Van der Zande hit with brake issues

Renger van der Zande set the fourteenth fastest time during Saturday’s qualifying session at Hockenheim, but the Dutchman was unfortunately plagued by a costly brake failure. Earlier in free practice, van der Zande quickly realised that something was wrong, prompting a thorough inspection by his mechanics. With brake pressure disappearing, van der Zande was confined to his garage for much of the session. When he was finally able to make it out on-track, there was little time available for vital qualifying setup tweaks.

“This was not my day, the technical issues just left me in the lurch,” van der Zande said after qualifying. “It’s a miracle that the hairline crack on my left-rear brake wire was found by my mechanics, but free practice was virtually gone when it was fixed. I was slower than usual in qualifying as a result; I just could not find the last two tenths. But the weather is certainly nice!”

The race on Sunday begins at 2pm local time.