25/07/2004
NEWS STORY
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Other than the usual question mark regards strategy, the other thing that people are wondering is whether the field - read Michael, Juan Pablo, Kimi, David and the Renaults will get through the first corner without any problems.
The front three - Michael, Juan Pablo and Kimi - have a long history of over-enthusiastic, wheel to wheel, no-prisoners taken, close encounters.
As the cars prepare to head off on the warm-up lap, the air temperature is 27 degrees C, while the track temperature is 46 degrees.
As the cars enter the stadium at the end of the warm up lap, thousands of air horns burst into life, the atmosphere is truly electric.
Not for the first time this year, Olivier Panis raises his hand, his Toyota has stalled, consequently the start is aborted. Don't forget, next year the race will still go ahead, in honour of tight TV schedules there will be no re-starts as a result of stalled cars.
Of course this is the much-anticipated, much-hyped TF104B, Toyota's so-called 'new' car. It's not been a very good weekend thus far for the Japanese team.
As the field heads off on its second warm-up lap, Panis gets away then grinds to a halt just a few yards later. A bad day for Olivier, who starts from the pitlane, and for the 'new' car.
A brilliant start by Schumacher and both Renaults as Montoya slips back through the field, as Barrichello and Coulthard 'touch'. The Brazilian's nose comes off and slides across the track into the path of Montoya, who has to brake hard.
At the end of the first lap Schumacher leads Alonso by 1.03s, with Raikkonen in third ahead of Trulli. A few corners later, the Finn gets past the Spaniard and sets off after Michael. Meanwhile, Barrichello pits for a new nose.
At the end of lap 2, Michael leads Raikkonen who is ahead of Alonso, Trulli, Coulthard, Webber, Montoya, Pizzonia, Sato and Klien. Button is eleventh ahead of da Matta and Fisichella.
Webber attempts to hold of Montoya, but to no avail, the Jaguar is no match for the WilliamsF1.
Schumacher and Raikkonen - separated by 2.1s - are trading fastest laps. Meanwhile Coulthard is all over Trulli.
Michael posts 1:13.783 on the fifth lap, the Ferrari driver forcing an amazing pace. Teammate Barrichello is currently twentieth, 8.7s behind Bruni.
Webber, running seventh, has Pizzonia, Sato and Button right on his heels.
At the end of lap 7, Schumacher leads Raikkonen by 3.2s, with Alonso third ahead of Trulli, Coulthard, Montoya and Webber. Barrichello is now nineteenth and closing in on Baumgartner, who is 4.5s ahead.
At the end of lap 9, Alonso (7.3) pits as does Pizzonia (6.9). This of course makes Pizzonia's qualifying performance even worse.
Next time around Schumacher pits as do Coulthard, Trulli and Sato. 9.8s later Michael is heading back down the pitlane.
Kimi posts a new fastest lap, then pits at the end of the next lap. 8.9s later the Finn is heading back down the pitlane, exiting behind Schumacher. Montoya and Panis also pit.
Mark Webber - who has yet to stop - leads the German GP, from Jenson Button. However, next time around the Australian pits, leaving Button in the lead. Meanwhile Giorgio Pantano has a problem and is slowly working his way back to the pits.
At the end of lap 12, Button leads Schumacher by 4.1. However all eyes are on Kimi Raikkonen who crashes into the barriers at turn one following a rear wing failure. The McLaren driver is simply a passenger as the car skims across the asphalt into the tyre wall.
At the end of lap 14, Button pits, promoting Schumacher to the lead. The German is 10.4s ahead of Alonso, who leads Coulthard, Montoya, Button, Trulli, Webber, Fisichella, Massa and Pizzonia.
At this point, everyone has stopped, other than the Saubers, Heidfeld and Bruni.
Schumacher is lapping over a second faster than anyone else, and indeed 1.3s faster than second-placed Alonso. The German is 11.3s ahead of the Spaniard.
The best battle right now is Webber, who is all over Trulli, while attempting to hold off Fisichella. Meanwhile Sato is all over Massa. Montoya has closed to within 0.8s of Coulthard.
It's a great scrap between Trulli, Webber, Fisichella and Sato for sixth place.
Montoya goes wide in front of the Mercedes stand, and Button doesn't waste any time in nipping past to take fourth. Meanwhile fellow BAR driver Sato out-brakes Webber to take seventh. The Japanese driver closes in on Trulli, who appears to be struggling with his tyres.
At the end of lap 24, Barrichello pits, as does Massa, who is making his first stop.
Out front, Michael is leading Alonso by 15.5s, with Coulthard 2.2s down the road, with Button all over his gearbox.
Montoya is fifth, 3.4s behind Button, but 13s ahead of Trulli, who has a whole gaggle of cars lining up behind.
Sato gets past Trulli, as Mark Webber makes a brave, brave move, which catches the Italian totally by surprise. In one brief moment the Italian has lost two places. Great stuff.
Montoya pits at the end of lap 27, as Button closes to within 0.7s of Coulthard. Sato also pits.
Next time around Schumacher pits, the German stationary for 7.7s, as Fernando Alonso takes the lead. David Coulthard has also pitted, as has Pizzonia. Trulli stops for fuel, tyres and a new nose, though its unclear why.
At the end of lap 29, race leader Alonso pits, he's stationary for 6.5s. Meanwhile it's revealed that a fragment from Raikkonen's wing had become embedded in Trulli's nose, which explains his new nose, and his lack of pace.
Jenson Button leads once again, though the BAR driver has to make at least one more stop. Schumacher is just 3.3s behind, 12.9s ahead of Alonso. Coulthard is fourth ahead of Klien, Montoya, Sato, Webber, Fisichella and Pizzonia.
At the end of lap 31, Klien pits as Sato has a big moment on the entry to the stadium.
Half-distance and Button leads Schumacher by 4.7s, while the main action is further down the field where Massa is holding off da Matta, Trulli and Panis, in an attempt to hold on to twelfth. While Pizzonia is all over Fisichella for eighth.
At the end of lap 34, Button pits, 6.7s later he rejoins the race behind Schumacher and Alonso.
Schumacher now leads Alonso by 13.4s, the Spaniard under serious pressure from Button. The Englishman is all over the Renault, but Fernando is having none of it.
The two are side by side, Button gets ahead but then Alonso re-takes position at the next corner. Schumacher disappears serenely into the distance, but this fight is enthralling.
Elsewhere, Barrichello is closing in on Klien, for eleventh!
On lap 40, da Matta becomes the second retirement of the afternoon, the Brazilian spinning off after a puncture. Meanwhile, Button has lost ground to Alonso, as Coulthard appears to have smoke coming from the back of his car.
Schumacher is lapping in the low 1:16s, appearing to ease off as Alonso and Button lap in the 1:14.8s.
Nick Heidfeld is crawling around the stadium, the Jordan looking quite sick. Meanwhile, Fisichella makes his second stop of the afternoon.
Schumacher ups his pace, and posts 1:14.643, as Webber pits. The Australian was running in sixth. Trulli also pits.
At the end of lap 47, Barrichello pits, as does fellow Brazilian Pizzonia.
Next time around race leader Schumacher pits. 9.3s later he's back on track. Alonso pits, as dopes Coulthard, which means that Button is leading once again.
Montoya passes Alonso, but gets it all wrong at the hairpin and the Spaniard re-takes position. At the end of the lap the Colombian pits, as do Sato and Klien.
Button pits at the end of lap 50, he's stationary for 7.1s. He rejoins the race, once again, behind Alonso.
The Englishman and the Spaniard resume battle once again, the Renault driver making a mistake which almost allows the BAR driver through.
Button continues to push Alonso, finally making a move that the Spaniard is unable to resist, he's through.
Schumacher now leads Button by 10.2s with Alonso in third. Coulthard is fourth, ahead of Montoya, Webber, Sato, Pizzonia, Barrichello, Fisichella, Klien, Trulli, Massa, Panis, Pantano, Baumgartner and Bruni.
The only 'real' battle right now, is for seventh, where Sato is under pressure from Pizzonia, while Trulli is all over Klien for eleventh.
That said, Alonso appears to have a problem, he's lost a lot of time and Consequently Coulthard has closed to within 0.8s.
Since his last pit stop, Button has had some sort of problem with his helmet - ooh err missus! - the youngster driving one-handed as he holds his visor with the other hand.
Alonso posts a good time, the Spaniard apparently suffering a problem with his front wing. Coulthard has dropped back and now appears to be falling into the clutches of Montoya.
A bad day for Jordan, as Giorgio Pantano cruises slowly into the pits. However, he doesn't retire and instead, following a change of rubber, re-enters the race. Elsewhere, Barrichello runs wide.
Two laps remaining and Schumacher leads Button by 9.9s, with Alonso a further 10.6s down the road. Coulthard is fourth ahead of Montoya and Webber. The other points scorers - at this point - are, Pizzonia and Sato.
Schumacher crosses the line to take his eleventh win of the season, his sixth consecutive victory. However, Ferrari hasn't managed to wrap up the constructors' championship, that will have to wait until Hungary.
Interestingly, Button, who has driven a great race today, is the only man - other than Rubens Barrichello - who can prevent Schumacher taking his seventh title. However the Englishman would have to win at least five races.
Thankfully, Hockenheim lived up to its promise and delivered some memorable moments, though we can only try to imagine the sort of titanic battle we might have witnessed had Kimi's rear wing not failed.
F1 now faces a two week holiday, but rest assured all the teams will be working hard in anticipation of the remaining six races, even though they won't be testing on track.
We can also expect some movement on the driver market, especially in lieu of Jarno Trulli's announcement that he is leaving Renault at the end of the year.
Neil Young said that 'rust never sleeps', neither does F1.