German GP: Ferrari achieves a one-two finish

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa drove Ferrari to the top two steps of the podium in Hockenheim. The Italian team is finally holding its head up, as the performance of the red cars is undeniable for this Grand Prix. However, despite the victory, the controversy cannot be forgotten since Massa clearly slowed down to allow Alonso to take the lead. This bad taste of a fixed race resurfaces, the same one already tinged with red at a time when the German appreciated Brazilian helping hands. The controversy is already raging, and it’s certain that this race incident will create quite a buzz.

On the podium, we find in third place the poleman Sebastian Vettel, who is ahead of Hamilton and Button. His teammate Mark Webber takes sixth place.

From the start of the race, Massa, starting third, took advantage of Vettel’s mistake, who was too focused on Alonso, to take the lead at the first corner. When the lights went out, Vettel’s sole intention was to block Alonso on his right along the pit wall, leaving Massa with a totally clear track. After a few meters, Massa and Alonso were in the lead, with Vettel dropping back to third place.

This trio slowly breaks away at the front of the race.

While there were doubts about the reliability of the extra-soft tires that the top ten qualifiers were equipped with, Vettel returned to the pits determined to switch to hard tires, taking advantage of a carefully calculated return to the track to position himself just ahead of a group of drivers in the middle of a battle, including Kubica, Schumacher, and Rosberg.

Alonso decided to react immediately, and he seemed faster with the hard tires. On lap 20, he was closing in on his teammate. He was right on Massa’s tail, even showing signs of frustration as they overtook Bruno Senna and Timo Glock.

In response, Massa increased his pace, setting several fastest laps in the race. This lifesaving reaction allowed him to push Alonso back by more than 3 seconds.

The little Asturian bull, stung to the quick, reacted by setting the fastest lap times here and there. Alonso closed in to within 1 second of Massa, when on the 47th lap, the Brazilian driver’s engineer, Rob Smedley, announced over the radio: “Fernando is faster than you” and asked him to confirm that he understood. Thus, at the hairpin turn, Massa emerged at reduced speed, staying on the left of the track, leaving the door wide open for Alonso, who, with an acceleration inversely proportional to Massa’s, reclaimed the lead. The Brazilian driver had just accepted, with a heavy heart and exactly one year after his terrible accident in Hungary, to take on the role of the number 2 driver.

For his part, Vettel, who was racing at home, stayed a few paces behind the Ferraris. He was missing that little something that separates you from a victory. However, after the Scuderia’s “Massa-cre” move, Vettel managed to close in on the Brazilian, who was certainly disappointed and stunned by this decision. The gap between the two cars left Vettel in Massa’s slipstream until the checkered flag.

The McLarens were never fast enough. They couldn’t fight for the podium, finishing fourth and fifth, which was nonetheless enough to keep them at the top of the standings. Lewis Hamilton managed to pass Webber in the first lap, as did Button on the 21st lap before his pit stop. Webber, inclined to take care of his engine which was displaying an alarming oil consumption, stayed wisely behind the McLarens, waiting for the end of the race and the points from sixth place.

Robert Kubica, battling with the two Mercedes, managed to get ahead of them to take seventh place. Nico Rosberg was ahead of Michael Schumacher, in eighth and ninth respectively, all in front of the high-ranking officials of Mercedes, who came as neighbors.

For Renault, it’s an interesting weekend as both cars finish in the points with Petrov’s tenth place, having started thirteenth. While Nick Heidfeld is getting closer to the French team, the young Russian driver still needs to score points unless it’s already too late.

The two Williams lost ground during the first lap and couldn’t get into the points, although it’s worth highlighting Nico Hülkenberg’s performance, as he managed to be competitive on soft tires for the first 34 laps of the race. He is by far the one who managed these delicate soft tires best, which speaks volumes about the quality of his driving.

Pedro de la Rosa also attempted a bold strategy, as he waited until the 51st lap to change his hard tires and mount soft tires. This wise choice saw the experienced Spanish driver catching up with his competitors. He was halted in his tracks by Heikki Kovalainen. The latter did not see de la Rosa in his mirrors, who, with the blue flag displayed, was trying to overtake the Finn. Inevitably, the front wing of the Sauber could not survive this contact.

For certain teams, incidents in the first lap of the race sealed the outcome. With both of their cars involved, Toro Rosso and Force India saw their ambitions evaporate. The two Toro Rosso drivers even collided, with Jaime Alguersuari tearing off Sébastien Buemi’s rear wing. For Force India, the damage resulted in numerous pit stops, turning the race into a public test session.

For the German supporters, it is important to emphasize the performance of Timo Glock from the Virgin Racing team, who is the driver, among those from the new teams, who finished this Grand Prix the best.

It is worth recalling that the FIA could swiftly conduct an investigation into the Ferrari and Red Bull teams. It appears that the front wings of these teams’ cars are considered too flexible, and therefore illegal under the regulations. Indeed, the aerodynamic body of a bodywork element must not be too flexible as it provides an advantage in terms of downforce.

If the FIA declares these parts non-compliant, the teams’ opponents would be the first to welcome the deduction of points scored, particularly during this Grand Prix.

Regarding the “Massa-cre” game by the Scuderia, it remains to be seen whether any sanctions can be taken. What is certain is that on Ferrari’s side, they were careful not to explicitly ask Massa to let Alonso pass. This allows them to respond to critics that the words heard on the radio did not mention a team strategy.

German Grand Prix

Hockenheim, Germany.

67 laps. 306.458 km.

Weather: Sunny.