German Grand Prix – Vettel Scores his First Home Win
Vettel wins 1st home grand prix
There was plenty of sporting action competing for viewers’ attention on 7th July; including of course Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon win. Whilst it wasn’t as nail biting as the Wimbledon Men’s Final, the German Grand Prix came close. There was plenty of overtaking and a real race for the finish in the final laps.
The German Grand Prix alternates between the Nurburgring and Hockenheimring. This year it was the Nurburgring’s turn to host the event. The race takes place on the newer track, but the long-range aerial shots, showed the original track too, complete with visiting superbike riders hurtling around it.
Tough race for Vettel
A win for Sebastian Vettel may not seem like headline news, but this one was remarkable for two reasons. Firstly because it was his first home win, and secondly because it was possibly the most he’s had to fight for a win in a long time.
The German World Champion was kept on his toes throughout the race. Initially Mark Webber looked favourite to pass, until his disastrous pit stop forced him to the back of the pack. Then the Lotus drivers took turns to threaten his lead. Romain Grosjean eroded it massively during the second part of the race and Kimi Raikkonen threatened to snatch first place in the last few laps.
A rough day for Mercedes
Despite qualifying in first place on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton started badly and was overtaken by both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the first lap. Pre-race hopes had also been high for Nico Rosberg. Could he repeat his race winning drive of the week before?
Unfortunately it wasn’t to be. High track temperatures meant the team’s tyre strategy fared badly. Although Hamilton fortunately pulled it back towards the end of the race and finished fifth, ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Lotus take two podium places
Whilst Mercedes struggled, Lotus produced an impressive performance. Both drivers pushed hard and managed to record fastest lap times during the race. Grosjean held second place for much of the race, but after Raikkonen changed his tyres in lap 50, Kimi was running much faster than his French teammate.
Unsurprisingly team orders swiftly followed and Grosjean was informed that Kimi was approaching quickly. “Do not hold him up” were the instructions given via team radio, and three laps later Kimi finally overtook his teammate.
Webber’s disastrous pit stop leads to injuries
Up until his pit stop on lap nine, Mark Webber was having a fantastic race. He was faster than Vettel and seemed favourite to win.
Unfortunately it was not to be. His pit crew had problems reattaching the rear right tyre and as Mark left the pits the tyre detached, rolled down the pit lane and hit an F1 cameraman, Paul Allen. Allen was hospitalised with a broken shoulder and cracked ribs. A few days later the FIA announced that from now on all media and non-essential personnel would be banned from the pit lane.
Bianchi’s Marussia catches fire
Another racing incident involved Jules Bianchi’s Marussia, which left the track in a puff of smoke. Just as it came to a standstill the back of the car caught fire. Fortunately on-board extinguishers put out the blaze and Bianchi jumped out unhurt.
But this wasn’t the end of the drama. As a crane arrived to remove the car from the side of the track, the car slowly rolled backwards across the track and only stopped when it demolished a trackside hoarding. Fortunately the track was clear at the time, otherwise the outcome may have been much more severe. As David Coulthard pointed out afterwards, racing cars don’t have handbrakes, so Bianchi wasn’t at fault for the incident.
Williams celebrates their 600th race
The German Grand Prix was a landmark race for Williams F1 as they celebrated their 600th race in the sport. The team first raced in 1978 in the Argentine Grand Prix and have won seven Drivers’ and nine Constructors’ Championships since then. Whilst the past few seasons have proved difficult for the team, their Finnish driver Valteri Bottas qualified third for the Canadian Grand Prix. Hopefully they’ll get back on track soon and return to their race-winning form.
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