The drama of the British Grand Prix was still fresh in the minds of many as the F1 paddock swiftly traveled to the Nurburgring for the German Grand Prix.
With the Hockenheimring and Nurburgring alternating host duties of the German Grand Prix, it was the first time F1 had visited the circuit since 2011.
Mercedes were on a high as they returned to their home race with Red Bull hoping for a return of their previously formidable reliability. McLaren hoped that their upgrades and progress would continue with Lotus trialing their passive DRS once again - confident they can return to the top.
Check out my German Grand Prix Preview for a look at the Nurburgring circuit and past races. Check out my Top 5 for Formula1Blog and my One Year Rewind for RichlandF1 alongside my blog's Thursday Snap Shot from this years event.
The weather was unpredictable - much like in the UK - and with Pirelli bringing updates tyres to the track, there was plenty of learning to be done. However teams and drivers were impressed by the fast reaction of Pirelli and the FIA after the troubles that plagued the British Grand Prix.
FP1
It was a rather disastrous start to the German Grand Prix for Fernando Alonso. The session was barely three minutes young before the Ferrari driver pulled off track at the exit of turn four with an ECU problem.
With new rear Pirelli tyres to test and plenty of information to gather, it was a busy start to the session. Hamilton was the first to set a lap time but a 2m16.935 was far from representative of a quick lap. After a frantic first few moments it soon calmed down as top teams waited for the track to evolve.
Jenson Button was the first to set a competitive time in the 1m34's before dipping into the 1m33's with a 1m33.641 with an hour of the session remaining. The track soon became busier as more and more drivers started to circulate the 3.2 mile track. With 50 minutes remaining on the clock, just 11 drivers had set a lap time.
Fernando Alonso's car was recovered to the pit lane and he was able to get back out on track with 40 minutes of the session remaining. However he suffered a similar problem on his out-lap and returned to the pits for diagnosis. Fast forward 25 minutes and 20 of the 22 cars had set a lap time with Hamilton fastest on a 1m31.754. It was a busy final half an hour of the session with plenty to do and long-runs to be completed - fortunately despite looming grey clouds the rain held off.
By the chequered flag, Hamilton maintained his lead with Rosberg two tenths shy in second. Webber finished eight tenths behind the second Mercedes car in third with Sutil, Raikkonen, Massa, Button, Vettel, Grosjean and Perez rounding out the top 10. Rodolfo Gonzalez replaced Bianchi in the first Marussia MR02 and finished five seconds off the pace in 21st place.
FP2
It was a lively start to the second 90 minute practice session of the German Grand prix weekend with the majority of the field taking to the track to kick start their afternoon running.
Unlike the first session, 15 minutes passed with all 22 drivers setting a lap time. Mark Webber took the early lead in his Red Bull RB9 as drivers first tackled some shorter runs on the medium compound tyre before switching focus to the yellow-banded soft compound.
Sebastian Vettel displaced his team-mate at the top on the soft tyres with an hour of the session remaining. Turn one was proving to be a particular challenge with drivers binning their lap with lock ups before they even reach turn two.
Jules Bianchi's session was curtailed early after developing a stomach upset, both Marussia and Jules felt it would be best for him to rest up for the weekend ahead. The schedules were largely in sync with short, low fuel runs being completed mid-way through the session and longer, high fuel stints book-ending the session.
By the sessions end, it was Sebastian Vettel who maintained his front running time with a 1m30.416. The margins were close with Rosberg and Webber both within three tenths of the triple world champion. Grosjean and Raikkonen were next up and separated by just 0.005 of a second. However, that wasn't the smallest margin as Alonso finished the session just 0.003 seconds faster than team-mate Massa and Bottas was 0.001 seconds quicker than his team-mate.
Hamilton set the eighth fastest time in the session with countrymen Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta rounding out the top 10 - which was separated by 1.3 seconds.
FP3
It was a busy start to the final practice session of the German Grand Prix weekend as drivers eagerly emerged for their last chance to perfect their car set-up.
Sunny skies welcomed the F1 paddock in contrast to Friday's overcast weather but rain held off to give teams plenty of time to run. Perez was the first driver to set a lap time but it was soon bettered by team-mate Button and Rosberg.
The first half an hour saw drivers complete mid-fuel runs on the medium compound tyre before switching to the soft compound for a quick qualifying lap at the end of the session. A number of drivers struggled for set-up with Maldonado and Hamilton both being quite vocal over team radio of their distaste to the balance of their respective cars.
Turns one, two and 10 proved to be tricky with a number of off-track excursions and lock ups. Vettel emerged as the fastest runner after taking advantage of the evolving track and the confidence of his Red Bull to set the fastest time of 1m29/517 - the first man to make it into the 1m29's. Rosberg dropped to second by the chequered flag with Webber, Alonso and Massa rounding out the top five.
Raikkonen was sixth fastest with Hamilton struggling in seventh. The two Mercedes were garage bound for the mid-part of the session as changes were made. Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Sutil completed the top 10 with Button just outside in 11th. Perez was down in 15th while Williams continued to struggle with Maldonado and Bottas in 17th and 18th respectively. Pic was fastest of the back-markers from Bianchi, van der Garde and Chilton.
Qualifying
Q1
It was a quiet start to qualifying for the German Grand Prix. Paul Di Resta was the first driver out on track after a silent 60 seconds but most waited a few minutes to emerge to start their qualifying attempt.
Di Resta opened up the time sheets with a 1m41.226 which was soon bettered by the Marussia duo and Pastor Maldonado - who jumped straight onto the soft tyres. The leading cars headed out onto the track on the medium compound due to the harder tyre taking a few laps to get the most out of it.
Ricciardo and Rosberg moved to the front of the field with eight minutes remaining with Hamilton then splitting them in second. Ferrari jumped the gun on the soft tyres - obviously feeling vulnerable - with Alonso going fastest by three tenths of a second. Raikkonen also took to the soft tyres to move ahead of the Spaniard with Vettel going fifth on the mediums.
Button moved to sixth with his first lap as the chequered flag edged closer. Felipe Massa took to the front with a 1m30.547 and stayed there by flag fall. Raikkonen was second with Alonso, Ricciardo and Hamilton rounding out the top five. Hulkenberg, Button, Grosjean, Vettel and Sutil completed the top 10.
However it was a disaster for Williams with Bottas finishing in the drop-zone in 17th and Maldonado just behind in 18th - a double blow for the Grove based squad. Pic out-qualified Bianchi with van der Garde and Chilton rounding out the results.
Q2
15 minutes of on-track action in the second qualifying session saw the order from 11th to 16th be decided.
Jean-Eric Vergne was the first driver to take to the circuit on the soft tyres with a first timed lap of 1m31.285. Di Resta swiftly displaced the Frenchman - who was driving at the track for the first time in F1 machinery - before Raikkonen and the front runners emerged to set a lap time.
Hamilton moved to the top with a low 1m30 that couldn't be bettered by Alonso on a scrub set of soft Pirelli tyres. Rosberg went second on his second attempt after binning his first lap at turn one. Perez looked to be struggling and only managed 14th on his first run - five tenths off team-mate Button.
Red Bull went for just one run and with three minutes of the session remaining, Vettel went fastest with a 1m29.992. Webber followed him across the line to go third, splitting the Mercedes duo. With the second runs in action, Alonso went fastest by just 0.030 seconds before his team-mate bettered his lap time.
So Massa took the top spot with Raikkonen, Alonso, Vettel and Grosjean completing the top five. Hamilton, Webber, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg and Button all sneaked into the top 10 with just half a second separating those making it through to Q3.
Mercedes banked on Rosberg's lap being safe but it wasn't. The German was out in Q2 in 11th place with Di Resta in 12th and Perez, Gutierrez, Sutil and Vergne completing the runners in Q2.
Q3
With just one Mercedes going through to the third and final qualifying session, Q3 kicked off with 10 minutes to organise the top 10 on the grid. As the green light went out, so did the majority of the drivers with two runs being on the schedule.
Raikkonen was the first to set a lap time in the third session with a 1m29.970. Vettel was next to cross the line and went three tenths faster with Grosjean failing to get into the 1m29's - as was Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton went fastest with a 1m29.540 despite losing time in the second sector.
Button backed out of his lap to set some sector times before taking to the pit lane with a nervous wait for the second runs to kick off. Alonso went for the medium compound tyre for his sole run in Q3 before Vettel went fastest on his second run.
Raikkonen went third with his last effort with Ricciardo going sixth and Grosjean going fourth. Webber crossed the line to go third and Hamilton went fastest with a 1m29.398.
So it was Lewis Hamilton who pipped home hero Sebastian Vettel to pole position on home turf by just a tenth of a second - his second consecutive pole. Mark Webber was third fastest with the Lotus duo of Raikkonen and Grosjean rounding out the top five. Ricciardo starred in sixth with Massa and Alonso completing times on the medium compound - the Brazilian ahead of his double world champion team-mate.
Button and Hulkenberg failed to complete a lap and will line up ninth and 10th.
The Race
It was a glorious day back in the UK just seven days after the British Grand Prix and it was likewise sunny and hot in Germany for the ninth round of the 2013 Formula 1 season.
The qualifying session threw a few curve-ball's and Hamilton took pole after a stunning lap of the Nurburgring. The anticipation was building and everyone was wondering how the differing strategies would play out.
Some drivers went for the medium compound tyre for the start in order to have a longer first stint and put the faster soft compound on at the end. In comparison the others took to the yellow-banded soft before a switch to the preferred race tyre of the mediums. The result? It wouldn't become clear until the end of the race.
The cars lined up on the grid, the revs rose, the lights went out and we were racing in Germany. Off the line and it was a good start for Hamilton but Vettel got the jump on him into turn one. The Brit also lost out to Webber around the outside as he dropped to third by the first turn. Raikkonen and Grosjean duelled behind and it was a good start for Massa as he cleared Ricciardo.
Further back, Nico Rosberg failed to make any placed up from his grid position and lost out to the flying McLaren of Perez who filed in behind Button. Bottas put a wheel onto the grass at the exit of the Schumacher S before they filed through the chicane and around the final turn to complete the first lap.
The McLaren pairing battled into the first corner as Perez took his more experienced team-mate on the soft compound tyre. Di Resta dropped to 14th during the opening stages but out front it was Vettel and Webber who were making the jump on the chasing Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.
DRS was enabled as the cars completed lap three but the yellow flag came out in the first sector after Felipe Massa had an usual spin at turn one. The anti-stall didn't kick in and he was out of the race and stranded. However no safety car was needed due to the fast work of the marshals.
Di Resta was the first driver to take to the pit lane on lap five but the Scot was released into the path of Jean-Eric Vergne who had to slam on the brakes. Ricciardo pitted a lap later and moved onto the medium tyres - leaving a large gap between Grosjean in fifth and Alonso who was promoted to sixth.
Third-placed man Lewis Hamilton dived into the pit lane at the end of the sixth lap to move onto the medium rubber. It was a three second stop that fed him in behind team-mate Nico Rosberg but crucially ahead of Maldonado's Williams. The pit stop sequence continued to play out with Red Bull reacting to Hamilton's stop to box Vettel on the following lap - a stunning 2.6 second stop.
The German emerged well clear of rival Hamilton but put him right in the traffic of Button and Hulkenberg. Mark Webber pitted on the next lap but he was released with a loose right-rear wheel. It departed from the car in the pit lane and hit an FOM cameraman who was taken to hospital after the race.
Raikkonen pitted on the following lap and emerged close to Lewis Hamilton. That promoted Grosjean into the lead where he set some stunning sector times in clean air. Webber was wheeled back to his pit box where the Red Bull pit crew fitted him with a new wheel and released him back into the race.
Vettel made his way through the traffic, overtaking Hulkenberg and Button in quick succession. Hamilton started to lose time behind team-mate Nico Rosberg - who was on a different tyre compound. Alonso pitted on lap 12 to take on a fresh set of medium compound tyres. Grosjean took to his pit box a lap later after a strong first stint on the soft tyres. It was an inspired move by the Frenchman as he displaced Hamilton and Raikkonen in the pit stop sequence.
Hamilton used DRS to pass his slower team-mate into turn one. Rosberg then fell into the clutches of Raikkonen who made the move into the braking zone at turn 13. Out-front, Vettel had regained the lead but it was Grosjean who was flying. The Frenchman continued to eat into the triple world champion's lead and by lap 16 the gap was just 3.4 seconds.
Rosberg - who had dropped well off the pace - pitted at the end of lap 16 for a fresh set of boots. He dropped well down the field after dipping to lap times as low as the 1m39's. The gap between the two leaders dipped below the three second mark as they completed lap 17. Hamilton radioed his team to share his frustration with the degrading Pirelli tyres. He dropped back and was overtaken by Kimi Raikkonen into the sector three chicane. The 28-year-old then fell into the clutches of Fernando Alonso.
As drivers completed the first third of the race, the order was very different to how they lined up on the grid. Jenson Button pitted for the first time on lap 22 after eking out the life of his medium compound tyre. They were once team-mates at McLaren and that produced fireworks. In two different teams, the two were involved in a stunning battle for fourth place before Hamilton took to the pit lane - Mercedes switching him to a three-stop strategy.
The drama continued after plumes of smoke escaped from Jules Bianchi's Cosworth engine. There were flames but they swiftly disappeared before the Frenchman departed from the car unscathed. However bizarrely his Marussia MR02 started to free-wheel across the track - it had stopped at turn 13 - and down the hill before coming to rest against an advertising board.
The safety car was deployed and the pit-lane became a very busy place indeed. Vettel, Grosjean and Alonso all took to the pits for a fresh set of Pirelli tyres which basically gave them a "free" stop.This helped Alonso to displace Hamilton for fourth as the Brit lost out in the safety car process.
Jean-Eric Vergne was a quiet retirement from the race after a hydraulic problem. After a lengthy stint behind the safety car the Mercedes sportscar peeled into the pit lane at the end of lap 29. The race restarted with a good jump on the chasing pack for Vettel. Webber was back on the lead lap and displaced Chilton and Pic into the first corner.
All cars were on the medium compound tyre as the second half of the race kicked into life. DRS was re-enabled but Vettel had managed to move a second clear of Grosjean. However fast forward a few laps and Grosjean had closed the gap back up to Vettel and brought Raikkonen along with him.
In the midfield, Perez moved ahead of Maldonado around the outside of turn two. Sauber scrapped Hulkenberg's two-stop strategy after the German pitted on lap 37 for a fresh set of mediums. The battle at the front continued to simmer with Alonso lurking in the shadows in fourth and Button holding on well in fifth.
Lotus pitted Romain Grosjean at the end of lap 40 as the Frenchman peeled into the pit lane. It cemented the fact that the higher temperatures caused the previously planned two-stop strategy to be diverted to a three-stopper. Red Bull reacted to it and pitted Vettel on the following lap, promoting Raikkonen into the provisional lead.
Hamilton pitted on lap 45 for the third and final time. The Brit had just lost out to the battling Vettel and Grosjean as they made their way through traffic. Button pitted on lap 47 for the second time to fit the soft compound tyre. He emerged in sixth place and crucially a few seconds clear of Maldonado's Williams.
Raikkonen continued to lead out front but he pitted on lap 50 for the soft compound tyres and a late charge. Alonso also took to the pit lane and the two emerged in third and fourth. In the mid-field, Hamilton passed Di Resta for eighth before displacing Maldonado for seventh. Button moved ahead of team-mate Perez on the soft tyre after setting some blistering lap times.
At the front, it was Vettel who led with a 1.5 second lead on Grosjean with nine laps to go. Raikkonen was 3.4 seconds down but on fresh and faster tyres as he continued to gain on the two leaders. His team-mate was given the order to "not hold up" the 'Iceman' but strangely it was Vettel who was extending his advantage.
The radio message was repeated to Grosjean and he duly let him by on the run to turn 13. However Alonso had quietly closed in on the Lotus driver and was within the DRS zone with three laps to go. The battle for the lead wasn't over either after a resurgence from Raikkonen in the final few laps.
With one lap to go, the gap was just one second. It was a dramatic finish to the German Grand Prix but Vettel had just enough in the tank to hold him off.
Sebastian Vettel had never won in the month of July. He had
never won his home race. However in 2013 he broke both those feats to take
victory in front of his home crowd. It was a stunning drive by the German as he
soaked up pressure from the two Lotus drivers. His start was fantastic and he
managed to take to the inside into turn one and take over the lead. He
controlled the pace and definitely had to work for the win but it was a very
sweet one indeed.
It was an emotional and special race win for Vettel on home turf. Raikkonen drove a great race as did Grosjean but the German driver was in control.
Also news on the unfortunate cameraman who was hit by Webber's tyre during the first pit stop - he was conscious throughout treatment but was taken to hospital. The FIA released a statement on the incident.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Mercedes were on a high as they returned to their home race with Red Bull hoping for a return of their previously formidable reliability. McLaren hoped that their upgrades and progress would continue with Lotus trialing their passive DRS once again - confident they can return to the top.
Check out my German Grand Prix Preview for a look at the Nurburgring circuit and past races. Check out my Top 5 for Formula1Blog and my One Year Rewind for RichlandF1 alongside my blog's Thursday Snap Shot from this years event.
The weather was unpredictable - much like in the UK - and with Pirelli bringing updates tyres to the track, there was plenty of learning to be done. However teams and drivers were impressed by the fast reaction of Pirelli and the FIA after the troubles that plagued the British Grand Prix.
FP1
It was a rather disastrous start to the German Grand Prix for Fernando Alonso. The session was barely three minutes young before the Ferrari driver pulled off track at the exit of turn four with an ECU problem.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
With new rear Pirelli tyres to test and plenty of information to gather, it was a busy start to the session. Hamilton was the first to set a lap time but a 2m16.935 was far from representative of a quick lap. After a frantic first few moments it soon calmed down as top teams waited for the track to evolve.
Jenson Button was the first to set a competitive time in the 1m34's before dipping into the 1m33's with a 1m33.641 with an hour of the session remaining. The track soon became busier as more and more drivers started to circulate the 3.2 mile track. With 50 minutes remaining on the clock, just 11 drivers had set a lap time.
Fernando Alonso's car was recovered to the pit lane and he was able to get back out on track with 40 minutes of the session remaining. However he suffered a similar problem on his out-lap and returned to the pits for diagnosis. Fast forward 25 minutes and 20 of the 22 cars had set a lap time with Hamilton fastest on a 1m31.754. It was a busy final half an hour of the session with plenty to do and long-runs to be completed - fortunately despite looming grey clouds the rain held off.
By the chequered flag, Hamilton maintained his lead with Rosberg two tenths shy in second. Webber finished eight tenths behind the second Mercedes car in third with Sutil, Raikkonen, Massa, Button, Vettel, Grosjean and Perez rounding out the top 10. Rodolfo Gonzalez replaced Bianchi in the first Marussia MR02 and finished five seconds off the pace in 21st place.
FP2
It was a lively start to the second 90 minute practice session of the German Grand prix weekend with the majority of the field taking to the track to kick start their afternoon running.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Sebastian Vettel displaced his team-mate at the top on the soft tyres with an hour of the session remaining. Turn one was proving to be a particular challenge with drivers binning their lap with lock ups before they even reach turn two.
Jules Bianchi's session was curtailed early after developing a stomach upset, both Marussia and Jules felt it would be best for him to rest up for the weekend ahead. The schedules were largely in sync with short, low fuel runs being completed mid-way through the session and longer, high fuel stints book-ending the session.
By the sessions end, it was Sebastian Vettel who maintained his front running time with a 1m30.416. The margins were close with Rosberg and Webber both within three tenths of the triple world champion. Grosjean and Raikkonen were next up and separated by just 0.005 of a second. However, that wasn't the smallest margin as Alonso finished the session just 0.003 seconds faster than team-mate Massa and Bottas was 0.001 seconds quicker than his team-mate.
Hamilton set the eighth fastest time in the session with countrymen Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta rounding out the top 10 - which was separated by 1.3 seconds.
FP3
It was a busy start to the final practice session of the German Grand Prix weekend as drivers eagerly emerged for their last chance to perfect their car set-up.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
The first half an hour saw drivers complete mid-fuel runs on the medium compound tyre before switching to the soft compound for a quick qualifying lap at the end of the session. A number of drivers struggled for set-up with Maldonado and Hamilton both being quite vocal over team radio of their distaste to the balance of their respective cars.
Turns one, two and 10 proved to be tricky with a number of off-track excursions and lock ups. Vettel emerged as the fastest runner after taking advantage of the evolving track and the confidence of his Red Bull to set the fastest time of 1m29/517 - the first man to make it into the 1m29's. Rosberg dropped to second by the chequered flag with Webber, Alonso and Massa rounding out the top five.
Raikkonen was sixth fastest with Hamilton struggling in seventh. The two Mercedes were garage bound for the mid-part of the session as changes were made. Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Sutil completed the top 10 with Button just outside in 11th. Perez was down in 15th while Williams continued to struggle with Maldonado and Bottas in 17th and 18th respectively. Pic was fastest of the back-markers from Bianchi, van der Garde and Chilton.
Qualifying
Q1
It was a quiet start to qualifying for the German Grand Prix. Paul Di Resta was the first driver out on track after a silent 60 seconds but most waited a few minutes to emerge to start their qualifying attempt.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Ricciardo and Rosberg moved to the front of the field with eight minutes remaining with Hamilton then splitting them in second. Ferrari jumped the gun on the soft tyres - obviously feeling vulnerable - with Alonso going fastest by three tenths of a second. Raikkonen also took to the soft tyres to move ahead of the Spaniard with Vettel going fifth on the mediums.
Button moved to sixth with his first lap as the chequered flag edged closer. Felipe Massa took to the front with a 1m30.547 and stayed there by flag fall. Raikkonen was second with Alonso, Ricciardo and Hamilton rounding out the top five. Hulkenberg, Button, Grosjean, Vettel and Sutil completed the top 10.
However it was a disaster for Williams with Bottas finishing in the drop-zone in 17th and Maldonado just behind in 18th - a double blow for the Grove based squad. Pic out-qualified Bianchi with van der Garde and Chilton rounding out the results.
Q2
15 minutes of on-track action in the second qualifying session saw the order from 11th to 16th be decided.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Hamilton moved to the top with a low 1m30 that couldn't be bettered by Alonso on a scrub set of soft Pirelli tyres. Rosberg went second on his second attempt after binning his first lap at turn one. Perez looked to be struggling and only managed 14th on his first run - five tenths off team-mate Button.
Red Bull went for just one run and with three minutes of the session remaining, Vettel went fastest with a 1m29.992. Webber followed him across the line to go third, splitting the Mercedes duo. With the second runs in action, Alonso went fastest by just 0.030 seconds before his team-mate bettered his lap time.
So Massa took the top spot with Raikkonen, Alonso, Vettel and Grosjean completing the top five. Hamilton, Webber, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg and Button all sneaked into the top 10 with just half a second separating those making it through to Q3.
Mercedes banked on Rosberg's lap being safe but it wasn't. The German was out in Q2 in 11th place with Di Resta in 12th and Perez, Gutierrez, Sutil and Vergne completing the runners in Q2.
Q3
With just one Mercedes going through to the third and final qualifying session, Q3 kicked off with 10 minutes to organise the top 10 on the grid. As the green light went out, so did the majority of the drivers with two runs being on the schedule.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Raikkonen was the first to set a lap time in the third session with a 1m29.970. Vettel was next to cross the line and went three tenths faster with Grosjean failing to get into the 1m29's - as was Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton went fastest with a 1m29.540 despite losing time in the second sector.
Button backed out of his lap to set some sector times before taking to the pit lane with a nervous wait for the second runs to kick off. Alonso went for the medium compound tyre for his sole run in Q3 before Vettel went fastest on his second run.
Raikkonen went third with his last effort with Ricciardo going sixth and Grosjean going fourth. Webber crossed the line to go third and Hamilton went fastest with a 1m29.398.
So it was Lewis Hamilton who pipped home hero Sebastian Vettel to pole position on home turf by just a tenth of a second - his second consecutive pole. Mark Webber was third fastest with the Lotus duo of Raikkonen and Grosjean rounding out the top five. Ricciardo starred in sixth with Massa and Alonso completing times on the medium compound - the Brazilian ahead of his double world champion team-mate.
Button and Hulkenberg failed to complete a lap and will line up ninth and 10th.
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| (c) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team |
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m29.398s
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m29.501s +0.103s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m29.608s +0.210s
4. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m29.892s +0.494s
5. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m29.959s +0.561s
6. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m30.528s +1.130s
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m31.126s +1.728s
8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m31.209s +1.811s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes No time set
10. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari No time set
Q2 cut-off time: 1m30.269s Gap **
11. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m30.326s +0.501s
12. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m30.697s +0.872s
13. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m30.933s +1.108s
14. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m31.010s +1.185s
15. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m31.010s +1.185s
16. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m31.104s +1.279s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m31.681s Gap *
17. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m31.693s +1.146s
18. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m31.707s +1.160s
19. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m32.937s +2.390s
20. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m33.063s +2.516s
21. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m33.734s +3.187s
22. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m34.098s +3.551s
107% time: 1m36.885s
The Race
It was a glorious day back in the UK just seven days after the British Grand Prix and it was likewise sunny and hot in Germany for the ninth round of the 2013 Formula 1 season.
The qualifying session threw a few curve-ball's and Hamilton took pole after a stunning lap of the Nurburgring. The anticipation was building and everyone was wondering how the differing strategies would play out.
Some drivers went for the medium compound tyre for the start in order to have a longer first stint and put the faster soft compound on at the end. In comparison the others took to the yellow-banded soft before a switch to the preferred race tyre of the mediums. The result? It wouldn't become clear until the end of the race.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Further back, Nico Rosberg failed to make any placed up from his grid position and lost out to the flying McLaren of Perez who filed in behind Button. Bottas put a wheel onto the grass at the exit of the Schumacher S before they filed through the chicane and around the final turn to complete the first lap.
The McLaren pairing battled into the first corner as Perez took his more experienced team-mate on the soft compound tyre. Di Resta dropped to 14th during the opening stages but out front it was Vettel and Webber who were making the jump on the chasing Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.
DRS was enabled as the cars completed lap three but the yellow flag came out in the first sector after Felipe Massa had an usual spin at turn one. The anti-stall didn't kick in and he was out of the race and stranded. However no safety car was needed due to the fast work of the marshals.
Di Resta was the first driver to take to the pit lane on lap five but the Scot was released into the path of Jean-Eric Vergne who had to slam on the brakes. Ricciardo pitted a lap later and moved onto the medium tyres - leaving a large gap between Grosjean in fifth and Alonso who was promoted to sixth.
Third-placed man Lewis Hamilton dived into the pit lane at the end of the sixth lap to move onto the medium rubber. It was a three second stop that fed him in behind team-mate Nico Rosberg but crucially ahead of Maldonado's Williams. The pit stop sequence continued to play out with Red Bull reacting to Hamilton's stop to box Vettel on the following lap - a stunning 2.6 second stop.
The German emerged well clear of rival Hamilton but put him right in the traffic of Button and Hulkenberg. Mark Webber pitted on the next lap but he was released with a loose right-rear wheel. It departed from the car in the pit lane and hit an FOM cameraman who was taken to hospital after the race.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Vettel made his way through the traffic, overtaking Hulkenberg and Button in quick succession. Hamilton started to lose time behind team-mate Nico Rosberg - who was on a different tyre compound. Alonso pitted on lap 12 to take on a fresh set of medium compound tyres. Grosjean took to his pit box a lap later after a strong first stint on the soft tyres. It was an inspired move by the Frenchman as he displaced Hamilton and Raikkonen in the pit stop sequence.
Hamilton used DRS to pass his slower team-mate into turn one. Rosberg then fell into the clutches of Raikkonen who made the move into the braking zone at turn 13. Out-front, Vettel had regained the lead but it was Grosjean who was flying. The Frenchman continued to eat into the triple world champion's lead and by lap 16 the gap was just 3.4 seconds.
Rosberg - who had dropped well off the pace - pitted at the end of lap 16 for a fresh set of boots. He dropped well down the field after dipping to lap times as low as the 1m39's. The gap between the two leaders dipped below the three second mark as they completed lap 17. Hamilton radioed his team to share his frustration with the degrading Pirelli tyres. He dropped back and was overtaken by Kimi Raikkonen into the sector three chicane. The 28-year-old then fell into the clutches of Fernando Alonso.
As drivers completed the first third of the race, the order was very different to how they lined up on the grid. Jenson Button pitted for the first time on lap 22 after eking out the life of his medium compound tyre. They were once team-mates at McLaren and that produced fireworks. In two different teams, the two were involved in a stunning battle for fourth place before Hamilton took to the pit lane - Mercedes switching him to a three-stop strategy.
The drama continued after plumes of smoke escaped from Jules Bianchi's Cosworth engine. There were flames but they swiftly disappeared before the Frenchman departed from the car unscathed. However bizarrely his Marussia MR02 started to free-wheel across the track - it had stopped at turn 13 - and down the hill before coming to rest against an advertising board.
The safety car was deployed and the pit-lane became a very busy place indeed. Vettel, Grosjean and Alonso all took to the pits for a fresh set of Pirelli tyres which basically gave them a "free" stop.This helped Alonso to displace Hamilton for fourth as the Brit lost out in the safety car process.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
All cars were on the medium compound tyre as the second half of the race kicked into life. DRS was re-enabled but Vettel had managed to move a second clear of Grosjean. However fast forward a few laps and Grosjean had closed the gap back up to Vettel and brought Raikkonen along with him.
In the midfield, Perez moved ahead of Maldonado around the outside of turn two. Sauber scrapped Hulkenberg's two-stop strategy after the German pitted on lap 37 for a fresh set of mediums. The battle at the front continued to simmer with Alonso lurking in the shadows in fourth and Button holding on well in fifth.
Lotus pitted Romain Grosjean at the end of lap 40 as the Frenchman peeled into the pit lane. It cemented the fact that the higher temperatures caused the previously planned two-stop strategy to be diverted to a three-stopper. Red Bull reacted to it and pitted Vettel on the following lap, promoting Raikkonen into the provisional lead.
Hamilton pitted on lap 45 for the third and final time. The Brit had just lost out to the battling Vettel and Grosjean as they made their way through traffic. Button pitted on lap 47 for the second time to fit the soft compound tyre. He emerged in sixth place and crucially a few seconds clear of Maldonado's Williams.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
At the front, it was Vettel who led with a 1.5 second lead on Grosjean with nine laps to go. Raikkonen was 3.4 seconds down but on fresh and faster tyres as he continued to gain on the two leaders. His team-mate was given the order to "not hold up" the 'Iceman' but strangely it was Vettel who was extending his advantage.
The radio message was repeated to Grosjean and he duly let him by on the run to turn 13. However Alonso had quietly closed in on the Lotus driver and was within the DRS zone with three laps to go. The battle for the lead wasn't over either after a resurgence from Raikkonen in the final few laps.
With one lap to go, the gap was just one second. It was a dramatic finish to the German Grand Prix but Vettel had just enough in the tank to hold him off.
Sebastian Vettel wins the German Grand Prix
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Kimi Raikkonen finished in a close second after a
risky move to switch to the yellow-banded soft tyre failed to pay off. His
challenge for the ignited towards the end but it just wasn't enough. He drove well from fifth on the grid to take the runner-up spot with Romain Grosjean putting in a mature drive to take third - the same podium as the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso put on a late charge but it faded to a fourth place finish by the chequered flag. Hamilton recovered from his mid-stint woes to take fifth after overtaking Button in the closing stages. However Mercedes still have plenty of work to do with tyre wear. Button drove a strong race to sixth and was one of the only drivers to do a two-stopper along with team-mate Perez. The Brit drove a consistent race but his tyres lost life in the final laps. Webber recovered from his pit woes for seventh after dropping to last in the safety car period.
Perez made it a double points finish for McLaren after a quiet race to eighth. Nico Rosberg moved up the order from 11th to ninth but he was almost unseen on the TV screens. Hulkenberg managed to finish in the final points paying position after a mid-race strategy swap. Di Resta just missed out on points in 11th after a tough race with Ricciardo dropping to 12th in a disappointing race for the Aussie.
Sutil finished 13th on home soil after failing to showcase their usual strong race pace. Gutierrez finished in 14th after a quiet run ahead of the two Williams drivers of Maldonado and Bottas. They both ran higher up in the closing stages but both had to make late stops for a fresh set of tyres.
Pic was the first of the back-markers with a slight advantage on his team-mate. Giedo van der Garde managed to stay ahead of Chilton despite a late charge from the British driver.
Three drivers retired from the race. Massa was the first in the early stages after a spin at turn one. Bianchi retired after a spectacular engine blow-up and Vergne suffered a hydraulics problem.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Also news on the unfortunate cameraman who was hit by Webber's tyre during the first pit stop - he was conscious throughout treatment but was taken to hospital. The FIA released a statement on the incident.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault
3. Grosjean Lotus-Renault
4. Alonso Ferrari
5. Hamilton Mercedes
6. Button McLaren-Mercedes
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault
8. Perez McLaren-Mercedes
9. Rosberg Mercedes
10. Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari
11. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes
12. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari
13. Sutil Force India-Mercedes
14. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari
15. Maldonado Williams-Renault
16. Bottas Williams-Renault
17. Pic Caterham-Renault
18. van der Garde Caterham-Renault
19. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth
Unclassified:
DNF. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari
DNF. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth
DNF. Massa Ferrari
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