Qualification: Button on Brawn GP, the Prince of Monaco!

Jenson Button, out of nowhere, claimed the Monegasque throne this afternoon. The Brawn GP driver will start tomorrow in pole position for the Monaco circuit, the sixth round of the season. The Brit surprised everyone, leading Kimi Räikkönen, in a performing Ferrari F60, and his teammate Rubens Barrichello. Vettel is 4th, in a qualifying session marked by the underperformances of Toyota, BMW, and Hamilton’s crash.

The temperatures are pleasant on the Rock. It’s 25°C and over 40°C on the track. The green lights come on, and the sixth qualifying session begins, leaving a lot of suspense on the potential leader. The Ferraris, McLarens, and Williams have indeed been very competitive in the three free practice sessions.

First to take on these qualifications, the Toyotas are also the worst off. Like a paradox, the cars painted in the colors of the Monaco flag, white and red, are incapable of posting reasonable times. Since Thursday and the free practice sessions, Glock and Trulli have been struggling. The Q1 confirms this, and the Toyotas will be last on the grid on Sunday. The circuit is nonetheless small, and Jarno Trulli brings up a common argument here: obstruction by another driver. In this case, Alonso’s Renault allegedly obstructed him during a fast lap. But that doesn’t explain such a low level of performance.

Same for BMW. The F1.09 is not made for Monaco, and despite the improvements, Heidfeld and Kubica will not get past Q1. Disappointing. And to conclude a Q1 worthy of Q3, it’s Hamilton who is the first to be disappointed. He is 16th, the first ‘relegated’. The Englishman in the McLaren spun at Mirabeau and touched the wall. His left rear suspension is broken and he won’t be able to return in the last 8 minutes of Q1. Red flag deployed to remove the car and a 10-minute wait.

For the first time this year and in their history, both Force India cars are in Q2. In this second part of qualifying, the drivers at risk are the Toro Rosso, the Force India, but also Piquet and Nakajima. After about ten laps and 15 minutes of the session, the verdict is in. Piquet is not fast enough and is beaten by Sébastien Buemi. The Toro Rosso driver performs well in Monaco and secures the 11th fastest time, aiming for points in the race tomorrow. He is ahead of Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. The Brazilian made only one mistake, a spin at the Rascasse preceded by a slight brush with the rail. No damage, but the times simply weren’t good enough to reach Q3.

In 13th position, we find Fisichella’s Force India VJM02. The Italian is comfortable here, and despite having two lap times removed for cutting a chicane, he manages to secure an honorable position. He is ahead of Sébastien Bourdais. The Frenchman was quick in FP3 this morning but couldn’t find his rhythm this afternoon. He still finishes ahead of Sutil’s Force India, Hamilton, the BMWs, and the Toyotas.

The top 10 is therefore made up of the two Williams, Brawn GP, Ferrari, Red Bull, and Kovalainen and Alonso. Q3 was dominated in turn by Räikkönen and Vettel, and then in the very last minutes, the Brawn GP showed improvements. Finally, in his last lap, Jenson Button, who was in 6th position, surprised everyone by claiming pole position. The young Brit thus takes a big step towards victory and the title.

Behind, Räikkönen shows that Ferrari is back at the level. He is second by a few thousandths behind the Brawn GP. He is ahead of the other Brawn GP. Vettel is 4th in the first Renault engine and ahead of Massa. The Brazilian had a tense first part of qualifying, going sideways and damaging his nose at the Rascasse. He finally got back on track to finish 5th. He seems heavier on fuel than the first 4 drivers. Rosberg delivers a strong performance with the 6th fastest time. He is ahead of Kovalainen’s McLaren, which is reportedly fueled for 25 laps.

Webber is 7th, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Nakajima. The three men could complete at least thirty laps out of the 78 required before refueling. However, be aware of potential changes on the grid in case of penalties. Alonso is the first threatened. Vettel could also be penalized for obstructing Massa.

Results of the Qualifying – Monaco GP – Saturday, May 23, 2009: