Lewis Hamilton took a sensational victory in a thrilling, rain-hit German Grand Prix as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel crashed out to gift the Mercedes driver a 17-point lead in their F1 championship battle.
Hamilton won the German Grand Prix 2018 in what was a race for the ages as he put up a genius performance to go from 14th at the start to finishing first.
At Hockenheimring and in his rival Sebastian Vettel's home race, Hamilton regained the Formula One Championship lead and now is on top of the table with 188 points compared to Vettel's 171 points.
The downpour, affecting only part of the track, turned the race on its head and brought Hamilton into the mix when he had been looking at a fourth-place finish after starting 14th following a hydraulic failure in qualifying.
Hamilton began to carve into the advantage of the three leading drivers - Vettel, his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Bottas - as chaos erupted down the field.
The four-time champion swore over the radio as he took in the potential damage to his title hopes.
Hamilton pulled away quickly at the front following the safety car period, but only after Bottas was told to back off an initial challenge and hold position.
Behind the Mercedes one-two, Raikkonen took third while Max Verstappen was fourth for Red Bull despite making two pit stops to change tyres in three laps amid the confusion caused by the rain.
“I feel all the rain has come down and kind of washed away the negativity,” said Hamilton. “That’s why I said at the end that ‘love conquers all’ (on the radio after the race). It’s just a glorious day. It couldn’t have been a better day for me. A real dream and one I will always remember.
“It’s too early in the season to ever really feel like it’s slipping away. It never feels good when you face adversity. The longer you endure it, the stronger you grow.
The Mercedes one-two finish, after Bottas finished behind Hamilton in second, has helped the Silver Arrows to reclaim top spot in the constructors’ championship too. They now lead Ferrari by eight points heading to Hungary next week at the famous Hungaroring Budapest.
Full race results for the German Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the 2018 F1 season at Hockenheim, Germany.
Formula 1 German Grand Prix – Full race classification
1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 67 laps, 1hr 32m 29.845s
2. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport +4.535s
3. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Scuderia Ferrari +6.732s
4. Max Verstappen NED Aston Martin Red Bull Racing +7.654s
5. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault Sport Formula One Team +26.609s
6. Romain Grosjean FRA Haas F1 Team +28.871s
7. Sergio Perez MEX Sahara Force India F1 Team +30.556s
8. Esteban Ocon FRA Sahara Force India F1 Team +31.750s
9. Marcus Ericsson SWE Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team +32.362s
10. Brendon Hartley NZL Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda +34.197s
11. Kevin Magnussen DEN Haas F1 Team +34.919s
12. Carlos Sainz Jr. ESP Renault Sport Formula One Team +43.069s
13. Stoffel Vandoorne BEL McLaren F1 Team +46.617s
14. Pierre Gasly FRA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda +1 lap
15. Charles Leclerc MON Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team +1 lap
16. Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren F1 Team +1 lap
Did not finish
Lance Stroll CAN Williams Martini Racing
Sebastian Vettel GER Scuderia Ferrari
Sergey Sirotkin RUS Williams Martini Racing
Daniel Ricciardo AUS Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
Lewis Hamilton receives a reprimand from the stewards for crossing the line separating the pit entry and the track.
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