Prologue
14.30 BST - Good afternoon everybody (well, it's good evening if you're to my east towards Asia, and good morning if you're to my west across the Atlantic), and after that completely unnecessary introduction I'd like to welcome you all to Patty's textual coverage of the Qualifying session for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, and the first ever to be run at night. Woo!
14.35 BST - I'm sure, like me, you were following Practice with us here on Patty yesterday. Lewis Hamilton was predictably quick out of the blocks, but it was Fernando Alonso who topped the times in the afternoon...sorry, late evening. He repeated the feat in morning...early evening practice today, could we get our second surprise winner on the trot?
14.40 BST - I say that of course after Sebastian Vettel's incredible win at Monza a fortnight ago for Toro Rosso. The German will probably be hoping for rain again this weekend. Honda meanwhile are having a decent weekend - well, Jenson Button is, taking 6th this morning and running in the top 10 throughout Friday. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello has been nowhere, that is apart from visiting the barriers in the final turn yesterday.
14.45 BST - Joining Barrichello in the Crash Club were Mark Webber, who stuffed his Red Bull into the wall under the grandstand, and Giancarlo Fisichella, who went flying over the kerbs at the Turn 10 chicane and hit the wall this morning in the Force India. Jarno Trulli didn't quite find a barrier but, having spun out of the final corner yesterday, he inexplicably drove the wrong way up the track and was fined €10,000.
14.50 BST - Heikki Kovalainen, meanwhile, has become the latest driver to take his 'joker' engine change. Lewis Hamilton has yet to use his, which could prove handy later in the season. I'm multi-tasking in a way man isn't supposed to be able to do today, as I attempt to follow cricket and football as well as covering this session. Durham are 5 Notts wickets away from the County Championship, and Joe Kinnear's black and white army take on Blackburn Rovers. Think I've got more chance of an Alonso success...
14.55 BST - Back to F1, and here's hoping the session starts on time today after the hilarious sight of loads of groupies having to be shepherded out of the pits and delaying FP2 by a couple of minutes. Damon Hill has just been interviewed by Robot Woman on ITV, and managed to give his usual articulate responses to a couple of questions.
15.00 BST - Well then, without further ado, what promises to be a pretty mad hour or so gets underway. I'll do my best to keep you abreast of everything, and probably fail. You can keep up to date with our somewhat irregularly updated "Grid as it stands" tab.
First Session
15.03 BST - First man on track is Adrian Sutil, with the news that there will be no rain for the whole session, joined by Timo Glock, both Hondas, Kazuki Nakajima and David Coulthard. The tight schedule means that Fisichella's car is still being repaired, so hopefully he'll get out there.
15.05 BST - The Sut sets the benchmark on a 1:48.9, which is crap. Glock goes over 3 seconds quicker, with Nakas only a fraction slower than the factory Toyota. Kimi's on a lap which is a bit bubbish.
The Head - "I'm still wondering whether Nico will try and mess everything up today or wait for the inevitible rubbish pit strategy to do it for him tomorrow."
15.08 BST - Kimi ends up slotting in behind those two, and both Hondas, and DC, only ahead of Sutil. Deary me. Massa will be the first of the top men to set a time, and slots in between Glock and Nakas. Heikki comes through next, over half a second faster than the Toyota.
15.11 BST - Vettel is next through and takes a tenth off Heikki, but Hamilton comes through half a second quicker even than that. Nico jumps into third ahead of Kovalainen, and Alonso has his first go. A mega first sector, an ok middle sector and a fair final sector puts him second to his beloved ex-team-mate.
15.14 BST - Ted's first report of the day is that Fisi might just get out right at the end of the session. Nakas comes through just a quarter of a tenth slower than Nico, which is nice for him. An update on Kimi, he's currently down in 15th. Boobens was on a lap which looked like an improvement for him, but was somewhat blocked by Heidfeld who was taking that controversial line into the pits.
15.18 BST - Most of the field in the pits, but Heikki is currently the man who's setting purple sectors, and goes to the top of the timesheet with the fastest lap so far this weekend. Kimi's also having a go, and he needs to for he's currently 16th and going out. Kubica also needs to improve on a lowly 14th place. Raikkonen flies into 1st place, and Robert goes 4th, before being displaced by Massa. Meanwhile, Fisi thanks his mechanics for all their hard work by putting the Force India into the barriers again.
15.22 BST - Coulthard is 17th and looking all over the place, although he somehow hooks up a lap 0.009 faster than Piquet to go 15th, who fails to improve and yet again misses the Q1 cut. Bourdais is out after a bit of a moment on his last effort, and gets on the radio moaning again, typical Frenchman. Going out with them are Barrichello and the Force India twins.
The Head - "I humbly retract my assertion yesterday that Bourdais would be useful here because of his street circuit days in Champ Car."
Second Session
15.30 BST - Kovalainen is the first man out for the second session, and is on the softer tyres. Perhaps tellingly, Hamilton only did 3 laps in Q1, the least of anybody, and is clealy very comfortable out there.
15.32 BST - As Blackburn take the lead at St James' Park, Fernando Alonso breaks down on his out lap. How to ruin my day in 2 easy steps. The Spaniard will be stuck in 15th.
15.35 BST - Heikki's lap is bubbish, Vettel is nearly 3 seconds quicker. Kimi improves on that by a few hundredths, but his team-mate Massa takes another 0.2 off that. Hamilton meanwhile makes a mistake on his first lap and McLaren are under a bit of pressure. Ferarris are first and second, and they always seem to do well on the first outing at a new circuit...
15.39 BST - The BMWs come through and set 4th and 5th fastest times. Heikki's back on track now, and his first 2 sectors are decent enough. Last time he blew it in the final sector, but this time there's none of that, and he splits the Ferraris. All it needs is for someone to be cruising into the pits on the racing line while Lewis is finishing his lap and he's stuck in 14th.
15.42 BST - Hamilton is on track now for his big push...into 8th. He's going to have to go for a second one to make sure of his place in Q3. Trulli improves to 9th pushing DC into 11th, while Glock storms up into 5th, pushing Webber down to 11th.
15.44 BST - You lucky bastard Lewis. Nakas demotes him to 10th, and both Red Bulls have yet to set their final lap. DC and Webber obligingly fail to improve sufficiently and Hamilton squeaks through, a smidgeon over a tenth of a second faster than Trulli. Out with the Italian are Button, the Red Bull twins, and the unfortunate Alonso.
The Head - "If Alonso hadn't got hold of one of the Renault engines earmarked for Red Bull, Hamilton would be looking a bit silly right now."
Third Session
15.52 BST - For the second race in a row then, Heikki comfortably outshining his prodigious team-mate. All 10 guys out on the circuit for Q3, and a big mention for Kazuki Nakajima who has impressed me a lot with his speed so far this hour.
15.55 BST - Louise Goodman is interviewing a "sweaty" DC. Oo-er. The Vet is first man through on a 46.6, which Kimi follows with a 46.0 and a big slide out of the final corner. Nico goes 3rd for a moment, before Hamilton goes quickest of all, only to be usurped by Championship rival Massa, while Heikki messes up his first sector and goes tenth of 10.
So after the first run it's Massa by 0.14 from Hamilton, who's four tenths clear of Raikkonen in third. Vettel is 4th ahead of the Beemers of Ickle and Kubica, with Nico and Nakas sandwiching Glock who is 8th, and Heikki in 10th.
15.58 BST - Durham have just won the County Championship. Oh yes! Forgive me is this terry gecomes bibberish. Vettel is the first man to start the final flying efforts.
16.02 BST - Vettel stays 4th at the moment. Raikkonen improves and goes second, pushing Lewis down to third, but Hamilton then comes round to go quickest! Massa however is very quick in the first two sectors, and takes pole by a massive 2/3 of a second! Kubica takes 4th away from Vettel, while team-mate Heidfeld goes 5th behind him. Heikki then comes round and takes that 5th away from the German.
Once more we get the ever-cheerful tones of Rob Smedley of Middlesbrough on the radio to Felipe, congratulating him on yet another superb pole position. It's the two main contenders on the front row as Hamilton lines up second, with Kimi third and Bobby fourth. Heikki and Heidi are on row 3 ahead of an all-German fourth row consisting of Vettel and Glock, and an all-Williams 5th row with Nico ahead of Nakas.
Epilogue
16.08 BST - Alonso sounds very disappointed, believing a front row was possible, and you have to say with the pace he'd shown he could easily have slotted into that humongous gap between the front row men. Michael Owen pulls one back for Newcastle against Blackburn.
16.12 BST - Smedley gives his usual interview, and seems as stunned as the rest of the world at Massa's pace. How good is Massa at these Tilkedromes? Bahrain, Turkey, Valencia and now Singapore, he's just been absolutely dominant. As ever Ferrari seem to be quickest of all at a brand new circuit (see Sepang 1999, Indianapolis 2000, Bahrain 2004, Shanghai 2004, Valencia 2008).
16.20 BST - Massa, as you would expect, reckons he's put in a perfect lap, and talks of the difficulties of adjusting to racing at night. Lewis seems to be having a few technical problems with his microphone, and they've had to turn up the sound on Felipe's by the sound of it, meaning we're getting lots of noises relating to him drinking water. It's quite hilarious actually. Oh now Felipe's talking to Kimi and we can't hear Lewis. What a mess, for when Kimi starts speaking we can hear Lewis slurping his drink. Or maybe that's the sound of the vodka running through Kimi's veins.
16.25 BST - Vettel sounds pretty happy to be 7th, but it must be a bit of a comedown after taking Pole two weeks ago. Bobby K is fairly satisfied with 4th, and it keeps him just about in the hunt for the Championship, although it will be a long shot.
I shall close out at this point, in anticipation of a great race tomorrow. I won't be here, but The Head will be, to bring you lap by lap coverage of this historic event, from around 12.30 BST tomorrow. Cheerio!
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