Markelov Takes Major Victory in Germany

Qualifying:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2	Diff.
1	18	Sebastian Vettel		1:13.022	1:12.913
2	6	Artem Markelov		1:13.202	1:12.013	+0.100
3	47	Lando Norris		1:13.337	1:13.298	+0.382
4	39	Sho Tsuboi		1:13.730	1:13.519	+0.606
5	23	Alexander Albon		1:13.965	1:13.523	+0.610
6	7	Charles Leclerc		1:13.579	1:13.530	+0.617
7	64	Dave Cassidy		1:14.056	1:13.707	+0.794
8	94	Pascal Wehrlein		1:13.716	1:13.818	+0.803
9	57	Dean Stoneman		1:13.762	1:14.167	+0.849
10	31	Esteban Ocon		1:13.771	1:13.960	+0.858
11	33	Max Verstappen		1:22.264	1:22.092	+0.760
12	26	Robert Shwartzman		1:22.389	1:22.495	+1.057
13	70	Marvin Kirchhöfer		1:14.390	1:14.140	+1.227
14	29	Roger Ibe		1:14.322	1:14.332	+1.409
15	13	Pastor Maldonado		1:15.349	1:14.943	+2.030
16	77	Valtteri Bottas		1:15.291	1:14.985	+2.072
17	37	Kazuki Nakajima		1:15.404	1:15.028	+2.115
18	73	Daniel Melrose		1:15.831	1:15.936	+2.918
19	23	Jules Bianchi		1:16.496	1:15.928	+2.912
20	4	Robin Frijns		1:16.359	1:16.496	+3.446
21	99	Antonio Giovinazzi		1:16.725	1:16.449	+3.704
22	55	Carlos Sainz, Jr.		1:16.493	1:16.849	+3.580
23	98	Bradley Dagnall		1:16.789	1:16.547	+3.634
24	84	Jack Aitken		1:16.243	1:16.221	+3.308*

Report:

Caterham arrived at the 2021 German Grand Prix with high hopes after Sebastian Vettel controlled the Dutch Grand Prix. A 1-3 in qualifying did nothing to undermine their confidence, given that BR Mansell would be weaker in the race itself.

Unfortunately, their highly-competitive driver pairing would prove to be their undoing: Norris and Vettel entered open combat on the track and Sebastian cracked in front of his home fans, running out of track and damaging his car.

Norris himself would fall behind Markelov before retiring with a Judd failure, leaving Artem Markelov to extend his championship lead. He finished ahead of an amazing Esteban Ocon and the two Precisions, Wehrlein beating Stoneman for the first time this season.

In a challenging race with many retirements, the two Toyota drivers came through to score the team’s first double-points finish since the 2020 German Grand Prix. Jules Bianchi ensured Calinetic’s 10th place in the standings, even if Robin Frijns beat Daniel Melrose.

Race:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time/Retired	Points
1	6	Artem Markelov		64:13.896	15
2	14	Esteban Ocon		+25.843	12
3	94	Pascal Wehrlein		+39.070	10
4	57	Dean Stoneman		+40.746	8
5	18	Sebastian Vettel		+47.129	6
6	26	Robert Shwartzman		+50.860	5
7	64	Dave Cassidy		+59.362	4
8	7	Charles Leclerc		+67.034	3
9	37	Kazuki Nakajima		1 Lap	2
10	77	Valtteri Bottas		1 Lap	1
11	23	Jules Bianchi		1 Lap
12	19	Robin Frijns		1 Lap
13	73	Daniel Melrose		2 Laps
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi		4 Laps
DNF	47	Lando Norris		Motor
DNF	39	Sho Tsuboi		Accident
DNF	85	Jack Aitken		Motor
DNF	33	Max Verstappen		Accident
DNF	98	Bradley Dagnall		Throttle
DNF	29	Roger Ibe		Collision
DNF	55	Carlos Sainz, Jr.		Motor
DNF	70	Marvin Kirchhöfer		Transmission
DNF	23	Alexander Albon		Accident
DNF	13	Pastor Maldonado		Accident

Fastest Lap:

Sebastian Vettel – 1:13.243

Infinite Improbability Drive Of The Race:

Toyota – Markelov’s win and both cars of the works team in the Top 10, that’s the good stuff.

Reject Of The Race:

Caterham-Judd – they have a car that is good enough for the title, but their drivers need to improve.