Italian GP : More of the same from Williams in Qualifying

For the AT&T Williams F1 team qualifying for the 2011 Italian Grand Prix would be a difficult time, based on their pace in practice. Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado would finish Saturday practice in fifteenth and eighteenth. It was not looking like either driver would make it into the top ten. Also the team may decide to not even try and save tyres for the race. With the start of the first twenty minute period it would be Trulli first out. He would be joined by the HRT and Virgin cars. Team-mate Kovalainen would also come out along with the Renault's of Petrov and Senna. More drivers would leave the pit lane including both Torro Rosso cars and both Force India cars. It was confirmed that Pastor had a KERS failure at the end of the Saturday practice.

For Williams Rubens would be first out while Trulli would set a 1m:33.967 only to be beaten by Glock with a 1m:28.466. More drivers would set time with Ricciardo second. But we would have more drivers et quicker times. Alguersuari would now be fastest with a 1m:26.610 from Perez and Glock. Rubens was out on the medium tyre as Button went fastest with a 1m:24.872. Di Resta was now second followed by Sutil and Alguersuari now fourth. Rubens first time would see him only fifteenth with a 1m:29.643. This would become seventeenth as we had Vettel go second, 1m:25.027. Alonso would move into second with a 1m:25.000 with Vettel third. Di Resta was fourth as Hamilton moved to the top of the times with a 1m:24.476. This would be short lived as Vettel went faster with a 1m:24.002 and Button was now second, 1m:24.190.

Hamilton was now third from Alonso, Massa, and Di Resta. Rubens had improved his time with a 1m:26.126 to now be tenth. Pastor had come out but would ruin his session by making a mistake at the Parabolica seeing him hit the barrier with the front of his car. He would pit without having set a time. If they could not fix his car he would start from last. At the front Hamilton was again faster with a 1m:23.97 while Rubens had pitted, currently in eleventh. In the Williams pit Pastor's mechanics were looking at his car. Pastor had told his mechanics that when he opened the DRS he had a massive shift in the balance of his car seeing him spin.

Hamilton and Vettel had both pitted with eight minutes remaining. Webber was out on the track and his first time would see him seventh, 1m:25.077. Rosberg was on a quick lap, fastest in sector one, but he would only move into sixth, 1m:24.550. Pastor's car was repaired and he would come back out. Rubens was still in his pit and in thirteenth. Rubens would come back out with five minutes remaining. Webber would improve to be fifth, 1m:24.148. Those at the rear were coming back out on the soft tyre. Pastor was back out on the soft tyre as we had Perez move into tenth, 1m:25.113, running on the soft tyre. The top seven were all still in their pits as we had Petrov improve to be sixth, 1m:24.486.

Pastor would start his flying lap setting a 1m:25.423 to be twelfth. Rubens would also set an improved time with a 1m:25.369 to be thirteenth while Pastor was now fourteenth. This would become fifteenth as Alguersuari took this spot. Di Resta and Sutil were in ninth and tenth as the period drew to a close. On the soft tyres Senna was now tenth with Rubens and Pastor now fifteenth and sixteenth. Pastor was on an improved lap setting a 1m:24.789 to now be tenth. Rubens had dropped to eighteenth as the period ended. Sutil was now tenth with Pastor eleventh. Rubens was able to find some extra pace to move up to fourteenth, 1m:24.975. Those not making the cut were Alguersuari, Trulli, Kovalainen, Glock, D'Ambrosio, Ricciardo, and Liuzzi. The top ten was Hamilton followed by Vettel, Button, Alonso, Webber, Petrov, Massa, Rosberg, Di Resta, and Sutil.

Despite his DRS induced spin Pastor had made it into the second period, joined by Rubens. The second fifteen minute period would commence with Pastor out straight away. He was joined by Rubens and Senna. Both Williams drivers were out on the medium tyre for their next runs. Vettel and Button had also come out as Pastor made a mistake at the first chicane ruining his lap. Pastor would set a 1m:25.716 as we now had both Ferrari's, Rosberg, and Webber out on the track. A 1m:24.715, on soft tyres, would see Senna fastest. Rubens was third with a 1m:28.024. Pastor would improve with a 1m:26.411 as we now had Vettel fastest, 1m:23.105, from Button, 1m:23.427. Senna was now third and Rubens now fourth, 1m:26.054.

Hamilton was now third, 1m:23.740, but Alonso would take this spot with a 1m:23.561. Pastor had pitted currently in tenth. Vettel would be on the soft tyre setting a 1m:22.914 with Webber now second with a lap of 1m:23.387. Also on the soft tyre Rosberg would move up to second, 1m:23.335. Rubens was also in the pits with even minutes remaining. Button was now second, 1m:23.031. Rubens and Pastor were in twelfth and thirteenth. Webber was now fourth but Alonso would move ahead with a 1m:23.342. Webber was fifth from Massa, Hamilton, Petrov, Schumacher, and Senna now in tenth. Pastor was back out as Sutil moved up to eleventh, 1m:24.741. Rubens was also back out for his final laps. Schumacher would improve to sixth from ninth, 1m:23.671. Perez was now thirteenth, 1m:25.164.

Di Resta was also on a quicker lap as Hamilton came out on the soft tyre. Hamilton was currently eighth as Di Resta moved up to tenth, 1m:24.163. Pastor would set a 1m:24.891 to be thirteenth. Rubens was also on the soft tyre and was on a better lap. He would set a 1m:24.861 to move into thirteenth with Pastor now fourteenth. Hamilton was on a quicker lap as Perez moved into thirteenth, 1m:24.845. Hamilton would finish his lap to be third, 1m:23.172. Di Resta was still tenth with Sutil eleventh. Rubens and Pastor were now in fourteenth and fifteenth as the period came to an end. But on his last lap Pastor would improve to set a 1m:24.726 to still be outside the top ten in thirteenth. Rubens would finish his alp moving ahead of Pastor as Senna moved into tenth, 1m:24.157. This would push Di Resta outside the top ten in eleventh. Joining Di Resta in not making the cut were Sutil, Rubens, Pastor, Perez, Buemi, and Kobayashi.

The top ten would be Vettel from Button, Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso, Webber, Schumacher, Massa, Petrov, and Senna tenth. For the Williams team the result was about what would have been expected based on their practice form. Now it would come down to strategy for the race.

First out for the final ten minute period would be the Ferrari's with Massa leading Alonso. Next out would be the McLarens of Hamilton and Button. Petrov would be next out as Alonso set a 1m:22.999 to be fastest. Massa would set a 1m:23.252. But Button would go fastest with a 1m:22.777. But he would be passed as Vettel set a 1m:22.613 with Hamilton now second, 1m:22.725.

Webber, Schumacher, and Senna would only be looking at doing one run. Vettel was on a quicker lap but would back out of it at the end of the lap after having made a mistake at Ascari. Rosberg was now seventh, 1m:25.514. The top six had all pitted as Webber started his lap. Webber would finish in fifth, 1m:23.126 as we had all the top drivers now out on the track. Senna was still in his pit as Rosberg went fastest in sector one. Alonso would go faster with it all to play for. The period would come to an end as the drivers came round to complete their laps. Both McLaren's would pit while Vettel would set a 1m:22.275 to remain fastest. Hamilton would remain second from Button, Alonso, Webber, Massa, Petrov, Schumacher, Rosberg and Senna tenth without having set a time.

Another pole for Vettel while for the Williams team Sunday's race is again going to be a difficult time with the possibility of securing a points scoring finish looking very remote.