McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton has snatched his second stage win in the current Formula 1 season after crossing the finish line first at the German Grand Prix.
Pole position-holder Webber had a poor start once again, allowing Hamilton to take the lead going into the first corner.
Meanwhile, the season’s leader, Sebastian Vettel, lost the battle for third to Alonso in the opening laps due to a driving mistake which saw him losing control of his Red Bull, and braking problems which followed afterwards.
The fourth-place finish at his home Grand Prix in Nurburgring is so far the defending champ’s worst result this year.
There was plenty of overtaking in the lower parts of the peloton, but the leading trio settled their scores through pit stops.
Hamilton gave the lead away to Alonso after he changed his tires for the first time, but got it back after the second wave of pit stops in the middle of the race and was faultless after that.
“When you do finally hit the sweet spot, it couldn’t feel any better,” Hamilton is cited by the Guardian newspaper. “We never expected to come here and be so fast and competitive, but that was one of the best races I’ve ever done.”
Vitaly Petrov, who used the strategy of fewer pit stops, has managed to bring one point to his Lotus Renault team after finishing tenth. It is the first point the Russian has got in the last three races.
Despite a rather disappointing result, Sebastion Vettel remains a confident leader in the drivers’ championship, with his closest rival being 77 points behind.