The Japanese Grand Prix - Qualifying Highlights Formula 1

DRUM BEAT 11 times the driver's title has

been won around this old circuit. Beware, Suzuka delivers as much

pain as it does pleasure. It is an unforgiving track. Welcome to

qualifying for the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. David, despite the

dangers that exist around this place, the drivers love it. They

talk about a flow and a rhythm. What do they mean? This track is

one of the classic Grand Prix tracks. It's been here since the

'60s. It's built on the side of a hill. You have this rollercoaster

feel that attacks the senses - fast, narrow, Suzuka is up there with the

Spas and Monte Carlos. It is the 50th anniversary since this track

was built by Honda. We are hoping for a race weekend to remember.

This has been a week to remember for Lewis Hamilton. He has been on

the front and the back pages. How does a driver that exists to race,

how does he turn his attention back to racing? There is nothing quite

like travelling at 200mph to focus your mind. That is how he gets his

focus on the racetrack. He goes out on the circuit and at that moment,

you are alone with your own thoughts and you are battling the

circuit and the car and trying to deliver the lap time. It is when he

gets out the car that the distractions become an issue.

was Lewis. Clearly, his charms have attracted Mercedes. Every single

We are going to get up close and personal with the garages in a

moment. What are your memories of being here with those fans? They

have always loved Formula One in Japan? They are particularly mad

here for Formula One! The team hotel is the other side of the

circuit and they swarm around there. They line the road from the hotel

to the circuit which must be about a kilometre, all waving, trying to

get pictures. They have been blessed over the years - they have

often had the chance to celebrate a world title with the driver. We

turned up here in 2011 and Sebastian Vettel won the title here.

The fans aren't going to get a chance to cheer a Championship.

This is how it is looking in the battle for the Championship. Kimi

Raikkonen is 45 points back. Wouldn't Sebastian Vettel love to

repeat what he did a couple of years ago when he took the

Championship at the end of the season? In the Constructors' battle,

McLaren or Ferrari could take Red Bull's lead by the end of Sunday

evening. The big issue for Ferrari is their wind tunnel isn't working?

It remains to be seen what happens in the Championship battle. If it

is not working properly, they have managed to win three Grand Pries

with Fernando Alonso. So not sure I buy into that. It is looking tight

this weekend - Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren. Make sure you

stick with us. All the action in a couple of moments. Everybody has

had an opinion about Lewis Hamilton. I think it is time that we heard

from the only man that really matters.

I had two offers on the table. I could take the easy route and stay

here and cruise on for the next three years in a great team and a

great car, making decent money. That's not what I want to do. I

want to go and help a team that is struggling and help them get to the

top and start winning. That will be the most satisfying feeling if we

do get there. If we don't, I will only be 31 and... You can come back

here! LAUGHTER Keep the door open! It's a long-term plan, would you be

frustrated if you weren't able to win a race next season? I can't lie

- not winning is frustrating, whether or not you are in this team,

or another team, it is frustrating. It is more long-term. 2014, the

rules change massively. With the new V6 engines and turbos and rules

changing with the cars. Everyone starts from scratch again. Next

year, I don't know if people realise, the car that I'm driving

right now, it will roll into next year. It will look a bit better. It

will be, it will handle the same but it will have more downforce. It

will have better braking stability. It will have all these things and

it will evolve into next year's car. Perhaps where they are, they might

build a new car, which is what we did this year. I only spoke to

Martin. Me and Ron haven't had a chance to sit down and talk. When I

get back to the factory, after Korea, I will go and knock on Ron's

door and have a chat with him. I thought it will be better to speak

- rather than over the phone - it would be better to speak to him

face to face. With Martin, I pulled Martin because I needed to let him

know. The day that I called him, they signed Sergio Perez. It was

very tough. Did they work hard enough to try and keep you?

know, I think so. Like I said, I think the deals were very similar.

Martin asked what else we could have done. I said, "To be honest, I

wanted a new challenge. I have wanted it for some time." I didn't

think he could have done anything else. Before I made my decision,

Martin said, "Whatever you do, I want you to know we will be 100%

behind you for the rest of the year to win this Championship. We

believe in you." That is how great a boss and team manager he is.

Championship would be a perfect ending to the Lewis and McLaren

relationship? Yeah. I think we have a story that no-one has in the

paddock. We have a relationship that no-one has in the paddock.

That will never be forgotten. Again, I am so appreciative of the

opportunity that they have given me and the success that we have had. I

will always carry that in my heart. I am looking forward to the future.

I still want to win this for them. A time of reflection for Lewis

Hamilton. You won't be seeing this for a lot longer - only six more

times will his team prepare his McLaren car to go racing in Formula

One. David, it is a big decision. Can you understand why he didn't

want to sit in the comfy chair? can. Any relationship is difficult

to manage in day-to-day life. You don't always see eye-to-eye with

your loved ones, never mind people that you work with. He has been at

McLaren a long time. You need to sometimes go and experience what

else is out there to really be able to look back and reflect on what is

it that works for him. That was a fantastic interview that Lee got

out of Lewis. That is the most open we have seen him in quite some time.

Do the team still help him win the world title so he can take the

number one down to Mercedes next year? Absolutely. They need

victories. It doesn't matter if it is because a driver has taken away

the number one, they need that World Championship. There are so

many bonuses linked to that. OK. In 12 months' time, we will be

standing outside the garage of Sergio Perez. Can you understand

that decision? Have you seen enough from him to understand why a seat

at McLaren has come his way? certainly has done some impressive

drives this year. In Monza, we saw that great drive through to the

podium. In Malaysia he came close to winning the Grand Prix there.

Can he handle the pressure of running in a top team? There is a

huge difference between finishing second and third and being in a

situation where you are expected to win. We will wait and see what

happens. Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez are two-thirds of the story.

The other third revolves around Michael Schumacher. This weekend,

Michael has announced again his retirement from Formula One. Here

with that and the rest of the news After being replaced by Lewis

Hamilton at Mercedes, and after 20 years and one retirement from

Formula One, Michael Schumacher has made an emotional decision to

retire once again at the end of the season, this time he says for good.

At some point, it is good to say goodbye. That is what I am doing

here with by the end of the season and it might be forever this time.

Sergio Perez takes Lewis Hamilton's seat at McLaren, a move which he

wouldn't have believed if you had asked him at the beginning of the

season. I would never have expected I was going to end up at McLaren.

It is the best opportunity I can have. I will try to make the most

of it. Jenson Button left Mercedes for McLaren, now Lewis Hamilton is

heading in the opposite direction. Button is happy driving for his

current team. This is the right place for me to be. Some of us need

to have different challenges in our life. This is a challenge that

Lewis feels he needs. Paul di Resta had been rumoured to be in talks

with Mercedes and McLaren. They are two top teams. I didn't hold the

key to making this happen. They have the drive. I have a management

team in place. They will be working on what they need to work on. This

weekend is what I need to look at. There's three hard days ahead of me.

That preparation didn't go to plan with di Resta crashing in free

practice two. This morning, it was the turn of Nico Hulkenberg. The

German has missed out on a drive at Mercedes and McLaren. But he could

take Felipe Massa's seat at Ferrari. Once we are here, race weekend, it

is all about the driving and the performance and everything else.

Everything else gets blended out from your mind. Despite all eyes

looking at next season, there is a Championship still to win this year

and Sebastian Vettel has his eyes on the prize. This race last year

is where he won his second title. Historically, we have been very

competitive around here. It should be all right. A little bit of

update here and there so hopefully they work and help us to be a bit

quicker. Finally, as the only local driver on the grid, Kamui Kobayashi

is the busiest man in Japan. Tens of thousands of fans come to

support him over the weekend and he doesn't get a moment's peace at any

point of the day. This morning, I went to get breakfast, I had so

many people around me. Time is over, I couldn't eat and I come back to

my room and get shower, which is really sad, I wanted breakfast!

can't go racing without some food in your stomach! He is such a

character. Let's talk about Michael. That was the announcement of his

eighth retirement this season, seven of which have come on track.

How would you assess his second Formula One career? He will be

disappointed. He came here with high expectations. I think he felt

a three-year period at Mercedes, reunited with Ross Brawn, would

have brought him more success. It's been a learning experience for

Michael as to what it is like to retire from a sport and come back

again in your 40s. It has been a wonderful opportunity for us all to

validate how good the young talent is winning races. Every generation

should be better than the last one. Has he been unlucky that he has

returned at a time when it is more competitive than ever and he hasn't

been given a car that could help him emulate what he achieved at

Ferrari? So many drivers could say they have never had a car capable

of winning Grand Pries. The first career, he was mainly at the front

of the pack, obviously through some great skills. But what we can see

here is that he hasn't been as good at close wheel to wheel racing.

There's been too many incidents. That is probably what's prompted

the decision to retire again. me, it's been a dream to get the

see the great man up close and personal. Many fans are glad that

he returned. We shouldn't let the last few seasons overshadow what he

I think that is a record that probably will remain unbeaten. He

was a machine, all machines have a life. When they reached the end of

their working life you have to replace it with something fresher.

This allows amount like Sergio Perez to step into a top seed in

Formula 1. We look for it to seeing how Michael get sonnet in

qualifying. Time for David to head up to the qualifying -- to the

up to the qualifying -- to the will this unforgiving circuit

reward than in qualifying today? The first session under way. We had

some fast times this morning set by an Red Bull. Do expect them to be

favourite? Both of the Red Bull, has looked really strong this

morning. McLaren also looks strong. They did not get the lapse in this

morning. If you get caught in traffic you can use up the tyres

too quickly. A lot of these cars will have to use the soft tyres to

achieve the times they need. But for the ones at the front, they

probably will get a couple of laps on a harder tyres. Rare with Paul

di Resta. This part of the circuit is easy. Heading through the long

sweep. This is where he went off on Friday. Just giving it another inch

or so. Out now on for long and straight section and on to that

famous corner which is not quite the Challenge it used to be. But

still a pretty big Challenge was that it is indeed. You can lock up

slightly. And that is because you just losing heat from your brakes.

And the cooling system on the cars is pretty efficient. That affects

the Actual stopping power of the car.

Paul di Resta coming into the chicane. Another reason is that

cities curving all way through the braking area of to the apex of the

chicane. It makes it more susceptible to blogging. You can

see the sparks coming of the bolts and that is testament to that.

Pastor Maldonado doing some last minute adjustments. You normally do

not see that much work going on in qualifying. We know that Force

India have had to rebuild the left- hand side of that car after the

accident involving Nico Hulkenberg this morning. They have bolted on

the suspension and they are hoping that the prefer it that has been

done to it will make sure that everything is nice and square. It

is not ideal but that is the penalty when you make a mistake in

free practice. Mark Webber coming up to the second sector and he's

still the fastest, but only by a fraction. Hopefully he will get

through this section without getting held up. Are we going to

see him go ahead? He goes second fastest. Filipe Massa or has the

fastest time. All of them using the hard tyres at the moment. Sergio

Perez is off! He has done well to get it back. That was an exciting

ride. That is not somewhere you want to go of, that is Dunlop

corner. It is difficult to position the car. The television does not

really showed the elevation change. That is one of the steepest parts

of the track and that is a good recovery from Sergio Perez.

on those harder tyres. He has got a special crash helmet on in honour

of the 50th anniversary of this Suzuka track. It was designed

apparently by a couple of Japanese schoolgirls who were very excited

to get to reach their year-old. There was a lot of giggling! But I

quite like the design. They have done well. Lewis Hamilton in 5th

position for the moment. Felipe Massa sets the pace. They're all

using the harder compound tyres. They are just trying to get through

at this stage to the top 17. Schumacher it was really using the

curve a lot this morning. It looks like the Ferrari was a lot more

comfortable on the curves than the Mercedes. Gary, Felipe Massa is on

the harder tyres. But a lot of the teams will be coming out on the

softer tyres. That is a pretty impressive lap. Fernando Alonso was

a bit slower this morning, he had a different wing Assembly on the car.

He has changed that now. Well Pastor Maldonado has gone out on

the softer tyres. So not wanting to take the risk. Feeling the need to

use up those softer tyres early in the session. Jensen Button on the

harder compound tyres and close to the target time set by Felipe Massa.

He was a winner here 12 months ago. That fantastic battle with

Sebastian Vettel. And he is in third place as he crosses the line.

Nico Hulkenberg's car is dropped to the ground. They have done a good

job getting that car or out. Force India Hausding working hard to get

him out there. It has been a big job, a lot of bodywork. You just

have to be careful. He is driving the car without much of a stand-up

on it. They're just sending him out blind to do a lap. Sebastian Vettel

has gone faster than anyone else now. And that is on the harder of

the compound tyres. Kimi Raikkonen also out there. And Pastor

Maldonado also on the softer tyres. Looking for that performance.

You can get over a second of difference between the tiers.

Coming down into this tricky double apex. Once more using all of the

road On The Run down. Well he is faster than anyone in

this first sector. Can he do the same in the second? It is still up

because of that advantage from the first sector. Pastor Maldonado goes

the second in spite of being on the softer tyres. And we think there's

almost a second in the difference between the tiers. So it just shows

you how fast Sebastian Vettel is going today.

Lewis Hamilton does not sound very happy there. Nico Hulkenberg has

gone second. Kimi Raikkonen in replay, sparks flying up. Did he go

wide? No, he held it in. That is where the maximum downforce is.

Here is Kimi Raikkonen. This looks like a very quick lap indeed from

him. Remember Sebastian Vettel it is currently quickest having set

his time on the harder tyres. Kimi Raikkonen safely up there in

the top 17. But we still have Michael Schumacher in the drop zone.

He has not set a representative lap as yet.

This is where Hulkenberg crashed this morning. On-board here with

Sergio Perez. We're just during, Gary has told us that Felipe Massa

has gone out on the softer tyres. That is a strange decision? I would

think so. You may need the softer tyres in the next session so I do

not understand that logic. I would just have had another go on a

harder tyres. Sergio Perez, this lack should put

him fastest overall. Lewis Hamilton also going out on the softer tyres.

They really seem to be struggling for the pace and having to go for

the softer tyres. Kobayashi this weekend is on home turf and would

love to show Sergio Perez up. He would love to show that he could be

faster. The qualifying battle between the pair of them is going

to be interesting. A great lap in this early part of the session.

They should be no fear of those Sauber are making it through to the

next part. The Torro Rosso locks up. I think

there is a great effort so far from Pedro de la Rosa who managed to get

in 20th place. Michael Schumacher has yet to set a time so the is and

the drop zone. Bruno Senna getting a bit angry because Deakin is in

danger territory in 16th place. You would expect Michael Schumacher

have to move up. He is not going to get a clear run through De Love

Michael if he can keep it going. was very slow in the first sector.

So Michael of course has a penalty from the last event. Just two tents

quicker than his current best lap. That probably is from the morning

session, I would suggest. favourite circuits in the world, is

he going to make it through? He does! He just makes it. He is 16th

and that pushes Senna out. Michael Schumacher had to give his all in

the final sector. Those knocked out of Q1: Bruno Senna, Heikki

Kovalainen, Timo Glock, Pedro de la Rosa, Charles Pic, Vitaly Petrov

and Narain Karthikeyan. Let's look at what happened to Sienna. TEAM

RADIO: We have seen it, we have told Charlie. Unbelievable what he

did there. Relief for Michael Schumacher and

his many fans. As is so often the case, one man's gain is another

man's pain. Right at the very end, you were knocked out. Your emotions

after that? Very disappointed with the attitude. We tried to give each

other space, but we didn't. I'm starting from far back on a very

tough track to overtake. There was good potential for us to score

points. We will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow.

doesn't help if one of your rivals gets a penalty. What will the

stewards make of it? It is their decision. He really didn't let me

passed and he blocked he completely. Screwed my lap up completely. It is

unacceptable to be honest. Unlucky. Go well tomorrow, if you can.

Thanks a lot. Very difficult for Bruno. This is the circuit where

his uncle won all three of his driver World Championship titles.

That is the way it rolls in Formula One. Let's back to the action and

time for the second part of qualifying with Ben and David.

The second part of qualifying gets under way. Romain Grosjean might

have been fastest in the first part of qualifying, but it is all back

to zero now. It is a knockout system. If you are in positions 11

through to 17th, you are out of the game. That is where you will end up

on the grid. Those positions, the top ten, go through to fight for

pole. The two McLarens didn't have the pace we expected to see. Fast

on Friday, but this morning they weren't looking that quick. It

looks as though they may have more of a struggle on their hands to

match Red Bull. Sergio Perez, both of the Saubers looking fast, second

and third in that session. Kobayashi and Perez. They did use

the softer tyre. Maldonado in the top ten in that session, but can he

do the same in this one? Q2 is often the most competitive part of

the weekend. Gary, what are your thoughts in terms of the cut-off

time to get into that top ten? is the most competitive one to get

into that top ten. A lot of guys have run the soft tyres, so they

have a bit of data. You will have to do a 1:32.40 to get into the top

ten. The fans just soaking up the atmosphere at the moment. We have a

bit more cloud cover now. Track temperature some 33 degrees as

Kamui Kobayashi sets off down the lap. David, talk us around the lap

now in the hands of the hometown hero? You have this fantastic entry

to turn one. Then as you dive through the apex, you are into two.

You can see, he's zoomed his way around into this section here,

three, four, getting ready for the climb up into Dunlop Curve. Lewis

Hamilton going out on probably a lightly scrub set of the soft tyres.

We re-join Kobayashi on the entry to the Degner Curve. Drop into

second for the second one. And down into this Hairpin. A bit of a lock-

up. Runs wide. It doesn't cost you too much time because of the width

you have available on the exit of that corner. Then down through this

constantly-curving section, flat out, up to 180mph, flick down two

gears in the first part of Spoon, down a another gear for the second

part of Spoon. Then prepare yourself for 130R. Passed the Red

Bull without any problem. Vast amount of speed through 130R. Now

it is how late do I brake? Mmm, he is probably thinking, "I braked too

early!" There was no sign of lock- up there. And then a run for the

line. It constantly keeps turning. That is the big challenge. The

straights aren't straight. Yeah. You are curving all the time.

There's hardly a moment to draw breath around this track. Just

watching a replay of Perez, his team-mate, did he have a lock-up?

little bit wide and you can see he has pick-up on the front right

tyres. Kobayashi managed to get into the first part of the apex and

then run a bit wider in the middle of the corner. That would have cost

Perez some time. Vettel climbing up through the Dunlop Curve. That is

exactly what it is like in the race car. The circuit presenting itself

to you as you go through that long climb up the hill. Sebastian Vettel

looking to try and take four pole positions in four years. What he is

focused on is getting into the top ten right now. Just under ten

minutes to go. Felipe Massa is on a lap. A fastest first sector from

Sebastian Vettel, faster than anybody else so far on the lap.

Kobayashi is fastest from di Resta and Hulkenberg in these early

stages. Coming up to the second checkpoint and Vettel is faster

again. He is fastest in both sectors now and Vettel has been

looking mighty here today. Into the final part of the lap, no trace of

a lock-up. Looking good and clean. He has been the pole master here on

the last three occasions. This is only about making it through to the

next part of qualifying. Goes fastest in this session. This

really is a track that sorts out the men from the boys. He's

delivered a real man's lap there. That is for sure. Massa has

performed well around here in the past. Has been in front of Alonso

and this will be a timely moment for him to show his speed on a

track that is highly regarded. You see the difficulty here, Paul di

Resta feeding his way through all the traffic.

TEAM RADIO: There's cars all over the place!

Yeah. He was right. It was like a slalom.

Yes, that's not really what you want to see when you come out of

130R. It doesn't appear to have cost him too much time. He drops

down into tenth place. Jenson Button goes second. Yeah, Button

second, about four-tenths quicker than Hamilton, who just set a lap a

moment before that. You have Vettel, Button, Hamilton - Button two-

tenths slower than Vettel. What can Webber do? Across the line - he is

third. He splits the McLarens, between Button and Hamilton. Massa

fifth, Kobayashi sixth. We have Hulkenberg, Maldonado, Rosberg, di

Resta, Jean-Eric Vergne outside the top ten. And Michael Schumacher is

not coming out to play. Again, he is sitting and waiting. Maldonado

runs wide. He had to lift out of the power. That will cost him time

all the way on this long final sector. Let's listen to him through

130R. Fantastic. The scenery is passing quickly. Then nice and tidy

through the chicane. Better control of his traction than we saw in his

previous attempt in qualifying. That running wide at the exit to

Spoon has cost him a bit of time. Well, out comes the Mercedes of

Rosberg, but Michael Schumacher already out. This looks like a

single run here, David, from Michael Schumacher, with four

minutes to go. He's trying to get a bit of clear air and put that one

flying lap in? He must be feeling a little bit down, the fact that he

has got this penalty. No matter what effort he is able to do here,

he knows he will be starting outside the top ten unless sticks

it on pole! He's got to go now and deliver the best lap he possibly

can. The other one with a penl that we know about - in fact -- penalty

that we know about - in fact the other two, Jenson Button and Nico

Hulkenberg. Kobayashi makes his way out in the Sauber. And that fight

to be in the top ten is going to be very intense now. Kimi Raikkonen,

still very much a factor in the Championship. Third in the points

on 142 points. He's had one victory here at Suzuka in the past, but he

has never qualified on pole. I wonder whether he will be able to

drag that Lotus around. I don't think he will be fast enough for

pole. Let's watch Michael Schumacher then. He is the record

holder in terms of pole positions here at Suzuka. He is not doing a

time. He is scrubbing these tyres. OK. Why would he be doing that?

Just getting them ready for the race tomorrow, putting a cure on

them. You can do that by heating the tyres in the blankets, so the

rubber, the composition of the rubber changes through that heat

cycle. Or you can go out and put a scrub on them. He has enough time

to do one flying lap if he chooses at the end. It does look like he is

putting a light scrub on those. Our man with the engineering knowledge

can give us more information on that in the pit-lane. We are

watching Fernando Alonso at the moment on the lap. Gary, a quick

thought, is this to do with his ten-place penalty? We had a car

this morning that put in fourth fastest, four and ten makes 14, so

I would rather start at 14th than 24th. Not sure of the logic.

Whether they have got a problem with the car and they can't get,

there is something wrong, and they can't get the speed out of it and

they are just scrubbing some tyres. It is a fairly illogical thing.

These tyres work very well from new. You want that confidence in a new

tyre off the start line. Very confusing. Well, Alonso is looking

confident on this lap, David. He is really attacking, as ever. He's

right on the pace of the top times currently. Let's see what the

second split tells us. He's two- tenths down on the fastest so far.

Well, that was a good effort. Let's see how he finishes the lap. We

have seen the difficulties at the chicane. Getting a bit of traffic

from Michael. Doesn't look like it will cost him any time. Let's see

what it is. Michael, Michael is starting a lap now. Alonso is third.

Alonso third behind Vettel and Button. It looks as though Michael

is going to do a lap now. Nico Rosberg is only ninth. He will be

disappointed with that. Paul di Resta is on a lap here in the Force

India. Where will this put him? He's seventh for the moment.

1:32.30. It is going to be mighty tight. Massa comes out of that

chicane, former pole winner here. Can he get another fast time in?

Well, Felipe Massa is sixth currently. And I wouldn't have said

he is totally safe as we will see more improvements. He gets pushed

down one by Nico Hulkenberg who does a 1:32.20. Now we are watching

Kamui Kobayashi as he heads down into the chicane. Keep an eye on

this. Fastest in the first sector here, Kobayashi. So it looks like

it could be a pretty impressive lap. Let's see him across the line. He

goes fourth. You would hope that that might be secure. Good lap

there. Local knowledge. He doesn't have that much experience of this

racetrack! That's right. He can read the menu easier than we can!

LAUGHTER Raikkonen goes third. Good lap from Kimi. He is safe.

Maldonado has not made it. He's not made it. He is at the - the

chequered flag is out. Pastor Maldonado has not dragged one of

those special qualifying performances out. Look at Perez.

Perez on tenth is well up. He should get in the top ten. His

team-mate is fifth. Let's see him finish the chicane. Bumps it over

the curve, the Mexican. Can he just get that bit more speed? Grosjean -

he's gone eighth, Perez is eighth and Grosjean has gone down. Di

Resta and Grosjean are pushed out of the top ten. Massa is in tenth

place and I think it is only Rosberg that's on track. Let's see

what Grosjean does. He is seventh and safe. He's in the top ten. Now

then, what is Rosberg doing? No, he is not doing anything particular,

so that looks like we have our top ten. Massa has been squeezed out in

the final stages and Michael Schumacher, well he is out of it,

he is down in 13th, which will mean he will be 23rd on the grid. There

might be other penaltys that can change that. Vettel has set the

pace from Jenson Button, with Kimi Raikkonen up there in third,

Fernando Alonso once again putting in the lap that he needed and

Felipe Massa failing to do so. So he is out of that top ten. Hamilton

dragging himself in there, but not by very much. We are going to see a

close-fought encounter for pole here today. Let's look at what

happened to di Resta. A classic di Resta old, Pastor Maldonado and

the Toro Rosso cars. It is tight at the front. Frustration for Paul I'm

sure. You were just half a tent away of making it through to the

top 10. Does that frustrate you? course it is frustrating. We had

quite a good run recently. Yesterday put us on the back foot

and you're always playing catch-up. That could have made the difference

today. But I think we managed to gather ourselves together. I think

you have to look ahead to the race and the facts point to the fact

that you have a top 10 car which gives you hope for some strong

points. It will all be done to strategy. This seems to be a big

variation in the paddock yesterday as to fool could look after their

tyres. I would be relatively confident based on our performance

in Singapore. You would do your best to overtake. Good luck

tomorrow. So he does not sadly naked through to the top positions.

And it is very close at the front. Who will take the Michael pole

position? Time to hand you back to Ben Edwards and David Coulthard.

The last 10 minutes will decide the top-ten it on the grid. The drivers

preparing for at the next lap. Will Kobayashi be able to look out

qualifying his celebrated team mate, Sergio Perez? Both of them

qualified stunningly well indulge him. -- in Belgium. What can we

expect from this final part of qualifying? I do not think we have

seen it Lewis Hamilton at his best just yet. They're all taking to the

track quickly. Hamilton has gone out.

At this stage in qualifying you would ask why they would still need

to be getting there are in. But there are few more clouds coming

over, different factors affecting how the car feels. Sometimes just

small subtleties and differences in pressure as the driver of bills

heat in the brakes. A large part of the pressure in the tyres is

controlled by the heat radiating here in the past and has an amazing

record of getting pole position in the past three years. Michael

Schumacher or actually holds the record for the number of Poles. For

McLaren, there has never been a Mercedes powered pole position here

at Suzuka. So Mercedes has never had an engine powered pole position

here. This is unlikely to be his best lap but let us keep an eye on

it and see if the card is responding as he wants. Now the

last time McLaren were in pole position in Suzuka was 1991.

Remarkable when you consider the success that this team has had.

Lewis Hamilton has just not shown his form so far in his qualifying

session. It looks as if he has been struggling a little bit with the

balance of the car. Let us see how this lap unfolds before him.

Sebastian Vettel fastest of all in end of the lap, exerting the

initial benchmarked that everyone else is going to target. He has

done an early run and will be back in the pits and presumably on to a

new set of tyres. Lewis Hamilton, it we know that he is on the

scrubbed set of tyres. Look at that for Sebastian Vettel. 1:30:08.

Mark Webber goes second. He made a little mistake on that lap.

dropped a couple of tents in the middle sector relative to his team-

mate. He has a small amount of oversteer on the initial turn. And

then he locked the front left. board with Kimi Raikkonen on the

Lotus. He's one of the first cars to take to the track. He and

Grosjean very similar in their first run.

The accelerating out and up towards exhaust blown diffuser.

Sergio Perez weaving from side to side. So it looks as if everyone is

struggling in this first lap. Sergio Perez heading down into the

turn. He then starts to climb back up the hill. Best grid position of

the year for him has been the 4th. If he can out qualifying his team-

mate that will be a feather in his cap. Up through Dunlop Curve. It

seems never-ending when you're in the cockpit. Physically very tough.

But looking tidy so far. A small block up but it does not cost him

any time. Sergio Perez is going to find

themselves very much more high- profile now that he has made that

arrangement with McLaren for next year. Presumably the pressure

starts now because the world is watching this young man even more.

Every move of his will not be watched even more closely. Well it

is all about the expectations. Anything other than victory at

McLaren is a disappointment. So the pressure changes and the commitment

in terms of time will be off the scale. Kimi Raikkonen is off. If

anyone is on a quick lap that will mess them up, they will have to

show that they have slowed down at that sector. That is going to make

life very difficult. That is on the exit of Spoon Curve. He loses the

back end. A little bit unfortunate. He saved the main part of the

incident and then coming back across the artificial grass, lost

control. That has certainly hurt Sebastian Vettel. He has now come

back into the pits. The chequered flag is out. Will anyone be able to

get into a clean lap? Jensen Button could still perhaps Chasetown Mark

Webber's second place. -- chase down. Grosjean goes fifth. And

another stunning performance from Kobayashi. But Red Bull have

achieved their 1-2 of 2012. First and Sebastian Vettel has achieved

his run of pull positions at Suzuka. It also means that he goes third in

the all-time list of pole position holders behind only Michael

Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. When you think what a young man he still

is and the potential that he has. Surely he is going to close up that

tally in the future. A beautiful qualifying here at Suzuka. Jensen

Button it is there it for McLaren. Kobayashi a stunning 4th. And

Sergio Perez in his 6th. Fernando Alonso has got some work to do,

down in 7th place. And look at Lewis Hamilton all the way down in

9th position. Nico Hulkenberg has a gearbox penalty, as does Jensen

Button. That moves Kobayashi up to third place. The best ever grid

could not be better. You just had could not be better. You just had

the fantastic qualifying session. How good did it feel? It is an

incredible circuit. It was a Challenge for the drivers. It is a

very quick track and you have to be precise. It worked out well for us

today. We were optimistic going into qualifying that we could

perform well. But you never count your chickens in this category

especially. It is very tight. all the way through free practice

and qualifying you were very close to Sebastian Vettel. Just talkers

around the lapse. Where was the crucial difference? Well the first

sector is incredibly quick. The ratios are tricky. You have to make

decisions on the fly. Then the Degner Curve is very quick as well.

Sebastian Vettel did very well there. And they hairpin, both of us

has struggled. Sebastian said himself that that was not very nice.

He got a good exit. So along this stretch there's a bit of a chance

to relax. It is important to get a good run out of Spoon Curve. And

then into 130 R. Now you get the car ready for the last chicane

which is very important. Use the inside curve a little bit to get a

good exit and then job done. What people did not see at home, you

said your running with the DRS Open. That is amazing. That was a scary

corner. I cannot imagine how it must feel. You have got a lot of

balance shift and the open the DRS. It is very precise with the turn.

That is the main problem. But it worked out well. You are clearly

dealing punchy. Your team-mate will be the biggest Challenge for the

title. We will find out, as always we know with a Formula 1 car or how

the first two or three seconds go. We have some pretty good starts

this year but some ropy ones. Everyone is in the same position.

So we will see how the initial launch goes. The tyres will play a

big role. A perfect weekend for your team so far. So Mark Webber

starts second on the grid and Sebastian Vettel in pole position.

You must have been pleased? Yeah. Good job we did it on the first run.

Generally today, I stayed out of trouble, throughout the qualifying

sessions. Yeah, we had a phenomenal balance in the car, I had the

feeling we could go with the track. I think all in all a very smooth

qualifying session. We needed one run in every session which doesn't

happen all the time. It is quite unique. Around here, it is very

enjoyable if the car works the way you expect it, or you wish for,

especially up the hill with the fast corners and the use of tyres,

low fuel. That makes it very special for us. You seemed to have

a real harmony with this circuit. How much of that comes down to you

feeling comfortable in the car? love the track, yes. To be honest,

yesterday evening I wasn't too happy because I lost a bit of time

in the first sector. I was quite confident this morning that I found

my mistake and going out in the practice session it worked

straightaway. I was wondering why I didn't do it that way all the years

before. You never stop learning and obviously it was good to learn that

lesson. I have to keep it in mind for next year. Maybe I have to

write it down! Yeah, I think every year is a different challenge. As I

said, today was a fantastic day. But tomorrow is most important. No

points today. The race could be very interesting to make the tyres

work and last around here, as I said a lot of fast corners, quick

change of directions which makes it hard on tyres. We have to do our

best to stay where we are. Thank you.

Jenson, congratulations. It is a shame you have to take that hit

with the penalty? Yeah. It was a good qualifying session. We

improved the car a lot from yesterday. We tried a lot of things

yesterday. We tried very lowdown force to help with overtaking. It

wasn't good at all. We went back on it today. Much happier with the car.

The guys are quite a bit in front, but the guys behind are a long way

behind. It felt like both laps felt very good in Q3. That was it. That

was all I could get out of it. does that translate to tomorrow's

race? How easy is it to overtake? A lot of people are scratching their

head about tyres? Yes, and they have shortened the DRS zone. It has

never been easy. Even with DRS last year, it wasn't easy to overtake.

Don't know why they have done that. Don't know. The good thing is it is

all up in the air in terms of what tyres to run. The blisters that

people are getting and the graining. I suppose that is a good thing. So,

yeah, starting eighth is not ideal. I'm still looking forward to it. I

love racing here. Thank you. He loves being here, generally. He

has some happy memories of being in this paddock. He won the race here

last year. That will be a real struggle from eighth? This year,

especially. Most of the wins have come from the front row. Red Bull

are looking pretty strong. It is never say never. Weather may play a

factor. Jenson won't give up. feeling like it might rain at some

point this evening. A strong performance in qualifying, but he

has a penalty. It was all-round misery for Lewis Hamilton. He is

with Lee. Things looked so strong all weekend.

How puzzled are you today? I'm not puzzled. I made a big mistake with

the set-up. A big mistake. When the qualifying starts, you can't do

anything to change it so you are stuck with it. So I was driving

around with masses of understeer which we had in P2 and we made some

changes into P3. Then it went to oversteer. We didn't really know

what to do. So we went back to the set-up yesterday and made a couple

of small changes to it. It was a disaster. How do you think it will

translate out there tomorrow? don't think it will be good. I will

do absolutely everything I can with it. We have masses of understeer. I

expect my front tyres will be the limitation tomorrow. Which is usual.

I will push as much as I can. I hope that maybe perhaps looking

after my tyres better than others, maybe I can pinch some points.

Three of the last four pole positions have been Lewis's. He

will be looking at tyres knowing they can make a big difference

during the race tomorrow? There is a big gap between the prime and the

option tyre, more than a second. That will reduce going into the

race. It was a three-stop race last year. We expect people will try and

do a two. It is not over on the basis of qualifying, but it will be

difficult from where he is. Ferrari knew it was going to be

tough. Did you expect it to be that tough? Yes. I think it is more or

less as we expected. We have been extremely unlucky today with yellow

flags. The car behind me was green already, so it was my car passing

on the yellow flag so I had to lift off and I probably lost fourth

position, that was the target in the split times, with Button

penalty, maybe starting third tomorrow, we lost an opportunity.

Hopefully lucky tomorrow. How will it translate tomorrow? What will be

the key? Lots of people are talking about tyres? Yes, tyre degradation

will be quite high. McLaren have a strong race pace. It will be a

challenge there. Interesting race. Points are on Sunday. He managed a

very small smile. It felt difficult behind the wheel, and it would have

felt a lot worse when he got out. It is bad for his Championship

charge? It is. Sebastian Vettel will have the cover from Mark

Webber and then you have three relatively inexperienced drivers

between him and Fernando. He will be hoping to make a good start.

Ferrari have been sharp at get aways this year. This track is so

narrow and tight. He will be nervous about the potential for

incident. Let's remind ourselves of the fact that Ferrari did have a

slow car earlier in the season. Yet still Fernando Alonso was picking

up wins. We heard in Malaysia it was "the most beautiful" according

to the race engineer. If anyone can, he can? You're right. They have had

great consistency this year. I think even if you couldn't see

the man we are standing alongside, you would know who it is because of

the number of fans around us! Congratulations for putting this

out of your mind? Thank you very much. On the Friday, we struggled a

lot with our car. We had a good step today. I think finishing P4,

which is great. Especially in front of big crowd in Japan. That is

something very special for me. is quite special is you can't say

that you have got a home advantage in terms of knowledge of the track.

You have done very little here? Exactly. It must be exhausting?

this is your home Grand Prix, so you can do pretty good on this

track. Yeah, I like this track, but usually I don't know this track,

like Michael will know more than me! This is what I have in my

situation. It puts a lot of pressure. I'm enjoying quite a lot

this time. Did it cross your mind the fact that your team-mate signed

to go to McLaren, the fact you are in front of him, is that something

you say, "Look, guys, I can get the job done as well"? So far, I have

had quite a good a lot of time to stay in front of him in the

qualifiers. I'm not surprised. I am pretty much - this is my favourite

circuit. I have to say, McLaren are a top team and I'm very happy for

him. We have seen plenty of shots of you waving at the fans. They

love you here. You qualified in fourth. Because of penalties, you

will start in the highest qualifying position for a Japanese

driver? Really? Yes. What can you expect from the race? I think

starting P3 is something, if we hold them, at least I can stay on

the podium. This is the realistic target. Maybe we will have some

luck or maybe track conditions give us better effect tomorrow. Maybe I

have some chance to lead. I don't think this is realistic at the

moment. I think tomorrow is key for me. Usually when I have a good

qualifying, I have a problem with starts. I need some luck tomorrow.

Good luck. Go chasing that podium. When you have something to fight

for, you always give us plenty of entertainment. All of these guys

are rather excited, too. Thank you. Well done. A great day for Kamui

Fernando Alonso moves up to sixth because of a few penalties. Jenson

Button is one of those drivers penalised. He moves back five

places because of a change of gearbox. It was the same penalty

handed out to the Force India driver, Nico Hulkenberg, which

moves him all the way back to 15th place. He starts alongside Bruno

Senna, who has had a tough weekend. It was Kovalainen and Glock

alongside each other. Jean-Eric Vergne going back three places

because of the incident that we talked about earlier.

Look at that, Michael Schumacher a ten-place penalty because of what

happened in Singapore. He starts 23rd. There could have been another

penalty handed out. That is why it is nice and dark here. Wince se

chatted to Kamui Kobayashi, the -- since we chatted to Kamui Kobayashi,

the sun has gone down. There were question marks over whether

Sebastian Vettel impeded Fernando Alonso. He's come out of Spoon

Curve. Sebastian Vettel is on an in-lap. The question was, was that

worthy of a grid penalty? It was decided a reprimand was all that he

was going to get and a lot of relief. I bet. Sebastian Vettel

keeps hold of his pole. Gary, what strategy will win this race

tomorrow? If you take the tyre data, two stops is the way to go. The top

two stops is the way to go. The top nine cars have to start on the soft

tyre. I expect the first stop to be lap ten. On to the hard tyre.

Second stop lap 30. Again on to the hard tyre. Last year's race was a

bit slower. It was because of three laps behind the safety car as well.

it will be interesting. Keeping those rear tyres from blistering

those rear tyres from blistering will be a problem. Thank you very

much. We are back with all the highlights of this race and it is a