2016 German Grand Prix

Championship standings

Hamilton leads Rosberg by 6 points.

Previous race

Hamilton won Hungary ahead of Rosberg and Ricciardo, taking the championship lead for the first time since before Spain. The race was marked by controversy: Rosberg secured pole on a drying circuit after Alonso spun in front of him necessitating double waved yellow flags — the stewards confirmed Rosberg had slowed but his time stood. Button was penalised under the revised radio rules after reporting a brake issue (later found to be a faulty sensor) that the stewards deemed serious enough to require pitting.

Between-race developments

The FIA has repealed all restrictions on pit-to-car communications following controversy over their application at the previous races. From Germany onwards, the regulations apply to the formation lap only.

This is the first race where a double yellow flag in qualifying counts the same as a red flag for lap time purposes, following the controversy in Hungary.

Rio Haryanto’s race seat is under threat. His primary sponsor, Indonesian petrochemical company Pertamina, has not met its financial obligations to MRT; his long-term future with the team is unresolved.

Tyres

Pirelli brings the medium, soft and super-soft compounds.