Starting Grid 2019 German F1 GP
Top 3 qualifiers 2019 German Grand Prix; 1. Hamilton, 2. Verstappen, 3. Bottas - Wolfgang Wilhelm
Event: German Grand Prix
Track: Hockenheimring
Start time: 15:10 (local) | 14:10 GMT | 06:10 PT
The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton used the red Pirelli P Zero soft tyre to claim pole at the German Grand Prix, after a tightly-fought qualifying. The Englishman set his quickest Q2 time on the medium: the tyre he will therefore start the race on.
However, with rain forecast tomorrow, it's possible that the Cinturato intermediate or full wet will be seen during the race. Hamilton, claiming his fourth pole position of the season, received the Pirelli Pole Position award from the CEO of Pirelli Germany, Michael Wendt.
Start Grid 2019 German F1 GP
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Lap Time | Pole gap |
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:11,767 | |
| 2 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:12,113 | +0,346s |
| 3 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:12,129 | +0,362s |
| 4 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull | 1:12,522 | +0,755s |
| 5 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo | 1:12,538 | +0,771s |
| 6 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:12,851 | +1,084s |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren | 1:12,897 | +1,130s |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Racing Point | 1:13,065 | +1,298s |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:13,126 | +1,359s |
| 10 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | no time | - |
| 11 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 1:12,786 | +1,019s |
| 12 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:12,789 | +1,022s |
| 13 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:12,799 | +1,032s |
| 14 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:13,135 | +1,368s |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 1:13,256 | +1,489s |
| 16 | 23 | Alex Albon | Toro Rosso | 1:13,461 | +1,694s |
| 17 | 63 | George Russell | Williams | 1:14,721 | +2,954s |
| 18 | 88 | Robert Kubica | Williams | 1:14,839 | +3,072s |
| 19 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:13,333 | +1,566s |
| 20 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | no time | - |
Penalties:
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari (5) races at stewards' discretion after failing to set a time in qualifying, and drops five grid places for use of additional power unit element.
- Lando Norris, McLaren (4) required to start from rear of grid for use of additional power unit elements.
2019 German Formula 1 Grand Prix Race Strategies
The optimal race strategy for the 67-lap German Grand Prix will depend on the quite unpredictable weather this weekend. If it rains, as seems possible, the top 10 drivers on the grid won't have the obligation to start on the tyres with which they set their best Q2 times, nor will they have to use more than one compound. But if it stays dry, with similar very warm conditions to FP2, a one-stopper should be the quickest way: starting on Yellow medium for 24 to 29 laps before switching to the White hard until the finish. Slightly slower than that will another one-stopper, but this time starting on Red soft for 18 to 22 laps before moving onto the hard.
A two-stopper is definitely slower, but one to bear in mind if the degradation on soft is higher than expected (in case the weather is warmer than anticipated, for example). In which case, it's equally as quick to do two stints on soft (of 15 to 18 laps each) and one stint on medium, or one stint on soft (of 15 to 18 laps) and two stints on medium (of 22 to 26 laps each).
Interesting to keep in mind
- Weather. This is the biggest talking point of the German Grand Prix, with cooler conditions and rain (after a very warm weekend so far) expected for the race tomorrow, which would obviously throw any pre-programmed strategies out of the window. Conditions remained dry throughout FP3 and qualifying today, albeit with lower temperatures than yesterday.
- Ferrari. This has been the dominant team in free practice so far with Charles Leclerc, but both cars have had mechanical problems. Leclerc will provisionally start from 10th after an issue in Q3 while Sebastian Vettel will start from the back following another problem in Q1. This will give him a free choice of tyres (if it's dry).
- Strategy: with the medium the theoretically better tyre to start the race on, three cars in the top 10 on the grid (both Mercedes plus the Ferrari of Leclerc) will begin the race on this tyre, having used it to set their best times in Q2.
- Close competition: there are eight different teams and four different engine suppliers in the top 10 on the grid. In the sessions, there were just 0.3 seconds between 5th and 16th in Q2, and a very tight gap behind the Mercedes and Red Bulls in Q3.
Below you can see the onboard pole lap of Lewis Hamilton around Hockenheim today:
Mercedes are celebrating their 125th year in motorsport this weekend - and they'll start the #GermanGP from pole thanks to this sizzling lap from @LewisHamilton#GermanGP 🇩🇪 #Fit4F1 @pirellisport pic.twitter.com/IBO5hbhfSF
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 27, 2019
Race Tyre Sets 2019 German F1 GP
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