Formula 1 2013 German Grand Prix - Sebastien Vettel Rings In Home Victory
The Midfield The hot conditions really hurt Mercedes as Rosberg also had problems with rear tyre degradation, though he was able to enjoy himself a bit more on a set of options at the end of the race and work his way into the points, taking ninth after a qualifying error had him starting eleventh. It wasnt a good weekend for Force India in the end, who never found the pace theyd shown so excellently in Britain. They ran a two-stop strategy and he struggled with the tyres and balance, not gaining from the safety car before a better final stint. He ran out of laps however and couldnt get into the points. Sutil also struggled with the tyres and his strategy changed from a two-stop to a three-stop, losing time in the final stop and generally just not having the pace. It was disappointing as the Force India is usually good on its tyres, and they got a 5,000 fine after the race for releasing Di Rest a unsafely ahead of Vergne. Daniel Ricciardo made a reasonable start and held his position in the first stint, but once they pitted for prime tyres the pace just dropped away, leaving him unable to push due to the lack of grip and he gradually slipped back to 12th place. Vergne struggled for pace all weekend and the race was no different, with a difficult car to drive and then he almost collided with Di Resta in the pit lane. On lap 23, telemetry showed a hydraulics problem and he was forced to retire. Gutierrez had a tough race much like teammate Hulkenberg, battling for positions and trying to overtake, which he found difficult as their top speed was not as good as others. A pit stop just before the safety car didnt work out ideally for him, and overall he tried to do his best on the way to 14th, unable to extract everything from the car. Williams showed promise but came away empty handed, with Maldonado potentially on for some points towards the end, only to be struck by a pit stop problem when his front right wheel nut wouldnt release, dropping him to 15th. Bottas also had some pit stop problems that cost a bit of time, but the pace was better than it had been in recent races, although he was still unable to challenge for points. The Tail End Caterham pulled out a solid result, finishing 17th and 18th behind the Williams and ahead of Marussia. The safety car worked out for Pic, but then the strategy was altered as he picked up a slow puncture on lap 35. It meant he couldnt race the pack, bunched-up by the safety car, but he drove from last through Chilton and Van der Garde to get 17th. Van der Garde had a great start and made a few places, running 17th and then the strategy worked out so he had a long final stint, meaning he didnt have the pace to battle Pic at the end. Marussias afternoon didnt end very well, with Chilton happy with the car and racing Caterham in the middle of the race, until the safety car mixed up the strategies. He suffered heavy tyre wear towards the end and couldnt take it to the Caterhams ahead. Bianchis race ended on lap 22 as the engine blew in the back of his car. He had a poor start and was battling to take it to the Caterhams, feeling the car had good balance and pace as the race went on. Hed just pitted for new tyres before the engine let go on the back straight, bursting into flames momentarily. After escaping the car, the unmanned Marussia rolled backwards down the hill as marshals tried to recover it, across the track ahead of the leaders and into advertising boards on the other side of the track, bringing out the safety car.