” Nico Rosberg eased his way to a home victory at the German Grand Prix on a dramatic afternoon at Hockenheim, which saw his Mercedes team-mate and championship rival Lewis Hamilton toil through the pack to finish third behind Valtteri Bottas.
Rosberg’s victory never looked in doubt as the track remained dry throughout, but behind him the drama unfolded, starting on lap one when Felipe Massa was flipped out of contention at the first corner. It culminated with Hamilton, who had started 20th on the grid, closing on the Williams of Bottas, but with his car hamstrung by a damaged front wing and his super-soft tyres feeling the strain of a 16-lap final stint he was unable to make a move stick.
Sebastian Vettel finished fourth – albeit 21.4s down the road from Hamilton – ahead Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari, which slowed on the final lap to cross the line less than a tenth of a second ahead of the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo in sixth. Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh after a tricky afternoon, ahead of Jenson Button’s McLaren, while Kevin Magnussen, who had made contact with Massa at the start, recovered to finish ninth ahead of Sergio Perez. ”
More to follow at ESPNF1.