German GP: Circuit Preview

GERMAN GRAND PRIX 2018 - CIRCUIT PREVIEW 

Name: Hockenheimring Baden-Wurttemberg

Location: Am Motodrom, Hockenheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Opened: May 29th, 1932

Length: 2.842 Miles

Capacity: 120,000

Runs: Clockwise

Turns: 17

Race Laps: 67

2016 STATS

Pole Position: Nico Rosberg

1st Place: Lewis Hamilton

2nd Place: Daniel Ricciardo

3rd Place: Max Verstappen

Retirements: Felipe Massa (Suspension) & Felipe Nasr (Power Unit)

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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German GP: Track Schedule

GERMAN GRAND PRIX 2018 - TRACK SCHEDULE 

July 19th / Thursday

15:00 - 16:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

16:00 - 18:00 - Public Pit-Lane Walk & Track Tours (3-Day-Ticket-Holders Only)

18:00 - 18:30 - Pit-Lane Walk (F1 Experience - F1 Experience Guests Only)

18:30 - 19:30 - Truck Tour (F1 Experience - F1 Experience Guests Only)

July 20th / Friday

08:30 - 09:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:00 - 12:30 - Free Practice #1

13:00 - 14:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

13:45 - 14:15 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

13:45 - 14:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:00 - 16:30 - Free Practice #2

19:00 - 19:30 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

19:00 - 19:45 - Marshal Pit-Lane Walk

July 21st / Saturday

08:30 - 09:00 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

09:00 - 09:30 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

09:10 - 09:30 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

12:00 - 13:00 - Free Practice #3

13:15 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

13:15 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:00 - 16:00 - Qualifying

18:00 - 19:00 - Fan Forum - Fan Zone (TBC)

18:30 - 19:00 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

July 22nd / Sunday

08:50 - 09:20 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

13:15 - 14:05 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

13:25 - 13:55 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

13:30 - 14:00 - Drivers Track Parade

14:00 - 14:15 - Starting Grid Presentation

14:54 - 14:56 - National Anthem

15:10 - 17:10 - Race

* - Subject to change

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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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German GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

GERMAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING

    It's Nico Rosberg who will start the German Grand Prix from Pole Position and Lewis Hamilton will start from 2nd, making it another Mercedes front-row lock out.

    Romain Grosjean was given a 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for a gearbox change following FP3. Nico Hulkenberg was given a 1-Place-Grid-Penalty for using inappropriately identified tyres in Qualifying and Carlos Sainz was handed a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for impeding Felipe Massa during Qualifying.

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the six slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the six slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia

4. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands

5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

6. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

7. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland

8. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany*

9. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

10. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

11. Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico

12. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain

13. Fernando Alonso /McLaren-Honda / Spain

14. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

15. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain**

16. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark

17. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia

18. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany

19. Rio Haryanto / Manor-Mercedes / Indonesia

20. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France***

21. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil

22. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

* - (Hulkenberg) 1-Place-Grid-Penalty for using inappropriately identified tyres

** - (Sainz) - 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for impeding Massa during Q2

*** - (Grosjean) 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for gearbox replacement post-FP3

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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German GP: Free Practice 3 - Re-Cap & Times

GERMAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #3

    Mercedes continued to lead by topping the third and final practice session of the weekend and it was Rosberg once again who took the top spot with a 1:15.738. Hamilton finished in 2nd. Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Vettel completed the top 5.

    Both Romain Grosjean and Jenson Button suffered gearbox issues during the session. Button luckily didn't need a replacement but Grosjean had his gearbox changed and was handed a 5-Place-Grid-Penalty. Lewis Hamilton faced a potential penalty as well when the team released him in the pit-lane, right into the path of Grosjean. Hamilton wasn't handed a penalty or a reprimand, but Mercedes was fined 10,000 Euros for the unsafe release.

    Sergio Perez suffered minor car damage when he was one of many drivers to go off track and run over the red and white kerbing. He suffered damage to the front of the car, which was fixed in the garage before the end of the session.

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:15.738 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:15.795 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:15.837 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:15.902 / Ferrari-Ferrari

5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:16.104 / Ferrari-Ferrari

6. Max Verstappen - 1:16.182 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

7. Valtteri Bottas - 1:16.400 / Williams-Mercedes

8. Felipe Massa - 1:16.630 / Williams-Mercedes

9. Fernando Alonso - 1:16.916 / McLaren-Honda

10. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:16.972 / Force India-Mercedes

11. Carlos Sainz - 1:17.028 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

12. Sergio Perez - 1:17.066 / Force India-Mercedes

13. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:17.160 / Haas-Ferrari

14. Daniil Kvyat - 1:17.227 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

15. Kevin Magnussen - 1:17.351 / Renault-Renault

16. Jolyon Palmer - 1:17.473 / Renault-Renault

17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:17.685 / Sauber-Ferrari

18. Felipe Nasr - 1:18.057 / Sauber-Ferrari

19. Jenson Button - 1:18.093 / McLaren-Honda

20. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:18.270 / Manor-Mercedes

21. Rio Haryanto - 1:18.272 / Manor-Mercedes

22. Romain Grosjean - 1:25.160 / Haas-Ferrari

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German GP: Free Practice 2 - Re-Cap & Times

GERMAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #2

    The weather changed quite a bit ahead of the second practice session and clouds loomed over the circuit. Luckily, rain wasn't an issue and the circuit stayed dry over the course of the session. Esteban Gutierrez and Jolyon Palmer got back to their cars after making way for Leclerc and Ocon in the 1st session. 

    It was another Mercedes 1-2, with Rosberg once again topping the session. The time was a slight bit slower than his fastest time in FP1. He ended the session with a 1:15.614 and was followed by Hamilton. Vettel, Verstappen and Ricciardo. Both Ferrari and Red Bull are looking to be having a very strong weekend and are close to the pace of the Mercedes duo.

    It was a better session for Force India with both Hulkenberg and Perez finishing inside the top 10. Hulkenberg finished in 7th, clocking a 1:16.781 and team mate, Perez in 9th, ending with a time of 1:17.148. Nico Hulkenberg confirmed he will stay with Force India in 2017 ahead of Friday's on-track activities. However, rumours continue to swirl around Perez. It is said that Renault are eager to pair him up with DTM driver, Esteban Ocon and scrap their current line-up of Magnussen and Palmer, altogether. 

    After the session, it was reported that Jenson Button had gone to the Medical Centre for an 'Eye irritation'. He then went to a local Hospital for further evaluation. Button later Tweeted the following: "On my way back to Hockenheim from the Mannheim hospital for an eye examination, foreign body found and removed. All good for tomorrow"

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:15.614 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:16.008 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:16.208 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Max Verstappen - 1:16.456 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:16.490 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

6. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:16.512 / Ferrari-Ferrari

7. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:16.781 / Force India-Mercedes

8. Jenson Button - 1:17.087 / McLaren-Honda

9. Sergio Perez - 1:17.148 / Force India-Mercedes

10. Fernando Alonso - 1:17.225 / McLaren-Honda

11. Carlos Sainz - 1:17.342 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

12. Daniil Kvyat - 1:17.367 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

13. Valtteri Bottas - 1:17.425 / Williams-Mercedes

14. Romain Grosjean - 1:17.602 / Haas-Ferrari

15. Felipe Massa - 1:17.686 / Williams-Mercedes

16. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:18.005 / Haas-Ferrari

17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:18.056 / Renault-Renault

18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:18.130 / Sauber-Ferrari

19. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:18.193 / Manor-Mercedes

20. Jolyon Palmer - 1:18.313 / Renault-Renault

21. Rio Haryanto - 1:18.591 / Manor-Mercedes

22. Felipe Nasr - 1:19.295 / Sauber-Ferrari

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German GP: Free Practice 1 - Re-Cap & Times

GERMAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #1

    After being dropped from the 2015 calendar due to shareholder/financial issues, the German GP weekend is back and drivers expressed their excitement to get back to driving at the Hockenheimring. In this first session, Esteban Ocon and Charles Leclerc also got to participate, with Ocon taking over Palmer's car at Renault and Leclerc driving for Gutierrez at Haas. 

    It was a Mercedes 1-2 with Nico Rosberg taking that top spot with an impressive 1:15.517. Hamilton was right behind, his time also in the 1:15's. Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen rounded up the top five. 

    A good session for McLaren with both cars finishing in the top 10. Fernando Alonso finished the session in 7th and Button in 8th. Alonso also celebrated his 35th birthday and was seen in his garage wearing a party hat and taking photos with a cake version of his racing helmet

    Before the session started, there was a confirmation that the 'Halo' concept will not be used in 2017 and that it will most likely be introduced in 2018 instead. Another change is that the radio restrictions have been relaxed and teams/drivers are allowed to get help without earning possible penalties.

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:15.517 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:15.843 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:16.667 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:16.852 / Ferrari-Ferrari

5. Max Verstappen - 1:16.927 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:17.089 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

7. Fernando Alonso - 1:17.183 / McLaren-Honda

8. Jenson Button - 1:17.612 / McLaren-Honda

9. Daniil Kvyat - 1:18.008 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

10. Carlos Sainz - 1:18.044 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

11. Marcus Ericsson - 1:18.198 / Sauber-Ferrari

12. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.210 / Williams-Mercedes

13. Felipe Massa - 1:18.322 / Williams-Mercedes

14. Romain Grosjean - 1:18.589 / Haas-Ferrari

15. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:18.591 / Force India-Mercedes

16. Sergio Perez - 1:18.628 / Force India-Mercedes

17. Charles Leclerc* - 1:18.882 / Haas-Ferrari

18. Kevin Magnussen - 1:18.933 / Renault-Renault

19. Felipe Nasr - 1:18.961 / Sauber-Ferrari

20. Esteban Ocon* - 1:18.981 / Renault-Renault

21. Rio Haryanto - 1:19.167 / Manor-Mercedes

22. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:19.975 / Manor-Mercedes

* - Driving in this session only

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “It’s my home Grand Prix - the one I’ve been most looking forward to. It will also be the busiest so far for me, so maybe after that a little break will be nice. I intend to enjoy it. Of course Germany will have a special significance as the first home race of my F1 career. First of many, I hope! Knowing a race track does have its advantages but, really, we push just as hard at every track we race at.”

Rio Haryanto - N/A

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Toro Rosso

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO F1 TEAM

Daniil Kvyat - “The last time I raced here in 2014, I qualified eighth which wasn't bad, but unfortunately I had to retire from the race with an ignition problem. It's an interesting track, starting with Turn 1 which is a very high-speed corner and can be quite tricky on the opening lap. The exit of Turn 3 is where you need really good traction, especially in the race and after Turn 4 you drive down the long curved straight – time for a beer and a sausage. It's so long!

The hairpin at Turn 6 is a good place to try and overtake, but you have to keep an eye in your mirrors as it's also a good place to be overtaken! Another nice part of this circuit is Turn 12 - the stadium section, where you need to be brave to get it right. There's usually a great atmosphere here with a very noisy crowd. Turn 13 has positive camber and it's good to carry a lot of speed here while, in contrast, Turn 16 has negative camber. If I have to choose the corner I enjoy the most, that's Turn 12.”

Carlos Sainz - N/A

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Red Bull

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RED BULL RACING FORMULA 1 TEAM

Daniel Ricciardo - “I think the Hockenheimring is actually a pretty fun track. I like entering the stadium section. Also the fans are huge motorsport fans, which is always pretty awesome. There are some cool little towns around the track which offer some traditional German food and after my week in Austria I can’t wait to enjoy my second round of Schnitzels.”

Max Verstappen - N/A

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “I’d like us to go into the break with a strong final race. It’s always good to get a morale boost before the shutdown. Everyone can reflect on what we’ve done and what we can do better. It’s important for everyone to get a rest. It’s a long season and we’re only just over halfway through at the break. The big flyaway races come after that. We’ve had an amazing first half of the season and I’m sure we can do more in the second half. For that, we really need to keep working, keep our focus and take some rest whenever we can.

Hockenheim is definitely a lot about straight-line speed, braking and traction out of the corners. When you get good traction through the low-speed corners, you have a much better straight-line speed. You’ve got the stadium part, which is very narrow as well. It’s a good balance between having top speeds and fuel efficiency, and traction and braking being suitable.

It’s always great to visit somewhere with good memories. I won at the circuit in Formula Three, and in Formula Renault 1.6. I won there in the GP2 Series until a post-race penalty dropped me to second. Every year is different though. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. The important thing is to make it count now.

The entry into the stadium section is definitely my favourite part of the Hockenheimring. It’s amazing. You’re coming in from really fast corners, then you just turn into a very narrow section of the track. It’s fun.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “It’s one of my favourite tracks. It’s one of the first I drove in Europe when I came to race Formula BMW in 2008. It’s a pretty special place for me. There are some corners that I really love about it - definitely the entry to the stadium. It’s a very high-speed corner, and you enter with a lot of speed and no margin of mistake. You have the gravel straight away and then you have a very narrow track, and it arrives into the banked corner, which is really interesting.

I want the team to be going into the summer break in good shape with a positive race at Hockenheim. I feel it will be an important occasion for every team member to also recharge their batteries because it has been quite a nonstop season for us right from the beginning. It will be an important break. Everyone can come back strong and we can continue our way through the season.”

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING 

Valtteri Bottas - “Last time we were in Germany was in 2014 and I was second place in the race, one of my best F1 results. It’s a track I’ve driven a lot when I was in the junior categories like Formula Renault and Formula 3, so I know the place really well. It’s nice to go back to Germany after a bit of a break, and hopefully we’ll have another warm welcome.”

Felipe Massa - “It will be nice to return to the German Grand Prix after we didn’t have it last year. We’re heading to Hockenheim, a track I really enjoy driving. I hope we have a good race because the Hockenheimring could be a great track for our car. We’ll see at the weekend.”

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Renault

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RENAULT SPORT FORMULA 1 TEAM

Kevin Magnussen - “(Hockenheim is) a great track and the atmosphere there is always awesome. Turn one is very fast and it’s a great way to start what is always an exciting first lap. It’s difficult; you can gain or lose a lot of positions there depending on whether you have a good or bad exit. Do it well and you’ll make up a lot of places down to the next corner. Mess it up and it will be the exact opposite. There’s good overtaking opportunities down the long straight as well and a massive braking zone, perhaps the biggest one in Formula 1. It’s similar to China in that way. Then the final sector where the circuit goes from being quite wide to being a really old school narrow track and there is a very banked corner, which always makes it quite cool to drive.”

Jolyon Palmer - “(Hockenheim is) a circuit I haven’t raced at so much, as I’ve raced there only for two weekends previously. The two big features that stand out are the very long straight and the stadium section. Despite the changes to it over the years, it still has a really old-school feel to it, especially the arena section, which is very narrow and how close the fans can be there as well. It has a really nice flow, especially the second half of the lap, and a lot of slow and medium speed corners, which I quite like. There are a lot of passionate fans who come from all over the country and they really know how to enjoy the weekend. The campsites can be quite something to behold. It’s the last race before the August break so I may well treat myself to a nice German beer on the Sunday night.”

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - “I’m pleased to be heading back to Hockenheim after we missed a race in Germany in 2015. It’s been a good circuit for me in the past - I’ve had three victories on this circuit, and five in Germany, so there’s lots of happy memories. There’s usually a good atmosphere there and there’s something special about the feeling of it being the last race before the summer break - everyone is upbeat and pushing hard because they want to finish the first half of the season on a high.

The weather is always a factor in Germany - this time of year tends to be hot, but you can never be 100 percent sure, so even a little bit of rain could mix things up a bit, which might help us. We know it’ll be a tough race, but after Hungary - even though the characteristics are very different - I’m pleased with the progress we’re making and I’m definitely up for the challenge.

Hockenheim is quite a technical circuit which requires fairly high down force, and although most of the corners are relatively low-speed, they come after long, power-hungry straights, so the set-up of both the power unit and chassis for both eventualities can be quite tricky. For this kind of circuit, you need a car with which you can push, and I feel we’re making improvements in that area.

For sure it will be different to Hungary - we can’t expect to be the number four team there, and our midfield rivals will be stronger, but we’ll try to maximise everything we have in our armoury and give it our best shot. The whole team has worked incredibly hard over the first half of the year, so it’ll be great to be able to have some luck and bring both cars home without any major issues.”

Jenson Button - “Last Sunday in Hungary was a big disappointment on my side of the garage - we showed a lot of promise throughout the weekend leading up to the race, but on Sunday it seemed that everything that could go wrong, did. Still, that’s part of racing and Fernando has had his share of bad luck over the past few races, so it was good he was able to get some points and maintain a good pace.

I hope we can regain our form in Germany and enjoy a positive race for both cars before the summer break. After last weekend, the main thing we need to focus on is reliability. If we have that, it at least puts us in a position to see where we are on track and be in the hunt for points. Hopefully the weekend will throw up a surprise or two, and we can both have a smooth weekend.

Although Hockenheim has had two different configurations over the years, there’s a lot of history there and the fans love their racing. Our car is strong under heavy braking, but despite the long, sweeping corners and fast straights, this isn’t as much of a necessity there as in Hungary. We’re expecting it to be a tricky weekend as the best-placed cars are the ones with the highest straight-line speeds, but we’ll see what we can do. The MP4-31 is well balanced and has good traction out of the corners, so we might be able to make up some time around a lap.

There are a couple of decent overtaking opportunities there, so you don’t just need to rely on DRS and a good slipstream on the straights, and it’s an enjoyable challenge. The asphalt is smooth which will hopefully rubber in nicely over the course of the weekend, as you need good grip to have any chance of making up ground. I remember the craziness of the old configuration - huge straights and fiddly chicanes, which made set-up a tricky compromise - and this layout is very different, but you can see they’ve designed it to promote close racing.”

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Mercedes

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS FORMULA 1 TEAM

Lewis Hamilton - “Getting that win in Hungary after a less than straightforward weekend was a great feeling. If I can come out on top when things aren’t quite perfect, that can only be a good thing. Now it’s off to Germany and another one of the team’s home races after Silverstone. It’s great to be going back there. My last win in Hockenheim came way back in 2008, which seems like a lifetime ago, but I’ve got some great memories from the circuit and the country itself. I raced there a lot when in my early career in the junior racing formulae and, of course, I’ve been part of the Mercedes-Benz family since way back when. It would be great to get another win there for all our Mercedes employees and for the team, too, before the summer break. The last few races have been good for me, so if I can continue that form into this weekend I’ll be in good shape.”

Nico Rosberg - “It was disappointing to lose the race at the first corner in Hungary. But I was really happy with my pace all weekend, so that gives me good confidence moving forwards. I’m happy to have the chance to get back in the car again so soon – and especially happy that it’s at my second home race. I had a fantastic day at Hockenheim a few weeks ago driving Mika Häkkinen’s Championship-winning car. That really gave me a massive buzz to be back racing in Germany. Driving in through the circuit gates brought back so many great memories – from my childhood days at the DTM with my Dad right through to winning the Grand Prix for myself in 2014. Hopefully I can repeat that this year for the fans and for everybody at Mercedes. After this race it’s a well-earned break for the team, too. I’ll be pushing flat out to give them the result they deserve before they get some time to recharge their batteries.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Quotes belong to Drivers 

German GP: Circuit Preview

GERMAN GRAND PRIX 2016 - CIRCUIT PREVIEW & 2014 STATS

Name: Hockenheim

Location: Hockenheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Opened: May 29th 1932

Length: 2.842 Miles

Capacity: 120,000

Runs: Clockwise

Turns: 17

Race Laps: 67

2014 STATS* 

Pole Position: Nico Rosberg

1st Place: Nico Rosberg

2nd Place: Valtteri Bottas

3rd Place: Lewis Hamilton

Retirements: Felipe Massa (Collision), Romain Grosjean (Water Leak), Daniil Kvyat (Oil Leak) & Adrian Sutil (Spun Off)

* - Stats from 2014 as German GP was not held in 2015

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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German GP: Track Schedule

GERMAN GRAND PRIX 2016 - TRACK SCHEDULE

July 29th / Friday

08:45 - 09:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

10:00 - 11:30 - Free Practice #1

14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #2

16:00 - 17:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

July 30th / Saturday

08:30 - 09:15 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

08:30 - 09:35 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:00 - 12:00 - Free Practice #3

13:00 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

14:00 - 15:00 - Qualifying

July 31st / Sunday

12:15 - 13:05 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

12:30 - Drivers Track Parade

12:45 - 13:15 - Starting Grid Presentation

13:46 - National Anthem

14:00 - Race

(Times subject to change)

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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German GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

Qualifying - Re-Cap

After another scorcher of a session and a horrible crash from Lewis Hamilton, we have the grid for the 2014 German GP. - For how Qualifying works, go check out one of our previous Qualifying re-caps!

During Q1 Lewis had a massive crash when he had a brake failure. While he's okay and just has a few bruises, he was unable to take part in the further of the session. As of now, Mercedes has confirmed Hamilton's car needed a gearbox change. He's now been given a 5-Place-Grid Penalty and will start 20th, which moves Esteban Gutierrez up a spot after his 3-Place-Grid-Penalty from the clash with Maldonado in Great Britain.

Marcus Ericsson did not participate in Qualifying due to a hydraulics issue that he suffered in Free Practice 3. He's likely to start from Pit-Lane.

It was Hamilton's team-mate, Nico Rosberg who took pole at the end of Q3, and here's how the rest of the Grid plays out. Of course, it is subject to change if there are any last minute penalties. We will update you on everything pre-race on our twitter @F1Insider78 and then we'll do our usual race wrap-up afterwards! So make sure you're following us.

GRID:

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany

2. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland

3. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

4. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren-Mercedes / Denmark

5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / Australia

6. Sebastian Vettel / Red Bull-Renault / Germany

7. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari-Ferrari / Spain

8. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

9. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany

10. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

11. Jenson Button / McLaren-Mercedes / Great Britain

12. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

13. Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso-Renault / France

14. Romain Grosjean / Lotus-Renault / France

15. Adrian Sutil / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

16. Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber-Ferrari / Mexico (P)

17. Jules Bianchi / Marussia-Ferrari / France

18. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Renault / Venezuela 

19. Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham-Renault / Japan

20. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain (P)

21. Max Chilton / Marussia-Ferrari / Great Britain

Pit-Lane

Marcus Ericsson / Caterham-Renault / Sweden

(P) = Driver was given a penalty, and is now starting from the respective new position.

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

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German GP: Free Practice 2 - Re-Cap & Results

Free Practice 2 - Re-Cap & Results

The second free practice session was full of interesting things, including the fact there was a record temp' for this season. The track temperature got up to a whopping 58° C. The super-soft tyres nearly turned to chewing gum out on the hot surface of the circuit.

Caterham had a handful of problems when Marcus Ericsson encountered an oil pressure problem and not long later, his team-mate, Kamui Kobayashi's car caught fire and he hopped out and even helped put out the flames! Go Kamui! Always great to see a driver lend a hand to the hard-working marshals and firefighters. Good sportsmanship is game.

It was another Mercedes 1-2 in this session with big time imrovements from both McLaren drivers and also the Ferrari's. Here are the final times.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:18.341 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Nico Rosberg - 1:18.365 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:18.443 / Red Bull-Renault

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:18.887 / Ferrari-Ferrari

5. Kevin Magnussen - 1:18.960 / McLaren-Mercedes

6. Felipe Massa - 1:19.024 / Williams-Mercedes

7. Jenson Button - 1:19.221 / McLaren-Mercedes

8. Sebastian Vettel - 1:19.248 / Red Bull-Renault

9. Fernando Alonso - 1:19.329 / Ferrari-Ferrari

10. Valtteri Bottas - 1:19.385 / Williams-Mercedes

11. Adrian Sutil - 1:19.417 / Sauber-Ferrari

12. Daniil Kvyat - 1:19.452 / Toro Rosso-Renault

13. Sergio Perez - 1:19.581 / Force India-Mercedes

14. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:19.593 / Force India-Mercedes

15. Jean-Eric Vergne - 1:19.760 / Toro Rosso-Renault

16. Pastor Maldonado - 1:20.158 / Lotus-Renault

17. Romain Grosjean - 1:20.358 / Lotus-Renault

18. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:20.504 / Sauber-Ferrari

19. Jules Bianchi - 1:21.328 / Marussia-Ferrari

20. Marcus Ericsson - 1:21.870 / Caterham-Renault

21. Max Chilton - 1:21.898 / Marussia-Ferrari

22. Kamui Kobayashi - 1:23.728 / Caterham-Renault 

Make sure you join us on our Twitter @F1Insider78 for our LIVE commentary coverage of Free Practice #3!

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended.

German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

Preview Quotes - Williams

Felipe Massa - "Germany is a good track as you can overtake easier than some places as the straight is long and you can use the DRS to get past. The track demands good downforce, especially the last sector so we have been working to improve that. We have been building on what is a good car, so I am confident that we can continue the moment and have a good performance."

Valtteri Bottas - "Hockenheim is a great race, the fans are very passionate and a lot of people come to watch. Overtaking is possible so good racing is expected. I think it should be a circuit that suits our car; the old circuit would have been perfect. I hope we can continue the good form we have had in the last three races and I am looking forward to a good weekend and some more points."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Quotes made by Drivers.