2014 German Grand Prix – The Grid: Rosberg in a league of his own, Hamilton condemned to a feat?

After the qualifying session that took place on Saturday, for which you can read the summary on casinoenligne.uk.com, the editorial team offers you a recap of the starting grid.

Several things to report: Esteban Gutierrez, on Sauber, is forced to drop three places on the starting grid following the penalty imposed on him after the British Grand Prix for his collision with Pastor Maldonado. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, receives a 5-position penalty on the grid after a gearbox change.

The tires

The storms forecasted at the start of the weekend might ultimately spare Hockenheim. However, the GP2 race took place on a track made wet after a heavy downpour. Such a scenario would disrupt strategies.

On a dry track, Pirelli estimates that a two-stop strategy should be the fastest, even though making three stops wouldn’t result in a significant loss of time. In reality, everything will depend on how the tires perform on the asphalt, which should be less overheated than on Friday and Saturday. The Italian manufacturer predicts that the best strategy should be a first stint on super-softs with a pit stop on lap 18 to put on super-soft tires again, and a final stop on lap 38 to switch to soft tires until the end of the 67-lap race.

The forces at play

Nico Rosberg is in an ideal position. Truly free of his teammate, he shouldn’t face too much pressure from the competition. Even though the Williams and Red Bull have an interesting pace, it is not yet that of the W05 Hybrid. Unless there’s a technical incident – which remains likely, as we’ve seen in recent weeks at Mercedes – it’s hard not to imagine the German as a prophet in his own country.

The battle for the podium, behind Rosberg, could therefore take place between the Williams team, whose tire wear could pose a problem if the temperatures are high, and the Red Bull team, whose comeback seems gradual but quite real. Kevin Magnussen and Fernando Alonso could play a role in this battle, even if a podium finish may appear very ambitious for the two men, who would likely be quite content with a place in the top 5.

In the middle of the pack, the presence of Force India ahead of Jenson Button’s McLaren and Kimi Räikkönen’s Ferrari might liven up the start of the race. Most notably, it’s Lewis Hamilton’s position, 20th on the grid, that should result in a flurry of overtaking maneuvers.