FORMULA 1

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RED BULL: IT TOOK FIVE PIT STOPS TO WIN THAT RACE

Max Verstappen scored an incredible seventh career win in an incident-packed, rain-affected German Grand Prix that saw Valtteri Bottas and Charles Leclerc crash out, Lewis Hamilton finish outside the points, and Toro Rosso score a first podium finish in 11 years courtesy of Daniil Kvyat.

The Red Bull driver sent the huge Dutch contingent in the grandstands wild, as he crossed the line to take his seventh career win.

Behind Vettel, Kvyat hung on to claim his third career podium finish and Toro Rosso’s first podium finish since Vettel won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix for the team.

P1: Max Verstappen: “To come out on top after a race like that is amazing and for the Team to win for the second time this year with Honda is incredible. I don’t know exactly what happened at the start but it seemed that everyone on the right side of the grid had a bad getaway and low grip.

I had a particularly poor start when I released the clutch but stayed calm and followed the Mercedes cars closely. It was hard to pass due to the dirty air and the tyres started to struggle as the track dried. From there onwards we always made the right decisions. Even though the first slick tyre was maybe a bit hard and I had a few moments, with a 360 spin, I luckily kept going.

Once I was back on the Intermediates and in the lead I was able to control the race and really show the pace of the car. Once you are ahead you can take a few less risks and everything feels a bit nicer. The conditions were very tricky and it was all about survival. It was definitely not an easy race and very tricky with the changing conditions.

The Team made all the right calls. They were giving me the right information and keeping an eye on all the other teams and sector times. They were really on top of things and everyone worked so well together. It has been one of my most difficult races and it is great to come out on top.

“For sure I enjoy driving in the wet but also you need a good car for that. You can find a bit of pace in yourself but today we had both things right and I’m very happy with the result. The orange fans were standing up, especially when I was in the lead which was also amazing to see. A big thank you to the whole Team and it has been a crazy but amazing Sunday.”

DNF: Piere Gasly: “That was an insane, crazy race and it just had everything. With the rain, crashes, safety cars and pit stops, it was a lottery and there were a lot of opportunities so I’m quite disappointed not to have made the most of it on my side and not finish the race.

“Towards the end, I was fighting with Alex during the last few laps and we made contact, which took my front wing off and gave me a puncture, so I had to stop the car. I don’t know what to say but it’s annoying not to score points when you have a race like this.

“At the start, I had wheel spin so I was slow off the line and I lost a lot of positions into Turn One so it was quite hectic from there. In these conditions, it’s a gamble when to pit and when not to and sometimes you just need to get lucky but the pace was there so we will keep pushing and next week, we go again in Hungary. For the Team and Honda, it was great to get Max’s win today and bag another decent amount of points.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal: “What an unbelievable performance from Max and the Team today and it took five pit stops to win that race. Max kept his head in tricky conditions, he had great pace when he needed it and he made that win happen.

“It’s fantastic for Honda to see two engines and both teams on the podium, and a massive congratulations go to Toro Rosso and Daniil Kvyat, who also became a father last night. The pit stop crew were unbelievable today and that was the reason for sending our Chief Mechanic, Phil Turner, up to collect the Constructors’ Trophy as he did an amazing job.

“For Pierre, it was a shame as he had sections of the race that were going really well for him and it looked like he would finish in the top five, but it wasn’t to be. He had an incident with Albon late in the race which I’ve only briefly seen, but thankfully both of them were unhurt and Pierre will bounce back.”

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TORO ROSSO: A FANTASTIC RACE

Toro Rosso report from the German Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hockenheim.

P3: Daniil Kvyat: “It’s incredible to be back on the podium in what could be called my ‘second career’. I thought it would never happen again in my life, so I’m so incredibly happy. There’s so many emotions I still need some time to let it all sink in!

“This achievement is so great for us since it’s 11 years since Toro Rosso’s last podium with Sebastian in Monza. It was such an amazing day and I’m so happy. Thank you to everyone in the team, it was just an incredible day. I was readier than ever to fight for this kind of position.

“This year I feel more mature, my head is cooler, and I’m ready to fight on top, so I think I proved that today to myself and everyone around here. I hope this will become a habit soon! These kinds of races aren’t easy, it was a tough call to pit that lap earlier, but it’s a 50/50 call between the team and me, we win and lose together and today we won together.”

P6: Alexander Albon: “It was a good race today! I was a bit scared at the start, learning how the car behaves in the wet around this track, although, I’m really happy with how I performed as it was my first time in these conditions in an F1 car.

“The pace was really good, we were a bit fortunate and we timed our first pitstop right, and I was really excited racing in P4, I was thinking ‘OK here we go!’ Unfortunately, at the second stop we were caught out and pitted a lap later than Dany to switch from wet tyres to dry, so four cars passed us.

“It’s funny, it’s like a disappointing P6 because we were running in P4 for quite a while. It was an amazing job by the team, the strategy was great and we were able to bounce back from a difficult Qualifying.”

Guillaume Dezoteux, Head of Vehicle Performance: “What a race! This is an amazing result for us and it has been a fantastic team effort to achieve it, here at the track, in our Operations Rooms in Faenza and Bicester and from Sakura.

“Today was about being on the right tyre at the right time and making no mistakes. The pit-wall discussions were intense during the entire race, engineers were managing the situation well, the mechanics made no mistakes, we had good pitstops and obviously, both drivers showed a fantastic drive.

“Daniil was on it straight from the start, making no mistakes and giving good feedback in those epic conditions. Alex has been amazing if you consider it was the first time he ran our car in the wet! Both have been able to keep their head down, trust our decisions and push to the end. This is a great day for STR and Honda and gives a lot of motivation to everyone for the rest of the season.”

Franz Tost, Team Principal: “It was another fantastic and very exciting Formula 1 race. Congratulations to Max Verstappen for the victory and to Honda, for their second win in the turbo era.

“Enormous congratulations to Daniil Kvyat, he really deserved this third position! He had a fantastic race, he showed really good overtaking manoeuvres and he could keep focused until the end without any mistakes, in difficult conditions. The rain seemed to be on our side, so thanks to the rain Gods!!

“I must compliment the strategy team, the call to bring Daniil in for Option tyres quite early was a risky one but it paid off and he was able to finish on the podium. We had a fantastic car today, the engineers did a great job on the setup side.

“I’m also very satisfied with Alex’s performance as he had a fantastic race. It was the first time for him driving an F1 car in such changing conditions and he had everything under control, including managing the tyres, which was very important to finish in sixth position.

“want to thank the everybody in Toro Rosso, who have made this possible. We are now looking forward to Budapest, in the past we showed good performances there and we can’t wait to do it again.”

Masamitsu Motohashi, Chief Honda Engineer – Scuderia Toro Rosso: “To see Daniil on the podium was an incredible feeling coming after we have worked so hard with Toro Rosso for one and a half seasons. In recent races, we have struggled a bit and even today it was a difficult race for us.

“However, everything came together today. Last year our best result was a fourth place, even if we came close to getting good results in some other races too, which for one reason or another did not happen. Today, we feel we did the best we possibly could.

“This was an unforgettable race – the team, drivers and all Honda members working so well together. I would also like to thank our fans, especially those in Japan, who have never given up on us. Today’s result is for them also.

 

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RACING POINT: A BRILLIANT DAY FOR US AND A RESULT WE WILL CELEBRATE

Racing Point report from the German Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hockenheim.

P4: Lance Stroll: “I’m really happy with that. What an amazing day! Fourth place feels great considering everything that happened this afternoon. I was running at the back for most of the race; I spun a couple of times and we pitted five times! As special as it is to finish fourth, I am disappointed that the podium slipped away from us. I think a critical moment was the mistake I made in turn eight on my second or third lap on slicks, which is when Daniil [Kvyat] managed to get ahead of me. We tried our best to keep the quicker cars behind, but the podium was just out of reach. Today’s race shows why you should never give up because it’s never over until it’s over. It’s great to see how much this result means to the team and it was so special to see the crew celebrating on the pit wall when I crossed the line. This important result is for everyone in the team and we will enjoy this moment.”

DNF: Sergio Perez: “First of all, I need to apologise to my team because I made a mistake. I’ve thrown away a great opportunity today to score big points for the team. The first rule in these conditions is not to make a mistake and I did. I was picking up the power and then had some aquaplaning on the rear.

“I lost it and just couldn’t recover from it. I put my hands up for it – I’m extremely disappointed with myself. Watching the race from the garage is always tough, but I’m happy that Lance had such a great race. We needed those points and it’s a boost for everyone.

“I think we’ve definitely taken a step forward this weekend. Now we look forward to Hungary where hopefully we can come back stronger.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal: “What a race! It was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, but to come away with fourth place for Lance and 12 points is a tremendous effort by the entire team.

“We rolled the dice a few times with Lance’s strategy, but we timed the final switch to dry tyres perfectly and Lance emerged in the lead of the race for a short while. We gave it everything to try and bring home the podium and we were looking comfortable holding off Bottas.

“Without the late safety car, we might have pulled it off, but the fourth place feels incredibly satisfying. It was a fantastic drive by Lance in very tricky conditions. It was a shame Sergio couldn’t have been there too but these wet races are often a lottery.

“All the cars were struggling for grip in the early laps and Sergio lost it on the exit of turn ten. Overall, though, it’s been a brilliant day for the team and a result we will celebrate.”

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MCLAREN: ANOTHER SOLID RACE WHERE WE SCORED VALUABLE POINTS

McLaren report from the German Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hockenheim.

P7: Carlos Sainz: “Quite an intense Sunday and a good day for Formula 1. On my side, I’m very happy with that P5. Obviously the podium opportunity was there and now it’s easy to say we could’ve made it, but when we were P5 under the Safety Car, it was a very tough call to pit for slicks and nobody around me was stopping.”

“We decided not to and the guys who were further behind had more margin to take that risk. In general we made the right decisions at the right time. Clever race and well-managed under stressful conditions, so congratulations to the team.”

DNF: Lando Norris: “The start was tricky because of poor visibility and it was still very slippery even on Wets. Everything was going okay, making up some positions here and there when we didn’t box under the first Safety Car, which in hindsight may have been the wrong decision.

“I made up a couple more places after boxing onto Inters and my pace was good before I stopped for slicks, as it had dried just about enough. I got ahead of the Toro Rosso immediately after that stop on the back straight. Things were looking good but then the car lost power. It’s a shame as points were definitely possible in what was a manic race.”

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “There was so much going on in this race that it’s actually difficult to recap everything that happened right now. It was great for us to score some more important points after a difficult race weekend compared to our main competitors. Carlos delivered a great drive, especially after his ‘off’ in the middle of the race, to battle through together with the engineering team and score this P5.

“Lando’s starting position was further compromised today when we needed to change the battery pack and MGU-K this morning. He made up places and actually ran ahead of Carlos after his spin, but unfortunately Lando’s car lost all engine power in the middle of the race, which took away the possibility for him to have a similar race to Carlos and score more points.

“A big thank you to the entire team here and back at the factory for another solid race weekend where we scored valuable points. It was a challenging weekend, not only in terms of performance, but also the working conditions – especially with the heat earlier in the weekend – were very tough. Next stop Hungary, where we aim to continue our progress.”

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KUBICA GIFTED A POINT AS ALFA ROMEO DUO PENALISED

Joy turned to heartbreak for Alfa Romeo hours after the German Grand Prix as the stewards penalised Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi for clutch infringements at the start of the race.

The outcome knocking them out of the top ten and promoting four drivers up the order, including Robert Kubica to give Williams their first point of the 2019 campaign.

Raikkonen and Giovinazzi crossed the line seventh and eighth respectively, giving Alfa Romeo their best result of the season. However, soon after the race, the stewards summoned a team representative to discuss an alleged breach of Article 27.1, related to clutch torque application during race starts.

The stewards found the torque in the clutch at the start did not match the torque demand as the driver released the clutch within the specified 70-millisecond maximum period. This time was measured at approximately 300 milliseconds.

They compared this breach to that of a false start with a potential advantage and therefore opted to give both drivers a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, which equates to 30 seconds added to each of their race times.

It means Romain Grosjean moves up to seventh and Kevin Magnussen slots into eighth. World championship leader Lewis Hamilton scores two points in ninth, meaning he extends his points-scoring streak to 23 races, while Kubica scores his first point since returning to F1 this season after an eight-year hiatus with 10th.

It’s a fine reward for a Williams team that has endured a dreadful season, lacking the pace to race in the midfield but having appeared to make improvements in recent races courtesy of a series of developments that have shown promise.

Revised Result

MIKA: The saddest thing is Kubica will finish ahead of Russell in the championship, when Russell has done a greater job thus far.

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Alfa Romeo to appeal German GP penalty decision

Alfa Romeo has confirmed that it intends to appeal the decision handed down against the team at Formula 1’s German Grand Prix.

Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi finished the race in seventh and eighth respectively but were investigated afterwards for an irregularity relating to clutch settings at the start.

Stewards handed out a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for both drivers, which was converted into a 30-second time penalty due to the sanction being handed out post-race.

It relegated both drivers outside of the points-paying positions.

In the aftermath of the decision being handed out team boss Frederic Vasseur confirmed that Alfa Romeo will appeal the penalties.

“It is extremely disappointing to have both cars penalised and pushed out of the points in what had been such an exciting race,” he said.

“The situation arose during the laps we spent behind the Safety Car ahead of the standing start: we suffered a dysfunction of the clutch that was beyond our control and we will further investigate the issue.

“We respect the FIA’s process and the stewards’ work, but will appeal this decision as we believe we have the grounds and evidence to have it overturned.

“In this regard, we will be in touch with the FIA soon.

“Kimi and Antonio drove very well in challenging conditions and seventh and eighth place were the rightful reward for their performance.

“The team worked really hard to put both cars in the points and we showed once again that we have the pace to fight at the sharp end of the midfield.”

MIKA: There is no way the FIA will allow the appeal to go through by way of reversing their decision.

It sucks yet again that the Stewards made such a decision so late!! Absolute joke.

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Charles Leclerc labels Hockenheim tarmac 'unacceptable' after German GP crash

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc has labelled the tarmac in the final two corners of the Hockenheim circuit 'unacceptable' after the Monegasque driver crashed out of the German Grand Prix.

On his first lap out of the pits on soft tyres, Leclerc had encountered a hint of oversteer heading into Turn 16. The car then ran wide on to the outside of the circuit where he had already had a small moment earlier in the race.

Despite attempting to correct his SF90, he was unable to prevent himself from sliding into the outside barrier and unable to recover from the gravel.

At Hockenheim, the final two corners are adjacent to a drag strip on a plateau, which during the inclement conditions doesn't drain and becomes extremely slippery.

"I am not convinced about the tarmac in that area of the last two corners," said Leclerc.

"This is in no way an excuse for my mistakes and I take full responsibility but we are in Formula 1 and this type of tarmac is just unacceptable."

Leclerc had been in contention for the race victory up until his incident, battling with the eventual race winner Max Verstappen and both Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

"It has been crazy and it was a big mistake on my side and I am very sorry to the team and to the fans," added the Monegasque.

"I feel sorry for them but overall I feel it was a great race until the mistake. One mistake is enough to be out of the race and it was completely my fault.

"I need to understand what happened but to be honest looking at what happened with the mistake it was tricky conditions and you very often lose the car in these conditions."

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Toto Wolff: We shouldn't have been 'fooling around' with costumes

Toto Wolff has criticised Mercedes' preparations for their home race after they suffered a nightmare German Grand Prix.

Whilst Saturday went to plan with Lewis Hamilton securing pole and Valtteri Bottas third, Sunday went from bad to worse as a crazy race played out at Hockenheim, where the team were celebrating their 200th race start and 125 years of motorsport with a one-off livery and period costume.

But with Hamilton finishing out of the points (Rsults now changed, Hamilton scores 2 points) and Bottas crashing out of the race, marking their first pointless weekend since Austria last year, Wolff suggested their eye was off the ball this weekend with them "fooling around" with costumes and liveries.

"I think we had a decent start with good pace. Then you had incidents, crashing out in tricky conditions, the wrong calls," he explained.

"It was unfortunate [for Hamilton], crashing right at the entry of the pit lane. You are not prepared. We made the wrong calls afterwards [but then] it was all coming together as many drivers crashed.

"Overall for us it was a bad day, for the drivers it was a bad day, it cannot go much worse.

"This shows that you shouldn't fool around with stuff. You should concentrate on the job. We are not superstitious but we believe in karma and it's a day to learn."

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Magnussen blames Grosjean for late German GP clash

Kevin Magnussen says that his Haas Formula 1 teammate Romain Grosjean was at fault for their latest collision during Formula 1's wild German Grand Prix.

Grosjean and Magnussen made contact at the Turn 6 hairpin late on after Magnussen moved to the inside of Grosjean through the corner on lap 56 of 64. Light contact meant both drivers were able to continue and Haas scored a double-points finish with Grosjean leading Magnussen home in ninth, but both drivers were placed under investigation.

When asked if the drivers could have thrown away a team effort by clashing again, Magnussen said: "I don't know. We don't have a rule that we are not allowed to race each other. 

"We've been told very clearly that we can't touch each other, and I see no reason why we had to touch each other [today]. 

"It's very clear I was on the inside, it's not like I was diving on the inside, and then he chooses to turn into me. I don't know what he was doing."

Grosjean was asked for his take on the incident and said: "I won’t comment on that one. We got lucky."

But, later, he told a TV crew: "I guess we are going again to Gunther's office. But on that one I think I was ahead, and it's a bit of a shame."

The German GP incident followed the Haas drivers clashing twice last time out at the British Grand Prix. The incident led team boss Gunther Steiner to say he was "not over" the incident as late as Thursday in Germany. 

When Magnussen was asked if the relationship between him and Grosjean had deteriorated, the former McLaren driver said: "I respect him a lot. 

"I think these incidents could be avoided. There are other areas where we can work very well as teammates, so we need to get over this."

Grosjean amazed to score points in "old lady" car

Grosjean described his Australian Grand Prix-spec Haas as an "old lady" and said it was "crazy" to be able to compete for points with an older car set-up. 

Teammate Magnussen ran the latest specification as Haas continues to experiment with car specification to resolve its inconsistent form.

Asked by Motorsport.com if the wet conditions had hurt its data return, Grosjean said: "We had 15 laps in the dry so the guys can take [information] from that, maybe the sensors are covered with the rain, so I don’t know if we will get everything. There’s more to learn."

He continued: "I’m very happy with this car, it’s missing a lot of downforce - don’t get me wrong. 

"On a new tyre you can do the job, but obviously the new tyre effect is gone [later in the stint] and it’s harder because it’s a nine-month-old car. But the feeling in there is very good."

MIKA: Grosjean...... I have no words for that hack.

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RACE HIGHLIGHTS: 2019 German Grand Prix

 

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F1 Paddock Pass | Post-Race At The 2019 German Grand Prix

 

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Wolff: Mercedes celebrations played no part in "Armageddon" race

Toto Wolff has dismissed suggestions Mercedes’ German Grand Prix celebrations had turned out an embarrassment in light of its “Armageddon” race.

Formula 1’s leading outfit ran a special livery and had its staff wear retro-style attire at its home race, in honour of the German car brand’s 125 years of motorsport involvement.

However, Mercedes would endure its worst race of the F1 season by far at Hockenheim, with championship leader Lewis Hamilton finishing out of the points after several mishaps and Valtteri Bottas crashing out late on.

Wolff said it had been a “terrible day” for his outfit, but quickly moved to dismiss any suggestion that the team had been compromised by the celebrations, or by giving access to the Netflix production crew for the weekend after having signed on for the second season of its ‘Drive to Survive’ documentary series.

When asked whether these circumstances had made Mercedes’ German GP failure an embarrassment, he said: “It's not embarrassing, it's motor racing. And sometimes you've got to take a slap on the nose, on the chin as you say, and just learn.

“These are the days that make us better. We've got to think about what went wrong today. If things come together, like with Valtteri crashing out at the end... I mean, this ends in an Armageddon weekend for us.

“And whether we are celebrating 125 years, have the board here or the Netflix guys, plays no role at all, probably we've given them more content than on any other normal weekend. So, we've got to stick the heads together tomorrow and learn.”

Mercedes controlled the race in an initial 1-2, but had “a multitude of things” go wrong as the race went along.

Hamilton had damaged his car after crashing on freshly-equipped slicks as the rain picked up, and was then left stranded during an unplanned stop as his crew scrambled to replace his front wing and fit new intermediate tyres.

He was then assessed a five-second penalty and was ultimately relegated out of the top 10.

“Everything started well at the beginning, and then obviously it was tricky for me to make the right call, and I think it was borderline whether to change tyres [from intermediates to slicks] or not, but that can be justified,” Wolff said.

“But obviously like Charles [Leclerc], Lewis put the car in the wall. It was difficult [for him] to come in around the bollard, so that was the penalty, and then we made the wrong call with the tyres, tyres were not ready.

“[It] can happen if you crash right on the entry of the pitlane, but nevertheless we lost a lot of time with the wrong tyre call there, so we need to take ourselves by the nose there.”

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System "anomaly" triggered Hamilton's SC investigation

Lewis Hamilton has been told he is in the clear for an alleged breach of the safety car regulations in the German Grand Prix, after the FIA confirmed that an "anomaly" in the system was to blame for the situation.

Hamilton could have been given a post-race penalty if the stewards had found he had been in the wrong for driving unnecessarily slowly behind the safety car.

But an investigation by the stewards discovered that Hamilton had only been picked up for a potential rules breach thanks to a situation that had never occurred before.

The FIA announced it was looking into Hamilton's actions for driving too slowly behind the safety car that had been called out for Charles Leclerc's crash.

The situation arose when Hamilton returned to the track following his crash into the wall at the final corner and a lengthy spell in the pits for repairs.

Under F1's regulations drivers have to keep to a set time delta until the safety car has crossed the first safety car line for the second time.

It means cars that have crossed that line twice are allowed to run at normal speed behind the safety car, while those that have crossed it once – like Hamilton – still have to keep to the delta.

Hamilton therefore drove slowly to the delta time to keep within the rules, while other cars were driving much quicker – and it was this speed difference that prompted the alert for him driving too slowly.

F1 race director Michael Masi said: "It was an anomaly basically with the way the system is. So there was no further action with that one.

"Effectively your first two laps under the safety car, you have to respect the delta time to effectively catch up.

"The anomaly was everyone else was on their third lap so was able to catch up, but Lewis was on his second lap so was having to effectively respect the delta while everyone else around him was racing to catch the back of the line.

"Speaking to a couple of the sporting directors since, it is a situation that we have not seen before. So it is something for us to look at generally."

Masi also explained that he had no cause for concern about Hamilton crashing under safety car conditions, after he lost control at the final corner and hit the wall.

"I think it is one of those where you look at the conditions the way it was," added Masi. "It was tricky conditions all afternoon for everyone. It wasn't even part of the equation so to speak."

MIKA: I'm a Mercedes fan but saying this, I am so happy of the race results, this is great for Formula 1 and even myself as a fan. 

Watch the above posted Paddock pass and watch Hamilton sobbing and gobsmacked at the results.

This guy S**ts me to no end. When Hamilton wins, he prances around, when he loses out, an absolute sobbing little bitch. I try so hard to admire this guy, but it's this part of him that completely ruins it. 2008 Hamilton was a far more mature and genuine humble version IMHO.

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German Grand Prix: Race Stats and Facts

A dive into the numbers from a soaked 2019 German Grand Prix shows that Honda are riding a wave right now through Max Verstappen’s victory, and some rookies made a real splash including Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi – until a post-race penalty rained on his parade.

- Red Bull had never won at Hockenheim, but Max Verstappen broke that duck in style. Coincidentally, his win under the rain came 25 years after his father Jos was engulfed in flames at the same circuit. That’s 20 top-five finishes for Verstappen in a row.

- This was the first time that two different Honda-powered teams took the podium since the 1988 Australian Grand Prix, when Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna gave McLaren a 1-2 and Nelson Piquet finshed third in a Honda-powered Lotus. Daniil Kvyat was the third-place finisher this weekend, giving Toro Rosso their first podium since 2009 – when Sebastian Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix. Alexander Albon finished P6 in Germany for his highest F1 career finish.

- Vettel’s impressive P2 finish from 20th on the makes him the third driver to achieve that feat in the last nine races at Hockenheim. His approach was based on an unlikely source of inspiration as he pulled off a home race masterclass…

- Racing Point took their best F1 result this weekend through Lance Stroll’s P4 finish, and this is Stroll’s second top-five finish ever. It was at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix where he finished third, and even though he briefly led the German Grand Prix, he still hailed it as an “amazing” day.

- Carlos Sainz ended a drought under the rain at Hockenheim, scoring his first points ever at the circuit and taking a fourth-consecutive top-eight finish with P5, just behind Stroll.

- A four-race pointless streak for Haas ended, and although Romain Grosjean (P7) and Kevin Magnussen (P8) had a brief collision for the second race in a row, they shrugged it off.

- With Williams finishing P12 and P13 led by Robert Kubica, they took their best finish of the season. After Alfa Romeo’s post-race penalties, Williams also scored their first point of the season as Kubica was promoted to P10.

- Had Alfa Romeo not been penalized, it would’ve been a career-best P8 for Antonio Giovinazzi and a fourth-consecutive points finish for Kimi Raikkonen.

- And with the rain came retirement. In the past four races – all dry, of course – six drivers failed to finish. At Hockenheim, there were six retirements alone in that chaotic, memorable clash under the clouds.

[In-A-Gadda-Davidoff]

Finally a great suspenseful race thanks to mother nature.   A well deserved podium for Toro Rosso.  Vettel from P20 to P2.  More Grosjean/Magnussen drama for Haas.  It was satisfying watching Stroll fade out of podium contention.  I thought Leclerc had a legitimate shot at his first win until he beached his car at turn 16.  Up to that point, Ferrari had nailed his tire strategy which was shocking in comparison to the mismanaged strategy of races past.  Gasly proving once again that Kyvat or Albon would be a better choice for the parent team.  Kubica gets Williams its first point of the year after being outraced by his teammate all year.  Poor pit strategy doomed George Russell.  

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24 minutes ago, In-A-Gadda-Davidoff said:

It was satisfying watching Stroll fade out of podium contention.

? Classic!

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11 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

? Classic!

Agreed! I was really hoping he wouldn't be on the podium!

As for Magnusson/Grosjean, what the hell were they doing racing each other in the first place? I agree that Grossjean turned in on Mag, but I think he was shocked to see his teammate there in the first place. What a disaster they have with those two drivers!

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GERMANY MAY LOSE GRAND PRIX DESPITE RACE OF THE CENTURY

The German Grand Prix looks likely to drop off next year’s Formula 1 calendar, despite Hockenheim having served up a thriller – a candidate for Race of the Century – for the second straight year on Sunday.

The race, hosted at the historic venue which had a deal to host a Grand Prix every alternate year, was already out of contract after last season’s event.

A last-minute deal kept it on the 2019 calendar with Mercedes-Benz, parent company of the dominant Mercedes Formula One team, stepping in as title-sponsor but there has been no word on a fresh agreement.

“They are putting a lot of effort in, a lot of passion, and they’re very keen on staying, having the grand prix here,” said Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who grew up down the road in Heppenheim.

“It’s a great show, I don’t think they make any money, I think they lost money last year and thanks to Mercedes they were able to have the grand prix again.

“The problem is Germany is not keen to pay anything,” added the four-times world champion, who got his first taste of Formula One action watching boyhood idol Michael Schumacher at the circuit.

“So you need people from outside, investors. The government is not happy to support,” said Vettel, who went from last to second on Sunday in a race won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Germany used to have two races on the calendar at the height of Schumacher’s success, which boosted the sport’s popularity to new levels in the seven-time champion’s homeland, with the Nuerburgring hosting the European Grand Prix.

Attendance figures have dropped since Schumacher retired, despite Vettel running away with four straight titles from 2010-13 and Mercedes embarking on a run of unchallenged dominance since.

Last year 165,000 fans attended over the course of the weekend. This year the race drew a weekend crowd of 153,000, with 61,000 people on race day.

Germany’s problem is that new venues are queuing up for a slot on the calendar, some willing to pay far bigger hosting fees.

Zandvoort will host a Dutch Grand Prix next year, back for the first time since 1985 to tap into local hero Verstappen’s popularity, while a contract has been signed for a street race in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, whose team celebrated 125 years of motorsport involvement at the weekend, said the German marque was not in a position to sponsor the race every year.

“I think (commercial rights holders) Liberty Media has a great problem in having more demand than supply which is good and also good for the teams as fundamentally we share a large part of the prize fund,” he said.

“We will encourage them to look at the German Grand Prix but it is (Formula One chief executive) Chase (Carey’s) call to decide where we go.”

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HAMILTON: NEVER FELT THIS SICK IN HARDEST RACE WEEKEND OF MY LIFE

Formula 1 World Championship leader Lewis Hamilton is planning to get plenty of rest over the next few days as he seeks to shake off the sickness that laid him low in Sunday’s German Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver, who has little time to recover before the next race in Hungary this weekend, left no doubt that Hockenheim had been an ordeal.

“Never felt this sick and this has been the hardest race weekend of my life,” the Briton said in a social media post after a chaotic grand prix.

“I’ve cancelled everything I have for the next few days so I’m going home probably just to sleep the next few days and try and get over this bug,” the jet-setting champion told reporters on Sunday evening.

Hamilton had complained of a sore throat on Saturday, revealing after taking pole position that Mercedes had put French reserve Esteban Ocon on standby in case the five-times champion felt too unwell to drive.

While he led the early stages of a mentally-taxing rain-hit race, his afternoon unravelled with a smashed front wing, a penalty for a pit-lane offence and a wild spin.

He took the chequered flag in 11th place, which stood as his worst finish since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, until penalties for Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi moved him up two places.

“It was probably the worst day I’ve had in the office for a long, long time,” he said of a race won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who will also be a strong contender for victory in Hungary.

“Things are going to be thrown at you on days like this, but it felt like one domino after another, like snakes and ladders, and I kept hitting the snakes today.”

Hamilton said his condition was “not really improving massively” but hoped he would be back to as close to full fitness as possible for Budapest, the last race before the August break.

Hamilton leads teammate Valtteri Bottas, who failed to finish on Sunday, by 41 points after winning seven of 11 races so far.

Hamilton, who has a diverse range of interests outside Formula One including music and fashion, has often been criticised for his globe-trotting lifestyle but has never allowed that to get in the way of his on-track performance.

Two titles and 11 wins shy of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record tally, the Briton’s error-riddled display on Sunday was uncharacteristic for a driver considered one of the sport’s all-time greats.

“I’m only human,” said Hamilton. “It was a mistake and mistakes happen.”

His team boss Toto Wolff said it was only to be expected that Hamilton would not be on top of his game in the circumstances, “Many of us wouldn’t have considered being in a race car but he did.

“He did feel better today but you can’t be physically in your best game when you’ve been ill for a few days,” explained the Mercedes team chief.

MIKA: This guy.... excuses under the sun when he loses. 

If he wasn't fit enough to earn his millions, then hand over the cockpit to the reserve driver.

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ROSBERG: BINOTTO OPENLY CRITICISING VETTEL IS PRETTY BRUTAL

Nico Rosberg has described Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto’s latest comments about Sebastian Vettel as “brutal” hinting at cracks forming in the relationship between the two top men at Maranello.

Earlier at Hockenheim, Binotto was asked about Vettel’s career slump at Ferrari and he told RTL, “How can we help him? By being open and honest with him. By making it clear — we expect more from him. By telling him he was not as good as he could be.”

“At the moment I would even say that Vettel is maybe overdriving the car, because he wants to compensate for the lack of performance,” Binotto added.

Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, expressed surprise at Binotto’s comments, “I see the situation simply. The handling of the Ferrari, particularly with the rear of the car, suits Leclerc better than Vettel.

“Ferrari is currently unable to give him a car in which he feels comfortable,” the former Mercedes driver said. “The six drivers in the top three teams are all under extreme pressure. I know because I’ve been in the same situation.”

“But I have to wonder a little bit about Ferrari and how frankly they express themselves. Even Mattia Binotto is criticising Vettel’s driving style in public and saying he overdrives the car. That’s pretty brutal,” Rosberg ventured.

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VERSTAPPEN: MERCEDES ARE STILL THE DOMINANT TEAM

German Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen has played down his chances of fighting for the 2019 Formula 1 title in the remaining half of the season, pointing out that Mercedes are still dominant despite their setback on Sunday.

However, the Dutchman and Red Bull-Honda are clearly on the ascendance, having won two of the last three grands prix, including Sunday’s sensational wet race at Hockenheim.

2019 had looked to be turning into a Lewis Hamilton whitewash, but Verstappen’s successes of the last month means the gap to the championship lead is 63 points with the whole second half of the long season still to run.

When asked about his title chances and beating Mercedes regularly Verstappen answered, “I don’t know. They’re so miles ahead in the championship. If [the gap] is more than two victories, and they are still the dominant team, I think. Today was just very tricky out there and yeah, it was not their day.”

But the Verstappen camp is not ruling the title out altogether as the 21-year-old’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, thinks it is not just wet weather or Mercedes’ mistakes that are powering Red Bull’s progress.

“We still have to take a small step,” he told the Dutch publication Formule 1. “But if you look at Silverstone, we could have finished second and had pole position so I think we are really much closer.

“You could see that even at Mercedes there can be panic with the pitstops, but for us everything was perfect, so compliments to the team,” said Vermeulen.

It was only a month ago that the Verstappen camp was hinting about leaving Red Bull, with the existence of a performance clause in his 2020 contract revealed. But any talk of Verstappen’s Red Bull exit has now gone quiet.

“You know what it is,” Vermeulen said. “This business is synonymous with performance, so everyone has performance clauses. Everyone wants to be at the highest level. We always said ‘We are very happy here but we want to win’. Well, we are winning now.”

And so, with 10 races still to go, a sensational world championship win for Verstappen and Red Bull-Honda cannot be discounted.

“We know what is still in the pipeline at Red Bull and what is in the pipeline at Honda, so we are approaching the second half with a great deal of confidence. I really think we will have a very strong second half,” added Vermeulen.

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STEINER: THIS CAN’T KEEP HAPPENING

As the team’s driver crisis continues, Haas boss Gunther Steiner insists “something has to change” within his team after the latest episode in the shenanigans of the team’s drivers.

After Silverstone, where Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen collided for the third time in 2019, Steiner’s fury prompted rumours that Grosjean could be axed. Then, during the sensational wet German Grand Prix, they collided again.

“Something has to change,” a resigned Steiner told Formule 1 after the race at Hockenheim. “I don’t know what else to say.”

He said he didn’t want to comment too much immediately after the race because the replays of the incident had not been fully analysed but insisted, “They cannot keep bumping into each other every weekend. We have to see with the team what steps we are going to take because this can’t keep happening.”

After Sunday’s clash, Grosjean – reportedly the most endangered of the driver duo – said of the latest incident: “No comments. Let’s see what happens now.”

But on Danish television TV3 Magnussen clearly blamed his teammate for the coming-together: “We were not told that we cannot race each other, but we were told very clearly that we must not hit each other.”

“I think I drove very consistently and predictably, but still Romain turned into me. I didn’t do anything wrong — it was up to him to avoid that situation.

“I respect him as a driver and in all other areas, we work well together as teammates. But these episodes must be avoided. We only hit our wheels together so nothing happened, but it’s still just unnecessary,” added the Dane.

MIKA: This is just as much Steiners fault now as it is the drivers, mainly Grosjean.

If Steiner and HAAS doesn't put their foot down and just says after every race "This can't keep heppening..." then what is actually being done to curtail this style of driving?

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Lando Norris: I 'shat myself' after lap to grid mistake

Lando Norris quipped that he “shat myself” in the wake of going off track en route to the grid at Formula 1’s German Grand Prix.

McLaren driver Norris ultimately failed to reach the chequered flag owing to a loss of power, but post-race he revealed that he was almost unable to take the start.

“The only thing that was stupid that led to a lot of crashes was the drag strip,” said Norris.

“Luckily, I did it on my laps to the grid, because we had an onboard that we had to watch, the one magic lap from Fernando [Alonso] when he was with Ferrari, and he goes two wheels over the kerb, onto the drag strip, and everything looks fine.

“So I did my lap to the grid, I tried it, and I genuinely thought I was going to be out of the race before I even started. I put the clutch in, full opposite lock, I’m not exaggerating, I shat myself!

“I was like oh shit this is not going to be good! Because the guys were waiting there to put me up on the jacks and put me in my positions, and I had the biggest fright of my life.”

The German Grand Prix marked Norris’ first experience of a wet Formula 1 race.

“It was tricky, the race itself, but as tricky as it was, kind of looking reasonably good,” he said.

“We didn’t make all the right calls to begin with, there were a couple of small mistakes. We didn’t box onto the Inters in the first stint as early as we should have done.

“But that was more on my part to be honest, more from my experience of not knowing when I need to box when the Inters and going to be better than the Wets. So that was more my mistake.

“I don’t know much they lost, but we lost a bit. But I think we recovered pretty well, our pace on the Inters was pretty decent. And then had the problem.

“I had another race sitting on the sidelines, watching with my engineers, so obviously frustrated.”

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Renault F1 truck driver unharmed in motorway crash

Renault F1 has confirmed that one of its transporter trucks was involved in an accident on Monday morning as it headed to Hungary for the next round of the Formula 1 championship.

The truck had left the Hockenheim paddock on Sunday night and was headed for Budapest for next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, but crashed through safety barriers with the tractor unit and half the trailer ending up on a grassy verge.

The team confirmed on Monday that the driver escaped unharmed and that it was the only vehicle involved.

"We confirm that a Renault F1 Team truck was involved in an accident on the M1 in Hungary, near Gyor," the team said in a statement.

"The driver, who was driving within the respected regulations, was extracted from the vehicle. He is conscious and has not suffered serious injury.

"He has been transported to hospital in Hungary for further checks. No other vehicles were involved in the incident."

The vehicle has since been recovered. It's not know what the truck was transporting at the time.

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German GP: Stories from behind the scenes

The German Grand Prix was a chaotic one on-track but off-track there was plenty going on throughout the weekend. Take a quick look behind-the-scenes with Motorsport Week.

Mercedes Marks 125 Years of Motorsport

Mercedes marked 125 years of motorsport – and its involvement within – across the weekend at Hockenheim, with the event also doubling up as its home race – for which it acted as title sponsor – as well as its 200th F1 race start as a manufacturer. On July 22 1984 21 drivers lined up in Paris to compete in a 127km endurance race on the roads to Rouen – regarded as the first motor-race in history. Nine of the 17 finishers were powered by 3.5hp two-cylinder V-engines that had been invented by Gottlieb Daimler, while a 5hp Benz vehicle was among the finishers. Daimler’s engine was regarded by the jurors at the race as “turning petroleum, or gasoline fuel, into a practical solution” for the future of the-then nascent automotive industry. Motorsport, thus, was born. Mercedes ran a special peel-effect livery, with a nod to its 1930s white-liveried heritage, and also decked out its garage and motorhome to reflect the occasion. On Saturday and Sunday its team members also wore an array of vintage clothing as if from the 1950s, though there was certainly a little hubris post-race after the team’s disastrous result. 

Netflix Part II

During the build-up to the German Grand Prix it was finally confirmed that season two of the Netflix documentary ‘Drive to Survive’ is in the pipelines, for transmission in early 2020. The crew have been present since pre-season and the contract was officially signed in April; last week’s announcement was mere official confirmation that all 10 teams, including Ferrari and Mercedes, will be involved. Mercedes was the subject of Netflix’s focus throughout the German Grand Prix weekend, and the company probably could not believe their luck considering the manner in which the race unfolded. But was 2019’s breakout star Guenther Steiner bothered by news of season two? Not really. “I told you I’m not going to watch it. My wife did. My daughter didn’t. My daughter is not allowed because daddy is saying the F-word a lot.”

Bottas Goes Rallying

Valtteri Bottas has dabbled in rallying – he participated in the Arctic Rally in January – and in-between the British and German Grands Prix he got behind the wheel of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s WRC Yaris in his native Finland. “It’s fun and I do it because I feel it’s good for me, I always learn something more about driving,” reflected Bottas. “I believe that, as a racing driver the more different cars you can drive, the more different surfaces you try it’s always going to be a benefit. Car handling skills are good for your coordination, reactions, general feel of the car. And it’s super-fun, that’s the main reason I do it, but there are also benefits. That’s the thinking behind it and I had never driven beforehand a proper car in gravel, so it was a new experience and it went all very well. So, you can see I’m in one piece, no broken bones, so it was all good! By the end of the day I managed to be on the same pace as Kris Meeke, who had been sometime earlier on that same stage and that was quite encouraging for a first day in gravel.” Sadly for Bottas those skills didn’t help at Turn 1 on lap 58. 

Vettel’s Helmet Tribute

Sebastian Vettel used to change his helmet with such regularity that the FIA brought in a regulation to restrict colour schemes being altered so much. There is still some leeway and for his home grand prix Vettel ran with a tribute to Bernd Schneider, the German sportscar legend who won five DTM titles and 43 races through his distinguished time in the category. Vettel enlisted usual painted Jens Munser and the result was a beautiful lid for his home round. 

Norris & Verstappen Team Up

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen as team-mates? It isn’t happening in real life, but instead in the virtual world. During the weekend between the previous two grands prix the pair teamed up, along with Max Benecke and Max Wenig, to participate in the virtual Spa 24 Hours on the iRacing platform.

“We had to really work on our driving and on our pace a lot,” said Norris. “It wasn’t like we were just easily quick enough and so on. We had to go in and look at data, speak to them about how to go quicker, which was cool as it was a big challenge for us. Everything went very smoothly and we were closer to the pace for the race.”

But it wasn’t completely plain sailing as Verstappen’s final stint in the car was compromised when the brake mechanism on his gaming set-up broke.

“I thought Max was joking about all of it – I was like ‘yeah right’! But you can hear it. I was streaming it and you can hear the bearings and everything fall off. We got quite nervous because he stopped at the side, get towed back to the pit-lane – it all took 3 minutes, driver swap took 30 seconds. So I had to get in. Everything was optimised for my streaming and not my driving, so it was a bit hectic. But we did what we needed to.”

Lights Out & Away They Go...

There was an unusual incident on Thursday at Hockenheim as a coach struck the start/finish lights, causing extensive damage to the system. It is not unusual for vehicles to be passing along the circuit at the end of each day – usually undertaking minor repairs to the circuit or transporting marshals – but on this occasion the coach driver evidently misjudged the lower height clearance of the start lights compared to the overall structure. A ‘low clearance’ warning light appeared soon after while the system was repaired in time for Friday’s action. 

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Europe baked in a heatwave for much of last week, with record-breaking temperatures being set in several countries. Benelux was the worst affected region and, with Hockenheim not too far to the south-east of the most intense heat, it meant for very unpleasant working conditions for all involved until the weather finally broke. Even some of the journalists more accustomed to warmer climates were struggling as the mercury peaked at 39c – and that’s before factoring into the equation the heat emitted by team trucks and the like. On Thursday evening the fans still present were given a welcome cool-off by the fire brigade, who sprayed water from a hose towards the grandstands, while the empty seats on Friday were hardly a surprise, as people sought shelter from the sun. However, it was then back to normal – more like Silverstone weather – for the rest of the weekend. 

2020 Calendar

There were yet more ruminations surrounding the 2020 calendar with the surprise development that, according to a well-respected local economy-led publication, the Generalitat de Catalunya has given the green-light to fund a 2020 grand prix in Spain. The event had widely been expected to be discontinued, with 2019 the last year of its contract, but a 2020 race has now moved a step closer, with the short extension allowing more time for long-term negotiations. That would ostensibly lead to a 22-race calendar, one more than this year, and a new record. The teams were informed by Liberty Media that a 21-race schedule would remain for 2020 but that was not set in stone. Four teams need to agree to another race before the calendar can be expanded from 21 to 22 races, though as long as it is logistically possible – and this is another factor – this will be done. Only Australia has a confirmed 2020 date, which is March 15, with Bahrain expected to follow two weeks later, followed by China and Vietnam. Given Vietnam’s newness to the sport is it anticipated it will act as a standalone round, to alleviate any concerns over delays importing and exporting freight from the country. This may force Spain to seek a new date, with Zandvoort having already been promised its early-mid May slot. Baku, as already reported, is set to shift into June, potentially back-to-back with Canada, though various sources disagree over the order of that double-header. Germany is still expected to drop from the calendar. 

Different Support Packages

Formula 2 and Formula 3 were not present at Hockenheim and that gave a couple of other series some time in the limelight. In ADAC F4 Red Bull junior Dennis Hauger took the Race 1 win while in Race 2 it was the turn of a more famous surname to triumph. Younger brother of Charles Leclerc, Arthur, claimed his maiden win in the series, and was greeted in parc ferme by his Ferrari driver sibling. In the Porsche Supercar event McLaren simulator driver Rudy van Buren made his real-life international debut and acquitted himself well, coming him in 17th place in a 32-car race that was halted when a downpour struck. 

Schumacher on Track

One of the highlights of the weekend came on Saturday lunchtime when Mick Schumacher demonstrated the Ferrari F2004 with which his father claimed his seventh and final Formula 1 title. Two Ferrari F2004s were present in a makeshift garage – courtesy of the goodwill from the car’s careful owner – and Schumacher took to the track in-between FP3 and qualifying to deafen Hockenheim with the sound of the V10 engine. “It was great,” said Schumacher. “It was amazing to be able to drive the car around here, it was my Dad’s seat and everything, I fitted perfectly so that was even greater. From going out of the pit lane until coming back I never lost the smile the whole time, even when I was locking up! It was really cool.” On Sunday lunchtime Schumacher went out again in the rain and this time saluted the crowd at Turn 1 after bringing his run to a halt. They responded by chanting ‘Schumi, Schumi’. Goosebumps and lumps-in-throat all round.