Nico Rosberg has claimed pole for the German GP 2016 despite a last minute electronic error in the final qualifying session. Hamilton held provisional pole after his teammate failed to record a time in his first flying lap, but Rosberg’s second lap was much more quicker and remained unbeaten till chequered flag. The German dashed to the pits during his first lap in Q3, but his one lap stint was enough to secure him victory in front of his home fans.

The German Grand Prix has been active since 1926, having been held for a record 75 times. However, the race only became part of the FIA Formula 1 after 1951, largely because West German was not allowed to take part in International events after World War II. The German GP has also hosted the European GP four times between 1954 and 1974. Rudolf Caracciola has the most wins at the German GP with six victories leading Michael Schumacher who has four wins. Ferrari leads the manufacturer category with a record 22 wins over second placed Mercedes-Williams tie with 9 wins.

German GP 2016 Qualifying Results – Starting Grid

1. Nico Rosberg – Mercedes-AMG
2. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes-AMG
3. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull
4. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
5. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari
6. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari
7. Nico Hulkenberg – Force India
8. Valtteri Bottas – Williams
9. Sergio Perez – Force India
10. Felipe Massa – Williams

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton dominated FP3 but not without a troublesome pair of Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen. Haas driver Romain Grosjean needs a gearbox change, we are yet to see if the team will manage to fix it in between the sessions ahead of the main race tomorrow.

And Pascal Wehrlein was the first man out in Q1 followed by Rio Haryanto moments later. The latter was the first to set a time on the board with a 1m17.701s lap. Both Mercedes went out on soft tires and Rosberg’s 1m15.485s lap was immediately quicker but Hamilton slashed that by 0.242s to take P1.

The Ferraris were out on supersoft tires and when they completed their flyer laps, Vettel slotted in fourth but was soon pushed further down by Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Verstappen. The Mercedes drivers were the only ones on soft rubber during those laps, the rest of the field was on supersofts.

Eliminated in Q1 were Magnussen, Wehrlein, Kvyat, Haryanto, Nasr and Ericsson. Proceeding through to Q2 were Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Vettel, Bottas, Gutierrez, Perez, Button, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Grosjean, Alonso, Massa and Palmer.

The Mercedes duo was the first to head out in Q2, this time on supersoft tires. They set their first times almost immediately with Hamilton heading the leaderboard after a 1m14.748s lap.

When the chequered flag flew, Gutierrez, Button, Sainz, Alonso, Grosjean and Palmer were all eliminated. The top ten comprised of Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Raikkonen, Bottas, Perez, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Vettel and Massa. All teams used supersoft tires in Q2, the same tire they will start on tomorrow.

In Q3, Vettel was the first man to set a time on 1m15.619s but Hamilton’s 1m14.486s was good enough for provisional pole. Verstappen then went second but teammate Ricciardo beat him to that slot moments later, Raikkonen and Vettel settled for fourth and fifth. Rosberg, Bottas, Massa were yet to do their flying laps. Rosberg failed to complete his first flying lap due to an electronic failure.

After his first and only perfect run, Rosberg ran a 1m14.363s lap to take provisional pole away from Hamilton. The chequered flag flew and Hamilton’s second lap wasn’t fast enough to beat Rosberg. The German thus claimed a perfect pole at the German GP 2016.

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