European Grand Prix: Rosberg takes pole as Hamilton crashes
Nico Rosberg has claimed pole position for the European Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton‘s qualifying session ended with a crash, a smashed suspension and a position of 10th on the grid.
After mistakes at the end of Q2 and on his first flying lap in Q3, the Formula 1 world champion hit the wall at Turn 10 as his Mercedes teammate made the most of the opportunity.
Prior to his qualifying disaster, Hamilton had dominated the weekend, topping the timesheets in all three practice sessions, but provided that Mercedes can repair his car for the race without triggering a penalty, he will now start the race from a distant 10th.
Red Bull‘s Daniel Ricciardo will line up alongside Rosberg on the front row with the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel third – the pair set identical lap times but Ricciardo will be given the superior grid slot because he crossed the line first.
Although Force India‘s Sergio Perez was second fastest in Q3, the in-form Mexican will take a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change necessitated by his heavy crash in Practice Three.
Full standings
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2. Sergio Perez, Force India
3. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
4. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
6. Felipe Massa, Williams
7. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso
8. Valtteri Bottas, Williams
9. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
10. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
11. Romain Grosjean, Haas
12. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
13. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso
14. Fernando Alonso, McLaren
15. Esteban Gutierrez, Haas
16. Felipe Nasr, Sauber
17. Rio Haryanto, Manor
18. Pascal Wehrlein, Manor
19. Jenson Button, McLaren
20. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
21. Kevin Magnussen, Renault
22. Jolyon Palmer, Renault
