Hectic Hockenheim

The F1 race at Hockenheim, Germany has been run and won, the victor crowned and the losers commiserated, probably. It was a race of highs and lows, a hectic race full excitement, heartbreak hero's!

The race started wet and with limited running with this year's 2019-specification cars it was always going to throw up some excitement, great racing and , of course, curve-balls! It did not fail to deliver.

With several drivers starting out of position on the grid like the two Ferrari's of Vettel and Leclerc those fast charging cars threw the cat among the pigeon's as they carved up the field. Out front title-leader Hamilton raced away into the lead from pole position. All runners started on wet tyres but as a dry-line formed some dived into the pits for full slicks...And then the chaos started.

Tyre strategy won the day at Hockenheim where those on the right tyre at the right time pushed themselves up the order and those others...Well, they ended in the wall or at the back of the field. With rain threatening, on and off the whole race, and a few spots falling here and there the race was interesting from start to finish with loads of great driving, overtaking and several offs that ended the day for some of the drivers. The safety car, deployed to allow track-marshall's to clear away the wrecked cars, played a roll with a couple of deployments in addition to the virtual safety car deployment as well. Those drivers who took advantage of the safety periods and ducked in for tyres did the best and at the end finished well. (Image snapped from Sky Sports on my TV.)

At the conclusion of the race the podium looked like this:

A few notable drives:

• Sebastian Vettel - (Ferrari) coming from 20th (last on the grid) to finish 2nd.
• Daniil Kvyat - (Toro Rosso) 3nd place equaling his bet ever finish
• Lance Stroll - (Racing Point) coming home in 4th
• Max Verstappen - (Red Bull Honda) recovering from 4 pit stops and a 360 degree spin in the wet to place 1st

Of course anyone who finished that race did well and there were battles up and down the order all the way to the end.

A few notable fails:

• Lewis Hamilton - (Mercedes) Pole position to 9th place after a penalty for a pit lane-entry infringement and a spin off the track.
• Valteri Bottas - (Mercedes) crashed out from 2nd place
• Daniel Ricciardo - (Renault) did not finish through engine failure
• Charles Leclerc - (Ferrari) crashed out

Only 13 of the 20 starters finished the race and those that did called it one of the longest races they have run considering all the drama throughout. It was a race that required skilled driving (as always), a clear head, the right strategy and a little luck. It was also a race that delivered one of the best races I've seen in over ten years.

The next instalment is this week, Sunday 4th, from Budapest, Hungary. The Hungaroring is notorious for being difficult to pass on and should deliver some good racing as well. There'll be a few drivers looking to take advantage of the momentum gained from Hockenheim and others looking to redeem themselves. It should be a good race weekend.

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