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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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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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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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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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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Hungarian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - RACE

    When the lights went green in Hungary, it was Nico Rosberg on Pole Position, but Lewis Hamilton who easily took the lead during the first lap. Both Red Bull drivers charged after the Mercedes duo, allowing Ricciardo to momentarily take second while Verstappen lingered behind Rosberg.

    Early mechanical issues for Jenson Button, who reported that his brake pedal was hitting the floor when he would press it. The team gave Hamilton instructions, telling him not to shift and that the car had lost hydraulic pressure. Button received a drive-through-penalty due to the radio messages classifying as 'Banned' after the recent clampdown on what can and can't be said over the radio. Things only got worse for Button when he ended up having to retire on lap 60 with an oil leak. Team mate, Alonso, was able to finish 7th and score 6 points for the team. Button was the only retirement of the race, although Renault's Jolyon Palmer nearly threw his race away with a huge spin.

    An unsatisfying race for Force India, with Hulkenberg finishing 10th and only gaining one point, while Perez finished outside of the points after a disastrous pit-stop cost him a chance at finishing in the top 10. Force India had pitted Hulkenberg and Perez had headed in second, but his pit-crew were not waiting for him with a fresh set of tyres. Instead, they were seen scrambling out of the garage, still removing tyre-warming blankets off of the Pirellis. Perez voiced his frustration over the radio once back on track, asking what had happened.

    Daniil Kvyat, who has not been having the best of luck recently, got himself into a bit of trouble after he was found speeding in the pit-lane. He was given a 5-second-time-penalty. Esteban Gutierrez was also given a time penalty after ignoring multiple blue flags. Kvyat, Gutierrez and his team mate, Grosjean, were all unable to score points. Kvyat's team mate, Sainz, was able to finish 8th and bring 4 points to the Italian team.

    Max Verstappen once again found himself in a tight battle with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen was gaining in on being able to pass the Red Bull driver for 5th, but Verstappen continued to fiercely defend his position. The two made brief contact which resulted in Raikkonen losing a front wing end-plate. Neither driver was penalized for the collision and Verstappen finished the race in 5th after a long fight with the Ferrari driver.

    Lewis Hamilton went on to take the win, making it his 5th win at the Hungaroring. Nico Rosberg finished close behind in 2nd and Daniel Ricciardo found himself back on the podium, in 3rd after a tough fight with former team mate, Sebastian Vettel.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points

2. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 18 Points

3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / + 15 Points

4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points

5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / + 10 Points

6. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 8 Points

7. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 6 Points

8. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain / + 4 Points

9. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 2 Points

10. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / + 1 Point

11. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

12. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

13. Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico

14. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

15. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark

16. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia

17. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil

18. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

19. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany

20. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

21. Rio Haryanto / Manor-Mercedes / Indonesia

RETIRED - Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / Oil Leak

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Hungarian GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING

    Qualifying was delayed by 20 minutes due to heavy rain and was stopped due to multiple red flags. Both Massa and Ericsson crashed in Q1 and Alonso had a spin in Q3. Nico Rosberg will start the race from Pole Position. He was called to the stewards after Qualifying, as he was on his hot lap when yellow flags were waved for Alonso's spin. It was rumoured that Rosberg had not sufficiently slowed for the yellow flags. But after the FIA investigated the situation, Rosberg kept his result of Pole Position.

    5 drivers were under threat of losing their grid positions after failing to set a time within 107% of the leader in Q1. Perez, Hulkenberg, Verstappen, Ricciardo and Bottas were all investigated for this but were later granted permission to start the race.

    Marcus Ericsson will be starting from pit-lane due to needing a chassis replacement after his crash at Turn 8 during Q1.

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. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
6. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain
7. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain
8. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain
9. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany
10. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland
11. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
12. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia
13. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
14. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
15. Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico
16. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil
17. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
18. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
19. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark
20. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany
21. Rio Haryanto / Manor-Mercedes / Indonesia

PIT-LANE: Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden*

* - Starting from Pit-Lane following chassis replacement due to crash during Q1.

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

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #3

    More dry weather for the last practice session of the weekend and it was Rosberg who topped the time sheets with a 1:20.261. Lewis Hamilton, however, was not in the top 3 like usual, but in 4th with a 1:20.769. The Red Bull drivers were in 2nd (Verstappen) and 3rd (Ricciardo). Rounding up the top 5 was Kimi Raikkonen.

    Tough session for Toro Rosso with Sainz finishing 16th and Kvyat 18th. Kvyat had reported brake pulling during the session and struggled with his lap times throughout the hour. Sauber also saw both cars finish outside the top 15 as well as Hulkenberg in the Force India and both Manor Racing cars.

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:20.261 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Max Verstappen - 1:20.263 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:20.726 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

4. Lewis Hamilton - 1:20.769 / Mercedes-Mercedes

5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:20.859 / Ferrari-Ferrari

6. Sebastian Vettel - 1:21.185 / Ferrari-Ferrari

7. Fernando Alonso - 1:21.584 / McLaren-Honda

8. Valtteri Bottas - 1:21.649 / Williams-Mercedes

9. Sergio Perez - 1:21.672 / Force India-Mercedes

10. Jolyon Palmer - 1:21.935 / Renault-Renault

11. Felipe Massa - 1:21.975 / Williams-Mercedes

12. Kevin Magnussen - 1:21.989 / Renault-Renault

13. Jenson Button - 1:22.009 / McLaren-Honda

14. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:22.142 / Haas-Ferrari

15. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.284 / Haas-Ferrari

16. Carlos Sainz - 1:22.402 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

17. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:22.427 / Force India-Mercedes

18. Daniil Kvyat - 1:22.541 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

19. Felipe Nasr - 1:22.816 / Sauber-Ferrari

20. Marcus Ericsson - 1:23.219 / Sauber-Ferrari 

21. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:23.311 / Manor-Mercedes

22. Rio Haryanto - 1:23.513 / Manor-Mercedes

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

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #2

    Weather was perfect for the second practice session. The track had dried up and there were minimal clouds in the sky. Both Gutierrez and Magnussen returned to their cars after making way for Leclerc and Ocon in the first practice session.

    Red Flags were waved when Lewis Hamilton had a minor crash into the tyre barriers at Turn 11. However, Hamilton managed to drive away from the accident. His session was over as there was damage to the car. He went to the on-site medical centre for precautionary checks and was release soon after with no injuries.

    Fernando Alonso and Jolyon Palmer were both sidelined with mechanical issues and missed some of the session. Alonso's McLaren was up on the stands for awhile with the floor off and Palmer's Renault had suffered a fuel sensor issue.

    Near the end of the session, Sainz and Nasr also encountered problems and both stopped off-track. Their cars were pushed away through run-off areas with the help of the circuit marshals.

    With Hamilton missing most of the session, it was only one Mercedes car at the top of the time sheets. Nico Rosberg set the quickest time, a 1:20.435. Following close behind were Ricciardo and Vettel.

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:20.435 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:21.030 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:21.348 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Max Verstappen - 1:21.770 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

5. Lewis Hamilton - 1:21.960 / Mercedes-Mercedes

6. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:22.058 / Ferrari-Ferrari

7. Fernando Alonso - 1:22.328 / McLaren-Honda

8. Jenson Button - 1:22.387 / McLaren-Honda

9. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:22.449 / Force India-Mercedes

10. Sergio Perez - 1:22.653 / Force India-Mercedes

11. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:22.673 / Haas-Ferrari

12. Felipe Massa - 1:22.681 / Williams-Mercedes

13. Carlos Sainz - 1:22.689 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

14. Valtteri Bottas - 1:22.773 / Williams-Mercedes

15. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.864 / Haas-Ferrari

16. Daniil Kvyat - 1:22.948 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:23.347 / Renault-Renault

18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:23.437 / Sauber-Ferrari

19. Jolyon Palmer - 1:23.726 / Renault-Renault

20. Felipe Nasr - 1:23.986 / Sauber-Ferrari

21. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:23.992 / Manor-Mercedes

22. Rio Haryanto - 1:24.265 / Manor-Mercedes

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