Let's not take anything away from the drivers...but also not away from the crew as well.
JPM produced another good qualifying performance...(heh, ironic how some moan to see Michael on pole many times in a row bad for sports...seesh
), but i think it is fair to say that Williams/BMW/Michelin has a overall package which is as good as Ferrari/Bridgestone. Ralf being 0.009s slower isn't a big load...and it shows that JPM being way faster as a driver isn't really the main cause of getting pole...
There are opinions split on how Mika may be a better qualifier, or how even HHF is faster over a lap. Maybe. But Michael is himself a great qualifier too...how many times when we had seen him in 2nd or 3rd in provisional...only to put in one sensational lap to pull out a pole...sometimes even by quite a margin. Or sometimes how he could even set a super quick time, sit the last 10mins out and see his opponents frantically but fail to equal the time? Sure, just like in JPM's case, the package helps...but there are times in his career too where the package had worked against his qualifyings too.
Be fair to both...i don't mind seeing JPM on pole for this race, because i enjoyed watching the battle...Michael just before passing the start/finish was quite in the pants...
P.S, the car difference now actually are pretty small, considering that a better tire can easily turn that deficit, if any, into a huge advantage...think about it.