2011 German Grand Prix Results
For the tenth race of the season, teams headed to Germany from England. The German Grand Prix or Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland is held at the famous Nürburgring. The 60 lap race saw an upset, as Lewis Hamilton took first place, followed by Fernando Alonso in second place and Mark Webber in third place. Drivers’ Championship leader, Sebastian Vettel came in fourth place.
A disappointing weekend for local favourite, Sebastian Vettel, who has never won the German Grand Prix. His fourth place finish gives a glimmer of hope for competitors Webber, Hamilton and Alonso that they might still have a shot at the Drivers’ Championship title. The weekend began with a driver change for Team Lotus, with Karun Chandhok driving for Jarno Trulli. Qualifying was pretty much uneventful, without rain, for a change. Hamilton ended up posting the fastest lap, but did not manage to get pole position. Pole position went to Webber, followed by Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso and Massa. This was the first time Vettel didn’t start in the front row, since last season. Toro Rosso driver, Sebastien Buemi, was penalised and had to start at the back of the grid, when his fuel was tested and did not meet racing standards.
German fans were looking for an exciting home-town win by Vettel, but unfortunately, this did not materialise. Webber had a weak start from pole position, allowing Hamilton to take a quick lead and he pretty much did not look back. Vettel was for a while, able to move into third place, overtaking Alonso in lap two, but ended up dropping to fourth place and that’s where he stayed until the end. Overall, Vettel drove badly, with some race insiders questioning the German driver’s driving abilities. Hinting that his past wins have been thanks to the pit crew and pit-stop strategy, rather than driving ability, which is probably a bit over the top. Race fans will have to wait for the Hungarian Grand Prix, to see whether Vettel can get back into shape and whether the German Grand Prix was simply a glitch.
In contrast, Hamilton drove a superb race, taking the lead off Webber, but having to do some fancy overtaking to stay ahead. He really showed his driving ability, without being reckless. Kamui Kobayashi also drove a good race, starting from 18th position on the grid and finishing the race in 9th place. Michael Schumacher managed to finish in 8th place, earning him four points. Four drivers did not finish the race, but there were no major accidents at the Nürburgring. The race, however, ended with a penalty for Buemi. He received a five –place grid penalty for the next Grand Prix, the Hungarian Grand Prix, for causing a collision with Nick Heidfeld, which forced the German driver to retire in lap nine.
Even after his fourth place finish, Vettel still leads the Drivers’ Championship standings with 216 points. Webber’s third place finish solidifies his second place position with 139 points. Button continues to fall in the standings and his retirement from the German Grand Prix has hurt his position – he is now in fifth place with 109 points. Hamilton’s propels him into third place, with 134 points, overtaking Alonso, now in fourth place, with 130 points. Vettel’s weak performance in Germany, leaving him with a 77 point lead, perhaps signals that there is still room for change at the top. There are still nine races left in the season and a maximum of 225 to be had!
Red Bull’s 3-4 finish in Germany boosts their first place lead to 112 points. Red Bull remains in first place with 355 points, followed by McLaren in second place with 243 points. Ferrari’s 2-5 finish in Germany gives them 28, solidifying their third place standing with 192 points. The gap between third and fourth place is widening, with fourth place Mercedes having only 78 points. Three teams still have zero points: Lotus, Virgin and HRT-Cosworth.
Full Race Results
- Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) +28.986s
- Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:28:41.194s
- Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) +16.947s
- Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing-Renault) +16.511s
- Felipe Massa (Ferrari) +29.010s
- Adrian Sutil (Force India-Mercedes) +1:19.712s
- Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) +1:00.655s
- Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) +1:17.912s
- Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber-Ferrari) retired, lap 23
- Vitaly Petrov (Renault) +1:20.681s
- Sergio Perez (Sauber-Ferrari) +1:05.590s
- Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) +1:19.108s
- Paul di Resta (Force India-Mercedes) +1 lap
- Pastor Maldonado (Williams-Cosworth) +1 lap
- Sebastian Buemi (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) retired, lap 25
- Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus-Renault) retired, lap 2
- Timo Glock (Virgin-Cosworth) +2 laps
- Jerome d’Ambrosio (Virgin-Cosworth) +2 laps
- Daniel Ricciardo (HRT-Cosworth) +3 laps
- Karum Chandhok (Lotus-Renault) +4 laps
- Vitantonio Liuzzi (HRT-Cosworth) retired, lap 37
- Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) retired, lap 35
- Rubens Barrichello (Williams-Cosworth) retired, lap 16
- Nick Heidfeld (Renault) retired, lap 9