An epic German GP unfolded at Hockenheim under mixed conditions. Lewis Hamilton won the race after he started 14th on the grid. Hamilton is back on top of the drivers’ championship with a 17-point lead. Sebastian Vettel had a shunt on the partly wet track on lap 52 that brought out the Safety Car (SC). Vettel was bitterly disappointed at the small error that ended his dreams of a first win at his home track.
Mercedes AMG F1 Debrief of the German GP
James Vowles, Chief Strategist of Mercedes, debriefs the German GP. A race that threw up the most unlikely result under mixed conditions. Vowles explains the strategy calls that led to the Mercedes 1-2.
Mercedes Secures a Lucky 1-2
Sebastian Vettel had secured a pole position and seemed to have the faster car. But as a sprinkling of rain hit the track, he locked up and went off the track and hit the barriers at turn 13. A bagful of 25 points went out of the window. Even worse his title rival Hamilton came from the back to secure a miraculous win.
Valtteri Bottas started second and finished in the same place. Kimi Raikkonen again started third and finished in the same position. But Hamilton went from P14 to P1. A long first stint on soft tyres propelled him to P4. Frantic strategy calls under the SC gave him track position and eventually a dramatic win.
Hamilton said: “I feel all the rain has come down and kind of washed away the negativity. That’s why I said at the end that ‘love conquers all’ (on the radio after the race). It’s just a glorious day. It couldn’t have been a better day for me. A real dream and one I will always remember.
“It’s too early in the season to ever really feel like it’s slipping away. It never feels good when you face adversity. The longer you endure it, the stronger you grow.
“Yeah, I definitely felt at one point that ’Jesus this is a steep hill for us’ but it’s ok, keeping believing, keep fighting, things will come good. Today is one of the most unbelievable days for me.”
We head to to the Hungaroring for the Hungarian GP this weekend (27 July – 29 July 2018). The almost one-month long summer break follows.
