While at the top of the timing screen we maintained our 100% pole record for 2011, at the other end, for the first time more than 12 months one of our drivers didn’t make the first cut.
It was an eventful session even looking outside our own mixed fortunes. The Renaults looked quick but had their off moments, The two Toro Rosso boys and their team should be congratulated for their easing into Q3, while the final two minutes of the second session looked more like a grand prix as cars desperately fought for clean air after a red flag.
Sebastian has now secured pole position at every Qualifying session he’s ever run in China for the team and it was his third P1 of the year – all done 0.715 second faster than his closest rival, Jenson Button. He’s also been top of every timesheet this weekend. Seb claimed it was tougher than it looked and that keeping calm and remembering it was only Satuday is what is important right: “Obviously today we did a good job, but it’s just eight metres on the track tomorrow. It will be a long race, but I think we can be happy with the car. We did some good long runs on Friday and so we have a reason to feel good, but it’s also a threat to feel too good – so I pay attention that doesn’t happen."
Mark’s day could not have been more different. After problems in the morning practice session it was all hands on deck to ensure is car actually made the first qualifying session, so to then miss the cut was, well… disappointing isn’t in it. After the session he claimed, with a degree of understatement that it was a “very frustrating day”. That frustration culminated in his final run which was on the prime, harder tyres which filed to get up to temperature to push him through to Q2. But, as ever, if there’s one thing Mark cannot be accused of, it’s a lack of determination. He said: “We thought we had enough to get through on the prime tyres – we have the pace, but I couldn’t get the tyre working on my second run. We’ll see what we can do tonight, but I can only go forwards. I can't remember the last time I was out in Q1; it was a long, long time ago, so it was a bad day for us.”
Our team principal had a tough job summing up the day for team which has wildly different starts to tomorrow’s race. While congratulating Seb on his third consecutive pole, this is how he reviewed Mark’s afternoon: “It was disappointing for both Mark and the team that he missed the cut. We elected to run the hard tyre for his second run thinking it would be enough, but unfortunately they weren’t up to the temperature to do it. Obviously with 20/20 hindsight, you would run the option tyre, but we felt it would be enough at that time. It’s one of those things, and it’s the first time we haven’t had both cars in Q3 for over a year.”
So, now it’s time to get an early night. For both sides of the garage it’s going to be a very important start tomorrow.
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