INDIA in F1

Tag: Armaan Ebrahim

  • X1 league round 2 at MMRT on Dec 8

    Chennai, 12 Nov 2019: About 30 top drivers, representing a city each, will take part in the inaugural edition of the motorsports league to be held at Delhi and Chennai this year.

    The X1 Racing League will have about 30 drivers from across the world available for bidding by six franchises, before the league starts on November 30 and ends on December 1. The six franchises are from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi.

    The X1 Racing League, a franchise-based motorsports competition will have six teams representing a city each. Son of legendary F1 driver Niki Lauda, Mathias was picked by the Delhi franchise (AD Racing) while India’s Arjun Maini and Gaurav Gill will race for Bengaluru (Bangalore Racing Stars) and Delhi teams respectively. The league is powered by JK Tyre Motorsports.

    The league will be held between November 30-December 1 in New Delhi at the Buddh International Circuit and December 7-8 in Chennai at the Madras Motor Race Track. There will be four drivers and two cars in each team. Of the four drivers in each team there will be one international male, one international female, one India international and domestic racer. Of the two domestic racers picked in each team one will get to represent the franchise. Each race will last for 30 minutes and will have three unique team-based race formats per day.

    Team Hyderabad (Blackbirds Hyderabad) was the first to pick in the draft which started off with India’s International racers in the first round, they chose Akhil Rabindra. The next to pick was Team Bengaluru who chose Arjun Maini after which Team Mumbai (Mumbai Falcons) went on to choose Arjun’s brother Khush Maini. The others picked in the round were Krishna Mahadik by Team Ahmedabad (DG Racing), Gill by Team Delhi and Chennai team (NK Racing) auto-picked their team owner Narain Karthikeyan.

    In the male international racers draft, Bengaluru was the first pick and chose English racer Oliver James Webb. The other male international racers who were picked in the draft include Malaysian F1 driver Alex Yoong by Ahmedabad, Mathias joined Delhi franchise, China’s Frankie Cheng went to the Chennai team, former F1 racer Tonio Luizzi by Hyderabad and Danish racer Mikkel Jensen by Mumbai.

    As both male and female drivers would be racing against each other, it was important for each franchise to make sure they had a strong female driver as well. The first female international racer to be picked was Denmark’s Michelle Gatting by Bengaluru. While, English racers Pippa Mann and Alice Powell joined Mumbai and Chennai respectively, Switzerland’s Rahel Frey went to Ahemedabad, Denmark’s Christina Neilsen to Delhi and Polish racer Gosia Rdest to Hyderabad.

    The domestic racers who will be part of the action include Arjun Balu and Yash Aradhya for Chennai, Raghul Rangaswamy and Ashwin Datta for Delhi, Chittesh Mandody and Ameya Walavalkar for Ahmedabad, Sohil Shah and Karthik Tharanisingh for Mumbai, Nayan Chatterjee and Vishnu Prasad for Bengaluru and Arjun Narendran and Anindth Reddy for Hyderabad.

    “All teams are equally balanced and look strong. As all the cars are of the same make, it will be up to the drivers to show their skills and win the race for their team. We hope that the best team wins the league. We are happy with how the draft concluded and the owners are also happy with their teams. We can’t wait for racing to begin,” said co-founder of X1 Racing, Armaan Ebrahim.

    “Some of our domestic Indian drivers will get a chance to rub shoulders with the best of the best. This a chance for the domestic racers who were picked in the draft to make it to the next level and prove themselves against other established International driver. I hope they come out on top,” said co-founder of X1 Racing, Aditya Patel.

    The X1 Racing League follows the X1 Racing eSports Racing season 1, a digital-simulator based racing competition that is currently being held in cities across India. The eSports competition was created by X1 Racing in a bid to tap out talent from different strata of the society and also increase the fan following for motorsport in the country.

    Team Hyderabad: Akhil Rabindra, Tonio Luizzi, Gosia Rdest, Arjun Narendran, Anindth Reddy

    Team Bengaluru: Arjun Maini, Oliver James Webb, Michelle Gatting, Nayan Chatterjee, Vishnu Prasad

    Team Mumbai: Khush Maini, Mikkel Jensen, Pippa Mann, Sohil Shah, Karthik Tharanisingh

    Team Ahmedabad: Krishna Mahadik, Alex Yoong, Rahel Frey, Chittesh Mandody, Ameya Walavalkar

    Team Delhi: Gaurav Gill, Mathias Luada, Christina Neilsen, Raghul Rangaswamy, Ashwin Datta

    Team Chennai:  Narain Karthikeyan, Frankie Cheng, Alice Powell, Arjun Balu, Yash Aradhya

  • Armaan grabs third place to begin his Pro-class

    Sepang (Malaysia), April 10: India’s dashing racer Armaan Ebrahim overcame rain and technical problems to grab a commendable third-place finish in the Super Trofeo Asia Series here over the weekend.

    Armaan, spearheading Team FFF Racing, began in the sixth position in the first race after struggling with the balance of the car in Qualifying. But he showed his skill and speed once again to climb his way up to the third position.

    But that’s when his troubles started: the overhead conditions changed suddenly and he was caught racing on slicks while the rain pelted and made the track slippery.

    As if that was not enough, he had trouble with his radio and missed out on making his pit stop during the stipulated window, earning his teammate a drive through penalty, which pushed the team down to seventh place at the checkered flag.

    In the crucial main race, teammate Jack Bartholomew from the United Kingdom, started the race seventh on the grid. By the time Armaan got into action again, it looked like he had no chance.

    But the young Indian made the most of the out lap and the first flying to jump to fifth during the pit stop cycle. He gained two more positions in the rest of the race to finish third overall.

    “I am happy with the way we tackled this weekend,” Armaan said. “It’s great to finish on the podium, especially given all our woes today,” he added.

    Armaan conceded that they have a lot of work to do on the car to reach their fastest and best speeds. “I am sure that by the time we arrive in Thailand for the second round my team would do the needful and we will come back stronger,” he said.

    eom/press release

  • Armaan steps up to Pro class: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series

    Armaan steps up to Pro class: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series

    Chennai, 5 

    File photo of Armaan Ebrahim by AP Media Comm.

    April 2017: Indian racer Armaan Ebrahim took a giant step towards his dream of  FIA World Endurance Championship by signing up to race in the ultra competitive Pro Class of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Championship for the 2017 season.

    Armaan will turn out for FFF Racing and will have UK’s teenage sensation Jack Bartholomew as his partner. The exciting duo meld into a formidable team in the company of Carrie Schreiner and Richard ‘Spike’ Goddard, who will race alongside them in FFF’s second Lamborghini Huracan. 

    “We are delighted to have Armaan in our Super Trofeo Asia programme,” FFF Racing Team Owner, Sean Fu Songyang, said on Tuesday night. “He is a proven race winner and, along with Jack, will be the car to beat,” he added.

    The Super Trofeo Asia series begins this weekend (April 7-9) at Sepang, Malaysia. Buriram, Suzuka and Fuji will host the next three rounds while the final race will be held in Imola, Italy.

    For Armaan, it’s the logical step forward after excelling in the Pro-Am Class over the last two seasons. “After winning the title last year, it was natural for me to get into the Pro Class,” the young Indian said. “I have a good teammate and I am looking forward to making 2017 a grand one,” he added.

    Armaan thanked FFF Racing for not only signing him up but also for stitching together such a strong team. “I would like to thank all my partners — JK Tyres, Puma and Lamborghini India — for turning my dream into reality,” he said.

    Son of one of India’s top racers Akbar Ebrahim, who is currently the FMSCI president, Armaan began his career as a teenaged prodigy, becoming the Formula LGB champion as a 16-year-old. He quickly moved up the ladder, racing in the Formula BMW in Asia, Formula Renualt V6, GP2 Asia and the A1GP. He showed his speed and mettle for three seasons in Formula 2 championships before moving to the Super Trofeo Asia in 2015.

    eom/press release

  • Sahara Force India reveals new look for 2017 season

    Sahara Force India reveals new look for 2017 season

    Sahara Force India launched its 2017 season today offering fans and media their first look at the team’s new car, the VJM10. Silverstone circuit was the venue as Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon pulled back the covers to reveal the team’s dynamic new look including an updated livery and expanded partner portfolio.
    The VJM10’s new aerodynamic package is guaranteed to get heads turning, while the silver and orange livery retains the team’s traditional colours with a fresh twist. Branding from Johnnie Walker appears on the rear wing and top of chassis marking the start of a partnership with the whisky brand. Telecommunications brands Claro, Telcel and Infinitum continue their partnerships for a fourth season, while NEC branding remains on the engine cover.
    Motor oil brand, Quaker State, continues its relationship with the team, as does long-time partner, Kingfisher, with its logo positioned on the engine cover. The VJM10 headrests carry eye-catching Hype Energy branding, while the team’s newest partner, FXTM, takes up a position on the rear of the sidepod. The team also welcomes eyewear brand, LDNR, with its logo on the front wing end plate.
    Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, was the first to praise the VJM10: “I can’t remember being more excited ahead of a new season. The VJM10 looks aggressive and purposeful, and is the result of a huge effort behind the scenes over the last twelve months. We have big hopes for this car, which looks stunning in its new livery.”
    With a complete overhaul of technical regulations, the VJM10 represents a clean sheet of paper in terms of design. “This year the cars are completely new and nothing can be carried over from previous years,” explained Chief Operating Officer, Otmar Szafnauer. “Although we have completely new aerodynamics on the VJM10, it’s fair to say that our aero philosophy is very similar to 2015 and 2016.”
    Technical Director, Andrew Green, explained how the team has relished the challenge presented by the new rules and expects huge scope for in-season development: “It’s definitely a big overhaul; one that requires a change in mentality. It took a bit of time to adjust at first, but we are there now and I am confident we know where to look and where the performance is coming from with this car. The development slope is incredibly steep and we are going to see significant updates to the cars at regular intervals, right from the start; it’s going to be big updates and I don’t think development will start to taper off any time soon.”
    Vijay Mallya remained cautious on setting a target for the season, preferring to reserve judgement until the racing begins: “Simply repeating our performance level of 2016 will be a big task in itself. I don’t want to set goals or targets other than to say that we intend to maintain the momentum we have built up in recent years and carry it into the new season. There are too many unknowns to say more than this.”

    eom/Sahara Force India press release

    (L to R): Sergio Perez (MEX) Sahara Force India F1 and team mate Esteban Ocon (FRA) Sahara Force India F1 Team with the Sahara Force India F1 VJM10.
    Sahara Force India F1 VJM10 Launch, Wednesday 22nd February 2017. Silverstone, England.
  • Chance for Sahara Force India fans to go behind the scenes at its HQ in Silverstone

    Chance for Sahara Force India fans to go behind the scenes at its HQ in Silverstone

    Sahara Force India headquarters at Silverstone. A Force India image

    Silverstone, 7 Feb 2017: Sahara Force India is offering fans the unique opportunity to step through the doors of a Formula One team and experience the passion, excitement and exhilaration of the world’s fastest sport, the team announced through its website and through the twitter handle.

    Opening the doors to its usually secretive HQ, the team brings fans into the pulsating heart of our Silverstone base, just opposite the famous gates of the British GP circus. Discover where our VJM10 is designed and manufactured: on your tour, you will see all stages of this process, including the normally off-limits design office, inspection departments, proof testing, machining, composite manufacture, sub assembly, race bays, our simulator and of course, the cars themselves*.

    Discover just what it takes to go racing 20 times a year in one of the most competitive stages in the world – and get ready to Feel the Force!

    The tour will take approximately 90 minutes and includes refreshments and a gift. There will be a photo opportunity with an F1 car.

    Dates available for the next three months are as follows:

    February – Friday 24th
    March – Friday 3rd, 10th and Thursday 23rd and Friday 31st
    April – Thursday 6th and 13ths, Friday 21st and Thursday 27th

    For information and to get in touch, contact Rachel Moroney – rachel.moroney@forceindiaf1-tours.com.

  • Bottas joins Mercedes, to race along with Hamilton in 2017

    It’s now official: Valtteri Bottas will drive for the Silver Arrows alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2017. Valtteri met his new colleagues this Monday at the team factory in Brackley, a Mercedes AMG Petronas release said.

    Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will race for the Silver Arrows in 2017

    • Valtteri Bottas becomes the 11th driver to compete in Formula One with the Silver Arrows
    • Nico Rosberg accepts ambassadorial role with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport
    • Toto Wolff: “It’s time to see how Valtteri can step up to challenge for wins and Championships”
    • Valtteri Bottas: “I’m grateful to Mercedes for trusting my skills and giving me this opportunity”

    It’s been 45 days since Nico Rosberg dropped the bombshell of his immediate retirement from Formula One. And it left the team with a conundrum: how to best fill the vacant seat alongside three-time champion Lewis Hamilton in order to defend the Constructors’ Championship?

    Following six weeks of detailed evaluation, deliberation and negotiation, the answer can now be confirmed officially: we signed Valtteri Bottas this morning. The 27-year-old native of Nastola, Finland has completed four seasons in Formula One with Williams, making 77 starts and scoring 9 career podiums so far.

    “Sometimes in life, unexpected circumstances provide interesting opportunities. Nico’s decision in December was a big surprise – certainly a challenging situation for the team to handle. But weathering the storm makes you more resilient and we see this as another opportunity for the team to grow,” explained Toto Wolff as he introduced the fourth driver to race for the Silver Arrows in the modern era.

    “Valtteri is a no-nonsense guy: down to earth, straightforward and very focused. Pretty Finnish, to be honest, and a great fit for us. He has an impressive track record in the junior categories and nine podiums in F1. But now it’s time for the next level, to see how he can step up to challenge for race wins and for Championships. We know that we are already behind the curve in terms of preparations for the new season, so we’ve got a busy programme to get him integrated into the team. One thing is for sure: as I know Valtteri, he will give it everything.”

    Valtteri was cautiously optimistic when he met his new team-mates in the factory today. “It’s very exciting times for me,” he grinned. “I think it’s going to take a while to understand that this is really happening. It’s definitely another dream come true, to race in another team with such great history – especially in the recent years, which have been so impressive. I’m really proud to become a part of that and grateful to everyone at Mercedes for trusting my skills and giving me this opportunity.

    “I’ve had a really warm welcome so far. Of course, I have a lot more people to meet and new faces to remember. But initially everything has felt very good. I’m really impressed with the facilities and I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone better. My first experience with Mercedes power was in F3 back in 2009 and, of course, I know the Power Unit well from the last three years with Williams. But there are a lot of new things to learn with the car and also with how the team operates at the factory, in testing and at the races.”

    The scale of the challenge ahead cannot be underestimated. New aerodynamic regulations mean a reset for the entire field and there is genuine uncertainty about which team will emerge on top; Valtteri is paired with probably the most ferociously fast team-mate in the sport, Lewis Hamilton; and there are just 70 days until the red lights go out at the start of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

    “We have confidence in Valtteri’s ability and it’s one of the reasons that he is the driver we set our sights on this winter,” continued Toto. “The next weeks will be busy as we work to build relationships so Valtteri understands the team and the car. But that’s an exciting challenge that will bring us fresh energy and a new dynamic between the drivers. And, of course, we’re working hard to give Lewis and Valtteri the car they need to do the job.”

    Valtteri is under no illusions about the task ahead: “I’m ready to work hard, to prove myself to the team and to prove my skills. It’s going to be a challenging season and joining a new team makes it more work than normal. But I’m 100% ready for that. I’m training hard to be at my physical best because it will be much tougher with these new cars. I always set the bar really high, so my target is to perform from the first race. I’m full of energy and ready to get to work for this year and hopefully many more to come with Mercedes.”

    The agreement for Valtteri to join Mercedes has not happened in isolation. With today’s announcements that Pascal Wehrlein will join Sauber for 2017, and that Felipe Massa will return to Williams, the final pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place for this year. And that has only been possible thanks to positive working relationships between all the teams involved in a complex chain of negotiations.

    “On behalf of Mercedes, I must thank Williams for their cooperation in allowing Valtteri to make this move – and also Monisha and Sauber for their patience during the past weeks,” concluded Toto. “It’s been a busy day in the driver market and I am pleased to know that Pascal will be racing at Sauber to continue his development in F1. He had a good first season with Manor and we feel this is the right path for him in the sport. It’s satisfying to have both of our Young Drivers taking on new challenges in F1 this year, with Esteban also racing at Force India. We’ll be following their progress closely; I’m sure we’ve got an exciting season ahead of us.”

    From Valtteri, too, there were warm words for his friends and colleagues at Williams: “I had a great seven years there, starting as a test driver in 2010. I’m very proud of what we achieved together and I leave with some very good memories. My debut in F1, my first points and nine podiums all came with the guys and girls at Grove, so I must say a big thanks to everyone and I wish them all the very best for the future.”

    As Valtteri now begins a busy week of technical and physical preparations for the new season, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport is pleased to confirm that Nico has accepted an ambassadorial role with the team for 2017.

    His first commitment will be tomorrow, in Geneva, alongside former team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) on behalf of team partner IWC Schaffhausen.

    ends

  • Force India gets 18 points, holds grip on 4th place

    Force India gets 18 points, holds grip on 4th place

    Interlagos, 13 Nov 2016: Sahara Force India scored 18 points in today’s Brazilian Grand Prix with Sergio Perez racing to fourth place ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in seventh. The Indian outfit is heading to a historic fourth place with 163 points, with just a race to go at Abu Dhabi. After this race they increased the lead over fifth-placed Williams F1 team to 27 points with Willams garnering only 136 points. Except in China, Russia and Austria, Sahara Force India scored points in every GP held this year and are hoping to finish on a high at the last race of the year in the Desert even as Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Rosberg fight for the championship with Rosberg having a better chance, as he had to finish just on the podium.
    Sergio Perez, who is staying back in the team for 2017, has logged 97 points this year, compared to German Nico Hulkenberg’s 66.  The German would be leaving the team and rookie Esteban Okon will take his place.
    Nico Hulkenberg gets 7th and valuable points at the Brazilian GP on 13 Nov 2016.. Image by Sahara Force India
    Nico Hulkenberg gets 7th and valuable points at the Brazilian GP on 13 Nov 2016.. Image by Sahara Force India
    P4        Sergio Perez              VJM09-02
    Tyre strategy: New Wet (20 laps) – New Wet (8 laps) – Used Wet (43 laps)
    Sergio: “What a fun but tense race today! It’s a shame to lose a podium place in the last two laps, but Max [Verstappen] just had a different pace: he was the fastest on track and there was nothing I could do to keep him behind. Even though I am a bit disappointed, we can still celebrate a great race and an incredible result, especially considering the conditions we had out there today. Just getting to the finish line on a day like this feels like a victory, and to bring home fourth is a very important result. It was so easy to make mistakes; you risked aquaplaning at any moment – every time I crossed the finish line I had a breath of relief. It’s a big result, not only for me, but also for the team as it brings us important points for the battle for fourth place. A lot can still happen in Abu Dhabi, but we can be happy about this result.”
    P7        Nico Hülkenberg       VJM09-03
    Tyre strategy: New Wet (20 laps) – New Wet (2 laps) – Used Wet (6 laps) – Used Wet (43 laps)
    Nico: “That was an intense race and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry because I think a possible podium slipped away today. I had great confidence in the car, felt comfortable and I had the pace to push and overtake. There were some scary moments in the race, especially when Kimi crashed in front of me. Some of his debris hit my car and caused a lot of damage. At least I survived that, but then I picked up a puncture from the debris, which was so frustrating because it dropped me down to the back of the field. Without the puncture, who knows where I might have finished? I’m happy and proud of myself and the team. We did a great job, but we were just missing a bit of luck.”
    Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
    “What an exciting race! To come away with 18 points from such a challenging race is a fantastic reward for an excellent job by the entire team. Both drivers didn’t put a wheel wrong and the decisions from the pit wall were spot on. Sergio came within a whisker of another podium and thoroughly deserved fourth place. For Nico to recover from the puncture to finish seventh showed his class once again and made us all wonder what might have been because he was running in fourth when the puncture struck. With such difficult track conditions, just getting both cars to the finish is a victory and to have both in the points takes us a good step closer to achieving fourth place in the constructors’ championship.”
    eom/SFI press release
  • Gill notches up fourth win in APRC: Rally Hokkaido

    Gill notches up fourth win in APRC: Rally Hokkaido

    gaurav-gill-and-stephane-prevot-celebrate-on-the-podium-after-winning-rally-hokkaido-on-sundayObihiro (Japan), 25 Sept. 2016: Gaurav Gill of Team MRF chalked up his fourth consecutive win in the 2016 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship as he cruised to victory in the Rally Hokkaido here on Sunday.

    Having earlier won in New Zealand, Australia and China, Gill, the 2013 APRC champion with a new co-driver in Belgian Stephane Prevot, came up with another near-flawless drive in the MRF Skoda Fabia R5 to win by one minute, 50.6 seconds over his team-mate, Germany’s Fabian Kreim (Christian Frank) who finished ahead of Cusco Racing’s Michael Young  (Malcolm Read).

    Enjoying an overnight lead of 01:24.9, championship leader Gill maintained a scorching pace to extend his lead by over two minutes, winning the first four of the day’s eight Special Stages before cruising home for his 13th win in the championship since his debut in 2007.

    “It’s great to win. Four out of four is awesome,” said Gill. “Everything worked well. The tyres worked well since Saturday when it was wet on the tarmac and I have to thank the team for the good setup.

    “It was a very difficult rally because of weather conditions constantly changing. Mornings were all wet, afternoon became all dry, then become pretty rough, so pretty difficult but I’m happy.”

    Kreim, who is placed second in the championship behind Gill, said: “I think we got a lot of experience especially on these very demanding roads with very fast parts and very big ruts. All of the ruts have a lot of loose gravel and compared to the other events, it’s completely new to us and it’s very good for us.”

    eom/AP Media Comm. Release

  • Gill sets early pace to take lead: APRC Rally Hokkaido

    Gill sets early pace to take lead: APRC Rally Hokkaido

    Obihiro (Japan), 14 Sept. 2016

    File photo of Gaurav Gill in Hokkaido. Image by MRF
    File photo of Gaurav Gill in Hokkaido. Image by MRF

    : Team MRF Skoda driver Gaurav Gill from India enjoyed a trouble-free run and emerged clear leader after Leg-1 of the Rally Hokkaido, the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship here on Saturday.

    Capitalising on his vast experience, Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, and his new co-driver Stephane Prevot, pulled away from the pack in his Skoda Fabia R5 to enjoy a lead of one minute, 24.9 seconds over his nearest rival and team-mate Fabian Kreim (Christian Frank).

    “It’s been a good day. I had good rhythm and speed. It was smooth sailing with Stephane and that was something I was nervous about prior to the rally, but we have a really good setup. Although we made a few changes to the car, it’s working very well and I wish to continue like this tomorrow,” said Gill who has won all the three previous rounds in New Zealand, Australia and China.

    Meanwhile, Kreim managed to fight his way back into second after a troublesome morning which saw him with very little rear grip and a puncture on Stage Four.

    “So far, it’s not bad for the first time here. It was not so easy, there are very deep ruts and a lot of deep gravel, but so far we are satisfied. The car setup is getting better and better and we will keep trying tomorrow. I think some more changing on setup tonight and then we will see,” said Kreim.

    New Zealander Mike Young also suffered a puncture in exactly the same place as Kreim, as a section of a cattle grid became dislodged and caused punctures to multiple competitors; all on the right hand side of the car.

    Young had managed to hold second place all morning, but fell to third at the end of the first day after suffering from a second puncture, like other competitors behind him.

    eom/AP Media Comm. release

  • Rosberg overcomes technical woes to claim pole

    Nico Rosberg bounced back from an early Q3 electronics problem to claim pole position for his home race, the German Grand Prix, ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo.

    After breezing through the first two sessions (the Mercedes drivers were the only drivers to qualify from Q1 having used only soft tyres), Rosberg set off on his first run in Q3 only to have to abandon the run at the end of his first lap when his Mercedes suffered an electronics issue.

    “It just suddenly lost the throttle,” he said. “It 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.”

    Rosberg dived towards the pit lane for repairs and out on track team-mate Lewis Hamilton set the early Q3 pace with a lap of 1:14.486 with Ricciardo slotting in P2 with a time of 1:14.724 to sit 0.240 off Hamilton.

    As the rest of the field returned to the pit lane to plot their final runs, Rosberg headed out again and with an almost clear track he posted a superb lap of 1:14.363 to take provisional pole. And as Hamilton made a small mistake in Sector 2 and went slower in Sector 3, Rosberg took his 27th career pole position and his fifth of the season.

    “Just a great lap,” said the German. “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 happened. So I had fuel for three laps. That was some more time in the bag there, so I was really satisfied with that one. That was really cool.”

    Ricciardo took P3 behind Hamilton and admitted that though he had got close, he did not feel he had to pace to compete for pole.

    “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,” he said. “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.”

    Ricciardo will be joined on row two of the grid by team-mate Max Verstappen, while row three will be filled by Ferrari’s fifth-placed Kimi Raikkonen and P6 man Sebastian Vettel.

    Behind them, Nico Hulkenberg will line-up in seventh place alongside Williams Valtteri Bottas, with Sergio Perez ninth in the second Force India ahead of the second Williams of Felipe Massa.

    The earlier sessions had progressed largely as expected. Q1’s only somewhat unforeseen elimination was that of Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat. The Russian driver qualified in P19 behind 17th-placed Renault driver Kevin Magnussen and Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein and ahead of Manor’s Rio Haryanto and the Saubers of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson. P19 was all the more frustrating for Kvyat after he was informed that team-mate Carlos Sainz had made it through to Q2 in P12.

    That was as far as Saing got however and in Q2 the Spaniard took P13, though he was also placed under investigation for allegedly impeding Massa during the session.

    Haas’ Esteban Gutierrez almost made it through to Q3 for the first time since the Korean Grand Prix of 2013. The Mexican was in P9 after his final run of Q2 but Massa eventually beat him to the final Q3 slot by 0.184s.

    Behind Gutierrez, Jenson Button was 12th for McLaren ahead of Sainz, Fernando Alonso in the second McLaren, Romain Grosjean in the second Haas and Renault’s Jolyon Palmer. Grosjean is set to take a five-place penalty for tomorrow’s race after he had to switch gearboxes following problems in FP3.

    2016 German Grand Prix – Qualifying
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:15.485 1:14.839 1:14.363
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:15.243 1:14.748 1:14.470
    3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:15.591 1:15.545 1:14.726
    4 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:15.875 1:15.124 1:14.834
    5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:15.752 1:15.242 1:15.142
    6 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:15.927 1:15.630 1:15.315
    7 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:16.301 1:15.623 1:15.510
    8 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:15.952 1:15.490 1:15.530
    9 Sergio Perez Force India 1:16.169 1:15.500 1:15.537
    10 Felipe Massa Williams 1:13.503 1:15.699 1:15.615
    11 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:15.987 1:15.883
    12 Jenson Button McLaren 1:16.172 1:15.909
    13 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:16.317 1:15.989
    14 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:16.338 1:16.041
    15 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:16.328 1:16.086
    16 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:16.636 1:16.665
    17 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:16.716
    18 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:16.717
    19 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:16.876
    20 Rio Haryanto Manor 1:16.977
    21 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:17.123
    22 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:17.238.

     

    eom/FIA press release