F1 Madness

Tag: lewis hamilton

  • F1 2016: Belgium Gp Free Practice 2 Report – Verstappen Quickest

    F1 2016: Belgium Gp Free Practice 2 Report – Verstappen Quickest

    Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen set the quickest time in the second free practice session for the Belgian grand prix.

    The second free practice session ran in pristine sunshine during which Dutch driver Verstappen set a quickest time of 1:48:085 ahead of his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg set the third fastest time ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and the sister Force India of Sergio Perez.

    Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton ended the session sixth and thirteenth quickest on the timing sheets. Neither Mercedes driver ran the quickest supersoft tyre. The number 7 Ferrari of Raikkonen was seventh quickest without a clear run on the red-walled supersoft tyre while Haas F1’s Romain Grosjean was eighth overall. McLaren’s Jenson Button and Esteban Gutierrez in the Haas rounded out the top ten. The Williams duo endured a tough session as Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa ended 16th and 17th overall.

    The long runs revealed a comparable pace on the yellow-walled soft tyre between the two Red Bull teammates with Vettel a few tenths adrift in the Ferrari. Hamilton, who will start the race from the back of the grid due to penalties, ran a long stint on the medium compound tyres which consistently hovered in the mid 1:55 bracket.

    Final Standings Free Practice 2:

    Pos. Driver Team Best Time Gap Laps
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:48.085 – 27
    2 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:48.341 +0.256 27
    3 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:48.657 +0.572 30
    4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:49.023 +0.938 27
    5 Sergio Perez Force India 1:49.100 +1.015 27
    6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:49.161 +1.076 33
    7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:49.244 +1.159 30
    8 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:49.419 +1.334 20
    9 Jenson Button McLaren 1:49.419 +1.334 23
    10 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:49.648 +1.563 23
    11 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:49.716 +1.631 31
    12 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:49.772 +1.687 30
    13 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:49.782 +1.697 33
    14 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:49.916 +1.831 25
    15 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:50.083 +1.998 27
    16 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:50.151 +2.066 19
    17 Felipe Massa Williams 1:50.157 +2.072 29
    18 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:50.194 +2.109 25
    19 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:50.375 +2.290 34
    20 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:50.562 +2.477 32
    21 Esteban Ocon Manor 1:50.659 +2.574 25
    22 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:50.719 +2.634 24
  • Hamilton to Drop 55-Places for Belgian GP Race

    Hamilton to Drop 55-Places for Belgian GP Race

    Lewis Hamilton will drop a total of 30-places down the grid after Mercedes replaced his Power Unit before Free Practice 2 for the Belgian Grand Prix.

    Mercedes had given Hamilton a new PU before free practice 1 which put him on his 6th turbo charger and 6th MGU-H. That would’ve dropped him 15 places.

    Just after Free Practice 2 got underway Mercedes confirmed that they have given Hamilton a new PU which meant that he took a 7th turbo and 7th MGU-H. With the addition of the second PU his total grid drop tally comes to 30-places.

    Hamilton took a third new power unit for the weekend just before free practice 3. That makes it his 6th engine, 6th MGU-K, 8th MGU-H, and 8th turbo. That’s a further 25-place grid penalty which brings his total grid place drop to 55. With the new regulations that were put in place for the 2016 season, Hamilton can not go any further than the back of the grid.

    Racing Director at Mercedes, Paddy Lowe said that they will do the minimum amount of running during qualifying as Hamilton starts from the back of the grid anyway.

    These new PU components gives Hamilton a pool of components to use till the end of the season without incurring any further penalties.

  • F1 2016: Belgium Gp Free Practice 1 Report – Rosberg On Top

    F1 2016: Belgium Gp Free Practice 1 Report – Rosberg On Top

    Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg topped the timing sheet at the end of the first free practice session for the 2016 Belgian grand prix.

    The Formula 1 season resumed after its summer break with the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit bathed in glorious sunshine. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg set the quickest time of the 90 minute session with a time of 1:48:348 ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton who set a time of 1:49:078. Both Mercedes drivers set their quickest time of the session on the red-walled supersoft tyre.

    Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen set the third quickest time at a 1:49:147 but only ran the yellow-walled soft tyre. Sergio Perez was fourth for Force India as the second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top five.

    Several drivers including Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo ran the Halo head protection system in an installation lap as further development ahead of the introduction of the system. Pirelli further offered teams two prototype set of tyres to test in preparation for 2017. The test tyres were focused on the construction of the tyre as opposed to outright performance.

    Renault’s Jolyon Palmer lost the last twenty minutes of the session with a technical issue. However, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso failed to set a lap time as his car suffered a water leak early in the session. It has been confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will incur a 15 place grid penalty after changing two elements his power unit.

    Final Standings Free Practice 1:

    Pos. Driver Team Best Time Gap Lap
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:48.348s – 27
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:49.078s 0.730 25
    3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:49.147s 0.799 24
    4 Sergio Perez Force India 1:49.274s 0.926 23
    5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:49.768s 1.420 19
    6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:49.782s 1.434 24
    7 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:49.865s 1.517 24
    8 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:50.088s 1.740 21
    9 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:50.394s 2.046 31
    10 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:50.583s 2.235 21
    11 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:50.899s 2.551 18
    12 Felipe Massa Williams 1:51.122s 2.774 28
    13 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:51.125s 2.777 16
    14 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:51.424s 3.076 17
    15 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:51.768s 3.420 19
    16 Esteban Ocon Manor 1:51.787s 3.439 26
    17 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:52.308s 3.960 19
    18 Jenson Button McLaren 1:52.407s 4.059 18
    19 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:52.837s 4.489 23
    20 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:53.053s 4.705 20
    21 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:53.089s 4.741 20
    – Fernando Alonso McLaren – – 3

     

  • Hamilton To Incur Engine Penalty at Spa

    Hamilton To Incur Engine Penalty at Spa

    Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that he will take a new engine at this weekends Belgian Grand Prix.

    After suffering reliability issues early in the season with his Mercedes engine, Hamilton has now confirmed that he will get a new engine.

    Under the new regulations drivers are allowed to use 5 of each of the power unit components a season. Hamilton is currently on his 5th turbo, MGU-H which means that if any of those components are replaced he will incur a grid penalty.

    Speaking to reporters on Thursday Hamilton said that he will take the grid penalty this weekend.

    “As far as I am aware we will be taking the penalty this weekend,” said Hamilton to reporters.

    “Naturally we already discussed engine penalties before, that will come into play for sure but I will do everything I can to minimise the impact I have.

    “Otherwise, beyond that penalty that I will eventually take, I think I will be able to continue with the momentum I had before the break.”

  • F1 2016: Belgium GP Preview – Spa, Unparalleled Greatness

    F1 2016: Belgium GP Preview – Spa, Unparalleled Greatness

    It is almost as if it’s scripted that Formula 1 returns after it’s summer break to the greatest circuit in the world. Belgium’s majestic Spa-Francorchamps is set in all of its famed glory to host the 13th round of the 2016 season.

    It doesn’t come as a surprise that Spa is often rated as the most popular races by fans. The circuit, 7.004 km in length, boasts several overtaking opportunities, significant elevations changes, and a bevy of challenging corners. It provides an equally stern test to the cars as it demands an efficient aero package through its high-speed corners, and good power out put and delivery for its long straights and climbs.

    It’s not just a great circuit on paper either. Since it’s first race in 1950 Spa has delivered victors, moments, and memories that will last forever. From Mika Hakkinen’s stunning pass, for the lead, on Michael Schumacher and backmarker Ricardo Zonta in 2000, to Kimi Raikkonen’s 2004 win from tenth on the grid, to Mark Webber’s spine-tingling 2011 overtake of Fernando Alonso around the outside into Eau Rouge.

    Hakkinen_Schumacher_Spa2000In 2016 another chapter is ready to be written into the glorious history of this mythical circuit. Mercedes start the weekend as favourites but it’s not a given that they’ll dominate the 44 laps on Sunday.

    The tyres selected by the sharp end of the grid have revealed quite a big disparity between the front running teams. Mercedes has chosen the conservative route on tyre selection, as each of their drivers will have only four sets of the red-walled supersoft tyre. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Vettel and Raikkonen have opted for seven sets a piece of the supersoft tyre. Ferrari has shown a preference for the supersoft tyre throughout the first half of the season, which could have factored into their decision making. The cooler temperatures and difficulty in heating the tyre to their operating temperatures would have been another consideration for Ferrari.

    As fascinating as the tyre strategy could turn out this weekend it may not play out at all. This circuit, situated in the foothills of the Ardennes Mountains, is notorious for its changeable and unpredictable weather. Add to this the vastness of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and it often results in rain at one end of the track while sunshine dominates the other half.

    There is also the question of spotty reliability of Lewis Hamilton’s side of the garage. The unreliability that dogged his early season means that Hamilton, already on his fifth engine element, is close to incurring a grid penalty. A sixth engine would mean a painful ten place grid penalty however it has been confirmed that Hamilton will take the ten place knock at the Italian grand prix.

    Virage_du_Raidillon_Spa_FrancorchampsFerrari hasn’t had the season that they and most expected them to have. Nevertheless, team principal Maurizio Arrivebene has confirmed that there will be another engine upgrade but has not confirmed whether it will be forthcoming in Belgium or Italy. They do have Raikkonen in their arsenal who has been dubbed The King of Spa. But before the summer break they had clearly fallen behind Red Bull.

    This next round of the 2016 F1 season has everything going for it. The best drivers in the world sweeping through Eau Rouge, Pouhon, and Blanchimont on the greatest circuit ever built is surely a match made in Formula 1 heaven.

  • F1 2016: Mid-season Review

    F1 2016: Mid-season Review

    Formula 1 is two weeks into its mid-season break, which provides the perfect occasion to reflect on the first half of 2016.

    Mercedes brilliant but not without bruises

    The reigning champions rocketed out of the starting gate in 2016 and haven’t faced a consistently noteworthy challenge from anyone. Nico Rosberg obliterated the competition with four victories in a row and built a commanding lead over teammate Lewis Hamilton in the driver’s standings.

    It appeared that Rosberg had finally mastered his mental demons and would make a serious bid for championship glory. But Lewis Hamilton was calm the face of Rosberg’s domination and sometimes even a bit detached from his points deficit. Nearly a decade and several clutch moments in the sport provided Hamilton with an abundance of experience and the knowledge that the championship was far from out of reach.

    He not only closed the gap but also took over the lead on the driver’s table going into the break. The nagging question about Rosberg’s psychological toughness has roared back to life especially after that controversial collision with Hamilton in Spain and Austria.

    While Rosberg and Hamilton rub carbon fibre instead of wheels Toto Wolff and co has threatened to enforce team-orders. But this is unlikely to happen, as neither driver will accept it. The championship is far from over but it’s clear that right now Hamilton has the edge on form and crucially in mentality.

    Spanish Grand Prix, podiumRed Bull storm back into contention

    The team started the season with Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat in the cockpit of a car seriously lacking in grunt. Two vital changes turned the season around for the Austrian team. First, Kvyat was demoted to Toro Rosso in favour of Max Verstappen. The young Dutchmen immediately repaid the faith but winning the Spanish grand prix.

    The second big change came in the form of a power unit upgrade from Renault. It not only catapulted Red Bull past Ferrari on pace but summarily halved the gap to Mercedes. Yes, there is still work to be done for Red Bull to be serious competition for Mercedes but the manner in which they’ve recovered their 2016 season is an impressive feat.

    Ferrari stutter

    In pre-season testing the Italian team looked set to challenge for victories and perhaps even a championship title if thing well, it didn’t. In Australia the wrong strategy call kept Sebastian Vettel from victory. Several dubious and costly strategy calls would follow throughout the first half of the season.

    With that several gearbox penalties dogged particularly Vettel as he started race after the race down the grid. Team principal Maurizio Arrivabene finally admitted that their aggressive approach might have cost them points on reliability.

    But the biggest blow came with the departure of chief technical director James Alison. Whatever the reason for Alison leaving the team it’s never a good sign when a senior member leaves a team midway through a season. Rumours are abounding that Ferrari are trying to bring Paddy Lowe and James Key into the stable.  However, while both these men as exceptional at their respective jobs bringing them in at this point is unlikely to have a significant impact.

    Ferrari is flailing in a manner that is unbecoming to its history and the only reason why it’s not being called catastrophic is because of their two drivers who somehow wring results out of their car.

    McLaren moving forward

    McLaren-Honda Canadian Grand PrixHonda has slowly but surely started to claw its way up the grid. Both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button making regular appearance in the top 10 of qualifying and scoring the odd handful of points.

    Though it’s still not where either of these champions want to be the Japanese manufacturer is doing just enough to keep Alonso and Button satisfied and believing that 2017 may be their year.

    Haas’ good start fades

    The American Haas team started the F1 season in spectacular fashion with Romain Grosjean. Several solid point scoring races and brilliant strategy calls belied the fact that this was a new team in Formula 1.

    However, as the season progressed so the good times were consigned to the past. As other mid-field teams like Force India began to move forward and evolve their cars Haas seemed to stumble. Gone were the regular points scores to be replaced by a confused and frustrated Frenchman over the radio.

    The good news for Haas is that Esteban Gutierrez’ performances have improved from the start of the season. There also isn’t an impression of negativity from the pitwall or the team boss. They are well aware that trying to hack it as a new team in F1 is a difficult prospect. They’re keeping their eye firmly on the ball and that’s what matters.

    Force India resurgence

    Motor Racing - Formula One World Championship - Hungarian Grand Prix - Qualifying Day - Budapest, HungaryThe season started rather mundanely for Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez. But a genuine improvement has allowed the team to close the gap to Williams in the constructor’s championship.

    While Sergio Perez has scored two podiums Hulkenberg has none. Some would be surprised at this stat as Hulkenberg is so highly regarded in the paddock. If the team can keep the car competitive in the mid-field the fights between its two drivers should develop into one worth keeping an eye on.

    The F1 season returns 26 August with the Belgium grand prix.

  • F1 2016: German Gp Review – Hamilton Surges, Rosberg Falters

    F1 2016: German Gp Review – Hamilton Surges, Rosberg Falters

    After the Saturday qualifying session Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg was on top of the world after delivering a stunning lap, for pole, under extreme pressure.

    But the German’s euphoria on home soil was short lived as teammate Lewis Hamilton rocketed into the lead of the race. Hamilton went on to taste the sweet success of victory at the German grand prix while teammate Rosberg stumbled at home.

    Not only did Rosberg fall behind his teammate but also both Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. For several fleeting moments it appeared that Rosberg would have the pace to recover to second place. But the afternoon went horribly pear-shaped for the Merc driver. In an attempt to overtake Verstappen he tried an Austria-esque move, which, again, didn’t pan out. It resulted in a 5-second penalty and despite being in the cockpit of the most dominant car on the grid Rosberg slunk home in fourth place.

    After the Russian grand prix Rosberg had a 43-point lead over Hamilton. But now we’ve seen a 62-point swing in Hamilton’s favour.  There’s only so many times you can accept losing points to a teammate before it becomes awkward. Yes, there is still half a season to go but this dramatic swing in points will do nothing to quell the questions Rosberg’s psychological make-up.

    GP GERMANIA F1/2016Red Bull Racing completed a satisfactory day at the office with their first double podium since the 2015 Hungarian Gp. Ricciardo led home teammate Verstappen and ensured that Red Bull head into the month-long break ahead of Ferrari in the constructors standings.

    With 5th and 6th for Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari have big concerns heading into the summer break and are now behind Red Bull not only on points but also in terms of raw pace.

    Nico Hulkenberg delivered the best Force India could hope for with seventh place while drive of the day belongs to McLaren driver Jenson Button in eighth. The Brit summarily out-performed his highly acclaimed teammate Fernando Alonso who finished twelfth.

    It was easy to discern the great spirit of the two McLaren drivers from the radio comms between them and their pitwall. It hasn’t been easy for these two champions to endure this car but it does reveal a great deal of their passion for racing for still being as spirited as ever behind the wheel.

    Hamilton now leads the driver’s standings by 19 points. There is no doubt that Rosberg is a talented driver but the questions and doubts about his mental strength will be raised once more.

    (All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

  • 2016 Formula 1 German Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2016 Formula 1 German Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

     

    TV UNILATERAL

    Nico, under pressure there: only one run in the end in Q3 after, we understand, an electronics glitch on your first run. How satisfying is this pole under those circumstances?

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it was a great feeling. Just a great lap. Not only was it just one lap that I had but I also had extra fuel to make sure that I would have an extra shot if a mistake or something happens. So I had fuel for three laps. So that was some more time in the bag there, so I was really satisfied with that one. That was really cool.

    Very well done. Lewis, a little lock-up there, I think into the hairpin, on your final run, only a tenth off Nico. It looks like it’s been a little bit of a tricky weekend, but did you feel it was all coming together for you in qualifying?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It’s been a good weekend, I had no problems. I had the pace today I just didn’t finish it off in the last lap, so…

    Was it the lock-up ?

    LH: I didn’t really have much of a lock-up. It was subtle; I didn’t lose any time.

    Thank you for that. Coming to you Daniel, obviously a very close battle between Red Bull and Ferrari there. Do you feel though that you could have been a little bit closer to the Mercedes in the end than the two and a half tenths that it was?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: I think we got pretty close to be honest. My first lap in Q3 was really good and I knew there probably wasn’t that much more on the table in the second run and in the end a couple of mistakes in that run. There was maybe a tenth or so in it with the perfect lap, but not enough to challenge the pole. We’re close enough. I said yesterday that if we could be within half a second that’s not a bad day in qualifying, so hopefully it means something tomorrow. From what I understand we might have different tyres available for us for the race, so hopefully that makes it interesting.

    Just coming back to you Lewis: your thoughts ahead of tomorrow’s grand prix? It’s going to be another tough battle in prospect?

    LH: It’s should be a good day for Mercedes. That’s the goal and yeah, we’ll race it out.

    And the final word from our pole sitter: your thoughts Nico then, the race in prospect? Another tough battle in prospect, not only with Lewis but with Daniel as well, and any worries for you on the electronics glitch going forward into the grand prix?

    NR: No, I don’t know what it was. It just suddenly… how do you say… it just suddenly lost the throttle. So just cut completely the engine, just at the end of the lap. That was disappointing but I’m sure we’ll fix it for tomorrow. It’s never happened before, so I’m sure it will be OK. Definitely it will be an exciting race against Lewis and the Red Bulls and maybe also the Ferraris but they’re a bit further back it seems.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Nico, maybe you could just tell us a little bit more about what you experienced with that electronics glitch – and also, I’m interested in the mental reset after that. You obviously get yourself psyched-up, you know you’ll have another run but to know it’s all on that one lap after you’ve had a setback, just tell us about that mental reset you have to do.

    NR: Yeah, it was frustrating at the time because it was a good lap and then to lose it two corners from the end in a way that I’ve never experienced before was definitely tough in that moment. And then also to know that I had to put extra fuel for the last run, to be able to do three laps because just to have a little bit of a contingency plan in case lap one doesn’t work out. And then, yeah, just very happy with that first lap. That was awesome, it really came together well. Yeah, so as a result it was quite challenging to do that last run.

    Q: Lewis, obviously it’s been a very strong couple of months for you. You’ve come right back to the point where you’re now leading the championship going into tomorrow’s grand prix. Just tell us a little bit about the importance for you of going into that summer break with a win under your belt. Is that something you particularly target? And how do you look back on this last few weeks?

    LH: I think the importance is not particularly relevant. We’ve had, what, five out of six races wins, so it’s been a good mid-stint of the season, and hopefully tomorrow we get the first or second and that’ll still be great. We’ll still be in good position. Of course, every race you approach to win.

    Q: Daniel, going into tomorrow’s grand prix, just looking back on your comments yesterday after the long runs, it seemed that you felt reasonably optimistic in terms of your pace relative to these guys. So tell us a bit more about that.

    DR: Yeah. I felt that, on low fuel yesterday, Mercedes had a pretty good buffer over everyone and the long run pace we looked to be closer than that, so that was giving us a bit of optimism coming into Sunday. Obviously today we’ve got a bit closer on one-lap pace than we were yesterday so let’s see. Hopefully it translates into something tomorrow. Even to put a little bit of pressure on them at some point in the race would be nice. But yeah, we’ll see. Obviously tomorrow, you never know what can happen, and racetracks change day to day with the temperature and whatever but yeah, obviously we’re looking pretty good. Obviously a lock-out with the second row and hopefully we can do something with it.

    You hinted there that you have something different on the tyres there, so you think obviously strategies going to play a big part in the race tomorrow.

    DR: Yeah, from what I understand, we’ve got different tyres available for the race, so there could be some different strategies amongst the first few cars. Hopefully it works out. If it does, the fans might have a race on their hands.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Speedsport and Auto Action) Nico and Lewis, last weekend the start  and the first couple corners set the race. How much different is it this weekend and how much easier is it to get past on this track?

    NR: It’s a different world here because you can overtake on this track if you get a significant speed difference. Nevertheless it’s still going to be a good battle off the start and in the first couple of corners, for sure.

    LH: It’s a much easier track (on which) to overtake. But that doesn’t mean you can but it is much easier, it’s one of the easier ones.

    Q: And your thoughts just on that first corner and then the run down to turn two?

    LH: Only one car can go through turn one so it’s whoever gets there first.

    Q: (Graeme Keilloh – Grand Prix Times) Lewis, you said earlier that you just didn’t get it done in the final qualifying lap. Did you feel that pole was on today, was there a particular mistake or something else that denied you?

    LH: Well, I’d been first in every qualifying session so yeah, it was definitely on. I was two tenths up on the lap and I just didn’t finish it. That’s it.

  • Rosberg secures pole position for German Grand Prix

    Rosberg secures pole position for German Grand Prix

    Nico Rosberg secured pole position for his home German grand prix, beating Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton by just over a tenth of a second. Hamilton drifted a little at Turn 1 and locked up into the hairpin on his final lap, pretty much costing him the pole position.

    Rosberg had suffered an electronics issue on his first Q3 run to take the top spot with a 1:14.363. Rosberg’s lap was outstanding and held nothing but signs of sandbagging by the Mercedes team during the FP3 practice session.

    Lewis Hamilton had been under investigation following FP3 – for an unsafe release. The stewards decided to fine the Mercedes team, but there was no penalty for Hamilton so he will retain his 2nd place.

    The second row of the German Grand Prix grid will be locked out by the Red Bull team of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

    Kimi Raikkonen beat Ferrari team mate Sebastian Vettel to fifth place and Nico Hulkenberg, Valterri Bottas and Sergio Perez lined up behind them. Felipe Massa rounded out the Top 10 for the Williams F1 team.

    Esteban Gutierrez finished 11th – only just missing out on his first Q3, ahead of Jenson Button for McLaren. Carlos Sainz Jr is under investigation for impeding Felipe Massa at Turn 2.

    Fernando Alonso finished in 14th place ahead of Romain Grosjean who will have to take a five place grid penalty for his gearbox change following FP3.

    Jolyon Palmer finished 16th for Renault ahead of team mate Kevin Magnussen who has Pascal Wehrlein lining up behind him.

    A frustrated Daniil Kvyat lined up 19th for Toro Rosso with Manor’s Rio Haryanto beating both Sauber drivers, with Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson at the back of the grid.

    Join us tomorrow on Twitter @F1_Madness for live chat and commentary throughout the German Grand Prix.

  • Nico Rosberg takes German GP practice hat trick

    Nico Rosberg takes German GP practice hat trick

    Nico Rosberg completed a hat trick of the German GP practice sessions, leading the way during the final practice session ahead of this weekend’s race.

    Rosberg posted a time of 1:15.738 on his second super soft run, which was 0.057s clear of Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton has been summoned to the stewards for an unsafe releas ahead of Romain Grosjean in the pit lane. Paddy Lowe commented that the pit garage exit is extremely tight and there’s not much room to bring the drivers out.

    Red Bull and Ferrari finished within spitting distance of the Mercedes drivers with Daniel Ricciardo completing his session only 0.099s behind Rosberg’s time. Kimi Raikkonen finished 0.164 behind the German.

    Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen finished 5th and 6th fastest, Vettel completing the session with some damage to his front wing. Verstappen had complained earlier in the session that his battery was not charging.

    Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were the only other drivers along the grid to lap within a second of Rosberg’s time.

    Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the Top 10.

    Carlos Sainz Jr and Daniil Kvyat posted the 11th and 14th fastest times for Toro Rosso split by the Mexicans – Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez.

    Renault finished 15th and 16th with Kevin Magnussen going a dash faster than team mate Joylen Palmer. Button set the 19th fastest time amid plenty complaints of a loose rear and very low grip. He completed only 6 laps.

    Manor drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto finished 20th and 21st with Romain Grosjean only managing four laps before spinning out at Turn 3 with gearbox complaints. Grosjean will need to take a gearbox change resulting in a five place drop following qualifying.

    Join us at 14:00 GMT+2 on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and chat from qualifying for the German Grand Prix.

    Nico Rosberg Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas