dennis on Friday scolded Alonso for insinuating that McLaren might break with its policy of equality now that Hamilton is on the verge of his first title.

FIA president Max Mosley had warned amid the espionage saga that if McLaren "do anything wrong against Alonso, they will have to answer to us in Paris".

Alonso, in China, said he did not know if he has been put on a heavier fuel strategy for the grand prix.

"I don’t know when we are stopping, let alone the Ferraris," he said, before telling Italy’s Sky TV that the championship "has been decided off the track".


Raikkonen came up short in Q3
Ferrari

"I’m not thinking of this championship any more," said Alonso, who earlier on Saturday was quoted by a Spanish newspaper as questioning stewards’ decision to not penalize Hamilton for erratic driving behind the safety car a week ago.

He added: "I am a little bit pessimistic after the result today and after what happened all weekend."

Quotes

Press Conference

Results

POS DRIVER NATIONALITY TEAM TIME
1. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1:35.908
2. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari 1:36.044
3. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari 1:36.221
4. Fernando Alonso Spain McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.576
5. David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Renault 1:37.619
6. Ralf Schumacher Germany Toyota 1:38.013
7. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1:38.153
8. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW 1:38.455
9. Robert Kubica Poland BMW 1:38.472
10. Jenson Button Britain Honda 1:39.285
11. Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:36.862
12. Sebastian Vettel Germany Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:36.891
13. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota 1:36.959
14. Heikki Kovalainen Finland Renault 1:36.991
15. Anthony Davidson Britain Super Aguri-Honda 1:37.247
16. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota 1:37.483
17. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Honda 1:37.251
18. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Renault 1:37.290
19. Alexander Wurz Austria Williams-Toyota 1:37.456
20. Takuma Sato Japan Super Aguri-Honda 1:38.218
21. Adrian Sutil Germany Spyker-Ferrari 1:38.668
22. Sakon Yamamoto Japan Spyker-Ferrari 1:39.336