Front row starters Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton were separated by less than a tenth of a second at the Nurburgring.
But their cars are strong in different parts of the lap: Hamilton was quickest in the first and last sectors, but only fourth-fastest in the middle.
Here’s all the data from qualifying for the German Grand Prix.
Qualifying times in full
- Webber said he’d not had a clean lap in Q2 which partly explains why he found more time than the other drivers in Q3.
- Unusually, three drivers weren’t able to improve on their best times in Q3.
Driver | Car | Q1 | Q2 (vs Q1) | Q3 (vs Q2) | |
1 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 1’33.096 | 1’31.311 (-1.785) | 1’30.079 (-1.232) |
2 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 1’32.934 | 1’30.998 (-1.936) | 1’30.134 (-0.864) |
3 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1’32.973 | 1’31.017 (-1.956) | 1’30.216 (-0.801) |
4 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1’32.916 | 1’31.150 (-1.766) | 1’30.442 (-0.708) |
5 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1’31.826 | 1’31.582 (-0.244) | 1’30.910 (-0.672) |
6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1’32.785 | 1’31.343 (-1.442) | 1’31.263 (-0.080) |
7 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1’33.224 | 1’31.532 (-1.692) | 1’31.288 (-0.244) |
8 | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 1’32.286 | 1’31.809 (-0.477) | 1’32.010 (+0.201) |
9 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1’33.187 | 1’31.985 (-1.202) | 1’32.187 (+0.202) |
10 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1’32.603 | 1’32.180 (-0.423) | 1’32.482 (+0.302) |
11 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 1’32.505 | 1’32.215 (-0.290) | |
12 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 1’32.651 | 1’32.560 (-0.091) | |
13 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 1’33.003 | 1’32.635 (-0.368) | |
14 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams | 1’33.664 | 1’33.043 (-0.621) | |
15 | Sergio Perez | Sauber | 1’33.295 | 1’33.176 (-0.119) | |
16 | Sebastien Buemi | Toro Rosso | 1’33.635 | 1’33.546 (-0.089) | |
17 | Jaime Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1’33.658 | 1’33.698 (+0.040) | |
18 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 1’33.786 | ||
19 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus | 1’35.599 | ||
20 | Timo Glock | Virgin | 1’36.400 | ||
21 | Karun Chandhok | Lotus | 1’36.422 | ||
22 | Jerome D’Ambrosio | Virgin | 1’36.641 | ||
23 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT | 1’37.011 | ||
24 | Daniel Ricciardo | HRT | 1’37.036 |
Team mate comparisons
Compare the best times of each team’s drivers in the last part of qualifying in which they both set a time.
- Hamilton was much quicker than Jenson Button – he had over a second in hand over his team mate.
- Michael Schumacher was even further behind Nico Rosberg. He said: “In qualifying I was still nearly a second away and couldn’t have matched his time, so we have to analyse deeply what could be the reason for it. Obviously then, I tried to push even harder to compensate which lead to a mistake in the last chicane on my last lap, probably costing me P8.”
- Adrian Sutil out-qualified Paul di Resta for the third time in ten attempts, with a comfortable margin of three-quarters of a second. Interestingly, di Resta described his set-up as “race-orientated”.
- In his second race, Daniel Ricciardo all-but matched team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi’s qualifying time.
Team | Driver | Lap time | Gap | Lap time | Driver | Round |
Red Bull | Sebastian Vettel | 1’30.216 | +0.137 | 1’30.079 | Mark Webber | Q3 |
McLaren | Lewis Hamilton | 1’30.134 | -1.154 | 1’31.288 | Jenson Button | Q3 |
Ferrari | Fernando Alonso | 1’30.442 | -0.468 | 1’30.910 | Felipe Massa | Q3 |
Mercedes | Michael Schumacher | 1’32.482 | +1.219 | 1’31.263 | Nico Rosberg | Q3 |
Renault | Nick Heidfeld | 1’32.215 | +0.230 | 1’31.985 | Vitaly Petrov | Q2 |
Williams | Rubens Barrichello | 1’33.043 | +0.408 | 1’32.635 | Pastor Maldonado | Q2 |
Force India | Adrian Sutil | 1’31.809 | -0.751 | 1’32.560 | Paul di Resta | Q2 |
Sauber | Kamui Kobayashi | 1’33.786 | +0.491 | 1’33.295 | Sergio Perez | Q1 |
Toro Rosso | Sebastien Buemi | 1’33.546 | -0.152 | 1’33.698 | Jaime Alguersuari | Q2 |
Lotus | Heikki Kovalainen | 1’35.599 | -0.823 | 1’36.422 | Karun Chandhok | Q1 |
HRT | Daniel Ricciardo | 1’37.036 | +0.025 | 1’37.011 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | Q1 |
Virgin | Timo Glock | 1’36.400 | -0.241 | 1’36.641 | Jerome D’Ambrosio | Q1 |
Sector times
Here are the drivers?óÔé¼Ôäó best times in each sector.
- Hamilton was fastest in two out of three sectors but admitted afterwards he was surprised by his performance: “I don?óÔé¼Ôäót really know where I found the time, and to be honest I?óÔé¼Ôäóm going to get a recording of the onboard footage and watch it back because I?óÔé¼Ôäód love to see it.”
- However he gave a clue to what’s behind McLaren’s improved pace, referring to changes made to the cars “engine modes”.
- Red Bull’s performance advantage in sector two – predominantly mid-to-high speed corners – is exactly what we’ve come to expect of the RB7 and, indeed, its recent predecessors.
Driver | Sector 1 | Sector 2 | Sector 3 |
Mark Webber | 29.831 (2) | 36.883 (1) | 23.282 (3) |
Lewis Hamilton | 29.713 (1) | 37.257 (4) | 23.164 (1) |
Sebastian Vettel | 29.921 (3) | 37.073 (2) | 23.222 (2) |
Fernando Alonso | 29.934 (4) | 37.167 (3) | 23.341 (5) |
Felipe Massa | 30.136 (6) | 37.372 (5) | 23.343 (6) |
Nico Rosberg | 30.246 (7) | 37.628 (6) | 23.307 (4) |
Jenson Button | 30.100 (5) | 37.767 (7) | 23.401 (7) |
Adrian Sutil | 30.496 (10) | 37.809 (9) | 23.481 (8) |
Vitaly Petrov | 30.506 (11) | 37.768 (8) | 23.711 (10) |
Michael Schumacher | 30.471 (9) | 37.830 (11) | 23.541 (9) |
Nick Heidfeld | 30.441 (8) | 37.815 (10) | 23.712 (11) |
Paul di Resta | 30.525 (12) | 38.216 (15) | 23.737 (12) |
Pastor Maldonado | 30.736 (13) | 38.002 (12) | 23.897 (13) |
Rubens Barrichello | 30.801 (15) | 38.144 (13) | 23.994 (16) |
Sergio Perez | 30.797 (14) | 38.150 (14) | 23.908 (14) |
Sebastien Buemi | 30.965 (17) | 38.566 (18) | 23.968 (15) |
Jaime Alguersuari | 30.964 (16) | 38.385 (16) | 24.077 (17) |
Kamui Kobayashi | 31.074 (18) | 38.402 (17) | 24.125 (18) |
Heikki Kovalainen | 31.515 (19) | 39.565 (19) | 24.427 (19) |
Timo Glock | 31.726 (20) | 40.081 (23) | 24.593 (21) |
Karun Chandhok | 31.784 (21) | 39.822 (20) | 24.539 (20) |
Jerome D’Ambrosio | 31.934 (22) | 39.978 (21) | 24.729 (24) |
Vitantonio Liuzzi | 32.087 (23) | 40.027 (22) | 24.663 (23) |
Daniel Ricciardo | 32.188 (24) | 40.175 (24) | 24.647 (22) |
Speed trap
Here are the drivers?óÔé¼Ôäó maximum speeds.
- No surprises here – Schumacher’s Mercedes is the fastest car in a straight line again.
Pos | Driver | Car | Speed (kph) | Gap |
1 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 310.4 | |
2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 310.3 | -0.1 |
3 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 309.8 | -0.6 |
4 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 306.9 | -3.5 |
5 | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 306.9 | -3.5 |
6 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 306.2 | -4.2 |
7 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 305.8 | -4.6 |
8 | Jaime Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 305.7 | -4.7 |
9 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 305.5 | -4.9 |
10 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 305.3 | -5.1 |
11 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 304.6 | -5.8 |
12 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 304.4 | -6.0 |
13 | Sebastien Buemi | Toro Rosso | 304.2 | -6.2 |
14 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams | 303.8 | -6.6 |
15 | Sergio Perez | Sauber | 303.4 | -7.0 |
16 | Timo Glock | Virgin | 302.1 | -8.3 |
17 | Jerome D’Ambrosio | Virgin | 301.8 | -8.6 |
18 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 301.8 | -8.6 |
19 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 299.1 | -11.3 |
20 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 298.9 | -11.5 |
21 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus | 298.2 | -12.2 |
22 | Karun Chandhok | Lotus | 298.0 | -12.4 |
23 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT | 294.3 | -16.1 |
24 | Daniel Ricciardo | HRT | 294.1 | -16.3 |
2011 German Grand Prix
pSynrg (@psynrg)
23rd July 2011, 18:08
My fave part of the weekend, cheers for the numbers Keith.
Jenson must be weeping…
The Bull’s are vulnerable without a doubt. Look at that speed trap. They’ll get gobbled up with DRS!
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
23rd July 2011, 18:58
Yeah, but the activation point is at the end of the second sector, their best bit!
A very interesting race for tomorrow!
Fixy (@)
23rd July 2011, 18:13
Very good effort by Daniel – although Liuzzi complained about the car and probably didn’t push too much knowing he had a grid penalty.
BasCB (@bascb)
23rd July 2011, 22:51
True.
usukpam
23rd July 2011, 18:28
the feraris and the macs will get sweep past if they find their cars behind the red bulls at drs zone.
ralph schumi
23rd July 2011, 18:37
Can someone please explain what changes are made to the set up and balance of a car when it has a wet weather setup?
Dan Thorn
23rd July 2011, 19:31
Ideally the suspension is softened, the ride height raised and the brake balance moved toward the rear of the car.
Parc Fermé conditions limit what they can actually do these days though, and more often then not it’ll probably just be a change on the engine mapping or diff settings.
BasCB (@bascb)
23rd July 2011, 22:52
So that might mean it makes sense for Buemi to start from the pitlane tomorrow after his time has been scrapped.
dfketr
23rd July 2011, 18:53
i dont think mclaren has found anything extra, look at the speed traps yesterday, they were down by about 11km/h to schumacher and were obviously running high fuel. now with the rules on the exhaust blown diffusers back to how they were pre silverstone it is no surprise to see them at the top again, they had the fastest car in race trim in many of the races leading up to the rule change.
electrolite (@electrolite)
23rd July 2011, 19:45
Some unbelievable driving! (I’ve only just caught up with the qualifying as I’ve been at work!) Best qualifying this year surely. Absolutely speechless at Lewis’ lap!
Perhaps Michael Schumacher has a too lower downforce setup. I’m thinking this as he seems to be faster than Nico in a straight line. If it rains, then his setup will obviously be more downforce orientated, and we know what he can do in the rain so it’s not the last we’ve seen from him. He’ll probably make a good start and have great race pace as usual so we’ll see.
Cannot wait for this race though.
DaveW
23rd July 2011, 19:55
Hamilton is very fast in the slow bits of S1 and S3 which suggests that his car is compliant over curbs and has good traction, i.e, it is soft at the back and has some roll. These are good traits for rain.
Ferrari’s drop off is perplexing. I was cold, but it was cold in Silverstone too. Given that the tires look set to last for half the race, it doesn’t seem like Alonso will see Hamilton and the RBRs fall back toward him due to tire consumption this time.
Mehmeh
23rd July 2011, 20:01
Bueni has been excluded due to fuel irregularities
HounslowBusGarage (@hounslowbusgarage)
23rd July 2011, 20:53
Confirmation here http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93301
tuee
23rd July 2011, 20:08
hamilton has a dry setup,while the bulls and the ferraris have a in the middle setup to (rain and dry). Button has a setup for wet.
Hamilton and button are risking it, hamilton hopes it it does n’t rain otherwise he is toasted while button prays for rain.
That’s why there’s the massive difference between hamilton and button. there’s not way hamilton is 1.1 seconds faster than button. he is 2-3 tenths at best.
georges10099
23rd July 2011, 22:03
stop being so pessimistic ;) give the guy praise as he surely deserves it!!!
tuee
23rd July 2011, 22:45
no pesimistic,realistic!!
Funkyf1
24th July 2011, 4:36
Great comment and very realistic, that is the difference between the two drivers. Hamilton will drive the wheels off his car set up on the edge, Button prefers a more conservative approach and always looks ahead to the race as his single lap pace is never as quick as Lewis’s. Looking forward to a great race.
georges10099
24th July 2011, 9:25
hmm. i cant say i agree there as most of the races this season lewis has finished ahead of jenson!
Syed
24th July 2011, 6:12
On what basis do you claim that mate? I’d love to believe you but ???
James
23rd July 2011, 20:34
By my reckoning, Alonso has won this year’s qualifying battle against Massa, 10-0. I’m sure this isnt going to do Massa any favours in negotiating the slim chances of a further extension to his contract next year
Ell (@ell)
23rd July 2011, 20:49
This is the first race this season where I haven’t backed Hamilton to win. His qualifying lap left me speechless.
Ell (@ell)
23rd July 2011, 21:03
Also, these stats are very interesting. No surprise to see the Red Bulls quick in the 2nd sector, but Hamilton quicker in the other 2 is a shock. If he gets off the line well, he could pass Webber in the DRS straight. Also, Hamilton seems to be the best at managing his KERS, which could be big to decide the race. But no-one has taken into account that Hamilton started 5th, and was 2nd by turn 1. It might have been helped by KERS, but he is a lot futher back then he was then. The start will be crucial here, as it has been proved hard to overtake in recent years. Come on Lewis!
Also,Keith, when i post a comment, i have to refresh then post. I can’t reply either.
Kimster
24th July 2011, 9:26
That is if they fuel him enough to get to the finishline ;)
shadow13 (@shadow13)
23rd July 2011, 21:37
I think Lotus are mad now if they don’t give Trulli his seat back. Chandhok has not done awfully but he is brilliant plus he slipped off again. How many cars does his contract allow him to write off?
shadow13 (@shadow13)
23rd July 2011, 21:38
EDIT: Not brilliant.
James
24th July 2011, 0:09
To be fair, he hasnt had a lot of running this year. The few practice sessions he has taken part in have only see him do a handful of laps for various reasons.
On this basis, should we be saying that Ricciardo should be dropped as he has qualified last in both sessions he has taken part in?
Funkyf1
24th July 2011, 4:42
Ricciardo should be in the Lotus then he wouldn’t be last, but rumours have it that Karun paid for his drive not something everyone can afford.
Aussie Fan
24th July 2011, 5:09
Also Riccardio Matched his teammate in only his 2nd quali ever…thats a bit of a different story to what we are talking about here.
Young One
23rd July 2011, 22:27
So, he will be jumped at first, or people will get to him on third sector.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
23rd July 2011, 23:44
19th and 20th in the speed traps?? Hmm…
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
23rd July 2011, 23:44
Also, Merc have nothing to lose, so they’re praying it doesn’t rain, to give them an advantage on the straights
Makana (@makana)
24th July 2011, 7:48
Wet setups!?
JustinF1 (@justinf1)
24th July 2011, 2:38
Way to gO WEBBER !!
Lord Ha Ha
24th July 2011, 4:37
Massa says he has the maximum downforce possible onboard. maybe they mixed up buemi’s fuel sample with his…
Eggry (@eggry)
24th July 2011, 4:48
Vettel was clearly slower in mid sector. I wish this continues :D
Lord Ha Ha
24th July 2011, 4:56
Schumi was sliding around, Massa was sliding around, Button was sliding around, Di Resta was sliding around …. driver or engine driveability? Take it down Charlie Whiting, throw it out of the sport. 1 brand of car, 1 engine software map, 1 engine mode, no exceptions.