A dampened Hatch-day for Webber
While father time cried ‘Happy Birthday Webber’ at the start of the day, it was Mother Nature that got the final word in.
Spa is a toilsome outing if you do not drive a Ferrari or McLaren based on the formbook and the characteristics of the track. The Red Bull Racing, Car #6 driver received a harsh reality check finishing 18th after 19 laps as the 2nd qualifying session drew to a close.
Mark Webber turned 34 as the F1 crew returned from a scheduled 3 week hibernation spell at Belgium, only to see the rain dampen proceedings for the RBR team. The Renault powered car struggled with a fastest lap of 1:51.636; 2 long Formula One seconds more than Ferrari ace Fernando Alonso on pole.
Alonso dominated both practice sessions arguably due to his efficient Ferrari and sheer determination as the Spanish completed 25 laps, the longest run today. With a 20 point gap between Birthday-boy Webber and number 8 Ferrari, it is all going to come down to whoever has the nerves of steel.
The second spot was claimed by a German; not RBR-Renault driver Vettel, nor by old-timer Michael Schumacher or his promising young teammate Nico Rosberg, but a surprise package in the form of Force India driver Adrian Sutil. The perceived underdog was able to come up with a flying lap of 1:49.157; A mere tenth of a second slower than Fernando Alonso and in 8 fewer laps. The performance could well in truly be a season highlight for the sixth seeded constructors.
Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button both looked competitive after retiring from a hard day’s work in third and seventh positions respectively. Since both drivers had flying laps within 1 sec of the free practice session leader, the McLaren Mercedes dug out would be relatively pleased with today’s weather in mind.
"Considering the conditions, I think today was a reasonable day. We've still got some more work to do, but I'm happier with the car here than I was in the last couple of races.” commented a rather content Jenson Button.
Sebastian Vettel managed to salvage some pride for the Red Bull Racing team by qualifying in the respective 1:49’s, however it is as plain as it can be that Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes have adapted better to life at Spa-Francorchamps so far.
Elsewhere, ‘The 2010 Mediocrity Show’ sponsored by the Mercedes GP team did not disappoint. As the soap opera ventured into its thirteenth episode, there was yet another twist with Michael Schumacher out-qualifying his team mate Nico Rosberg by a single spot! On the flip side, both drivers finished 12th and 13th respectively. The drama does not end there as Schumi will be docked ten places irrespective of where he qualifies on the grid after the ‘close encounter’ with former Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barichello. Therefore the Ross Brawn award for outstanding performance on the outskirts of the point scoring places is still up for grabs.
Both leading artists had contrasting accounts which truly makes it hard for a lay-man who did npt watch the practice session to decide what literally went down this Friday on the circuit.
“It’s obviously a beautiful feeling to be back on this track which is still great to drive.” – Idealist, Michael Schumacher
"It's been a difficult day for us as we have been trying to get our revised parts for the car to work.” – Critic, Nico Rosberg
Taking into consideration the performances of both Mercedes GP leads, the obvious advice would be to disregard what either party said and simply go along your gut feeling as to what truly conspired at Spa and what will happen to Mercedes in the future.
Mark Webber should advisably enjoy his birthday for the time being. Despite the Aussie driver’s quantitative advantage in the driver standings, Webber noticeably suffers in the experience department, albeit adding a year to his portfolio and ideally settling down with a ‘bestseller’ autobiography when he decides to takeoff his driving gloves.
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