Hello! It was hot this weekend. To be exact, it was hot in Germany, and if even more precise, then at Hockenheimring. This route may disappear from the Formula 1 calendar from the next season, and this has further stimulated interest in the race, as well as the weather forecast for Sunday. Weather forecasters promised rain during the race, and the weather did not let us down.
The organizers, frightened by the release of the pilot, were behind the safety car, however, making sure that the conditions were adequate, they gave a start from the spot. Both Mercedes actually retained their seats, won in qualifications after the start of the race (Bottas even improved having escaped into second place), both Red Bull failed. Verstappen rolled back to the fourth position, and went out and completely fell out of the Top 10 after the first round, but Kimi Raikkonen broke into third place. The first accident did not have to wait long - Sergio Perez lost control of the car and flew off the track to the wall. Departure of the safety car provoked a wave of pit stops, many began to move from rain tires to intermediate tires, but this did not work. All transferred to the intermediate tires could not cope with the management and eventually rolled back were forced to go back to the pit stops. Next, Daniel Riccardo got off the highway, whose car burned down the engine, this caused the appearance of a virtual safety car, Hulkenberg and Leclerc set off for new sets of rubber. Both then drove faster and began to catch up with the top three - Hamilton, Bottas and Verstappen.
The most interesting thing was to come. The rain gradually subsided, and the racers began to take risks and switch to slicks. This is where the fun began. Vettel, who was one of the first to switch to the “red headbands,” began to rapidly improve his time and thus a wave of pit stops was provoked again. But then the rain again resumed and mistakes began. First Verstappen turned 360 degrees through the curb, getting off with a slight fright. Leclerc lost control in the final turn of the route flew onto the gravel and crashed into the bump stops. It was another gathering. A few minutes later, Hamilton could also park next to him, but the champion lost control and returned to the track and went into the pits, albeit with a violation of the rules, for which he later received a 10-second penalty. The appearance in the pits Hamilton caused chaos in the team, could not find the front wing, also could not decide on what kind of tires to produce Lewis. The organizers, meanwhile, once again released the safety car. The leaders came Max Verstappen and Nico Hulkenberg not switched to slick. In third place, Bottas, fourth Albon, fifth was Hamilton. Slowly, Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat were getting closer to the points zone, the German went to the 9th place, the Russian to the 11th.
Then a series of fatal mistakes began again, only in the lead. Hulkenberg, having missed a Mercedes ahead, seemed to be fixed in fourth place, but could not resist at the last corner and flew off the road - another safety-car. And when the safety car almost went into the boxes of Stroll and Kvyat called to the pit stops and transfer them again to slicks. It would seem a wrong decision, but it became brilliant. After a lap on the pit stop, everyone else rushed, and Stroll at one point was even the leader of the race, ahead of Verstappen, Kvyat was the third. But Max quickly returned the lead, and then Kvyat coped with Racing Point. Then Bottas struggled with Stroll, but in the end he lost and crashed the car. It was a failure of the Mercedes, given that at that time Hamilton was the last. For a couple of laps to go, Vettel caught up with the leaders and beat Stroll first and then Kvyat came in second. While there was a struggle for the podium in the fight for the sixth place Gasly went out and rammed Albon and cut his tires on his broken rear wing off the track. Well, how not to mention the fact that both Haas with the stubbornness of idiots tried to knock each other off the track in the last laps. The team is clearly something wrong and it's time to do something with it.
As a result, I want to highlight the brilliant strategy of Toro Rosso, who helped Daniel Kvyat to get the third podium in his career and this is the day he became a father! The Russian will surely remember this day for a long time. Farm team Red Bull has not gained so many points in a single Grand Prix, and perhaps never before. A complete failure of the Mercedes and only a miracle, and this miracle can be called the punishment of Raikkonen and Giovinazzi, Hamilton was in the top 10, because Lewis came to the finish line 11th. Also noteworthy is the first hit in the points of Williams. Robert Kubica, also thanks to the Alfa Romeo penalty, scored 10th place and scored 1 point.
Incredibly exciting and interesting race, which kept in suspense throughout each of the 64 circles.
A selection of the best photos of the Sunday race
Results
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 33 | Max Verstappen | RB Racing Honda | 64 | 1:44:31.275 | 26 |
2 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 64 | +7.333 | 18 |
3 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rossa Honda | 64 | +8.305 | 15 |
4 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT | 64 | +8.966 | 12 |
5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 64 | +9.583 | 10 |
6 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Scuderia Toro Rossa Honda | 64 | +10.052 | 8 |
7 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 64 | +16.838 | 6 |
8 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 64 | +18.765 | 4 |
9 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 64 | +19.667 | 2 |
10 | 88 | Robert Kubica | Williams Mercedes | 64 | +24.987 | 1 |
11 | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 64 | +26.404 | 0 |
12 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 64 | +42.214 | 0 |
13 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 64 | +43.849 | 0 |
14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | RB Racing Honda | 61 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 56 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 39 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 27 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 25 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 13 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT | 1 | DNF | 0 |
Photos taken from the official Formula 1 website - www.formula1.com/
Kvyat was the greatest pilot at last grand prix. Love this guy!!!