F1 German GP 2018: Race Predictions and things we learnt from Qualifying

Formula One has returned to Germany in 2018 after a one year gap and everybody in the country would be rooting for the homeboy, Sebastian Vettel. The fans would have every reason to rejoice, seeing how Vettel is on the pole.

An occurrence that stood out was the inconsistency in performances between drivers of the same team. It is unusual for teammates to have a vast gap between their time sheets, given that they drive essentially the same cars. However, during the German Grand Prix we witnessed McLaren, Williams and Force India, all managing to push one racer out into the later parts of qualifying while the other was stuck back in Q1.

Something similar happened with Mercedes and Red Bull, albeit for different issues. Daniel Ricciardo did not bother taking part in Q2 because he would be starting at the back of the grid regardless. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, was unable to bring his car back into the pits, effectively ending his qualifying in Q2.

The Grand Prix has already shaped up beautifully with two front-runners subjected to the back and the local hero beginning the race in pole position, and here’s a list of events that could unfold:

#5 Strong finish for Haas

Looking at how the season has gone for Haas, they deserve luck turning in their favour. Austrian Grand Prix was evidence of how well both their drivers can perform if things go their way. They would be hoping for a repeat during the German Grand Prix.

With two drivers of the top three teams not claiming spots in the top ten, it leaves two spots for the Haas racers to fill. Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean have managed to slip into P5 and P6, respectively, and if they can hold onto those spots or improve on that, that would prove a big win for the United States based team.

#4 Driver of the day

Despite the winner of any race, the driver who provides for better viewing, taking risks and making overtaking moves stick on rivals are usually the ones who get the tag of the driver of the day. Challenging from the back of the grid, Daniel Ricciardo would like to channel his team’s alter ego, the Bull to take the fight to the front-runners.

In order to do so, the Australian would inevitably ensure that he has quite a few on-track battles with the other racers and keep the viewers glued to their screens. He has as good a chance as any other to win driver of the day on a given day, but his chances would surely be buoyed by his track position.

#3 Teams achieving a mixed bag of results

It was evident from qualifying that a handful of teams decided to run their drivers on different sets of strategies. The two Force India cars are separated from each other by five grid positions, Sergio Perez qualified in 10th while Esteban Ocon was only able to clock a time that compelled him to settle for the 16th spot.

Similarly, with McLaren, Fernando Alonso pushed his car to P11, his teammate Stoffel Vandroone is trailing dead last, without counting any effected grid penalties. The German Grand Prix might see drivers from the same team achieve diverse end results by virtue of their starting positions.

Sergey Sirotkin managed to bring his Williams into Q2, while Lance Stroll was eliminated from the first part of qualifying. Williams would be hoping for a strong result, preferably points finish, for the Russian, even if Stroll’s chances look dire.

#2 Multitude of overtaking

It is a no-brainer that Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo would be battling for the camera coverage due to the abundant overtaking moves they are bound to make over fellow drivers.

The Australian would be aided by the new engine components fitted into his car and given his late-breaking moves, he would be lethal coming from the back. Another obvious advantage would be a stronger car versus the ones in the midfield section.

The four-time world champion, on the other hand, would be looking to overturn the dismal qualifying session he endured. His previous outing in Silverstone was proof that the Briton can change his fortune and come close to fighting for the win even from way below in the field.

#1 Bottas repays Mercedes’ faith

Having qualified on the front row behind Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas would be looking to get a good start off the line to launch himself into the contention for the win. The Finnish driver has recently signed a deal with Mercedes, elongating his contract with the team for another year, at the minimum.

Bottas would be looking for opportunities to repay the faith shown in him by the Silver Arrows. The German Grand Prix could provide him with enough chances to turn around the substandard season the 28-year-old has endured so far.

It would be interesting to see whether the Finn can maximise his gains this weekend.

Edited by Kishan Prasad