Formula 1: German GP Overview

Alonso seals it with a kiss

Fernando Alonso put in a sublime performance around Hockenheim to win his third race of the season and extend his lead at the top of the standings to 34 points. He didn't put a foot wrong all afternoon, beating Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen to the finish.

Starting from pole position as he did in Silverstone, Alonso's fortunes were a lot better in Germany and he managed to hold Button and Vettel at arms length for the entirety of the race. His challengers were able to match the Spaniard's pace all afternoon, but not able to get past when it mattered toward the end of the race.
In a gripping finale, it seemed as though the race would have a sting in it's tail just as Silverstone had two weeks previously; Button and Vettel closed down on Alonso, with the Briton looking best placed to rob the Spaniard of this thirtieth career win. But then, with just a handful of laps left to go, Jenson's tyres faded fast and saw him drift  back towards Vettel.

Button and Vettel congratulate the winner

If not remembered for Alonso's victory, the 2012 German GP will be remembered for one thing; Vettel's move on Jenson on the penultimate lap. As the two approached the hairpin, it looked as though Jenson had kept position by forcing Vettel to go around the outside of his Mclaren. Soon enough, Seb realised that he was running out of space and track and with little hesitation, fired his Red Bull across the run-off area and ahead of Jenson. With all four wheels off of the track, it was obvious that Vettel had gained an advantage and his subsequent penalty that demoted him to 5th was appropriate and to be expected. The main benefactor in all this was Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen who snatched the final podium place as a result.

One of the most impressive, and understated performances of the race was that of both Sauber drivers. A solid 4th and 6th from Kobayashi and Perez is a brilliant result, especially considering they started 11th and 17th respectively. For a team like Sauber, such a performance sees them really start to punch above their weight. They are now closer to Mercedes in 5th than Williams in 7th. Can they upset the order and fight it out with Ross Brawn's boys from Brackley?

In contrast to the lead four (Fernando, Jenson, Seb and Kimi), each of their respective team-mates had a disappointing and frustrating afternoon. First off, Felipe Massa did nothing to dispel the idea that his Silverstone result was a simple flash in the pan with a first lap collision with Daniel Ricciardo. His broken nose-cone littered carbon-fibre all over the first corner and ultimately should have been reason enough to bring out the safety car.

Button hunts down second-placed Vettel

 It didn't however, and the razor sharp shards of bodywork pierced the rear tyre of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren and ruined his afternoon. It was a bitterly disappointing turn of events for the 2008 World Champion in what was his 100th race. He would later retire with gearbox issues. Romain Grosjean never fully recovered from his dismal qualifying result and finished 18th. Meanwhile, Mark Webber also never had the pace to counter-act his grid penalty and finished where he started, in eighth.

For a team on home soil, Mercedes had a utterly underwhelming afternoon. 10th for Rosberg was the best he could achieve from the back of the grid and Schumacher spent his afternoon going backwards. Those world championship titles look further and further away by the minute...

With his third win of the year, Alonso is now clear favourite to win the title. No question about it, the man is a machine, a points scoring and race winning machine who is on top of his game and out and out the best driver on the grid. Hamilton, Vettel, Webber, Raikkonen; all have strengths, but more importantly, all have weaknesses. Alonso is seemingly impenetrable and incapable of mistakes. And all of this praise is coming from a self-confessed Hamilton/Button fan. If anyone is to beat Fernando, they're going to have a hard time doing so.