Moving ahead of gear box failures and the tyre drama,Formula One clout has descended upon an almost bankrupt circuit: The Nuerburgring. Amidst the fears of drivers threatening a boycott,following the candy floss like shredding of tyres at Silverstone,the new Kevlar belted compound suffered no problems whatsoever during the practice and qualifying meets ahead of the German Grand Prix. Known to host the odd year races (Hockenheimring hosts the even ones),the South Germany circuit is all set to stage the 9th round of the Formula One 2013 championship. If we look back at the history,German Michael Schumacher has been the most successful driver and Ferrari is the team to accumulate most wins in Germany. Amongst the current pack of drivers,Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have fared really well at the circuit which was once considered to be too dangerous to drive on. Although,the local boy Sebastian Vettel,who has conquered the world thrice,has never won in his own backyard. The German's team Red Bull Racing,that made its debut in 2005 with the Australian Grand Prix recorded its only win in 2009 with Mark Webber in the driving seat. Set in Germany's Eifel mountains,with rain being a default setting,the Nuerburgring Circuit was basking in bright sunlight ensuring a hot and sunny weekend. In pursuit of his 4th pole of the season,Red Bull's blue-eyed boy Vettel came to the 'green hell' with a lead of 21 points over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. He looked quite ominous as he clocked staggering laps in the 2nd and 3rd practice session,although the 1st was dominated by Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes. In the first qualifying session Red Bulls and Silver Arrows were no where to be found. Ferrari's Felipe Massa finished fastest with team-mate Fernando Alonso in the third spot. Sitting in his garage,the winner of British Grand Prix,Nico Rosberg failed to make it in the top ten. What a no-brainer by Mercedes!. Whereas,Ferrari seemed to be on a roll. Massa did it yet again,he was fastest in 2nd qualifying session with Raikkonen,Alonso and Vettel constituting the top 4. And when it mattered the most,Lewis Hamilton put his car in the pole for a second consecutive week and for the third time in 2013. Just when it seemed Vettel had absolutely smashed it,an agonizing Hamilton drove like a man on mission pushing himself in the top spot. The starting grid at Nuerburgring: Lewis Hamilton at the pole. Sebastian Vettel will start second,ahead of Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber and Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen. Romain Grosjean,Daniel Ricciardo,Felipe Massa,Fernando Alonso,Jenson Button and Nico Hulkenberg complete the top 10. With Hamilton,Vettel,Alonso and Webber featuring in the top ten of the leader board,it could be anybody's race on Sunday. However,beating Lewis Hamilton from here will command a herculean exploit.
