2018 German GP : Drivers of the Day

The German Grand Prix was a rather sedate affair with lower temperatures producing a low attrition rate and one-stop strategies all round from decreased tyre wear. It also produced a return to winning ways for one of the championship favourites. Of the 22 drivers, who was great in Germany?

5. Kevin Magnussen

It looks as if FJR are beginning to get on top of their main weakness of their 2018 car, straight line speed, as engine upgrades and aerodynamic efficiency work resulted in their two drivers being fastest overall during Friday qualifying and being in the top 3 during proper qualifying with only a brilliant lap from Tomas Gonzalez preventing the team from taking pole position. From 3rd on the grid, Magnussen took the lead on lap 2 and held off Alessandro Farina in the opening phase of the race. It looked as if he was fuelled for a two-stop strategy, but FJR switched to a one-stop strategy due to lower than expected tyre wear. The very heavy fuel load eventually dropped Magnussen to 3rd once all pitstops were completed, and then to 5th come the end of the race, but it was a brave attempt nonetheless and he didn’t give up against James Clark.

4. Vaino Kimminen

Of late, Kimminen hasn’t really shone in qualifying since his pole position with some particularly poor grid positions at Aragon and Road America, although his race pace has been exemplary and worthy of his champion status. Hockenheim was a better showing on the Saturday as he comfortably outqualified teammate Charles Leclerc. As for the race, although Farina was too strong for him, Kimminen’s longer first stint allowed him to overcut Magnussen and run a comfortable and lonely 2nd for the remainder of the race.

3. Esteban Ocon

After a tough start to the season, it looks as if Monolith Racing System have gotten the hang of FF1M in their return with consistent qualifications into the races. The Österreichring was their biggest highlight to date with Ocon racing brilliantly for a career-best 5th, and at Hockenheim, Ocon once again showcased his talent with an aggressive opening stint to go from 16th to briefly run 5th having overtaken the likes of Magnussen and Fernando Alonso. He looked certain to finish 8th after his pitstop, but a gearbox failure sadly prevented this.

2. Alessandro Farina

Despite having arguably the best car, Farina hadn’t won a race since Aragon and two retirements in North America meant that he lost the championship lead to Alonso before retaking it at the Österreichring. However, the two Tornado drivers had regained their mojo with both Kimminen and Leclerc winning the last two races. At Hockenheim, Farina finally put a stop to their momentum as Gojira refocused their set-up approach which allowed Farina to almost dominate once Magnussen made his early pitstop.

1. James Clark

Clark’s race compared to Farina’s was less straightforward as the Gojira tyre split strategy really hurt his qualifying performance with a lowly 20th place, but he revelled in the race thanks to having the grippier soft tyre. It took just seven laps to go from 20th to 7th, and then to 5th once the first pitstops began. His overtake on Alonso for position at half distance was effortless, but he had to work harder against Magnussen as the two swapped places on lap 31 before the Greater Manchester driver made it stick on the following lap. It was a brilliant drive, but if he is to challenge for his maiden win, he needs to perform better in qualifying.