Excuse me, I have a question and I don't know if it have been already on the BB.

Why Q3 times are slower than Q2 lap times? Shouldn't be Q3 lap times faster to ensure the pole position?

There's a couple of factors

- Increased Pressure
- Changing Conditions
- You have to use your qualifying tyre for the race s you have to be a tad more cautious

I'd assumed car setup was the key reason, increased ride height to accomodate the race fuel etc.

Majority of people here say it's cause drivers are saving tires for the race, but I don't buy that at all. In my opinion track got too hot so the lap times got slower, happens quite often on certain tracks. We'll see how it's gonna be in Australia, but for my money Q3 will bring the fastest time there.


edit: It's certainly not a setup change from Q2 to Q3. Cars are under Parc Ferme rules already then.

No, it's a mix between setup change and drivers being more gentle with the tyres, despite you don't believe it.

2. Massa Ferrari 1:55.313 1:54.331 1:54.242

Massa was 89/1000 shy of his Q2 time

but then Alonso was 436/1000!

3. Alonso Ferrari 1:54.612 1:54.172 1:54.608

and yes! Massa lost his position with Alonso in the first turn but tires were not so bad for him in the first race stint, isn't it?

What! excuse my ignorance.

Teams are not allowed to change setup from Q2 to Q3?

I thought that teams were not allowed to make changes once qualifying had started. Look at Brazil last year when teams gambled on a dry setup and you had LH, SV and others not making it out of Q1. Surely if they were allowed to make changes, the teams would have set the car up more for the wet and changed it after Q1 or Q2 ?

James Allen said it was because of the increase in track temperature.

But obviously setting the cars up for the race could have an effect, too.

Its also a tough lap to get right, particularly with the added section this year. There were likely differences in lap times that were accounted largely by drivers nailing(or not nailing) the lap.

Pretty sure you can change the setup throughout qualifying, but obviously, there's little time to do any major changes. Seems to me that if you've got your car setup for a certain condition(which requires larger variations than normal), then you're not going to be able to switch from a dry to a wet setup(or vice versa) within the period they have to work.

Could be wrong.

Well I've been out of touch with rules before, but yes, that's how it's been done for years now (or am I making a complete Muppet out of myself now)? Car is under parc ferme rules once the quali begins, teams can change tire pressures and front wing angle, but touching something else will get a grid penalty, unless the circumstances are special (like cars is damaged etc).

The reason I don't buy drivers going easy on tires in Q3 is that those additional bit of tire performance won't make them go a long way in the race (especially in the dirty air of the car in front) while 0.4 can be worth a few places on the grid. So going a tad easier on the tire Q3 to make sure it's gonna be in a driving condition once the race comes - maybe, but trying to save the tire for the race on this one lap? Makes no sense to me.

You are right that Parc Ferme starts at the start of Q1

Rule 34.1 of Sporting Regs

34.1 Each car will be deemed to be in parc fermé from the time at which it leaves the pit lane for the first time during qualifying practice until the start of the race. Any car which fails to leave the pit lane during qualifying practice will be deemed to be in parc fermé at the end of Q1.
Between these times, other than when cars are returned to the parc fermé overnight, the following work may be carried out :

- engines may be started ;
- fuel may be added or removed and a fuel breather fitted ;
- wheels and tyres may be removed, changed or rebalanced and tyre pressures checked ;
- spark plugs may be removed in order to carry out an internal engine inspection and cylinder compression checks ;
- permitted heating or cooling devices may be fitted ;
- a jump battery may be connected and on board electrical units may be freely accessed via a physical connection to the car ;
- charging and / or discharging of the KERS energy storage devices ;
- removal of the KERS energy storage devices which, once marked by the FIA technical delegate, may be retained overnight by the team ;
- the main electrical battery and radio batteries may be changed ;
- the brake system may be bled ;
- engine oil may be drained ;
- compressed gases may be drained or added ;
- Ufluids with a specific gravity less than 1.1 may be drained and/or replenished, however, fluids used for replenishment must conform to the same specification as the original fluidU ;
- the aerodynamic set up of the front wing may be adjusted using the existing parts. No parts may be added, removed or replaced ;
- if the FIA technical delegate is satisfied that changes in climatic conditions necessitate alterations to the specification of a car, changes may be made to the air ducts around the front and rear brakes and radiator ducts. These changes may be made at any time after the message “CHANGE IN CLIMATIC CONDITIONS” is shown on the timing monitors, from this point the choice of air ducts around the front and rear brakes and radiator ducts is free, subject always to compliance with the relevant Technical Regulations.
- bodywork (excluding radiators) may be removed and / or cleaned ;
- cosmetic changes may be made to the bodywork and tape may be added ;
- any part of the car may be cleaned ;
- on board cameras, marshalling system components, timing transponders and any associated equipment may be removed, refitted or checked ;
- any work required by the FIA technical delegate ;
- changes to improve the driver's comfort. In this context anything other than the adjustment of mirrors, seat belts and pedals may only be carried out with the specific permission of the FIA technical delegate. The addition or removal of padding (or similar material) is also permitted but may only be carried out under supervision and, if required by the FIA technical delegate, must be removed before the post-race weighing procedure.
- drinking fluid for the driver may be added at any time, however, the capacity of the container for any such fluid must not exceed 1.5 litres ;
- repair of genuine accident damage ;
- any parts which are removed from the car in order to carry out any work specifically permitted above, or any parts removed to carry out essential safety checks, must remain close to it and, at all times, be visible to the scrutineer assigned to the relevant car.

Any work not listed above may only be undertaken with the approval of the FIA technical delegate following a written request from the team concerned. It must be clear that any replacement part a team wishes to fit is similar in mass, inertia and function to the original. Any parts removed will be retained by the FIA.
However, if a team wishes to change a part during the qualifying session and/or on the grid before the start of the race, this may be done without first seeking the permission of the technical delegate, provided it is reasonable for the relevant team to believe permission would be given if there was time to ask and the broken or damaged part remains in full view of the scrutineer assigned to the car at all times.

Other than tyre pressures and front wing angle they can't change anything.

Then, why we saw mechanics changing the rear wing on Rosberg's car?

maybe the wing was failing?

I thought they could but not from Q3 to the race

I think Legard announced on BBC coverage at the start of Q3, that teams are now under parc ferme set-ups, implying they wernt before, (but I missed Q1 Q2 due to being on nights, but it threw me)

The drivers have to balance their speed against tyre preservation. It's all well and good to go out for a flyer, but you run the risk of flat-spotting your tyres, which means you can be absolutely screwed for the race. And besides, by the time Q3 comes around, everyone has a pretty good idea of where they will be. Coupled with the fact that there is no threat of elimination, there's no imperative - how often have we seen drivers give an all-out push in the dying monents of Q2 and Q3 to avoid being knocked out?

I'm not entirely sure what you were expecting from this season. Did you actually think that Q3 times would be five or six seconds faster than Q2? If anything, the lap times were only ever going to be about the same as Q2, since all qualifying sessions are now run under the same conditions.

Cars are under Parc Ferme as soon as Q starts.

34) POST QUALIFYING PARC FERMÉ
34.1 Each car will be deemed to be in parc fermé from the time at which it leaves the pit lane for the first time during qualifying practice until the start of the race.

Kubica was allowed to change a flatspotted tyre which would suggest they could take more risks. I won't be surprised to see a few more drivers requesting a change of tyre at the next race.

That's true, but I doubt the FIA would take too kindly to it if drivers applied to change tyres because they deliberately pushed too hard and wore the tyres down for the sake of being able to change then.

And it still doesn't change the fact that people have unrealistic expectations of what the drivers can achieve in Q3. It's like the calls for "more overtaking" or "improving the show" - there is no clearly-defined target to work towards. People want more overtaking, but how much more do they want? A 5% increase? 10%? 20%? More? And as for improving the show, what are we improving to, exactly?

Five or six seconds?... no. That's too much.

Nop, not at all. I was expecting faster laps or similar performances at least between Q2 and Q3.

The best time was Vettel Red Bull-Renault Q2 1:53.883

I was expecting something around that time, low 54. For example,

2. Massa Ferrari Q1 1:55.313 Q2 1:54.331 Q3 1:54.242. Massa was 89/1000 shy of his Q2 time, that's a similar time.

but then Alonso was 436/1000!

3. Alonso Ferrari Q1 1:54.612 Q2 1:54.172 Q3 1:54.608

Kubica was slower, also Button, Schumacher, Webber was super slow, Rosberg was slow, Hamilton half a second. I don't know, to me that is slow overall compared to Q2.

I believe that that's a lot of time difference for one lap that may give you a great starting place (pole position) to win the race. If the argument is that Massa lost his position with Alonso in the first turn, well, I think actually there is much more risk overtaking in the first turn than in posting flat out fast laps in Q3.

He was allowed to replace the wheel not because he cooked the tire but because the wheel was off-balance (bent outside rim).