Formula 1 News

German Grand Prix Qualifiers: Raikkonen on Pole Position 

Kimi Raikkonen took pole position for the German Grand Prix; the Qualifier Session was interrupted, for more than 20′, by a significant accident for Championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton had just set the fastest lap time in the first sector when a loose right front wheel caused his McLaren to slide straight on, in the first part of Schumacher S section. The session was halted for nearly half an hour when Hamilton received attention and the tire barriers were re-assembled.

When the action resumed there was only time for a single flying lap for the remaining contenders. Felipe Massa moved straight to provisional pole, but was soon usurped by his Ferrari teammate Raikkonen.

Fernando Alonso beat the Ferrari’s time in the first sector but a major error in the middle sector forced him second on the grid behind Raikkonen, who got his second pole in the season. Massa placed third, ahead of the BMWs of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. Mark Webber with his Red Bull got sixth place, with Heikki Kovalainen seventh in the best of the Renaults. The Toyotas took eighth and ninth, with Hamilton tenth.

Jarno Trulli outqualified teammate Ralf Schumacher, but was fortunate to make it into Q3 at all, having spun at the chicane on his final Q2 lap. Despite ending the session on the grass, his previous time proved sufficient for 10th place and a place in the final segment.

While Kovalainen made it into the top ten with his final lap of Q2, his Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella did not get the same improvement, and was pushed back to 13th place, behind the two Williams.

Just 0.018 seconds split Nico Rosberg and Alex Wurz, and both nudged into the top ten near the end of Q2, but were edged back to the sixth row.

Honda’s Jenson Button and Red Bull’s David Coulthard were the biggest casualties of the first segment. Button could not find sufficient pace to make the cut and will start 17th, three places behind teammate Rubens Barrichello, while Coulthard (20th) rued his team’s tactics after having two laps spoilt by being too close to teammate Webber’s turbulence, and then being sent out too late to complete his final run.

Super Aguri were the best of the three small teams in Germany, with Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato both getting into Q2. They could not progress any further, and will share the 8th row.

The Toro Rossos took 18th and 19th, Scott Speed ahead of Vitantonio Liuzzi, while the Spykers again filled the final places, with Adrian Sutil 1.4 seconds faster than his temporary teammate Markus Winkelhock.

Europe GP (Nurburgring, Germany) Final Qualifier Standings:

1. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1’31”450
2. F. Alonso (McLaren-Mercedes) 1’31”741
3. F. Massa (Ferrari) 1’31”778
4. N. Heidfeld (BMW) 1’31”840
5. R. Kubica (BMW) 1’32”123
6. M. Webber (Red Bull) 1’32”476
7. H. Kovalainen (Renault) 1’32”478
8. J. Trulli (Toyota) 1’32”501
9. R. Schumacher (Toyota) 1’32”570
10. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 1’33”833