The build-up to qualifying for today’s Austrian Grand Prix had all the expectations of throwing up – as far as this season is concerned – something different.
Sebastian Vettel, who had been the fastest man in practice on Friday in his Ferrari at the Red Bull Ring, did it again in yesterday morning's final practice session.
Add to that the fact conditions were damp after a heavy rain shower before qualifying and there was every indication that Mercedes-GP’s domination of Saturday afternoons, which had seen them claim 18 pole positions in a row, may have been about to end.
It was not to be. Anyone harbouring a desire to see a different looking line-up at the front of a Formula One grand prix this season were left disappointed as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg locked out the front row for the sixth time in eight races.
How the Mercedes pair finished qualifying was different, though, with Hamilton spinning off at Turn 1 on his final lap, while teammate Rosberg slid wide at the last corner and only just avoided making contact with the barriers as his car rolled into the gravel.
Despite those incidents today’s duel for victory in Austria will be again a private affair between the two Mercedes.
It was the sixth pole of the season for Hamilton and the 45th of his career.
The world champion said that he had been fortunate to record his time of one minute, 08.455 seconds and take pole.
“Naturally I was thinking I’d probably lost it there,” he said. “I’m grateful I had one decent Q3 run. I was pushing that bit extra on the next run and just locked the rears.”
Rosberg, who was two-10ths slower than Hamilton going into his final lap, was striving for more when he careered across the run-off and into the gravel just as it seemed he was going to be quicker.
“I went on the Astro Turf out of the second-to-last corner. Maybe that was still a bit wet or something or I just overdid it after that, I’m not sure,” the German said.
““I knew I had to go for it. I just lost it there into the last corner.”
For Rosberg the start will again be crucial this afternoon.
The narrative this season has been mostly that the man at the front has dictated the pace of the race with the design of cars making it difficult to follow close behind a car without losing downforce and causing damage to the fragile Pirelli tyres.
Rosberg has often been well-matched on pace on a Sunday afternoon to his world champion teammate, but has been powerless to do anything more than follow, as was the case in Australia, China, for most of Monaco and then two weeks ago in Canada.
It is a long run to Turn 1 at the Red Bull Ring and then there is a long straight to Turn 2.
If Rosberg can get off the line well, he will have a strong chance of at least pressuring Hamilton for the lead. The German knows he needs track position to control his destiny and close the 17-point deficit to his teammate in the drivers’ standings.
Qualifying turned out to be a sobering experience for Vettel as, after he had promised so much early in the session, he will start from third on the grid.
He acknowledged his Ferrari did not have the power when it mattered to fight Mercedes.
“Generally, the Mercedes-powered cars can turn up the performance a bit,” the four-time world champion said.
“Even the Williams were also a lot closer than they were in practice.”
Both Red Bull Racing’s drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat have 10-place grid penalties as a result of engine replacements.
There was an element of farce in the session with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button each facing 25-place grid penalties in a field of just 20 cars for exceeding their allocation of power unit components for the season.
Alonso qualified 15th, Button was 17th and both will have to serve time penalties today as well as starting from the back.
* with agencies
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