NICO ROSBERG showed Lewis Hamilton he will not roll over in this title race after taking a fantastic pole position in the German GP.
Rosberg, who surrendered the lead in the championship in Budapest, held his nerve here in Hockenheim to take front spot 30 years on from when his father, Keke achieved the same feat.
Hamilton and Rosberg enjoyed a thrilling game of cat and mouse as they traded places at the top of the timesheets.
But a last-gasp flying lap from Rosberg, and a small lock-up from Hamilton, shifted the result in the German’s favour.
Hamilton had escaped a nervy before qualifying as he was hauled in front of the race stewards to explain his near-miss in the pitlane during final practice.
Hamilton took the lead in championship last weekend
Hamilton, who has already picked up two reprimands, is just one away from a 10-place grid penalty.
And while his Merc team were found guilty of sending him out of the garage in front of Haas driver Romain Grosjean, Hamilton did not suffer any further punishment.
Rosberg, who has been quickest in all three practice sessions here, recovered from a minor electrical fault to eclipse his team-mate while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo starts in third.
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Jenson Button once again got the better of his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso but both failed to make it into Q2.
The Brit, who was forced to cut short his running in FP2 after getting some carbon fibre in his eye, had to settle for 12th spot on the grid, while Alonso qualified in 14th.
Brit Jolyon Palmer got the better of his Renault team-mate Kevin Magnussen to qualify in 15th place due to Grosjean’s grid penalty.
He said: “Finally we are back in Q2. The car is improving and there is clear progress and I am really looking forward to the race and if I can drive well then a point is possible.”
However, it was another horror show for Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat as he failed to make it through Q1.
The Russian’s career has nosedived spectacularly since he was demoted by Red Bull in place of Max Verstappen, leaving his F1 career hanging in the balance.
Kvyat could not hide his frustration at being out-classed by his team-mate Carlos Sainz, saying: “Unbelievable. What the f*** is going on?”
“I don’t know what is going on? I think I need more than the summer break…”
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