Hamilton suffered a hydraulics issue in Q1 yesterday which forced him to cut his qualifying session short, allowing title rival Sebastian Vettel to take pole unopposed at the Hockenheimring in his Ferrari.
Four-time world champion Hamilton, looking to bounce back from his British Grand Prix heartache this weekend, will start down in 14th in yet another body blow to the 33-year-old’s title hopes.
Red Bull’s Ricciardo, meanwhile, picked up enough penalties due to power unit changes to render qualifying redundant. He sat out of Q2 and will start from the very back of the pack in 20th.
And while neither Hamilton or Ricciardo are likely to compete for a podium finish given the difficulty of overtaking on the German circuit, their clear pace advantage on the grid’s back-markers could set up an intriguing battle between the pair as they push into the points.
That’s exactly the type of challenge Ricciardo, who has won two races this season but trails Hamilton by 57 points in the drivers standings, is hoping for.
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“It looks like Lewis and myself will start at the back so it will be fun,” said the Australian.
“[We will] See who gets through to the front quickest!”
Assessing his hopes for the race, he continued: “I had time to digest the penalty, of course, and prepare for it.
“So I’m now just thinking of the excitement I’ll have starting from the back.
“I’d rather start at the front, but there’s still some fun to be had for sure.
“The long runs on Friday looked pretty good, but we’ll see.”
Vettel currently leads rival Hamilton by eight points in the standings and will hope to increase that gap significantly with a fifth win of the season in Germany.