A tense qualifying session from start to finish saw both Lotus F1 Team drivers make the pole position shoot-out, but ultimately struggle to bring the best out of the E20 in a closely fought battle for positions on tomorrows Belgian Grand Prix grid
Kimi Rikknen, E20-05 Position: Q1 P5 / Q2 P2 / Q3 P4 Best Time: Q1 1:49.546 / Q2 1:48.414 / Q3 1:48.205 Laps Completed: Q1 5 / Q2 3 / Q3 6
Romain Grosjean, E20-04 Position: Q1 P17 / Q2 P8 / Q3 P9 Best Time: Q1 1:50.126 / Q2 1:48.714 / Q3 1:48.538 Laps Completed: Q1 8 / Q2 5 / Q3 5
For a full run-down of the sessions final standings, visit our results page.
Qualifying 1 Key Moments: 02mins: RG out on hard tyres 11mins: KR follows on the same rubber 13mins: RG out for a 2nd stint; medium compound tyres this time 17mins: KR jumps up to P3 on the medium rubber 19mins: KR slips to P5, RG blocked on his final flyer; tense finish for the Frenchman 20mins: Chequered flag; KR P5, RG sneaks through in P17Summary:
The stunning weather of the morning continued as qualifying got underway at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps this afternoon. Romain became one of the first to emerge from the pit lane for his initial run as the green lights illuminated, while Kimi waited until the midpoint of the session to make his first appearance.
Both drivers began on the silver marked hard compound Pirelli tyres, switching to the white marked medium rubber later on in proceedings.
While Kimi looked comfortable throughout this early stage of qualifying, Romain encountered a few issues with his setup. After being held up on his final flying lap, the closing seconds of the session were a tense affair for the Frenchman; eventually squeaking into the next phase in P17 while his Finnish counterpart sailed through in P5.
Qualifying 2 Key Moments: 00mins: RG first out of the team garage on hard tyres 02mins: KR follows on the medium compound 04mins: RG up to P3 despite using the harder rubber 05mins: KR goes fastest on his mediums; remains parked in the garage for the remainder of the session 13mins: Final attack for RG to make certain of a Q3 appearance; abandons lap after being confirmed in the top 10 late on 15mins: Chequered flag: KR P2 / RG P8Summary:
Both Lotus F1 Team drivers came flying out of the traps in the second session; Kimi topping the time sheets in the early stages, while Romain using the harder compound tyres as opposed to his team-mates medium rubber produced a fine lap to leapfrog up into the top five.
The Finn opted to remain in the garage for the remainder of running after the team decided his time would be enough to progress without a second attempt. So it would play out; the Finn progressing in P2.
Romain opted for an additional run to make absolutely sure he would join his team-mate in the pole position shoot-out, but abandoned the lap halfway through after being confirmed in P8 whilst on a flyer.
Qualifying 3 Key Moments: 00mins: KR flies out of the traps for an early run; medium tyres for the Finn 01mins: RG follows on the same rubber 04mins: KR settles into P2 with his first timed run, RG aborts his lap and returns to base 07mins: KR & RG both out for final assaults on the circuit; medium rubber for both 10mins: Both struggle during their final efforts; KR eventually clinching P4, RG crossing the line to take P9Summary:
With just two drivers Kimi alongside Jenson [Button] posting times in the initial stages of the third session, the battle for pole was a frantic affair.
With both E20s looking good in the previous phases, it was all or nothing as the field grew increasingly tight. Unfortunately for the pair, minor mistakes in each of their laps meant that the early promise remained unfulfilled; Kimi eventually clinching P4 and Romain P9 on a congested grid for tomorrows Belgian Grand Prix
