2008 German Grand Prix

2008 German Grand Prix
Race 10 of 18 in the 2008 Formula One World Championship ← Previous race Next race →
Race details
Date	20 July 2008
Official name	Formula 1 Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland 2008
Location	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	4.574 km (2.842 miles)
Distance	67 laps, 306.458 km (190.424 miles)
Weather	Cloudy, later sunny[1]
Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes
Time	1:15.666
Fastest lap
Driver	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber
Time	1:15.987 on lap 52
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes
Second	Nelson Piquet Jr.	Renault
Third	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Lap leaders

The 2008 German Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland 2008)^[2] was a Formula One motor race held on 20 July 2008 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany. It was the 10th race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship and was contested over 67 laps. It was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after starting from pole position. Nelson Piquet Jr. finished second for Renault, with Felipe Massa third for Ferrari.

Hamilton maintained his startline advantage and led until he made his first pit stop on lap 18. As other cars made their pit stops, Hamilton regained the lead on lap 22. On lap 36, Timo Glock crashed, and the race was neutralized by the deployment of the safety car. Hamilton, on a two-stop strategy, did not stop to get more fuel during this period, while all the cars around him did. Thus, when he did eventually stop on lap 50, he rejoined the race in fifth position. In the closing stages of the race, Hamilton first overtook his teammate Heikki Kovalainen, then Massa, and finally Piquet, whilst also gaining a position due to Nick Heidfeld's late pit stop. This allowed him to take the lead again on lap 60, which he maintained to win the race.

The victory was Hamilton's second consecutive win, having won the preceding British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The win also put him ahead of his two main rivals in the Drivers' Championship, Kimi Räikkönen (who finished sixth) and Massa, who were on equal points with him before the race. After the race he was four points ahead of Massa, and seven ahead of Räikkönen. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren drew closer to the two teams ahead of them, BMW Sauber and Ferrari. Ferrari still led by 15 points from McLaren, and 12 from BMW, whose drivers – Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica – finished fourth and seventh respectively.