Race
Tyre supplier Pirelli chose to run with the most commonly run tyre combination of the year to date, and brought its white-banded medium compound tyre as the harder "prime" tyre and the yellow-banded soft compound tyre as the softer "option" tyre to the Hockenheim circuit. Notes:
Driver penalties
Romain Grosjean took a five-place grid penalty after his team discovered a terminal issue in his gearbox. Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber were also given five-place penalties for gearbox changes. Sergio Pérez was given a five-place grid penalty for impeding Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen in the second qualifying session.
Drivers
Dani Clos took over Narain Karthikeyan 's HRT during the first free practice session. Jules Bianchi replaced Paul di Resta at Force India , while Valtteri Bottas once again drove Bruno Senna 's Williams for the same session. This race marked Lewis Hamilton 's 100th race and Kamui Kobayashi 's 50th race. Constructors' Championship standings
Qualifying
Notes:
Race Result
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Part 1 | Part 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:16.073 | 1:38.521 |
| 2 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 1:16.393 | 1:38.309 |
| 3 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1:16.500 | 1:39.382 |
| 4 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:16.686 | 1:38.010 |
| 5 | 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:16.271 | 1:39.467 |
| 6 | 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1:16.181 | 1:38.731 |
| 7 | 3 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:16.507 | 1:38.659 |
| 8 | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:16.221 | 1:37.365 |
| 9 | 11 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:16.352 | 1:39.703 |
| 10 | 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:15.693 | 1:39.729 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung crisp, a dry 22 degrees – a deceptive stillness before the storm of ambition. Fernando, a sculptor of moments, carved out pole with his Ferrari's 6. 5-liter V8, a brutal engine breathing 800 horsepower. Michael Schumacher, a titan nearing the end, gifted the track his final fastest lap, a testament to 77 revolutions of a 90-degree crankshaft, a legacy etched in the Hockenheimring's asphalt. The Red Bull-Renault pairing, meanwhile, wrestled with tire degradation, a subtle dance of 700 horses against the relentless German summer.
The rain, a hesitant ghost clinging to the edges of the track, offered no solace. Hockenheim, a circuit steeped in the echoes of Schumacher's dominance, presented a curious tableau. Alonso, a sculptor of moments, seized the pole – his twentieth, a numerical whisper against the roar of the crowd. Yet, the air hung thick with the unspoken: Michael Schumacher's final lap, a solitary 1:22. 83, a frozen testament to a legacy measured not just in victories, but in the exquisite detail of a single, perfectly executed turn.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a sullen grey smear against the asphalt, hadn't arrived. Instead, the track pulsed with a brittle heat, a deceptive calm before the storm. Alonso, a sculpted predator, wrestled his Ferrari into a corner, the tires screaming a silent protest. A flicker of frustration crossed his face – the slightest tremor betraying the immense pressure he carried, the weight of expectation, the ghosts of Imola. Schumacher, a veteran etched with the memory of a thousand battles, sat stoic in the shadow of his successor, a final, deliberate act of respect. The air hung thick with the unspoken: this was not merely a race, but a transition, a legacy being surrendered. A palpable tension, a human drama unfolding beneath the relentless German sun.
The rain, a hesitant grey smear against the asphalt, mirrored the doubt clinging to Michael Schumacher's gaze. Twenty-three years. Twenty-three years he'd chased this ghost, this last, desperate attempt to etch himself deeper into the annals of speed. He adjusted his helmet, the familiar weight a small comfort, a tangible link to a legacy built on relentless pursuit. A flicker of something – frustration? – crossed his face as he watched Alonso, a young lion already claiming his rightful place. It wasn't just a race, you understand. It was a reckoning. A final, agonizing conversation with the man he once was. The silence of the garage, punctuated only by the hum of the engine, felt thick with unspoken history.