HOCKENHEIM, Germany -- Despite dealing Lewis Hamilton a significant blow in qualifying for the German Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel is sympathetic towards his championship rival for the car issue he encountered.
Vettel romped to pole in front of a jubilant home crowd at the circuit just down the road from where he grew up. He will start from the front while Hamilton is likely to start 14th after suffering a hydraulics leak in Q1 which occurred after he ran wide at Turn 1 and went across the kerbs.
It means Vettel, who will lined up alongside Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas, looks likely to leave Germany having extended his eight-point lead over the reigning champion but he was in little mood to celebrate his rival's misfortune afterwards.