Eifel GP: Bottas beats Hamilton, Verstappen to pole
Valtteri Bottas beat Lewis Hamilton to pole in qualifying for Formula 1's Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, while Nico Hulkenberg qualified last.
Mercedes maintained its 100% record in qualifying so far in 2020, but faced stiff competition from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who had topped Q1 and was just adrift of Hamilton at the head of the times in Q2.
Verstappen even led the way after the first runs in Q3, but Bottas prevailed as the Mercedes drivers fired back on their second efforts.
Bottas ended up with the fastest middle sector on his final lap, a 1m25.269s, which put him clear by 0.256s as he shuffled Hamilton down to second, with the world champion ending up with the fastest time in the final sector.
Verstappen started his final lap with the quickest sector one time, but he faded as the lap wore on and he wound up 0.293s adrift of pole.
Both Verstappen and Hamilton went slower in Q3 compared to their laps in the middle segment.
Charles Leclerc stunned Alex Albon to take fourth for Ferrari, with the Red Bull driver knocked down to fifth as a result of the Monegasque racer's last-gasp improvement.
All the leading cars will start tomorrow's race on the softs, despite the Mercedes and Ferrari cars, and Renault's Daniel Ricciardo, experimenting with the medium tyres early in Q2.
Ricciardo qualified sixth in Q3 ahead of his teammate Esteban Ocon, with Lando Norris qualifying eighth ahead of Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz.
Leclerc's late improvement to set the fifth fastest time in Q1 knocked out his Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel, who set a personal best on his final lap in the middle segment but wound up being shuffled down to 11th.
Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat also improved on their final runs in Q2, but they were both knocked out in P12 and P13, while a last-gasp lap from Antonio Giovinazzi gave him 14th place for Alfa Romeo ahead of Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.
In Q1, Hulkenberg, who was always due to travel to the Nurburgring on Saturday to work for German broadcaster RTL before his late call-up to replace the unwell Stroll ahead of qualifying, was out early to learn the track in the Canadian's RP20.
He completed a run of several laps on the softs as soon as the opening segment got under way and spent most of the session at the foot of the times, although he was briefly able to move up to P19 ahead of the final runs in Q1.
Hulkenberg's final lap featured a deep moment at the first corner and brief lock ups on the right front and left front respectively at Turn 6 – the right-hander that runs down towards the hairpin – and on the approach to the final chicane.
He set a personal best but lost time in the final sector and wound up last, 0.204s slower than Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen.
Romain Grosjean missed the cut after having his best lap of the session – a 1m27.118s – deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 4 in the shadow of the Mercedes grandstand that overlooks the corner and Turn 1.
The Haas driver was able to set another time in the closing moments but was shuffled down and out ahead of the Williams pair George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, as they finished P17 and P18.
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Valtteri Bottas |  | Mercedes | 1'25.269 | |
| 2 |  Lewis Hamilton | | Mercedes | 1'25.525 | 0.256 |
| 3 |  Max Verstappen |  | Red Bull | 1'25.562 | 0.293 |
| 4 |  Charles Leclerc |  | Ferrari | 1'26.035 | 0.766 |
| 5 |  Alex Albon |  | Red Bull | 1'26.047 | 0.778 |
| 6 |  Daniel Ricciardo |  | Renault | 1'26.223 | 0.954 |
| 7 |  Esteban Ocon |  | Renault | 1'26.242 | 0.973 |
| 8 | Lando Norris |  | McLaren | 1'26.458 | 1.189 |
| 9 |  Sergio Perez |  | Racing Point | 1'26.704 | 1.435 |
| 10 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. |  | McLaren | 1'26.709 | 1.440 |
| 11 |  Sebastian Vettel |  | Ferrari | 1'26.738 | 1.469 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly |  | AlphaTauri | 1'26.776 | 1.507 |
| 13 |  Daniil Kvyat |  | AlphaTauri | 1'26.848 | 1.579 |
| 14 |  Antonio Giovinazzi |  | Alfa Romeo | 1'26.936 | 1.667 |
| 15 |  Kevin Magnussen |  | Haas | 1'27.125 | 1.856 |
| 16 | Romain Grosjean | | Haas | 1'27.552 | 2.283 |
| 17 | George Russell |  | Williams | 1'27.564 | 2.295 |
| 18 |  Nicholas Latifi |  | Williams | 1'27.812 | 2.543 |
| 19 | Kimi Raikkonen |  | Alfa Romeo | 1'27.817 | 2.548 |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg |  | Racing Point | 1'28.021 | 2.752 |
| View full results | |||||
Previous article
Eifel GP qualifying as it happened
Next article
2020 F1 Eifel Grand Prix qualifying results, full grid lineup
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Eifel GP |
| Sub-event | QU |
| Author | Alex Kalinauckas |
How Do Drivers Stay Fit For F1 Grand Prix?
Ronnie Peterson and Jochen Rindt Tribute
#ThinkingForward with Juan Pablo Montoya
The themes to watch in F1's Imola return
Three weeks is a long time in Formula 1, but in the reshaped start to the 2021 season the teams head to Imola to pick things up after the frenetic Bahrain opener. Here's what to look out for and the developments to follow at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The 'new' F1 drivers who need to improve at Imola
After a pandemic-hit winter of seat-swapping, F1 kicked off its season with several new faces in town, other drivers adapting to new environments, and one making a much-anticipated comeback. Ben Anderson looks at who made the most of their opportunity and who needs to try harder…
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says Nigel Roebuck.
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Is Formula 1 as good as it has ever been now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle.
How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his teammate's F1 career climb
Kimi Raikkonen's emergence as a Formula 1 star in his rookie campaign remains one of the legendary storylines from 2001, but his exploits had an unwanted impact on his Sauber teammate's own prospects. Twenty years on from his first F1 podium at the Brazilian GP, here's how Nick Heidfeld's career was chilled by the Iceman.
