Vettel quickest in final practice for Malaysian GP

Defending world champion Sebastian Vettel looks set to be in the running for pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix after finishing quickest in the final free practice session.

The Red Bull driver posted a time of 1:36.435, edging out a charging Lewis Hamilton at the top after the Briton led for most of the session. Also in close contention were Adrian Sutil and Mark Webber, both of whom finished within two-tenths of Vettel’s time.

Although heavy rain had been forecast, Free Practice 3 saw the track basking in hot and sunny conditions, allowing the teams to make the most of the dry track ahead of qualifying later. Most of the drivers opted to focus on their longer runs on the harder tire before switching to the medium compound later on in the session. With around five minutes to go, Vettel posted the quickest time to take P1 from Hamilton.

Red Bull and Mercedes will be very pleased with the result, as will Force India, who finished 3rd and 6th ahead of both Ferrari and McLaren. Qualifying could see a dramatic change in the running order, but with the top ten separated by less than one second, it appears the battle for pole position is wide open.

Malaysian GP – Free Practice 3 Classification

1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:36.435

2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:36.568 +0.133

3 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:36.588 +0.153

4 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:36.613 +0.178

5 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 1:36.806 +0.371

6 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:36.807 +0.372

7 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.822 +0.387

8 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:36.946 +0.511

9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:36.949 +0.514

10 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:37.302 +0.867

11 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1:37.359 +0.924

12 Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1:37.538 +1.103

13 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1:37.685 +1.250

14 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:37.690 +1.255

15 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1:37.936 +1.501

16 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:38.294 +1.859

17 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 1:38.376 +1.941

18 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 1:38.425 +1.990

19 Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1:38.995 +2.560

20 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1:39.717 +3.282

21 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1:40.209 +3.774

22 Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1:40.495 +4.060

Lincoln Tech and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced a continuation of their long-time partnership earlier this year, and part of that partnership included a return of their mentorship program, which sees Lincoln Tech students join SPM’s team during select race weekends.

The ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway will add a new and interesting chapter to that program as the students selected happen to be twin sisters.

Jacqueline and Nathalie Mische, who are studying Automotive Technology at Lincoln Tech’s East Windsor, CT campus, will be part of James Hinchcliffe’s No. 5 Arrow Electronics Honda team during the Pocono weekend.

Jacqueline and Nathalie Mische will be part of James Hinchcliffe’s team at Pocono. Photo: IndyCar

What’s even more interesting is that Jacqueline and Nathalie previously worked in a hair salon as after graduating from beauty school. They explained that one of their Lincoln Tech instructors, Kristopher Fluckiger, put the idea of pursuing a career in the racing field in their heads.

“He was a Lincoln Tech graduate, and then he was actually a racer,” Natalie and Jacqueline said of Mr. Fluckiger in a video release by Lincoln Tech detailing their story. “When we had him for steering and suspension, he always told us about stagger and race cars. He integrated racing into everything he was teaching us.”

And the young women feel both humbled and surprised by the opportunity at hand.

“It’s still so surreal. When everyone told us that we got chosen – to be able to go, we feel honored that we get that opportunity,” Natalie revealed.

Jacqueline added, “Especially two of us from one campus, we kind of didn’t think we could (both get nominated).”

Kevin Clark, Director of Education at the East Windsor campus, spoke very highly of the Mische sisters and feels that they both earned the opportunity.

“(They) are truly deserving of this honor – being selected for the SPM Mentor program,” said Clark. “They are outstanding students with exceptional GPAs and near-perfect attendance. They are always upbeat, positive, and smiling while actively engaged in their education and helping others.”

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