Webber was third quickest, beaten in qualifying for the first time this
year by his teammate, and will share the second row with Jenson Button – shades of 2011 with McLaren and Red Bull squaring up for yet another duel. Under performing massively on the day were China winners Mercedes
with pre-qualifying favourite Nico Rosberg fifth fastest, but biggest shock of all being Michael Schumacher who failed to make it out of Q3 after what seemed like a gross strategy blunder in the first qualifying session. The team put the mishap down to a rear wing fault which curtailed performance. Schumacher revealed afterwards, “The so called RFA [DRS] rear