F1 German GP: reactions to an all-time classic at ‘Shockenheim’

Formula 1 has recently been criticised for being boring and having a lack of wheel-to-wheel racing. Well, let’s hope the critics tuned into Sunday’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.

It was a race that had everything: crashes, spins, virtual safety cars, wet weather, dry weather, overtakes, multiple leaders, plenty of pit stops, no Mercedes drivers on the podium and... a point for Williams.

The Metro back page called it “Shockenheim”, and in the end of a chaotic German GP it was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who came through to take the chequered flag ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kyvat.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Vettel started his home race in 20th place but made it through the field to finish second while Kyvat secured a surprise podium spot for Toro Rosso.

Described by Sky Sports as “one of the most dramatic F1 races in recent years”, the German GP also saw costly crashes for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

Mercedes were celebrating their 200th F1 GP and were the race title sponsors, but the weekend turned into a nightmare with Hamilton finishing ninth and Bottas crashing out. After the race team principal Toto Wolff said the German GP was an “Armageddon weekend” for the championship leaders.

In fact, Hamilton only finished ninth because the Alfa Romeos of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi were handed 30-second penalties because of driver aid infringements, the BBC reports.

This is also meant that Williams secured their first championship point of the season with Robert Kubica finishing tenth.

Here we look at how the drivers and pundits reacted to an all-time classic race.

‘Horror movie with a black comedy’: driver reactions

Max Verstappen, Red Bull: started 2nd, finished 1st

“It was amazing to win, it was really tricky out there to make the right calls, you had to be focused. I made a nice 360, I enjoyed that. It was about trying to not make too many mistakes. You learn over the years. I’m very happy with the result.”

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari: started 20th, finished 2nd

“It was a long race at some stage it felt never ending. It was very fun, it was tough with the conditions and tough to read what was the smartest move. Before the last safety car it was straight-forward, I was fast and could time it right and people were being cautious into the first corner and I had DRS and I could get the moves in the back straight.”

Vettel on the German GP’s future on the F1 calendar

“I hope that we don’t lose this race. I think not only for me and Nico [Hulkenberg] as German drivers, I think for the German crowd that we saw is very passionate, a lot of people turning up. It was sold out despite the weather. I think we had a great race and it would be a shame to lose it.”

Daniil Kyvat, Toro Rosso: started 14th, finished 3rd

“It was amazing to be back on the podium. Incredible with Toro Rosso to bring a podium back to the team is amazing. I’m really happy. It was a horror movie with a black comedy. At some point I thought the race was done, but it was incredible, a rollercoaster, just like my career.”

Lance Stroll, Racing Point: started 15th, finished 4th

“It’s a bit unfortunate that the podium was taken away from us. We were definitely in position with 20 laps to go and I think I was leading the race at one point!”

Carlos Sainz, McLaren: started 7th, finished 5th

“Obviously I’m not entirely happy as I could see a podium there. A crazy race but it was great fun. We were as quick as Ferrari in the wet and as quick as the Mercedes on the slicks in wet conditions.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes: started 1st, finished 9th

“Probably the worst day in the office for a long time. We pull together and regroup. Then we will come back fighting. We are still doing pretty awesome.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Renault: started 9th, did not finish

“One of those days where you have to make it stick, where you have to make it count when you’re given an opportunity. I’m just gutted, for myself and for the team that we couldn’t make it stick - especially in front of the home fans. It hurts and it’s going to hurt even more [on Monday].”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari: started 10th, did not finish

“It was very slippery but the only thing I can say is I think it is unacceptable to have this kind of Tarmac. It is like a dragster track and once you go on it is very dangerous. I take full responsibility for the mistake but I believe this kind of Tarmac shouldn’t be on a Formula 1 track.”

Complete meltdown for Mercedes: media reactions

Matt Morlidge, Sky Sports

“It was an absolute epic in Hockenheim as sporadic rainfall caused havoc, with a total of four safety cars in the race and overtakes aplenty, but Verstappen somehow stayed focused to seal his second victory of the season.”

BBC Sport

“The Austrian and British grands prix had produced the thrillers of the season so far, but the German Grand Prix brought the real madness. In true Germanic spirit, Hockenheim said ‘hold my beer’ and went one better, producing a spectacle on a saturated circuit. From the wet conditions that caused chaos from lights out, to the podium finish that nobody could have predicted, round 11 of the this year’s championship has already gone down in the history books as an instant classic.”

Richard F Rose, Planet F1

“For much of the field the 2019 visit to Hockenheim was either a horror show or something from a black comedy. Or perhaps both if you’re Pierre Gasly.”

Luke Slater, The Daily Telegraph

“The German Grand Prix - or the Mercedes-Benz German Grand Prix to give it its full and proper name - was supposed to be a weekend of celebration for Mercedes’ Formula 1 team. A complete meltdown, however, might be an apt way to describe the unraveling of their home grand prix into an uncharacteristically shambolic performance strewn with team and driver error.”

Giles Richards, The Guardian

“What was supposed to have been a homecoming celebration for Mercedes turned to ashen-faced defeat rarely experienced in their dominance of Formula 1 over the past five years.”

Jonathan McEvoy, Daily Mail

“Rain had fallen steadily on the track for most of the afternoon, but nothing else was steady. It was bonkers. Aquaplaning, strategy blunders, pit-stop botches. Farce and upset abounded.”