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GRAND PRIX

Rosberg takes home pole in German Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg said the satisfaction of claiming his first home German Grand Prix pole position on Saturday was diminished by teammate Lewis Hamilton's horror crash.

Rosberg takes home pole in German Grand Prix
Hamilton crashed in qualifying. Photo: DPA

Hamilton's 260-kilometre-per-hour smash left the Briton shaken but fit to line-up on Sunday when he will have to start from 15th on the grid.

Mercedes confirmed that the accident was caused by a brake failure that wrecked Hamilton's car and his session and reduced his chances of trimming Rosberg's four-point lead in their duel for the championship title.

His success in qualifying gave Rosberg a 5:4 advantage in poles over Hamilton this season.

It also came in a memorable week when the 29-year-old German married his long-term girlfriend Vivian Sibold, signed a new contract with Mercedes and cheered Germany to World Cup victory.

"For now, it's been going really well," said Rosberg.

"Home race, to be on pole is fantastic. I would have preferred if it was an open fight with Lewis so I'm less happy as a result, but it's still a fantastic day.

"But there are no points for qualifying and there is still a long way to go. Tomorrow, it is supposed to be a bit colder, so it should make it easier on the tyres. The weather could play a role, so I just need to take it as it comes."

Hamilton spun into the barriers heavily at the Sachskurve when the right front brake disc of his Mercedes car failed as he attempted to slow from an estimated 260 km/h.

He was winded, bruised and shaken by the impact but climbed from his car and was later able to walk away from the medical centre where his knees were examined carefully.

"I'm a little bit sore, but I'll be OK," said Hamilton.

"I've got a little bit of pain but that's what usually happens when you have a crash like that. Even if something's broken, I'll still be driving tomorrow."

Hamilton officially qualified a provisional 16th, but a penalty for Esteban Gutierrez of Sauber lifts him up a place on the grid.

Rosberg did not allow doubt into his mind as he delivered fastest laps in all three sessions, culminating in a blistering one minute and 16.540 seconds to seize his fourth pole in five races.

It gives him a huge advantage for Sunday's 67-lap race as only three times since 1987 has the winner at Hockenheim qualified from behind the front row.

Valtteri Bottas secured the second front row start of his career and second in three races for Williams ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen, fourth for McLaren.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo again out-qualified his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel by taking fifth place ahead of the defending champion with Fernando Alonso seventh for Ferrari.

Daniil Kkyvat was eighth for Toro Rosso ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and his Force India team-mate Sergio Perez.

Hamilton and Mercedes will have to overcome one dilemma before Sunday's race — not only do they need to repair the 2008 champion's car, but they have to resolve what braking system to use.

Hamilton and Rosberg employ different brake manufacturers and it is therefore possible that, following Saturday's failure, the team will consider suggesting to Hamilton that he switches to use the same brakes as Rosberg as a security precaution.

But that will be a setback for Hamilton who, like most elite racing drivers, has picked his brake company based on the feel he has from their performance on track.

If he has to switch, it will mean having to learn how to adjust to a very different system.

SEE ALSO: Fifa tell Rosberg to ditch World Cup helmet

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SPORT

Italian Grand Prix: Alonso accuses stewards of drinking beer instead of watching race

The stewards at Sunday's Italian Grand Prix were 'having a Heineken' instead of watching the race properly, according to a furious Fernando Alonso.

Italian Grand Prix: Alonso accuses stewards of drinking beer instead of watching race
McLaren's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso. Photo: AFP

The two-time world champion accused the stewards of enjoying the beer supplied by Formula One's sponsors after an incident in which Briton Jolyon Palmer passed him, by cutting out the second chicane.

He believed the stewards misread the incident and did not react appropriately, launching into a tirade of radio messages to his McLaren-Honda team.

The incident had enabled Palmer of Renault to take 12th position in the race – which he refused to give back, as is conventional when a driver cuts out a chicane.

The stewards eventually caught up with events and gave Palmer a five-second penalty before he retired with mechanical problems. When Alonso learned of the Englishman's exit, he told his team it was 'karma'.

He said: “When we arrived at the chicane we were side-by-side… We braked late and I managed to take the chicane, but he didn't and he jumped it and stayed in front.

“Usually, that's something that's very clear in the rules – when two cars are side-by-side at the chicane and one gets to take it and one doesn't, you give back the position — but this time the FIA must have been having a Heineken.

“It was not up to F1 standards. There is not an interpretation possible there. It is black and white, but anyway, fighting for 16th and 17th, it doesn't matter.”

Alonso was also forced into retirement on the penultimate lap with gearbox problems.

Palmer said he blamed Alonso for their incident at the chicane. “I was ahead coming in, he braked super-late and forced me off the track – I'm sure it will be another talking point at the next race because Fernando is not very happy about it, but I don't care.”

The pair also clashed at last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, triggering the bad blood that was prevalent in Sunday's race.

READ ALSO: The latest sports news from across Italy