Nico Rosberg took pole for the German Grand Prix with a best Q3 lap of 1:14.363. Lewis Hamilton was second on a 1:14.470, putting the two Mercedes drivers on the front row at Hockenheim.
Archive photograph of Vettel driving a Ferrari during the German Grand Prix.
An electrical problem affected Rosberg’s first Q3 attempt, leaving him to go out again late in the session. His final valid flying lap put him fastest. Hamilton still had a chance to respond but could not erase the 0.107-second deficit.
Daniel Ricciardo took third with a 1:14.726, with Max Verstappen fourth. Red Bull locked out the second row ahead of both Ferraris, continuing the trend from FP3 of closing the gap to Mercedes.
Kimi Räikkönen won the intra-Ferrari contest in fifth, ahead of Sebastian Vettel in sixth. Nico Hülkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez and Felipe Massa completed the top ten in that order.
Esteban Gutiérrez missed the final segment after finishing Q2 eleventh. Jenson Button was twelfth, Carlos Sainz thirteenth, Fernando Alonso fourteenth, Romain Grosjean fifteenth and Jolyon Palmer sixteenth.
Renault’s Kevin Magnussen was just 0.001 seconds ahead of Pascal Wehrlein, but both went out in Q1. Daniil Kvyat also failed to advance, while the two Saubers and Rio Haryanto occupied the remaining places at the back.
Grid penalties would alter the race starting order. Grosjean was penalised for a gearbox change, Hülkenberg lost one place for a qualifying tyre-use infringement, and Sainz received a three-place penalty for impeding Massa.
Rosberg withstood the pressure of his Q3 problem at his home race and followed up his fastest time in FP3 with pole. Hamilton and the two Red Bulls followed closely. Sunday’s 67-lap race would test whether the advantage of pole could survive the start and multiple pit stops.
| Position | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:15.485 | 1:14.839 | 1:14.363 | 12 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:15.243 | 1:14.748 | 1:14.470 | 12 |
| 3 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:15.591 | 1:15.545 | 1:14.726 | 14 |
| 4 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:15.875 | 1:15.124 | 1:14.834 | 12 |
| 5 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:15.752 | 1:15.242 | 1:15.142 | 12 |
| 6 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:15.927 | 1:15.630 | 1:15.315 | 14 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | 1:16.301 | 1:15.623 | 1:15.510 | 15 |
| 8 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:15.952 | 1:15.490 | 1:15.530 | 12 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:16.169 | 1:15.500 | 1:15.537 | 17 |
| 10 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:16.503 | 1:15.699 | 1:15.615 | 13 |
| 11 | 21 | Esteban Gutiérrez | Haas | 1:15.987 | 1:15.883 | 14 | |
| 12 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:16.172 | 1:15.909 | 14 | |
| 13 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:16.317 | 1:15.989 | 12 | |
| 14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:16.338 | 1:16.041 | 11 | |
| 15 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:16.328 | 1:16.086 | 14 | |
| 16 | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:16.636 | 1:16.665 | 14 | |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1:16.716 | 8 | ||
| 18 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | 1:16.717 | 10 | ||
| 19 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:16.876 | 6 | ||
| 20 | 88 | Rio Haryanto | Manor | 1:16.977 | 9 | ||
| 21 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 1:17.123 | 6 | ||
| 22 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:17.238 | 6 |
