Mercedes technical director Paddy Lowe explains that Nico Rosberg had to overcome “a couple of problems” to claim pole position for the German Grand Prix.

The German was about to set his first Q3 flyer at Hockenheim when he bailed out of his lap and came back into the pits. Mercedes quickly managed to fix the electronics issues on his car, ultimately allowing Rosberg to recover to the top of the timesheets.

“[Nico] had a couple of problems concurrently just at the end of that lap, which caused the engine to cut out and it lost sync on all the gears,” Lowe told Sky Sports F1 right after the session.

“It also corresponded with warnings with his throttle pedal, which was actually not to do with it but I think that gave him a bit of a scare. Nobody likes to lose control of their throttle pedal.

“He aborted the lap, which is a bit of a disturbance to your pattern in Q3.

“We found a way to sort of shutting it down into a safe mode and then sent him again.”

Lowe adds that Rosberg’s cool reaction under pressure and subsequent pole lap on a heavier fuel load was quite impressive.

“I was particularly impressed that he went out there and got the pole lap with that sort of stress and disturbance and also with two laps of fuel on board to give him two chances so a great lap and a fantastic job.”

REPORT: Impressive Rosberg takes pole for the German Grand Prix

AS-IT-HAPPENED: German Grand Prix qualifying

Silbermann says ... Backing the wrong horse

Exclusive Alex Wurz Q&A: GPDA chairman "surprised" by Halo delay

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Bearman gives harsh verdict on Sao Paulo stand-in

Oliver Bearman got quite the early morning wake-up call on Friday in Sao Paulo when…

4 hours ago

Red Bull still 'looking at the facts' regarding Perez's performance

While his team mate Max Verstappen thrilled the fans with a run from 17th on…

5 hours ago

Sad Colapinto laments two crashes in one day in Sao Paulo

Williams suffered a bruising time on Sunday in Sao Paulo, with Alex Albon unable to…

7 hours ago

McLaren: No regrets over timing of Norris pit stop in Sao Paulo GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the squad has no regrets about their…

8 hours ago

Williams' Boutsen hoists the mainsail in Adelaide

On this day in 1989, Williams' Thierry Boutsen secured his second F1 win when he…

10 hours ago

Horner: Max 'answered critics' with epic Sao Paulo GP drive

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed Max Verstappen’s sensational Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory…

10 hours ago