German Grand Prix 2018
The moment the qualifying of the German Grand Prix was over and done with, many thought that the Formula 1 championship was decided right there and then.
Lewis Hamilton experienced plenty of hiccups, landing way behind the pole in the starting grid. Meanwhile, a win for Vettel in his home Grand Prix would have meant huge for his championship bid and a meaningful win at Hockenheim.
The results seemed so lopsided that it wouldn’t have been weird for fans to skip watching the race and just wait on the Formula 1 updates about the drivers who will be flanking the German on the podium.
However, a combination of brilliant racing by Hamilton, miscommunication by Ferrari, and a bit of meteorological cooperation saw Hamilton stand atop the podium and Vettel crash his way into a gravelly end to his race.
The driver’s title is still out in the open, and Hamilton is currently the man in the lead.
Highlights of the game
The reason why some would even think about skipping this race was the terrible performance Hamilton showcased in qualifying. His Mercedes car got stuck in gear after a loss in hydraulic pressure, causing him to exit in Q1 and settle for P14 at the starting grid.
Giving up and focusing on the next race, similar to what Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo decided prior to this race, would have been an acceptable strategy for the Briton and his team. While he could catch up to the Top Four no problem, the conditions would not have allowed him an opportunity to bounce back and finish first.
The starting grid saw Vettel at pole, primed to extend his lead over his British rival. Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen made up the rest of the first two grids. Haas and Renault drivers occupy the next two rows.
Like expected, Hamilton cut through the trimmings like butter and jumped four places to join the Top Ten within the first five laps of the race. Sure, they can try and battle Hamilton for the position, but Mercedes’ powerful engine is just too much. It would be a waste to spend their tyres and ruin their strategies just to delay the inevitable.
Ricciardo also made it back to the Top Six after more than 20 laps of racing but had to retire near the midway point of the race due to power trouble. Some thought that a virtual safety car could have increased his chances, but the Australian was able to park his car neatly to the side to allow the race to continue.
By this point of the race, it seemed like Hamilton was destined to settle for a top-five finish. The drivers around him have shifted on to ultrasoft tyres while he was still holding on to the softs that he started the race with. While the rain seemed looming to go, it didn’t actually fall for a good chunk of the race.
However, things started to turn in his favour. When lap count hits the 30s, Vettel was stuck behind Kimi Raikkonen. The Flying Finn refused to let the German pass through despite Vettel leading the driver standings and the team giving him subtle, unclear orders to let him through.
Then the rain started falling. It first started pouring at Turn 6 before slowly making the track damp. Some teams had made pre-emptive changes and shifted to intermediates. Meanwhile, it was around this time that Hamilton shifted to the ultrasofts himself.
And then, the unthinkable happened: Sebastian Vettel suffered wing damage on Lap 50, oversteered at Turn 12 on Lap 21 and crashed out of the German Grand Prix. Hamilton suddenly found himself in a position to win when the safety car was taken out and there were ten laps remaining.
He had a bit of a battle with Bottas when the safety car was taken in, but a direct team order from Mercedes instantly saw the No 2 driver make way for the Briton. The race finished without any hiccups as Hamilton pulled the rug on Vettel the same way the German did at Silverstone.
A Ferrari 1-2 turning to a Mercedes 1-2 is probably the most shocking out of all the possible German Grand Prix results predicted by pundits pre-race.
Key statistics
Thanks to the results of the race, Hamilton reclaims the top spot of the 2018 driver standings with a 17-point lead. Mercedes’ 1-2 podium finish also saw them back to the forefront of the constructor standings as well, retaking the lead from Ferrari with 310 points. The Scuderia were able to limit the damage with Raikkonen’s third-place finish.
Hamilton was the only one among the top five finishers to go through the race with a one-stop strategy so late in the race. Honestly, the Briton could not have won it if it weren’t for the rains forcing teams to panic and have them prematurely change tyres in anticipation of the rain.
Force India had a remarkable outing as things turned out in their favour. Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Meanwhile, Kevin Magnussen had a poor race, finishing eleventh after starting fifth in the grid.
What’s next?
The next track is the Hungaroring, and engine power matters little here. Sebastian Vettel saw victory here the previous year, and he will likely try to defend his crown and cut on Lewis’ lead. However, that’s not the focus right now.
Raikkonen is reportedly connected to Sauber for the 2019 season, and the tension that simmered through the team radio and into the public was undeniable proof that he could well be leaving the team by the season’s end.
Will Raikkonen actually leave the team that he has raced for since 2014? How will the brewing trouble affect Vettel’s championship hopes? Is this finally the time for Hamilton to put away the 2018 trophy for good?
We’ll find out when SBOBET follows the Formula 1 through its exciting season.
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