Vettel takes pole in wet-dry qualifying for Malaysian GP

By Mar 23, 2013, 5:20 AM EDT
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Sebastian Vettel has claimed pole position for tomorrow’s Malaysian Grand Prix after mastering the tricky conditions in qualifying to finish quickest.

A short rain shower during Q2 meant that the drivers were forced to use intermediate tires during the final qualifying session, and it was a question of who could post the last lap time to take advantage of the drying track.

Vettel got to grips with his intermediate tires, finishing almost one second ahead of closest challenger Felipe Massa. The Brazilian driver outqualified Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso, who finished in third place.

Mercedes finished a solid fourth and sixth, with Lewis Hamilton edging out Nico Rosberg, whilst Mark Webber could not match his teammate’s front row start, qualifying down in fifth. Kimi Raikkonen finished P7 ahead of Jenson Button, and McLaren will be thankful for the rain after getting both of their cars into Q3, although Sergio Perez could only finish P10. Adrian Sutil failed to repeat his form from practice, qualifying ninth.

Q1 saw the Sepang International Circuit basking in bright sunshine, and Red Bull were very nearly caught out as Vettel and Webber left it late to set a time, only just avoiding the drop. Less fortunate was Jean-Eric Vergne, who joined Valtteri Bottas in the drop zone alongside Marussia and Caterham. Jules Bianchi outqualified Pic, Chilton and van der Garde once again, finishing just 0.5s off a place in Q2.

Paul di Resta was the biggest loser in Q2, opting to abort an early lap to take on fresh tires. Once the rain fell, it was too late, and the Force India driver ended up in P15. Romain Grosjean was also caught out by the weather, and he will not have the advantage of fresh tires due to the wet Q3 session, meaning that the top ten can also start on new Pirelli tires.

Red Bull will be pleased with their pace in the wet conditions, and with the forecast suggesting that rain could fall during the race, they will be hoping for Mark Webber to make a better start in order to support Vettel during the race. With Ferrari, Lotus and Mercedes also in the running, the race tomorrow is set to be a close affair.

1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:49.674

2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:50.587

3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:50.727

4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:51.699

5 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:52.244

6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:52.519

7 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 1:52.970

8 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:53.175

9 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:53.439

10 Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1:54.136

11 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:37.636

12 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1:38.125

13 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 1:38.822 12

14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:39.221

15 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:44.509

16 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault No time

17 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 1:38.157

18 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1:38.207

19 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1:38.434

20 Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1:39.314

21 Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1:39.672

22 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1:39.932

After New York whirlwind, Josef Newgarden makes special trip to simulator before Detroit

By Jun 2, 2023, 10:00 AM EDT
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DETROIT – There’s no rest for the weary as an Indy 500 winner, but Josef Newgarden discovered there are plenty of extra laps.

The reigning Indy 500 champion added an extra trip Wednesday night back to Concord, N.C., for one last session on the GM Racing simulator before Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

After a 30-year run on the Belle Isle course, the race has been moved to a nine-turn, 1.7-mile layout downtown, so two extra hours on the simulator were worth it for Newgarden.

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“I really wanted to do it,” he told NBC Sports at a Thursday media luncheon. “If there’s any time that the sim is most useful, it’s in this situation when no one has ever been on a track, and we’re able to simulate it as best as we can. We want to get some seat time.

“It’s extra important coming off the Indy 500 because you’ve been out of rhythm for a road or street course-type environment, so I really wanted some laps. I was really appreciative to Chevy. There was a few guys that just came in and stayed late for me so I could get those laps before coming up here. I don’t know if it’s going to make a difference, but I feel like it’s going to help for me.”

After a whirlwind tour of New York for two days, Newgarden arrived at the simulator (which is at the GM Racing Technical Center adjacent to Hendrick Motorsports) in time for a two hour session that started at 6 p.m. Wednesday. He stayed overnight in Charlotte and then was up for an early commercial flight to Detroit, where he had more media obligations.

Newgarden joked that if he had a jet, he would have made a quick stop in Nashville, Tennessee, but a few more days away from home (where he has yet to return in weeks) is a worthy tradeoff for winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing – though the nonstop interviews can take a toll.

“It’s the hardest part of the gig for me is all this fanfare and celebration,” Newgarden said. “I love doing it because I’m so passionate about the Indy 500 and that racetrack and what that race represents. I feel honored to be able to speak about it. It’s been really natural and easy for me to enjoy it because I’ve been there for so many years.

“Speaking about this win has been almost the easiest job I’ve ever had for postrace celebrations. But it’s still for me a lot of work. I get worn out pretty easily. I’m very introverted. So to do this for three days straight, it’s been a lot.”

Though he is terrified of heights, touring the top of the Empire State Building for the first time was a major highlight (and produced the tour’s most viral moment).

“I was scared to get to the very top level,” Newgarden said. “That thing was swaying. No one else thought it was swaying. I’m pretty sure it was. I really impressed by the facility. I’d never seen it before. It’s one of those bucket list things. If you go to New York, it’s really special to do that. So to be there with the wreath and the whole setup, it just felt like an honor to be in that moment.”

Now the attention shifts to Detroit and an inaugural circuit that’s expected to be challenging. Along with a Jefferson Avenue straightaway that’s 0.9 miles long, the track has several low-speed corners and a “split” pit lane (teams will stop on both sides of a rectangular area) with a narrow exit that blends just before a 90-degree lefthand turn into Turn 1.

Newgarden thinks the track is most similar to the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.

“It’s really hard to predict with this stuff until we actually run,” he said. “Maybe we go super smooth and have no issues. Typically when you have a new event, you’re going to have some teething issues. That’s understandable. We’ve always got to massage the event to get it where we want it, but this team has worked pretty hard. They’ve tried to get feedback constantly on what are we doing right, what do we need to look out for. They’ve done a ton of grinding to make sure this surface is in as good of shape as possible.

“There’s been no expense spared, but you can’t foresee everything. I have no idea how it’s going to race. I think typically when you look at a circuit that seems simple on paper, people tend to think it’s not going to be an exciting race, or challenging. I find the opposite always happens when we think that way. Watch it be the most exciting, chaotic, entertaining race.

Newgarden won the last two pole positions at Belle Isle’s 2.35-mile layout and hopes to continue the momentum while avoiding any post-Brickyard letdown.

“I love this is an opportunity for us to get something right quicker than anyone else,” he said. “A new track is always exciting from that standpoint. I feel I’m in a different spot. I’m pretty run down. I’m really trying to refocus and gain some energy back for tomorrow. Which I’ll have time to today, which is great.

“I don’t want that Indy 500 hangover. People always talk about it. They’ve always observed it. That doesn’t mean we have to win this weekend, but I’d like to leave here feeling like we had a really complete event, did a good job and had a solid finish leading into the summer. I want to win everywhere I go, but if we come out of here with a solid result and no mistakes, then probably everyone will be happy with it.”