
The 2019 German Grand Prix was held in mixed conditions and had absolutely everything as a race spectacle, from drivers crashing out, some brilliant strategy calls and some superb drives. Ultimately, Max Verstappen came out on top to make it his second win of the season, with Sebastian Vettel driving a remarkable race from last to second (even if a bit of luck with conditions played its part), and even more impressively, Daniil Kvyat claimed his first ever podium finish since 2016 and Toro Rosso's first in a long, long time.
Verstappen demonstrates he is a driver in top form
In a season which has so far been dominated by Mercedes, so much so that they have only failed to win two races this season. On both occasions, it is very much worth noting that Max Verstappen won both times and he does lie in 3rd place in the World Championship standings. In today's race, Verstappen drove absolutely superbly and proved his undoubted ability as a driver in any given conditions. Even when things did not seem to be going his way, he stayed patient, did not panic and it must also be said that he got a nice helping hand by Red Bull, whose strategy calls were on point all throughout the race.
Racing Point take gamble which pays off For the Racing Point team (formerly known as Force India), it has been a rather difficult season, partly due to the financial struggles they endured in previous years. This weekend, the team brought substantial upgrades to the car and they seemed to be working as the team had its best performance this year (excluding Baku where they always tend to perform quite well, and Baku is a bit of an unusual track it has to be said). With Stroll lying outside the points during the penultimate Safety Car (SC) around 20 laps from the end, the team could see that the track was drying up sufficiently to be able to put on slick tyres and pitted him at the end of the SC period. It was a gamble which paid off, as the conditions were evidently right for slick tyres and he at one point was even leading the race. It might not quite have warranted a podium finish, but a fourth place represents an impressive result for a team who have endured a difficult season.
Vettel keeps his head down and is duly rewarded
It has also been a difficult season for German driver Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari, who has been hampered by a combination of driver and team error. However, having started last today, in very tricky conditions, for the first time in a while, Vettel kept his head and Ferrari made good strategy calls - and unlike Vettel, Charles Leclerc made a mistake and ended up crashing into the wall. Could this be a turning point for Vettel? He certainly was due a bit of luck after some incredible misfortune and errors, and today he kept his head down brilliantly - it is worth pointing out that Vettel is a four-time world champion and still an incredibly talented driver, and if he and Ferrari can cut out certain errors then Vettel will be competing more regularly for race wins.
Mercedes endure a disastrous day in their home GP
After qualifying yesterday, many would have expected another Mercedes win (most likely from Hamilton). However, rain in today's race caused absolute chaos. Furthermore, Hamilton made an uncharacteristic error and lost his front wing - with the ensuing pitstop leading to utter confusion by the Mercedes pit crew. In addition, Valtteri Bottas also made an error and it meant that he retired from the race. In a season whereby the team have so far dominated, this was a disastrous day for the team and whilst they do have a relatively sizeable lead, they cannot remain complacent. However, whenever they have endured difficult days in the past, they have always bounced back and one would still back them to do so again.
Kvyat justifies why Red Bull re-hired him with Toro Rosso
If there is a driver who has had a more chaotic and turbulent time in Formula 1 since he first debuted, then it surely has to be Daniil Kvyat. He started with Toro Rosso, was then promoted to Red Bull a year after to replace Sebastian Vettel, before being demoted back to Toro Rosso after some poor performances and the impressive Max Verstappen. He was then dropped by Toro Rosso towards the end of 2017, before the team re-hired him for 2019.
Whilst he has not scored too many points this season, he has certainly returned to Formula 1 a more mature driver and today he proved, making almost no mistakes, being patient and ultimately being rewarded with his first podium finish since the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix.
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