The Sunday News
Lewis Hamilton crashed in qualifying for the German Grand Prix and will start the race 15th with team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg on pole. The Mercedes driver lost control in the first knock-out session after a front-right brake failure at 130mph sent him smashing into the barriers.
Hamilton was able to walk away and was taken to the circuit’s medical centre.
Williams’ Valtteri Bottas will start second, followed by team-mate Felipe Massa and McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen.
Mercedes said Hamilton was left “sore” after the crash, while Team boss Toto Wolff said the driver’s knees “hurt a bit”. Wolff added that the failed disc was a brand new piece of equipment.
Hamilton officially qualified 16th, but a penalty for Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez moved him up one place.
The crash happened as he entered the Sachskurve hairpin. Sounding shaken over the radio immediately afterwards, Hamilton said: “I hit the brakes and the brakes failed.”
The result means Hamilton faces another afternoon of what he will likely refer to as “damage limitation”, seeking to prevent Rosberg building a big lead in the championship for the third time this season.
Hamilton is four points behind Rosberg after closing a 29-point deficit with victory in the British Grand Prix two weeks ago following the German’s retirement at Silverstone.
Rosberg took a comfortable pole, coming 0.219secs clear of Bottas. After Massa and Magnussen, came the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel and the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.
Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat was eighth followed by the Force Indias of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.
Magnussen’s team-mate Jenson Button could only manage 11th after lapping 0.327secs off the Dane in second qualifying, complaining of a poor balance.
Magnussen’s result suggests a new rear wing he has used all weekend had made a significant difference to the car’s performance. Button only received his yesterday morning Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was 12th, 0.407secs off Alonso, who has now out-qualified the Finn eight times in 10 races this season. — BBC Sport
