Formula 1 News

Hamilton wins the 2011 German Grand Prix 

Fernando Alonso second, Mark Webber third.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton took his second win in the 2011 season at the 2011 German Grand Prix ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

Fourth place for local hero and championship leader Sebastian Vettel in the other Red Bull, fifth for Felipe Massa in the other Ferrari, sixth for Adrian Sutil in the first of the Force Indias, seventh and eighth respectively Mercedes Gp’s Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, ninth for Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi and tenth for Vitaly Petrov in the Renault.

2011 German Grand Prix, lap by lap highlights:

The tenth race of the 2011 season is about to start at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit.

Mark Webber starts from pole position today for the second consecutive time ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. Local hero and championship leader Sebastian Vettel starts from the third spot of the grid in the other Red Bull ahead of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in the Ferrari, Nico Rosberg in the first of the Mercedes GP, Jenson Button in the other McLaren, Adrian Sutil in the Force India, Vitaly Petrov in the Renault and Michael Schumacher in the other Mercedes GP.

With 20 minutes to the start of the race, light rain is falling in the pitlane.

Most of the drivers opted for dry tyres.

Formation lap: the grid clears ahead of the formation lap.

Race start: Lights go off! Race start at the Nurburgring and…into Turn 1, Hamilton takes the lead. Webber P2, Alonso P3, Vettel P4. Rosberg up to fifth.

Lap 2/60: Alonso runs wide at Turn 3, he’s now in fourth.

Lap 3/60: DRS has been enabled. Replays show Webber’s really poor start.

Lap 5/60: Hamilton P1, then Webber, Vettel, Alonso, Rosberg, Massa, Sutil, Schumacher, Petrov, Button, Kobayashi, Barrichello, Maldonado, Alguersuari, Perez. P16 for Kovalainen, P17 for Buemi, P18 for Heidfeld, P19 for Glock, P20 for Di Resta, P21 for Liuzzi, P22 for D’Ambrosio, P22 for Ricciardo and P24 for Chandhok.

Lap 6/60: Webber closes to 1.2 seconds off race leader Hamilton.

Lap 7/60: Meteo France predicts no rain in the next 30 minutes.

Lap 8/60: Alonso overtakes Vettel down into Turn 1 for P3 while Massa is pressuring Rosberg for P5.

Lap 9/60: Perez pits.

Lap 10/60: Replays show Vettel going off track at Turn 10 after clipping the wet grass. The German however was able to resume the race.

Lap 11/60: Replays show a collision between Heidfled and Buemi. Heidfeld is out at the NGK chicane.

Lap 12/60: Massa makes it past Rosberg down at Turn 1. The Brazilian is now in fifth. Webber passes Hamilton on the main straight but Hamilton re-passes the Australian at Turn 1.

Lap 13/60: Hamilton P1, Webber P2, Alonso P3.

Lap 14/60: Alonso is now pressuring Webber for P2. Top three drivers are under 1 second.

Lap 15/60: Webber pits from P2. Rosberg pits. Webber rejoins in sixth.

Lap 16/60: Schumacher pits from P7. Maldonado pits. Button and Petrov are battling around the German track for P8.

Lap 17/60: Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel all pit. Barrichello pits. Hamilton rejoins in third behind Webber.

Lap 18/60: Massa pits. Alonso is all over Hamilton’s back while lights spots of rain begin to come down once again.

Lap 19/60: Button has made it past Petrov for P5. Barrichello is wheeled into the Williams garage: he’s out.

Lap 20/60: Webber leads ahead of Hamilton, Alonso, Sutil, Button, Petrov, Kobayashi, Massa and Vettel. Massa overtakes Kobayashi for P7. Vettel passed Kobayashi for P8.

Lap 21/60: Kobayashi heads over to the pits. Liuzzi pits. Massa and Vettel overtake Petrov.

Lap 22/60: Ricciardo and Sutil pit.

Lap 23/60: Webber P1, Hamilton P2, Alonso P3. Glock pits in the Virgin.

Lap 24/60: Schumacher has gone off track. The German resumes the race. Petrov, Alguersuari and Di Resta pit.

Lap 25/60: Button makes his late first pit stop. D’Ambrosio pits.

Lap 26/60: Vettel is being warned of a possible problem with his car’s brakes.

Lap 27/60: Kovalainen pits.

Lap 30/60: Alonso is told to push now as Webber’s tyres maybe going away at this point of the race.

Lap 31/60: Webber makes his second pit stop.

Lap 32/60: Hamilton pits while Alonso continues. The Briton rejoins ahead of Webber.

Lap 33/60: Alonso pits and rejoins ahead of both Hamilton and Webber. Hamilton re-passes the Spaniard from the outside for P1.

Lap 35/60: Hamilton pulls to a 2.4 second lead in his McLaren. Rosberg runs slightly wide at Turn 1 allowing Button to pass for P6.

Lap 36/60: Button heads over to the pits for a retirement after a hydraulics problem.

Lap 37/60: Rosberg pits from seventh.

Lap 38/60: Schumacher pits. According to the weather radar, showers could hit the track in the last 10 laps of the race.

Lap 40/60: Liuzzi pits and retires while Rosberg overtakes Kobayashi for P7.

Lap 41/60: Vettel pits from fifth. Schumacher overtakes Alguersuari for P11.

Lap 42/60: Massa pits from fourth and rejoins ahead of Vettel.

Lap 43/60: Perez pits.

Lap 45/60: Hamilton P1, Alonso P2, Webber P3. Massa P4, Vettel P5.

Lap 49/60: Sutil pits. Kobayashi pits.

Lap 51/60: Glock pits.

Lap 52/60: Hamilton makes his final pit stop and rejoins in third. Kovalainen and Ricciardo pit.

Lap 54/60: Alonso pits and rejoins behind Hamilton. Vettel is now pressuring Massa for P4.

Lap 56/60: Chandhok pits from P20.

Lap 57/60: Webber pits and rejoins in third.

Lap 58/60: Hamilton P1, Alonso P2, Webber P3, Massa P4, Vettel P5, Sutil P6.

Last lap: Massa and Vettel pit. Vettel rejoins ahead of Massa. Lewis Hamilton crosses the finish line for first and wins the 2011 German Grand Prix ahead of Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber. Fourth place for Sebastian Vettel, fifth for Felipe Massa, sixth for Adrian Sutil, seventh for Nico Rosberg, eighth for Michael Schumacher, ninth for Kamui Kobayashi and tenth for Vitaly Petrov.

2011 German Grand Prix, Race results: