This weekend saw F1 touch down in Germany for the eleventh round of season at Hockenheim.
With just two rounds left before the summer break, every team knows that strong performances here and in Hungary next weekend could well shape the Autumn run in as attention starts to switch to 2019.
Sebastian Vettel meanwhile looked to consolidate his championship lead at his home race, despite rain being a threat.
Therefore what lessons can be taken away from the 2018 German Grand Prix as we start to hit the business end of this season?
Vorteil Hamilton
Just how pivotal will this weekend prove to be come Abu Dhabi?
After a quiet Friday, Sebastian Vettel looked to have the advantage from pole after Lewis Hamilton failed to qualify in top ten after hydraulic failure.
If order stayed same come end of race, Vettel would of guaranteed the summer break lead regardless of next weekend.
With this being Mercedes’ home race and rain forecast though, there was no way that Hamilton would give up on hopes of victory.
From a clever alternative strategy, nicely timed pit stop just before rain arrived and Ferrari tripping up over themselves, the Brit fought the odds before seizing advantage when rain arrived and caught Vettel out to trigger a safety car.
Given that he has never won from outside top six on grid before, you would of been forgiven for writing Hamilton’s chances off pre race but it’s vorteil Hamilton now.
Just to show how much this victory meant to him as his total number of victories matched his car number, here is one of his post race tweets.
I wish I could describe this feeling right now… What a day, true proof that you should never give up!! The team did such a great job as they always do, I can’t thank them enough! I kept the belief and it came true. A big, big thanks to God 🙌🏾 #Godisthegreatest @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/5j3VBNFpJA
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 22 July 2018
Sebastian Vettel meanwhile suffered karma after Ferrari used team orders to get him past Raikkonen, before crashing out to gift Hamilton a 17 point lead heading to Hungary.
Progress for Red Bull
At what was expected to be a difficult weekend for Red Bull, they really made some solid progress.
Friday practice saw Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen top a session each, with the Dutchman describing it as a ‘nice surprise’.
Although Saturday and Sunday witnessed a return to usual standards, Friday’s performance probably sets them up nicely for next weekend when the Hungaroring should suit their car better.
That feeling was clearly echoed by Verstappen post race who believes that they will ‘be in better shape to get a good result in Hungary’ so could Friday of been a hint to their rivals ahead of next weekend?
Three Way Fight for Fourth
Its not just the Driver and Constructor titles which could go the distance, we have a three way fight for fourth on our hands between Renault, Force India and Haas.
Renault as however were up there alongside Haas but it was Force India who produced one of the race’s biggest surprises after Esteban Ocon raced from 15th on grid to 8th.
Speaking post race, Ocon described his achievement as a ‘great result’ after he managed to make a one stop work in tricky conditions.
Coupled with Sergio Perez’s seventh place, the ten Constructor points left Chief Operating Officer, Otmar Szafnauer pleased after the team ‘rode our luck at times’ but in end, it’s game on now that they have snatched fifth position from Haas despite tying on 59 points.
Both teams however are 21 points behind Renault and a freak double podium result could well turn the constructor battle between these three on its head between now and November.
Game on!!!
Leclerc on Form
Outside of the big guns, Charles Leclerc has again shown his usual form and was quite close to both Haas cars throughout weekend.
Compared to Sauber’s recent troubles, the Monegasque’s rookie rise has heralded a reconnaissance in fortune with strong consistent performances and has outqualified teammate – Marcus Ericsson for last eight races.
It’s that consistency which is why he is being talked about but this race brought a totally new F1 challenge, in form of rain mid race.
Judging by today’s handling of the wet weather, there is room for improvement after a few incidents from going off-roading to pirouetting at Turn One.
Leclerc however saw the positive side of the experience, posting the following on Twitter.
Artistic end to the week-end 💃 pic.twitter.com/fsGe3Os8zE
— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) 22 July 2018
With Sauber however now switching focus to 2019, this could very well provide Leclerc with his first proper test of a car that isn’t going to be developed much for rest of season.
That challenge will however come with increased scrutiny by Ferrari as they deliberate over who will partner Vettel next season, so can Leclerc keep his consistency going?
Vandoorne Fighting for Future
Whilst others enjoyed a positive weekend, for McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne, this proved to be a torrid weekend as questions heat up surrounding his F1 future.
Friday was just a disaster despite doing ‘beneficial’ testing of new components for future races, finishing last in both sessions.
Saturday however wasn’t any better after qualifying last on grid with various problems, leading to Vandoorne saying; “I definitely haven’t forgotten how to drive.”
For an ex GP2 champion to be coming out and defending his driving ability, highlights just how bad the car is if he cannot fulfil his potential.
His focus now however has to be on sorting out the ‘issues’ affecting his car otherwise potential F2 champion, Lando Norris could very well be in contention for his seat come Autumn.
Missed any of the first ten race weekends and want to get up to date? Click on any of the hyperlinks below to go and check out my round up of the weekend/s.
Leave a Reply