A look at the main talking points from a dramatic qualifying session at Hockenheim
Shock: We are not used to seeing a Mercedes by the side of the track in Q1. Having already set a time good enough to advance to Q2, Lewis Hamilton ran wide at Turn 1 on his next flying lap and clobbered the kerb on the exit. Soon after his car refused to shift from fourth gear due to a loss of hydraulic pressure, knocking him out of qualifying on the spot. Seeing him attempt to push the car back to the pits showed just how much he wanted to continue in qualifying and the images of him kneeling next to his Mercedes behind the crash barriers showed how utterly devastated he was by the mistake. Hamilton later told reporters that he believed the issue occurred on the car before he ran wide.
Shocker: Under-pressure Stoffel Vandoorne qualified last on the grid on another dismal day for McLaren. His final lap appeared to be impacted by the yellow flags for Hamilton's stopped Mercedes, but his banker lap was still 0.195s off Lance Stroll and 0.744s off Fernando Alonso. The team believes there is an issue on the car based on the data and has changed parts to attempt to fix it, but still the performnce hasn't come back. It's terrible timing given rife speculation over who will be driving at McLaren next year.
Can Hamilton fightback from 14th? Just one week after he staged a fightback from a first lap collision in Silverstone, Hamilton will have to do it again in Hockenheim. The good news for him is that the German Grand Prix offers up plenty of overtaking opportunites, with the run down to the hairpin presenting the best opportunity. There is also an extra DRS zone this year to ease the pain. Having Daniel Ricciardo behind him (assuming Mercedes don't opt to start Hamilton from the pit lane in order to change components) means he has one less car to find a way past when he hits the front of the pack.
Star of the session: This award could go to the Haas team as a whole for qualifying fifth and sixth, but Kevin Magnussen's lap was particularly impressive. He was 0.378s off Max Verstappen in fourth place and 0.344s quicker than teammate Romain Grosjean, who had looked like the quicker of the Haas drivers up until Q3. It also meant he was within a second of Sebastian Vettel's impressive pole lap.
Stadium atmosphere: Hearing the crowd roar when Vettel crossed the line was enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. A similar reaction greeted Hamilton's car problems but underlined the fact that there is still a passionate fanbase in Germany despite the future of the race being under threat.
Turn 1 prediction: The top three will all start on the same compound of tyre but from past races it is clear Ferrari has the edge when it comes to nailing the perfect getaway. The short run down to Turn 1 has the potential for carnage, but usually in the midfield. That's something Hamilton will have to look for starting from further down the grid and he is likely to be conservative on the opening lap in the knowledge he will be able to overtake later in the race.