A safety car with 36 laps to go prompted most drivers to make their second stops, with the final stops coming in the closing stages of the race. As different drivers were using varied strategies, the podium was only settled in the final laps. Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen completed a long middle stint to lead the race, before pitting for soft tyres with 11 laps to go. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Button also completed the race on the soft tyre. The top five finishers all used a three-stop strategy, with Button the highest-placed two-stopper in sixth.
Sebastian Vettel says: “It was a tough race; it was one of the toughest for a long time. I’m happy the race wasn’t two or three laps longer, as Kimi was a bit quicker towards the end. I’m very happy that it worked out and it’s very special. The team worked really hard to give me the chance to win this weekend and we got it. First of all you have to remember that it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to race in your home country; we have around 20 races, but there are obviously more than 20 countries, so it’s special to race at home and get so much support. I had a good start and then just focused on every single lap during the race. You don’t really think about where you are while you are racing, you can’t allow your mind to drift, but when the flag came out and the race was over I really let myself enjoy the parade lap and saw a lot of people in the grandstands cheering and waving flags. These pictures will remain in my head for a long, long time.”
The German Grand Prix, Nurburgring
60 laps, 306.458km., Weather: Sunnny.
Classified:
P. DRIVER TEAM TIME
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1h41:14.711
2. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus + 1.008
3. Romain Grosjean Lotus + 5.830
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari + 7.721
5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG + 26.927
6. Jenson Button McLaren + 27.996
7. Mark Webber Red Bull + 37.562
8. Sergio Perez McLaren + 38.306
9. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG + 46.821
10. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber + 49.892
11. Paul di Resta Force India + 53.771
12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso + 56.975
13. Adrian Sutil Force India + 57.738
14. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber + 1:00.160
15. Pastor Maldonado Williams + 1:01.929
16. Valtteri Bottas Williams + 1 lap
17. Charles Pic Caterham + 1 lap
18. Giedo van der Garde Caterham + 1 lap
19. Max Chilton Marussia + 1 lap
Fastest Lap: Kimi Raikkonen - 1:34.157
Not classified:
Driver Team On Lap
Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 22
Jules Bianchi Marussia 21
Felipe Massa Ferrari 3
After 9 Races:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. S.Vettel 157 1. Red Bull 250
2. F.Alonso 123 2. Mercedes AMG 183
3. K.Raikkonen 116 3. Ferrari 180
4. L.Hamilton 99 4. Lotus 157
5. M.Webber 93 5. Force India 59
6. N.Rosberg 84 6. McLaren 49
7. F.Massa 57 7. Toro Rosso 24
8. R.Grosjean 41 8. Sauber 7
9. P.Di Resta 36
10. J.Button 33
11. A.Sutil 23
12. S.Perez 16
13. J.Vergne 13
14. D.Ricciardo 11
15. N.Hulkenberg 7
