QUALIFYING REPORT
In the drop zone going into the
final runs, though, were Haas’ Esteban
Gutierrez, Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson,
Felipe Nasr in the second Sauber, Manor’s
Pascal Wehrlein, McLaren’s Fernando
Alonso and the second Manor of Esteban
Ocon.
Gutierrez went into the final runs just
four hundredths of a second off Jolyon
Palmer’s P16 time and the Mexican easily
bypassed that in the closing moments,
jumping to P16.
Palmer though erred and slipped down
the order. It meant that he qualified in P19
behind Ericsson and Nasr. Also out went
Ocon and Wehrlein and Alonso, who due
to engine changes will take a sufficiently
large grid penalty to make extended
running in qualifying pointless.
Mercedes were again on track early
in Q2 and Rosberg was first across the
line with a time of 1:33.609. Hamilton was
tearing through the sectors, though, and
despite a moment were he overran a kerb
the Briton posted a time almost six tenths
clear of the championship leader.
Behind them Red Bull took third and
fourth with Verstappen ahead, while Ferrari
were fifth and sixth. Fifth-place Raikkonen
was just five thousandths of a second
behind Ricciardo.
In the drop zone ahead og the final Q2
runs were the sole remaining McLaren of
Jenson Button, the Haas cars of Romain
Grosjean and Gutierrez, Renault’s Kevin
Magnussen and the Toro Rossos of Carlos
Sainz and Daniil Kvyat.