2010 F1 German Grand Prix Review

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa takes lead at first corner. Photo by Reuters.

On last Sunday - July 25, 2010, the 2010 F1 German Grand Prix race was run at Hockenheimring, in Hockenheim, Germany. Scuderia Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso won, after his race leading Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa slowed and pulled over to let him pass during lap 49. Ferrari, who have been guilty of issuing such "team orders" before, were later fined the equivalent of 100,000 US dollars.

The most interesting and relevant Formula1.com post links, from pre-race qualifying on through to post race reactions, are here for this 2010 F1 German Grand Prix Review. Preview posts are included in the previous regular 'Reading And Viewing List' blog entries.


Qualifying - Vettel snatches home pole in Germany
Posted at Formula1.com on July 24, 2010

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso led Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in both Q1 and Q2, and again after the first runs in Q3, but on his very last run the German stopped the clocks in 1m 13.791s. And when the dust had settled after the Spaniard had completed his second run he came up just two thousandths of a second short, on 1m 13.793s...

Qualifying - selected team and driver quotes
Posted at Formula1.com on July 24, 2010

Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi on his high-speed crash during Q1; Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher on just missing out on taking part in Q3 in front of his home crowd; and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on clinching pole position. All 24 drivers, and senior team personnel, review Saturday’s action at Hockenheim...

FIA post-qualifying press conference - Germany
Posted at Formula1.com on July 24, 2010

Drivers: 1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1m 13.791s; 2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 1m 13.793s; 3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 1m 14.290s

Q: Sebastian, congratulations. Your third pole in a row. Your first in your home event and by such a small margin as well.
Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, it would be interesting to calculate how much it is, two thousands of a second. It was very, very close. All session Fernando was really strong and in general the Ferraris are very competitive here...

Qualifying analysis - Ferrari throw down gauntlet to Red Bull
Posted at Formula1.com on July 24, 2010

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel once again took the top grid slot during qualifying for Sunday’s German Grand Prix. But with Fernando Alonso a very close second and his Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa in third, Mark Webber found himself down in fourth in the other RB6. Ferrari it seems have made genuine progress here and both they and McLaren will pose a very real threat to the blue cars on Sunday. We take a team-by-team look at how all the runners performed...

Paddock Postcard from Hockenheim
Posted at Formula1.com on July 25, 2010

Danny ‘Spin to Win’ Sullivan, the former Tyrrell Grand Prix driver and famed 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner is the stewards’ advisor this weekend in Hockenheim, and was joined in the paddock by fellow ChampCar racer Adrian Fernandes who was there along with fellow Mexican drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez.

Former Andrea Moda F1 driver Perry McCarthy also made a brief appearance, while other familiar racing faces included Andrew Kirkcaldy, Kris Nissen (now the head of Volkswagen Motorsport), Australian Grand Prix steward and former Brabham/Surtees racer Tim Schenken, double world champion Mika Hakkinen...

Race - Alonso leads Ferrari one-two in Germany
Posted at Formula1.com on July 25, 2010

Felipe Massa handed Ferrari team mate Fernando Alonso a controversial victory in Sunday's German Grand Prix as the red team scored their second one-two of the season and the win they were under so much pressure to achieve before the summer break, beating Sebastian Vettel’s pole-winning Red Bull into third place...

[XuastPro] F1 Germany 2010 Highlights
Posted to YouTube by emanuelis8

German Grand Prix - selected team & driver quotes
Posted at Formula1.com on July 25, 2010

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on his tricky start from pole position; Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari on their first-lap collision; Lotus on their disappointing double DNF; and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa on their first one-two since the season opener in Bahrain. All 24 drivers, and senior team personnel, report back on Sunday’s race...

Ferrari referred to WMSC over team orders
Posted at Formula1.com on July 25, 2010

Following their controversial one-two result at the German Grand Prix, Ferrari have been fined US$100,000 by the FIA after race stewards deemed they had breached sporting regulations and the case has been referred to the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC)...

FIA post-race press conference - Germany
Posted at Formula1.com on July 25, 2010

1st Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 1h27m38.864s; 2nd Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 1h27m43.060s; 3rd Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1h27m43.985s.

Q: Fernando, as the team told you at the end you have indeed been very quick this weekend. Frustration though for much of the race and you said on the team radio at one stage 'this is ridiculous' but in the end it ended very well for you.
Fernando Alonso: Yeah, I think it was a good weekend overall. We did improve the car a lot and immediately from Friday we felt very competitive. The car behaved very well and all the set-up adjustments worked really well here in Hockenheim...

Sebastian Vettel Q&A: It's good to be out of the spotlight
Posted at Formula1.com on July 25, 2010

Hockenheim is practically in Sebastian Vettel’s back yard - he grew up barely 40 km away - so few were surprised to see him take pole for his home race. More surprising was the way he then got dumped down to P3 at Turn One by the Ferraris. Vettel, however, is looking on the bright side - he outscored his main title rivals and is happy that for once it's a team other than Red Bull courting controversy...

Germany race analysis - Ferrari fast, but under fire
Posted at Formula1.com on July 26, 2010

Hockenheim was a weekend of extremes for Ferrari. They finally found the speed needed to beat Red Bull and rediscover winning-ways, but their much-needed one-two came at a price - $100,000 to be precise. The team insisted Fernando Alonso’s pass on Felipe Massa was not the result of team orders, but the stewards disagreed and now the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council must decide if the matter is taken further. While the result stands, however, it puts Alonso very much back in the hunt for a third drivers’ title...

Post-Germany Q&A with Williams’ Sam Michael
Posted at Formula1.com on July 26, 2010

It was another promising but ultimately frustrating weekend for Williams in Germany, with both Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg making the Q3 cut in qualifying, only to be stymied in the race by poor starts. Technical director Sam Michael reviews the events of Hockenheim and looks forward to this coming weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix...