Hülkenberg on pole at Interlagos

Rain was expected en masse for the qualifying session of the Brazilian Grand Prix but, unlike in 2009, the progress of the session was not compromised by the presence of water on the track... or not in the way that the session took place this Saturday. The rain was in fact less present than expected, since the route dried up during the session. Intermediate tires were therefore the preferred rubbers at the start, offering the best compromise in Q1 and Q2.

In addition to the poor performance of the Force India (Sutil, 18th, Liuzzi, 17th), the first surprise arrived in Q2, with the elimination of Jenson Button (McLaren, 11th) and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes, 13th), the Briton being able to almost definitively say goodbye to a second world crown.

The big explanation therefore arrived in Q3, with several candidates for pole and spoilsport ready to speak out. The track then offered good conditions, the times going from 1:18??-1:19?? at 1?16??-1?17??, proving the improvement of the coating, then 1?15??, 1?14??…

And it was a “spoiler” who finally came out on top. While all the teams saw fit for their drivers to wear slick (and soft) tires, Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) was most effective under these conditions.

The German thus chained exceptional laps, finishing with a staggering 1:14:470, beating Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull, 1?15??519) by more than a second. It was not the expected German who took the first step of the podium: Nico Hülkenberg, for his 18th Grand Prix of F1, snatches his first pole!