An amazing shock: pole for Williams!
Sutil and Buemi have five-place grid penalties after Korea. It's wet, but cars are in full-dry specs because the weather tomorrow for the race is expected to be good. This is not a good situation for the drivers. With a limited number of intermediate tyres, they had to be especially careful.
With rain expected early, everyone was queuing up at the start of Q1 to get out. Buemi, who was fast in practice three, was at the front. All 24 cars went out, giving a similar feeling to Monaco. Times continually improved as the track dried out. It was Sutil who went out with the usual six, and no rain came until just after the session. Alonso, meanwhile, was the first man under 1:19 seconds, with Button faster than Hamilton. Timo Glock had a good session, outqualifying both Lotus drivers. Poor old last-placed Bruno Senna didn't make it back to the pits, and had to walk. Not good for his first Brazilian Grand Prix.
Q2, and the track was drying. It was close for Button and Massa, but in the end the Ferrari just managed to push the McLaren out with tyres failing. Alguersuari outqualified Buemi for the fourth race in a row, but Liuzzi had a slow one. However, both Renaults, Williams, Ferraris and Red Bulls got through, as well as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Finally it was Q3. Half-way through the session, it was all in for soft tyres as the intermediates struggled. It was touch and go, with all the drivers struggling for grip especially on the final sector. But it was Nico Hulkenberg who surprised everyone, with his last two laps both good enough for pole position. Williams get their first pole of the season, over a second faster than the field! Even more amazing, Hulkenberg is only a rookie.
Vettel was only second, with Webber, Hamilton, Alonso, Barrichello, Kubica, Schumacher, Massa and Petrov.
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