Team-mate Felipe Massa starts sixth, although faces an investigation for
severely impeding Mark Webber in Q2, and is almost certain to be handed a
grid penalty.
At present, Lotus’ Romain Grosjean will start seventh, with Webber eighth,
followed by McLaren’s Sergio Perez and Paul Di Resta for Force India.
Given McLaren’s problems so far this season, and with team principal Martin
Whitmarsh conceding before qualifying both cars would struggle to make Q3,
Perez performed wonders to make the top 10.
The Mexican starts ninth, notably finishing ahead of team-mate Jenson Button
who starts a miserable 14th, with half a second splitting the pair in Q2.
It is the 33-year-old’s worst grid slot since last year’s British GP when he
started 16th.
The Toro Rosso duo of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne had high hopes of
making Q3, but both missed out and will start 11th and 12th.
Force India’s Adrian Sutil lines up 13th, with Button alongside him on the
seventh row, followed by the Sauber pair of Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban
Gutierrez.
It is not just McLaren enduring a miserable run at present as another F1
institution in Williams is also suffering.
Come the conclusion to the opening 20-minute session neither Valtteri Bottas
nor team-mate Pastor Maldonado managed to make it out of Q1.
Rookie Bottas will start 17th, whilst Maldonado, who won this race a year ago
from pole position for Williams’ first victory for seven and a half years,
miserably joins the Finn on the ninth row in 18th.
Behind them are perennial backmarkers Marussia and Caterham, with the latter’s
Giedo van der Garde winning the battle of the quartet, starting from his
highest grid slot of his rookie campaign in 19th.
Behind the Dutchman will be Marussia pairing Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton,
the Briton just a quarter of a second behind the Frenchman, with Caterham’s
Charles Pic at the back.
Grid positions:
1 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1min 20.718secs
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:20.972
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1:21.054
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Lotus F1 Team 1:21.177
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 1:21.218
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:21.219
7 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Lotus F1 Team 1:21.308
8 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:21.570
9 Sergio Perez (Mex) McLaren 1:22.069
10 Paul di Resta (Gbr) Force India 1:22.233
11 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.127
12 Jean-Eric Vergne (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.166
13 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:22.346
14 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren 1:22.355
15 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.389
16 Esteban Gutierrez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.793
17 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams 1:23.260
18 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams 1:23.318
19 Giedo van der Garde (Ned) Caterham 1:24.661
20 Jules Bianchi (Fra) Marussia 1:24.713
21 Max Chilton (Gbr) Marussia 1:24.996
22 Charles Pic (Fra) Caterham 1:25.070
(Edited by Giles Mole)