BIC, Sakhir, Apr 20th 2013 – A spectacular qualifying session showdown on Saturday afternoon has decided the grid for today’s 2013 Formula 1® Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Despite what looked like being a difficult weekend for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, German ace Nico Rosberg put his ‘silver arrow’ on pole position with a brilliant lap and will carry that advantage to the startline.

The second day began with the third and final Practice session for the 22-strong field of Formula 1® machinery. Three-time Bahrain winner Fernando Alonso went fastest of all for Ferrari with a time of 1m33.247s using the medium compound tyre – the softest that official supplier Pirelli has brought for this race.

Leaving his best to last in the session, double world champion Alonso had spun through almost 360 degrees when powering out of Turn 2 on the harder compound tyres without significant damage to his car.

Nico Rosberg put his 'silver arrow' on pole position with a brilliant lap

Another man to hit trouble in the Practice session was Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 world champion suffered a left rear tyre failure at high speed at the end of the session, breaking the suspension. The car was repaired in time for the official Qualifying session but he was penalized five grid places as the team was forced to change his gearbox.

Sebastian Vettel, the reigning world champion, narrowly avoided a similar sort of misfortune during final Practice when he nearly tripped over the slower Caterham of Frenchman Charles Pic on one run. Soon afterwards he had to endure a bumpy ride over the kerbs at Turn 12 which blunted his pace.

The format for official Qualifying is a three-round knockout in which the slowest six cars are removed after the first 15 minutes, the next six slowest cars are removed after the second 15 minutes and the final top 10 shootout takes place in a 10-minute grand finale.

With high expectations following his strong showing yesterday, Lotus star Kimi Raikkonen looked set to be a major player in the contest for pole. Although he comfortably made it into the top 10, unlike team-mate Sebastien Grosjean, Raikkonen was almost a second off the ultimate pace and will start the race from eighth position.

Emerging from a very understated performance in the three Practice sessions, the Force India team starred in qualifying. Its drivers Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil are due to fill the third row of today’s grid in fifth and sixth place respectively, separated by just one hundredth of a second and looking comfortable ahead amid the front-runners of the season so far.

Celebrations in the McLaren garage at reaching the top 10 are a clear indicator that the team is not yet at its peak in 2013. Having reached 10th place for today’s grid, team leader and 2009 world champion Jenson Button said: “The team is used to fighting at the front, so it’s the little things – like getting through into Q3 – that can make a positive difference.”

At the top of the order, the battle for pole position looked set to feature Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull and Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari on the basis of their form through Practice. Alonso was just a little too ragged with his last effort, however, and had to settle for a best time of 1m 32.667s in third place, leaving Vettel in control with his time of 1m 32.584s.

Nico Rosberg then produced a towering lap, hustling the Mercedes around the Bahrain International Circuit in a time of 1m 32.330s. This marked Mercedes’ second pole position in two races, although the German star remains reserved over the Mercedes’ ability to sustain its advantage over the 57-lap race.

Rosberg said: “The race tomorrow is a different story and we’re very aware of that. It will be difficult, especially with the rear tyres, and we know that other teams were stronger than us on the long runs on Friday. It will be a big challenge to stay ahead but starting from the front helps.”

As the dust settled on the Formula 1® Qualifying, the stars of tomorrow in the GP2 Series emerged for the longer of their two races – the ‘Feature Race’ over 32 laps of the BIC with a compulsory stop for new tyres. Man of the moment Fabio Leimer converted his pole position into a dominant win despite a strong challenge from points leader Stefano Coletti at the start. The two men will now share the fourth row of the grid for tomorrow’s Sprint Race in which the top eight positions are reversed.

Caterham Racing also had plenty to cheer at the end of the GP2 race, when the team’s American driver Alexander Rossi came home third. Rossi, who visited his countrymen at the US Navy Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain earlier this week, made a strong return to competition after missing the opening race of the year in Malaysia.

Ending Saturday’s action on a high note was the first of two Formula Middle East demonstration races to take place on the support bill for the Grand Prix. As the series prepares for its first season on the Bahraini racing calendar starting this November, the 12-strong field put on a tremendous demonstration in which pole position man Emil Bernstorff hold his advantage over Alban Varutti and Michela Cerruti, who completed the podium.

An innovative new event organized by the Bahrain Economic Development Board in partnership with Formula One Management also starred at the BIC as part of the Grand Prix experience. Business in Formula 1® is a networking opportunity with a racing edge for guests at the Formula 1 Paddock Club®.

 

Giving the opening address was Williams Formula One‘s deputy Team Principal Claire Williams, partnered by motor sport specialist Mark Gallagher. Their presentation was delivered to guests including His Excellency Kamal bin Ahmed, Minister of Transport and Acting CEO of the Economic Development Board; Mahmood Al Kooheji, CEO of Mumtalakat and Michael Yadgar, Legal Director at the legal specialists DLA Piper Bahrain, who later took part in a panel discussion led by former BBC reporter and Bahrain Capital Club General Manager, Shahnaz Pakravan.

 

As ever the entertainment areas were alive with music and family-focused acts from every corner of the globe. With more than 40,000 fans having attended over the opening two days, the atmosphere is one of celebration and the traditional Formula 1® drivers’ autograph session proved to be as popular as ever.

 

In the F1® Game Zone fans were not only able to try racing for themselves on the 16 high-tech simulators, but also enjoy watching stars from the GP2 Series racing each other. Today’s final day will see fans able to compete in their own Grand Prix in which the top three finishers will win tickets to the 2014 Formula 1® Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

 

Now, though, all attention is focused on the remainder of the weekend. The second and final races for Formula Middle East and the GP2 Series will lead up to the 2013 Formula 1® Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in all its sporting glory. Then as a final treat, the tens of thousands of fans can look forward to the closing concert with Grammy-winning r’n’b superstar Ne-Yo and DJ to the stars Calvin Harris.