German Grand Prix Qualifying (2014): Rosberg on pole for Mercedes – Hamilton crashes out

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg has taken pole position for tomorrow’s German Grand Prix, but team mate Lewis Hamilton crashes out after brake failure.

Lewis Hamilton managed to close the gap to Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago after Rosberg’s car fell foul to mechanical failure, but it was Lewis’s turn to catch the Mercedes mechanical gremlins today as brake failure in qualifying saw him crash out.

Hamilton suffered brake failure ten minutes after qualifying began and crashed heavily at speed in to the stadium section, going out of qualifying and causing a red flag for the session.

Lewis was checked over after the heavy crash and is fine, but the pole position subsequently gathered in by team mate Rosberg won’t have been any consolation,

Just fou7r points behind Rosberg in the driver’s championship battle after the British Grand Prix, Hamilton now faces a big uphill struggle to minimize Rosberg’s advantage in tomorrow’s race, but at least Hamilton’s first flying lap before the crash has sealed him 15th spot for the race.

Behind Rosberg it’s the Williams cars of Bottas and Massa in second and third place, with McLaren’s Magnussen doing a fine job in fourth (Button, by contrast, is down in eleventh place).

The Red Bulls of Ricciardo and Vettel take fifth and sixth, Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari is in seventh spot next to Torros Rosso’s Kvyat and the Torro Rossos of Hulkenberg and Perez take ninth and tenth.

Short of mechanical failure it’s hard to see Rosberg not taking the win in tomorrow’s race – especially with the crowd behind him – but it will be good to watch Hamilton do his best to limit the damage.