Lap 58 MALDONADO IS OUT what a shame for the Williams driver
that’s heart-breaking to watch as he’s gone hard into the wall after a
wonderful effort. Such a disappointment for a driver that has impressed and
pressured the front runners throughout.
Tom Cary: Shame for @WilliamsF1Team to lose both drivers so near end, but
this was an encouraging weekend for team. MAL showing good pace and fight
Lap 57 two laps to go now and Button is looking comfortable out in
front and has clocked the fastest time 1:29:187. Maldonado has been
fantastic today and he continues to heap pressure on Alonso. Raikkonen
causing Kobayashi problems for 9th place and what a scrap!
Lap 55 Button’s on a clear run to the finish now. Alonso is doing well
to hold of Maldonado so far but there’s still plenty of time for the
Williams car to make a move. Another retirement and this time it’s Bruno
Senna.
Lap 54 Vettel is gaining on Button but it doesn’t look like it will
enough to challenge for the win. While the German has the pace the good news
for McLaren is that Hamilton’s tyres are in better condition and he looks
like he is preparing to make a move.
Lap 52 he went off the pace in the second half of last season but
Kobayahsi is looking in fine form so far. Great driving from him just now to
gain a place on Rosberg.
Tom Cary on Marussia: Great effort from @Marussia_F1Team – both cars still
in race despite hardly any running. Reliability was all they wanted this
weekend.
Lap 51 Button over three seconds clear at the front, there’s just under
a second between Vettel and Hamilton in 2nd and 3rd and there’s an almighty
battle between 2nd-4th as we enter the final laps. Come on Hamilton…have a
go at Vettel. Webber will be desperate to gain a spot here having never
finished on the podium at his home grand prix.
1-5 Button, Vettel, Hamilton, Webber, Alonso
Lap 50 Alonso could be in trouble here, Maldonado is really pushing for
that fifth place and the Williams car will be faster on the
straight…patience and persistence looking likely to pay off for Maldonado.
Further ahead, Vettel remains second but now Webber is gaining on third
place Hamilton.
Lap 49 Massa and Senna will be investigated for the contact two laps
ago.
MASSA RETIRES
Lap 48 Alonso will be looking in his mirror and seeing a very attacking
Maldonado and the Spaniard’s going to be pushed hard for the final 10 laps.
That contact with Massa and Senna has left the Ferrari back in 16th and the
Williams driver back in the pits.
Lap 47 Hamilton just too far away from Vettel on that DRS opportunity.
The battle between Vettel, Hamilton and Webber is wonderful to watch.
Right-rear puncture for Massa…it’s going from bad to worse for him after a
collision with Bruno Senna. Debris flying around but we should hopefully get
away without a safety car.
Lap 46 Button the fastest man on the track 1:30:220. Hamilton is fast
on the first sector…he’s within a second of Vettel.
Kovalainen: The car was tilting to the right on straight lines and the
brake was pulling left. In the end it was too difficult to drive. it’s just
one of those days. it was tough from the beginning I had no KERS.”
Lap 44 Raikkonen radio-ing problems with the rear-wing. DRS will be
active at the end of the lap which means Vettel’s going to have to find some
extra pace from somewhere if he doesn’t want to yield 2nd place to Hamilton.
Lap 43 Button’s lead is over three seconds and Hamilton is right up on
Vettel’s backside in 2nd and 3rd with Webber holding 4th with Alonso behind.
Maldonado continues to drive a phenomenal race for Williams in 6th.
Lap 42 Kobayashi makes a move on Raikkonen and a great overtake that
was to take 9th place. Massa’s having a nightmare…he’s back in 13th. Only
17 cars remain in the race.
Lap 41 Button flies away as the race re-starts and everyone is around
the first corner with no incident. No DRS for the next two laps. McLaren’s
are registering more pace at the moment. Vettel will be seeing Hamilton in
his rear mirrors…how long will the Brit leave it before making the move?
Retirements: Kovalainen, Petrov, Schumacher, Grosjean and Hulkenberg.
Lap 41 (sc) Vettel told to burn his fuel and rehearse his re-start in
his head. Kovalainen is out of the race that’s the fifth retirement of the
race. Safety car in at the end of this lap.
Lap 40 (sc) Kovalainen, Glock and Pic (lapped cars) now get out of the
way before the race resumes. This safety car has been perfect for Red Bull.
What a finale we’re in for!
Lap 39 (sc) safety car likely to be out for a while as it seems they’re
not in a rush to clear that Caterham. Mark Webber told his pace is the best
on the circuit and as such he is in a great position to attack as soon as
the safety car leaves the track.
Caterham’s Tony Fernandes on Petrov’s retirement: “Shame. We lost
power steering for petrov. Damm. He was driving great. Never mind.”
Lap 38 (sc) Most cars using the safety car’s presence to pit and this
has worked wonderfully for Red Bull as Vettel will re-start this race right
behind Button.
Lap 37 Vettel leads the race and there’s a chance the safety car is
out as Petrov’s car is stuck up against the pit wall.
Lap 36 Vergne’s recovered from his time in the sand and is up to 11th.
Vettel told to “push push push” as Button and Hamilton pit and
Vettel leads.
Lap 34 Alonso pits and Webber is in 4th as a result. Button’s lead
remains just over 10-seconds but there’s trouble brewing for Hamilton as
Vettel is now only two seconds behind. Maldonado driving a fantastic race
now, he’s in fifth and that is wonderful news for Williams.
Lap 33: Mark Webber gaining on Alonso in 4th and clocks the fastest
time of the race so far with a1:31:098. McLaren drivers being told to treat
their tyres well as there will be no change to their race plan despite both
struggling. Their main concern may well be that Vettel is gaining.
Telegraph Sport’s Tom Cary: “The French commentator shrieking the
start of the race has been much quieter since Grosjean’s retirement. Shame
for the youngster.”
Lap 32 Rosberg pits so that’s the end of that battle, Webber moves up
to 5th behind Alonso.
Lap 31 great battle now between Rosberg and Webber with Maldonado
behind…Webber in a tough position here because if he doesn’t make his move
at the exact correct moment then any contact could well spell the end of his
race. Jean Eric Vergne is in the sand! Wow Webber comes close to making that
overtake but pulls off just at the final moment.
1-5 Button, Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Rosberg
Lap 29 if you’re just joining us then to bring you up to speed, Jenson
Button is leading the race with Lewis Hamilton behind in second and catching
his team-mate. Vettel is in third and driving well but may well be too far
back to challenge either McLaren. There have been three retirements so far,
Grosjean, Hulkberg and Schumacher. If you’re wondering where HRT are….they
didn’t start the race today
Lap 27 Raikkonen makes a fantastic move on Massa for 8th place and the
Ferrari driver is struggling to hold his spot as Kobayashi also passes.
Webber’s moved into 6th and has Rosberg in his sights. Massa looks set for
the pits which means Di Resta will gain a place to sit 10th.
Lap 25 Hamilton is driving a second faster than Button so there’s
plenty of time to close the gap. The former is now the fastest man on the
circuit with a 1:31:740. Raikkonen and Kobayashi battling and making contact
on turn five but nothing serious and certainly not race ending.
Lap 24 Button saying he is picking up on vibrations in the car, doesn’t
sound overly concerned by it. Vergne is the fastest man out there clocking a
1:31:978
1-10 Button Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Rosberg, Webber Perez, Maldonado,
Massa, Kobayashi
Lap 23 No sooner do I comment on the battle for fourth but Alonso
successfully overtakes on the straight and now Perez is slipping further
back as Rosberg makes the same move. The Sauber drivers really suffering now
as Webber’s overtaken.
Lap 22 great battle for fourth now between Perez and Alonso – the
Sauber’s not yielding and that will frustrate the Spaniard no end. Great
race for Perez so far…can he maintain this form?
Lap 21 great overtake for Hamilton, his chances of catching Button were
at risk there with Perez holding him up and not yet pitting but the Briton
makes the move and is up to second. Perez has lost another place to Vettel
who now sits in 3rd.
1-5 after 20 laps Button, Perez, Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso
Lap 19 Vergne has dropped two places there and suddenly Rosberg is up
in 7th and Webber still behind him in 8th. Raikkonen has now pitted which
bumps Alonso into the top five.
Lap 18 Button reclaims the lead as Hamilton pits and he has exited
behind Sergio Perez. Not a good pit for the British driver at all and he’ll
have his work cut out to gain a place on Perez. Further back Rosberg has
slipped to 8th with Webber behind him. Maldonado is gaining on the
Australian but there’s a lot of traffic in the middle of the pack.
1-5 Button Raikkonen Perez Hamilton Vergne
1-5 Hamilton, Button, Raikkonen Perez Vergne, Vettel
Lap 16 who saw that coming! Kamui Kobayashi is the fatest man out
there!Jenson Button pits from the lead and Red Bull respond immediately and
call Vettel in. Hamilton leads for now.
Lap 15 Webber pits form 4th place and exits in 10th. For now then
Maldonado is up to fourth with Raikkonen behind in 5th. Interesting that the
form of certain cars (or lack there of) in qualifying yesterday is a far cry
from the form they’re showing now. Alonso is running well for Ferrari in 8th
but LOOK at Sergio Perez in 6th place!
Lap 13 Di Resta now up to 10th, just 19 cars left in this race now.
Button leads by 3.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton and Vettel. Alonso the first
of the front runners to pit. Rosberg pits for the soft option and it turns
out Schumacher retired due to gear box problems.
Retired: Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Schumacher
Schumacher has retired from the race!
Lap 12 Massa the first of the Ferraris to pit to resolves the tyre
issue. Schumacher is also in with his team. Di Resta has climbed to 12th.
1-5 Button, Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg, Alonso
Lap 11 Vettel is up to third! Schumacher has gone off the track and is
driving very very slowly down the side of the track, his race could well be
over.
Lap 10: Maldonado is in attacking form he’s now overtaken Massa for
eight place and is going after Webber. The Ferrari driver radio-ing in
issues with his rear tyres.
Lap 9 Hamilton reassured on the radio that they’re flying ahead of the
cars behind. Word from the pits suggests that Red Bull are confident of
catching the McLarens. Schumacher in third is 11 seconds off the leader
while Vettel is 12. Still waiting to hear if anything will happen to
Maldonado for his contact with Grosjean.
Lap 7 Ferrari certainly look like they have resolved some issues from
yesterday’s qualifying, Alonso has Rosberg in his sights but for now the
German is managing to hold off the attack. British fans, Paul di Resta is
back in 13th as things stand with Kimmi Raikkonen in his sights. Senna and
Ricciardo are bringing up the back of the pack.
1-10 Button Hamilton Schumacher Vettel Rosberg Alonso Webber Massa,
Maldonado Perez
Lap 6: Ferrari’s are running well they’re now up to 6th (Alonso) and
8th (Massa). Vettel just visited the grass and is looking all over the
place.
Retired: Hulkenberg, Grosjean
Lap 4 Button is two-and-a-half seconds clear in front and with DRS now
active Schumacher will be checking his mirrors with Vettel coming up behind
him. Button’s the fastest man out there with a lap time of 1:33:131
Lap 3: Watching thew replay of the start there is was an astonishing
effort from Rosberg he came out of nowhere to pip Webber to some places.
Replay also shows Webber will have picked up damage from contact made by
Hulkenberg.
1-5 Button Hamilton Schumacher Vettel Rosberg
Lap 2 Vettel overtakes Nico Rosberg on turn 10 and WHAT a move from the
world champion fantastic racing from him. Maldonado and Grosjean have made
contact and he is off the track it looks like the Frenchman’s race is over.
Lap 1: Webber has picked up damage on the first corner hence him
slipping down the pecking order. Grosjean down to 6th place and what a first
lap! Bruno Senna straight into the pits and is on the medium compund and the YELLOW
FLAG is out.
First turn: Jenson Button takes the lead from Hamilton with the latter struggling
with wheel spin. Both Mercedes have started well as has Alonso who is up to
eighth.
6:00 If you’re just joining us, welcome and you’re just in time. To
bring you up to speed, Lewis Hamilton is on pole and there are only 22
drivers out there today with HRT not racing.
5:59 drivers on their formation laps and then it it RACE TIME
5:58 All cars are on the option tyre for the start of the race.
5:55 so five minutes until race time…time for some predictions. On
Thursday I backed Hamilton for pole and the win if it remained dry and his
team-mate Button for pole and the win if the race was wet. I’m sticking with
a McLaren win but I think Sebastian Vettel will want to prove himself after
a disappointing quali session that sees him start in 6th. So I’ll go for two
McLarens on the podium and a Red Bull/Mercedes battle for the final spot.
Let me know your thoughts on what today’s outcome will be.
5:50 Lewis Hamilton was beaming after qualifying yesterday and
deservedly so as today marks his 20th pole position putting him level with
Fernando Alonso and 11th in the overall standings. Here’s what he had to say
yesterday:
I still can’t believe I’ve had so many pole positions. For me, every one has
been special and particularly this one. To come straight into the season and
start off so well is an amazing feeling. Of course, with the tough couple of
years past, it’s definitely a good way to start off on the right foot. I’m
massively proud of the team, working incredibly hard as every year they do,
but to see they never give up, and this is the result of that.”
Here’s Telegraph Columnist David Coulthard’s take on how things might
go this weekend:
Who to watch: I love this time of year. After all the speculation and
sandbagging, we finally find out who is quick. Clearly, all eyes will be on
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull to see whether they can pick up where they
left off last year. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, after his difficult 2011, will
also be under the spotlight. Are Ferrari really in trouble? Will Lotus’ Kimi
Raikkonen be on the pace? And Mercedes, are they going to join the party
this year? They look to have good straight-line speed and I reckon the two
DRS zones could help Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.
Where the race will be won: Saturday morning’s qualifying will be
hugely important. Track position, I feel, will be extremely important with
less variation between the two compounds of Pirelli tyre. That said there
are two DRS zones this time around as it was felt that the one zone on the
start-finish straight last season didn’t produce enough passing. Now there
is a second chance and with the rule on defending position having been
tightened up — a driver cannot move back on to the racing line if he moves
to defend — we may see some overtaking on the outside into Turn Three.
Sub-Plots I will be very interested to see how my old team Williams
fare this weekend. After a winter of change — a new engine supplier in
Renault, a new driver in Bruno Senna, an all-new technical team, the
departure of Patrick Head — this is a big year for them and I’d like to see
them restore some respectability. The other team I’ll be watching with
interest is Caterham (formerly Team Lotus) who have ambitions to join the
midfield. Will they leave Marussia and HRT, neither of whom have done any
pre-season testing, standing and relegate someone else to the back?
5:45 it’s a historic season then 2012, no fewer than six world
champions on the grid Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton,
Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. Whether one of them
wins today remains to be seen but history would favour Hamilton with pole
accounting for more than half of the winners in Melbourne and six in the
last eight years.
Albert Park in numbers:
- Circuit length: 5.303km/3.295 miles
- Laps: 58
- Race distance: 307.574km/191.117miles
- Lap record: 1min 24.125secs (Michael Schumacher, 2004)
- 2011 winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
- 2011 fastest lap: Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1min 28.947secs
- 2011 winning strategy: 2 stops (laps 13 35)
- Fastest 2011 pit stop: 3.1secs
- Number of corners: 16 (6 left, 10 right)
- Tyre compounds to be used: Medium/soft
- Overtaking chance: Low
- Average lap speed: 221kph (137mph)
- No of safety cars deployed since 2002: 14
5:35 GOOD morning/afternoon/evening depending where in the world you
may be joining me from. It’s FINALLY Formula One time again and I certainly
hope you’re as excited as I am for the race that’s about to get going.
It’s been the shortest off-season in the history of the sport – just 113 days
– so teams ahve had precious little time to finalise their cars and
qualifying yesterday only magnified hows much some of them have struggled.
Not only the ‘weaker’ teams in the form of HRT and Marussia who had
nightmare sessions but also Ferrari.
There was worse news for HRT this morning who will NOT race today. Race
stewards confirmed just hours before the event, as rumours of a technical
row simmered at Albert Park.
The Madrid-based team did not qualify on Saturday evening when Spanish veteran
Pedro de la Rosa and Indian Narain Karthikeyan clocked times that were more
than 107 percent off the pole time set by Briton Lewis Hamilton. Their
late-night appeal to have the rule overturned was rejected.