Nico Rosberg put F1 world champions Mercedes on pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix yesterday after Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat crashed heavily and brought qualifying to an early close.
The German secured his first pole since Spain in May when the red flags came out with 36 seconds remaining, leaving team-mate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton no chance of claiming a 12th pole in 14 races.
Hamilton, who has a 41-point lead over Rosberg with six races left, missed out by 0.076 seconds but made sure of an all-Mercedes front row to the relief of a team that was eclipsed in Singapore last weekend.
Nico Rosberg... pole position.The front row was a repeat of last year’s at Suzuka, a wet race overshadowed by French driver Jules Bianchi’s tragic accident in the closing stages and that Hamilton won on his way to a second world championship.
Finland’s Valtteri Bottas qualified third for Williams on a dry track after Friday’s rain with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, victorious in Singapore and a four-times winner in Japan, lining up in fourth place.
Kvyat was unhurt in his dramatic crash, losing control of the rear of his car after going wide onto the grass as he approached the hairpin.
Snapping sideways, the car was pitched into a tyre wall and flipped over before coming to rest with the wheels torn off the left side. Kvyat assured the team he was OK and then slowly extricated himself unaided.
“It was a big impact, but the main thing is he is fine.
“A little bit winded,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Brazilian Felipe Massa qualified fifth for Williams, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen sixth and Australian Daniel Ricciardo seventh for Red Bull.
McLaren’s Jenson Button failed to make it through the first phase of qualifying, on a dismal afternoon at engine partner Honda’s home circuit, and starts 15th with Spanish team-mate Fernando Alonso 13th.
Dutch teenager Max Verstappen collected a three-place grid drop after leaving his Toro Rosso car in a dangerous position during yesterday’s qualifying.
Starting grid at Suzuka Circuit
| 1. Nico Rosberg (Germany) | Mercedes | 1:32.584 |
| 2. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) | Mercedes | 1:32.660 |
| 3. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) | Williams-Mercedes | 1:33.024 |
| 4. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) | Ferrari | 1:33.245 |
| 5. Felipe Massa (Brazil) | Williams-Mercedes | 1:33.337 |
| 6. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) | Ferrari | 1:33.347 |
| 7. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) | RedBull-Renault | 1:33.497 |
| 8. Romain Grosjean (France) | Lotus-Mercedes | 1:33.967 |
| 9. Sergio Perez (Mexico) | Force India-Mercedes | 1:34.174 |
| 10. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) | RedBull-Renault | 1:34.201 |
| 11. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) | Toro Rosso-Renault | 1:34.453 |
| 12. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) | Lotus-Mercedes | 1:34.497 |
| 13. Fernando Alonso (Spain) | McLaren | 1:34.785 |
| 14. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) | Force India-Mercedes | 1:34.390 |
| 15. Jenson Button (Britain) | McLaren | 1:35.664 |
| 16. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) | Sauber - Ferrari | 1:35.673 |
| 17. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:35.760 |
| 18. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Toro Rosso-Renault | 1:34.522 | |
| 19. Will Stevens (Britain) | Marussia-Ferrari | 1:38.783 |
| 20. Alexander Rossi (US) | Marussia-Ferrari | 1:47.114 |
Note: Kvyat to start from pitlane; Hulkenberg, Verstappen penalised three places