Verstappen wins dramatic German Grand Prix

Max Verstappen clinched a sensational victory in an incident-filled German Grand Prix on Sunday at a rain-hit Hockenheimring. 

The Red Bull Racing ace started the 64-lap sprint in the front row alongside pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, but after a chaotic race that saw Verstappen need to pit five times, the Dutchman emerged victorious for his second triumph of the season.

The win was also the seventh of Verstappen’s career and his first in Germany.

Verstappen and Red Bull made all the right decisions as the safety car played a major role in determining the end result.

Another driver to benefit greatly was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who went from worst to almost-first after starting on the back row and finishing as the runner-up.

His teammate Charles Leclerc was not as lucky, however, losing control of his car on a wet track and crashing into the barriers to end his race.

The Mercedes pair of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas also had forgettable drives. Hamilton had to settle for ninth on the final classification while Bottas spun out of control on his own and crashed out of the Grand Prix. It was the first race of the 2019 season in which neither Mercedes driver was on the podium.

Despite his victory, Verstappen flirted with disaster as he too spun on track due to the tricky conditions. But he was able to regain control of his car and continue with the race, eventually taking the chequered flag unchallenged in 1h 44m 31.275s.

Vettel only climbed into second place over the last few laps following the final safety car period. His charge to the front made for a thrilling finish, and he was classified 7.333s behind the victor.

Taking third place with his own brilliant drive was Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso. He was 8.305s back for his first podium of the season and only the third of his career.

Lance Strollof Racing Point was an impressive fourth not far behind Kvyat, while Carlos Sainz Jr of McLaren came fifth just a little bit more than a second off the final podium place.

Rounding out the top 10 and the final points winners were Alexander Albon in the second Toro Rosso, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Hamilton and Robert Kubica of Williams.

Only four other drivers were on the final classification, including George Russell in the other Williams, the Alfa Romeo pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, and Pierre Gasly of Red Bull. Bottas, Leclerc, Nico Hulkenberg, Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez all did not finish.

Following his victory, Verstappen commented: “To come out on top after a race like that is amazing and for the team to win for the second time this year with Honda is incredible.

“The conditions were very tricky and it was all about survival. It was definitely not an easy race and very tricky with the changing conditions. The team made all the right calls. They were giving me the right information and keeping an eye on all the other teams and sector times. They were really on top of things and everyone worked so well together.

“It has been one of my most difficult races and it is great to come out on top. For sure I enjoy driving in the wet but also you need a good car for that. You can find a bit of pace in yourself but today we had both things right and I’m very happy with the result.

“The orange fans were standing up, especially when I was in the lead which was also amazing to see. A big thank you to the whole team and it has been a crazy but amazing Sunday.”

To go along with his win, Verstappen also posted the race’s fastest lap of 1m 16.645s.

Following the German Grand Prix, Verstappen improved to 162 points for third place on the Drivers’ Championship standings. Hamilton continues to lead with 225 followed by Bottas with 184. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes are first with 409, followed by Ferrari with 261 and Red Bull with 217 points.

The Formula 1 season resumes next weekend with the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 4.