Sebastian Vettel will start the German GP from pole position after edging ahead of the two Ferraris, Mark Webber and the McLarens...
Red Bull:
Sebastian Vettel: "That was extremely exciting, especially in Q3. I knew that both times I went out I only had one timed lap, so I had to get it right. It's difficult here, there are some places that can easily lead you into a mistake on this track. If you push too much then you can lose the edge of the tyres and some time. My final lap wasn't 100% perfect and there were a couple of places where I went over the limit, which cost me some time. But, in the end, it was enough - although only just - to stay ahead and get the pole. I am extremely happy - thanks to the team. It is the first time I am on pole at home, but the main challenge will come tomorrow."
Mark Webber: "I made a mistake into Turn one on my final timed lap. I turned in a little bit late and cut the kerb, which took me out wide so I had to abandon the lap. It was a shame I couldn't take advantage of the improving track conditions at the end of the session; it wasn't the best day for me. I let the boys down a bit, but Seb did a good lap for pole. Fourth is still not too bad - let's see what we can do from there in tomorrow's race."
Ferrari:
Fernando Alonso: "I am happy to be back on the front row after such a long time! We have been competitive all weekend, so this result is not a surprise: although perhaps the small gap to the Red Bull is, given that so far, even when we were close in free practice, or in Q1 and Q2, then in Q3, they always seemed to have that little bit extra. For a few races now, the F10 has improved a lot and that has finally led to us being in the fight for pole position. We have had a good Saturday, but now we have to do the same again on Sunday, as the points are only given out tomorrow. I am happy that Felipe is also in a good position as that means we can defend ourselves, particularly from the McLarens on the opening lap, because with their top speed they could pose a real threat. Tyres could be a significant unknown factor tomorrow: the track has improved so much over the past two days and we are using them much more than yesterday, so we could expect some surprises on the strategy front. The start? At Silverstone, the theoretically slower dirty side was actually cleaner and I hope the same will be true here! We will give it our all in trying to win, because looking at the classification, we need to bring home as many points as possible."
Felipe Massa: "I am pleased with this third place, as it means I am in a good position for the start of the race. It gives us a chance to score a lot of points for the team and that is our objective for tomorrow, as we have lost too many in recent races! Therefore, we hope that the negative run that dates back to Canada will end here in Germany. The gap between my time and that of the first two is due mainly to the fact that I never managed to produce a perfect lap on my last run. Tomorrow, we will do our best: yesterday, we saw that our race pace is competitive and we will try to make the most of that. On this track, with so many slow corners and where it is important to have a car that is good under braking, the F10 seems to be working very well."
McLaren:
Jenson Button: "It took a little bit of time for us to get used to the balance of the car this weekend. I was pretty happy with my final lap, so I don't know where the extra seven tenths [to pole] is. And that's the slightly worrying thing: it was a good lap, and I don't really think there was anything else I could've got out of the car. But we've definitely made a step forward with the blown diffuser - it's still not quite enough in qualifying spec, but, hopefully, we'll see some more performance tomorrow. From fifth on the grid, we can still have a good race, and this is a fun place to go racing. The first lap is usually pretty hectic, so I'll be hoping to pass some cars early on. I definitely think we can get a great result tomorrow."
Lewis Hamilton: "My qualifying pace wasn't great today - there was definitely a bit more time to be gained somewhere. I did the best job I could - it's just that the two teams in front did a slightly better job. We're the fastest down the straights, but we don't have quite enough downforce at the moment. We'll keep on pushing, but we know we have more work to do. Still, I think there'll be an improvement in our performance relative to the others tomorrow, because our race pace is generally better than our qualifying pace. Hopefully, the weather will be good, too, so we can push the guys in front and try and make up some places."
Renault:
Robert Kubica: "I am reasonably happy to be seventh on the grid and I think that, for now, we have to realise that we could not have qualified any higher than this. My lap could have been better, because I was held up by a Red Bull in the final sector, but I don't think it would have changed my position. We have had a couple of issues with the car here and in Silverstone, and I have not felt as confident with it, so we know that it's important to keep working to improve the feeling because that will give us more consistency. As for tomorrow's race, we saw in Silverstone that anything is possible but we need a good start and a good first lap. We hope that our race pace will be strong, too, but we saw today that the gap to the teams in front is pretty big so I'm expecting a tough afternoon."
Vitaly Petrov: "It was another tough qualifying session for me. The lap times around the top ten were very close and I was still learning how to get the most from the car and the tyres at this track, then trying to put it all together in a single lap. In the end, getting it right is a question of experience, and I know that better results will come when I can bring the pieces together - even though I wasn't far from the top ten today."
