Problematic qualifying session for Honda
The Honda Racing F1 Team drivers endured a difficult qualifying at the Sepang International Circuit today with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello ending the session in 15th and 19th positions respectively.
Q1 got underway in extremely hot conditions. The air temperature was a stifling 35 degrees and the track temperature was in the mid-50s when both drivers took to the track just after 2pm local time. They completed three runs each during the 15-minute session , with Jenson’s best lap of 1:35.913s placing him in 13th place.
Given the performance issues it has experienced here this weekend, the team was realistic about the challenge of today’s qualifying session, but was disappointed that both cars were unable to make it through to Q2. A gearbox problem with Rubens’ race car confined it to the garage at the start of the hour-long session, forcing a last-minute switch to the spare car, which was not set-up for him. Q1 was therefore an even bigger struggle than anticipated.
Afterwards, Jenson Button said: “I’m obviously very frustrated. We know where we are at the moment and we’re doing the best with what we have, but qualifying 15th is still difficult to accept. We made it through to Q2 but the car isn’t good enough to get us through to the final session at the moment. It was unbelievable how much grip I lost towards the end of the second session. So, we start from the second half of the grid and we’ll have to see what the race brings, but this is always a tough race and tomorrow will be no exception.”
Even more frustrated was Rubens Barrichello who will now have to start from the back of the grid for tomorrow’s 56-lap race. “There is very little I can say, I am so disappointed. Given our current performance level, qualifying well was always going to be a struggle, but to find myself where I am is so frustrating. Immediately before the session we had the problem with my race car, so I had to switch to the spare car. That car wasn’t set up for me so in many ways it was like starting from the beginning again. At least by the end of free practice today my race car was well-balanced but obviously I wasn’t able to benefit from the small improvement we had made with that car this morning, which is very frustrating. Obviously starting from the back of the grid tomorrow I can only see what opportunities arise in the race and that is the best we can expect.”
All the cars on the grid have to spend until tomorrow morning in parc ferme, so, although the Honda Racing F1 Team cannot work on the cars, the engineers still have plenty of time to finalise the team’s strategy for the 56-lap race.
