Formula 1 returned to action at the Hockenheimring in Germany for the 12th round of the 2016 season.
It swiftly followed a fascinating Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, where Lewis Hamilton snatched the championship lead away from his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
The German GP was absent from the 2015 calendar but it returned to F1 for 2016, as part of a double-header with Hungary before the summer break.
FP1
Rosberg set the pace on home soil in first practice at the Hockenheimring, finishing three tenths clear of Hamilton after a super-soft lap mid-way through the session.
He put in a 1m15.517, one second faster than his pole position time from the 2014 German GP, to go quickest, with Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel next up. Kimi Raikkonen was fourth.
The Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were just behind the Ferraris, with McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button seventh and eighth after an encouraging morning.
The team-by-team formation continued with the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz Jr. completing the top 10, ahead of Marcus Ericsson and the two Williams cars, Valtteri Bottas ahead of Felipe Massa.
FP2
Rosberg remained fastest in second practice for the German GP, putting in a 1m15.614 with one hour to go on the super-soft tyre.
The majority of drivers completed qualifying runs early on before switching focus to race simulations. Hamilton was four tenths slower in second place.
Vettel was Mercedes' nearest challenger, six tenths back from Rosberg, with the Red Bull pair of Verstappen and Ricciardo next up.
Raikkonen was sixth, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Button and Sergio Perez, who got some air after hitting a bump on the Turn 1 run-off area.
Alonso completed the top 10, with the Toro Rossos of Sainz and Kvyat 11th and 12th. Esteban Gutierrez and Jolyon Palmer returned to their cars after young drivers took over in FP1, finishing 16th and 20th.
FP3
Rosberg made it a clean sweep in German GP practice, setting the quickest time in the final 60-minute session ahead of qualifying and Sunday's race.
Hamilton topped the timesheets early on before Rosberg moved ahead, beating his team-mate by half a tenth.
It was an eventful session for Hamilton after he was released in front of Grosjean in the pitlane. If he picks up a third reprimand, he will face a 10-place grid penalty.
Ricciardo was third fastest, with Raikkonen fourth and Vettel - who picked up damage after running wide at Turn 10 - fifth. Verstappen was next up, ahead of the Williams duo of Bottas and Massa.
Alonso continued McLaren's encouraging practice pace in ninth, although Button was down in 19th. Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10.
Qualifying
Rosberg secured pole position for his home race in Germany despite an early scare in Q3, following an electronic error on his first lap.
He was forced to abandon his initial attempt but his 1m14.363 in the final minutes proved to be good enough for first place on the grid.
Hamilton had to settle for second after a lock-up on his best lap, with Ricciardo, Verstappen, Raikkonen and Vettel next up.
Hulkenberg was seventh for Force India, with his team-mate Perez in ninth. The Williams duo of Bottas and Massa were eighth and 10th.
Gutierrez and Button fell into the Q2 drop-zone late on, with Sainz and Alonso next up. Grosjean, who has a gearbox penalty, was 15th and Palmer rounded out the results in the session.
Kevin Magnussen was the first driver eliminated in qualifying after late improvements from his rivals, finishing just 0.001 seconds ahead of Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein.
Kvyat was a surprise addition to the Q1 drop-zone in 19th, with Rio Haryanto and Felipe Nasr next up. Ericsson completed the results after an error on his last lap.
Race
The revs rose, the lights went out and the German GP got underway at the Hockenheimring. Off the line, Rosberg had a poor start with wheelspin and Hamilton stormed into the lead.
Verstappen jumped Rosberg and Ricciardo to move up to second, with Vettel trying to take the fight to the Mercedes on the run to Turn 2. It was a clean first few corners, with plenty of close racing in the midfield.
Massa was clipped by Palmer at the hairpin but was able to continue. Perez fell from ninth to 15th on the opening lap and Gutierrez dropped to 19th, the only runner on the soft tyre. Rosberg tried to pass Ricciardo on lap two but couldn't find a way through.
Palmer was the first driver to pit on lap three, emerging on the softs. Hamilton and Verstappen were both instructed to look after their tyres, indicating a two-stop strategy. The field started to spread out, with two seconds between the leading drivers by lap six.
Alonso used DRS to pass Massa for 10th, with the Williams quickly dropping into the clutches of Sainz. Meanwhile Kvyat and Nasr stopped for softs on the ninth lap, with Force India reacting by pitting Perez on the next tour.
Hamilton's lead was up to four seconds by the 11th lap, with Rosberg remaining in fourth behind the Red Bulls. Ricciardo reported his tyres were starting to go, as Verstappen pitted on the 12th lap. Rosberg following him in but it was a slow stop and he lost time.
Ricciardo went onto the softs on the following lap, with Bottas also pitting. Hamilton was in on lap 15 and emerged well clear of his nearest rivals. Interestingly for the second stint Verstappen and Rosberg opted for super-softs, unlike the drivers around them.
There was plenty of movement in the midfield, with Gutierrez - who had yet to stop - and Massa losing places on the 21st and 22nd laps. Verstappen reported over team radio the super-soft was "definitely not the race tyre".
Palmer stopped for a second time on lap 26 for a new front wing and tyres, following in Gutierrez, who made his first trip to the pits of the day. Rosberg went for a new set of softs on the 28th tour of the Hockenheimring. Red Bull reacted on the next lap by pitting Verstappen.
As the RB12 emerged, Rosberg was just behind him and used DRS to dive up the inside at Turn 6 and move up a position. After the second phase of pitstops, Hamilton remained well clear at the front, with Rosberg up to second and Ricciardo down to fourth.
However, Rosberg was given a five-second time penalty for forcing Verstappen off track. Massa's struggles continued when he retired on lap 37 with handling issues, after the lap one contact. Ricciardo, on the super-softs, made light work of passing Verstappen for third.
By lap 44 Ricciardo was within DRS range of Rosberg but the Mercedes driver dived into the pits, serving his time penalty and emerging on the soft tyre. The Red Bulls, Ferraris and leader Hamilton followed suit over the next few laps.
On the super-softs, Ricciardo started to catch race leader Hamilton, who had looked in control out front. The gap between the two was over seven seconds by lap 53 but the championship leader responded with several quick laps of the Hockenheim track.
As the chequered flag approached, attention turned to the darkening skies, with light rain predicted for the final few laps. Hamilton remained clear of Ricciardo, with Verstappen third and Rosberg fourth.
Despite the threat of wet weather, it failed to materialise and the order at the front remained the same. Hamilton crossed the line to take win number six of the season and his third victory in Germany, ahead of the Red Bulls of Ricciardo and Verstappen.
Rosberg came home a disappointing fourth, with Vettel and Raikkonen next up. Hulkenberg was seventh, with Button making a late move on Bottas to take eighth. Perez rounded out the top 10, ahead of Gutierrez, Alonso, Grosjean, Sainz and Kvyat. Magnussen, Wehrlein, Ericsson, Palmer and Haryanto were the final finishers.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The German GP was absent from the 2015 calendar but it returned to F1 for 2016, as part of a double-header with Hungary before the summer break.
FP1
Rosberg set the pace on home soil in first practice at the Hockenheimring, finishing three tenths clear of Hamilton after a super-soft lap mid-way through the session.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
He put in a 1m15.517, one second faster than his pole position time from the 2014 German GP, to go quickest, with Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel next up. Kimi Raikkonen was fourth.
The Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were just behind the Ferraris, with McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button seventh and eighth after an encouraging morning.
The team-by-team formation continued with the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz Jr. completing the top 10, ahead of Marcus Ericsson and the two Williams cars, Valtteri Bottas ahead of Felipe Massa.
FP2
Rosberg remained fastest in second practice for the German GP, putting in a 1m15.614 with one hour to go on the super-soft tyre.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The majority of drivers completed qualifying runs early on before switching focus to race simulations. Hamilton was four tenths slower in second place.
Vettel was Mercedes' nearest challenger, six tenths back from Rosberg, with the Red Bull pair of Verstappen and Ricciardo next up.
Raikkonen was sixth, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Button and Sergio Perez, who got some air after hitting a bump on the Turn 1 run-off area.
Alonso completed the top 10, with the Toro Rossos of Sainz and Kvyat 11th and 12th. Esteban Gutierrez and Jolyon Palmer returned to their cars after young drivers took over in FP1, finishing 16th and 20th.
FP3
Rosberg made it a clean sweep in German GP practice, setting the quickest time in the final 60-minute session ahead of qualifying and Sunday's race.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Hamilton topped the timesheets early on before Rosberg moved ahead, beating his team-mate by half a tenth.
It was an eventful session for Hamilton after he was released in front of Grosjean in the pitlane. If he picks up a third reprimand, he will face a 10-place grid penalty.
Ricciardo was third fastest, with Raikkonen fourth and Vettel - who picked up damage after running wide at Turn 10 - fifth. Verstappen was next up, ahead of the Williams duo of Bottas and Massa.
Alonso continued McLaren's encouraging practice pace in ninth, although Button was down in 19th. Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10.
Qualifying
Rosberg secured pole position for his home race in Germany despite an early scare in Q3, following an electronic error on his first lap.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
He was forced to abandon his initial attempt but his 1m14.363 in the final minutes proved to be good enough for first place on the grid.
Hamilton had to settle for second after a lock-up on his best lap, with Ricciardo, Verstappen, Raikkonen and Vettel next up.
Hulkenberg was seventh for Force India, with his team-mate Perez in ninth. The Williams duo of Bottas and Massa were eighth and 10th.
Gutierrez and Button fell into the Q2 drop-zone late on, with Sainz and Alonso next up. Grosjean, who has a gearbox penalty, was 15th and Palmer rounded out the results in the session.
Kevin Magnussen was the first driver eliminated in qualifying after late improvements from his rivals, finishing just 0.001 seconds ahead of Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein.
Kvyat was a surprise addition to the Q1 drop-zone in 19th, with Rio Haryanto and Felipe Nasr next up. Ericsson completed the results after an error on his last lap.
Race
The revs rose, the lights went out and the German GP got underway at the Hockenheimring. Off the line, Rosberg had a poor start with wheelspin and Hamilton stormed into the lead.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Verstappen jumped Rosberg and Ricciardo to move up to second, with Vettel trying to take the fight to the Mercedes on the run to Turn 2. It was a clean first few corners, with plenty of close racing in the midfield.
Massa was clipped by Palmer at the hairpin but was able to continue. Perez fell from ninth to 15th on the opening lap and Gutierrez dropped to 19th, the only runner on the soft tyre. Rosberg tried to pass Ricciardo on lap two but couldn't find a way through.
Palmer was the first driver to pit on lap three, emerging on the softs. Hamilton and Verstappen were both instructed to look after their tyres, indicating a two-stop strategy. The field started to spread out, with two seconds between the leading drivers by lap six.
Alonso used DRS to pass Massa for 10th, with the Williams quickly dropping into the clutches of Sainz. Meanwhile Kvyat and Nasr stopped for softs on the ninth lap, with Force India reacting by pitting Perez on the next tour.
Hamilton's lead was up to four seconds by the 11th lap, with Rosberg remaining in fourth behind the Red Bulls. Ricciardo reported his tyres were starting to go, as Verstappen pitted on the 12th lap. Rosberg following him in but it was a slow stop and he lost time.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Ricciardo went onto the softs on the following lap, with Bottas also pitting. Hamilton was in on lap 15 and emerged well clear of his nearest rivals. Interestingly for the second stint Verstappen and Rosberg opted for super-softs, unlike the drivers around them.
There was plenty of movement in the midfield, with Gutierrez - who had yet to stop - and Massa losing places on the 21st and 22nd laps. Verstappen reported over team radio the super-soft was "definitely not the race tyre".
Palmer stopped for a second time on lap 26 for a new front wing and tyres, following in Gutierrez, who made his first trip to the pits of the day. Rosberg went for a new set of softs on the 28th tour of the Hockenheimring. Red Bull reacted on the next lap by pitting Verstappen.
As the RB12 emerged, Rosberg was just behind him and used DRS to dive up the inside at Turn 6 and move up a position. After the second phase of pitstops, Hamilton remained well clear at the front, with Rosberg up to second and Ricciardo down to fourth.
However, Rosberg was given a five-second time penalty for forcing Verstappen off track. Massa's struggles continued when he retired on lap 37 with handling issues, after the lap one contact. Ricciardo, on the super-softs, made light work of passing Verstappen for third.
By lap 44 Ricciardo was within DRS range of Rosberg but the Mercedes driver dived into the pits, serving his time penalty and emerging on the soft tyre. The Red Bulls, Ferraris and leader Hamilton followed suit over the next few laps.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
On the super-softs, Ricciardo started to catch race leader Hamilton, who had looked in control out front. The gap between the two was over seven seconds by lap 53 but the championship leader responded with several quick laps of the Hockenheim track.
As the chequered flag approached, attention turned to the darkening skies, with light rain predicted for the final few laps. Hamilton remained clear of Ricciardo, with Verstappen third and Rosberg fourth.
Despite the threat of wet weather, it failed to materialise and the order at the front remained the same. Hamilton crossed the line to take win number six of the season and his third victory in Germany, ahead of the Red Bulls of Ricciardo and Verstappen.
Rosberg came home a disappointing fourth, with Vettel and Raikkonen next up. Hulkenberg was seventh, with Button making a late move on Bottas to take eighth. Perez rounded out the top 10, ahead of Gutierrez, Alonso, Grosjean, Sainz and Kvyat. Magnussen, Wehrlein, Ericsson, Palmer and Haryanto were the final finishers.
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