2008 German Grand Prix

The LXIX Großer Preis Santander von Deutschland, otherwise known as the 2008 German Grand Prix, was the tenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on 20 July 2008.'10. Germany 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/62961/1/germany-2008-hamilton-beats-the-clock, (Accessed 27/02/2020)'Germany 2008: Hamilton beats the clock.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 20/07/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/62961/1/germany-2008-hamilton-beats-the-clock, (Accessed 28/02/2020) The race would see Lewis Hamilton secure an impressive victory for , after his early domination of the race was ruined by a mid-race Safety Car.
There would be a lot of hype surrounding the race after qualifying, as Hamilton narrowly edged out fellow title rival Felipe Massa in a duel for pole position. Heikki Kovalainen got the sister McLaren into third ahead of Jarno Trulli, while the third man in the title hunt, Kimi Räikkönen, would only manage to claim sixth ahead of Robert Kubica.
However, hopes of Hamilton being challenged were extinguished right at the start, with the #22 McLaren sprinting clear as the lights went out to secure the lead. Massa was duly left to fend off a first corner lunge from Kovalainen for second, as behind Räikkönen was instantly passed by Kubica's .
Kovalainen had another lunge at Massa into the hairpin on the opening lap, with the subsequent congestion allowing Kubica to shoot past Fernando Alonso and Trulli to claim fourth. The rest of the field would make it through the opening tour without issue, while Hamilton powered away to secure a two second lead.
Hamilton's lead continued to grow during the early stages, as the fight for fourth ebbed and flowed as Räikkönen entered the mix. That quartet would continue to fight through to the first round of stops, with Hamilton having established a twenty second lead by the time he opened the stops on lap eighteen.
However, Hamilton would make his first mistake of the day after his stop, getting caught out on fresh tyres and hence allowing Trulli to pass, before almost colliding with the at the hairpin. The Brit therefore had to wait for Trulli to stop at the end of the lap to safely make progress, although the sheer size of his lead meant that the #22 McLaren remained well clear of Massa.
The race settled down as the rest of the field made their stops, with the order remaining unchanged through to lap 36. At that point Timo Glock suffered a suspension failure and spun straight into the pitwall, bringing out the Safety Car as debris was strewn across the track.
McLaren surprisingly gambled during the SC, opting not to pit Hamilton as the rest of the field dived in for their second stops. The Brit hence had to escape up the road before making his second stop, with two cars in the form of Nick Heidfeld and Nelson Piquet, Jr. between him and Massa.
Hamilton duly broke away at the restart, and set a succession of quick laps as Massa fought with Piquet and Heidfeld. The McLaren duly stopped on lap 50 and emerged behind Kovalainen in fifth, before being instantly promoted to fourth once Heidfeld stopped.
Piquet was left in the lead, as Hamilton breezed past Kovalainen and then Massa with significantly fresher tyres. The Brit then caught and passed Piquet with a handful of laps to go, ensuring that he was in prime position to secure the race win.
With that the race was over, with Hamilton able to secure victory by six seconds from Piquet, the Brazilian's maiden podium finish. Massa ran out of time to get ahead of his compatriot and hence had to settle for third, while Heidfeld secured fourth ahead of Kovalainen, Räikkönen, Kubica and Sebastian Vettel.
==Background==
Lewis Hamilton picked up his third win of the campaign on home soil to claim 48 points at the halfway point in the season, as well as the Championship lead. However, both Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen had scored 48 points in the opening three rounds of the Championship, with Hamilton only deemed ahead on countback. Furthermore, Robert Kubica was just two behind in fourth to make it a four-horse race heading into the second half of the season, while Nick Heidfeld was twelve off the lead in fifth.
In the Constructors Championship it was who led the charge heading into the second half of the season, leaving the British Grand Prix with 96 points. would sit in second at the start of the second phase of the campaign, fourteen off the lead, with a ten point gap between themselves and in third. were next having overtaken in the UK, with only and the withdrawn squads having failed to score in the first half of the season.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Germany 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	3 	1:15.218 	 	1 	1:14.603 	 	1 	1:15.666 	1
2 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	1 	1:14.921 	 	2 	1:14.747 	 	2 	1:15.859 	2
3 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	4 	1:15.476 	 	3 	1:14.855 	 	3 	1:16.143 	3
4 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	6 	1:15.560 	 	7 	1:15.122 	 	4 	1:16.191 	4
5 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	11 	1:15.917 	 	4 	1:14.943 	 	5 	1:16.385 	5
6 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	2 	1:15.201 	 	5 	1:14.949 	 	6 	1:16.389 	6
7 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	14 	1:15.985 	 	6 	1:15.109 	 	7 	1:16.521 	7
8 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	10 	1:15.900 	 	10 	1:15.481 	 	8 	1:17.014 	8
9 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	5 	1:15.532 	 	9 	1:15.420 	 	9 	1:17.244 	9
10 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	13 	1:15.975 	 	8 	1:15.338 	 	10 	1:17.503 	10
11 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	7 	1:15.560 	 	11 	1:15.508 	 	 	 	11
12 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	8 	1:15.596 	 	12 	1:15.581 	 	 	 	12
13 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	9 	1:15.863 	 	13 	1:15.633 	 	 	 	13
14 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	15 	1:15.993 	 	14 	1:15.701 	 	 	 	14
15 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	12 	1:15.927 	 	15 	1:15.858 	 	 	 	15
16 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	16 	1:16.083 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	17 	1:16.189 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	18 	1:16.246 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	19 	1:16.657 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	20 	1:16.963 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/834/germany/qualifying.html, (Accessed 27/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	67 	1:31:20.874 	1 	10
2 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	67 	+5.586s 	17 	8
3 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	67 	+9.339s 	2 	6
4 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	67 	+9.825s 	12 	5
5 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	67 	+12.411s 	3 	4
6 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	67 	+14.403s 	6 	3
7 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	67 	+22.682s 	7 	2
8 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	67 	+33.299s 	9 	1
9 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	67 	+37.158s 	4 	
10 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	67 	+37.625s 	13 	
11 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	67 	+38.600s 	5 	
12 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	67 	+39.111s 	15 	
13 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	67 	+54.971s 	10 	
14 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	67 	+1:00.003 	16 	
15 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	67 	+1:09.488 	19 	
16 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	67 	+1:24.093 	20 	
17 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	66 	+1 Lap 	14 	
Ret 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	50 	Damage 	18 	
Ret 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	40 	Oil leak 	8 	
Ret 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	35 	Suspension 	11 	
Source:'Germany 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)	Source:'Germany 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 27/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 750th Grand Prix entry for a car using #8 as its race number.[Archived] '2008 German GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190410184627/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2008&gp=German%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 27/02/2020) - Original
* Lewis Hamilton secured his eighth career victory.
* registered their 160th win as a constructor.
** claimed their 65th win as an engine supplier.
* Maiden (and only) podium finish for Nelson Piquet, Jr.
* Nick Heidfeld recorded his second and final fastest lap.
** claimed their second and final fastest lap as a constructor.
** 33rd and final fastest lap to be recorded by a engine.
==Standings==
Lewis Hamilton moved clear atop the Championship with victory in Germany, having eked out a four point lead at the head of the hunt. Felipe Massa had retained his second place status on 54 points, while Kimi Räikkönen had slipped a further three behind, having been tied with Massa and Hamilton at the start of the weekend. Robert Kubica, meanwhile, had slipped ten behind, while Nick Heidfeld was seven off of his Polish teammate.
In the Constructors Championship it was still who led the charge, leaving Germany with 105 points and the first team to break into triple figures for the campaign. Behind, had left their home race still in second place, although the Anglo-German alliance of had closed to within three points of the Swiss-German team. were head of the next batch of teams, 61 points behind McLaren, with and just one and two points behind the Japanese manufacturer.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	58 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	54 	
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	51 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	48 	
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	41 	
6 	Heikki Kovalainen 	28 	
7 	Jarno Trulli 	20 	
8 	Mark Webber 	18 	
9 	Fernando Alonso 	13 	
10 	Rubens Barrichello 	11 	
11 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	10 	6
12 	Nico Rosberg 	8 	1
13 	Kazuki Nakajima 	8 	1
14 	David Coulthard 	6 	1
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	6 	
16 	Timo Glock 	5 	2
17 	Jenson Button 	3 	1
18 	Sébastien Bourdais 	2 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	105 	
2 	 	89 	
3 	 	86 	
4 	 	25 	
5 	 	24 	
6 	 	23 	1
7 	 	16 	1
8 	 	14 	
9 	 	8 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:German Grand Prix
Category:2008 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in Germany