German GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

GERMAN GRAND PRIX - RACE

    When the lights went out at the Hockenheimring, it was Lewis Hamilton who easily took the lead from Pole-Sitter, Rosberg. The German failed to make a strong start and had a noticeable amount of wheel spin on the grid. Not only did Hamilton pass him, but both Ricciardo and Verstappen were able to easily make their way around Rosberg.

    Things only became worse for Rosberg when he tried to get around Verstappen. While trying to pass the younger driver, Verstappen was forced wide and run off track by Rosberg and the situation was instantly under investigation by the stewards. Rosberg was handed a 5-Second-Time-Penalty which he served in the pits. However, due to a faulty stopwatch, Rosberg was waiting over 7-8 seconds before being released, which cost him plenty of time that he was unable to make up for.

    Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean were also investigated for the same type of accident, but no further action was warranted.

    Rosberg wasn't the only driver to have a rough start. Felipe Massa was the victim of 1st lap collision damage between himself and Jolyon Palmer. Palmer was able to finish the race and only needed to pit for a new front wing/nose set-up, but Massa had worse damage and retired on lap 37 with damage to the front suspension system. Massa's team mate, Bottas was able to score 2 points for the team by finishing in 9th.

    The only other retirement during the race was Felipe Nasr, who experienced a sudden loss of power and stopped on track. His team mate, Ericsson, also had a tough race and finished in 18th. Another race to forget for the Swiss team.

    Haas also missed out on points, despite being very close once again. Romain Grosjean finished in 13th and Esteban Gutierrez finished in 11th, making it the 4th race this year that he's gotten that result. Gutierrez was also under fire from Daniel Ricciardo after he failed to move out of the way of the Red Bull driver, despite being given blue flags. Gutierrez also ignored blue flags in Hungary and was given a 5-Second-Time-Penalty. 

    While Force India had a less than perfect start to the race, both Hulkenberg and Perez finished in the points, making the gap between them and Williams closer in the Constructors Standings. Perez suffered wheel spin in the start of the race and got pushed back as far as 16th during the 1st lap and Hulkenberg struggled as well, despite having a stronger start. The two battled their way back into the top 10 by the end of the race and brought home a total of 7 points for the team.

    Fernando Alonso lost out to points after a tough battle with Sergio Perez and being passed by Gutierrez. The Spaniard ended up finishing in 12th. Jenson Button was able to score 4 points for the team, finishing in 8th and McLaren continue to look stronger as the season continues. Renault, however, still just has 6 points in the constructors standings after another pointless finish for Magnussen and Palmer. Toro Rosso and Manor also finished outside the points.

   
    Despite efforts from both Raikkonen and Vettel, neither Ferrari driver was able to secure a spot on the podium. Raikkonen ran as high as second during the race, but it was no match for the pace of Red Bull. Both Ricciardo and Verstappen finished on the podium, behind race winner, Lewis Hamilton. Nico Rosberg finished in 4th, missing out on the podium. Hamilton now leads the championship by 19 points.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / + 18 Points
3. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / + 15 Points
4. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 12 Points
5. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 10 Points
6. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 8 Points
7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / + 6 Points
8. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / + 4 Points
9. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 2 Points
10. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 1 Point
11. Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico 
12. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain
13. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
14. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain
15. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia
16. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark
17. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany
18. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
19. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
20. Rio Haryanto / Manor-Mercedes / Indonesia 

RETIRED - Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil / Loss of Power
RETIRED - Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / Suspension Damage

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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