UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > Chaos as Vettel takes pole

Glock hurt in huge crash

Suzuka is, as Lewis Hamilton has declared this weekend, a great circuit, one that is very much in keeping with the heart and soul of Grand Prix racing, yet qualifying gave us another reminder of the danger that lurks beneath the glamour and the glitz of the paddock.

In fact, we had been given a sharp reminder in the final practice session – in which Jarno Trulli produced a confidence boosting fastest lap for Toyota – when Mark Webber had an off at the second Degner (remember that) corner and hit the barriers quite hard. The driver was unharmed, but the chassis damaged beyond repair, meaning the Australian had to sit out qualifying entirely while his dedicated crew work through the day and night to prepare the car for the race.

Into qualifying itself and the first session went without drama and without progression for Tonio Liuzzi who had been forced to have a new gearbox on his Force India and thus faced a five place drop, while Romain Grosjean (Renault) also struggled and Giancarlo Fisichella, despite taking the Ferrari around the circuit within half a second of Kimi Raikkonen’s time, became the final of the four fallers.

It was in the second session that the drama began, and it was young Jaime Alguersuari who gave us the first red flag of the day when his Toro Rosso went into the barriers at Degner. The youngster was fit despite having to be extracted from the car, but the car a mess and, quite clearly, out of the running.

The session had been restarted for just a short time when Timo Glock hit the barriers in his Toyota at the final chicane at some speed. This was a big shunt and out came the flags again, plus the medical team who very carefully removed the German from the wreck and laid him on a stretcher. He was flown to hospital complaining of back pain and an injured leg, and we will bring you news of his condition as soon as we have it.

With the session interrupted everyone had to start again, and the chaos resumed close to the end of the session, with everyone on fast laps, as Sebastien Buemi spun his STR at Spoon curve and left bits of car all over the circuit. Here is where controversy may reign following the session for while yellow flags waved the two Brawn drivers clearly made improvements; others, including Nico Rosberg in the Williams, Robert Kubica in the BMW and, in particular, a very angry Fernando Alonso in the Renault, backed off for the flags and were therefore eliminated. We expect protests, so the current starting grid is entirely provisional.

Up front and Sebastian Vettel had been dominating the sessions so far with fastest times in both, and so it was to be in the final shoot out as he battled with Trulli, Hamilton in the McLaren and Adrian Sutil in the again very quick Force India for pole, but it was not without drama here as yet another red flag was waved for an accident in which Heikki Kovalainen put the McLaren into the Degner barriers on his first attempt. The Finn will start ninth, protests pending.

Trulli duly joins Vettel on the front row – a great boost for Toyota – with Hamilton and Sutil behind them, while at the moment the Brawns start fifth – for Jenson Button – and seventh for Rubens Barrichello. Between them comes Nick Heidfeld in the BMW, while Kimi Raikkonen lines up eighth for Ferrari.

Any changes will be reported as we hear of them.

Written: Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:44:53