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Sunday July 26, 2009

F1: Alonso tops the pack after chaotic finish in qualifying

FERNANDO Alonso took pole position after a chaotic finish to qualifying yesterday at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was airlifted to a hospital following a high-speed accident.

The Renault driver’s fastest lap of 1:21.596 around the Hungaroring circuit yesterday was enough for the two-time world champion’s first pole since the 2007 Italian GP.

Alonso was only confirmed as pole sitter following lengthy confusion in the paddock as all nine drivers in the final session waited to know results after the scoring system went down.

“My team said we don’t know which position you are,” said Alonso, who picked up his first career win in Hungary six years ago. “When I got out of the car, I asked other drivers how they did get an idea. Some were telling me two or three-tenths of a second slower than me so I got excited.”

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was eventually confirmed to start second ahead of team-mate Mark Webber, while McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg of Williams rounded out the top five.

Marshals removing Felipe Massa’s car after the crash during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. -Reuters

Ferrari said Massa was airlifted to a hospital in “stable condition” after a high-speed crash that occurred after a car piece from Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello hit him in the helmet. The 28-year-old Brazilian driver was conscious and moving his arms before being evacuated.

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali told Italian television that Massa would not race today.

Overall F1 leader Jenson Button will start from eighth and team-mate Barrichello from 13th for the British team’s worst qualifying result of the season. Red Bull now appear to have overtaken their main rival performance-wise going into the second half of the season.

Button has 68 points after the first nine races to lead Vettel by 21 points and Webber by 22.5 with eight races remaining. Barrichello is fourth with 44 points.

Spain’s Jaime Alguersuari, just 19 years old, became the youngest driver ever to qualify for a Formula One Grand Prix.

The Toro Rosso new boy will start at the back of the grid however after pulling over with a mechanical problem at the end of the first qualifying session. — AP

Related Stories:
Concussed Massa to have surgery after horror crash
Massa crash leads to calls to re-examine F1 safety

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