QUALIFYING REPORT
It was a a major collision
and the session was halted as
the car was recovered and the
debris was cleared.
However, with 100 seconds
left on the clock there was still
time to for drivers to get out on
track and cross the line before
the chequered flag fell.
A long line of cars formed
up at the pit exit in anticipation
of the restart and the wait was
too much for the second Toro
Rosso of Carlos Sainz. As
he exited the pit lane smoke
began to billow from the back
of his car, his session ending
up in smoke. With yellow
flags showing in Sectors 1
and 2 there was no chance of
improvement and eliminated
at that stage, from P17
back, were Renault’s Kevin
Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer,
Manor’s Rio Haryanto, Kvyat
and the Saubers of Marcus
Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.
Q2 began with a threat of
rain in the air leading to a flurry
of activity early in the session
as the field posted ‘banker’
laps. With the rain holding off
as the session entered its final
five minutes, Ferrari and Red
Bull made a strategic move
for the race by sending their
drivers out on supersoft tyres.