Germany: pre-qualifying 2016

Some off-track news for next year first. The halo won’t be included in 2017 but will be in the 2018 season. However, wet standing starts appear to be back for 2017. After the first crash, I imagine there’ll be instant calls for a return to the safe tedium of a safety car trundling around for 8 laps at the start, so we’ll see how long that lasts.

It also appears radio communication restrictions have been axed, with immediate effect. Perhaps Button getting a penalty for being told what to do when his brake pedal was broken prompted the change.

Sadly, that good news isn’t as good as it first appeared:
"Looking at 2017, two new rules will be introduced - there will be standing re-starts after a safety car start in wet conditions; and during a race stoppage, teams will no longer be able to change their cars or tyres."
from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/formula1/36684756

In first practice Rosberg led the way, three-tenths up on Hamilton. Vettel was almost a second down the road, followed by Raikkonen, with Verstappen less than a tenth off the slower Ferrari. Ricciardo, Alonso, Button, Kvyat and Sainz rounded out the top ten (making it team-by-team all the way).

Second practice had Rosberg four-tenths up on his team mate. Vettel was third, with Verstappen, Ricciardo and Raikkonen a few-tenths back but very close to one another. Hulkenberg, Button, Perez and Alonso were next.

Right now, the Ferraris and Red Bulls seem very close, and Rosberg appears to have the upper hand on his team mate. McLaren also look well-placed.

In P3 Rosberg was again fastest, leading Hamilton by less than a tenth. Ricciardo was, surprisingly, a similar small margin behind the Briton, and likewise the following Raikkonen. Vettel was next, then Verstappen, Bottas, Massa, Alonso and Hulkenberg.

During third practice, Verstappen had a battery charging problem. If that recurs in the race, it’s enough to be crippling for an F1 car. In P3 commentary, Allan McNish stated that only once in the last 14 races has the race been won by someone outside the top two. Grosjean has a gearbox change, incurring a five place grid penalty.

At the moment, the only tempting bets would be looking at Hulkenberg or Alonso’s odds on making Q3. They’re just 1.6 and 1.4 respectively, which is too short to tempt.

I did check the pole odds. Rosberg and Hamilton are evens each, which is probably fair but doesn’t off any value.

So, no tip on qualifying.


Morris Dancer

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