Grosjean dominates Räikkönen again in qualifying

For the third time in a row, Romain Grosjean secures the second row on the grid of a Grand Prix. The former GP2 Series champion secured fourth place at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix after falling just a tenth behind the Mercedes de Lewis Hamilton while being one hundredth ahead of Ferrari by Felipe Massa. After scoring another podium at Yeongam, the Frenchman can hope for another good result at Suzuka. " The Red Bull were very fast and we knew it would be for third with Lewis and I think we did a good job for fourth. There car behaved much better compared to the day before, particularly with the hard tires with which we were struggling before being the fastest in Q1 with them. It’s a demanding circuit, the wind complicates things and temperatures are expected to remain high. I feel confident. »

His teammate Kimi Räikkönen was even further behind as he only secured ninth position. The 2007 world champion, who has not started in the top five since the German GP, ​​can nevertheless remain confident since he is used to making great comebacks as evidenced by his last two podiums won in Singapore and South Korea. South. “The car performed much better than in the last few events, although we won’t have a better position on the grid tomorrow. A small mistake in my flying lap cost me a little time. With the small gaps on this circuit, I ultimately lost a few places. We'll see what happens in the race, but the car suits my style better this weekend and the position on the grid is not dramatic. »

Click on this link to see photos of the Japanese Grand Prix practice sessions.