We assess the main talking points from Japan qualifying as Nico Rosberg beat Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to secure his first pole position since the Spanish GP in May.
Things we learned from Japan qualifying
Singapore was indeed a blip for Mercedes
Mercedes have yet to offer a concrete explanation for their relative woes in Singapore, and perhaps that’s because there isn’t one. Instead, their miserable weekend at Marina Bay appears to have come as a result of a number of factors – including a poor setup and issues with maintaining tyre temperature. The question on everyone’s lips heading to Suzuka was: ‘will Mercedes return to form?’. The answer proved to be an emphatic “yes” in qualifying, as the Silver Arrows went largely unchallenged en route to their tenth front-row lock-out of the 2015 season.
“I don’t want to say that the status quo is resumed, because that would mean it was somehow automatic for us to be at the front at each weekend; it’s not, and the team and drivers have done a fantastic job to deliver this afternoon,” the team’s boss Toto Wolff said.
“We know we didn’t get everything right in Singapore, today we managed to do that and qualified on the front row with a good margin.”
Realistically, Mercedes’ dominance was never going to end so abruptly – even if the red team prayed so optimistically that it would. The Brackley outfit are set to dominate from the front once again on Sunday, with those behind locked in a fight to be ‘best of the rest’.
Rosberg won’t go down without a fight
Nico Rosberg declared a policy of “maximum attack” when F1 returned from its summer break, but it’s only really in Suzuka where we’ve seen it have take effect. He was crushed by his team-mate Hamilton at Spa, powerless to mount a challenge in Monza and anonymous in Singapore, leaving him 41 points off the pace (although he made small inroads last time out). Prior to the weekend, the German driver declared that nothing less than a win would do. ‘Same old, same old,’ I thought, expecting him to once again fail to fulfil his pre-race promises.
Having failed to beat Hamilton a Saturday since Spain, Rosberg was the quicker of the two on the first run of Q3 before a massive shunt for Daniil Kvyat brought an early end to proceedings. Lewis Hamilton hinted afterwards that his final lap may have been good enough to earn him pole position, but the fact remains that Rosberg was faster, and would likely have found time himself.
There’s no doubt that he’ll be under pressure from his title rival in Sunday’s race, having been forced to settle for 2nd at Suzuka last year after starting on pole as Hamilton found a way past. Victory for Rosberg, you would imagine, would only allow him to gain 7 points on his counterpart – small, but nevertheless important, gains. Hamilton would perhaps be out of sight if things went his way tomorrow, and only one man has the tools to stop him.
F1 is safer than ever
We were focused on Valtteri Bottas’ Williams as Kvyat spectacularly crashed out of qualifying, and all that was visible was a cloud of dust in this distance. Kvyat, who thankfully emerged unscathed, drifted onto the grass before slamming into the tyre wall and rolling his Red Bull. His car was destroyed by the impact, but he casually leapt from the wreckage as if he had hit a traffic cone before spending a matter of minutes in the medical centre.
Given the severity of the impact, it was remarkable that he appeared to sustain no more than a red face but it was a testament to the considerable strides made in improving safety in recent years. Jules Bianchi, of course, suffered ultimately fatal injuries at Suzuka 12 months ago following an accident which occurred as a result of a number of unique circumstances. As we reflect upon such a tragedy, it’s easy to forget that F1 is safer than ever before with drivers like Kvyat able to escape massive shunts.
The Russian faces a pit-lane start for Sunday’s race, and his crew will no doubt be working long into the night to repair the damage. Look out for his anticipated charge through the field tomorrow.
It just won’t go right for Button
Jenson Button was forced to deflect a myriad of questions regarding his potential retirement during Thursday’s press conference, with the journalists impressively finding a number of ways to phrase the same question. Despite reports to the contrary, I genuinely believe Button is yet to decide on his future; yet the events of qualifying will do little to convince him to give it one more year.
Button switched to the medium compound early in Q1, but failed to utilise the faster rubber after miscommunication with his McLaren pit wall. McLaren, as he rightly pointed out, simply cannot afford to be making basic errors in their lowly position. To make matters worse, Max Verstappen parked his Toro Rosso on the side of the circuit in the dying seconds as he hit electrical issues – the subsequent yellow flags denying Button the escape the drop zone.
The British driver will need a slice of luck if he is to score points for just the third time since season, and hopefully he will not bow out with a whimper in the remaining races.
The loss of Grosjean would be a big one for Lotus
Romain Grosjean’s seemingly imminent move to 2016 newcomers Haas F1 – motivated by their links to Ferrari with a potential 2017 vacancy at Maranello – not only represents a huge coup for the American outfit, but also a big loss for Lotus – whatever name they race under next year.
Grosjean has given Pastor Maldonado a comprehensive battering in 2015, particularly on a Saturday – when he has only been defeated once by the Venezuelan. The Frenchman looks to be one of the most under-rated drivers in the current crop, having often out-performed 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen during their time as team-mates. His podium at Spa reminded us of his scintillating speed in a competitive car, which the Enstone outfit have struggled to provide in the last two years.
He managed to squeeze into Q3 again on Saturday, qualifying eighth as his team-mate missed the cut. With rumours that his move to Haas will be confirmed on Tuesday, Lotus may now be realising that they have let one of the sport’s finest talents slip from their grasp. For the moment, he’ll be looking to add to his improving haul of points on race day.
