UAE GP: Free Practice and Qualifying Report
motorsport-live.com November 28th, 2017
The World Motorsport Championship season of 2017 is coming to a close here in the desert in the middle east, and this time, the race for two Championship trophies is still on. Coming into the race with eight points of cushion,
Harry Chapman automatically wins the title if he finishes second or higher, while
Iker Vidal or
Dieter Wexler need a mighty collapse by the Brit to claim the glory.
"This is the money weekend,"
Chapman said in the Thursday presser. "We have a great car this weekend and everyone at Brackley worked hard all year, now it is on me to deliver the knockout blow." The
Steinmann team needs two points or not a 1-2 finish by
Rossini to clinch the second Constructor's Championship in two years.
Meanwhile,
Iker Vidal comes in to Dubai with the spirits high, having won the last three races in dominant fashion, but this may have gotten into his head. Eddie Jordan, former F1 boss and BBC expert always has his hand on the pulse of the WMC and told us that "
Vidal got arrogant," he got told from personal within
Lotus Racing, and that this may have hurt his relationship with the engineers for the season finale.
Looking like the dark horse,
Dieter Wexler is just one point behind
Vidal and still is smelling blood. "Getting second in the WDC is objective a.). Everything else... we will see how things go in the race," he stated early on Friday.
Also, this is the final goodbye (for now) for the Suiss based
Vélan Racing team of invester Patrick Berg. 19 points behind
Espirit GP, their fate is sealed, and the successors of the old
Sauber team will have to fight their way through the APSC for a comeback. "Tough times. Uncertain times. Some of those engineers may lose their jobs as money will be hard to come by for us," via team principal Pejsa Kapoor.
All of that led to free practice being sold out, and it was a tight affair. In the end,
Ellie Marsh led the time sheet for
Lotus in
Vidal's car with a 1:39.560, THREE seconds faster than last years pole position time. Second was
Nina Holtz with a 1:39.646, going into potentially her last race with the German outfit.
Chapman was third, and
Wexler only sixth as he did not use the supersoft compound...
Time for the main event! Qualifying!
Woodford,
Vidal and
Chapman were the first three to throw themselves into the sand... and surprises were in store... sector one...
Woodford 30.328...
Vidal... 30.403(!),
Chapman WAY SLOWER! 30.801 He made a mistake in the second chicane and went on to the aformentioned sand!
Woodford and
Vidal close in sector two... AND THE SPAINARD GOT SECTOR THREE PERFECT AND IS IN FRONT!
Vidal 1:37.489 and
Chapman third, a second slower!
Holtz slotted behind him in fourth, and the
Lotus are reigning surpreme with their new rear wing in the high speed corners! Here comes
Wexler... 1:38.307 and in front of the two
Steinmann cars and that also applied to his teammate
Rodrigues... Two
Lotus, two
Rossini, two
Steinmann after the first attempt in qualifying.
Still,
Vidal is a stunning +0.817 faster than the next non-
Lotus car!
And out they come for the second run...
Wexler and
Chapman, then their teammates and the two
Lotus to wrap things up... and they are not even close to touching
Vidal's first sector.... and
Wexler was the best of the bunch, 1:37.989, P3.
Chapman made another mistake and has fallen down to sixth... SEVENTH!
Lipponen in his
Windsor into P4!
But is another pole for the dominator of the second half,
Iker Vidal!
Team Radio of the Day:
"MONSTER LAP, MONSTER LAP, almost a second faster than
Wexler"
"Told you, I'm the best man!"
Iker Vidal,
Lotus Racing after his P1 lap and a amazing third sector.
--
I honestly don't know where that come from. I don't. The rear wing is good and fine. But THAT speed is outrageous... and I'm not buying it. Don't forget, we have a qualifying ace in that main car and the
We are in a prime position to do this and
Chapman is buried in seventh place...