2014 German Grand Prix

Championship standings

Rosberg leads Hamilton by four points heading into the German Grand Prix, a gap that has tightened dramatically from 29 after Hamilton won the British Grand Prix while Rosberg retired.

Previous race

Hamilton won at Silverstone — his fifth victory of 2014 — starting from sixth after a difficult qualifying session in changeable rain. Bottas finished second and Ricciardo third. Rosberg led for 18 laps before gearbox problems slowed and then stopped his car on lap 29, handing the lead to Hamilton. Räikkönen crashed heavily on the opening lap at the Wellington Straight, sustaining hip and heel injuries; he has been declared fit for this race. Gutiérrez was found predominantly at fault for a collision with Maldonado at Club corner and carries a five-place grid penalty here.

Between-race developments

Two weeks before the race, the FIA announced an immediate ban on the Front-and-Rear Interconnected suspension system, known as FRIC. The system linked the front and rear suspension arrays using hydraulics to maintain a static ride height, and the FIA has ruled it qualifies as a movable aerodynamic device under the technical regulations. The ban is effective from this race.

Hamilton’s fifth win equalled Jackie Stewart’s career total of 27 Formula One victories.

Track changes

The Hockenheimring returns as the host of the German Grand Prix, alternating with the Nürburgring as established in 2008. The circuit last hosted the race in 2012. This is the 75th German Grand Prix and the 61st time the event has been a World Championship round.