Qualifying Recap: Eifel Grand Prix

Event: Qualifying for the Eifel Grand Prix – Saturday October 10
Location: Nürburgring, Germany
Layout: 5.148-kilometer (3.198-mile), 15-turn circuit
Weather: Mostly Cloudy
Air Temps: 9 degrees Celsius (48.2 degrees Fahrenheit)
Track Temps: 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
Pole Winner: Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes (1:25.269) 
Result:    Kevin Magnussen qualified 15th / Romain Grosjean qualified 16th 

Free Practice No. 3 Rundown

Grosjean: 15th overall (1:28.115), 27 laps completed
Magnussen: 16th overall (1:28.293) 27 laps completed
Fastest: Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes (1:26.225)

Q1 Rundown: 

18-minute session with all 20 drivers – Top 15 advance to Q2

Magnussen: 12th overall (1:27.231), Advances to Q2
Grosjean: 16th overall (1:27.552)
Fastest: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing (1:26.319) 

Q2 Rundown: 

15-minute session featuring the Top 15 from Q1 – Top 10 advance to Q3

Magnussen: 15th overall (1:27.125)
Fastest: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes (1:26.620) 

Q3 Rundown: 

12-minute session featuring the Top 10 from Q2

Pole Winner: Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes (1:25.269)
Second: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes (1:25.525)

 

Recap

Haas F1 Team drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean qualified 15th and 16th, respectively, for Sunday’s Eifel Grand Prix, the 11th round of the 2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at Germany’s famed Nürburgring. 

Grosjean and Magnussen each utilized two new sets of Pirelli’s P Zero Red soft tires in a frigid, but crucially dry Q1 session following Friday’s washout. After using up their first sets both drivers banked their fastest times on their second set of rubber. 

Grosjean was looking good for moving into Q2 with a 1:27.118 only to have that lap time deleted for track limits at turn four. The Frenchman subsequently encountered traffic on his second attempt posting a 1:27.552 to finish 16th. Magnussen’s best effort, a 1:27.231, was good enough for 12th overall and advanced the Dane into Q2 for the fourth time this season.

Magnussen opened his Q2 session with a 1:27.806. After a quick garage turnaround and armed with a new set of softs he improved his lap time to a 1:27.125 – placing him 15th overall at the checkered.

Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes claimed pole position for the Eifel Grand Prix in Q3 – the Finn’s third pole of the season and his 14th career Formula One pole. His flying lap beat teammate and second-place qualifier Lewis Hamilton by .256 of a second.

Romain Grosjean, Driver No. 8, Haas F1 Team

“The track was good, it’s a mega track to drive, it’s a pleasure. Obviously with our car, we know we need to be flat out from the first lap in Q1 to be able to move into Q2. Sadly on the second set of tires, on my first lap I over did it and on the second I got traffic – so that was it. It’s a bit of a shame but we’ll do better tomorrow. I think the unexpected is our best chance in the race.”

 

Kevin Magnussen, Driver No. 20, Haas F1 Team

“I think we got the best out of the car in qualifying. It looked quite strong in Q1 but then other people found quite a bit more lap time than we seemed to. Ultimately, we fell back to our P15 spot again in Q2, but that’s where we are, and we’ll continue to try and do better. We’ll try and do a good job tomorrow. This race weekend has been a bit odd so there could be some opportunities.”
 

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team

“It was good to go out there today in FP3, which was really FP1 – however you want to call it, but it went well and we ran our program. We prepared as well as we could for qualifying. We almost achieved getting both cars into Q2. Unfortunately Romain (Grosjean) was a little bit over the line and his best time was disqualified. We got one into Q2, and at the least that’s what we try to do. It’s hard work. I appreciate how hard everybody works to achieve that little bit of success.”