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Formula 1 Australian GP

2012 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying

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2 min: Rosberg crosses the line and begins his assault on pole position.
2 min: Vettel comes out, leaving Webber still in the Red Bull garage.
2 min: Hamilton and Button join the Mercedes pair on track to commence the fight for pole between the two teams.
1 min: Schumacher follows his team-mate out a few seconds later.
1 min: Rosberg heads out with a set of soft tyres bolted onto the Mercedes.
1 min: @OfficialSF1Team feeds back on a disappointing Q2: "@SChecoPerez with gearbox problems. @kamui_kobayashi with no time improvement in Q2. Disappointing session. Fighting back tomorrow."
0 min: No immediate takers in the first few seconds of the segment ...
0 min: The battle for pole begins in Australia.
So here are the 10 drivers that will contest the shootout:

Nico Rosberg
Michael Schumacher
Lewis Hamilton
Jenson Button
Romain Grosjean
Sebastian Vettel
Pastor Maldonado
Mark Webber
Nico Hulkenberg
Daniel Ricciardo.
Mercedes looks strong up front, with the controversial W03 working well around Albert Park this afternoon.
As @eddstrawF1 attests, "We expected it to be tight and it was. If you set a time 1sec off Rosberg's fastest time in Q2, you'd have not made Q3."
Grosjean will be delighted to make Q3, with strong pace from the GP2 champion in the Lotus.
Hulkenberg beats his Force India team-mate di Resta by some seven-tenths of a second. The German got through in ninth place.
Long faces all round at Ferrari as the team reflect on failing to make the final segment with the troublesome F2012.
Toro Rosso gets one car through to the shootout. Vergne failed to match his team-mate's time by just 0.110s.
The second qualifying period has been completed and seven drivers are eliminated:

11) Vergne
12) Alonso
13) Kobayashi
14) Senna
15) di Resta
16) Massa
17) Perez.
Alonso finds himself 12th after his gravelly exit, while Massa is eliminated in 16th on a disastrous day for Ferrari.
Di Resta is the last man that can knock Ricciardo out of the top 10 ... and he doesn't make it. The Australian is through to Q3.
Kobayashi is the man to watch as he heads for the ine in his Sauber. He goes 12th.
Hulkenberg improves to ninth and that puts Ricciardo on the bubble.
14 min: The flag is out on Q2.
14 min: Maldonado makes some minor errors in the final few corners but still manages 1m26.206s to go seventh.
14 min: Grosjean improves his best with 1m25.845s but remains fifth.
14 min: Maldonado is continuing a good pace in the middle sector as well. This could cause some headaches ...
13 min: Maldonado is down in 14th but posts the fastest first sector time.
13 min: Vettel has remained in the garage and is banking on his sixth placed time being enough to get through.
12 min: The Sauber pair are now making a late challenge on fresh softs.
12 min: Massa clatters over the Turn 12 kerb and is currently on a slow lap. He has fallen to 12th and is facing elimination.
12 min: Webber has cut the grass at Turn 1, but he was able to rejoin without any visible damage.
11 min: Grosjean powers for the line in his Lotus and the result is 1m25.973s, putting him securely in Q3 in fifth overall.
10 min: Rosberg goes quickest with a lap of 1m25.469s and team-mate Schumacher moves into second with a lap of 1m25.571s.
10 min: Massa clocks a 1m27.497s lap and is shuffled down to 10th.
10 min: The Mercedes drivers are getting on with it, posting fastest sector times as they work through their first hot lap.
9 min: Grosjean is on track to try and get his Lotus into the top ten.
9 min: Webber heads out in the Red Bull Renault.
8 min: Up front, the McLaren pair will be happy with their first runs, with the pair one-two and over three tenths ahead of the Red Bull pair.
7 min: Schumacher and Rosberg are quickly out onto the circuit.
6 min: Massa is straight back out to try and get his Ferrari through into Q3.
The session has resumed.
Schumacher, Rosberg, Grosjean, Kobayashi, Perez and Vergne have yet to post a time in the second segment.

By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton, Sam Tremayne

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