F1 2018: 5 Early Predictions for the German GP

Just under halfway done with the 2018 F1 season and we head to Hockenheimring for the German Grand Prix!

After what turned out to be an extremely exciting first ever triple header in Formula One history, Ferrari lead the constructors' title and Vettel the drivers' title race! However, it still remains close, and Mercedes could take it within a flash, and Red Bull could still swoop round the outside for a surprise win in either race, although it is looking like it will stay a two horse race.

Sebastian Vettel has 4 wins, Hamilton has 3, Ricciardo has 2, Verstappen 1, and the rest a mere zero. An amazing drive from plum last to P2 saw Hamilton prove that it isn't just his engine, and that he is still a prime overtaker in F1, and has the fire to become a five-time world champion. Vettel seems to be driving as well as he ever has, and the Ferrari package finally seems to be consistently ahead of Mercedes.

After Hamilton came second in his home race behind Seb, will they trade places at Vettel's home race, or will we see a shock win? Anything can happen this weekend at the German GP, as F1's return to Hockenheim marks the season's stretch past the halfway point! It's almost impossible to guess, however as always, that won't stop us from guessing!

#1 Vettel takes pole at home

2018 British Formula One Grand Prix Saturday Qualification Jul 7th

As qualifying at Silverstone wound to an end at the last race, Vettel put in a monster lap that seemed to ensure he would end up on pole. However, seemingly out of nowhere, Hamilton willed his Mercedes to a home and a record-extending 76th pole position. In the post-Quali interview, Hamilton himself confessed that he couldn't have done it without the support of his fellow Brits, proving once again that the home crowd really can give you a tenth in qualifying.

Vettel was just pipped in Silverstone, and the current championship leader is not one to take something like that lying down. He will certainly be looking for pole at every race, but with his home fans edging him onwards, it's hard to see anyone but Vettel claim the top grid position on Saturday!

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#2 Hulk gets Smashed

2018 British Formula One Grand Prix Race Day Jul 8th

Formerly, the 'other' Nico in Formula One, and now the 'other' German driver on the grid, it is also Nico Hulkenberg's home GP this Sunday in Germany. Currently a phenomenal 7th in the driver's championship standings, Hulkenberg has finished 9th or higher in every one of the races that he has finished this season.

Aside from a mistake in Baku that saw his car retire, Hulkenberg has had two other retirements in Spain and Austria that were no fault of his own. That being said, home races haven't been the best for drivers this season, LeClerc in Monaco and Ocon in France come to mind. Our pick for the home driver to take a hit this Sunday is Hulkenberg!

Likely that since he is such a skilled driver, a shunt for Hulkenberg won't necessarily be due to him. However, while we predict the home crowd seeing a victory as Vettel takes pole on Saturday, we see Hulkenberg taking an early exit in Germany.

#3 Haas on the podium

In the 2018 season so far, only four teams have managed to secure a podium. One of the greek tragedies in this season has been the story of Haas, who have had a very up and down season. Currently sitting fifth in the constructors' championship, Magnussen has been driving relatively well, while Grosjean has had a horrendous season aside from a fourth-place finish in Austria.

Haas's junior team in Formula 2, Trident, has had a very bad time in the past few weeks. Firstly, one of their drivers, Indian Arjun Maini, complained publicly on the radio about a weak package. After that, their other driver, American Santino Ferrucci has had a hell of a week. Being given a 4 race ban for deliberately running into his teammate, among other things, the Haas junior team needs something to take the spotlight away from them.

One of the best ways to give Haas a better image in the near future would be for one of their cars to secure a podium in Germany. A chaotic race saw them take a 4-5 finish in Austria, showing that if stuff does indeed go down, Haas can be the ones to benefit. That is why we believe that either K-Mag or Grosjean will secure a podium for Haas in Germany.

#4 Raikkonen & Ricciardo have the battle of the weekend

In our last race in Silverstone had a fair few amazing battles between cars. Most notable was the four-way rumble for the lead between both Ferrari's and Mercedes. This season has had some dull moments, but Silverstone left us wanting more as all the cars got in on the action. The best duel of last weekend, however, has to have been between Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Max Verstappen. In between the two safety cars, Kimi & Max got in to it, exchanging position multiple times over the course of just a few laps.

Raikkonen has had some stellar duels with Verstappen this season, and we believe that once again in Germany we will see the Red & Blue duke it out. This time however we believe that Raikkonen will have a blistering battle with Ricciardo. Only two points separate them in the drivers championship, and Raikkonen has shown this season that he still has what it takes to beat out the young guns. Meanwhile, there is no need to talk up Ricciardo's wheel to wheel game, as the Australian has produced some amazing overtakes this season and last.

#5 Bottas gets a stroke of luck

Quite possibly the best performer of this season to not register a win is Valtteri Bottas. Having the W ripped away from him at multiple tracks including Baku and Austria, Bottas is currently fifth in the drivers championship race, although he could damn well have been first.

At Silverstone, while Hamilton got pole, an incident with Raikkonen saw him have to settle for P2. I believe that Vettel will also secure pole and have to settle for P2 due to an incident as well. The thing with luck in Motorsports is that eventually the tide tends to swing the other way. As we pass the halfway point of this season, I believe that Bottas's luck will swing around and he will finally register a top spot on the podium this season!

Edited by Shahid Salman