Qualifying should be a relatively simple process, yet up and down the pitlane teams seem to have had their own private nightmares.

The morning session began with high drama, when an oil line ruptured on Marino Franchitti’s Porsche RSR while on its out lap. This caused the car to spin on its fluids and then catch fire. At this point the hapless Franchitti had two choices: abandon ship and watch his car burn to the ground, or dash round the GP circuit and back in to the pits where the conflagration could be dealt with more hastily. He chose the latter and escaped with a blackened but repairable car. His eyebrows may take longer to recover…

Local heroes Manthey had dramas of their own, as their pace-setting RSR made contact with something solid mid-way through the session and limped back to the pits trailing coolant. Aston Martin Racing’s Robert Lechner put on a brave display in the fearsome DBRS9, posting a strong 8min46sec lap despite a hairy moment at the Quiddelbacher-Höhe crest.

Both works Vantage N24s ran well, achieving faster qualifying times than last year. ‘Kermit’ – fitted with the new 4.7-litre engine – ran consistent 9min38sec laps (good enough for 35th overall), while ‘Rose’ – the yellow car – was just one second behind.

At the other end of the pit lane, Jethro Bovingdon was getting his first taste of the Fiat 500. We crossed paths at one point, on the uphill charge from the Karussell to Hohe Acht. It was great to see the little Fiat scuttling its way around, but the closing speed between the Vantage N24 and the 500 was pretty scary. What it must be like catching the Fiat in an RSR lapping 4mins30sec a lap faster is hard to imagine. Then again, what it must be like to be lapped by those front-running cars is equally inconceivable. I’m sure Jethro will tell you himself, once his white knuckles can be prised from the Fiat’s steering wheel

The morning session is just an hour and a half long, yet by the end the paddock has assumed the appearance of a battlefield. Everything from 911 RSRs and Lamborghini Gallardos to Subaru Imprezas and Ford Fiestas sit disembowelled, engines on hoists, mechanics up to their elbows in oil. You’d swear they are all staring retirement in the face, however all appear to be ready and raring to go when the evening session begins at 1930. Amazing.

It’s a tough session for the Aston Martin team, with first a niggling engine misfire for Rose N24, then a more stubborn brake balance issue for Kermit. Methodical faultfinding solves the misfire, but the brake problem continues to cause headaches. With all four drivers qualified the team eventually opts to withdraw from the session. Like most problems associated with racing cars, it’s nothing a long, long night of hard graft won’t fix, but it’s the last thing the mechanics need on the eve of the race.

Still, things could be worse, as a glimpse of Jethro’s face confirms. It transpires that the organisers spoke to the Engstler team (who run the Fiat) during the session and explained that they needed to find another 10sec or risked being bumped from the race. They end the session in 222nd place, a heartbreaking two places outside the 220 car limit. Still, with countless cars undergoing more surgery there’s a good chance a few won’t be fit for the start. Fingers crossed…