Rosberg leads Williams duo in German GP qualifying

Mercedes’ driver, Nico Rosberg has got off to a good start following qualifying for tomorrow’s FIA Formula One 2014 German Grand Prix, as he topped the timesheets all the way through until the end of the session. The German driver was rewarded with his first pole position on home turf ahead of the race as Q3 came to a close.

Rosberg’s teammate, Lewis Hamilton reached the top step of the podium for his home race at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago, but the 2008 World Champion crashed out of Q1 today and the session was red flagged for a bit as a result.

Hamilton inevitably took no further part in the remainder of qualifying at the Hockenheimring today and it was reported that his car suffered a front right brake disc failure which resulted in him veering off the track at high speed.

Hamilton posted a time good enough for 16th on the grid, but will move up to 15th place, as Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez faces a three place grid penalty for causing a collision at the British Grand Prix. He may have to start from the pit lane however; that is yet to be determined. 

Rosberg will be joined on the front row of the grid by Williams’ driver, Valtteri Bottas who will appear there for the second time in his Formula One career after finishing Q3 just behind tomorrow’s pole sitter.

Bottas’ good performance in qualifying today also meant that he pipped his teammate, Felipe Massa in the process, who will begin the race from third place.

McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen will accompany Massa on the second row of the grid as the Danish driver qualified in fourth place. Magnussen’s teammate, Jenson Button narrowly missed out on a spot in the top 10 shootout, as his former McLaren teammate; Sergio Perez secured the final spot as he crossed the line in his Force India at the end of Q2. Perez’s position did not change as Q3 came to a close and the Mexican driver will start from the 10th.

The Red Bull duo of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel will lock out the third row on the grid prior to the beginning of the race. Ricciardo qualified in fifth place in front of Vettel, who secured sixth place ahead of his home Grand Prix.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was the sole driver flying the flag for the team in Q3, as his teammate Kimi Raikkonen failed to make the grade and was knocked out of qualifying at the end of Q2 like Button. Alonso will line up in seventh place for the race and he will be alongside Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, who showed good form in qualifying and completed Q3 in eighth place.

Perez will be accompanied by his team mate, Nico Hulkenberg on the fifth row of the grid as the German driver qualified in ninth place in front of his home crowd. Aside from Hamilton, Button and Raikkonen already mentioned, the rest of the field will make up the positions down to 22nd.  The fourth German driver on the grid racing on home turf this weekend is Sauber’s Adrian Sutil, but he sadly did not match the pace of his fellow  countryman and he will begin the race further down the pack in 17th place.

Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson was not able to participate in today’s qualifying session and join the other drivers on the track. The Swedish driver encountered a problem with his car during second practice and it was reportedly due to a hydraulic problem, which meant that he also missed out on qualifying.

Rosberg began his weekend in the best way possible following the conclusion of Q3 today. It remains to be seen whether or not he will remain at the front and take the chequered flag as the winner in front his home crowd tomorrow. Rosberg will not only have his three countrymen, who will also have their sights set on success to compete against, but he will also have his closest championship rivals to consider. They will be looking to secure the best race results for themselves as well and particularly Hamilton, who trails current Championship leader Rosberg by just four points.

The Englishman will have his work cut out when the race gets underway, before he can track down Rosberg and pose a threat on his possible home race victory