Lewis Hamilton extended his lead in the Formula One drivers’ championship to 19 points after winning the German Grand Prix easily on Sunday, with Mercedes teammate and title rival Nico Rosberg only fourth.
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Hamilton ended up. 107 seconds behind Rosberg, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen taking the second row on the grid in their Red Bulls.
But as with the Austrian Grand Prix, in which he dramatically collided with Hamilton on the final lap, Rosberg appeared to leave little room for the Dutchman, and he was hit with a five-second time penalty for forcing his opponent off the road.
“I’m not down as I have got a race to win”, Hamilton said.
Hamilton seized the advantage at the start from pole-sitter Rosberg, who drove an underwhelming race in front of his home fans, and was never headed.
Ferrari’s form has faded over recent races and the best Sebastian Vettel could manage on his first appearance for the team on his home soil was a distant fifth ahead of stablemate Kimi Raikkonen.
“When a day goes completely wrong all those things come together”, Rosberg said, adding that being 19 points behind was not tough to take. “I had the pace today, but I just didn’t finish it off on the last lap”.
“I thought it was a good battle [with Verstappen] and I was very surprised I got penalised”, said Rosberg.
Rosberg will start ahead of Hamilton for a second consecutive weekend, but while the Briton beat his team-mate on the run down to turn one in Hungary last Sunday, a shorter start here, ensures a repeat scenario is rather less likely. Ricciardo initially looked to be well placed as both he and Hamilton embarked on a two-stop strategy to Verstappen and Rosberg’s three-stop plan, but it soon emerged that the tyres weren’t lasting as was initially hoped. “I had no problems”, said a disappointed-looking Hamilton, giving brief answers at the post-qualifying news conference.
A four-time champion when he was still with Red Bull, Vettel is still without a win in Hockenheim, although he was born and raised in nearby Heppenheim and knows the track well.
Australian Ricciardo finished behind the Brit in second, but Verstappen was forced to settle for third.
The decision is consistent with what the stewards decided in Austria, when Rosberg went straight on at a corner and into Lewis Hamilton as they vied for the lead on the final lap.
Ricciardo celebrated his second place by drinking champagne from his boot on the podium.
“This is two weeks in a row on the podium”, the 27-year-old from Duncraig enthused. “So it’s awesome to close out the first part of the season”.
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Formula One now heads into its annual summer break before reconvening for the Belgian Grand Prix on August 28.
