Mercedes are partying like it’s 1954 after Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position in Hockenheim, as Ferrari’s challenge unravelled in spectacular fashion.
At the start of Q1, Sebastian Vettel reported a loss of power on his out lap and was told by the team to pit immediately. Vettel never came back out on track.
It all started with Vettel noticing a loss of power as he accelerated out of the pit lane. Then he heard air leaking, a sign of a loss of pressure. Ferrari revealed later that the German had suffered a turbo failure.
Some good omens for Vettel are that Rubens Barrichello won the 2000 German Grand Prix from 18th on the grid, albeit on a different track configuration, and Hamilton’s victory last year from 14th.
“Obviously, I’m very bitter,” Vettel told Sky Sports’ Natalie Pinkham.
“The car is great and we had a great chance [to get pole].
“I’m looking forward to the race but it would have been nicer at the very front instead of the very back.”
(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
It was extremely close in the midfield once again. Lance Stroll finally broke his streak of consecutive Q1 eliminations but wasn’t able to progress much further. He will line up 15th on the grid tomorrow.
As we headed into Q3, problems began to emerge on Charles Leclerc’s car, which ultimately terminated his qualifying.
“I have no idea if it was the same problem as Sebastian’s,” he told Pinkham. “The car felt great today and this weekend so it’s a shame that it’s ended like this.”
With both Ferraris suffering terminal problems, Mercedes were able to score an open goal today with Hamilton taking a pole position which seemed unlikely at the start of the weekend.
When interviewed by Paul di Resta, Hamilton acknowledged what his pole meant to the team.
“It’s such an important race for us – our second Grand Prix and the 125th anniversary for Mercedes,” he said.
So, onto tomorrow’s race. A number of factors should make it unpredictable. Rain is forecast for the whole of Sunday and this could bring Max Verstappen into play.
Remember Brazil 2016 where he overtook Nico Rosberg around the outside of the Curva do Sol? That sort of magnificent drive could be repeated tomorrow afternoon in Hockenheim.
And don’t forget that we have Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel out of position in tenth and 20th place, respectively.
The action gets underway at 11.10pm AEST.
The grid
1: Lewis Hamilton: 1:11.767
2: Max Verstappen: 1:12.113
3: Valtteri Bottas: 1:12.129
4: Pierre Gasly: 1:12.522
5: Kimi Raikkonen: 1:12.538
6: Romain Grosjean: 1:12.851
7: Carlos Sainz: 1:12.897
8: Sergio Perez: 1:13.065
9: Nico Hulkenberg: 1:13.126
10: Charles Leclerc: NO TIME
11: Antonio Giovinazzi: 1:12.786 (Q2)
12: Kevin Magnussen: 1:12.789 (Q2)
13: Daniel Ricciardo: 1:12.799 (Q2)
14: Daniil Kvyat: 1:13.135 (Q2)
15: Lance Stroll: 1:13.450 (Q2)
16: Lando Norris: 1:13.333 (Q1)
17: Alexander Albon: 1:13.461 (Q1)
18: George Russell: 1:14.721 (Q1)
19: Robert Kubica: 1:14.839 (Q1)
20: Sebastian Vettel: NO TIME (Q1)
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Hamilton may be ill but he's still on pole and is more than capable of driving the full 67 lap race. As for Gasly, this was actually his best qualifying session of the season! The time that I put in my grid was not his fastest time because he had his previous fastest lap deleted because he had exceeded track limits. That lap was under a tenth slower than Verstappen. If he can hold on to 4th then Red Bull should be happy but I do agree with you that his future at Red Bull is in jeopardy. And don't forget about the rain today! That will mix things up if it arrives.
Simoc
Guest
Hamilton is quite ill so may not last the distance. Incredibly close times in most of the midfield with the surprise for me being Raikenon in the Alfa. He obviously isn't out there to make up the numbers this season. The Hulk got in front of Dan, and Norris had a rare fail. I think Gaslys days are numbered to the remaining races this season. To far off Verstappens times. Strolls to slow to compared to Perez but has his old mans money to hold the seat. And the Ferraris season just keeps getting worse.