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From press release

German Nico Rosberg scored his sixth pole position this season despite changing weather conditions during Q3, Saturday at the Hungaroring.

But the big story of course was Lewis Hamilton's retirement before the Briton even set a lap in Q1. A fuel leak set fire to his car during his warm-up, only a week after a brake failure sent him flying into the wall at Hockenheim.

Such technical issues are worrying, even for Rosberg. But the German is confident Hamilton will be fighting for a good result Sunday.

"We need to sort out the reliability issues but I know that tonight there will be great team effort to fix his car - just like in Hockenheim where the whole garage pitched in to help rebuild it," said the pole-sitter.

"It takes away a bit of the excitement when there is no gloves-off battle because that's what we are here for. But tomorrow is a long race and I'm sure that Lewis can get another good result."

Qualifying results - Hungarian Grand Prix (round 11 of 19)
1.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1'22"715 - Q3
2.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'23"201 - Q3
3.Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'23"354 - Q3
4.Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'23"391 - Q3
5.Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'23"909 - Q3
6.Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'24"223 - Q3
7.Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'24"294 - Q3
8.Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'24"720 - Q3
9.Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'24"775 - Q3
10.Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - no time - Q3
11.Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'24"706 - Q2
12.Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'25"136 - Q2
13.Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'25"211 - Q2
14.Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'25"260 - Q2
15.Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'25"337 - Q2
16.Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'27"419 - Q2
17.Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'26"792 - Q1
18.Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'27"139 - Q1
19.Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'27"819 - Q1
20.Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'28"643 - Q1
21.Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - no time - Q1
22.Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - no time - Q1
*Unofficial times

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton's championship hopes went up in Mercedes-flavoured fire on Saturday.

After Brembo brake failure pitched the Briton into the qualifying barriers at Hockenheim, just seven days later it was a fuel leak that set fire to his pole hopes in Hungary.

"I think it's getting beyond bad luck," said Hamilton. "It's something else."

The famously sensitive and understandably frustrated 2008 world champion was speaking to reporters immediately after stalking back to the paddock in disbelief.

But he promptly changed out of his white overalls and left the circuit before the usual engineering debriefs.

"I feel so bad for Lewis because this is such a tight championship," said boss Toto Wolff. "He asked if he could go and we said 'Yeah, go home'."

Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W05 caught fire even before the Briton could set a time in Q1 (Photo: WRi2)

"It is completely unfair on Lewis, especially as he was fastest all weekend and would have won the race," added Niki Lauda.

"It is very difficult to pass here. He was fastest and would have been fastest again."

The heat, according to the Austrian, is now on team boss Paddy Lowe, whose main focus is the technical package of the otherwise-dominant Mercedes.

"You can rely on the fact that Mercedes, above all Paddy Lowe, will investigate and understand everything," Lauda told RTL television.

From GMM

Caterham is facing legal action after sacking 40 members of staff earlier this month.

As team founder Tony Fernandes departed and mysterious Swiss-based Middle Eastern investors led by Colin Kolles moved in, Caterham announced that the departures were "a necessary step" for the "future of the team".

But a lawyer representing the workers told the BBC that the sackings were "done without warning or consultation".

The report said they are claiming breaches of employment laws and contracts, with solicitor Christopher Felton claiming it will "result in significant compensation claims against the team".

From GMM

The unofficial 'silly season' has officially hit F1, as talk of a move to Mercedes for world champion Sebastian Vettel buzzes the paddock.

The rumour went full circle in the space of a couple of days, with Mercedes' Niki Lauda trying his best on Friday to bring it to a swift halt.

But Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko suggested to Sport Bild that he doesn't necessarily believe Lauda did not make a move for the German driver.

"Unfortunately, Niki has three opinions: one in the morning, one at noon and one in the evening," he said.

Silly season is, however, not limited to the front of the grid, even though Force India's Vijay Mallya said he wants to keep Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.

"We have options on both," the Indian said on Friday. "I'm very happy with both of them and I see no reason why we should be looking at any change."

There is also movement right at the back of the grid, although Briton Max Chilton expects to keep his well-funded seat at Marussia.

"I'm confident I'll be here next year," he said.

Briton Max Chilton is confident he will be at Marussia next year (Photo: WRi2)

But his teammate Jules Bianchi is in a slightly different situation, as he is backed by the might of Ferrari and looking to finally make a step up the grid for 2015.

"I can stay at Marussia," the Frenchman told RMC Sport, "but there could also be other good opportunities.

"The goal for me is to fight more regularly for points," said Bianchi. "I'm just trying to do a good job on the track.

"(Manager) Nicolas (Todt) is working on it, Ferrari as well, and I trust them."

One of the keys to the midfield silly-season could be Romain Grosjean, who may join partners Renault and Total in leaving Lotus should the Enstone team switch to Mercedes power.

The new engine deal has not yet been announced, but Frenchman Grosjean told reporters his future is not necessarily tied to the eventual outcome.

"I am 98, 99 per cent sure that next season Lotus will be better than it is now, and I'm not just talking about the power unit," he said.

Grosjean grinned throughout as reporters reeled off the names of potential 2015 employers.

What about Formula E? "Not an option!" he exclaimed. "Sorry, but I need gasoline!"

Most likely, perhaps, is a move to McLaren, now run by his former manager Eric Boullier.

Asked what their relationship is like today, Grosjean explained: "Friendship. We not only see each other in the paddock, but sometimes we spend time together.

"But this doesn't mean that I am one step closer to McLaren. Friendship is one thing, business is quite another."

From GMM

Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of Mercedes parent Daimler, has pointed the finger at Bernie Ecclestone in the wake of the unpopular German grand prix.

At the height of the Michael Schumacher era, Hockenheim was a capacity-filled hotbed of German passion.

But last weekend for the German grand prix, despite the current dominance of Mercedes, a German reigning champion and a German championship leader, grandstands were sometimes almost completely empty.

Zetsche thinks F1 chief executive Ecclestone's approach to marketing the sport is on the wrong track.

"In what company can the boss always do everything alone?" he told the Saturday edition of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

"I could imagine the marketing of formula one being taken over by a professional of the new media.

"There is still huge potential that should be exploited in the area of marketing, and specifically on the digital side.

"Regardless of the leadership (of F1), we need changes in this regard," said Zetsche.

Photo: WRi2

He compared Ecclestone's 'one man' approach with that of Daimler, who split responsibilities across a range of different roles and responsibilities.

"Why should it not be transferable to formula one?" he asked rhetorically.

Zetsche also criticised Ecclestone's income distribution model, with the newspaper claiming that while Ferrari and Red Bull receive $100m and $70 million respectively, Mercedes gets just $12 million.

"In the meantime," said Zetsche, "you have the question of whether it is worthwhile to continue to participate.

"We were able to strengthen our performance a lot, which compensates for some of the imbalance. Nevertheless, Mercedes does not race on the basis of 'whatever it costs'. The goal is to achieve economic efficiency," he added.

Finally, Zetsche weighed in on the outcome of the 2014 world championship, insisting Mercedes has no preference whether Nico Rosberg - a German - or Briton Lewis Hamilton ultimately wins.

"We sell cars all over the world," he said. "We are a German team, but we do not necessarily need a German driver to win."

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