Race 2018 F1 German Grand Prix Full Race Replay
Race 2018 F1 German Grand Prix Full Race Replay
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Race Info
Date 22 July 2018
Official name Formula 1 Emirates Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2018
Location Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.574 km (2.842 miles)
Distance 67 laps, 306.458 km (190.424 miles)
Formula One German Grand Prix 2018 What to Watch
When the German Grand Prix is held this weekend, the 2018 Formula 1 season will be more than halfway over.
After a year off, the event is back on the schedule, and the 11th round of the season will be held at Hockenheimring.
The only drivers on the current field who have ever finished on the top step of the podium at Hockenheim are Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Sebastian Vettel leads the championship going into his home race, but the four-time champion has never won in Formula One here.
It has been two years since Formula One visited Hockenheimring, which alternately hosts the Germany Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton won his second race at the circuit and his third in Germany in 2016. A penalty for pushing Max Verstappen off the track made an already bad start even worse for his then-teammate Nico Rosberg, who started on pole.
After winning at his home race two years prior, Rosberg had to settle for fourth place, as Hamilton was joined on the podium by the two Red Bull drivers.
Ferrari finished the day as the third-best team, and a disgruntled Vettel ignored a pitwall summons to come in for new tires because he thought his team had made a poor strategic decision.
Rio Haryanto's participation in Formula One was also his last. Due to Manor and his primary sponsor's failure to contribute to the team's finances, the Indonesian driver had a difficult rookie season. The journey to Hockenheim turned out to be his last contribution with Manor, who downgraded Haryanto to reserve driver and brought in Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the season. He went into the race surrounded by rumors that he wouldn't be in Formula One for much longer.
The Hockenheimring has introduced a third DRS zone for 2018, following the pattern of prior races. When the drag reduction technology was first implemented, there was just one piece of the track; later, a second section was added 2014.
The zone leading into turn six has been enlarged, and the new DRS zone will be on the main straight.
Although Hockenheimring has seen several improvements throughout the years, the layout of the track hasn't changed since Formula One last competed there.
In contrast to 2016, Pirelli has chosen to use different compounds for this race, opting to use ultrasoft tires instead of supersoft ones, while mediums and softs are still available. For the second time this season, non-consecutive compounds will be used.
Daniel Ricciardo has chosen to use eight sets of the softest compound this weekend, although the majority of the leading contenders are being careful about the softer rubber. The additional set of the fastest tires might assist the Australian lessen the effects of the grid drop since he is anticipated to get a grid penalty for exceeding his engine elements allotment.
Two years ago, most drivers who finished the race required three pit stops, making the German Grand Prix one of the busiest races for pit crews.
The only driver to score points using a two-stop strategy was Valtteri Bottas, who stretched a pair of soft tires to 33 laps to secure ninth place, despite starting seventh. Ricciardo used three sets of supersofts during the race to get up to the second position.
No one used the more resilient medium tyre during the race, even though drivers need multiple sets of tyres to cover the entire distance.
It appears that the drivers at the Hockenheimring this weekend may have to contend with varying weather conditions on each day. The weather forecast indicates that tomorrow's practices will be hot and sunny, but the remainder of the weekend will bring different conditions.
Before storms hit the track before qualifying, P3 conditions are predicted to get cooler due to overnight rain. According to the current forecast, thunderstorms may also have an impact on Saturday's qualifying. Although it doesn't appear that Sunday will see as much rain, showers are still possible, especially in the afternoon.
Mercedes and Ferrari will be more assured going onto this track, despite the fact that three teams have challenged at the front this season. No team has won more races at the circuit than Ferrari, but Mercedes has won the last two at Hockenheim, so the German team can count on strong support from the home crowd. Red Bull has had double point finishes at every Hockenheim race since 2010, although their only victories in Germany have occurred at the Nurburgring. Grid penalties won't assist Ricciardo. In preparation for the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend, where Red Bull and Ricciardo are competing, the Australian is anticipated to bring in new engine parts here after being at the limit for the last two races.
This weekend, Hamilton is going to get a lot of attention. He recently signed a new contract that will keep him with Mercedes for the next two seasons in addition to driving for the home team, putting a stop to months of rumors regarding his future. Although completing the contract would relieve Hamilton's stress, curiosity about the new arrangement might also serve as a diversion.
Only half of the last eight race winners at Hockenheim set the quickest qualifying time, proving that pole position does not necessarily translate into race victory. Even though Kimi Raikkonen holds the lap record, has two pole positions at the track, and has never been outqualified by a teammate at Hockenheim, he has yet to win in Germany.
Choosing the appropriate race day strategy could be more important than qualifying this weekend due to the unpredictable weather and the tire selection.
The only driver outside of the top three teams to finish on the podium this season is Sergio Perez, who will be looking for another successful finish at this event. At Hockenheim, the Mexican has always scored points.
In the faltering Williams, Sergey Sirotkin is still trying to earn his first F1 points finish.
However, he will have fond memories of his final visit to the Hockenheimring because he had the best single-race weekend results of his GP2 career in 2016 when he won the GP2 feature race from pole position and finished second in the sprint race the following day.
In the most recent episode of the podcast, you can listen to the team's thoughts ahead of this weekend's race and find out who they believe will finish on the podium on Sunday. Join us for our live blog during qualifying and the race, and share your thoughts with us on Facebook and Twitter.