German F1 Grand Prix 2016: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More
Lewis Hamilton heads to the 2016 German Grand Prix aiming to enhance his World Drivers' Championship lead over Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
The three-time World Champion has raced down a 43-point disadvantage after a shaky season start to leapfrog his perennial rival at last weekend's race in Budapest, Hungary.
The pair will be expected to battle it out at the front at Rosberg's home event in Hockenheim, with the high-speed straights accompanied by the challenging stadium sector a delight for drivers and fans of the iconic Formula One track.
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Here is how you can follow the action:
Date: Sunday, July 31
Race Time: 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET
TV: Sky Sports F1 and HD, Channel 4 and HD, NBC
Live Stream: Sky Go, ALL 4, NBC Sports Live Extra
For a look at the full field of drivers, visit Formula One's official website.
Preview
Momentum in sport can play in crucial role in deciding championships. At this moment, the pendulum is in full motion behind Hamilton as he aims to lift himself alongside Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel and become a title-winner for the fourth time. Standing in his way is Rosberg, a resilient, methodical driver but perhaps lacking the raw instinct which is so ingrained into his rival's makeup.
Hamilton's five wins from the last six grands prix gradually dwindled Rosberg's advantage, with the Brit moving six points clear at the top of the standings following his comfortable race victory last time out. His success at the Hungaroring put him one clear of legend Michael Schumacher with five victories to his name at the circuit, per Samuel Lovett of the Independent.
F1 posted an updated look at the standings following the completion of the race:
Ultimately, the race to the chequered flag was decided in the opening seconds after Hamilton passed his Silver Arrows team-mate into Turn 1. After a long drive down to the first corner, the Englishman held off pressure from Max Verstappen—avoided a lock-up—and held his nerve to pass Rosberg with the superior inside line. From that point on, the former McLaren pilot was largely untroubled.
However, the on-track squabble continued post-race in the press conference, with Hamilton questioning the stewards' decision to allow Rosberg's pole lap to stand after he set the fastest lap of the Q3 session despite being forced to drive through double-waved yellow flags.
Rosberg responded immediately to defend himself, citing his significant reduction in speed, per Andrew Benson of the BBC. It was tense—only half lightened by the smirk of a squirming Daniel Ricciardo—but both drivers eloquently explained their side of the argument well.
Per Will Buxton, Rosberg refused to accept Hamilton's comments without a stern reply:
And so the F1 circus continues to Germany, rounding off a pulsating six grand prix races in just eight weeks. After a one-year hiatus after it was removed, Hockenheim has returned to the race calendar as part of the sport's longest-ever season with 21 races. Rosberg took the top step of the podium in 2014, with Hamilton finishing third behind Williams' Valtteri Bottas.
Remarkably, that day marked one of Hamilton's best drives of the season, after a brake disk failure in Q1 saw him start the race down in 16th position, per James Galloway of Sky Sports.
Rosberg took to Twitter to celebrate his return to the track where he has shared many happy moments:
This time around, the Mercs are not expected to be touched when it comes to qualifying pace, with pole position once again set to be competed for between the two front-runners. Ricciardo is the only non-Mercedes driver to start a 2016 grand prix from first place, when he secured the fastest Q3 time in Monaco, per Galloway of Sky Sports.
SuperSport noted the statistics that demonstrate Mercedes' dominance over recent years:
Per Bleacher Report's Matthew Walthert, despite the circuit being largely neutered in 2002 at Turn 3, the track remains a huge part of its heritage with a long sweeping left-hander ending with a magnificent overtaking opportunity at the Turn 6 hairpin. This layout offers aggressive drivers the opportunity to showcase their talents, so watch out for instinctive moves from the likes of Red Bull's Verstappen and Haas F1's Romain Grosjean.
Home soil could provide Rosberg with the perfect opportunity to get his F1 title bid back on track after losing his notable standing at the top of the points leaderboard. Per Galloway of Sky Sports, Hamilton remains hesitant to allow his standards to drop, knowing reliability issues earlier in the year may come back to haunt him following the four-week break after Sunday's race.
Home favourite Rosberg must extract all he can from this weekend's event in order to regain his charge and give himself the best possible chance of major honours after the mid-season break.
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