RACE NEWS // 15.10.2011
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher qualified in seventh and 12th places respectively at the end of today's qualifying hour for the Korean Grand Prix at the Korea International Circuit.
Nico made one run in each part of qualifying, using prime tyres in Q1, and one set of options in both Q2 and Q3. Nico's seventh place on the grid will be his 15th top ten start in the 16 races to date this season. Michael was sixth fastest in Q1 but, hampered by a vibration in Q2, fell one-tenth short of making Q3. New tyre sets available for the race tomorrow are: Nico - one option, two prime; Michael - two option, two prime
Ross felt "it was a straightforward afternoon for Nico, and P7 represents what the car was capable of. We took a balanced approach to tyre usage with Nico making a single run in each session, and he goes into the race with one new set of options and two new sets of primes. The uncertainty over tyre performance after yesterday's wet running meant we wanted to keep as many new sets back as we could, although the performance is now looking more consistent than had been anticipated. Michael's pace on the prime in Q1 was very good, then as he went out on the options in Q2, he complained of a vibration.
We debated whether to change tyres, but decided to stay out and try for the lap time. In the end, the pace did not reflect what the car was capable of, and there wasn't enough time to complete another run. Even so, Michael was just one tenth away from Q3, and he will have opportunities tomorrow. The track is definitely rubbering in after the rain, but the sparse support race programme means this is not happening as much as at other circuits. It will be very interesting to see what the race has in store."
"Like at previous races, we concentrated on setting up our cars for the best possible race performance” said Norbert. “This was especially challenging here in Yeongam after the wet conditions yesterday left the teams just one hour of dry running this morning in P3 to prepare for qualifying and the race. Nico and Michael focused on saving tyres for the race, which possibly compromised our qualifying performance a little bit. We did longer runs this morning on the supersoft and the soft tyres, and the lap times on both compounds looked consistent. It should be dry tomorrow and our aim is to repeat our performances achieved in the recent races at Spa, Monza and Suzuka to get the best possible result from our current technical package. Congratulations to Lewis and McLaren Mercedes for the first non-Red Bull pole this season - and the 68th pole position for McLaren-Mercedes."
Credit: Mercedes GP Petronas Formula one Team (www3.mercedes-gp.com)
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