In a duel on the edge of thousandths of a second, Stoffel Vandoorne secured DS Penske’s first pole position of the season and the first since his move to the new team. The Belgian driver beat Antonio Felix Da Costa in the final by just six hundredths of a second, certifying a period of rebirth for the French company, once again a protagonist after a shady start to the championship.
DS Penske had already touched the first box in India in the Hyderabad round with Jean Eric Vergne, but in that case she was beaten in the last heat of qualifying by just twenty-one thousandths. A small revenge, which puts Vandoorne in an excellent position for the race, even if on such a particular track as the Brazilian one, the race remains a great unknown to be experienced in the late afternoon.
At his side in the front row will be the Portuguese from Porsche, who is also growing rapidly after a difficult first part of the world championship. For Da Costa it is the first Final this season and also the first occasion in which he was able to beat his team-mate on the flying lap: the driver from Cascais attributed this resurgence to a newfound balance, with a greater confidence in single-seater that also translated into better performances in qualifying and in the race.
The second row will be made up of Edoardo Mortara and Mitch Evans, with the latter who, after momentarily taking the lead in the duel with Vandoorne, lost the advantage built right in the last sector, thus finding elimination. As far as the Maserati driver is concerned, however, this is another important signal, which confirms the growth of the Italian brand as well as that of the DS package, as also underlined by the good performance of Max Gunther with the other Tipo Folgore.
The German driver lost the third duel of the round of 16 against Da Costa by about two tenths and a half, despite the fact that the Porsche standard bearer had made a mistake in the double right that leads to the “underpass”.
Fifth time (on paper) for Sam Bird, after an all-Jaguar duel in the last quarter-final, with the two Jaguars ready to face each other for a place in the semi-final. It will be a special race for the Englishman, as he will have to drop another five places on the grid due to the accident caused in India, but which he could not discount in South Africa as he did not take part in the race. Thus Nick Cassidy also earns a position.
Sam Bird, Jaguar Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
The qualifying specialist, Jake Hughes, did not show his usual level in Brazil, making several mistakes in the central sector during his duel with Vandoorne. However, the Englishman will start from a good sixth position, which will give him a good chance of fighting for a position in the points, while keeping energy consumption under control, one of McLaren’s weak points at the start of the season.
If on the one hand a DS team car fought for the top positions, the other was unable to go beyond the first trap, finding elimination directly in group A. Vergne, in fact, was unable to go beyond in fifth place, accumulating about two and a half tenths of a delay from what would have been the last position to move on to the next phase.
A big disappointment for the Frenchman after the good performance in Hyderabad and Cape Town, thanks to a big oversteer right out of the last corner as he was rushing towards the finish line: nevertheless, thanks to the various penalties, JEV will start from the seventh box. Out in group A also René Rast with the second McLaren, Muller with the ABT and, above all, the current championship leader, Pascal Wehrlein.
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
During the last attempt, the German hit the wall slightly with his left rear but, regardless of this, the passive from Hughes, last qualified for the next phase, is of the important ones, ie four tenths.
It will therefore be an uphill race for Wehrlein, given that he will also have to serve three penalty positions on the starting grid for the accident in South Africa, in which the kindness in terms of battery management shown by Porsche could prove to be a great ally in the climbing towards the most noble areas of the ranking.
Out in group B Sebastien Buemi, also returning from two good performances in South Africa and India, although in the latter he was forced to give up the podium due to a penalty. Similarly, the two Nissans also found elimination in the second heat, with Norman Nato who, among other things, recorded the same time as the Frenchman from Envision.
Lucas di Grassi, Mahindra Racing, Mahindra M9Electro
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
Another of the great protagonists of this world championship, Jake Dennis, was also placed between the two cars of the Japanese team, called for yet another comeback at the start of the season.
A return that, up to now, hasn’t given great satisfaction for Robin Frijns, who was immediately stopped on the track at the start of qualifying due to a technical problem. After a car reset, the Dutchman was able to continue but without being able to set a time to overcome the trap, with ABT also in Brazil confirming its difficulties.
In addition to Frijns, Ticktum, Sette Camara, Rowland and Lotterer will line up in the back rows. Big disappointment for the home favorite, Lucas di Grassi, who will start the race from twenty-second position after damaging the front suspension following a contact with the inside wall in the double right-hander.
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