Alexander Sims took his first Formula 3 Euro Series pole position in a frantic qualifying session at the Norisring on Friday evening. The British driver edged championship leader Jules Bianchi at the end of the session, as times tumbled on a drying track.
The order changed every time a car crossed the line as conditions improved dramatically in the final few minutes, and Sims, who had featured towards the top throughout the session, finished his lap shortly after Bianchi to beat the French driver to pole.
The second row is an all ART affair, with rookies Adrien Tambay and Esteban Gutierrez having their strongest performances to date, ahead of championship contender Stefano Coletti in fifth.
The late flurry of activity left several of the season's frontrunners further down the order than they would have hoped. Mika Maki missed out on the top 10 for Signature, while Roberto Merhi will join him on the sixth row.
Mucke team-mates Christian Vietoris and Sam Bird are 14th and 16th respectively, while F3 Masters winner Valtteri Bottas spent the middle part of the session in the pits, and could only get himself up to 19th.