Rosberg tops Hamilton in first practice
F1 Grand Prix, GP Germany, Hockenheimring
Nico Rosberg took immediate charge of his home Grand Prix by going fastest in the first practice session of the weekend. Rosberg headed his team mate and World Champion Lewis Hamilton by 3 tenths, while the competition was, as usual on Friday morning, fairly far behind, with Vettel 1.1s down on Rosberg.
Kimi Raikkonen's fourth best time underlined Ferrari's early edge on Red Bull Racing. The gap is small though, with McLaren Honda's Fernando Alonso also within striking distance of the slower Red Bull, steered by Daniel Ricciardo.
Jenson Button was 8th fastest, ahead of Toro Rosso duo Kvyat and Sainz.
In the first half of the session, Rosberg was fastest as well on the soft tyres, before switching onto the super softs.
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:15.517 | - | 32 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:15.843 | +0.326s | 30 |
| 3 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:16.667 | +1.150s | 29 |
| 4 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:16.852 | +1.335s | 23 |
| 5 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer | 1:16.927 | +1.410s | 29 |
| 6 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer | 1:17.089 | +1.572s | 30 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 1:17.183 | +1.666s | 18 |
| 8 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Honda | 1:17.612 | +2.095s | 15 |
| 9 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 1:18.008 | +2.491s | 25 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 1:18.044 | +2.527s | 22 |
| 11 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 1:18.198 | +2.681s | 28 |
| 12 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 1:18.210 | +2.693s | 37 |
| 13 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 1:18.322 | +2.805s | 33 |
| 14 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 1:18.589 | +3.072s | 20 |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 1:18.591 | +3.074s | 35 |
| 16 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 1:18.628 | +3.111s | 29 |
| 17 | 50 | Charles Leclerc | Haas Ferrari | 1:18.882 | +3.365s | 32 |
| 18 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1:18.933 | +3.416s | 35 |
| 19 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber Ferrari | 1:18.961 | +3.444s | 22 |
| 20 | 45 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 1:18.981 | +3.464s | 30 |
| 21 | 88 | Rio Haryanto | Mrt Mercedes | 1:19.167 | +3.650s | 34 |
| 22 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Mrt Mercedes | 1:19.975 | +4.458s | 33 |
